Quote Originally Posted by jackal2 View Post
No they don't. I want promotion.

But I also recognise that promotion isn't built around one player, that every player has their price, and that the reason we've had Championship clubs buying/bidding for two successive strikers is because the recruitment team found these gems in the first place, so they might already have the next Langstaff or Jatta in their sights.

I don't think it's by any means certain that we'll sell Alassana, or that he would want to go, but we have to recognise and respect that the whole business model of the club is based upon identifying good value players, even if it means paying six figure sums for them, developing them, and selling them if the right bid comes in, which help keep the club sustainable. There will never be a perfect time to sell a player and fans are never happy to lose a good one, but on the occasions it happens we've got to trust the process, even if it sets progress on the field back a bit in the short-term (which it won't necessarily).

When you pan out and look at the full picture, the approach over the past five years has seen us on a slow, but steady, upward curve, despite some setbacks and dips along the way, and we've recruited a considerable number of very good players.

The approach of several previous regimes saw us sign copious amounts of expensive dead wood, whereby it was relatively rare for other clubs to even want to buy them, and despite some moments of promise, we were generally on a downward curve, which is why we ended up in non-league.
We must never lose sight of the fact of how close the club came to being a Bury or Macclesfield. I can understand why some fans might be worried and concerned about the club selling good players and thinking will we sink and slip into a downward spiral again or lose an opportunity for promotion by doing so. We have not graced the second tier since 1995 and have not graced league one since 2015 both 30 and 10 year milestones being reached this year. For me our natural level is league one. For almost 20 years from 1999-2019 that’s all we know decline boom and bust, and a revolving door of what must be hundreds of players who we have sold for nothing and which many dropped down the leagues after leaving the club.

So it’s a precious and special thing to have talented players and fans in the team and fans will want to hold onto that. We’ve been starved of having teams and players who are a delight to watch and who make us feel proud of our team and club.

In the past five years we have had far more players on the up or who have developed and been sold than at any other time in my 34 years as a supporter. The feel and buzz around the club on matchday and seeing things like the nest driving past the lane during the week and seeing the padel courts busy, the club shop being busy on Matchday it’s a joy to behold. No longer can you turn up on match day ten minutes before kick off walk in and have three seats to lie down on if you want. The pitch looks amazing and is one of the finest surfaces as this level. Non of this should be dismissed and for me it’s been an investment in bringing the club back to life. The brothers have built the club up from the ashes and I for one think it’s a great.

The brothers have got nearly six years ownership of the club under their belt and it all comes down to having trust in the radar as I post regularly. For me recruitment and transfer policy has earned my respect and trust because we are moving onwards and upwards constantly. It might not be as fast as some people want. There is nothing more I would like than to see us grace the championship again.

So I’m relaxed now about our best players being sold because I believe the club value players well so we get a good deal and because I think they have a list of replacements lined up who can once settled do just as good job as their predecessor which has been proven.