The Rebuild

[MayorFarnham]

Considering almost half the league qualify for Europe these days 2 years is a realistic ambition.

[kramer]

I’d expect Dewsbury-Hall to play further forward for now given the lack of reliable attacking midfielders.

If we land other heavily-linked targets, not so much.

I’m not super enthused by how we’ve functioned this summer but all that matters is what happens in competitive matches. Going to give the benefit of the doubt until we see the effects of potential dysfunction where it matters.

Not getting players in early is frustrating but some poor friendly performances featuring a whole bunch of players who I expect not to play any meaningful role when the dust settles is not quite cause for alarm for me.

[brap2]

Why is wanting to get into Europe in two years a red flag?

Think the feeling is that it's probably what moshiri would have said as well which leads to shortcuts

[kramer]

Think the feeling is that it's probably what moshiri would have said as well which leads to shortcuts

It’s what any owner of an established PL team would say.

It’s also meaningless without specifics.

Champions League? Ridiculous expectation given the money at the top and the way financial rules have stopped new money from spending with the established big clubs.

Europa? It’s getting harder and harder with so many clubs spending money and making better decisions but if you’ve been around the league long enough, why would you not be targeting this?

And that’s before we even mention the Conference League.

[Bluedylan1]

I think it's been a mixed bag really, and I don't think there should be any problem saying so. They're not going to get everything right in such a hectic time for us.

They appointed Moyes, and got a massive upturn which is obviously a big tick. We can't forget how bleak things were looking last January.

Also they've secured Branthwaite and Gana on contracts, and let some other big earners go who weren't contributing enough. That's really good. So far we've signed 5 players, three of them in the 19-22 age bracket. That's all positive. There's going to be a few more, hopefully again in the younger age bracket.

The off the pitch stuff all seems pretty good so far.

On the negative side, it's pretty awful that we still don't have a specialist right sided attacker by now. It was a glaring hole in the team, and HAD to be a huge priority. They've clearly gone for a few people, and had the knock back or the prices quoted have been deemed too high. Still, no real excuse for that.

Also the thing about various heads of departments not starting their jobs until this summer or in some cases September has clearly hamstrung us a bit. Maybe in the long run it will have been worth waiting for those appointments because of their expertise but right now it's left us a bit hampered.

And they've messed up the pre-season tour a bit, not giving the manager more players earlier, and not allowing the club to show a better version of itself in a key foreign market.

On the whole, I would say generally positive, but some mistakes in there which a) hopefully we won't encounter again because the size of the overhaul won't be this big again and b) hopefully they will learn from for future windows.

[Bluebridge]

I think it's been a mixed bag really, and I don't think there should be any problem saying so. They're not going to get everything right in such a hectic time for us.

They appointed Moyes, and got a massive upturn which is obviously a big tick. We can't forget how bleak things were looking last January.

Also they've secured Branthwaite and Gana on contracts, and let some other big earners go who weren't contributing enough. That's really good. So far we've signed 5 players, three of them in the 19-22 age bracket. That's all positive. There's going to be a few more, hopefully again in the younger age bracket.

The off the pitch stuff all seems pretty good so far.

On the negative side, it's pretty awful that we still don't have a specialist right sided attacker by now. It was a glaring hole in the team, and HAD to be a huge priority. They've clearly gone for a few people, and had the knock back or the prices quoted have been deemed too high. Still, no real excuse for that.

Also the thing about various heads of departments not starting their jobs until this summer or in some cases September has clearly hamstrung us a bit. Maybe in the long run it will have been worth waiting for those appointments because of their expertise but right now it's left us a bit hampered.

And they've messed up the pre-season tour a bit, not giving the manager more players earlier, and not allowing the club to show a better version of itself in a key foreign market.

On the whole, I would say generally positive, but some mistakes in there which a) hopefully we won't encounter again because the size of the overhaul won't be this big again and b) hopefully they will learn from for future windows.

I think this is what we’re all forgetting, the whole club has been turned upside down, it was never going to be in place by now, and if it had then they’d have rushed it and possibly made big mistakes, it’s still early days. We are identifying the correct players, and it’s not only us struggling to get them over the line, look at Newcastle, and they can offer champions league, Villa, Fulham, Spurs etc.
Slowly but surely we’ll be sorted.
Too many of us have short memories, we’d have killed to have been in this position at the start of the year.

Utft!

[777Kidnappings]

Why is wanting to get into Europe in two years a red flag?

Inter toto cup

[Evertonian in NC]

A "stretch target" is fine, but I very much want to avoid "short termism" in our thinking. Fine line to walk.

[UnsyisaRhino]

It’s what any owner of an established PL team would say.

It’s also meaningless without specifics.

Champions League? Ridiculous expectation given the money at the top and the way financial rules have stopped new money from spending with the established big clubs.

Europa? It’s getting harder and harder with so many clubs spending money and making better decisions but if you’ve been around the league long enough, why would you not be targeting this?

And that’s before we even mention the Conference League.

There's also the reality of managing europe once you make it.

Let's say by some miracle we get there this year, we'd have to add more quality and more numbers again next year to continue to compete in the league and europe.

I don't think 2 years is a red flag, but based on this summer so far and the current state of the club and squad, I think it might be too soon.

[kramer]

There's also the reality of managing europe once you make it.

Let's say by some miracle we get there this year, we'd have to add more quality and more numbers again next year to continue to compete in the league and europe.

I don't think 2 years is a red flag, but based on this summer so far and the current state of the club and squad, I think it might be too soon.

Maintenance is longer-term issue, yes.

Requires a system for buying players, developing them, selling for profit, and reinvesting which we’re clearly nowhere near.

So it all circles back to what does Europe in two years mean?

Do they mean become a regular? I’d agree that that’s a silly target from where we’re starting.

Or is it just vague ownerspeak to sound appropriately ambitious? That’s my hunch but who knows.

[fxceltic]

The whole “red flags” chat is a bit mad tbh, relatively speaking you’d need to have dementia to be concerned about the way the clubs being run vs the last 10 (or is it 35?) years

[AjaxAndy]

Listened to the American toffee pod (or blue frontier as it now is).

Fairly critical on structure and the how the summer window is playing out. Make it sound like it's a bit up the air,, red flags on TFG wanting to get to Europe in two years, red flags on the clashing targets and poor synchronicity between targets and their willingness to come.

Also said KDH will likely play as a ten in their opinion, must say I agree, if not wide.

I think you must be he only person who thinks he'll play out wide / hopes he does for some reason I can't work out.

[kramer]

I think you must be he only person who thinks he'll play out wide / hopes he does for some reason I can't work out.

As constructed today, I probably would play him on the right. Everyone else in the squad is proven crap in that position except Ndiaye (who I wouldn’t entertain there because it takes his goalscoring off the table).

Gana-Garner double pivot, McNeil/Alcaraz-Ndiaye-Dewsbury-Hall attacking mid three.

Assuming we make the right other signings, never again. If he has to play any meaningful minutes out wide this season, it’s an embarrassing failure of recruitment.

[The Doc]

I can see KDH on the right with the squad the way it is tbf.

[AjaxAndy]

I can see KDH on the right with the squad the way it is tbf.

Yeah sure but it's not going to look like that come the end of the window, and there's zero chance we don't buy someone for the RW position.