BigFish

Certainly possible to get short term results with a **** or bust approach, but at the same time limit your long term asperations. Fair dos to Wagner in that he developed a tactical approach to work with a recruitment strategy of old heads that got us 6th. It also got a season long moan fest on here and I doubt it was sustainable long term. It certainly wasn't building for the future. It came up short and Wagner got the sack. This year the complaints are about the results rather than the style which when it clicks gets the fans purring. Neither team was great at defending but this team looks like they have it in them to improve.

Those odds look about right. Teams in the EPL are bigger, stronger, faster, technically able and usually 100% committed. The players have to be 100% on it otherwise they don't last long. You can an off day in the Champs and still win, while you can be 100% on it in the EPL and still get beat. In a League of small margins the teams who survive know they will struggle for points but hang on in there and when the chance comes take it. They are capable of putting mini-runs together. Promoted clubs give too much away and when the chance comes they often waste it. Honestly when they do win like the binners at Spurs, or even draw, it is a statistical anomaly, a fluke. It is depressing but not surprising that all the promoted clubs look like they will be relegated. Certainly Wolves look like they just have enough. Palace and Everton won't be close and anyone thinking Man City will be relegated this season don't appreciate how slow the legal system is if you have big pockets.

Hey @Feedthewolf, I just noticed this. Anyway you could be perused to change your mind? 🙂

The question is then, what is the design, what is the strategy? And from that flows what impact does that have on the team, the club and the fans. Everyone has a strategy, they just don't necessarily have it written down. Those who write something down don't necessarily write down the strategy. Why would you, give away your hopefully "clever" plans. Some might say the strategy is buy low and young to sell on high. What? Like every other club that is smaller than the big boys and bigger than the clubs without a pot to **** in. I assume MA/Knapper/JHT have a plan. I assume that plan maps out windows in advance. I assume that strategy includes assumptions and various Plan Bs. I expect MA and Knapper have options that JHT doesn't know about and MA has ideas the both Knapper and JHT are not privy to. I suspect "they" are not unhappy with where we are this season on the journey from Wagner to something else. I suspect that Fisher, Cordoba, Shwarteau, Forsyth & Crnac are wanted on the journey and the rest have a use by date.

True @dylanisabaddog, I suspect the next big change will be a reemergence of the the European Super League e.g. the "big" clubs moving on and leaving the making up the numbers teams behind.

I am with @Hairy Canary on this, a big bung to make you competitive in the EPL, nothing for failure. Clubs would soon structure their commitments so all liabilities were short term e.g. the EPL season and thereby have an EFL budget if it doesn't work out. You could even strengthen the PSR so that no loss whatsoever was possible.

Its different, it was Farke's second attempt at survival. Though with hindsight it was not a good precedent for changing your manager.

Not really so far from our strategy, although with a bigger budget. Largely young players with a possibility of value add. The point on English based players is well made though, obviously they needed to be ready this season. Result is they probably overpaid and won't get the cash back on a lot of them in the short term but the EPL money and parachute payments will cover that. They are a better side than the one that went up, but are just not good enough. Shows the gap.

Pretty much, yes. That is where we are as a club. The January window is that last place to buy proven quality for the simple reason that it comes with a massive premium we can't afford. Maybe it is Andreas Schjelderup with an idea that he can be acclimatized ahead of Sainz leaving in June?

It would seem that Sainz is less part of the project than the money we would receive if he left. I, like most fans, would to prefer to continue to enjoy watching him in a yellow shirt for the rest of the season but I don't know anyone who expects him to kick off here next August. I expect the club, Sainz, his agent, the players, and the agents of clubs who might fancy him are all working on that assumption. It is only a question of price and timing. @Parma Ham's gone mouldy;s point above is interesting. What does happen if the team goes on a run and we end up in the EPL. Does the Buendia factor still apply, or because everyone knows what the plan is the sale may not be quite so traumatic. Finally does American money move the dial. Genuine questions because I don't have a clue and as such likely to change my mind on a whim.

Istanbul is a lovely place, offers much more for a rich young man.

It would be more accurate to title this Ipswich Town buy car park..........not so exciting it?

You really should check your facts before assuming the worst. I only revisited this thread because @Ward 3 tagged me with a reaction. As for Pups your suggestion is a touch asymmetric so I will decline.

Good point, and if he is half the player Sutton was we have a bargain.

Ah, the joys of bookmarking. But as it happens James Maddsion hasn't made the breakthrough to the "very top" either with England or in club football. Great player, but the gulf is large.