Spin the wheel...

[Rabbloke2]

I did not realise that Southend had a SuperCasino and yet RM seems able to play with high risk stakes. Two seasons ago he kept the squad to a bare minimum and Lady Luck smiled, the wheel turned and The Blues were promoted. Instead of quitting whilst ahead he let his winnings roll on for the following season and again Lady Luck smiled, the wheel turned and The Blues gained a second successive promotion. Fantastic. Risky but hey it worked. Only a fool would risk it a third time though. Hang on!. That ever increasing stack of chips still sits upon the roulette table of life and yes RM has tried his hand at mocking probability. Will Lady Luck smile on this turn of the wheel?. Maybe and maybe not. One thing is for sure the risk was too high and should not have been gambled on. Or was it a gamble?. Has RM slapped every fan in the face and said ' I have no regard for so called supporters. Its MY club and if I want to risk it I will!'. Maybe. Perhaps the truth is a little less harsh. Perhaps RM could have just turned round and told the supporters the squad is as much as we can afford or as much as he is prepared to pay for. All the talk on the OS etc about players targeted and then the sad news that they were not prepared to come to us or that they were not any better than what we had. Get a life RM!!! Mere fans we may be but gullible we are not. We have had to listen to these statements time and again whilst our other ear is filled with the news of countless player transfers to our rivals. Players as good and better than ours. Oh sorry. As good or better than ours in my opinion. And the opinion of most everyone else in football apart from those that matter at Roots Hall. Its nonsense. Naturally I hope that we do survive. We still have a chance. If we do the risk was still far too great and if we dont stay up then I hope RM apologises for either gambling with OUR club or for not being honest with us as to why the squad is so small.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Surely the highrisk stakes would be spending beyond our means?

 

[lombard]

a very worthy topic rabbloke 2.ron martin does tend to go his own way ,regardless of other peoples opinion.tilly has got the present owners out of the proverbial muck,by the back to back promotions.the club is run on a shoe string and we are still millions of pounds in debt with no obvious way of reducing it.the euphoria of planning permission for fossetts farm should be tempered by the fact that the football club will not own the new stadium !! rent will still be paid to a property developing organisation.would it not be better that if fossetts proceeds a 16000 capacity with potential to enlarge by another 6000 be the bestcourse of action.this was the original idea muted about six years ago.i also hope we avoid relegation this season,to give us a better playing opportunity next season.i am not one to agree to throwing money about willy nilly,but a better structed finance plan is urgently needed.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

What on Earth are you going on about

 

[Rabbloke2]

Surely the highrisk stakes would be spending beyond our means?

I would not advocate spending beyond our means but in a time when there is a cap on wages paid determined by club turnover does it not amaze you that clubs doing less favourably than ourselves crowdwise have managed to assemble a reasonable sized squad and one that does not struggle as much as ours?. We only have to look a few miles up the road.
I know we have good players but so few cannot forever do the job of so many. Injuries, suspensions and lack of form are three factors that force clubs to have more than a squad of our size. One injured leftback and we make do. Four centrebacks, one close to veteran, another close behind, and all suffered injuries or lack of form. We juggle, we struggle.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I would not advocate spending beyond our means but in a time when there is a cap on wages paid determined by club turnover does it not amaze you that clubs doing less favourably than ourselves crowdwise have managed to assemble a reasonable sized squad and one that does not struggle as much as ours?. We only have to look a few miles up the road.
I know we have good players but so few cannot forever do the job of so many. Injuries, suspensions and lack of form are three factors that force clubs to have more than a squad of our size. One injured leftback and we make do. Four centrebacks, one close to veteran, another close behind, and all suffered injuries or lack of form. We juggle, we struggle.

I saw the other day a stat showing how many players each club had used. Generally, the clubs who had used fewer players were doing better than the teams who had used more players. I think we had used 24 players, the same as the club in 2nd place. Leeds' vast squad (40+ players used) allowed them to reach the giddy heights of 23rd.

If we have an issue, its not with squad size, its with the quality of the players on the fringes. We don't have just one left-back. I'd have thought Che Wilson has played left-back for at least 100 games in his career. To suggest we don't have sufficient cover at left-back is wrong. The problem is that we didn't have sufficient quality cover. Had Che Wilson been championship class this would not be an issue. The solution isn't therefore to increase the size of the squad, its to replace certain members of the squad.

 

[londonblue]

I would not advocate spending beyond our means but in a time when there is a cap on wages paid determined by club turnover does it not amaze you that clubs doing less favourably than ourselves crowdwise have managed to assemble a reasonable sized squad and one that does not struggle as much as ours?. We only have to look a few miles up the road.
I know we have good players but so few cannot forever do the job of so many. Injuries, suspensions and lack of form are three factors that force clubs to have more than a squad of our size. One injured leftback and we make do. Four centrebacks, one close to veteran, another close behind, and all suffered injuries or lack of form. We juggle, we struggle.

There is no wage cap in the Championship.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Surely the highrisk stakes would be spending beyond our means?

Indeed and agreed.

Surely its up to Tilly to suggest targets we can both attract to the club and afford.

Ron has splashed out the dosh on:

Paynter (£200k? Please God it was actually less)
Harrold (£40k wasnt it?)
Foran (£150k)
McCormack (was it £150k?)
Clarke (how much?)
Francis (how much?)
Collis (how much?)
Hooper (how much?)
Hammell (how much?)

That little lot (plus any others I've forgotten), including the wages, sign on fees and agents fees, would have cost a pretty penny.

Ron has gambled enough dosh for my liking.

I think Tilly has to take it on the chin for not signing a decent striker to partner Freddy - I'm afraid that Bradders, Harrold, Hooper and Paynter have not performed well enough or consistently enough this season - and for not signing a decent experienced right back. Francis hasnt been up to the job.

Things that have gone wrong out of our control have been the interest in Freddy turning his head and affecting his performances; and Preston not letting us have McCormack in August. Even with the McCormack situation though we should have had a plan B.

I think Tilly will have learned from all this though, so I expect these areas to be corrected next year whatever division we are in and whether Freddy stays or not.

So, I'm starting to become less concerned what division we are in next year. I think we'll be better as a team - and if that team is in League One I expect us to be one of the strongest teams in that league. If we're in the Championship a season of consolidation in comfortable mid-table awaits. I dont think we'll lose too many fans off the weekly gates either.

Either way I think we'll start season 2008/09 in the Championship, which will hopefully be in a shiny new stadium.

 

[Einstein]

There is no wage cap in the Championship.

Thought there was a percentage of revenue they introduced a couple of years ago? Am certain there was for League One & Two(?!), just assumed there was for the Championship as well?!

 

[SUFC_Al]

Thought there was a percentage of revenue they introduced a couple of years ago? Am certain there was for League One & Two(?!), just assumed there was for the Championship as well?!

pretty sure it's for L1&2, so they don't get in financial trouble over players' wages

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Thought there was a percentage of revenue they introduced a couple of years ago? Am certain there was for League One & Two(?!), just assumed there was for the Championship as well?!

I think its voluntary in the Championship?

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Whats a person gotta do to get positive rep around here? :fart:

You lot are quick sharp to give the negatives when you dont like what I say! :p :hilarious:

 

[turkishm]

Indeed and agreed.

Surely its up to Tilly to suggest targets we can both attract to the club and afford.

Ron has splashed out the dosh on:

Paynter (£200k? Please God it was actually less)
Harrold (£40k wasnt it?)
Foran (£150k)
McCormack (was it £150k?)
Clarke (how much?)
Francis (how much?)
Collis (how much?)
Hooper (how much?)
Hammell (how much?)

That little lot (plus any others I've forgotten), including the wages, sign on fees and agents fees, would have cost a pretty penny.

Ron has gambled enough dosh for my liking.

I think Tilly has to take it on the chin for not signing a decent striker to partner Freddy - I'm afraid that Bradders, Harrold, Hooper and Paynter have not performed well enough or consistently enough this season - and for not signing a decent experienced right back. Francis hasnt been up to the job.

Things that have gone wrong out of our control have been the interest in Freddy turning his head and affecting his performances; and Preston not letting us have McCormack in August. Even with the McCormack situation though we should have had a plan B.

I think Tilly will have learned from all this though, so I expect these areas to be corrected next year whatever division we are in and whether Freddy stays or not.

So, I'm starting to become less concerned what division we are in next year. I think we'll be better as a team - and if that team is in League One I expect us to be one of the strongest teams in that league. If we're in the Championship a season of consolidation in comfortable mid-table awaits. I dont think we'll lose too many fans off the weekly gates either.

Either way I think we'll start season 2008/09 in the Championship, which will hopefully be in a shiny new stadium.

I agree i think RM has put his hand in his pocket. But with 63 goals against,only leeds,and Barnsley have worse,and 40 goals for, only burnley have less,dont you think this is down to aquisition off players,rather than Rons empty pockets.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

with 63 goals against,only leeds,and Barnsley have worse,and 40 goals for, only burnley have less,dont you think this is down to aquisition off players,rather than Rons empty pockets.

I think its down to two things:

1) Full backs that never seem to cut out opposition crosses (particularly Francis but they're all poor at this)

and

2) Not enough up front for us to either: i) occupy the opposition further up the pitch to relieve pressure at our end; and/or ii) hold the ball up and bring our players into the game, to stop the ball coming right back at us every time we clear our lines.

Both of those are issues I've highlighted above (without going into so much detail)

:(

 

[turkishm]

Anyway thats the bad one out of the way.Now ewes so lets up and at em.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I think its down to two things:

1) Full backs that never seem to cut out opposition crosses (particularly Francis but they're all poor at this)

and

2) Not enough up front for us to either: i) occupy the opposition further up the pitch to relieve pressure at our end; and/or ii) hold the ball up and bring our players into the game, to stop the ball coming right back at us every time we clear our lines.

Both of those are issues I've highlighted above (without going into so much detail)

:(

Full-backs and a partner for Freddy have been problems, but for me far more important has been the gaping hole in the middle of the park for most of the season. It started out with Guttridge not interested in playing, Clarke and Hunt were only ever partial solutions and McCormack has been injured or suspended for much of the time since he signed.

If you sort out the problem in central midfield you stop or slow attacks from developing, as well as win the ball higher up the pitch. Its also a lot easier to build attacks when you have a central midfield - you can play the ball through rather than over the middle of the park - and your central midfielders can support the attack.

After midfield our next biggest problem was central defence. A solid central defence is built upon aerial dominance, and when Spinner and Sodje weren't fully fit we didn't have this, particularly with a keeper who is well below average at crosses.