Can we stay up? | Page 3 | Vital Football

Can we stay up?

Sorry if that upsets you Zakky, but I was asked for my opinion and gave it.

I seriously doubt that the likes of Lang, Pearce, Evans, Joseph, etc will stick around if we are relegated. All of them are capable of playing regularly in L1 or above and will have to consider whether a season or two in L2 will affect their careers. A lot will depend on how the new owners want to proceed and what their wage structure is. Will they want to be paying Championship wages to keep people on the books or will they simply let players go and hope to recruit L1 or L2 standard players at the equivalent rate for the division.

There is also the problem that a wage cap will cause if and when the EFL persuade the PFA to accept one. It could happen next season and then it may not, however in my opinion it will happen some time.

As I say it will be down to how the new owners decide to go with the cash they want to splash out. They have spoken about making the club sustainable, which again, in my opinion, suggests they are not going to splash out large sums on contracts to buy their way out of the division. Once again, in my opinion, the only way that the players I have mentioned will stay at the club should we be in L2 is with improved contracts and I don't see that happening.

I think if anyone is thinking that we will spend our way out of L2 they need to think again, I don't see any indication from the new owners that they are looking for an immediate return to the higher divisions and will look to get that return by using our academy and youth set ups, not by making marquee signings and paying high wages.

I would be interested to hear your opinion as you also seem to believe that most of the squad will disappear at the end of this season, as does Spingy.




that's your view and you have such low expectations thats fine. If your assuming we are going down then yes I would expect Lang to stay assuming he is still under contract, why not? the lad has done well in a very poor team but don't get carried away he's a long way to go yet to be a top EFL striker.

I would expect 95% of the team we have now to be replaced by the owners, not replaced by like for like journeymen either. I'm sure we won't do a Whelan spend but I do expect us to bring in some quality players otherwise we will be in trouble again and make no progress.

After tomorrow you need to forget this Administration and were skint mentality its a clean slate with new owners who can afford to run us properly and I'm sure they will have ambitious plans, not to be bring in Journeymen.
 
that's your view and you have such low expectations thats fine. If your assuming we are going down then yes I would expect Lang to stay assuming he is still under contract, why not? the lad has done well in a very poor team but don't get carried away he's a long way to go yet to be a top EFL striker.

I would expect 95% of the team we have now to be replaced by the owners, not replaced by like for like journeymen either. I'm sure we won't do a Whelan spend but I do expect us to bring in some quality players otherwise we will be in trouble again and make no progress.

After tomorrow you need to forget this Administration and were skint mentality its a clean slate with new owners who can afford to run us properly and I'm sure they will have ambitious plans, not to be bring in Journeymen.

I sincerely hope you are right but I think players do not have as much allegiance to clubs as they used to and will move on to progress their own careers. I am not sure how long Callum has left on his contract with us but I am sure that if we go down, and I am in no way taking that as for definite as I still believe we will survive, he will be courted by clubs in L1 and above and the temptation to move will be too much to refuse.

Players like Pearce and Joseph are already subject to speculation and approaches from other clubs and I cannot see Evans taking another pay cut if we move down another division.

You say we need to forget the "skint mentality" however the new owners have already said that they aim to make the club sustainable, which in my onion means that it must be able to support itself.

With the income we will have from EFL payments and gate receipts that will mean our ability to pay players top dollar will not be possible, therefore it will be down to how much the owner is prepared to put in.

I, for one, hope that will not be much as that is what brought us to the position we found ourselves in before. I don't want to be looking at administration again in a few years time because our owners lived beyond their means. As fans we need to get real and understand that if we overspend again then next time we might not have a club to support. So to all those that are hoping to spend our way back into the higher leagues I would caution you that by doing that we risk losing everything.
 
I sincerely hope you are right but I think players do not have as much allegiance to clubs as they used to and will move on to progress their own careers. I am not sure how long Callum has left on his contract with us but I am sure that if we go down, and I am in no way taking that as for definite as I still believe we will survive, he will be courted by clubs in L1 and above and the temptation to move will be too much to refuse.

Players like Pearce and Joseph are already subject to speculation and approaches from other clubs and I cannot see Evans taking another pay cut if we move down another division.

You say we need to forget the "skint mentality" however the new owners have already said that they aim to make the club sustainable, which in my onion means that it must be able to support itself.

With the income we will have from EFL payments and gate receipts that will mean our ability to pay players top dollar will not be possible, therefore it will be down to how much the owner is prepared to put in.

I, for one, hope that will not be much as that is what brought us to the position we found ourselves in before. I don't want to be looking at administration again in a few years time because our owners lived beyond their means. As fans we need to get real and understand that if we overspend again then next time we might not have a club to support. So to all those that are hoping to spend our way back into the higher leagues I would caution you that by doing that we risk losing everything.
Most of what you say is fair enough
But any player that wants to leave then by all means let them leave
I would not like to watch a football team with players that dont have a heart playing for this great club
Secondly
The owner is not short of money he makes whelan look like a pauper
But i am not saying he should throw his billions into the club
He will put in what the chairman will ask for to get this club back where we belong
Eventually getting some sort of return be it selling players in the future or from a higher league
I have faith in talal and he wants our trust in him
 
This club wont survive. In league 2. It would have to be one or two max. Stadium is to big. And on gates of 4 thousand. If we do drop down. Need to get back out quick as we can. don’t think it will take a lot. To get out of it with a bit of investment. Just need a proven goal scorer at that level.
John
If we did end up in league 2 i would say it will be a short stay ,yes stadium will be too big
But proved in prem the fan base was growing and crowds over 20k
But when whelan lost interest after doing all he wanted prem and fa cup
And not having sufficient funds himself to keep us up there decided he had enough
And who could blame him his fortune alone could not sustain the club
Hence quick sale to anyone unfortunately for us the fans it was the chinese who Hadn't a clue what they where buying
 
Most of what you say is fair enough
But any player that wants to leave then by all means let them leave
I would not like to watch a football team with players that dont have a heart playing for this great club
Secondly
The owner is not short of money he makes whelan look like a pauper
But i am not saying he should throw his billions into the club
He will put in what the chairman will ask for to get this club back where we belong
Eventually getting some sort of return be it selling players in the future or from a higher league
I have faith in talal and he wants our trust in him

He may have millions to spend Bicky, but FFP rules still apply and with our crowds being so low our profitability will not allow him to put large amounts of cash into the club.

There is also the threat of wage caps being brought in and although the PFA have managed to get the recent one rescinded it is only a matter of time before they are brought in to stay.

The days of rich owners buying their way out of the lower divisions has come and gone, Whelan did it for us but the new owners hands are tied in that respect.

The one thing that does look to be in our favour is the appointments on the board. Mal Brannigan is a very experienced CEO and has been successful wherever he has worked and the appointment of Markham brings into the club a director with a lot of statistical football knowledge with his connection to FM. If Markham can bring in some decent signings through his connections to work alongside our academy and youth players we will be able rebuild quickly and within the cap and FFP.

I know Zakky sees my post as pessimistic, however I see it as pragmatic, it is what it is. I see the players we have in the academy set up, such as Merrie, Perry, Aasgaard, McHugh and Long who have broken through this season to be the backbone of the side if we are relegated, if we remain in L1 then I would add the likes of Lang to that. However if we do get relegated the vultures will circle and I see Lang and Joseph disappearing over the horizon to continue playing in L1 or above.

As I say I am not being pessimistic, I am on the contrary still very optimistic about our chances of survival in L1 and will be until it is mathematically impossible. I think the next nine games are going to be very exciting and if we are still in the mix on the last day of the season against Swindon, what a game that will be.
 
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Rumour ffp rules will be scrapped hope its true
If a owner has money why can't he spend it if he wants too
 
As at the league table before Good Fridays fixtures we play 1st,3rd & 5th but also 17th,18th & 19th. May need a "shock" win against a top team, the other two fixtures are currently 8th & 14th. Wins in our last two homes games will save us..... Hopefully.
 
Can we stay up-the simple answer is if we cant turn chances into goals NO, if the midfield dont push forward to get the extra man in the box NO. Remember what we were told as lads learning the beautiful game, when you see the whites of the goal posts shoot. The odds as we are playing now are against us, but why do we love this game above all else the reason is it is so unpredictable.
 
Can we stay up-the simple answer is if we cant turn chances into goals NO, if the midfield dont push forward to get the extra man in the box NO. Remember what we were told as lads learning the beautiful game, when you see the whites of the goal posts shoot. The odds as we are playing now are against us, but why do we love this game above all else the reason is it is so unpredictable.

To be fair dragnet, I think they did yesterday ... just not with a great deal of accuracy !

Hopefully, that will change.
 
It's (almost certainly) in our hands ... that's all we can ask.

I agree with your comments Dragnet, but let's not forget that the opposition will probably be trying to do exactly the same thing to us.
 
Table as at 11/04/2021
P W D L F A DIFF PTS
19 Northampton 41 10 10 21 34 58 -24 40
20 AFC Wimbledon 39 9 12 18 41 62 -21 39
21 Wigan Athletic 40 10 8 22 43 67 -24 38
22 Bristol Rovers 41 10 8 23 40 64 -24 38
23 Swindon Town 40 11 4 25 45 72 -27 37
24 Rochdale 39 7 12 20 47 70 -23 33

Remaining fixtures

Tue 13/04
18:00 Wigan v Sunderland
18:30 AFC Wimbledon v Ipswich
19:00 Rochdale v Swindon

Sat 17/04
15:00 AFC Wimbledon v Swindon
15:00 Bristol Rovers v Lincoln City
15:00 Peterborough v Northampton
15:00 Rochdale v Accrington Stanley
15:00 Wigan v Crewe

Tue 20/04
18:00 Swindon v Portsmouth
19:00 AFC Wimbledon v Oxford Utd
19:00 Bristol Rovers v MK Dons
19:00 Northampton v Ipswich
19:00 Shrewsbury v Wigan
19:45 Rochdale v Blackpool

Sat 24/04
13:00 Portsmouth v Bristol Rovers
15:00 Crewe v Rochdale
15:00 Gillingham v Northampton
15:00 Ipswich v AFC Wimbledon
15:00 MK Dons v Swindon
15:00 Wigan v Burton Albion

Tue 27/04
19:00 AFC Wimbledon v Rochdale

Sat 01/05
15:00 AFC Wimbledon v Portsmouth
15:00 Bristol Rovers v Crewe
15:00 Northampton v Blackpool
15:00 Hull v Wigan
15:00 Rochdale v Doncaster
15:00 Swindon v Ipswich

Sat 08/05
15:00 Blackpool v Bristol Rovers
15:00 Lincoln City v AFC Wimbledon
15:00 MK Dons v Rochdale
15:00 Sunderland v Northampton
15:00 Wigan v Swindon
 
Had a stab at guessing results for all the remaining games,
In the absence of any science, I assumed all wins were 1:0 and all draws were 0:0.

Northampton's run in seems hard to me.
A big concern is Blackpool resting players on the final day of the season as they will have already secured a play off place.

Unfortunately I end up with this, we need to pick a 2:0 win up from somewhere !

DIFF PTS
20 AFC Wimbledon -19 51
22 Bristol Rovers -23 46
21 Wigan Athletic -24 46
19 Northampton -28 41
23 Swindon Town -30 41
24 Rochdale -24 40