Jump to content

 

 

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 21/04/25 in all areas

  1. It really isnt rocket science as Cammy points out above. But in recent years we seem to have chosen players who up their game for the big Euro nights, and do not reach anything like those standards in our domestic games, especially away from home. We need to be choosing players who really want to win titles and cups here and understand that the Euro action is the bonus. Unfortunately I think the players we can attract seem to know the shop window only opens on Thursday nights and that a stirring performance against Kilmarnock or Motherwell isnt going to attract similar attention in their ambition to move upwards. I again agree that a lot of these problems can be alleviated by a style of play that beats the low block that we face in over 3/4 of our domestic games. We dont ever seem to have enough goals in us, despite spending big on strikers they dont deliver often enough, and we dont have midfielders that chip in often enough to take up the slack. Playing 2 defensive midfielders and continually playing number 10's wide instead of in the 10 has been a failure of more than one manager. The domestic title, and therefore entry to the CL, is absolutely there for us to grasp, and it wont take hundreds of millions or years to achieve, just a decent manager, style of play, board, DoF and owners all on the same page. To beat the rest consistently should be the ambition. The rest can all come from there.
    3 points
  2. It's an interesting question and one none of us can answer. For me the real question that's still not been answered is why do they want to buy us? We've had 3 types of owners in 150 or so years. 1. Supporters of the club for who it is an emotional decision - Every owner we've ever had except a handful 2. For the prestige it will reflect on them, to inflate their ego, raise their profile - Sir David Murray 3. An effort to make money - Whyte, Green, Ashley We can remove '1' from their motivation. I think '2' is a stretch too, they aren't Russian oligarchs or Middle Eastern despots with reputations needing sports washed. Which leaves 3. They already own an English side with lot's of potential and that's where the money is, the real money. There's not much money in Scottish football, so their are only 3 ways I can see for them to make money from us. Qualify for the Champion's League, sell players for profits or reduce overheads. I think a lot of fans are hoping for the first option; Champion's League. To do that we'll need to win our league and then get through qualifying, or win the Europa League next season. There's not enough money in the Europa or Conference Leagues to make our owners a serious profit, so it's Champion's League or nothing. What kind of investment would it take to turn our club into Champions and strengthen again to qualify for the Champion's League? Including transfer fees and salaries? Gerrard spent in the region of £30 million on transfer fees to win the league, plus a decent number of free transfer signings. That side didn't qualify for the Champion's League. You add signing on fees, agent fees and of course salaries to that number and you get a big number, just to win the league. Now we might get lucky, our current squad is better than the one Gerrard inherited, and maybe we'll appoint a manager who can do something special with them and a couple of new signings. Plus maybe the wheels come off over the city. That would be a gamble though, money has to be invested in our squad, it's not good enough to win the league as it stands. It's a question of how much. Selling players for a profit is the more attractive option I'd have thought. If you've no emotional attachment, if it's purely about business and winning stuff is a bonus, then developing and selling players is the easiest way to make money. Particularly if you already own the buyer. I mean developing players for Leeds, who if they can get promoted and stay up, not a given for sure, will have access to hundreds of millions just by being in that league is surely the easiest way to make money. Leeds in the EPL will turnover £200 million right away. We'd need to win the Champion's League to make that. So which one of those 2 horses are you going to back? If you wonder how this dual ownership might work have a read about Strasbourg. Currently doing ok in the French League, but very much being used as a support club for Chelsea. Strasbourg are used to buy players not yet ready for Chelsea, then 'sold' onto Chelsea if they develop. It's not about success for Strasbourg, it's about maintaining Chelsea as a cash cow for their American owners. Option 3, cut overheads. After all we only need to finish second to guarantee a crack at European football, fill the stadium and sell our replica shirts. We've already demonstrated that for the last however many years. What if that could be maintained on lower overheads? I mean we might even breakeven this season, much lower salary bill and a decent Europa run. Just keep that going, take a million out a year in management fees, just keep finishing second, how hard can that be? Anyway, my money is on option 2, I'm not discounting 3, and I'm loving the optimism many have for option 1.
    3 points
  3. Tony Mowbray sacked by West Brom - just saying.......😀
    2 points
  4. I would like the new owners to absolutely rule out safe standing areas within Ibrox. The current board appear to have got something right. Lets not pander to the trouble in our support until they can go at least a full season without causing us any fines or reduced capacity.
    2 points
  5. How do the rest of us manage to live sustainably? It’s not difficult. Keep one number lower than the other.
    2 points
  6. Once again we're getting entrenched in a binary argument, when both are valid, IMO. On the one hand, it's certainly true that we are an impatient lot, that are generally unwilling to go through the necessary rebuilding phase and get hooked on a quick fix. We are financially unsustainable. Despite knowing it was front-loaded, we overspent stopping their 10IAR and yet most were still expecting us to keep spending. On the other hand, I do think the solution can be as simple as getting the right appointments and the right structure in place. I do think a good coach solves most of it. I have been of the opinion that we've been dragged one way and the next in terms of planning and rebuilding because we've had too many voices in the boardroom - exacerbated because the fans are too impatient to see anything through unless it bares immediate fruit. I'm hoping the takeover will solve most of these issues.
    2 points
  7. Think football has definitely moved on from Mourinho now, he’s not the manager he once was.. would be an media circus if he came and not in a positive way.. Think about some of his behaviour at his previous club’s derby matches
    1 point
  8. Smash and grab raid at the Cottage
    1 point
  9. Yes, not that important these days. It's more Spurs than anything else!
    1 point
  10. Leeds 5-0 up on Stoke at HT. If this is what 49ers can do for you, bring it on.
    1 point
  11. I would like Safe Standing, does that mean I'm pandering to the trouble makers, or trouble myself? There is an apatite for safe standing that is outwith the singing section. Let's not deny that during most games, a large section of our support stand, and not just in the UB section. I'm in BF4 and have to stand rather than sit most home games. With dedicated safe standing areas those who want to stand can without inconveniencing those who want to sit.
    1 point
  12. AI generated, man generated, whichever way you see it, it’s a puzzle indeed. We are no different in solving our future or our direction in which we are going until the deal is done. Let’s hope there is some direction in which we are going and are not just in a line, as I see good things coming from Leeds with the new owners. I suppose it’s been similar with Newcastle and Ashley , get the rotten apples out and hopefully the new apples will be more successful. In my own opinion, I think we should be run by us, the fans, then we will know what’s going on via a voting system, but that ship has long sailed, so we need to rely financially driven decisions rather than just passion and pride. A puzzle is indeed an overrated example here; it’s more like Hellraiser's cube, and only those who are in the loop will actually know its true meaning and outcome.
    1 point
  13. 16 points out of the last 18 available for Wolves - superb. Definitely a Premier League club and hopefully they kick on next season. I thought the Man Utd comeback in midweek my have woken the giant after a slumber but they are back to losing again. Agree about Ben White - All the pundits were going on about how much Arsenal were missing Saka when he was injured but they totally missed out how much they missed Ben White and how much Saka missed him also on the right hand side. His runs create all the space for Saka and for him to be a natural centre half to being the best RB option for England (now that Walker has slowed down) shows how good he is. What a steal for Chelsea, its over to Forest tonight to see if they are the real deal.
    1 point
  14. I "think" Ive got a couple of cracking framed pictures of Ibrox in storage. I bought them from the club shop before a CL match around 2000 (had to humff them up to the Club Deck and its a tight squeeze enough sitting there without a couple of framed photos on your lap). I know I bubble wrapped them when I left the UK but that was 20 years ago. I will try find out if they are still with all my belongings over there and if they are good I will send you a message and you are welcome to them.
    1 point
  15. 1 Google Images 2 Make your choice 3 Print 4 Frame
    1 point
  16. ... the board does not buy players, nor does it chose tactics, nor does it select the players. It did select the managers, the last permanent one, with a gut feeling that he is finally capable to change this on the field of play. Only to be let down once more. This season though, after a shocking summer transfer window, we had an even worse winter window. For reasons beyond the knowledge of this bear. Maybe the AGM can clear a few things up.
    1 point
  17. Wolves stay up again. Excellent.
    1 point
  18. 100% but we have to admit and acknowledge that the sustainability of the club is 100% responsibility of the board. If we aren't sustainable or showing signs of becoming sustainable the board take FULL responsibility for this. It's really that simple.
    1 point
  19. I get that DerB. You talk of 9, but it may as well be 99 years of f**King Up. If we haven't sorted out the fundamental issue, then it remains there needing to be fixed. There is no getting round it, we need to become sustainable. The question is how do we do it? Then there is timescale and my guess is that the support aren't going to like the probable answer. There are many known unknowns going into next season. We will have to wait and see what they are.
    1 point
  20. Ben White back for the gunners the best English defender in the premiership
    1 point
  21. Given they're apparently only going to have 51% of the shares, they'd need to invest themselves. If they're going to do that anyway, it may be easier to just issue shares to themselves, as has been happening over the past few years, than going to the expense of a full share issue, the costs of which may wipe out any cash raised from the support.
    1 point
  22. Has to be this currently on sale item . Yup, it's a Jack Butland draught excluder , and yes, you guessed it...it doesn't keep the draughts out either.
    1 point
This leaderboard is set to London/GMT+01:00


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.