Mcd says we haven't got any cash....

[Wycombe Royal]

Problem solved. Only FineRain answers it, badly, by comparing us to Forest and Ipswich, 2 sides bankrolled. He also mentions Barnsley, who are spending far less on wages and can therefore spend £1mill on a player.

Just out of interest who is this £1m striker Barnslay signed? Last one I can see was Ian Hume 2 years ago.........

[Isaac Hunt]

They clearly realise that the fans want a new CB because they keep reaffirming that there is no money.

and talking up Alex Pearce.

[Hoop Blah]

Problem solved. Only FineRain answers it, badly, by comparing us to Forest and Ipswich, 2 sides bankrolled. He also mentions Barnsley, who are spending far less on wages and can therefore spend £1mill on a player.

Everybody else avoids it. Just plain ranting and moaning. Stop moaning about JM unless you're willing to fight reason with reason. Unless you do this, I will be forced to conclude that myself and everybody who agrees with me on this issue is better than you.

Schards - This D-day you speak of could arrive for a number of clubs in professional football and I'm delighted to know we're not one of them. Out of interest; how many clubs realistically fighting for promotion are not either:

a) Bigger clubs than us with larger fan bases and hence, more resources
b) Bankrolled by a wealthy chairman
c) Risking their future.

There is of course the 4th way, gelling a brilliant team and playing beyond your means like Blackpool and Burnley. That's very rare for a club. We achieved it in 2006, it won't be so easy again.

That's all fine and dandy if the club can find the right balance between being financially prudent and competitive because unfortunately the majority of the industry don't follow our lead of trying to live within our means.

Generally we've got that balance about right. Currently I think we're tipping the wrong of sensible (although I'm holding fire to see if we don't bring in a central defender to bolster the starting XI).

As for teams like Blackpool challenging 'on the cheap' being a rare occurrence, if you look back over the last 5-10 years pretty much every season sees a top six club getting there on a tight budget (which slightly counters my point above). It is possible, but to give yourself a decent chance of getting into the mix at the right end of the table you do still need to invest (and not recklessly etc etc) in a balanced squad.

[RoyalBlue]

And, please note, Torquay won away in the league and have now gone NINE league games without conceding a goal

A 0-0
H 5-0
A 2-0
A 3-0
H 1-0
A 3-0
H 0-0
H 3-0
A 2-0

W7 D2 L0 19-0

Big deal! They are a League 2 Team, not a Championship Promotion contender. Only a friendly, I Know, but they let in 3 against QPR.

The fact that some appear to think we should feel chuffed that we beat them in the last minute of extra time, shows how far we have sunk!

Never mind. The Chairman has decided that his approach is best and that we can be successful through operating in a very different manner to those we aspire to compete against. What's more, once 22 Championship teams have gone bust, promotion should be there for the taking!

[sheshnu]

The fact that some appear to think we should feel chuffed that we beat them in the last minute of extra time, shows how far we have sunk!

The fact that some appear to think we should be rolling over teams like Torquay with ease, shows how far we have come!

[Snowball]

And, please note, Torquay won away in the league and have now gone NINE league games without conceding a goal


W7 D2 L0 19-0

Big deal! They are a League 2 Team, not a Championship Promotion contender. Only a friendly, I Know, but they let in 3 against QPR.

The fact that some appear to think we should feel chuffed that we beat them in the last minute of extra time, shows how far we have sunk!

Never mind. The Chairman has decided that his approach is best and that we can be successful through operating in a very different manner to those we aspire to compete against. What's more, once 22 Championship teams have gone bust, promotion should be there for the taking!

Friendlies hardly count, but in case you hadn't noticed QPR are top of the Championship with a 7-0 GD

Dismissing a 19-0 GD is silly. Torquay are many bookies favourites to take Div 2.
They will be very high on confidence, they were at home and we hardly put out our first 11. I thought we'd lose.

[Snowball]

The fact that some appear to think we should feel chuffed that we beat them in the last minute of extra time, shows how far we have sunk!

The fact that some appear to think we should be rolling over teams like Torquay with ease, shows how far we have come!

VERY good point, and with Mills, Gilfi, Church, Long, Feds, et al out for the night.

How many Championship sides went out to Lg 1& 2 opposition?

[Agent Balti]

I'm sorry, but having to justify a result against a Division 2 side, regardless of form is rather desperate.

We, as this so called 'well run' Championship team, should be able to beat Torquay any day of the week, no arguments or pointless stat waving to prove otherwise. If we lost to them, we'd use their stats as a sorry excuse. Luckily, we scraped a goal in the last minute. Whoo! Go US!!!

[notloyalenuffroyal]

Tell that to Liverpool last season.

They should be beating us every time and have spent lots more money.
They didn't.

Don't underestimate the "little" club playing at home in a cup game. One off anyone can beat anyone, particulalry early in a season.

It's a game. You give yourself the best chance, but sometimes you lose - hence the word - game!!!

If we have no cash get over it. We might not go up. Oh well - there will be another year - another set of moany people saying we should spend millions. If you want to have a new centre back, it's easy. Sell Gylfi and use some of the money on a centre back. Any takers?

Other than that - start a car trading magazine - sell it for millions and bankroll the purchase and wages. Good luck to you all.

[Hoop Blah]

Tell that to Liverpool last season.

They should be beating us every time and have spent lots more money.
They didn't.

Don't underestimate the "little" club playing at home in a cup game. One off anyone can beat anyone, particulalry early in a season.

As much as I agree that the cup competitions often see little clubs causing upsets and lesser players matching their more illustrious opponents, I really don't think you can hold Liverpool up as an example of a well run, well managed and healthy higher division club getting turned over by a plucky underdog.

Liverpool were in finanical and football disarray for the most part of last season. If we're in a similar position then it's a bad one to be in!

[under the tin]

Tell that to Liverpool last season.

They should be beating us every time and have spent lots more money.
They didn't.

Don't underestimate the "little" club playing at home in a cup game. One off anyone can beat anyone, particulalry early in a season.

It's a game. You give yourself the best chance, but sometimes you lose - hence the word - game!!!

If we have no cash get over it. We might not go up. Oh well - there will be another year - another set of moany people saying we should spend millions. If you want to have a new centre back, it's easy. Sell Gylfi and use some of the money on a centre back. Any takers?

Other than that - start a car trading magazine - sell it for millions and bankroll the purchase and wages. Good luck to you all.

You have either
a) Only read they last few contributions
or
b) Not understood the points made earlier in the thread
I don't think anyone is suggesting millions are spent, or are talking about promotion to the PL.
FTR, this contributor thinks the PL is a pile of shit, that in its current form, we have absolutely bugger all chance of truly competing in, so it's a waste of time being there.
What have been expressed are concerns about remaining competitive at this level.
The championship is without doubt the tightest league in England, and no club has a divine right to stay there.
Many are of the opinion that we have a glaring weakness in central defence: Mills and Pearce both lack pace, get turned too easily, and the only other options are two Icelandic players who are, in all honesty, in the twilight years of their careers.
It's all hunky dory should those up front score more than we will inevitably concede, but should the goals dry up, whether through injury, loss of form, or the sale of our better players, it will not add up to Premier League football or fiscal prudence.
It could, in a very tight league, end up in relegation. Bournemouth away, anyone?

[sheshnu]

Yeah why not?

I'm sure everybody will end up where they deserve to be at the end of the season; if Reading under-achieve or over-achieve they might possibly be in a different division. I'll probably still go along and watch them whatever.

[under the tin]

Yeah why not?

I'm sure everybody will end up where they deserve to be at the end of the season; if Reading under-achieve or over-achieve they might possibly be in a different division. I'll probably still go along and watch them whatever.

...And so would I, mate. I served my apprenticeship as a fan away at places like Chesterfield and Hartlepool.
It's the fall out from relegation that scares me. Bye bye Kebe, McAnuff, Sig, Tabb, Church,etc etc. An even tighter budget, lots of journeymen players wearing the shirt (been there before, eh)
It just seems that we will have gone full circle in the Madejski reign. same crap small club, better stadium (and like Darlington's 4/5ths empty)
What a waste.

[From Despair To Where?]

Problem solved. Only FineRain answers it, badly, by comparing us to Forest and Ipswich, 2 sides bankrolled. He also mentions Barnsley, who are spending far less on wages and can therefore spend £1mill on a player.

Just out of interest who is this £1m striker Barnslay signed? Last one I can see was Ian Hume 2 years ago.........

I suspect people are getting Barnsley mixed up with Doncaster who have just spent £1m+ on Billy Sharpe.

[Wycombe Royal]

Even that's NOT been confirmed

Ermmmmm.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/cardiff_city/8915964.stm

Taken from the paper, SSN say they've just spoken to Dave Jones HTH

So do we believe this from the beeb:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/cardiff_city/8919925.stm

[Man Friday]

Changing the subject but on a related theme: Madejski apparently bought Lita with "his own money". Did we sell Lita (I honestly can't remember) and, if so, who received the income as a matter of interest - SJM or RFC?

[Snowball]

Cups are more often than not "great levellers"

SEVEN CCC Clubs lost to lower-league opposition in the first round

Another seven scraped home by a single goal against lower-league "easy" opposition

There were just 5 "comfortable wins"

LOST AT HOME

QPR 1-3 Port Vale (6th League 2)
Barnsley 0-1 Rochdale (16th League 1)
Doncaster 1-2 Accrington Stanley (14th League 2)

LOST AWAY

Bradford 2-1 Nottm Forest (Bradford 11th in League 2)
Crewe 1-0 Derby (Crewe are bottom of league 2 having lost their first two matches)
Southend 3-2 Bristol City (Southend 20th in League 2)
Morecambe 2-0 Coventry (Morecambe 21st in League 2)

SCRAPED ONE-GOAL WIN
Leicester 4-3 Macclesfield (Macclesfield 16th League 1)
Exeter 2-3 Ipswich (Exter 17th League 1)
Chesterfield 1-2 Middlesbrough (Chesterfield 5th in League 2)
Torquay 0-1 Reading (Torquay TOP of league 2)
Scunthorpe 2-1 Oldham (Oldham top League 1)
Wycombe 1-2 Millwall (Wycombe 3rd in League 2)
Yeovil 0-1 Crystal Palace (Yeovil 11th league 1)

SOLID WINS

Aldershot 0-3 Watford (Aldershot 8th League 2)
Leeds 4-0 Lincoln (Lincoln rock-bottom 24th of League 2)
Norwich 4-1 Gillingham (Gills 12th League 2)
Stockport 0-5 Preston (Stockport 13th league 2)
Swansea 3-0 Barnet (Barnet 18th League 2)

[floyd__streete]

^ fascinating stuff I am sure, if absolutely irrelevant to the discussion of some people's concerns that we are a centre-half light.

[Agent Balti]

Cups are more often than not "great levellers"

SEVEN CCC Clubs lost to lower-league opposition in the first round

Another seven scraped home by a single goal against lower-league "easy" opposition

There were just 5 "comfortable wins"

LOST AT HOME

QPR 1-3 Port Vale (6th League 2)
Barnsley 0-1 Rochdale (16th League 1)
Doncaster 1-2 Accrington Stanley (14th League 2)

LOST AWAY

Bradford 2-1 Nottm Forest (Bradford 11th in League 2)
Crewe 1-0 Derby (Crewe are bottom of league 2 having lost their first two matches)
Southend 3-2 Bristol City (Southend 20th in League 2)
Morecambe 2-0 Coventry (Morecambe 21st in League 2)

SCRAPED ONE-GOAL WIN
Leicester 4-3 Macclesfield (Macclesfield 16th League 1)
Exeter 2-3 Ipswich (Exter 17th League 1)
Chesterfield 1-2 Middlesbrough (Chesterfield 5th in League 2)
Torquay 0-1 Reading (Torquay TOP of league 2)
Scunthorpe 2-1 Oldham (Oldham top League 1)
Wycombe 1-2 Millwall (Wycombe 3rd in League 2)
Yeovil 0-1 Crystal Palace (Yeovil 11th league 1)

SOLID WINS

Aldershot 0-3 Watford (Aldershot 8th League 2)
Leeds 4-0 Lincoln (Lincoln rock-bottom 24th of League 2)
Norwich 4-1 Gillingham (Gills 12th League 2)
Stockport 0-5 Preston (Stockport 13th league 2)
Swansea 3-0 Barnet (Barnet 18th League 2)

Conveniently ignoring the 1000's of expected Cup Wins. Just because an unlikely outcome exists just by the sheer nature of football, it does not make any given club exempt or make a blind bit of difference once highlighted that 'lesser known clubs in 2 horse race shocker'.

P.S. We still need a centre back.

[Snowball]

Cups are more often than not "great levellers"

SEVEN CCC Clubs lost to lower-league opposition in the first round

Another seven scraped home by a single goal against lower-league "easy" opposition

There were just 5 "comfortable wins"

LOST AT HOME

QPR 1-3 Port Vale (6th League 2)
Barnsley 0-1 Rochdale (16th League 1)
Doncaster 1-2 Accrington Stanley (14th League 2)

LOST AWAY

Bradford 2-1 Nottm Forest (Bradford 11th in League 2)
Crewe 1-0 Derby (Crewe are bottom of league 2 having lost their first two matches)
Southend 3-2 Bristol City (Southend 20th in League 2)
Morecambe 2-0 Coventry (Morecambe 21st in League 2)

SCRAPED ONE-GOAL WIN
Leicester 4-3 Macclesfield (Macclesfield 16th League 1)
Exeter 2-3 Ipswich (Exter 17th League 1)
Chesterfield 1-2 Middlesbrough (Chesterfield 5th in League 2)
Torquay 0-1 Reading (Torquay TOP of league 2)
Scunthorpe 2-1 Oldham (Oldham top League 1)
Wycombe 1-2 Millwall (Wycombe 3rd in League 2)
Yeovil 0-1 Crystal Palace (Yeovil 11th league 1)

SOLID WINS

Aldershot 0-3 Watford (Aldershot 8th League 2)
Leeds 4-0 Lincoln (Lincoln rock-bottom 24th of League 2)
Norwich 4-1 Gillingham (Gills 12th League 2)
Stockport 0-5 Preston (Stockport 13th league 2)
Swansea 3-0 Barnet (Barnet 18th League 2)

Conveniently ignoring the 1000's of expected Cup Wins. Just because an unlikely outcome exists just by the sheer nature of football, it does not make any given club exempt or make a blind bit of difference once highlighted that 'lesser known clubs in 2 horse race shocker'.

P.S. We still need a centre back.

I cited all the Championship sides in the round. What the hell is wrong with that?

If SEVEN CCC clubs lose to lower-level clubs IN A SINGLE ROUND (35% of the clubs) how is that selective or ignoring?

35% lost, 35% scraped home. Hardly suggest that the CCC routinely hammers lg 1 and Lg2 does it?

Unless this season is an extreme, random abberation