2019-20 Transfer News and Squad Discussions

[Selby White]

Think all the extended contracts given to established players are to the ones MB trusts ( Phillips, Dallas, Cooper, Klich, Pablo, etc).
Not an issue if you have a goid boss that is happy with the workforce back his judgement.

[isrodger]

Think all the extended contracts given to established players are to the ones MB trusts ( Phillips, Dallas, Cooper, Klich, Pablo, etc).
Not an issue if you have a goid boss that is happy with the workforce back his judgement.

There is no right answer, however Philips apart, contract extensions in excess of 2 years seem excessive, as there has to be huge question marks regarding the players ability to transition to a higher level; or conversely should they become surplus to requirements, when a new manager is appointed should we fail to gain promotion in 6 months time.

[Selby White]

Think all the extended contracts given to established players are to the ones MB trusts ( Phillips, Dallas, Cooper, Klich, Pablo, etc).
Not an issue if you have a goid boss that is happy with the workforce back his judgement.

There is no right answer, however Philips apart, contract extensions in excess of 2 years seem excessive, as there has to be huge question marks regarding the players ability to transition to a higher level; or conversely should they become surplus to requirements, when a new manager is appointed should we fail to gain promotion in 6 months time.

Agree there is no right answer but I do believe in backing the manager at the time and plan for him still been here along with us getting promotion in 6 months time.

[Deleted User 3289]

Everything is predicated on gaining promotion in 6 months time. Imo that's the gamble from AR. But lets look at the worst case scenario for debate. We miss out on promotion, MB decides he has taken this team as far as possible, we have £15m to pay for Costa and KP gets a bad injury with 5 games left to play. What next?

Don't get me wrong i'm all for rewarding payers for progression but i think AR as jumped the gun somewhat. And if MB was to decide to stay on you can add another 3-6m (can't remember off hand) onto the above £15m. OK providing KP stays fit and the reports of him being in high demand are true that would possibly cover the outlay by cashing in? As i say for me the figures don't stack up without promotion. Step forward QSI problem solved...No!

[Deleted User 3289]

I've just realised ISR i have plagiarised your above posts. No copyright hopefully.

[ilkley62]

Lets be positive, we are acting like a proper club at last, if we dont go up we'll sell a couple anyway so it will all work out financially one way or another.

[isrodger]

Lets be positive, we are acting like a proper club at last, if we dont go up we'll sell a couple anyway so it will all work out financially one way or another.

Not really as we will have to sell our key asset, presumably Phillips to pay for these (possibly) excessive salaries. Like we did this summer when we sold Clarke, Jansson and Roofe to fund wages and loan fees. Without Philips and Bielsa I strongly suspect we would go backwards on the field until we are taken over by a group or person who will invest in the club to cover operating costs without selling playing assets.

[ilkley62]

Lets be positive, we are acting like a proper club at last, if we dont go up we'll sell a couple anyway so it will all work out financially one way or another.

Not really as we will have to sell our key asset, presumably Phillips to pay for these (possibly) excessive salaries. Like we did this summer when we sold Clarke, Jansson and Roofe to fund wages and loan fees. Without Philips and Bielsa I strongly suspect we would go backwards on the field until we are taken over by a group or person who will invest in the club to cover operating costs without selling playing assets.

Swings & roundabouts, reason IMO we are 15 years out of the PL is we have not had the right calibre of Manager / Players, so maybe we are trying to up the quality with a bit of a gamble on salaries - what is the aternative? We need enough quality players to get us up but those players are going to leave for a higher level sooner rather than later if we dont go up. I'm guessing KP wont hang around much longer if we dont go up & I wouldnt blame him.

[isrodger]

Lets be positive, we are acting like a proper club at last, if we dont go up we'll sell a couple anyway so it will all work out financially one way or another.

Not really as we will have to sell our key asset, presumably Phillips to pay for these (possibly) excessive salaries. Like we did this summer when we sold Clarke, Jansson and Roofe to fund wages and loan fees. Without Philips and Bielsa I strongly suspect we would go backwards on the field until we are taken over by a group or person who will invest in the club to cover operating costs without selling playing assets.

Swings & roundabouts, reason IMO we are 15 years out of the PL is we have not had the right calibre of Manager / Players, so maybe we are trying to up the quality with a bit of a gamble on salaries - what is the aternative? We need enough quality players to get us up but those players are going to leave for a higher level sooner rather than later if we dont go up. I'm guessing KP wont hang around much longer if we dont go up & I wouldnt blame him.

And I agree with your sentiment. However if this group of players are not good enough to go up with a manager of Bielsa’s calibre, they are clearly NOT GOOD ENOUGH to go up full stop. The problem, should we fail to gain promotion, is we will stuck with them for another 4 years. As I said in an earlier post, the only rationale I can see for giving the likes of Cooper, Dallas, Klich & Ayling 4 year plus deals is to motivate them to perform for the next 6 months, as they are probably painfully aware that history suggests success this season is likely to ultimately result in their own relegation to the reserves and exit from the club.

[Selby White]

Lets be positive, we are acting like a proper club at last, if we dont go up we'll sell a couple anyway so it will all work out financially one way or another.

Not really as we will have to sell our key asset, presumably Phillips to pay for these (possibly) excessive salaries. Like we did this summer when we sold Clarke, Jansson and Roofe to fund wages and loan fees. Without Philips and Bielsa I strongly suspect we would go backwards on the field until we are taken over by a group or person who will invest in the club to cover operating costs without selling playing assets.

Swings & roundabouts, reason IMO we are 15 years out of the PL is we have not had the right calibre of Manager / Players, so maybe we are trying to up the quality with a bit of a gamble on salaries - what is the aternative? We need enough quality players to get us up but those players are going to leave for a higher level sooner rather than later if we dont go up. I'm guessing KP wont hang around much longer if we dont go up & I wouldnt blame him.

And I agree with your sentiment. However if this group of players are not good enough to go up with a manager of Bielsa’s calibre, they are clearly NOT GOOD ENOUGH to go up full stop. The problem, should we fail to gain promotion, is we will stuck with them for another 4 years. As I said in an earlier post, the only rationale I can see for giving the likes of Cooper, Dallas, Klich & Ayling 4 year plus deals is to motivate them to perform for the next 6 months, as they are probably painfully aware that history suggests success this season is likely to ultimately result in their own relegation to the reserves and exit from the club.

Even with promotion I not certain the four you name would be relegated or sold.
Cooper is our captain and has hardly put a foot wrong this season other than getting injured.
Dallas as proved he can play on the International stage and is a valuable part of why NI are over performing. Also been excellent for us his ability to cover a number of positions plays a vital part in our squad.
Klich is not always a fans favorite but the fact he is part of a very good Poland squad suggests he as far more than some think, I believe MB sees him as vital in our system.
Ayling is an excellent RB but needs a good run without injury to prove his worth.

Yes they are not world beaters and wouldn't get anywhere near the starting line ups at the likes of Liverpool or Man City but to be fair if we are promoted we will initially be competing with the likes of Villa, Newcastle, West Ham, Brighton, Burnley, etc.

Yes we will have to strengthen if we go up but in my opinion at least 3 of the four named will be part of it.


Could be wrong time will tell and I'm not sure us fans are the best judges, lets face it lots questioned the loan signing of Ben White and whether he would be good enough for a team challenging in the Championship. Hindsight is always the best judge.