Feedthewolf 4,844 Posted December 23, 2017 Firstly, apologies for any inaccuracies as I haven''t seen any media since the end of the match (I''ve been drinking beer to try and forget how awful the performance was). And sorry if this is a bit garbled and stuff, but hey, it''s the internet.Were the Barclay chanting "We want Delia out" near the end? It certainly didn''t sound like Farke''s name they were chanting.It''s clear that Farke''s tactics aren''t working, but is sacking Farke really the answer? And Webber too? Farke is the easy option, because he''s responsible for the tactics, players and formations, but he''s essentially been charged with overseeing one of the biggest downsizing operations in the club''s history, and implementing a totally new footballing philosophy from the ground up, in a highly competitive league, in a foreign country, on a minimal budget.The club is in an extremely precarious position. Last time Delia and Michael were under serious pressure from the fans was just before they appointed McNally and then Lambert, and experienced a remarkable gold rush that brought us great success, cleared the debt and gave us four out of five seasons of Premier League football.This time, the big change has been made while we were still in a relatively strong position, with parachute payments, a half-decent squad and debt-free. This is the McNally-esque gamble, and it appears to be failing. If they bin Webber and Farke they look weak, and if they stick with them they look weak. Much as I love the idea of building a technical, youth-based footballing culture, it''s clearly going to take time to bear fruit (if, indeed, it does at all), and the patience of the fans is already wearing very thin. We''re looking for people to blame, and there will always be a need to apportion blame when the club appears to be moving backwards.We''re approaching a point where things could get ugly, and the board need to consider how the fans are feeling - if they vote with their feet, their position weakens. If they stay in numbers and make a fuss, their position weakens. The only thing that can save them is results, and we''re now at a point where a run of results is merely likely to consolidate mid-table security rather than give any faint hope of a push to the play-offs.Not many answers in this post, I appreciate that - but we''re in an extremely volatile situation. Exerting pressure on the board seems to increasingly be an option - for the moderate masses rather than the rabid message-board minority - but any such pressure will only have an effect if applied rationally. I am extremely concerned that a 35-year-old civil servant is going to inherit the club I love with seemingly nothing more in his armory than being a passionate supporter of the club. ''Sack the board'' is meaningless, as we well know - but how can we as fans express a united concern without becoming a pitchfork-wielding rabble? Answers on a postcard... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Syteanric 1 Posted December 23, 2017 If Tom gets the club and it''s going balls up he''ll take the first offee that comes his way.I''ll tell you now thats how it''s going to end...A few years away and i fear what division we''ll be in but the pressure on Tom will see him cave in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Feedthewolf 4,844 Posted December 23, 2017 [quote user="Syteanric"]If Tom gets the club and it''s going balls up he''ll take the first offee that comes his way.I''ll tell you now thats how it''s going to end...A few years away and i fear what division we''ll be in but the pressure on Tom will see him cave in.[/quote]And that in itself is concerning. I don''t think there are any fans who could in good faith say they don''t believe we need any more investment, but the nature of investment is an extremely sharp double-edged sword. Indeed, the clubs that have truly crashed and burned are the mid-sized club who sold out to questionable investors who weren''t prepared to perpetually pour money into a black hole (Coventry, Blackburn, Portsmouth). As investment increases to the extent that we are cash-poor even by Championship standards, the likelihood of selling out to a golden goose increases. But how many of those golden geese offer sustainable growth, rather than an ever-increasing commitment to larger transfer fees, larger wage bills and larger potential debts if top-flight sustainability is not achieved?I do have some sympathy with Delia and Michael''s position about the ludicrously commercial nature of professional football in Britain, but it''s a war that they can''t win, no matter how virtuous their viewpoint. It''s simply a case of speculate to accumulate and risk the potentially cataclysmic consequences, or accede to a future of sustainability in relative poverty in the lower reaches. Merry Christmas, everyone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
