Breakfast menu today...

[tomytony]

yes ive a feeling our boardroom know they cant mess about with our chris fearful he might walk if they overule him on certain issues just hope we can go 1 step further in the summer and add another 2 or 3 quality players in to the squad

Well SOB, the board's substantially the same so the major difference is CW which reinforces your point.

Or maybe, for the 1st time in years, they've just got a sniff of that sauce that comes from the PL gravy train, a rich diet indeed.

[GrayBlade]

yes ive a feeling our boardroom know they cant mess about with our chris fearful he might walk if they overule him on certain issues just hope we can go 1 step further in the summer and add another 2 or 3 quality players in to the squad

I agree mate, I think they know exactly where they stand with Wilder, and also the money from the sell-on clauses and the fact that Brooks was ill and out of the spotlight may also have helped.

But after saying all that, Mcabe and the board (not sure if the Prince is still active) deserve a lot of credit for how they’ve conducted our transfers in this window. Getting in seemingly every player on Chris’s wish list in double quick time was an outstanding achievement. I can’t remember the last time I spent a deadline day not checking the media every few minutes, totally confident that what we’d told would happen by Chris would be the case.

[shorehamoldboy]

im not that certain tt im sure the board did not expect us to be challenging for a top 6 spot as soon as this probably like all of us just hoped for a consolidation season but we are where we are so might as well have a good crack at it chris wilder can certainly get us to the premier league the board have been great in last 2 windows but he will need more help financially in the summer whether we go up or stay in championship

[JonnyEdge]

If we can find that early season form then we’ll make the play offs and it’s anybodys guess then.
We are capable of beating anyone in this division so we can go into the play offs with confidence that we’ve got a good chance.
If we go up it’s major cheque book time because the squad will need a number of improvements.
As for this window, four in and no big names sold. Quite possibly the best Jan window we’ve ever had.

[shorehamoldboy]

the thing is with brooks because hes valued so highly ie 10 million i think its a certainty that if a club came in the summer with that kind of money he will be sold however as has been discussed on here before that money could get us 3 quality players in 2 of which for me should be strikers of course it all depends how much of that money chris would get thats gonna be the big talking point on here in the summer actually dont think we can lose out either way to be honest

[GrayBlade]

This window has been anything but the norm regarding the 4 early incomings being exactly who Wilder wanted, and the fact we’ve not lost one of our better players is the icing on the cake.

However, whilst I’ve justifiably acknowledged this fine effort in my previous post, anybody who thinks some were wrong or even out of order to be concerned and fear the worst based on our previous transfer window experiences must have been living in cloud cuckoo land for most of this century.

[Blade for Life]

It is a huge step forward and yes well done for allowing CW to get his targets early. The last minute knife in the back, we usually get, never materialised so again money is being invested. However I think it is dangerous to ever become too satisfied and complacent. The next step for the board is to provide the kind of investment that puts us on a par with all the teams in the top 6. Incredible how far we have come in the last year but let’s keep pushing forward and make that gap wider.

[Longshortandtall]

It is a huge step forward and yes well done for allowing CW to get his targets early. The last minute knife in the back, we usually get, never materialised so again money is being invested. However I think it is dangerous to ever become too satisfied and complacent. The next step for the board is to provide the kind of investment that puts us on a par with all the teams in the top 6. Incredible how far we have come in the last year but let’s keep pushing forward and make that gap wider.

Step 1 no players sold, tick. Step 2 players got in early for once, tick. Step 3 - Where are we going to get investment from to take us to the next level ???

CW has made sure we haven't lost any and at last we managed to do our business early. So some progress but in the event we don't go up how are we going to get to the next level financially?

The current owners aren't billionaires and are covering ongoing costs and debt management with loans allowing for a modest playing budget in championship terms. That keeps our heads above water but not competitive at top end championship level. CW is not a miracle worker and will expect significant funds to mount a promotion challenge next season. His star will have risen in the football world if we get to the play offs or even a top 10 finish on one of the smallest budgets in the division. So how are the Board going to keep him motivated if offers come in for his services?

Based on the current financial model we seem to be operating to, unless significant investment comes in the Summer, the only way to generate cash for a bigger playing fund is to sell players. Some interesting challenges ahead over to you Kev. and the Prince.

[shorehamoldboy]

interesting post lst im with you on those points unless a new investor comes in i think its inevatable that brooks will have to be sold for chris to get sufficient funds for a bit more quality for a promotion push again next season if we dont go up this time the final third worries me and will need significant investment in that area if were to continue our progress

[Blade for Life]

Step 1 no players sold, tick. Step 2 players got in early for once, tick. Step 3 - Where are we going to get investment from to take us to the next level ???

CW has made sure we haven't lost any and at last we managed to do our business early. So some progress but in the event we don't go up how are we going to get to the next level financially?

The current owners aren't billionaires and are covering ongoing costs and debt management with loans allowing for a modest playing budget in championship terms. That keeps our heads above water but not competitive at top end championship level. CW is not a miracle worker and will expect significant funds to mount a promotion challenge next season. His star will have risen in the football world if we get to the play offs or even a top 10 finish on one of the smallest budgets in the division. So how are the Board going to keep him motivated if offers come in for his services?

Based on the current financial model we seem to be operating to, unless significant investment comes in the Summer, the only way to generate cash for a bigger playing fund is to sell players. Some interesting challenges ahead over to you Kev. and the Prince.

Step 3 There is huge Chinese investment already in Sheffield and McCabe is involved in some of this. Surely that his something that he is exploring. Unless the Prince involves his wider family, who have the serious money.