Freedman out!

[LeverEnd]

The information out there about these deals is that both players wanted to come here, if we could find the money for it. We couldn't. Barnsley and Burnley could.

Now that comes from Marc Iles, who claims it is direct from Freedman himself.

Perhaps it is made up. But it is the only information out there as to what happened.

So seemingly the position of the club in the league table wasn't the issue.

that's not quite what i am saying - I am saying that we have to recognise that we are BELOW both barnsley and burnley - the idea that they (of all clubs) might perform better than us in the transfer market seems to betray an unwarranted (given the league table) belief that we are somehow automatically superior... when you yourself have said that as a club we are utterly and totally fecked...

It's nothing to do with superiority or them having more financial muscle, or players thinking those clubs are a better bet than us. It's simply that we have high earners we need to shift before can sign anyone else. That was said a while ago and presumably the board has stuck rigidly to it. We're talking about Ramage and Kightly here, they were hardly going to take us up the table on a wave of starstruck euphoria. If Mears had agreed to the Millwall switch then we'd have had the money, simple as that. But why should he if he doesn't want to go and can still get games here? Maybe some other mug will come in next week and take at least some of his wages off our bill.

[thebish]

^ s'not easy, though - how many of us would have applauded the club had we realised how difficult it was last season and started to trim wages and cut our cloth and sell off expensive players to replace them with cheaper ones...

I may be wrong but I doubt it would have been long before the old "lack of ambition" was rolled out...

I think it was always a rock and a hard place... that's where we are now...

I STILL think we have enough quality to be better than bottom - indeed, I still (perhaps naively) think we have enough talent to make a decent shot at the playoffs... one day we (and dougie) will simply have to stop bleating about new recruits and make the best of what we have...

[Lord Kangana]

SKD was our highest earner, so that's more than an extent. Its why Jussi was binned, these players had come to expect high wages as a matter of course.

[thebish]

actually - all this disruption several games into the season makes me think even more than i did before that if there is a transfer window it should close the day before the season starts - then you start the season knowing what you have and you don't have a month of fannying about thinking you might have summat different while the games float off under the bridge...

[BWFC_Insane]

^ s'not easy, though - how many of us would have applauded the club had we realised how difficult it was last season and started to trim wages and cut our cloth and sell off expensive players to replace them with cheaper ones...

I may be wrong but I doubt it would have been long before the old "lack of ambition" was rolled out...

I think it was always a rock and a hard place... that's where we are now...

I STILL think we have enough quality to be better than bottom - indeed, I still (perhaps naively) think we have enough talent to make a decent shot at the playoffs... one day we (and dougie) will simply have to stop bleating about new recruits and make the best of what we have...

Yeah 100% agree with that bit. Same in the premiership. You might start out with sensible financial management but after a year or two scrapping at the bottom, if you're lucky/good enough to have survived if you don't look to bring in better (more expensive) players, the old "ambition" word gets chucked around there.

[BWFC_Insane]

actually - all this disruption several games into the season makes me think even more than i did before that if there is a transfer window it should close the day before the season starts - then you start the season knowing what you have and you don't have a month of fannying about thinking you might have summat different while the games float off under the bridge...

Or better still bin the window off entirely...and go back to how it used to be. That would be the best thing for clubs like ourselves.

[Lord Kangana]

^ s'not easy, though - how many of us would have applauded the club had we realised how difficult it was last season and started to trim wages and cut our cloth and sell off expensive players to replace them with cheaper ones...

I may be wrong but I doubt it would have been long before the old "lack of ambition" was rolled out...

I think it was always a rock and a hard place... that's where we are now...

I STILL think we have enough quality to be better than bottom - indeed, I still (perhaps naively) think we have enough talent to make a decent shot at the playoffs... one day we (and dougie) will simply have to stop bleating about new recruits and make the best of what we have...

I believe they call that a +1. We are where we are, let's get on with it now. Only way is up from here.

[chester white]

I found last night a bit strange....

2 hours before the window closes, Iles announces on the Transfer Window that he has personally spoken to Dougie and we're after Ramage and Kightly, who both want to come, if we find the money. Where exactly were we meant to find that money? Down the back of the couch? If there was any available surely the deal would have been in place earlier or looking for alternatives?

Personally it seemed to me a bit for a message to fans from Freedman, as in, "I'm trying, but my hands are tied", especially with him going straight to a journo with the info.

[Prufrock]

The information out there about these deals is that both players wanted to come here, if we could find the money for it. We couldn't. Barnsley and Burnley could.

Now that comes from Marc Iles, who claims it is direct from Freedman himself.

Perhaps it is made up. But it is the only information out there as to what happened.

So seemingly the position of the club in the league table wasn't the issue.

that's not quite what i am saying - I am saying that we have to recognise that we are BELOW both barnsley and burnley - the idea that they (of all clubs) might perform better than us in the transfer market seems to betray an unwarranted (given the league table) belief that we are somehow automatically superior... when you yourself have said that as a club we are utterly and totally fecked...

So Arsenal WERE in a relegation dogfight after the first game then? And if Villa had gone after Ozil at that point he'd have gone there over Arsenal?

[thebish]

The information out there about these deals is that both players wanted to come here, if we could find the money for it. We couldn't. Barnsley and Burnley could.

Now that comes from Marc Iles, who claims it is direct from Freedman himself.

Perhaps it is made up. But it is the only information out there as to what happened.

So seemingly the position of the club in the league table wasn't the issue.

that's not quite what i am saying - I am saying that we have to recognise that we are BELOW both barnsley and burnley - the idea that they (of all clubs) might perform better than us in the transfer market seems to betray an unwarranted (given the league table) belief that we are somehow automatically superior... when you yourself have said that as a club we are utterly and totally fecked...

So Arsenal WERE in a relegation dogfight after the first game then? And if Villa had gone after Ozil at that point he'd have gone there over Arsenal?

eh?

[LeverEnd]

I think he means that at this stage of the season league position would not even have entered into these players' thinking. I guess you just meant that we should stop thinking we can lord it over Barnsley and Burnley.

[Lord Kangana]

We're quite self evidently and patently not Arsenal. Moreover, if Arsenal had started the season like this, there would inevitably be talk of a crisis. If, however, the comparison is to stand, then it makes our performance look even worse. I trhink under the circumstances we'll just chalk it down to experience, and a trigger finger posting.

[a1]

we need that "chill, i got this" pic of dougiecool from a bit back, back.

that'll sort it.

it were this:

with that microsoft impact font on it.. ballzed if i can find it though.

[BL3]

I think the mistake was made, and I was as guilty and wrong as the club were, of thinking that we had a squad more than good enough to storm the championship.

Freedman is on record as saying that he was pleased with the squad he'd inherited. He's since added to a team that finished 7th. So why have we gone backwards?

[Lord Kangana]

What's the point of asking that question?

[thebish]

[SmokinFrazier]

A new manager, like who? Pulis? (if you thought Meggo was bad!) Poyet? O'Neill(as I said never going to happen, we don't have the money)

I'd be absolutely delighted if Pulis was our next manager. He might not play fast, counter attacking football or encourage loads of intricate passing and neat link up play, but he's a good manager. If we got him in right now, I'm confident we'd get into the play-offs.

[BWFC_Insane]

A new manager, like who? Pulis? (if you thought Meggo was bad!) Poyet? O'Neill(as I said never going to happen, we don't have the money)

I'd be absolutely delighted if Pulis was our next manager. He might not play fast, counter attacking football or encourage loads of intricate passing and neat link up play, but he's a good manager. If we got him in right now, I'm confident we'd get into the play-offs.

Goodie. He can bring his best mate as assistant. Can't wait!

[Lord Kangana]

Wouldn't be that vexed by Poyet either. But the we're just entering into the realms of more gambling. i hink the gravy train is coming to its final desination, and we're sticking with Freedman however he performs.

[BWFC_Insane]

Wouldn't be that vexed by Poyet either. But the we're just entering into the realms of more gambling. i hink the gravy train is coming to its final desination, and we're sticking with Freedman however he performs.

You mean we can't have Pulis and his bessie? #devoed