As The Dust Settles - The Sombre Thread

[Sutekh]

I remember various people pointing at his record at Fulham and saying we are getting promoted.

I for one was underwhelmed by spending many millions on players which we potentially didnt really have a role for.

Presumably stupid people.

The majority on here were of the opinion that we were spending a hell of a lot of money on a bang average player.

There were very, very few people who thought he was a good signing.

Think the issue was the absolutely ridiculous sum of money that the club were reported to have paid, I wouldn't have paid £7.5m for Neeskens Kebano who I thought was the better of the two wingery types that Fulham had at the time. Anyway he's at the Tractor boys now, though I think out of contract this summer, so probably could have a bit of a laugh at the way things have worked out!

[DarOv]

I remember various people pointing at his record at Fulham and saying we are getting promoted.

I for one was underwhelmed by spending many millions on players which we potentially didnt really have a role for site.

I also have noticed that scouting has become kind of weird. Buying unnecessary players, not letting the right players play, failing the season as a whole. It seems that scouts are only focused on the price of the player and his characteristics, but do not take into account his role in the future team.

I'm guessing agents. Agents with a player they want to move.

Why did we acquire so many sort of attacking players, bot not quite strikers? PLayers like Popa. Did we need Popa? Why did we sign Popa?

I'm not sure we've really turned that particular corner. Why did we sign Casadei?

Lots of questions, yes, I agree.

[Snowball]

I remember various people pointing at his record at Fulham and saying we are getting promoted.

I for one was underwhelmed by spending many millions on players which we potentially didnt really have a role for.

I also have noticed that scouting has become kind of weird. Buying unnecessary players, not letting the right players play, failing the season as a whole. It seems that scouts are only focused on the price of the player and his characteristics, but do not take into account his role in the future team.

I'm guessing agents. Agents with a player they want to move.

Why did we acquire so many sort of attacking players, bot not quite strikers? PLayers like Popa. Did we need Popa? Why did we sign Popa?

I'm not sure we've really turned that particular corner. Why did we sign Casadei?

Without Casadei we'd've gone down.

[Franchise FC]

Although this is a sombre thread I heard the following on the radio just now:-
25 years ago:-

Man City were relegated to the third tier
Bournemouth finished 9th in the third tier
Brighton finished second bottom in the 4th tier.

I feel sombre about where and how we are now and that these 3 clubs now play at a very much higher level than we do, as do Brentford, but not totally sombre because if (big IF) the club get it right we can rise from the ashes.

This is the final Third Division for the season 1998-99

1 Fulham 46 - 101 Division Champions, promoted (now in tier 1)
2 Walsall 46 - 87 Promoted (now in tier 4)
====================================
3 Manchester City 46 - 82 Promoted through play-offs ( )
4 Gillingham 46 - 80 (now in tier 4)
5 Preston North End 46 - 79 (now in tier 2)
6 Wigan Athletic 46 - 76 (now in tier 3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 Bournemouth 46 - 76 (now in tier 1)
8 Stoke City 46 - 69 (now in tier 2)
9 Chesterfield 46 - 64 (now in tier 5)
10 Millwall 46 - 62 (now in tier 2)
11 Reading 46 - 61 (now in tier 3)
12 Luton Town 46 - 58 (now in tier 2)
13 Bristol Rovers 46 - 56 (now in tier 3)
14 Blackpool 46 - 56 (now in tier 3)
15 Burnley 46 - 55 (now in tier 1)
16 Notts County 46 - 54 (now in tier 5)
17 Wrexham 46 - 53 (now in tier 4)
18 Colchester United 46 - 52 (now in tier 4)
19 Wycombe Wanderers 46 - 51 (now in tier 3)
20 Oldham Athletic 46 - 51 (now in tier 5)
==========================================================
21 York City 46 - 50 (now in tier 5)
22 Northampton Town 46 - 48 (now in tier 3)
23 Lincoln City 46 - 46 (now in tier 3)
24 Macclesfield Town 46 - 43 (now defunct but replaced with phoenix club now playing at tier 7)

8 of the above clubs are now playing at a higher level while 9 are now at a lower level.

Brentford, Brighton, Hull, Plymouth, Cardiff, Rotherham and Swansea were all in Division 4 that season!

An interesting read however 25 years ago was the the 1987/98 season.

Bloody hell, that was a long slog of a season

[SCIAG]

Aluko had just come off a very successful season with Fulham in which he scored 8 goals. Not quite Kebe numbers but similar to McCleary’s best season for us. Also very good in Hull’s promotion campaign.

Not the position I would have strengthened and he never looked like value, but I think we could have expected Aluko to be better than he was.

Stam signed six wingers: Beerens, Harriott, Meite, Popa, Barrow, and Aluko, with McCleary the senior winger at the club plus Tanner, Stacey, and Fosu. Beerens was great but wanted to leave after a year. Harriott was fine but never really recovered from that injury, his minutes should have gone to Fosu. Meite is one of the best signings we have ever made. Popa was superfluous, his minutes should have gone to Meite or Stacey. Barrow a good Beerens/Harriott replacement. Aluko superfluous and expensive, again could have got more out of Meite, Stacey, or even Tanner. Hindsight is 20/20 but imagine if we had spent that money on Neal Maupay instead.

Casadei, pretty obvious why we signed him, he was a clear upgrade on our midfield options even if he wasn’t a game-changer.

[Snowflake Royal]

I remember various people pointing at his record at Fulham and saying we are getting promoted.

I for one was underwhelmed by spending many millions on players which we potentially didnt really have a role for.

Presumably stupid people.

Mainly Twitter people, granted

He was the absolute definition of a luxury player, for me. I don’t think it makes someone necessarily stupid to think he could be a good player but only in a very particular system. Fredericks was a great supplement for him. Direct, pacy and attacking. Recall the pair of them tearing us to shreds one particular afternoon. We had Gunter. He was none of the things aforementioned. I’d love to have known what was going on in Stam’s mind to think that was a plausible duo

He certainly wasn’t someone to build a team around though (which was Stam’s idea). His end product was erratic at best (and part of the reason why we actually beat Fulham in the semis originally - missed a couple of sitters). Hands down one of the worst managerial decisions I’ve seen, replacing two very competent wingers for Aluko and Barrow

You knew it was a shit signing when we went for the flakey attacking midfielder with massively patchy form instead of a striker, because Oliveira fell through, just because we had some agreed budget burning a holein our pocket.

[South Coast Royal]

Aluko had just come off a very successful season with Fulham in which he scored 8 goals. Not quite Kebe numbers but similar to McCleary’s best season for us. Also very good in Hull’s promotion campaign.

Not the position I would have strengthened and he never looked like value, but I think we could have expected Aluko to be better than he was.

Stam signed six wingers: Beerens, Harriott, Meite, Popa, Barrow, and Aluko, with McCleary the senior winger at the club plus Tanner, Stacey, and Fosu. Beerens was great but wanted to leave after a year. Harriott was fine but never really recovered from that injury, his minutes should have gone to Fosu. Meite is one of the best signings we have ever made. Popa was superfluous, his minutes should have gone to Meite or Stacey. Barrow a good Beerens/Harriott replacement. Aluko superfluous and expensive, again could have got more out of Meite, Stacey, or even Tanner. Hindsight is 20/20 but imagine if we had spent that money on Neal Maupay instead.

Casadei, pretty obvious why we signed him, he was a clear upgrade on our midfield options even if he wasn’t a game-changer.

Meite one of the best signings we have ever made-really?

156 appearances in 7 years is not good although a goal return of around 1 in 4 if you think of him as a winger and not as a striker is not bad.
I would put him as a fair signing but way, way short of one of the best we have ever made.

[Snowflake Royal]

SCIAG has some very strange opinions.

[Orion1871]

Signed on a free transfer and our joint highest top scorer in the Championship.

As much as I was a big fan, I don't agree with it, but it's not that strange and opinion.

[Snowflake Royal]

Signed on a free transfer and our joint highest top scorer at this level.

Don't agree, but it's not that strange and opinion.

Not a candle to Kitson, Doyle, Sidwell, Shorey, Ingimarsson though.

[Millsy]

Very late to the party but I've just looked at the League One table, and look who's (or was - some will be promoted) in it. The likes of:

Ipshit
Sheffield Wednesday
Barnsley
Bolton
Derby
Portsmouth
Charlton
Port Vale
Bristol Rovers

and Wigan to join too, alongside us.

Some of those clubs big, some just clubs I'd have associated as Champ (or PL) sides.

I don't know whether to be happy that we're in good company, or depressed that we're nowhere near big boys in that division and will likely be spending a good decade or more there.

[Millsy]

Signed on a free transfer and our joint highest top scorer at this level.

Don't agree, but it's not that strange and opinion.

Not a candle to Kitson, Doyle, Sidwell, Shorey, Ingimarsson though.

Not even vaguely close to one of the "best signings we have ever made"

WIth respect, an opinion on par with the "I'm glad we got Ince instead of Warnock" moment.

[Hendo]

Maybe not one of the best, but certainly in the successful signing column - which lets face it has been pretty empty in recent times.

[Snowflake Royal]

Maybe not one of the best, but certainly in the successful signing column - which lets face it has been pretty empty in recent times.

Of course.

[Millsy]

Maybe not one of the best, but certainly in the successful signing column - which lets face it has been pretty empty in recent times.

Oh definitely we like him. He has had some good spells and wasn't shit.

In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king, and all that.

[SCIAG]

Aluko had just come off a very successful season with Fulham in which he scored 8 goals. Not quite Kebe numbers but similar to McCleary’s best season for us. Also very good in Hull’s promotion campaign.

Not the position I would have strengthened and he never looked like value, but I think we could have expected Aluko to be better than he was.

Stam signed six wingers: Beerens, Harriott, Meite, Popa, Barrow, and Aluko, with McCleary the senior winger at the club plus Tanner, Stacey, and Fosu. Beerens was great but wanted to leave after a year. Harriott was fine but never really recovered from that injury, his minutes should have gone to Fosu. Meite is one of the best signings we have ever made. Popa was superfluous, his minutes should have gone to Meite or Stacey. Barrow a good Beerens/Harriott replacement. Aluko superfluous and expensive, again could have got more out of Meite, Stacey, or even Tanner. Hindsight is 20/20 but imagine if we had spent that money on Neal Maupay instead.

Casadei, pretty obvious why we signed him, he was a clear upgrade on our midfield options even if he wasn’t a game-changer.

Meite one of the best signings we have ever made-really?

156 appearances in 7 years is not good although a goal return of around 1 in 4 if you think of him as a winger and not as a striker is not bad.
I would put him as a fair signing but way, way short of one of the best we have ever made.

To clarify, by "one of the best" I wasn't meaning "top three", but certainly "top 15" and arguably "top ten".

You need to check your stats! He spent one of those seven years out on loan for a start.

Winger signed on a free transfer who across three consecutive years scored 42 goals in 110 games, or one every 2.5. Yeah he's not been the same player after his injury, but neither were Little, Sonko, Convey, Karacan, etc., and we don't tend to count that against them.

42 league goals at this level puts him only behind Kitson (and joint with Joao) in the post-war era. And he's not a striker. And he cost less than Kitson.

He's definitely a fair way above merely a "fair" signing. Hasn't led the team to glory but still an excellent signing. A player of that quality in this day and age would typically set us back several million, if you look at the amounts we paid for Beerens, Popa, Barrow, Aluko, or Ejaria.

[JedMaxwell]

Another plus point for Meite is that he left everything out on the pitch, every game. You forgive players not doing so well, when they're always putting in 100%.

Also his treatment of young kids outside the ground before games is always great - he'll take a selfie, have a chat, and just generally be nice. People remember that. When you have a long line of absolute mercenaries playing for your club, seeing one or two doing things right will always make them popular.

I think if he didn't get that really bad knee injury at the back end of 2020/21 things would be different, but that's life. I expect he'll move on this summer, but will always get a great reception when he comes back.

[leon]

Another plus point for Meite is that he left everything out on the pitch, every game. You forgive players not doing so well, when they're always putting in 100%.

Also his treatment of young kids outside the ground before games is always great - he'll take a selfie, have a chat, and just generally be nice. People remember that. When you have a long line of absolute mercenaries playing for your club, seeing one or two doing things right will always make them popular.

I think if he didn't get that really bad knee injury at the back end of 2020/21 things would be different, but that's life. I expect he'll move on this summer, but will always get a great reception when he comes back.

This.

He was a little bit of light in a few shit seasons.

[NathStPaul]

Another plus point for Meite is that he left everything out on the pitch, every game. You forgive players not doing so well, when they're always putting in 100%.

Also his treatment of young kids outside the ground before games is always great - he'll take a selfie, have a chat, and just generally be nice. People remember that. When you have a long line of absolute mercenaries playing for your club, seeing one or two doing things right will always make them popular.

I think if he didn't get that really bad knee injury at the back end of 2020/21 things would be different, but that's life. I expect he'll move on this summer, but will always get a great reception when he comes back.

Have to agree here, think he is a very likeable player in an era when we had some absolutely awful characters at the club. It is however the right time for him to go, he is better than League 1.

[From Despair To Where?]

Presumably stupid people.

Mainly Twitter people, granted

He was the absolute definition of a luxury player, for me. I don’t think it makes someone necessarily stupid to think he could be a good player but only in a very particular system. Fredericks was a great supplement for him. Direct, pacy and attacking. Recall the pair of them tearing us to shreds one particular afternoon. We had Gunter. He was none of the things aforementioned. I’d love to have known what was going on in Stam’s mind to think that was a plausible duo

He certainly wasn’t someone to build a team around though (which was Stam’s idea). His end product was erratic at best (and part of the reason why we actually beat Fulham in the semis originally - missed a couple of sitters). Hands down one of the worst managerial decisions I’ve seen, replacing two very competent wingers for Aluko and Barrow

You knew it was a shit signing when we went for the flakey attacking midfielder with massively patchy form instead of a striker, because Oliveira fell through, just because we had some agreed budget burning a holein our pocket.

Kind of symbolic of a lot of our signings over the past 6 or 7 years. Over priced, over paid and not addressing a position of need. I'd put Baldock in the same category. Not bad players but brainless signings.