Coventry is Huge

[baggiematt]

Coventry are very well managed by Robins but he’s had since 2017 to pull together what he wants and he’s made incredible use of that time. He’s had an up and down career but something about him and Coventry just works.

I’d love for us to get that kind of longetivity from a gaffer that the fans can get behind. I hope it’s Val but time will tell.

[baggieal]

Coventry City (and many others around us in the table) show what can be achieved in The Championship without spending a 'fortune.' Their squad value is about a third of ours and so is their wage bill. We have numerous bench warmers earning more than their top earner. I would love to see us recruit well from the lower leagues (Townsend anyone) hungry ambitious players.

This of course only works if we recruit well. I see our recruitment and the team responsible as a bigger problem than either lack of investment or the ability manager.

Totally agree. Talented youngsters in football will run to they drop. Talented youngsters in business will go the extra mile to impress.

Many footballers who think they are better than they are won’t quickly adapt to more running, sweat or work. Bit like in business a person who does the bare minimum - knows their rights and knows about employment rule to the book!

I would rather lose seeing some youngsters giving blood for the badge as opposed to the likes of Livermore, Phillips, Hugill etc who go through the motions. If I had the likes of Diangana and Grant working for me with their body language and not breaking a sweat - they would last 2 minutes!

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

Put in another way. Who believes if our favourite Chinaman did put his hand in his pocket then would we spend the money wisely? If Lai thinks that can you blame him for not paying out more money? I almost fear us spending big would increase the problems not solve them.

[baggieal]

Put in another way. Who believes if our favourite Chinaman did put his hand in his pocket then would we spend the money wisely? If Lai thinks that can you blame him for not paying out more money? I almost fear us spending big would increase the problems not solve them.

But with every company the Owner/Board are responsible for employing the correct senior management team to make the right decisions.
So if the recruitment director/team are s hite then that’s the fault of the owner/board and
nobody else.

Let’s face it - Lai is not hands on - not interested so it comes back to him for employing muppets on the board who know
f uck all about football. Lai is responsible and hope he gets what he deserves!

FOL

[BaggieSingh]

Coventry City (and many others around us in the table) show what can be achieved in The Championship without spending a 'fortune.' Their squad value is about a third of ours and so is their wage bill. We have numerous bench warmers earning more than their top earner. I would love to see us recruit well from the lower leagues (Townsend anyone) hungry ambitious players.

This of course only works if we recruit well. I see our recruitment and the team responsible as a bigger problem than either lack of investment or the ability manager.

Whole heartedly agree
That’s what I was saying we can’t let the issues with the owner allow the manager and players to get away with being crap

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

But with every company the Owner/Board are responsible for employing the correct senior management team to make the right decisions.
So if the recruitment director/team are s hite then that’s the fault of the owner/board and
nobody else.

Let’s face it - Lai is not hands on - not interested so it comes back to him for employing muppets on the board who know
f uck all about football. Lai is responsible and hope he gets what he deserves!

FOL

Totally agree. I'm not letting Lai off the hook for any of his failings. Just saying for me his biggest failing is the hopelessly inadequate folk he has put in charge.

Not only have bought badly we have 'sold' badly. Evans, Ferguson, Pereira, Johnson might have brought in £60 million but we will possibly end up with £20 million. Couldn't make it up ��

[Albionic68]

Totally agree. I'm not letting Lai off the hook for any of his failings. Just saying for me his biggest failing is the hopelessly inadequate folk he has put in charge.

Not only have bought badly we have 'sold' badly. Evans, Ferguson, Pereira, Johnson might have brought in £60 million but we will possibly end up with £20 million. Couldn't make it up ��

Not defending Mr. Lai and co in the slightest but it's worth keeping a few things in mind regarding financial transfer incomings.

Evans had a £3,000,000 release clause in his contract so it doesn't matter who was in charge as we wouldn't have got any more for him.

We could debate the inclusion of contract release clauses until the cows come but there's little point. No release clause and he wouldn't have signed for us in the first place. That is a fact.

Re SJ. He enters the final six months of his contract in January and is free to negotiate terms over a lucrative summer move. As things currently stand it's in his best financial interests not to sign a new deal with us.

Again we could debate a lack of foresight in not offering him a new deal following our last promotion to protect our investment. But let's be honest, his general game was less than impressive during his first two seasons, he had two left and It's no secret Slav was looking for a new keeper.

I'd defy anyone to justifiably claim beyond blind faith he'd have enjoyed the season he had in the Prem'. Credit to him but shot stopping's his strength and he had lots and lots of opportunities to show what he could do on that front. He's also benefited hugely on the international front due to injuries and loss of form in other keepers coinciding with his own rise in form.

Someone has to come in for him and he has to agree to go there too. To get any kind of decent fee in January we need a bidding war. I'd be amazed were anyone to part with whatever our desired fee is when they get him for 'free' and it goes into his bank account as wages in the summer.

As for Pereira we really should have got more for him, but whether we could have was skewed the moment he saw the wages on offer in the Middle East. People can say we should have held out all they like.

But there was a reason we got him so cheap in the first place. He has form for being disruptive behind the scenes and has a habit of getting his own way. There's nothing to suggest he wouldn't have sat on his contract and stunk the place out. A lose lose for us.

Ferguson yes, we could have taken Crystal Palace's hands off when they initially offered £10,000,000 but he failed his medical. We could then have accepted Palace's reduced bid but there was no way of knowing he'd pop his Achilles and have the tribunal take this into account before their scandalously low valuation.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

Not defending Mr. Lai and co in the slightest but it's worth keeping a few things in mind regarding financial transfer incomings.

Evans had a £3,000,000 release clause in his contract so it doesn't matter who was in charge as we wouldn't have got any more for him.

We could debate the inclusion of contract release clauses until the cows come but there's little point. No release clause and he wouldn't have signed for us in the first place. That is a fact.

Re SJ. He enters the final six months of his contract in January and is free to negotiate terms over a lucrative summer move. As things currently stand it's in his best financial interests not to sign a new deal with us.

Again we could debate a lack of foresight in not offering him a new deal following our last promotion to protect our investment. But let's be honest, his general game was less than impressive during his first two seasons, he had two left and It's no secret Slav was looking for a new keeper.

I'd defy anyone to justifiably claim beyond blind faith he'd have enjoyed the season he had in the Prem'. Credit to him but shot stopping's his strength and he had lots and lots of opportunities to show what he could do on that front. He's also benefited hugely on the international front due to injuries and loss of form in other keepers coinciding with his own rise in form.

Someone has to come in for him and he has to agree to go there too. To get any kind of decent fee in January we need a bidding war. I'd be amazed were anyone to part with whatever our desired fee is when they get him for 'free' and it goes into his bank account as wages in the summer.

As for Pereira we really should have got more for him, but whether we could have was skewed the moment he saw the wages on offer in the Middle East. People can say we should have held out all they like.

But there was a reason we got him so cheap in the first place. He has form for being disruptive behind the scenes and has a habit of getting his own way. There's nothing to suggest he wouldn't have sat on his contract and stunk the place out. A lose lose for us.

Ferguson yes, we could have taken Crystal Palace's hands off when they initially offered £10,000,000 but he failed his medical. We could then have accepted Palace's reduced bid but there was no way of knowing he'd pop his Achilles and have the tribunal take this into account before their scandalously low valuation.

Unlucky aren't we?

[kettering_baggie]

The saying goes that you make your own luck; this is true in many aspects of life and in the bus of running a football club I am sure that it applies in excess of 90%. Having good talent spotters, good contract negotiators and realistic foresight is what all clubs would like, assuming that they have the slightest clue what they are doing. The problem at the Albion, as I see it, is that the aforementioned qualities are all lacking in our owners and board. In the absence of new owners, explore of the same.

FOL

[Leicesterbaggie]

It's just like the game itself; you make your own luck!
Posted this before I saw Kettering's comment.