Tom Hopper sold

[Medway Blue]

20th with a win percentage of 30%. Hardly setting the world alight.

Why can people not look beyond win % rates? It simply isn’t as easy as that. Huddersfield were in free fall and are in need of a squad rebuild. What they’ve done so far with what they have is great.

 

[Ricey]

20th with a win percentage of 30%. Hardly setting the world alight.

Give them a chance, the team were dead bottom and weren’t on the greatest run. Friend of mine is a Huddersfield fan and he says they’re over the moon with their progress since they’ve come in.

 

[Blueronron]

Think the brothers are amazing from humble beginnings at Concord, Braintree, Lincoln to Huddersfield

Great job and hope they continue their success, many moan about foreign managers and here we have two English managers who have had success where ever they have managed

 

[Ricey]

Why can people not look beyond win % rates? It simply isn’t as easy as that. Huddersfield were in free fall and are in need of a squad rebuild. What they’ve done so far with what they have is great.

Because it doesn’t suit the rhetoric.

 

[Sleaford Shrimper]

Coker and Payne have been told they can go last week.

I wasn't aware of that and can't find anything about it locally. I know neither of them has played regularly since Appleton took over. Where did you hear about them being told they can leave?

 

[Napster]

I wasn't aware of that and can't find anything about it locally. I know neither of them has played regularly since Appleton took over. Where did you hear about them being told they can leave?

https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/...-news/lincoln-city-news-live-transfer-3756911

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

I wasn't aware of that and can't find anything about it locally. I know neither of them has played regularly since Appleton took over. Where did you hear about them being told they can leave?

Coker, as Napster has shown, and Jack Payne has fallen out of favour and Appleton said last week that Jack has to be patient and get his way back into the squad, or he is free to leave if he wants to, to get first team football.

 

[Tommy2holes]

You're over thinking it! In an ideal world Hopper would be the one I'd like to keep but if he wants to go, he goes - and if it's £150k now or nil in the summer, it's £150k now. Also for Kelman to be worth anything like £0.5m would mean he needs to do 20 a season, probably for a couple of seasons, and be in a long contract. At this stage the lad has scored a couple of goals and doesn't have much else to his all round game. I'd wager that when he does leave - whether it's in 6 months or 6 years - it's on a free!

Have to disagree with this. Kelman will be worth much more than 0.5 million.

If he gets games he will score plenty. He is 18 years old.

Lookman to Everton for 10 million
Ali to spurs 6 million
Powell to United 7 million

All teenagers who shone at league 1 level.

A premier league side would think nothing of paying a few million on a very promising 18 year old goalscorer. The fly in our ointment is the fact that we are flat broke.

If Charlie stays fit and scores regularly until the end of the season, he will be sold. End of story.

 

[Tommy2holes]

I go to Portsmouth with my Dad - and they never abuse their players either.

I reckon Theo won't play here because of the ignorance of the moaners and groaners .

I do think the toxic atmosphere is enjoyed by some supporters who think a football match is the perfect forum to express all their frustrations and anger

As a whole I think our supporters are decent.

We have backed the team and still shown up despite several seasons of free fall.

It's been tough to watch the total mismanagement of the team and finances by the chairman, managers and also the general apathy of an aging and overpaid squad.

Its difficult not to abuse a player on big money when they walk around the pitch without a care in the world.

We drew with Tranmere and I got behind the team. Not because they were good but because they gave 100% . That has been lacking for sometime.

 

[Napster]

As a whole I think our supporters are decent.

We have backed the team and still shown up despite several seasons of free fall.

It's been tough to watch the total mismanagement of the team and finances by the chairman, managers and also the general apathy of an aging and overpaid squad.

Its difficult not to abuse a player on big money when they walk around the pitch without a care in the world.

We drew with Tranmere and I got behind the team. Not because they were good but because they gave 100% . That has been lacking for sometime.

I remember a game in the ESC a long time ago. Newman was manager and playing up front - we had a strongish side. The team played at about 85%, apart from Newman who never gave less than 100%. However, Belgrave had a stinker, never even tried, and Newman gave him an absolute bollocking.

Some players have it in them to give 100% every game, some don't. Some need reminding, some just aren't capable. Belgrave was one of those. I also remember the games under Alan Little, it wasn't pretty by any means, but we had a spine of pure battlers. No-one dared chicken a challenge. I think we've missed that as a team since Timlin left.

 

[kentblues]

Because it doesn’t suit the rhetoric.

Quite- could instead have pointed to the fact we are 12th in the form table over the last 6 games with just one loss.

 

[londonblue]

I remember a game in the ESC a long time ago. Newman was manager and playing up front - we had a strongish side. The team played at about 85%, apart from Newman who never gave less than 100%. However, Belgrave had a stinker, never even tried, and Newman gave him an absolute bollocking.

Some players have it in them to give 100% every game, some don't. Some need reminding, some just aren't capable. Belgrave was one of those. I also remember the games under Alan Little, it wasn't pretty by any means, but we had a spine of pure battlers. No-one dared chicken a challenge. I think we've missed that as a team since Timlin left.

I wonder how much of that is down to our recent horrendous injury record. Players simply can't afford to get injured and maybe that is in the back of their mind when considering a 50:50 challenge.

 

[TrevorFitzpatrickHattrick]

Have to disagree with this. Kelman will be worth much more than 0.5 million.

If he gets games he will score plenty. He is 18 years old.

Lookman to Everton for 10 million
Ali to spurs 6 million
Powell to United 7 million

All teenagers who shone at league 1 level.

A premier league side would think nothing of paying a few million on a very promising 18 year old goalscorer. The fly in our ointment is the fact that we are flat broke.

If Charlie stays fit and scores regularly until the end of the season, he will be sold. End of story.

Broadly agree with your sentiments there. However, Powell and Lookman both came from much more fashionable academy set-ups in the form of Crewe and Charlton. I'd wager that if Kelman was at Charlton for example, valuations would be a good few million higher...

 

[camden shrimper]

Broadly agree with your sentiments there. However, Powell and Lookman both came from much more fashionable academy set-ups in the form of Crewe and Charlton. I'd wager that if Kelman was at Charlton for example, valuations would be a good few million higher...

They won't pay in the millions, nor probably, the hundreds of thousands for one simple reason, they don't have to. It's not a question of us being poor business people just the fact that we don't have an alluring way of holding onto the player so if they want to go, they will go, contracted or not sadly. I'm always happy to be proved wrong but if he does go it'll be for less than £500,000

 

[Firestorm]

I remember a game in the ESC a long time ago. Newman was manager and playing up front - we had a strongish side. The team played at about 85%, apart from Newman who never gave less than 100%. However, Belgrave had a stinker, never even tried, and Newman gave him an absolute bollocking.

.

Billericay away ?

 

[Tommy2holes]

They won't pay in the millions, nor probably, the hundreds of thousands for one simple reason, they don't have to. It's not a question of us being poor business people just the fact that we don't have an alluring way of holding onto the player so if they want to go, they will go, contracted or not sadly. I'm always happy to be proved wrong but if he does go it'll be for less than £500,000

He has so much more potential than dru.

Not many players score on their debut at 17 from the half way line. If he plays and scores regularly he will be signed for a lot more than 500k. The reason for that is that I know that many different scouts have been watching him. That means a slight bidding war.

Time will tell but in the mean time I hope he scores a bucket load for the team.

 

[Sleaford Shrimper]

As a whole I think our supporters are decent.

I wouldn't disagree with you regarding the majority who attend games but there is a proportion of loud, gobby individuals who spoil other fans' enjoyment of games and can definitely be heard by players on the pitch. I was a regular spectator at Roots Hall from 1966 until I left Essex in 1984 and then did a 280-mile round trip every couple of weeks to take my kids to see matches at Roots Hall between 1989 and 1993 and there has almost always been a boo-boys contingent there, usually picking on their favourite scapegoats all the way from Gary Moore in the late 1960s through to the likes of Theo Robinson more recently. I have watched matches all round this country and can think of very few grounds where as many fans turn on their own players as individuals in this way, however badly their team is performing.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

20th with a win percentage of 30%. Hardly setting the world alight.

I would be over the moon with that!!

 

[GBJ]

I wouldn't disagree with you regarding the majority who attend games but there is a proportion of loud, gobby individuals who spoil other fans' enjoyment of games and can definitely be heard by players on the pitch. I was a regular spectator at Roots Hall from 1966 until I left Essex in 1984 and then did a 280-mile round trip every couple of weeks to take my kids to see matches at Roots Hall between 1989 and 1993 and there has almost always been a boo-boys contingent there, usually picking on their favourite scapegoats all the way from Gary Moore in the late 1960s through to the likes of Theo Robinson more recently. I have watched matches all round this country and can think of very few grounds where as many fans turn on their own players as individuals in this way, however badly their team is performing.

I agree with the sentiment, but let’s not pretend that we’re different from anyone else. We’ve all got our own herbert’s at the end of the day.

I remember one game we had during the Brown era, we raced into a 2-0 lead, after about 15 minutes, which was a very rare treat. However, regardless of that, someone in the East (possibly Dagenham Kev, I’m not sure) started demanding that Brown “sort it out”. That will always live with me, as a stark reminder of how completely withdrawn from reality, some of our fans are - or at least, can be.


Whilst on the topic though, I will admit, that watching football abroad is always good, especially if you can’t speak the language fluently. Half the time I can’t tell if the fans shouting are, slating the team, encouraging them or simply reciting their shopping lists.

Although I do enjoy a long, drawn out, passive aggressive arm-roll, accompanied by an exasperated ¿POR QUÉ? from time-to-time.

This is how I envision @Tangled up in Blue, when he watches Espanyol. Well that, and the occasional ¡Olé!

 

[C C Csiders]

Broadly agree with your sentiments there. However, Powell and Lookman both came from much more fashionable academy set-ups in the form of Crewe and Charlton. I'd wager that if Kelman was at Charlton for example, valuations would be a good few million higher...

Definitely how it works. We always get much less for players who play for 'fashionable clubs'. You can always, for example, add 50% on anything we would get onto clubs such as Peterborough, London clubs and even MK Dons.