Look what happens to them that pay over the odds
Stick to your guns TS
We got relegated last time due to mistakes
Look what happens to them that pay over the odds
Stick to your guns TS
We got relegated last time due to mistakes
Luton, Blackpool, Barnsley, Millwall show you don't need to be a massive club, generating income from 20k+ crowds and paying massive wages to survive in the Champ. Coventry even did it with behind the scenes turmoil and playing all their games away from home with near enough the same squad they got promoted with.
On the flip side, Derby, Birmingham, Sheff Weds etc and all the other 'big clubs' now in L1 also show you can struggle paying massive wages. Big club, big wages doesn't mean success. Ask Sunderland, who can't even get out of L1.
You probably do need a massive budget to compete at the top, but to just survive in mid-bottom half, it is possible to survive.
The style of play is a major factor. As is the mentality. To not be scared, to go for it. Ours changes in the Champ. Where we would go for another goal in league 1, in the Champ we retreat into ourselves and start playing it into the corner after 65 mins to protect what we have. We then invariably end up loosing it because our best form of defence is to attack. Its our best form of defence in L1, but we abandon it in the Champ. It didn't work the first time and the writing was on the wall last pre season when Barker said you have have to change your style in the Champ, so abandoning all the good thing that got us there and playing negitively and 1 up front and protecting a draw after 65 mins. And so it didn't work the second time around either. As we have found recently, it doesn't work in L1 either. We have been too respectful and too cautious in the Champ. How many times have we heard them say, 'i'd have taken a point' instead of trying to win the game.
I remember playing Forest and Birmingham, in the second half of the season and Warne bigging them up as a big club, better players, bigger budget etc. No, they are 3 points ahead of us and we have two games in hand. That means they are no better than us. In fact we are better as they have an unhappy squad and disgruntled at their position. We had a decent spirit and a happy camp.
The players we had that have gone on to excel in the Champ - Ajeyi, Vaulks, Crooks, Ward, even the loans like Rodak, Iverson, Giles show that we did have some decent players. But did we use them as effectively. Maybe not always.
Several of our current squad have already proved they can play Champ football. We can sign players on 20k a week, but we'd still approach games the same.
Our best signing in the summer could well be a backroom addition to provide a positive influence on the mentality and style of play.