Silver Canary

I''m with Jacko on this.At the end of the next season we need to be still in the EPL with a good team - and with the hard debts paid off. That would be a big step forward and we would, for the first time in a long time, have a really sound platform to make the big steps needed to establish us as a real force in the Prem. So the first priority is survival for another season, but its only a first target - we should  aim (and I believe we can) finish a lot higher than 17th (but its a tight league and there are lots of factors like a bad run of injuries for example that can make a big difference in where a team ends up). It was always going to be a difficult season next year. The dross were rightly relegated and replaced by significantly better teams. The reality is that there are at least a dozen sides in the Prem who will privately be looking at survival as the first priority, whatever they may say in public. However we have got a good squad with a year of experience at this level so we have a good basis but we shall need some additions "to give the lads a hand". Where to get them? I think its right that we are looking at a wider market and I''m sure there are good players in Europe who fit our needs and budget. We have had some bad experiences with foreign players but some good ones too - remember Neidegaard (for me he was an fabulous player) and safri wasnt bad either. As Purple reminds us, we dont have a lot of money to splurge - and we have the additional millstone of the hard debt to be paid off. By the end of next season we could be in a much more competitive position. Then will come the difficult decision about when to plunge back into debt to increase the capacity - but that''s one for later. The development of the club will require patience to build up sensible and on a sustainable basis.Meantime I think we are in a good place right now. Next season will be tough and any change in manager doesnt help matters but I think we have a good one in Hughton. Sort out Holtgate and let the fun begin.

Thanks NuttyThere was a lot of talk by McNally and Hughton emphasising moving the club forward generally. I hope that''s a sign of a plan to make the club properly stable and moving forward with some joined up thinking about all the parts having to add up to a successful club. Heard similar things before - lets hope that Project NCFC works this time. We need long term thinking to ensure what we do is sustainable. The Academy will be important. Added capacity is also important but the timing is critical as theinvestment cost would be considerable. However, all of that needs to support - and not distract from - getting the right results out on the pitch. Difficult - and as I said, it may take time................away!!

I would have thought it would be a priority for Hughton to know fairly quickly whether there was any chance that Holty would be staying or whether the situation had gone to far and he had to plan to replace him. I hope that something can be agreed that will keep Holty here for next season and firing on all cylinders as he has been an outstanding performer and still can do an important job for us. However no-one is irreplaceable.

The most important part is to get the results on the pitch. If we stay in te Prem, the money should allow us to develop other important parts of the club which can help to support the manager and the team. I guess that is why it should be seen as a project with lots of parts all contributing to having an established team playing good football in the Prem. getting the balance right is going to be difficult and unless we have a major injection of capital it will take several years. With (relatively) limited funds, the club cannot afford to take big risks - either on players or on major infrastructure investment. We also have the planned investment into the Academy which is gonna be a considerable sum. The new manager seems to get this from what I have heard from him so far. But its always the long term people the fans and Board that have to live with the consequences of the actionsI expect that the Board would be regularly updating the Business Plan (as anyone would do) and adjusting according to where we are and the future opportunities and threats. When we have paid off the hard debts by the end of the 2012/13 season, its going to be a very tricky decision - when and how much to take on another slab of debt to increase the capacity, which will have consequences for the rest of the club''s business. Treating all this as a Project to be developed over years sounds right to me. We fans can get impatient sometimes, but I hope we can take the longer view.