Pwoite

Apparently we’re looking at a 4-6-0 formation. Sorry, the wheels have come off.

We apparently don’t need to sell. We apparently have targets agreed we want to bring in. Therefore it is in everyone’s interests to get such deals done now: striker, keeper, attacking midfield. Then put the ultimatum to those potentially leaving that if they want out then they need to have an agreed deal by August 1st, or they are here for the season. If we have the cards, we need to use them.

Yes, the chances of an eight year old, signed up, ever playing for that club’s first team are small, though probably better with us than a Chelsea, but I’m talking about the cream who have risen to the top at fifteen or sixteen. They’ve already defied the odds to get that far and be recognised, possibly getting international honours. It would be interesting to know how many British professionals across the top two divisions came from the Big Six academies, and how many moved to them, relatively late, and broke through.

Understand the comment, and it’s jam today for the kid and his family, with a signing on fee and good earnings, but………I cannot think of any youth we’ve lost in the last five years who has forged a career elsewhere. There have been several big name departures, but has any of them proved successful?

How far off are Wright or Moody?

I’d totally agree, it’s ALL about promotion next season but equally we invest huge sums in the academy and that needs to be a production line, creating some opportunities. Now, that might mean Caribou Cup starts and Championship bench, and training with the first team squad, but it makes sense to develop the best from the U21s so that they are either first team regulars in time, or sold for a profit. We seem to have seven or eight youngsters who have had the chance already to play in a cup match. How many of these are potentially good enough to step up? And who are they?

I’d agree, but we also have Brandon Williams and, potentially,Sesay, coming through. I can see the club wanting both of them to get some exposure. I do wonder who else from the U21 squad will be given a chance and which ones will be released. Anyone got an inkling?

With the changes to how clubs can spend and manage losses, the fact we only have one more parachute payment, P&Os announcement, and the departure of several high earners, I do wonder whether Dragan might be prepared to financially gamble in an all or nothing approach to promotion. Whilst we might not be able to stop some departures, might the incentives to stay and chase promotion be dangled in front of key players. After all, the financial risk of not going up is so significant that failure next season will mean massive cutbacks and a potentially prolonged period in tier two. The alternative of gambling that bit extra to get promotion might actually be pretty good odds. If I’m right, this summer could be another rollercoaster.

But I bet there are get out clauses that could have been exercised.

The previous statement came from Parsons. Today’s statement is anonymous. However, today’s statement says that we got our response to the initial EFL’s charges wrong. Whose decision was this? What advice had we been given, and was this followed? This was a major judgement error. The Operations Manager arranged for Salt’s ticket to the north east. Really? Did he question this? Surely, he mentioned it to his boss, or was his boss already aware? Who did know? Who does the OM report to? As for Spors, he either knew, or he was so sidelined that you have to ask how could he be in a position to not know! It strikes me that we either have a house of cards here, where the Club are closing ranks because otherwise we are not talking one potential ban but multiple bans across the Club’s management, and the delay in any FA announcement is that they are digging deeper. Alternatively, the authority came from above, and the Club decided to throw Tonda under the bus on the ‘l’m an innocent foreigner’ card, hoping that might wash and get a sympathetic response. As they’ve admitted, they got it wrong. Our best, possible only, hope, is that the FA consider the punishment has already been enough, and therefore take no further action. after all, there’s nothing in the regulations, as I understand it, preventing spying in the EPL. However, I doubt that will be their response.

People talk to us losing a potential £200m, whilst forgetting this isn’t a lottery win. Sure, there is the status, level of competition and exposure, but a lot of that money, if not all, would be tied into extra wages and transfer fees. A straight £30m would be the minimum for increased basic wages for players, before bonuses. Then add in support staff, the cost of higher profile transfers and investment needed the EPL matches. With those transfers come the risk of having to offer three year deals, and the risk of more Ramsdale situations. Yes, of course we’d be in a far better position than we now find ourselves, and we could have afforded a couple of £30m players rather than a couple at £8m, but it’s never as simple as saying that total has been robbed from our piggy bank.

I thought Simon Peach was very straight and level headed in what he said. I do wonder, though, whether the delay is to give the club time to talk to sponsors, and the players, and gauging opinions more widely, rather than jumping in with announcement. I would suspect that clandestine conversations with managerial options are taking place behind the scenes. Maintaining radio silence, in such circumstances, makes sense.

Reading ,and being reminded, that Gareth Southgate was once on our books, I was wondering which other players we’d had on our books and then rejected, only for them to forge top level careers. Kevin Phillips and Danny Ings come to mind. Do I remember that Tyrone Mings had started with us? Who else? Are all clubs as good at throwing away talent, or is it something else we specialise in?

I hope this is cautiously optimistic. Does anyone know what the sell on for Fernandes might be, if talks of a £80m sales are to be believed. Add to this our wage bill should be reduced with Aribo, Romeu, McCarty and Ramsdale gone, freeing more cash. Maybe some of this will be put towards the ‘appeasement fund’, as a bonus for players who stay till September 1st but who missed on on a promotion bonus this season. For example, those four players leaving will save c£7.5m in wages. Spread that over 15 players sticking with the club, is a sizeable £500k thank you/loyalty bonus, and eliminates the risk of having to buy and replace the likes of Bree, Downes, etc, as well as next season giving them the opportunity of another promotion bonus.

I can’t believe we used 47 players as it seems it was from the same 22 for virtually every match since the New Year. Even bearing in mind the Leicester cup game,it seems like way too many. How many of the 47 played three or less times? Fifteen?