Players to offload

[toonfalifekevbrown]

Elliot.saivet.diame.colback.mitrovic.shelvey.!that 's just for starters .We need to get rid of players before we can start spending all this money that will finally be pumped in to the club.It will take time so get ready to see this season as a season of survival first .Then a major rebuild to start

[ghostrider]

If all this so called money is getting pumped into the club then there shouldn't even be any words of survival.

[Jammy89]

But it will be survival this season won't it?

If we have money pumped in, it will still be to survive this season.

In regards players going - agree with all of that, although Saivet could still have a chance and i'd rather have the replacements in before selling. Whilst Ashley is still our legal owner i have no trust of him.

[ghostrider]

But it will be survival this season won't it?

If we have money pumped in, it will still be to survive this season.

In regards players going - agree with all of that, although Saivet could still have a chance and i'd rather have the replacements in before selling. Whilst Ashley is still our legal owner i have no trust of him.

It doesn't have to be survival this season.
If rafa is willing to create a better balance with a few signings and uses them for their purpose then we can do more than just survive.

[toonfalifekevbrown]

But it will be survival this season won't it?

If we have money pumped in, it will still be to survive this season.

In regards players going - agree with all of that, although Saivet could still have a chance and i'd rather have the replacements in before selling. Whilst Ashley is still our legal owner i have no trust of him.

That was how Rafa got shafted in the summer and how we didn't let some players go .He needed a squad and once he realised Ashley had ****ed him over yet again he hung on to certain players that he was going to offload .Big rebuild ahead .

[ex_pat_magpie]

That was how Rafa got shafted in the summer and how we didn't let some players go .He needed a squad and once he realised Ashley had ****ed him over yet again he hung on to certain players that he was going to offload .Big rebuild ahead .

I can see a total rebuild over the next two windows with only a handful of the existing squad remaining and that may, in some way offer proof to the Rafa detractors of how much this club has been held back by Ashley and no way by Rafa.

[Zippity]

If all this so called money is getting pumped into the club then there shouldn't even be any words of survival.

I disagree, mate. The squad is so thin and weak that a couple of players in January won't be able to transform it but will hopefully be enough to keep our heads above water.

I know that's not exactly a statement to get pulses racing but this next half season is one of the most important in the Club's history. With the takeover, everything is poised to take us back up the table and to re-establish us as a very good Premier League team (rather than the yoyo, bottom half of the Prem shambles we've been under Ashley) so the most important thing for this season is that we finish in the Premier League.

For me, survival this season is the only thing that matters. Then, after that, we can have conversations on here about ambition, finishing positions, targets for the season, etc.

[ghostrider]

I disagree, mate. The squad is so thin and weak that a couple of players in January won't be able to transform it but will hopefully be enough to keep our heads above water.

I know that's not exactly a statement to get pulses racing but this next half season is one of the most important in the Club's history. With the takeover, everything is poised to take us back up the table and to re-establish us as a very good Premier League team (rather than the yoyo, bottom half of the Prem shambles we've been under Ashley) so the most important thing for this season is that we finish in the Premier League.

For me, survival this season is the only thing that matters. Then, after that, we can have conversations on here about ambition, finishing positions, targets for the season, etc.

I'm not talking about immediate transformation. I mean, if the money is supposedly going to be pumped in right now then there should be no need to use any words like survival.
We should be able to comfortably make immediate forward progress and leave survival for the clubs that won't have the influx....assuming all this is true.

Of course a major overhaul will ensue as time goes on if the investors are genuine investors in the club and team/squad.

[Kal]

We are two points above the relegation zone, survival IS the priority and it won't be easy.

[Zippity]

I'm not talking about immediate transformation. I mean, if the money is supposedly going to be pumped in right now then there should be no need to use any words like survival.
We should be able to comfortably make immediate forward progress and leave survival for the clubs that won't have the influx....assuming all this is true.

Of course a major overhaul will ensue as time goes on if the investors are genuine investors in the club and team/squad.

We'll have to disagree on the relative merits of our squad, though. For me, the run we've just been on-with all those defeats-is a truer reflection of where we're at which means that we're still in deep trouble. As Kal says, we're only two points above the drop zone and once you're in there going into the second half of the season, it becomes increasingly hard to get out as being there brings an extra pressure to bear. Plus, the teams around us will be looking to strengthen too-and probably shopping in the same market-having money doesn't mean we become more attractive to players (unless we go stupid on wages). It's also frightening to think how much we rely on Lascelles so an injury to him would bring Lejeune back into the equation (this season's Sels??) and we could be on the back foot again.

Aye, it's all 'ifs' and 'buts' but it's going to be a tough second half of the season and I'm taking nothing for granted so if we end the season in 17th I'll go 'phew' and start looking forward rather than back.