The immediate future: Why not?

[TipperaryBaggie]

Froze my nuts off tonight but at least we won 3-0. Up to 3rd now and only a point off the top spot. At least I saw players who tried hard tonight which makes a change from watching those overpaid prima donnas we have at the moment.

[Yarmbaggie]

It is a tough one because if we go down then yes we have the potential to be more competitive and possibly even win something, but then the reward for that is to get promoted back into the big money PL. So the incentive for doing well is to go back to where we say we are happy to leave!

I have been looking at the records of the Championship since it’s first season in 2004. Teams are obviously promoted into it or relegated into it (I know you know but just in case Mr Lai is reading this). Since 2004 55 different teams have played in the Championship and of those 55 only 17 have been promoted out of it at anytime, some more than once of course, including ourselves. In the same period 29 different clubs have been relegated to Division 1 (lesson for Mr Lai there is also relegation from the Championship).

8 clubs, Cardiff, Derby, Ipswich, Leeds, Nottm F, QPR, Reading and Sheff W have been in the Championship for at least 10 of the 13 seasons and Barnsley, Preston and Wolves are in their 10th season since 2004 this year the 14th season. Burnley and Watford also have had 10 years in the Championship in this period although in the PL at the moment.

All this concludes me to think there is a hardcore of Championship teams, just as there is a hardcore of teams in the PL. Relegation and promotion is usually therefore done by the other teams outside of this hardcore. The problem is against the 17 who have gone up, out of the 55, a total of 29 clubs have at some time been relegated to Division 1.

Relegation to the Championship is therefore for me a risky option. Yes we could do well but the recent past shows there are massive dangers in another relegation, immediately or in a few years tim, unless we get it right quickly. I think we do need a massive change of personnel throughout the club from top to bottom. I am far from convinced that we have the people in place behind the scenes to manage that and as we are seeing in the Championship and other leagues once a club gets on a downward slide it can take a lot to stop it going further.

I am usually a very positive person, you have to be to support our club for 60 years. However, I am struggling to be positive about a relegation to the Championship, if it happens at the end of this season, despite all that I despise about the multi millionaire fat cat culture that is the PL.

[Leicesterbaggie]

Too true. We have been fortunate in the past that when we have been relegated we've retained the basis of the side. However, I don't think that this will be the case now and we are basically going to have to start from scratch. We will obviously lose the likes of Chadli, Krychouiak, Evans etc. but there will be a lot more than that, unfortunately including Dawson. I think that our future will be highly dependant on who we appoint to take charge next season and it is ***** that we get it right.

[WBA123]

I should probably reiterate what I meant.

I'm not saying I'm happy we're being relegated. I'm saying that in the Championship I'm optimistic we can reshape the squad and management so we can have a better crack at the premiership next time.

I don't want to go down and stay down, or worse. I want us to go down and be back within the next year or two with a better side.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

All this concludes me to think there is a hardcore of Championship teams, just as there is a hardcore of teams in the PL. Relegation and promotion is usually therefore done by the other teams outside of this hardcore. Quote:

Agreed; but for the huge difference is the fans of all of those clubs start the season with the hope (or fear) that they won't be in that Division next year.
Just in the last few seasons Burnley, Bournemouth and Huddersfield have started out as relegation favourites and ended up promoted.
It's a strange dichotomy As 123 says we're not happy to be relegated but I might, just might be looking forward to next season more in the the Champ. than another season of struggle.

[Yarmbaggie]

I don’t think anyone disagrees with the comments that we hope to come back within a year or so with a better squad. For me the problem is that I don’t have the confidence that we have the people at the top to oversee the huge change that needs to be done at the club to create the environment where we are successful in the Championship.

Are we at this moment in time, nearer (as a club), to the relegated Sunderland side from last season or the relegated Villa side? I suspect the latter and that is why it is difficult to be positive this time about any relegation if it comes. The club feels, like Sunderland did, to be ruderless, in need of drastic surgery from top to bottom and more likely to be in the bottom 6 of the Championship next year than the top 6.

I hope I am wrong and we will just have to wait and see.

[WBA123]

I don’t think anyone disagrees with the comments that we hope to come back within a year or so with a better squad. For me the problem is that I don’t have the confidence that we have the people at the top to oversee the huge change that needs to be done at the club to create the environment where we are successful in the Championship.

Are we at this moment in time, nearer (as a club), to the relegated Sunderland side from last season or the relegated Villa side? I suspect the latter and that is why it is difficult to be positive this time about any relegation if it comes. The club feels, like Sunderland did, to be ruderless, in need of drastic surgery from top to bottom and more likely to be in the bottom 6 of the Championship next year than the top 6.

I hope I am wrong and we will just have to wait and see.

I see a clear difference between us and Villa/Sunderland. Both sides looked like they were going down for years before they actually did. Sunderland especially, for about 3 seasons seemed a poor side and then some miracle end of season run would keep them up.

We have finished 10th/12th recently and have actually not been in any danger of going down since perhaps the Pepe Mel season? We are also not riddled in debt like a Sunderland (And Villa who would be without their owner) and we have a nucleus of good, solid pros and good young players.

Lots will still happen between now and the start of next season and it is inevitable we will lose players. Livermore, Evans, Barry, Chadli etc. can go and good riddance. But I will be really gutted if we lose the likes of Dawson, Brunt, Foster etc.

Hopefully next season will be the breakthrough year for Field, Burke, maybe Leko and any other youngster who can make an impact.

[baggieal]

I see a clear difference between us and Villa/Sunderland. Both sides looked like they were going down for years before they actually did. Sunderland especially, for about 3 seasons seemed a poor side and then some miracle end of season run would keep them up.

We have finished 10th/12th recently and have actually not been in any danger of going down since perhaps the Pepe Mel season? We are also not riddled in debt like a Sunderland (And Villa who would be without their owner) and we have a nucleus of good, solid pros and good young players.

Lots will still happen between now and the start of next season and it is inevitable we will lose players. Livermore, Evans, Barry, Chadli etc. can go and good riddance. But I will be really gutted if we lose the likes of Dawson, Brunt, Foster etc.

Hopefully next season will be the breakthrough year for Field, Burke, maybe Leko and any other youngster who can make an impact.

I can see us struggling if we take the drop into the championship as we will have to rebuild. Whilst, we are not riddled with debt - the chinese runt Lai is quite similar to Ellis Short at Sunderland in that both have zero passion in a football club, and both will try and make a fast buck. Lai for me showed zero ambition in the January transfer window and gambled on an injury ravaged croc and even then to pay the huge loan fee we released a good promising youngster so the bank balance of both player movements was in credit! Why? I thought Pulis was so awful that fresh and new players needed to come in, or was the club hoping that an unemployed chancer like Pardew would do something with the existing squad that Pulis could not!

I can see similarities between Lai and Short - Lai has shown very little ambition and the club no doubt will get what they deserve - relegation! I can see Lai raping the club ( like Short did and still does ) to get his investment back and that will come via selling off assets ( players ) - pocketing the parachute payments and spending sweet feck all on has beens and gambling on youngsters!

So Robson Kanu - get your boots polished as the Board and the China runt will rely on you heavily in the championship. Rondon no doubt, will go to study in a soccer academy firstly through visual illustrations i.e drawings of goalposts and how to head/kick the ball in between both white posts and keeping it under the bar that goes across!

Not happy and can see we will be another Sunderland. No ambition now so why any in the championship especially as the investment will want to be recouped quickly!!!!

[WBA123]

Not happy and can see we will be another Sunderland. No ambition now so why any in the championship especially as the investment will want to be recouped quickly!!!!

Objectively, taking away my passion for the Albion and thinking with a business brain, just going to highlight why I think it is in Lai's best interests to be promoted again within 2 years. If he wants his investment recouped, it makes sense to try and get promoted back to the Prem asap.

If we're not in the prem after our parachute payments have finished, then its time to be concerned.

[baggieal]

Objectively, taking away my passion for the Albion and thinking with a business brain, just going to highlight why I think it is in Lai's best interests to be promoted again within 2 years. If he wants his investment recouped, it makes sense to try and get promoted back to the Prem asap.

If we're not in the prem after our parachute payments have finished, then its time to be concerned.

Don't disagree, but my business brain also tells me - why did we not buy in the January window when it was plainly obvious we needed to do so, and why gamble on an injured croc? Don't forget after releasing the youngster we were financially in credit!

My business brain also tells me why did we go for an unemployed wide boy who was less likely to succeed over the person who was sacked and had to go, albeit - he did a decent job the season before finishing 10th!

So with these poor decisions in mind, saving cash on these poor decisions has placed us in our current predicament! Even now taking a gamble on a big name to twist could save our premiership status but it comes down to the pennies, which we do not want to pay.

So no confidence in Lai whatsoever as the club is rotten to the core!