Race for the Top 4 - 2018/19

[Saoirse]

Mmm, coinciding with a threadbare, shatteted squad. Imagine if we’d been ambitious enough to spend enough to get the couple of players in the summer that could have eased us into CL qualification by now and perhaps given us a greater shot at beating Ajax. Liverpool went from 75 points last season to where they are now because they invested over a couple of windows and we’re now choking like a gimp that’s been locked in a cellar and forgotten about. Denying lack of investment is buying your head in the sand

Liverpool sold Coutinho to fund that investment. If Poch had said he wanted to sell Eriksen to fund similar, would we really have stopped him?

 

[dontcallme]

I don’t disagree - but a lack of (sensible) investment (at multiple times) has been criminal. Note word Sensible

We are lucky for Sissoko this year. Q

Whether we will continue to progress under ENIC I have no idea. If Poch doesn’t believe Onomah, KWP, Edwards and Skipp are ready or just not good enough then we need first team players and some squad players.

Do we have a plan in place or working on obtainable targets? I really hope so.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

Liverpool sold Coutinho to fund that investment. If Poch had said he wanted to sell Eriksen to fund similar, would we really have stopped him?

I’m only talking about last window. Besides, there was money- we wouldn’t have had to sell Eriksen to bring in some new players. The line trotted out by the club was that we needed to shift GNJ, Janssen- the deadwood- before we could buy yet they’ve barely played this season anyway so we should have consigned them to the reserves

 

[Saoirse]

Whether we will continue to progress under ENIC I have no idea. If Poch doesn’t believe Onomah, KWP, Edwards and Skipp are ready or just not good enough then we need first team players and some squad players.

Do we have a plan in place or working on obtainable targets? I really hope so.

Unless we get City style owners ENIC have little to do with it. We've been massively behind the other five in terms of revenue and spent massively less, that won't change. What will change it is if we consistently get CL while being in the new stadium and getting a naming rights deal. Right now we're on one out of three.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I bet Tattoo is shitting himself right now.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

Unless we get City style owners ENIC have little to do with it. We've been massively behind the other five in terms of revenue and spent massively less, that won't change. What will change it is if we consistently get CL while being in the new stadium and getting a naming rights deal. Right now we're on one out of three.

We have consistently been in the CL over the last three seasons

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

But we didn't. And both the players who cost us that were bought by Poch and coached by Poch.

I don’t see what that’s got to do with the post I replied to. But since you mentioned it, I don’t think the sun shines out of Poch’s arse, and I do think he’s as culpable for the last couple of months as the players.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

I bet Tattoo is shitting himself right now.

Who?

 

[Saoirse]

I’m only talking about last window. Besides, there was money- we wouldn’t have had to sell Eriksen to bring in some new players. The line trotted out by the club was that we needed to shift GNJ, Janssen- the deadwood- before we could buy yet they’ve barely played this season anyway so we should have consigned them to the reserves

How would playing them in U23 games help? The problem is that we've signed players on PL wages so bad that even relegation level PL teams aren't interested, and Dutch/French teams can't afford the wages. Whoever signed them -and it's been reported on here that it's Poch who pushed for Janssen - made a gigantic fuck-up.

 

[dontcallme]

Unless we get City style owners ENIC have little to do with it. We've been massively behind the other five in terms of revenue and spent massively less, that won't change. What will change it is if we consistently get CL while being in the new stadium and getting a naming rights deal. Right now we're on one out of three.

Don’t agree. We have successfully bought and developed players before and can again.

We have spent less than our competitors and regularly done better than many of them in the league. Even this season we can better at least 2 or Arsenal, Chelsea and Utd.

So the idea that can’t be done again is complete horseshit.

 

[13VanDerBale13]

1 goal in our last 5 games & that was a long range shot in the last min ... worrying to say the least going into Everton, especially without son

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Who?

Sorry, typo, Daniel Levy

 

[Saoirse]

We have consistently been in the CL over the last three seasons

Without a stadium or naming rights. One out of three is not enough, clearly. We need two, minimum. And as soon as we've got the stadium we're trying to lose the CL.

(Naming rights is only a temporary solution. We might get a upfront sum to cover a poor year, but it won't be more than £20m a year overall. After that we need to stay in the Top 4 until our commercial revenue grows, which only happens with consistent big trophies)

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

Without a stadium or naming rights. One out of three is not enough, clearly. We need two, minimum. And as soon as we've got the stadium we're trying to lose the CL.

(Naming rights is only a temporary solution. We might get a upfront sum to cover a poor year, but it won't be more than £20m a year overall. After that we need to stay in the Top 4 until our commercial revenue grows, which only happens with consistent big trophies)

And sensible squad investment

 

[Flashspur]

Sorry, typo, Daniel Levy

With a toupee ?

 

[Japhet]

I fear we will go ultra attack & end up losing when a draw can be enough depending on other results !

I don't know who we're going to 'go ultra attack' with. There's nobody left.

 

[Saoirse]

Don’t agree. We have successfully bought and developed players before and can again.

We have spent less than our competitors and regularly done better than many of them in the league. Even this season we can better at least 2 or Arsenal, Chelsea and Utd.

So the idea that can’t be done again is complete horseshit.

It can't work long term. You can get occasional success on that model - Leicester winning the league, Ajax at least in the CL semi finals. But I can't name a single club in the modern game who've consistently, over 5-10 years, won trophies against a financially bigger side - can you? The El Classico dominate Spain, Juve in Italy, PSG in France, Munich in Germany. England is the least predictable. But long term you need to use the success that brings (alongside a bit of luck in terms of getting a player like Kane through) to boost your resources. Otherwise you will inevitably regress.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

1 goal in our last 5 games & that was a long range shot in the last min ... worrying to say the least going into Everton, especially without son

That’s why the sending off was so bad on his part

 

[Gringospur]

I reckon Levy will spend on the squad now the stadium is finished, more important to be in the top 4 now than ever.

 

[Lumiere]

Amazing really how fine the line between this being an amazing season and a really poor one.

We could either be 2 games away from winning the Champions League or 1 game away from finishing 5th and having a total collapse. What a nutty season.