- Jan 23, 2011
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More important to think long-term I believe. This season is turning into a bit of write-off. Change in managers. Crushed by dead wood in the squad. Complete loss of form in some of our better players. And yes... injuries galore.
Better to start thinking about how the squad is rebuilt over the next four transfer windows. And that will require investment from the board. May even require them to boost the overall net-spend, with an eye on recouping costs in the near future via CL qualification.
The sad truth, is that we probably need between 7 to 8 new players in the squad. Likewise, we need to jettison about 9 or 10 players. That will take time and patience.
What I'd like to see, is the hiring of a super-strong Director of Football-type, like the guy at Lille. Give them the permission and backing to be the architect of this rebuild.
I really don't see much point in throwing money at the problems in January, with the hope of qualifying for CL. It's a huge gamble. And the truth is, it takes time to integrate new players... especially those who are new to the PL. They need a full pre-season to get settled.
Which is why I'd really like to see us finalizing deals this month for players to join in the summer.
There is no short-term fix. So, I for one, have reset my expectations for this season. Simply put... don't get relegated.
Better to start thinking about how the squad is rebuilt over the next four transfer windows. And that will require investment from the board. May even require them to boost the overall net-spend, with an eye on recouping costs in the near future via CL qualification.
The sad truth, is that we probably need between 7 to 8 new players in the squad. Likewise, we need to jettison about 9 or 10 players. That will take time and patience.
What I'd like to see, is the hiring of a super-strong Director of Football-type, like the guy at Lille. Give them the permission and backing to be the architect of this rebuild.
I really don't see much point in throwing money at the problems in January, with the hope of qualifying for CL. It's a huge gamble. And the truth is, it takes time to integrate new players... especially those who are new to the PL. They need a full pre-season to get settled.
Which is why I'd really like to see us finalizing deals this month for players to join in the summer.
There is no short-term fix. So, I for one, have reset my expectations for this season. Simply put... don't get relegated.