A warning

[FatherKnowsBest]

The problem with being negative, is that you begin to anticipate failure, and in many ways it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.

There is no reason why our future is the same or worse than the Charlton disaster, yet here we are again, where the future of SUFC is a bad as we can possibly imagine.

[bulmer1889]

I'm not saying we are goin the same way as charlton FKB I've only put that up to counter those who think it's a given we will push on and improve our position,we'd all like to think we will but it's certainly not a given

[rodcurrie]

I'm not saying we are goin the same way as charlton FKB I've only put that up to counter those who think it's a given we will push on and improve our position,we'd all like to think we will but it's certainly not a given

I'd prefer Jamal Blackman to Given Bully.UTCB

[FatherKnowsBest]

I'm not saying we are goin the same way as charlton FKB I've only put that up to counter those who think it's a given we will push on and improve our position,we'd all like to think we will but it's certainly not a given

So much depends on how we change the squad over the summer. This time for me, we ran out of legs, but our mentaility and confidence seemed to change after the Fulham 4-5. We didn't know what to do without Coutts, and then as we started conceding lots we stopped marauding, gung ho football that we'd played in the opening of the season. Interestingly, our form dropped after articles appeared in the football press analyzing our set pieces and 'overlapping CB's'. Maybe other teams just worked out how to play us. I think they did. Drop deep and crowd us into the corners seemed to be how suddenly everyone was playing us.

I don't think we'll see a lot of gung-ho next year. We're going to have to be smarter. I can see us being roughly where we are this season. I don't see a relegation battle ahead.

[Longshortandtall]

Theres little to compare between us and Charlton. A team that knew how to see out games and won a lot 1-0 in their promotion year, nothing like the free flowing football we played in League 1. They may have been close to the play off in their first season but were never realistically in with a shout and not top of the league in November. Man for man our squad was better.

What they were better at was getting money in for their players £11 million for a youngster to Everton when we got a paltry £1.5 million for ours.

Yes they had a Belgian owner and yes they brought in Belgian managers and players who made a mess of running the club but does that mean we should never have foreign ownership. For every Charlton there's a top end championship and premiership club benefiting from foreign owners.

If we're going to look at teams who have gone up from League 1 in recent seasons then Bournemouth have to be the benchmark. They finished 10th in their first season back in the championship in 2014 and with investment next season got promoted to the Premiership.

Huddersfield Town, who a lot including KM likes to quote as an example to aspire to, finished 19th, 17th, 16th, 19th in their first four seasons back in the championship flirting with relegation each year. Only when they brought in a foreign manager and gave him some money to spend did they take off.

If we are to progress as a club we can't keep burying our head in the sand adopting a little Englander attitude saying we don't like change and lets keep looking in the bargain basement. What this season has shown is that enthusiasm and work rate are not enough to mount a serious promotion challenge. You need two quality players in every position and that costs money.

Our two owners don't have the money to compete at the higher level so we are currently in limbo and all the indications are we will struggle next season unless either of the two owners finds a money tree.

[GuancheBlade]

Theres little to compare between us and Charlton. A team that knew how to see out games and won a lot 1-0 in their promotion year, nothing like the free flowing football we played in League 1. They may have been close to the play off in their first season but were never realistically in with a shout and not top of the league in November. Man for man our squad was better.

What they were better at was getting money in for their players £11 million for a youngster to Everton when we got a paltry £1.5 million for ours.

Yes they had a Belgian owner and yes they brought in Belgian managers and players who made a mess of running the club but does that mean we should never have foreign ownership. For every Charlton there's a top end championship and premiership club benefiting from foreign owners.

If we're going to look at teams who have gone up from League 1 in recent seasons then Bournemouth have to be the benchmark. They finished 10th in their first season back in the championship in 2014 and with investment next season got promoted to the Premiership.

Huddersfield Town, who a lot including KM likes to quote as an example to aspire to, finished 19th, 17th, 16th, 19th in their first four seasons back in the championship flirting with relegation each year. Only when they brought in a foreign manager and gave him some money to spend did they take off.

If we are to progress as a club we can't keep burying our head in the sand adopting a little Englander attitude saying we don't like change and lets keep looking in the bargain basement. What this season has shown is that enthusiasm and work rate are not enough to mount a serious promotion challenge. You need two quality players in every position and that costs money.

Our two owners don't have the money to compete at the higher level so we are currently in limbo and all the indications are we will struggle next season unless either of the two owners finds a money tree.

Great post mate, agree with you 100%

[bulmer1889]

So there's little to compare between us and charlton and you give a strong case for that thinking but finish off by saying unless things change we will befall the same outcome

[Longshortandtall]

So there's little to compare between us and charlton and you give a strong case for that thinking but finish off by saying unless things change we will befall the same outcome

IMO we are nothing like Charlton Bulmer. The fans have been at war with the owners for the last few years. Off the field the Club is in turmoil and the only good outcome is that they got rid of a megla maniac CEO who just happens to have turned up at the Pigs. Despite the current boardroom struggle comparatively we are stable.

Powell complained about not being able to grow his league 1 squad organically having players parachuted in over his head. I don't believe thats what the Prince was advocating when he brought Van Winckel into the Club just after he'd given an interview saying Wilder was the messiah.

At least Charlton had the money to speculate and got a good return on sales. They got rid of Powell because he did not deliver and their failure was down to successive poor appointments.

Bournemouth used their money wisely and invested in their manager, Howe. They brought in a Director of Football in 2014 to work with Howe. In an ideal world with investment this for me would be the benchmark.

My final paragraph was just saying its all irrelevant any way as we don't have any money.