Some very good points here
Good to see Nick eventually seeing Reed for what he has become, the transfer policy and recruitment have been abysmal, he also didn’t mention the youth and the teams below who are doing shit.
I was one of the 2,000 in the car park (got in the echo) and he is correct its a different era but accountability is still the same.
Nick dodesn’t say it iis Reed’s fault. He says that Player Recruitment is failing.
That is something we can all agree on - failing in value and failing in mentality.
Les is not failing, his Recruitment Department is.
In ANY business the message is clear. The HEAD of a Department MUST take action to restore the performance of that department.
ie ROss Wislon and his Team must shape up or Les must find BETTER replacements.
Only AFTER that can Les be held accountable.
EQUALLY should Les FAIL to act when this is a clear issue, THEN he should be replaced. However I agree with Nick that now may not be t he time to simply fire Les. But UNLESS he sorts that shit out THEN Les must go - so he has until Mid January IMHO
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What about the quality of the football?
Nick fails to mention the league position wasn’t that far off the relegation zone, a regression is happening, failure to advance in the Europa, youth not coming through and the ones that are are loaned out or not played.
Its a pick and mix and a totally unbalanced argument and point of view, Bournemouth haven’t spent as much have they?
Haven’t the under 23s only lost one game this season?
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Failing then? After having Sims and hesketh and reed and jones go on loan?
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Will they ever play for Southampton? What is the point?
No they won’t. Sims Reed & Hesketh too small for modern EPL football, although Jones may make it. (and why JWP is going backwards - you have to be very special AND have pace of mind and boy like Hazard or Messi (maybe Mane) to make it as a midget these days)
6-8 years ago the recruitment/football policy was to replicate Barca stye Tika Taka football - possession. MP then brought us (and the EFL) High Press and the world changed to be big athletic lumps. Our Academy has been producing the wrong types of players for modern football.
Is that Reed’s fault? Maybe yes. Does it affect our recruitment strategy still? I would say yes, but then we did recruit Big Vic…
We NEED to play modern High Press football. we don’t - is that Hughes or Reed’s fault?
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Maybe. Are you suggesting we shouldn’t bother trying to develop youth players?
I’ve said that for a long time, what is the point?
If they’re any good they’re gone.
Its sad but its true, what is the point?
We sell them or don’t play them.
Huddersfield don’t have one do they?
Is Reed doesn’t recruit well of course it is.
Our best recruits have arguably come from Premiership loans and buys recently not European moneyball gambles.
OK, I’ll concede that originally the plan was to have the youth come through and play in the full team, hence the “same style throughout the teams” ethos.
However in the “want it now” Premier League environment this is never going to be possible, you’ve said it yourself you’d rather the club purchased “established” Premier League stars.
I’d be happy with one or two gems undearthed every so often, hell even this doesn’t happen at the big clubs. Tottenham have lucked out recently with Kane and Alli, but even Alli now is starting to not be the messiah everyone thought he was.
Otherwise we bring the youth on, sell them/loan them to other clubs, incidently making money so we can buy “established” Premier league players. Meanwhile, due to the perceived success of the youth system i.e. players are playing football at some level more youngsters want to come to the academy thereby increasing the chances of us unearthing a gem.
I know you don’t like it but football is a business these days and it ain’t going back to being the Butcher, the Baker and the Candlestick maker (to borrow from Nick) running the club anytime soon.!!
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There is more than enopugh money to buy premiership assured quality along with wages but the thing is the board wouldn’t get such a large cut.
Other than pay Leibherr and take out loans to buy players what has Gao done?
That’s the thing, there isn’t, look at the last couple of Season’s accounts to see this.
Again, look at the accounts for the last couple of seasons, there is no evidence of this.
Also there is a thing called FFP (or whatever the PC word for it is now!) that means a new owner can’t just pump money into a club.
I’ve had this with Goat, FFP is a load of horseshit, PSG, Baarcelona and many many others.
That’s a problem higher up though with UEFA not treating teams equally isn’t it? You think they would be lenient with us if we broke the rules? Little old Southampton who aren’t likely to be setting the Champions League on fire anytime soon and therefore not really making UEFA any money? I agree FFP is horseshit in that it shackles smaller clubs and their spending power, clubs that were spending huge amounts on wages before it was instigated gained a huge advantage over clubs with lower wage bills.
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Its junk, if we spent ÂŁ500 Million nothing would still get done as it would then have to be done to the bigger clubs, its bollocks and thats all there is to it, clubs like us love it as we use it as an excuse.
City is a classic example, you think the Sheikh’s give a shit? They wouldn’t have bought them them or PSG would they?
Ask QPR if nothing was done, Birmingham currently under the cloud of a possible 12-15pt deduction, both being put under transfer embargos (maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing with some of our recent signings). And no I don’t think the sheiks give a shit, I would equate it to a pleb like you or me getting a speeding ticket for doing 32 in a 30 whilst David Beckham walks away scott free from doing 60 in a 40.
QPR ran out of money simply put and went out of the League, if clubs go out of the League 50% of them are in jeopardy of going bankrupt and thats not FFP thats wages and contracts.
Brum the same.
We we’re also the same.