Getting hard to keep faith now

[joellufcprice]

I've tried to remain fairly optimistic since the Derby debacle, a game in which our lack of options at centre back and across the field proved costly. However, with two recent things 1) Roofe apparently going, its rare Phil Hay tweets something and it then doesnt come to pass and 2) Bielsa saying 'if' Phillips stays, honestly thought they'd just come out and say hes going nowhere regardless of whats offered. I have now just delved into desperation, I've no faith in the board, I'm beginning to believe Bielsa cares more about proving he can do it with **** and kids than just signing quality players and I honestly don't see how this squad goes up because once the inevitable injuries (we've already lost Ayling + Roofe) hit we are scraping the barrel.

What is causing me more frustration is the amount of funds we have generated. 5m for Pontus, 3.5m for Bailey, 1.5m for Ekuban, 8m for Clarke, 2m for Saiz add to that the wages we've got off our books + Sacko, Halme, Denton, Dalby, O'Connor all moved on and Coyle now out on loan again. You're looking at 20m + in fees and at least 40k per week saved in wages.

What have we done with that? We've reloaned someone I don't rate in Clarke with Spurs paying his wages, so he is essentially a completely free player, we've loaned White who has never kicked a ball in Championship and deemed not good enough for Brighton and loaned Helder Costa. Where are the signings? Where is the strengthening in what are clearly weak areas? It cost us big time last year particularly upfront where we didn't convert enough chances and yet we are preparing to possibly start the new season with an even weaker strike force + an ageing Pablo Hernandez who can't carry the attack on his back for another full season.

I'm losing faith, beginning to feel like we are just Bielsas pet project a chance for him to prove he can do it without signing players. It's all well and good people saying just trust him, but we all saw it last season AND most of us said it in January that we needed strengthening and low and behold, we didn't (its the clubs fault for letting Dan James go to the last minute of deadline day, regardless of what Swansea did, if they'd done the deal two weeks before it wouldn't have been a problem but no they cost us the signing by haggling over paying a ****ing loan fee) and we then did not get top 2 and we bottled it in the playoffs with kids on the pitch and the absolute liability Berardi at centre back.

Really hope I'm wrong and that come end of deadline day we've signed a quality striker, another winger and a centre back who have PROVEN pedigree at this level, not someone who is going to take 6 months to get used to the league.

[lasher]

i've tried to remain fairly optimistic since the derby debacle, a game in which our lack of options at centre back and across the field proved costly. However, with two recent things 1) roofe apparently going, its rare phil hay tweets something and it then doesnt come to pass and 2) bielsa saying 'if' phillips stays, honestly thought they'd just come out and say hes going nowhere regardless of whats offered. I have now just delved into desperation, i've no faith in the board, i'm beginning to believe bielsa cares more about proving he can do it with **** and kids than just signing quality players and i honestly don't see how this squad goes up because once the inevitable injuries (we've already lost ayling + roofe) hit we are scraping the barrel.

What is causing me more frustration is the amount of funds we have generated. 5m for pontus, 3.5m for bailey, 1.5m for ekuban, 8m for clarke, 2m for saiz add to that the wages we've got off our books + sacko, halme, denton, dalby, o'connor all moved on and coyle now out on loan again. You're looking at 20m + in fees and at least 40k per week saved in wages.

What have we done with that? We've reloaned someone i don't rate in clarke with spurs paying his wages, so he is essentially a completely free player, we've loaned white who has never kicked a ball in championship and deemed not good enough for brighton and loaned helder costa. Where are the signings? Where is the strengthening in what are clearly weak areas? It cost us big time last year particularly upfront where we didn't convert enough chances and yet we are preparing to possibly start the new season with an even weaker strike force + an ageing pablo hernandez who can't carry the attack on his back for another full season.

I'm losing faith, beginning to feel like we are just bielsas pet project a chance for him to prove he can do it without signing players. It's all well and good people saying just trust him, but we all saw it last season and most of us said it in january that we needed strengthening and low and behold, we didn't (its the clubs fault for letting dan james go to the last minute of deadline day, regardless of what swansea did, if they'd done the deal two weeks before it wouldn't have been a problem but no they cost us the signing by haggling over paying a ****ing loan fee) and we then did not get top 2 and we bottled it in the playoffs with kids on the pitch and the absolute liability berardi at centre back.

Really hope i'm wrong and that come end of deadline day we've signed a quality striker, another winger and a centre back who have proven pedigree at this level, not someone who is going to take 6 months to get used to the league.

ditto

[norfolk white]

Superb post, and hits the spot, all true and my feelings exactly, can't speak for other but feel many

[norfolk white]

Exactly the same

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

it certainly is never dull following Leeds - KP leaving would send a lot of negative messages.

[Hugh_G_Rection]

I've tried to remain fairly optimistic since the Derby debacle, a game in which our lack of options at centre back and across the field proved costly. However, with two recent things 1) Roofe apparently going, its rare Phil Hay tweets something and it then doesnt come to pass and 2) Bielsa saying 'if' Phillips stays, honestly thought they'd just come out and say hes going nowhere regardless of whats offered. I have now just delved into desperation, I've no faith in the board, I'm beginning to believe Bielsa cares more about proving he can do it with **** and kids than just signing quality players and I honestly don't see how this squad goes up because once the inevitable injuries (we've already lost Ayling + Roofe) hit we are scraping the barrel.

What is causing me more frustration is the amount of funds we have generated. 5m for Pontus, 3.5m for Bailey, 1.5m for Ekuban, 8m for Clarke, 2m for Saiz add to that the wages we've got off our books + Sacko, Halme, Denton, Dalby, O'Connor all moved on and Coyle now out on loan again. You're looking at 20m + in fees and at least 40k per week saved in wages.

What have we done with that? We've reloaned someone I don't rate in Clarke with Spurs paying his wages, so he is essentially a completely free player, we've loaned White who has never kicked a ball in Championship and deemed not good enough for Brighton and loaned Helder Costa. Where are the signings? Where is the strengthening in what are clearly weak areas? It cost us big time last year particularly upfront where we didn't convert enough chances and yet we are preparing to possibly start the new season with an even weaker strike force + an ageing Pablo Hernandez who can't carry the attack on his back for another full season.

I'm losing faith, beginning to feel like we are just Bielsas pet project a chance for him to prove he can do it without signing players. It's all well and good people saying just trust him, but we all saw it last season AND most of us said it in January that we needed strengthening and low and behold, we didn't (its the clubs fault for letting Dan James go to the last minute of deadline day, regardless of what Swansea did, if they'd done the deal two weeks before it wouldn't have been a problem but no they cost us the signing by haggling over paying a ****ing loan fee) and we then did not get top 2 and we bottled it in the playoffs with kids on the pitch and the absolute liability Berardi at centre back.

Really hope I'm wrong and that come end of deadline day we've signed a quality striker, another winger and a centre back who have PROVEN pedigree at this level, not someone who is going to take 6 months to get used to the league.

I completely agree, particularly in regards to the money we're getting for the players.
To see Flint go for 8 million and Webster for 20 million....well, it blows my mind that we could only get 5 million for PJ.
And if we needed money for FFP reasons, that fee is even more ridiculous.
I really think the club need to explain what is happening or what the plan is.
'In Bielsa we trust' is not a plan.

[cress]

Couldn't agree more.

And its even more depressing that we don't even get linked to players. We aren't chasing anyone, not even loans or free agents. I refuse to believe the FFP is our biggest problem because the fees we are getting are laughable. If Webster is worth 20m then Pontus is at least 25-30m...and we get 5? Get lost.

The season starts tomorrow for us and we don't have a squad.

[fredlufc74]

Agree with Joel's post.

Heard we are in to loan D.Gayle from the barcodes. If we can pull that one out of the hat I might be a bit happier.

[Rev72]

Our owner has lost the plot!

[OldWhiteTaff]

100% agree, it's smelling more and more like all the other LUFC ownership 'models' of the last 15 years, taking cash through player sales and fan spend, spouting lots of meaningless platitudes about 'targeting the Premier League', and no actual serious investment to back up the BS, pocketing the cash instead. And of course once Radz does sail off into the sunset, (as he inevitably will), you can bet he'll take the ownership of ER with him..... Dan James is a perfect example, assuming he'd continued his form playing for the us, the worst scenario would have been we'd have sold him this summer for a profit. Short term 'cost of everything value of nothing' thinking as per usual.

And yes, re. MB, I said at the time (and got shot down for it), his obstinate inflexibility both in terms of players picked and tactics used probably cost us as many points as the lack of investment. And there's been nothing to suggest he's going to change that approach (unless perhaps a slight change of formation - 4-1-4-1 to 3-3-3-1 - we'll see if that happens / makes any difference).

It's incredibly frustrating that we can all see that we're so close to where we need to be, and that what feels like a relatively modest investment would get us there, and yet the club seem to have no ambition or intention to take that step. If it does go t*ts up over the next 3-4 months then it'll be possibly the biggest missed opportunity ever in the history of LUFC - kind of typical of this club as it's our centenary year.............