| I know I'm in a minority..... 10:54 - Oct 4 with 8191 views | blueysbackside |
....but the season for me started when Morsy and Celina were fit - and Cook was able to field what is arguably his strongest XI. What took place last season and early this season is an irrelevance to me - and I've posted before the reasons why. What he needs now is until Xmas to get this lot into a well-oiled winning machine. If we're still where we are now, I'll admit defeat. Until, then, however, he's still the man for me. |  | | |  |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:02 - Oct 4 with 1336 views | itfcjoe |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 14:55 - Oct 4 by C_HealyIsAPleasure |
If Bonne keeps up this form he might not even be here past January. I’d certainly think it’s unlikely he’d be here next season if we don’t go up - being a local lad would help but his price will be increasing by the week and there will likely be other suitors - if QPR even want to sell him
Coulsen I guess is possible, but hardly likely. Even if that did happen though it would hardly debunk the point being made though would it? We certainly haven’t splashed out on the likes of Celina to finish mid table in League One |
Almost an argument if we get to January and are nowhere near it we just let Bonne go back to save the wages if QPR want to sell him and try and get a tune out of Pigott! |  |
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:05 - Oct 4 with 1323 views | SomethingBlue |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:00 - Oct 4 by itfcjoe |
The conversations some are willing to have about building for the future, squad gelling, etc are ones we should be having in the Championship not in League 1. There is only 1 plan for L1 and that is to get out of it at the earliest possible opportunity.
If Cook can't deliver that quickly he'll be moved on - he won't be sat here at Xmas with us in the bottom half - he'll be long gone. |
Exactly. I think a few are trying to brush some harsh realities under the carpet. If we went up this year then I'm sure most of us, as well as the owners, could accept a few seasons trying to position ourselves for a run among the Champ promotion hopefuls. That couldn't be further from the case in L1. Still time for this to get the momentum it needs but will require three wins from next five games as the very barest minimum — let's hope it happens. [Post edited 4 Oct 2021 15:05]
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:06 - Oct 4 with 1317 views | PrideOfTheEast |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:01 - Oct 4 by legoman |
Been supporting town since 1963 I am just not a boo sheep. |
We are where we are because of a series of hopeless management decisions on and off the pitch, and then keeping those people (clearly not working) for far too long.
What is the point in the new ownership and having funds if we don't start acting like a club that wants to achieve something. | | | |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:06 - Oct 4 with 1316 views | Herbivore |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:01 - Oct 4 by blueysbackside |
Correct. I wasn’t the one saying the owners had said promotion is the aim this season. But, you know, pick and choose what you respond to and all that. Being feisty as usual, eh?! |
Feisty? I'm going easy on you. You posted a nothing quote that proves nothing. The idea that the owners are happy for this to be a transition season with the money they've spent, especially on expensive loanees, doesn't stand up to any scrutiny. All the talk from everyone at the club has been about the aim this season being promotion, to pretend it's anything other than that is rank intellectual dishonesty. |  |
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:14 - Oct 4 with 1291 views | itfcjoe |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:05 - Oct 4 by SomethingBlue |
Exactly. I think a few are trying to brush some harsh realities under the carpet. If we went up this year then I'm sure most of us, as well as the owners, could accept a few seasons trying to position ourselves for a run among the Champ promotion hopefuls. That couldn't be further from the case in L1. Still time for this to get the momentum it needs but will require three wins from next five games as the very barest minimum — let's hope it happens. [Post edited 4 Oct 2021 15:05]
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I was speaking to a well connected Brighton fan and even the Walton deal is costing us serious money - something like £150k loan fee and £8k a week on wages - with no prospect of signing him in the summer.
We are in 'win-now' mode - no matter what some people are claiming now. | |
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:14 - Oct 4 with 1286 views | jayessess |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 14:39 - Oct 4 by blueysbackside |
All I asked was for some direct quotes that our owners wanted promotion THIS season. |
That just isn't how the owners of football clubs speak though, is it? I've never seen a club chairman come out and say "promotion or bust this year lads".
As a supporter you're only in a position to judge actions and everything the club has done this Summer points away from this being a "transitional season".
- We've signed virtually no-one who wasn't already an established player at this level or above.
- Almost everyone we signed permanently was 25 or older. Peak ages, not development ages.
- We brought in a loanee keeper from the PL because we couldn't wait for Hladky to step up.
- We brought in Celina on loan on deadline day, despite having lots of players in his position already. Very expensive, no re-sale value, 0% chance of him being our player next year if we don't get promoted.
- We spent more big money on a 30-year-old central midfielder, who again, will have no resale value and is an immediate fix for an immediate problem.
If you were anticipating this would be a transitional season for a 2022-23 promotion push you wouldn't do any of that stuff! [Post edited 4 Oct 2021 15:16]
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:21 - Oct 4 with 1271 views | blueysbackside |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:14 - Oct 4 by jayessess |
That just isn't how the owners of football clubs speak though, is it? I've never seen a club chairman come out and say "promotion or bust this year lads".
As a supporter you're only in a position to judge actions and everything the club has done this Summer points away from this being a "transitional season".
- We've signed virtually no-one who wasn't already an established player at this level or above.
- Almost everyone we signed permanently was 25 or older. Peak ages, not development ages.
- We brought in a loanee keeper from the PL because we couldn't wait for Hladky to step up.
- We brought in Celina on loan on deadline day, despite having lots of players in his position already. Very expensive, no re-sale value, 0% chance of him being our player next year if we don't get promoted.
- We spent more big money on a 30-year-old central midfielder, who again, will have no resale value and is an immediate fix for an immediate problem.
If you were anticipating this would be a transitional season for a 2022-23 promotion push you wouldn't do any of that stuff! [Post edited 4 Oct 2021 15:16]
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Why wouldn’t an owner say ‘promotion is the aim?’.
In my opinion, the loans are a massive gamble to get us out of Lg 1 this season.
The permanent signings have sell-on value - are you saying we bought these players JUST to get promotion this season? Of course not. That would make our summer recruitment an absolute shambles. Which, of course, it may well be.
Yes, this is a season of transition with the hope we might go up. And our owners have spent big on the loanees in the hope it might happen this year. | | | |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:23 - Oct 4 with 1261 views | Herbivore |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:21 - Oct 4 by blueysbackside |
Why wouldn’t an owner say ‘promotion is the aim?’.
In my opinion, the loans are a massive gamble to get us out of Lg 1 this season.
The permanent signings have sell-on value - are you saying we bought these players JUST to get promotion this season? Of course not. That would make our summer recruitment an absolute shambles. Which, of course, it may well be.
Yes, this is a season of transition with the hope we might go up. And our owners have spent big on the loanees in the hope it might happen this year. |
If mental gymnastics was an Olympic sport, you'd take home the gold. | |
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:25 - Oct 4 with 1255 views | blueysbackside |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:05 - Oct 4 by SomethingBlue |
Exactly. I think a few are trying to brush some harsh realities under the carpet. If we went up this year then I'm sure most of us, as well as the owners, could accept a few seasons trying to position ourselves for a run among the Champ promotion hopefuls. That couldn't be further from the case in L1. Still time for this to get the momentum it needs but will require three wins from next five games as the very barest minimum — let's hope it happens. [Post edited 4 Oct 2021 15:05]
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Yep, there IS plenty of time but this short-term ‘we must go up now’ view is hurting us rather than helping us in my opinion. Sure, we need to think big and have ambitions etc but the reality is that we’ve had years of utter sh** under ME and it may just take a little longer for things to take off even if that’s not the universal or popular view | | | |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:36 - Oct 4 with 1237 views | peterleeblue |
And and what point does this utter nonsense end.
2025 - "I am happy to give x another 10 matches" as we sit bottom of the National League South "as we didn't have all our players available as some of our part time players (who's wife's work in the teaching profession) as they were still on Holiday in late August.
Whatever you say about Lambert he had Ipswich as a mid table to play off threatening side. He must have recognised some qualities in the then squad that he could have got a tune out of. Cook completely p!ssed them all of and in the end went for revolution. Exactly how long are we meant to give this. Its Division 3 with many squads built on a shoestring currently out performing Ipswich Town. |  | | |
| One thing Cook keeps saying... on 15:39 - Oct 4 with 1227 views | BlueBadger |
| One thing Cook keeps saying... on 13:07 - Oct 4 by unstableblue |
... is how important the bond between manager and fans is (as well as players and fans)
I could not agree more on this.. it builds confidence and resilience and a positive atmosphere
Its been an achilles heel for Town for a LONG time.. mainly in part to manager appointments made by Marcus, and their character and capability
I thought Cook, and still believe in part, was the right guy: honest, someone who lives and breathes football, understands the fans, and understand the lower leagues, excellent record at this level. His interviews are such a breath of fresh air..after years of dross on this front
BUT, Cook HAS to start delivering.... to make that bond with fans stronger and enduring, he lost a vocal minority on this board in his dealings with the legacy squad, and that goup drifts further away. Cook has also stated there would be no more lacklustre performances... Accrington was one such, and there have been a few.
Shrewsbury has to see a high energy and good shape performance, and then we need to go on a run - even without Morsy and Celina there is enough quality to be, by this point in the season, winning week in week out [Post edited 4 Oct 2021 13:09]
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If anything, most of our managers of the last decade have been afforded way too much leeway.Lambert and Keane in particular essentially became cults for a while despite doing their level best to ensure we failed. |  |
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:41 - Oct 4 with 1228 views | jayessess |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:21 - Oct 4 by blueysbackside |
Why wouldn’t an owner say ‘promotion is the aim?’.
In my opinion, the loans are a massive gamble to get us out of Lg 1 this season.
The permanent signings have sell-on value - are you saying we bought these players JUST to get promotion this season? Of course not. That would make our summer recruitment an absolute shambles. Which, of course, it may well be.
Yes, this is a season of transition with the hope we might go up. And our owners have spent big on the loanees in the hope it might happen this year. |
An owner probably wouldn't say "promotion is our aim" because it's an utterly unnecessary thing to say. Of course we're aiming for promotion? Cook declared he was aiming for promotion even last season for god's sake. Joe Pigott said promotion was the aim when he arrived, Sam Morsy said it when he arrived, Janoi Donacien said it the other day.
You've got to see the contradiction you're in here, surely? On the one hand you've said the owners have taken "a massive gamble" to get us out of L1 and on the other, that this is a season of transition. It can't be both! | |
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:42 - Oct 4 with 1228 views | WilbrahamBlue |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:14 - Oct 4 by itfcjoe |
I was speaking to a well connected Brighton fan and even the Walton deal is costing us serious money - something like £150k loan fee and £8k a week on wages - with no prospect of signing him in the summer.
We are in 'win-now' mode - no matter what some people are claiming now. |
no prospect of signing him in the summer?
The same Walton who's contract expires at the end of the season?
Who was desperate to play games by his own admission?
Who is 4th choice behind Sanchez, Sherpen AND Steele at Brighton?
Who has had loan spells at Bury, Blackburn, Southend, Plymouth, Wigan and Luton?
Who didn't manage to find himself a championship loan this season?
Who's salary, even at your reported 8k/week from your well connected Brighton fan is well within our structure?
There is no prospect?! | | | |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:45 - Oct 4 with 1219 views | itfcjoe |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:42 - Oct 4 by WilbrahamBlue |
no prospect of signing him in the summer?
The same Walton who's contract expires at the end of the season?
Who was desperate to play games by his own admission?
Who is 4th choice behind Sanchez, Sherpen AND Steele at Brighton?
Who has had loan spells at Bury, Blackburn, Southend, Plymouth, Wigan and Luton?
Who didn't manage to find himself a championship loan this season?
Who's salary, even at your reported 8k/week from your well connected Brighton fan is well within our structure?
There is no prospect?! |
He’s not going to be signing for a League 1 club in the summer | |
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:50 - Oct 4 with 1193 views | ElderGrizzly |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 14:58 - Oct 4 by blueysbackside |
It is fairly telling….of an ownership who are now coming to terms with the probability that direct promotion isn’t happening this season. Just interested, Grizzly….Let’s turn that on its head. So would you say the signings were told promotion is the aim this season and if we don’t go up you can leave (and something like that is in their contracts)? And do you think they all decided to sign knowing they would leave if we didn’t go up? Pretty crap buying strategy, no? |
Clearly not all of them, but it isn't exactly unheard of for players to have non-promotion release clauses. |  | | |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:50 - Oct 4 with 1190 views | blueysbackside |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:23 - Oct 4 by Herbivore |
If mental gymnastics was an Olympic sport, you'd take home the gold. |
Normally you’re a lot funnier than this….petal | | | |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:52 - Oct 4 with 1179 views | Herbivore |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:50 - Oct 4 by blueysbackside |
Normally you’re a lot funnier than this….petal |
Another lie. | |
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:52 - Oct 4 with 1174 views | ElderGrizzly |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:02 - Oct 4 by itfcjoe |
Almost an argument if we get to January and are nowhere near it we just let Bonne go back to save the wages if QPR want to sell him and try and get a tune out of Pigott! |
I think people forget about Pigott and he was trailed as our key striking signing.
However, any manager who can't get results with a combination of Bonne, Pigott, Norwood and Jackson while being fed by Celina, Fraser, Edwards, Burns etc deserves the sack | | | |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:55 - Oct 4 with 1156 views | WilbrahamBlue |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:45 - Oct 4 by itfcjoe |
He’s not going to be signing for a League 1 club in the summer |
That clears that up then.
Uncanny that fans of other clubs always seem to have full disclosure of the exact financial details of any deal at any given time.
Of course we could potentially sign him. | | | |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:59 - Oct 4 with 1137 views | blueysbackside |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:45 - Oct 4 by itfcjoe |
He’s not going to be signing for a League 1 club in the summer |
I give up. Okay, he WON’T be signing for us. No chance. Zero. It just can’t happen. Everyone happy now? [Post edited 4 Oct 2021 16:08]
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 16:00 - Oct 4 with 1131 views | blueysbackside |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:55 - Oct 4 by WilbrahamBlue |
That clears that up then.
Uncanny that fans of other clubs always seem to have full disclosure of the exact financial details of any deal at any given time.
Of course we could potentially sign him. |
Well said. | | | |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 16:00 - Oct 4 with 1125 views | WilbrahamBlue |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:52 - Oct 4 by ElderGrizzly |
I think people forget about Pigott and he was trailed as our key striking signing.
However, any manager who can't get results with a combination of Bonne, Pigott, Norwood and Jackson while being fed by Celina, Fraser, Edwards, Burns etc deserves the sack |
Jackson. lol.
We are scoring goals. We have scored in 11/12 games. Cook is already getting goals out of them.
its not the lean area your searching for to get Cook out. Head back to previous topics/rants. | | | |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 16:06 - Oct 4 with 1095 views | Garv |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 15:36 - Oct 4 by peterleeblue |
And and what point does this utter nonsense end.
2025 - "I am happy to give x another 10 matches" as we sit bottom of the National League South "as we didn't have all our players available as some of our part time players (who's wife's work in the teaching profession) as they were still on Holiday in late August.
Whatever you say about Lambert he had Ipswich as a mid table to play off threatening side. He must have recognised some qualities in the then squad that he could have got a tune out of. Cook completely p!ssed them all of and in the end went for revolution. Exactly how long are we meant to give this. Its Division 3 with many squads built on a shoestring currently out performing Ipswich Town. |
More than 10 games. |  |
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 16:10 - Oct 4 with 1075 views | Darth_Koont |
General question.
As the thread has descended into assertions that it was all about promotion this season, I can’t remember exactly who but didn’t someone high up in the organisation say that it wasn’t sh/t or bust this season? And despite the goal of promotion they were prepared for another season in League One if that happened?
Also: if the overall goal is getting and staying in the Premier League then there’s realistically a 4-5 year window for that. Is there a difference between fluking our way up but then struggling in the Championship and going up as one of the automatics next year and able to hit the ground running? In reality, there isn’t a big difference.
I think the key for the short-term and long-term goals is to see a team consistently getting stronger and pushing higher so that it’s well-positioned to get to the Prem and possibly stay there. Clearly that improvement has definitely flickered but not been convincing enough yet but if they see that under Cook (and sooner rather than later obviously) then they’ll stick with him. |  |
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| I know I'm in a minority..... on 16:15 - Oct 4 with 1054 views | WilbrahamBlue |
| I know I'm in a minority..... on 16:10 - Oct 4 by Darth_Koont |
General question.
As the thread has descended into assertions that it was all about promotion this season, I can’t remember exactly who but didn’t someone high up in the organisation say that it wasn’t sh/t or bust this season? And despite the goal of promotion they were prepared for another season in League One if that happened?
Also: if the overall goal is getting and staying in the Premier League then there’s realistically a 4-5 year window for that. Is there a difference between fluking our way up but then struggling in the Championship and going up as one of the automatics next year and able to hit the ground running? In reality, there isn’t a big difference.
I think the key for the short-term and long-term goals is to see a team consistently getting stronger and pushing higher so that it’s well-positioned to get to the Prem and possibly stay there. Clearly that improvement has definitely flickered but not been convincing enough yet but if they see that under Cook (and sooner rather than later obviously) then they’ll stick with him. |
Are you suggesting we take the words of the owners and the owner-appointed leadership team over self-appointed expert fans?
Good luck friend. | | | |
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