by Vision »
12 Mar 2014 09:19
RoyalBlue SPARTA ZacNaloen Hang on, the only rumour I've heard is that we will struggle to pay wages next year.
Which can be sorted by clearing out any contracts expiring and offering up anyone on big money for next to nothing incoming.
There were rumours before xmas that we may be in trouble come February as we couldn't afford the wages. Then the transfer window came and went and although we didn't spend (and Sharp and Baird came off the wage bill), we didn't sell either. But that same rumour appears to have resurfaced today regarding getting to the end of the season. I don't think anyone is any the wiser about what state we're in. All we are sure about is SJM being extremely keen to sell.
So despite once again investing relatively little when we got to the PL, we have already managed to blow the money we made from getting there and are currently spending more than the parachute money?
If true, then Madejski really is god the way he manages to create black holes! And this whilst the club remained under his stewardship as Chairman i.e. if he didn't like the way it was being run he could have resigned as Chairman to make that very point.
Again with this? The wage bill last season was £46m. That's over 30% more than the last time we were in the top flight and it's a result of your poster boy Anton replacing that bloke who has been holding us back for the last 20 years apparently.
If we didn't invest that money wisely enough then we have to look at a combination of McDermott, Anton and Hammond as to why but for some bizarre reason you seem to want to point the finger at someone who no longer controlled the purse strings and took no active part in player selection/recruitment.
What we're faced with now is the inevitable consequence of relegation from the top flight and not bouncing straight back (if indeed we dont). Much the same as the last time we were in this position and indeed what all other clubs face in the same situation. The difference now is that because Anton seemed to share the same naivity when it comes to Premiership finances that some on here do, he thought he was sitting on a potential goldmine when in fact it was more likely to be a landmine, then the actions needed to redress the balance will be fairly drastic short term.
On the plus side the continued "investment" year after year in the Academy means we do appear to be producing players of Championship ability to progress to the first team which with the advent of FFP is vital.
JM is by no means perfect. he talks an awful lot of shit and is a bit of an eccentric who needs his ego stroking from time to time. Equally not everything about TSI has been a failure and the title win, another premiership season, some high profile signings and Cat A Academy status were unlikely to have all happened under JM. I'd much rather JM wasn't in charge because then it would mean the Anton/TSI experiment had worked.
The reality is though that it was a nice ride for 18 months or so but ultimately the guy at the helm was just too naive to understand how much the ride costs to maintain. In which case I'm glad that JM didn't take your advice and quit because it's better to have him see us through the potential tough financial situation than those chairman/owners who continually bury their heads in the sand. (insert your own basketcase owner/club here)
