Relegation

[gazan]

...in 24th place. That's the prediction from the Sunderland Echo re: dealings during the transfer window. This is based on data collected by 'experts' in statistics. Well you know what they say about statistics!. It also depends on which statistics you rely on. It has been commonplace for the Alex to be expected to struggle but in reality that's not been borne out.
It's definitely too early to make predictions before we've seen the newbies integrated into the team on a regular basis. That's common sense. BUT WHERE'S THE FUN IN COMMON SENSE????
So, based purely on gut feeling, where do YOU think we'll finish?
We can return and reassess our thoughts after the FA Cup 1st round.
I'm going for 15th😉

[MikeSB]

I think we will get relegated like we normally do when we sell our players but it may seem odd to say this but the club won't mind that as they would have put 2-3 million in the bank and we start again and again and again....Some could argue its still a lack of ambition but realistically our academy system and players just waiting for the bigger pay packet means we..... what's the words Dario used? "We go where the kids take us"?

That's L2 and occassionally L1 and back again..

We are never going to be able to sign decent players with the money we have spent on the academy and that's the way the cookie crumbles folks!

[gazan]

So Mike's going for relegation! And of course it's because of the Academy!!!!
Anyway, it is a frivolous thread so let's stick to topic of where you believe we'll finish.😀

[Wartman]

I think we will get relegated like we normally do when we sell our players but it may seem odd to say this but the club won't mind that as they would have put 2-3 million in the bank and we start again and again and again....Some could argue its still a lack of ambition but realistically our academy system and players just waiting for the bigger pay packet means we..... what's the words Dario used? "We go where the kids take us"?

That's L2 and occassionally L1 and back again..

We are never going to be able to sign decent players with the money we have spent on the academy and that's the way the cookie crumbles folks!

We don’t look very good, the transfer window has proved to be an absolute minefield who would have thought 2 players who you recruited would retire bizarre. I hope the newbies are good acquisitions as they will need to be, if Dave has solved the creativity issue I can see comfortably safe in 16th.

[Timmy58]

I think we will get relegated like we normally do when we sell our players but it may seem odd to say this but the club won't mind that as they would have put 2-3 million in the bank and we start again and again and again....Some could argue its still a lack of ambition but realistically our academy system and players just waiting for the bigger pay packet means we..... what's the words Dario used? "We go where the kids take us"?

That's L2 and occassionally L1 and back again..

We are never going to be able to sign decent players with the money we have spent on the academy and that's the way the cookie crumbles folks!

I very much doubt the club would survive long if we spent the money previously allocated to the academy on players transfer fees and wages. What the Academy has done for us has developed decent players without having to spend excessive amounts on bringing experienced players in.

I expect a finish somewhere between 12th and 16th

[MikeSB]

I very much doubt the club would survive long if we spent the money previously allocated to the academy on players transfer fees and wages. What the Academy has done for us has developed decent players without having to spend excessive amounts on bringing experienced players in.

I expect a finish somewhere between 12th and 16th

Its a point of view which cannot be proved though as we know 90% of the clubs in L1 and L2 don't have Cat2 academies and anyway its not the principle of an academy that is the issue as almost every club in the country has one including non league but the 'level'. OK I cannot prove downgrading it to Cat3 will ensure local kids and those within 20 miles would go elsewhere but that is what happens for the reasons stated before. Also most clubs with Cat3 academies don't disappear out of the league. So why would CAFC?

One thing we never discuss on here as most of us don't know and that is what sort of wages we pay at CAFC and so its then difficult to equate that with what we could pay to attract better players to the club. My guess is we could save half of the 760K by downgrading to Cat3 and so that potentially means we could pay 380K extra in wages, not a great deal admittedly but if we pay eg 1000 pounds per week for the first team and I could be way out as I don't know but if that is the case and we thus could attract a better player on double that ie 2 grand a week then we could in theory bring in seven players on 2 grand a week. This is still with an academy developing the youngsters to come into the first team. There is no doubt that despite there being hundreds of players being available of differing abilities most won't come on our low wages.

We need a couple of decent GK to stay up as if that one we conceded at Charlton was down to 'coaching' then its time we got rid and allowed GK to do what comes naturally and that was to come out and get the ball and not stop on his goal line like a statue..I could have saved that and yet no comment from DA??

[gazan]

So, found this post and have to hold my hands up and admit I got it totally wrong.
By the way, a certain S. Macdonald scored in the Welsh Cup final.

[MikeSB]

Yes you did get it wrong with some others and yet no acknowledgement to anyone that did get it right?

So maybe I am right about the other stuff and reading about the young 18 year old lad Williams probably missing pre season with his injury etc. It make my point over and over in that most of these academy graduates are no where near ready for pro league football as they are not physically or mentally ready. So we spend millions on 6-10 year olds to see if in ten years they would be? This is utter nonsense in my personal opinion when you can see 20 plus year olds now and decide now if they can fit in...

[Timmy58]

Yes you did get it wrong with some others and yet no acknowledgement to anyone that did get it right?

So maybe I am right about the other stuff and reading about the young 18 year old lad Williams probably missing pre season with his injury etc. It make my point over and over in that most of these academy graduates are no where near ready for pro league football as they are not physically or mentally ready. So we spend millions on 6-10 year olds to see if in ten years they would be? This is utter nonsense in my personal opinion when you can see 20 plus year olds now and decide now if they can fit in...

Sadly Mike, you were right about relegation as were a few others. However, you are wrong on pretty much everything else I am sorry to say

[ShropshireAlex]

Did you see the lad play at any point last season Mike? He's certainly ready, and (to most of us) a very good defender already, he hurt his ankle coming down awkwardly a few minutes from the end of the last home game of the season. He's played 20 + games by age 18 and was complimented for his marking and the physical duel he gave him by an experienced striker, a few weeks ago, who'd expected to muscle him out of his way! (I saw it the same way on the afternoon.)