Are we intentionally 'Tanking' this season (24/25)?

[WorthingBear91 157]

1 hour ago, BlackSocksRedTops said:

These wages are crazy and just goes to highlight the idiotic markets we've been shopping in. Been said on here a zillion times but we need to widen our nets. The Balkan leagues are full of technically adept players that won't demand high wages (compared to English Championship). 

Spot on we have had a considerably higher wage bill than that lot since Gerrard first came in but they get more bang for their buck and sell higher just goes to show how poorly we have been operating, we should be casting our net everywhere really bar sub Saharan Africa and South asia. We should stop with the journeymen from the lower English leagues only lundstram worked out and that was only for half a season, the lower English leagues are still good for your young players you can snap up for free or compensation fees. 

[JohnMc 2,750]

As a support we've had plenty of recent experience of tankings, unfortunately. So accepting a season like you describe isn't something fans want, but they will accept it. Recently we accepted it with Gerrard. It took two seasons to build a title winning side, but we could all see the progress and development, so it was accepted. 

I think you could be correct about this season. I don't think there's any chance we'll sign players who are on the type of salaries quoted, our wage bill is coming down no matter what. Whether Clement is the alchemist required to create a team greater than the sum of its parts is still up for debate, but the board seem to think he is and I'd be very surprised if we change course this season. 

I don't think we're deliberately 'tanking' but I do think we're deliberately reducing our wage bill and so the type of player we're signing. If, say, Cantwell or Hagi leave, they'll be replaced but by someone on significantly less money. Time will tell how that will work out. 

Having players on lower salaries also makes them easier to sell, part of the difficulty in moving on the two mentioned above is the salaries they enjoy. In reality neither have shown enough to suggest they're worth them, and so convincing another club to pay it is a problem. Likewise Davies, no one else is paying him that on current fitness and form. 

 

It could be a difficult season. Our squad isn't currently strong enough to compete on 4 fronts. But football is a strange sport at times and events might just intervene and make life for our neighbours across the city harder than it currently is. 

[Devil's advocaat 1,540]

1 hour ago, JohnMc said:

events might just intervene and make life for our neighbours across the city harder than it currently is. 

Interesting.

 

Another thing I often think about, not many of the players we sell seem to acheive much, most of them seem to 'tank' as well. Lundstram and Barisic seem to be getting Kent type reactions in Turkiye frinstance. Morelos has died completely.

 

This will affect teams buying our players IMHO.

[Blue Moon 1,289]

6 minutes ago, Devil's advocaat said:

Interesting.

 

Another thing I often think about, not many of the players we sell seem to acheive much, most of them seem to 'tank' as well. Lundstram and Barisic seem to be getting Kent type reactions in Turkiye frinstance. Morelos has died completely.

 

This will affect teams buying our players IMHO.

If they did their homework they could see they were tanking here before they left.

[compo 7,029]

We buy to many duds that’s proven when they move on if they were horses you’d just send them to the glue factory 

[CammyF 8,078]

Don't think Morelos has tanked, he's currently scoring goals if his socials are to be believed. 

 

On the flip-side, Bassey is now a regular in the EPL, Aribo is in Southampton squad, Kamara got a move thanks to his performances at Leeds last season. 

 

Like most things in life, some will lead to better things, others not so much. 

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,326]

22 hours ago, Rousseau said:

Ever since I've been looking out for the Mets' results and watch bits of games on TNT.

Aha the Mets.

 

On the subject of payroll problems, have you heard of Bobby Bonilla? 😂

 

https://www.espn.co.uk/mlb/story/_/id/40430232/bobby-bonilla-day-2024-new-york-mets-pay-119-million-every-july-1-ohtani-contract-deferred-money

 

[Rousseau 10,600]

27 minutes ago, Sutton_blows_goats said:

Aha the Mets.

 

On the subject of payroll problems, have you heard of Bobby Bonilla? 😂

 

https://www.espn.co.uk/mlb/story/_/id/40430232/bobby-bonilla-day-2024-new-york-mets-pay-119-million-every-july-1-ohtani-contract-deferred-money

 

They're definitely my team... 

 

[Devil's advocaat 1,540]

2 hours ago, CammyF said:

Don't think Morelos has tanked, he's currently scoring goals if his socials are to be believed. 

 

On the flip-side, Bassey is now a regular in the EPL, Aribo is in Southampton squad, Kamara got a move thanks to his performances at Leeds last season. 

 

Like most things in life, some will lead to better things, others not so much. 

I was gonna say Bassey and Kamara apart, but ran out of time as I had to drive home from Newcastle.

 

Morelos has tanked, who's he playing for now? Lugar Boswell?. Considering the form he was in a few years back, he's had a mare.

 

A wonder goal pre season apart, Aribo has had similar fortunes. He's about the only one out of them all that I'd take back in a heartbeat though. Patterson too now I think about it.

 

The vast majority of the players who have left us since we came back up have been poor.

[Bluedell 5,624]

I don't think we're intentionally tanking this season. It's just the new reality. It's what we're going to have over the next few years unless something dramatically changes.

 

When King and the 3 bears came in, there was an injection of capital and we saw a big improvement, but with the warning that everything was front-loaded. This was boosted by good runs in Europe and a couple of big transfers. We're now coming out of this cycle and with no CL income, no big outgoing transfers and little to no incoming finance, we're going to have to get used to this level of activity.