This season

[dickos1]

At the risk of starting s similar post, but I can’t make light of half of that being written in there.
I just want to try and clarify a few things, not having a pop at anyone.
When Fergie left we were told he was given a bigger budget for this season but he wanted more, the players that have left that we were paying some/all the wages.
Williams, evina, etheridge, mandeville, baudry, houghton, alcock, there maybe some more I’m forgetting plus all the youngsters that have left.

We’ve replaced them so far with Anderson, Crawford, Wilks, watters.

There is no way that those 4 signings will accrue the same wages as the players that have left I imagine there’s a massive difference with players such as Williams, baudry and evina coming off the wage bill.

Yes the season hasn’t started yet but McCann has implied there will be nothing else happening, and we’re only 2 weeks away.

If this was the sort of thing being offered to Ferguson for this season then it’s obvious why he left, people can say well don’t you believe gavin etc but words don’t mean that much really when the opposite is happening in reality.

The main point is at this moment in time our wage bill will be dramatically less than it was in May, but we’ve been told our budget is bigger this season so I just want someone to explain how?

I love our board but I’m just over the last 6 months or so getting the impression we might be starting a steady decline on the amount of money we spend on players, which of course is worrying

[selby]

  If it's any consolation it is the same at Spurs, and look where they are.

[GazLaz]

  If it's any consolation it is the same at Spurs, and look where they are.

Spurs paying players more than they ever have and never looked like winning anything for years.

[dickos1]

I’m not sure spurs have got rid of some of their biggest earners though and only signed mainly youngsters on loan to replace them with

[GazLaz]

Fascinating season coming up. A lot of questions will be answered I think.

[Chris Black come back]

Paid nowt for Harry Kane.

[The Red Baron]

Fascinating season coming up. A lot of questions will be answered I think.

At Spurs, Rovers or both?

[dickos1]

Paid nowt for Harry Kane.

Aye but they’ve not got rid of him and replaced him with Curtis main

[GazLaz]

Fascinating season coming up. A lot of questions will be answered I think.

At Spurs, Rovers or both?

Us. I hope I’m wrong but I think we will really struggle.

[Alan Southstand]

Answered positively or negatively, Gazlaz?

Notice Lee Glover is now part of backroom staff, replacing Wilcox.

[dickos1]

Back to topic though, can anyone explain to me how our budget is bigger than last season at this moment in time? Or are we just hoping more money will be spent over the next two weeks?

Surely if we start the season as we are now it would give credence to why Ferguson left.

[Alan Southstand]

It's not looking good at the moment, Dickos, I have to admit. A few words from the AGM does not do it for me, I think we are still 2 or 3 quality players away from being a good league 1 side.

I've got everything crossed that things will change in the next couple of weeks, but we are leaving it very late.

[idler]

I think that the fans have every right to be a bit apprehensive at the moment.
The problem is that if we were to start the season with the current number of players and struggled the manager and board would lose a deal of credibility.
I could take it if we were told we had to reign back for financial reasons but let's have some honesty. I still can't believe that the manager and board will go just with what we have now though.

[StocktonRover]

If we have a bigger budget than previously (which I have no reason to doubt) and we haven’t used it all yet it just means there’s plenty left in the pot.
Maybe we need to keep some back to pay a decent contribution to some good quality PL loanees  once they announce their squads?

[GazLaz]

I think that the fans have every right to be a bit apprehensive at the moment.
The problem is that if we were to start the season with the current number of players and struggled the manager and board would lose a deal of credibility.
I could take it if we were told we had to reign back for financial reasons but let's have some honesty. I still can't believe that the manager and board will go just with what we have now though.

They are very unlikely to come out and say that though. They have to keep making things sound positive for season ticket sales etc.

The thing I always say about football is that it hard enough being successful when you are moving forward, if you stand still or even move backwards you have no chance.

[dickos1]

If we have a bigger budget than previously (which I have no reason to doubt) and we haven’t used it all yet it just means there’s plenty left in the pot.
Maybe we need to keep some back to pay a decent contribution to some good quality PL loanees  once they announce their squads?

I agree but the manager has implied nothing else will be done. And he’s happy.
I understand the board didn’t want us to know Ferguson left because his budget has been slashed but if we started the season tomorrow then that would be the only conclusion available

[Copps is Magic]

The nothing else will be done thing came from a mis quoute in an interview Hoden did. All that's been published since has suggested were looking for another forward/striker at the very least.

[RedJ]

If we have a bigger budget than previously (which I have no reason to doubt) and we haven’t used it all yet it just means there’s plenty left in the pot.
Maybe we need to keep some back to pay a decent contribution to some good quality PL loanees  once they announce their squads?

Well that's just it. Just cos the manager hasn't used it doesn't mean it isn't there. No doubt I'll get slated for this.

[wing commander]

   I've got to admit I'm in two minds on this one and it's rare I have a pop at the board (catering aside)..

     But In the end I couldn't work out whether are players weren't as good as people thought or whether DF just wasn't getting the best of them with the systems he played,i lean towards the latter now..So that question can only be answered by GM and I think he will do well given support

    That said like many others on this board have said, the summer recruitment hasn't been good enough..Gavin and SM have continually said the budget is higher yet for us the humble fan, that is more than hard to believe judging by what we have brought in so far and the apparent keenness to let us know apart from a striker there will be little else...

     Their were times last year we couldn't fill a bench and we have a smaller squad and a few of them have pretty poor recent injury records..Yes there will be some of the budget left for loans later but by then we might be firefighting our league position..

     I have a lot of respect for Gavin,the board and SM but they need to realise that people can only go on what they see and make there conclusions, and they can deny all day long that the budget was not why DF left and it's bigger but were we are sat right now...There is no evidence for us as fans to support that view I'm afraid...

     Dickos has made a excellent post here..These are the questions that us the fans want the answers too,nobody cares on who approached who for the Posh lad,it doesn't matter one jot to me..
   

[dickos1]

If we have a bigger budget than previously (which I have no reason to doubt) and we haven’t used it all yet it just means there’s plenty left in the pot.
Maybe we need to keep some back to pay a decent contribution to some good quality PL loanees  once they announce their squads?

Well that's just it. Just cos the manager hasn't used it doesn't mean it isn't there. No doubt I'll get slated for this.

No I agree with this, but the season starts in two weeks, it’s been reported in the press that McCann is happy with he squad.
But in reality we will have to sign at least 4 more players for the wage bill to be increased on last year. And I’m not sure at all that this is going to happen

[selby]

  We could save thousands playing players in their right position. The spine of the team is good, a good keeper at this level, the central defenders are good , our goals against last season OK. Marquis one of the best in this division.
  Mason and Danny Andrew ( who  should give us the ballance missing last season) with Lund and Amos as back up are solid.
   Rowe should be released to play in a more attacking position,And although I have not seen him the Scots lad I would expect to give us more creativity with Coppinger.
  With McCullough and Whiteman that's not a bad setup, if the Lads from Leeds and hopefully Bristol City can provide support for Marquis, and Blair is allowed to play more advanced on the right, I think we could do something.
  The back up is the question, whether some of the youngsters and fringe players can step up when needed, and score more goals than they did last season when they play.

[The Red Baron]

Point of information - we only once failed to fill the bench in a League game last season. That was when Alcock was injured in the warm up before the Southend game.

Yes, sometimes we had youngsters on the bench, but that can assist their development, so shouldn't be seen as a negative.

[GazLaz]

   I've got to admit I'm in two minds on this one and it's rare I have a pop at the board (catering aside)..

     But In the end I couldn't work out whether are players weren't as good as people thought or whether DF just wasn't getting the best of them with the systems he played,i lean towards the latter now..So that question can only be answered by GM and I think he will do well given support

    That said like many others on this board have said, the summer recruitment hasn't been good enough..Gavin and SM have continually said the budget is higher yet for us the humble fan, that is more than hard to believe judging by what we have brought in so far and the apparent keenness to let us know apart from a striker there will be little else...

     Their were times last year we couldn't fill a bench and we have a smaller squad and a few of them have pretty poor recent injury records..Yes there will be some of the budget left for loans later but by then we might be firefighting our league position..

     I have a lot of respect for Gavin,the board and SM but they need to realise that people can only go on what they see and make there conclusions, and they can deny all day long that the budget was not why DF left and it's bigger but were we are sat right now...There is no evidence for us as fans to support that view I'm afraid...

     Dickos has made a excellent post here..These are the questions that us the fans want the answers too,nobody cares on who approached who for the Posh lad,it doesn't matter one jot to me..
   

Fergie is naturally a very attacking manager. I think he was being pragmatic last season because he didn’t have the quality of player needed to really be competitive in this division. Time will tell.

[DearneValleyRover]

If we have a bigger budget than previously (which I have no reason to doubt) and we haven’t used it all yet it just means there’s plenty left in the pot.
Maybe we need to keep some back to pay a decent contribution to some good quality PL loanees  once they announce their squads?

Well that's just it. Just cos the manager hasn't used it doesn't mean it isn't there. No doubt I'll get slated for this.

No I agree with this, but the season starts in two weeks, it’s been reported in the press that McCann is happy with he squad.
But in reality we will have to sign at least 4 more players for the wage bill to be increased on last year. And I’m not sure at all that this is going to happen

We could sign one player and have the same wage bill as last season it depends on their wage. Personally I feel we are two players short to be competitive. A bruising centre mid (the one in the rumour mill would definitely fill that role) and another striker, I feel there is enough talent within the squad if played in the correct positions and allowed to express themselves to more than compete if we get those two extra in.

[Chris Black come back]

So long as he plays folk in their actual positions and improves on that risible 8pc shot rate, the. I will be happy with top half next season. Just please no more of tombola style team sheets and ‘breakaways’ at speed of arthritic slug.

[dickos1]

This is not really a discussion about if a manager could do better with the same players or whether we think the manager should be doing better with these players. It’s the fact we were told the budget was bigger for this season. Quite simply if the season started tomorrow the wage bill is significantly less than last season.
If we make a couple of big signings next week then yes we can see that the budget is similar but as it is now we’re quite a long way short of what we were spending in May

[selby]

  We have spent big in the past, and it has been an unmitigated disaster, Alford , Jackson anyone.
  And while people seem to want us to pay the same money out in wages as we did on Williams last season, half the supporters on here did not rate him, and we had a manager who had to have thumb screws on before he picked him, in spite of how much we paid him.

[wing commander]

Point of information - we only once failed to fill the bench in a League game last season. That was when Alcock was injured in the warm up before the Southend game.

Yes, sometimes we had youngsters on the bench, but that can assist their development, so shouldn't be seen as a negative.

    I half get your point Baron..And you are right when you say that it aids their development..However lets not forget what the main priority is and that's first team league results and position, so that has to be balanced..And their were far to many times last season when we were struggling a bit and you looked at our bench on who could change the game and there wasn't anybody..With a even smaller squad this year any type of injury issues and lets be honest for us they happen every year,we are going to be in trouble..

[dickos1]

  We have spent big in the past, and it has been an unmitigated disaster, Alford , Jackson anyone.
  And while people seem to want us to pay the same money out in wages as we did on Williams last season, half the supporters on here did not rate him, and we had a manager who had to have thumb screws on before he picked him, in spite of how much we paid him.

Maybe so but you’re missing the point. If we were told yes we’re pulling the strings in this year and Ferguson didn’t want to be a part of that then so be it
But we were told the budget is bigger this season,  which lead to confusion on here why Ferguson left.
I’d have no qualms if we were cutting back on spending it’s the owners prerogative I just don’t think as fans we should be told one thing but then in reality it’s not the truth

[pib]

I'm holding out to see how it will pan out.

I think it's sensible for a manager to say publicly that they haven't got much to spend. If he said we were splashing the cash it only increases clubs' transfer fee demands and players' salary demands.

That said, if we go into the season with the squad we've got now (or even with +1 more player) I don't think it'll look stronger than last season. To get anywhere near a top half finish we'd have to pin our hopes on the manager being able to squeeze the very best out of his squad, which can't necessarily be said for the previous manager.