Ian RoyalRoyalBlueTop Flight This is a bit like when Coppell let Forster and Williams both leave. Everyone was a bit sceptical at the time. But he replaced them with Doyle, Long and Sonko and the rest is history.
Letting go of a few of the fans favourites and long-serving players is probably exactly what we need at the present time to break out of our current rut, change the whole philosophy at the club and come out stronger.
Without money, nobody thought that Coppell could replace Williams and Forsters quality at the time. But hell he did it. (I sound like Ed Milliband there).
I reckon Clarke will unearth the next Doyle, Long and Sonko without spending much. Come on Clarke, show us what a great manager you're gonna be for us. Lack of funds. That is no excuse.
The difference is that Coppell already had a good track record as a manager and also for identifying good players . IMO Clarke doesn't.
Coppell also had McDermott as Scout and Dolan's relation at Cork. Lots of Coppell's good buys were players who'd played for him at a lower level that he thought could step up too. Not really going to apply in Clarke's case.
Typical responses to Top Flights top post from two over mined pits of utter bollox.
We may never see another side like the one built by Coppell and McDermott but, one thing they didn't have back then was a fantastic bunch of kids on the brink of first team football.
Just the likelihood that Derby will be paying 20k+ a week for a slightly better than average Championship defender (not to mention recent reports that this league is on the brink of financial meltdown ) would suggest that trying to buy our way out of this league would amount to signing up for more God foresaken years like the two we've just had.
I wish Pearce well and don't blame him, at his age, for chasing the wonga but, frankly, if he was worth that kind of money someone would have offered a fee good enough for us to accept before we lost him for nothing.
We've probably been waiting since 1871 to have the quality in young talent we currently possess and, even if we have to snap up a few loans in January to bail us out, there are a number who should be given a chance ahead of over priced, mediocre rivals who happen to have more miles on the clock.
I'm sure he'll correct me if I'm wrong but, I believe RR is an accountant. As this really comes down to basic arithmetic, he doesn't need to attend many matches to have a valid opinion and I'd be amazed if those running the club see things that differently.
This could still be the start of fantastic times for RFC fans and those who wish to deride others for renewing their season tickets will not be missed.