Defeatism...

[Ponte_Steve24]

Just been viewing a prediction thread on the BBS and the number of people tipping us to be relegated is unbelievable. How can you buy a season ticket (in some not all cases) and go to the ground expecting your team to get beat? Support and expecting to get beat just don't go hand in hand for me.

Make no wonder we play better away from home ;D

[DOOALI]

Spot on ponte there are loads who just go for a moan and slag players off for the slightest mistakes but then again it takes all sorts

[animallittle3]

Could be also argued steve that they are realistic and follow the club come what may .

[POGGYWELL]

If relegation is realistic then anything is. UuuuuuuuReds!

[yorkshireborn]

as animal said come what may id still buy a season ticket no matter what league were in

but you have to be realistic as well as optimistic.

[animallittle3]

We are a unique club at this level , nobody has more season's than us in the second tier , something approaching a hundred now and yet it feels like we no longer belong .

It's frustrating for many of the older fans like myself to accept , the league's changed beyond all recognition but our history tells you differently .

[Ponte_Steve24]

What do we do with that realism Animal? Re evaluate and become a Crewe or a Walsall? I remember when they were both comfortable in League 1 and flitting between league 1 and the Championship. Sometimes holding their own, sometimes being relegated. Should this become the norm for us?

[animallittle3]

What do we do with that realism Animal? Re evaluate and become a Crewe or a Walsall? I remember when they were both comfortable in League 1 and flitting between league 1 and the Championship. Sometimes holding their own, sometimes being relegated. Should this become the norm for us?


I will never accept league one as our new order of things , I can live with it just as West Ham and Sunderland fans have to accept championship football from time to time .

Relegation to league two would be viewed as shameful , as shameful as Leeds , Norwich or Wolves in league one .

From time to time we are going to go down to league one but we must always view it as temporary and make championship football our ultimate aim and never accept anything less .

But we will be relegated from this league far more times than we have normally come to expect historically .

[POGGYWELL]

as animal said come what may id still buy a season ticket no matter what league were in

but you have to be realistic as well as optimistic.

Optimism can be realistic in all walks of life and I definitely believe it.
I also believe the Championship about our true level but I also realise its not a given right, just ask fans from Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic, Blackpool, Wolves, Manchester City, Sheffield Utd the list goes on.
I'm just appreciating where we are and embracing it.
Good luck to the Reds next season we will optimistically need it!

[Ponte_Steve24]

So you would want to be in the top six in league 1 if we went down and would see anything lower than that as a failure. We have proven last time we were in league 1 that we are capable of building a top end Championship side whilst down there. Would you chance your arm handing out longer contracts even in league 1 Animal?

[Jules88]

I will never accept league one as our new order of things , I can live with it just as West Ham and Sunderland fans have to accept championship football from time to time .

Relegation to league two would be viewed as shameful , as shameful as Leeds , Norwich or Wolves in league one .

From time to time we are going to go down to league one but we must always view it as temporary and make championship football our ultimate aim and never accept anything less .

But we will be relegated from this league far more times than we have normally come to expect historically .

Got to agree with than Animal. The up side of that is we hopefully will experience a promotion now and again too

[Ponte_Steve24]

Jules I agreed with it too. Don't like it mind ;D I suppose under our new recruitment model it is easier to build new squads when needed regardless of the division.

[animallittle3]

So you would want to be in the top six in league 1 if we went down and would see anything lower than that as a failure. We have proven last time we were in league 1 that we are capable of building a top end Championship side whilst down there. Would you chance your arm handing out longer contracts even in league 1 Animal?

If we went down to league one in the manner Rotherham did last season then I'd have to accept that it may take a couple of season's to rebuild and mount a challenge .

Yes we are capable of building an high end championship team on limited resources , this has happened 3 times in my lifetime stretching over several decades .

Are longer contracts a fire wall against having our players stripped off us ?

A player who wants away will get his way no matter what mate , tha can't win today .

Steve in all honesty mate I haven't got all the answers to where we stand today as a club , we are successful and we get fecked over by other clubs , we struggle and we can't get shut of the dead wood other than giving them away .

Fuqued if I know mate .

[animallittle3]

I'll tell you what I would like to see and what I would consider to be growth if we are never going to be able to compete with other clubs on wages .

The trouble with this current model of ours is that the inevitable sale of players will one day come back to bite you hard , there isn't a never ending supply of young talent who we can attract , it's a small pond and it will have peaks and troughs .

We need to find ourselves a softer landing when players inevitably move on .

The profits from sales need to be reinvested into our academy , but what about looking at building an academy in africa ?

Pie in the sky ? , possibly but wait .

Kinnel how much chuffin land is available on that continent ? Wouldn't have thought it would be mega expensive either .

Buy some land and start with a soccer camp type facility , see how it goes and dip our toes in the water , if it proves it's worth look to extend the thing into an academy we have here .

Build an education facility complete with dormitory , restaurant providing a ***** sports diet , medical care etc etc , hire locals to coach them but managed by the club .

We start churning out talented young african kids then at 16 they can then come to our academy here .

We could have in time a conveyor belt of young talent on tap , sell Abdue Akibendie to Leicester for 5 million and we have Solomon Ranfeqie chomping at the bit to take his place .

The money we are accumulating has to have a point and a purpose .

It's something we could at least look at exploring .

[Ponte_Steve24]

Evolutionary there is something in African DNA that is stronger to physical activity and endurance too Animal. Saw it on a documentary probably not relevant. However, I think that you make a valid point. In this country the top academies get the pick of the first crop of youth and we fill our academy with what's left over. It's counter productive. If they aren't good enough for Man Utd, Chelsea's academy I think we sell ourselves short thinking they will be good enough here.

There are definitely better gambles to be had.

[yorkshireborn]

If we went down to league one in the manner Rotherham did last season then I'd have to accept that it may take a couple of season's to rebuild and mount a challenge .

Yes we are capable of building an high end championship team on limited resources , this has happened 3 times in my lifetime stretching over several decades .

Are longer contracts a fire wall against having our players stripped off us ?

A player who wants away will get his way no matter what mate , tha can't win today .

Steve in all honesty mate I haven't got all the answers to where we stand today as a club , we are successful and we get fecked over by other clubs , we struggle and we can't get shut of the dead wood other than giving them away .

Fuqued if I know mate .

bigger contracts mean a bigger payday when they do go, instead of only worth a quarter of wot they would be worth cos theres only a year or 6 months left,

[EastStandRed]

Unless they turn out to be shi t and you're stuck with them for 3 yrs

[pass_and_move]

Start an african academy we'll end up wi ebola ;-)

[pass_and_move]

In all seriousness it's a good idea Animal, finacially viable if we produce the finnished article. The question i raise is- What makes you think we can run an african academy successfully when we've had minimal success with our own over the last 20years?

[Ponte_Steve24]

I think it's a viable option simply because it is so left field no one else has thought of it and we could be the first club in a lucrative new niche.

Glen Hoddle was half way there with his own academy with everyone else's failures. However, alot of those lads were no hopers. With this african academy your actually getting the wheat instead of the chow.

[pass_and_move]

You could say that with the lack of opportunity in African countries there's plenty for their future generations to aspire to should we set up the facilities Animal has talked about. I guess if it were to happen and we got some of their kids over here we'd know progress had been made for sure if one day, they had the red shirt on, were lined up in the defensive wall in front of the Ponty after giving away a free kick 30 yards out and could refrain themselves from running out of the wall and booiting t'ball darnfield XD

[Ponte_Steve24]

Pas XD XD was that a world cup game mate?

[Ponte_Steve24]

Zaire against Brazil 1974 XD

[pass_and_move]

Zaire against Brazil 1974 XD


Correctamundo! Still laughin to missen nar XD

[pass_and_move]

Fantasy football league with Baddiel n Skinner, pheonix from the flames, ilunga mwempu. Youtube it mate, kin hilarious XD

[Ponte_Steve24]

I have done mate whilst at work. I bet patients were wondering what that mad person was laughing to himself about XD

[EastStandRed]

Think it would be better to link up with other foreign clubs rather than set up an academy that would cost millions.

[Romared]

We need our own Academy soortin fust , let Ladysmith Black Mambaza and Co sing for their own Academy :P, silly idea in fust place , dunt you think !!!

[Romared]

Think it would be better to link up with other foreign clubs rather than set up an academy that would cost millions.

I thort we had a link once with Sporting Lisbon ? A few of their youngsters were over here training 2 or 3 yrs back :?

[DOOALI]

African Academy? oh I forgot we have loads of money to spend Willy nilly

[Romared]

I have done mate whilst at work. I bet patients were wondering what that mad person was laughing to himself about XD
I ope tha not a Docta Ponty ? :O N H S wunt want thi yootoobin , dunt gerrin botha lad , :heart:

[Ponte_Steve24]

Was during my lunch break Roma ;D

[bankendbfc]

Realistically (spelt it right that tome), we ought be near the bottom, thats not being defeatist, one of the most modestly resourced teams in the championship and breaking in pretty much a full squad is what we are doing. That normally does not go so well, we have a decent manager tho, and hey for the last 2 yrs or so i would say the best fans as well. Oakwell is different from 2-3 seasons ago when it were a bit depressing. i think as fans we should keep our end going, just blindly get behind em if you have to. hope to finish high but celebrate like we won the champions league if we get 4th bottom. this is a hard league, the money the teams are spending this year, we can't compete so we have to go about it differently, which we have brilliantly so far in my opinion, so personally speaking i trust the club to get it right again, and if it don't go our way then thats just hard lines. were not rich with money, something else were rich in.

[Romared]

Anyone think we are playing the beggars card for too long ? Who's saying we have a low budget ? I doubt this very much , we must be amongst the top 14/15 in the Championship for paying wages ! If not WHY , it's not hard to see why players want to move on , pay the going rate or we are back into oblivion , 3 yr contracts mean nothing if we don't pay the Rate required !! ( which is far too much ) somethings have to change ,

[Exiletyke]

Anyone think we are playing the beggars card for too long ? Who's saying we have a low budget ? I doubt this very much , we must be amongst the top 14/15 in the Championship for paying wages ! If not WHY , it's not hard to see why players want to move on , pay the going rate or we are back into oblivion , 3 yr contracts mean nothing if we don't pay the Rate required !! ( which is far too much ) somethings have to change ,



I find myself in agreement with you Roma :)

[Romared]

Am gooin t ring Docta then ;D

[Ponte_Steve24]

Isn't that a catch 22 Roma mate? :D Pay em' the going rate which is far too much? Things have changed we don't pay the going rate and our players fcuk off XD

[pass_and_move]

3 yr contracts mean nothing if we don't pay the Rate required !! ( which is far too much ) somethings have to change ,[/QUOTE]




3 year contracts are essential even if tha paying players under the going rate. A 3 yr deal means that if sumbdy comes in fo thi player then tha can ask forra decent transfer fee as opposed to peanuts if thev got a year or 6 months left so a dunt know ar tha works that one art mi owd.

[Romared]

Tha reyt Ponte , se 4 grand a week = 16 k a month :O a think most of us wud settle forra kwarta of that

[bankendbfc]

we do have a low budget, i am looking up and down at the league, some dolla going into a fair few of these clubs, they are spending it. were not spending big or upping wages to attract the so called better players who can handle this league. i think we could spend a bit more but still nothing like some these others.

[Kevthetyke]

So where or when is the money from the roberts sale going to be spent like are Co said???. On an other note with this money from all the transfers in the bank can we be called little old barnsley, most clubs in the bottom 3 leagues in england would love that kind of cash in the bank.

[Romared]

3 yr contracts mean nothing if we don't pay the Rate required !! ( which is far too much ) somethings have to change ,




3 year contracts are essential even if tha paying players under the going rate. A 3 yr deal means that if sumbdy comes in fo thi player then tha can ask forra decent transfer fee as opposed to peanuts if thev got a year or 6 months left so a dunt know ar tha works that one art mi owd.[/QUOTE] when wa last time that happened Pass ? If thu shyte thu get tha money ! If hafe decent ? They want to move on after 18 months , pay the Rate required in accordance wi league weer in that's all , these 3 yr contracts mean nothing and are rarely completed , ivvry thing is in the players hands these days , reyt or rong clubs carnt win ,

[pass_and_move]

A misunderstood thi post Roma and read it wrong. Tha reight in what tha saying clubs carnt win

[animallittle3]

We need our own Academy soortin fust , let Ladysmith Black Mambaza and Co sing for their own Academy :P, silly idea in fust place , dunt you think !!!

Aye god forbid we discover a young Yaya Toure or Didier Drogba .

Thing is , somebody found em and brought them to europe because it wasn't Man City or Chelsea , they ended paying multi millions for em .

Who found Kante at Chelsea ? , somebody in France , clue , our CEO is french and should have knowledge of how these african kids come to france and belgium football .

It's worth looking into setting up some links , hire a full time scout over there .

The world dunt end at Thurlstone tha noze .

[Exiletyke]

Aye god forbid we discover a young Yaya Toure or Didier Drogba .

Thing is , somebody found em and brought them to europe because it wasn't Man City or Chelsea , they ended paying multi millions for em .

Who found Kante at Chelsea ? , somebody in France , clue , our CEO is french and should have knowledge of how these african kids come to france and belgium football .

It's worth looking into setting up some links , hire a full time scout over there .

The world dunt end at Thurlstone tha noze .




Nor Wilthorpe

[EastStandRed]

It wouldn't be right for me . Bringing a young lad from another continent and totally different way of life by himself to play in our development squad in the hope he can kick a ball well ! If he turns out a dud do we send him back to Africa to his mud hut .

[EastStandRed]

Aye god forbid we discover a young Yaya Toure or Didier Drogba .

Thing is , somebody found em and brought them to europe because it wasn't Man City or Chelsea , they ended paying multi millions for em .

Who found Kante at Chelsea ? , somebody in France , clue , our CEO is french and should have knowledge of how these african kids come to france and belgium football .

It's worth looking into setting up some links , hire a full time scout over there .

The world dunt end at Thurlstone tha noze .

Kante is French and Drogba is pretty much French . France and Italy are full of Africans . They don't have to Scout them in Africa.

[animallittle3]

Kante is French and Drogba is pretty much French . France and Italy are full of Africans . They don't have to Scout them in Africa.


As in Arsene Wenger is pretty much english

[EastStandRed]

As in Arsene Wenger is pretty much english

Wenger moved to England in his 40s Drogba moved to France when he was 4

Kante was born in France

[animallittle3]

Wenger moved to England in his 40s Drogba moved to France when he was 4

Kante was born in France

Well that's fair enough , Drogba and Kante are probably two bad examples but surely you'd agree that spreading the net further with regard to spotting talent within the plan needs at least contemplating .

[SBRed48]

Kayode Odejayi was born in Nigeria and became a trainee with Bristol City, aged 17.

[EastStandRed]

Well that's fair enough , Drogba and Kante are probably two bad examples but surely you'd agree that spreading the net further with regard to spotting talent within the plan needs at least contemplating .

Yes, I'd go more for making links with foreign clubs though. A couple of scouts in Africa wouldn't work

[Romared]

Am hearing weer afta a young Maltese Striker ? Ennybody else erdowt ?

[EastStandRed]

Kayode Odejayi was born in Nigeria and became a trainee with Bristol City, aged 17.

Lived in UK since he was 2yrs old, probably why he was cra p :P

[Ponte_Steve24]

We're linked with that senegalese lad i mentioned on another thread forgot his name Ibrahima somebody thingymybob ;D