Davefevs

She’s rapid

Would be a good appointment for them.

For me, great insight, just that as it’s on tv, you can let the pictures unfold, rather than describe it all.

Well said GD. Much as I thought it was time for Lee to go, and that I liked Holden’s opening dozen games, the trend was downward for quite a while, and somehow results hid that. I don’t think performances would’ve been quite as bad under Lee as some under Dean, but I think we’d be staring the same trend in the face, a team around mid-table not able to bridge the gap for a long enough period. I think ultimately by the end of this season, had Lee been in charge we would be wondering why we can’t progress. By next season with the financial trend of our accounts, Lee would be cutting a disillusioned figure wondering why he had nothing left to spend. As you say the CEO has had a huge impact on that downward trend. Johnson had peak resources, both in personnel and finances. At this peak he wasn’t a million miles away. A shrewd DOF in Jan 2018 might’ve made the difference....at least for a play-off position. Holden or Johnson this season would’ve felt the squeeze, by next season it would be even worse. The legacy of a man’s appointment in Jan 2016 (Ashton) is that 5 and a bit years later is club going downhill in all but results, which look like they’re finally catch up.

I love these debates. It wasn’t me re Tammy....but I think Tammy listed the expectation levels of every player, he was a serious talent and nobody wanted to let him down. Cotts brought Kelly through to some extent in Portugal. But tenuous. Cotts brought Pack through at Portsmouth before suggesting Cheltenham. Funny little back-history things like that amuse me. But I’m a bit weird like that. ??? Big career defining decision. Fair play to him actually.

Agree totally. Even as much as I loved the spell too, I’m not bound by rose tinted specs either. I enjoyed short spells under LJ too. My biggest beefs with LJ were 1) playing philosophy consistency and 2) the recruitment double act with Ashton which is likely to put us back to where we were in 2012 when SOD replaced McInnes....which coincided with Ashton’s previous stint at Bristol City as part of his tactical Management Ltd consultancy. If you’re who I think you are, then our mutual friend, told me some interesting stuff about that period which I wasn’t aware of. Basically that Ashton got rid of the Recruitment person who McInnes trusted, and after a promising start as City boss, it all went pear shaped. That recruitment person is back with McInnes at Aberdeen. I very much suspect McIness (as a young manager) was duped (as has SL) by the dodgy Brummie.

Worth going back and looking at some of the accounts in the early 2000s....see what the wage bills were then.

Seeing that SOD got rid of so many high earners in the summer of 13/14....why was his wage bill so large then? Your statement doesn’t hold any water. I’m grateful for the ball SOD started rolling, just that he didn’t do it on a shoestring. What about the loans of: McLaughlin, Shorey, Richards (nominal wages), Gillett, O’Connor? Where does Baldock’s £2m fit in? Does that not count? As for Johnson (btw I include Ashton heavily in this debate), please name this swathe of younger terms developed and sold for massive profits? Then list all of the young ones that didn’t either develop or get sold for massive sums. I’ve got a list of all 68 transfers since summer of 2016 if you like. Your statement about biggest budget is just factually incorrect. Your arguments are weak, inconsistent. It’s laughable really.

Not blind love, but lots of factual statements.

It’s all in detail in my post above Shelts, backed up from the clubs annual accounts.

Exactly. @JBFC II - worth going back over the accounts, and look what Cotts achieved through “quality, not quantity” strategy. He had a very similar budget to SOD. He also signed players with longevity / improvement, that his successor benefitted from. In fairness Cotts benefitted from SOD (Fielding, Pack, Flint, Williams) too. Cotts spending power was peanuts compared to Johnson. I don’t include the 14/15 season in my xls, but for info. Wages (inc NI, Pensions) £9.7m (SOD £9.6m) Amortisation £1.5m (SOD £1.1m) Other £5.5m (SOD £2.9m) Transfer Profit £1.4m (SOD £1.1m) So, “To be fair, nobody in our history had had the spending power Cotts had with us” is factually incorrect. Basically Cotts recruited efficiently. Free transfers: Little, Elliott, Ayling (£200k compo), Wilbraham Swaps: Smith for L.Kelly (plus £500k to Oldham) Bought: Agard (£800k), Freeman (£250k) Sold: Baldock (£2m) Look at the numbers I’ve posted above! As for Agard v Baldock. Don’t you think that was canny, to get your target in ahead of selling the player going out. Baldock was rumoured to be leaving most of the summer. Nor do you buy the League One title. Sheffield Utd on a bigger budget than us didn’t romp the league. Swindon Town didn’t publish detailed accounts Preston / MKD had about 80% of Cotts budget Yeah, we were a big fish....but we executed perfectly. Plus JPT revenues, FA Cup 4th round, revenues, whilst on reduced capacity, impacting revenues. Cotts actually increased revenues by 55% over previous season, because he filled the ground every week. I think it would almost be applicable to end this with “FACT”, but I won’t.

That was as I understood it too. Think some fans were telling the fan to not be a knob.

I very much suspect the unofficial arrival of Ashton in Dec 2015 (officially appointed in January), to prepare his sacking might’ve caused the flip / row. Especially when SOD and Burt, then Cotts and Burt had chucked all Ashton’s 2012 Recruitment stuff in the bin. Cotts knew he was a gonner. One day I’m gonna stalk him at Millennium Square and ask him!!! ??? Pretty sly from SL to sack Cotts by text (allegedly). Pretty sly from SL to sack Cotts the evening he’d done his afternoon pre-match presser. Pretty sly from SL to appoint Ashton (officially) two days later. There is still a 2012 Ashton recommendation in the Recruitment Analysis team, and a mate of Jon Lansdowns too, who I understand has had a variety of jobs until they found one they could hide him in.

The ignore option is very useful.

Am I right in thinking all league games are on FA player?

Relegation 6-pointer Mark

I see a couple of the players are back, Carla Humphrey and Sophie Baggely....key players.

Won’t count as the opposition are from Yorkshire.....just pre-empting Belter Weird’s post tonight!

It wasn’t though was it? Other than Fielding the outfield ten had started 149 of 240 league games available (62%). People sucked into the rhetoric that they made 8 changes, the likes of Romeo was a returning first teamer as was Bennett, whilst Zohore has only recently returned. I totally get they didn’t play Williams or Wallace, but you can see that it wasn’t as far off their first team as “8 changes” makes it look. Of course I’m not saying Millwall are a great Champ team either, but it wasn’t a “reserve team” either.

How can someone be league one level, when arguably he was our man of the match on Saturday?

Could he offer more than Fam? Yes, in the right team set up. I really hope that if Fam goes we replace him with something different.....pace.

Don’t worry, the sooner some people realise that they are constraining their thought processes by using terms like “striker” to evaluate performance of a player the better. It can be useful, in its simplistic form, but perhaps demonstrates why English football hasn’t evolved like in other countries. Thomas Muller, idolised in Germany, Dirk Kuyt, “doesn’t score enough” in this country. What does that say? Same as people thinking 433 is more attacking than 451, and the number of “strikers” determines your “attackingness”. What a load of horseshit!! A recent German squad simply listed their players as Goalkeepers, Defenders and Forwards. Not striker in sight.

Yep, and he’s more of a forward than a “goal scoring striker” at this fledgling part of his career. 82 appearances (41 starts) 9 goals, 10 assists. Mins 4316. Equiv of 48 full-90s. That’s the context, and that’s not too shabby for a guy who plays all across the line. Abd that’s not adding in his general contribution. A lot to look forward too.

Yes it was. He became director in 2006. I worked for him from 2004-2007, he was very senior, but he drank with my immediate boss, so I spent several lunch “hours” hearing bits and pieces. He wasn’t very popular with fans I can tell you.