I didn't see what was said, but I would have been very surprised if he'd said 'we want to be fighting relegation - and winning - forever'. It goes without saying that if we stay up for 5 years we're very unlikely to be in the bottom 6 at that point. The big question for the supporters will be 'would finishing about 8th be sufficient, with perhaps a cup semi-final'?
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[Albion] Are you OK with TB’s long term ambitions for the Albion?
- Thread starter Goldstone1976
- Start date
I didn't see what was said, but I would have been very surprised if he'd said 'we want to be fighting relegation - and winning - forever'. It goes without saying that if we stay up for 5 years we're very unlikely to be in the bottom 6 at that point. The big question for the supporters will be 'would finishing about 8th be sufficient, with perhaps a cup semi-final'?
- Thread starter
- #22
Ok - so if TB feels the same, why didn’t he say so? He could have said “Look, the PL is really tough - our first goal is to get as established as anyone can (look at Stoke for a dose of realism). That is likely to take several years. It’s pointless looking further forward than that, so I won’t”?
But he didn’t. He’s said that our goal is to avoid relegation “forever”. Twice.
Personally, I think he’s sending a very clear message about levels of further investment.
God knows he’s invested enough, and God knows that we’re living the dream right now; but I think that there won’t be a further dream being financed. If it happens (a cup win, say) - brilliant; but we’re not going to fund anything more than what we need to try to stay up.
Personally, I’m ok with this - but the way I read the message is that we have now pretty much “hit the ceiling” in terms of investment...
TBH, for me at least a sizable contingent represents a number greater than 1.
Quite how anyone can spend this season writing, yeah but:-
'I miss winning'.
'I miss midweek football'.
'I miss games every week'.
'I miss the most competitive division in the world'.
and so on.
and when challenged the only reply is
'Well you clearly don't go to away games, they are shite'
This season has been fookin fantastic, and considerably better than a jaded old fat man could ever have wished for, long may it continue.
Glad someone else felt this way. IMO it was a moronic choice.
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Sorrel
Well-known member
Try and win every match, support the fans to help provide support for the club, run the club with the target of both the current season and long-term stability - so we can prosper if we do well and are not ruined if results go against us. That will do for me.
Maybe....or possibly over-analysing his words or reading too much into them. Everything so far under TB has been about ongoing and incremental improvement in a controlled and measured way (with the unavoidable hiccup now and again like any business) - can’t see that changing.
- Jul 10, 2003
- 25,864
Agree, Praise You would have been far better
- Thread starter
- #28
The bottom four this season finished last season in 8th, 10th, 13th and 15th (average 11.5th), so - finishing in the top 14 is absolutely no guarantee of avoiding the drop.
Return of the Rev
Well-known member
Players will prosper fans will spend a shed load and if we get relegated in the future the players will be long gone with the sky cash and the fans (some of them) will still be around. "A little poorer but with those top flight memories to hold onto.
- Thread starter
- #30
Yep - over analysing is definitely possible! But - he has said “forever” twice in a month. TB doesn’t strike me as the type to be careless with his words about the club’s future goals in a public forum...
Good question for the next forum...........
Hotchilidog
Well-known member
- Jan 24, 2009
- 8,709
TB is right to set the bar of expectation at that level imo. The PL is a hard league to get in and even harder to stay in. The hard truth right now is that we do not have the same resources as those at the top and the player pool we have to select from is more limited. Where we can close the gap is deploying good judgement in recruiting and being smart there. If we can repeat the success of last summer then we’ll be in a good position to retain our status. It’s all about small, sensible steps, as long as those steps are not backwards i’ll be happy.
This summer’s spending will give us a better idea of what the long term ambition is.
If getting to ‘the next level’ means selling out to a foreign investor with no link to the club I’d rather stay at this level.
If getting to ‘the next level’ means selling out to a foreign investor with no link to the club I’d rather stay at this level.
Long before this season's fixtures were spat out of the computer, I speculated that we'd very possibly hit peak Albion with last season's promotion.
I'd also passed comment, last season, on West Brom who, back then, seemed to the very definition of a "going nowhere" mid-table club. Watching MotD, even when the big clubs came to town, The Hawthorns seemed far from full giving the impression that many of their fans simply couldn't be arsed with it any more. I suspect they'll find a Championship promotion tussle, should they find their feet down there, a lot more exciting than the PL grind.
However, this season has illustrated that even those clubs that had successfully found the middle ground between the big clubs and the relegation scrap, can find themselves in the dogfight to stay up and may well fail that challenge. So, I completely understand Bloom's stated ambition, as it's a very pragmatic approach to take.
However, I'd like to think we should be aiming to "do a Burnley". That's not to say Burnley are now perpetually safe from the drop - I'm sure they're not. But finishing as "best of the rest" and snatching a Europa Cup spot has to be the dream. It may well take a few seasons for that dream to become a realistic ambition, but I think that's what we have to be shooting for.
I'd also passed comment, last season, on West Brom who, back then, seemed to the very definition of a "going nowhere" mid-table club. Watching MotD, even when the big clubs came to town, The Hawthorns seemed far from full giving the impression that many of their fans simply couldn't be arsed with it any more. I suspect they'll find a Championship promotion tussle, should they find their feet down there, a lot more exciting than the PL grind.
However, this season has illustrated that even those clubs that had successfully found the middle ground between the big clubs and the relegation scrap, can find themselves in the dogfight to stay up and may well fail that challenge. So, I completely understand Bloom's stated ambition, as it's a very pragmatic approach to take.
However, I'd like to think we should be aiming to "do a Burnley". That's not to say Burnley are now perpetually safe from the drop - I'm sure they're not. But finishing as "best of the rest" and snatching a Europa Cup spot has to be the dream. It may well take a few seasons for that dream to become a realistic ambition, but I think that's what we have to be shooting for.
- Thread starter
- #35
It was my question in the Burnley forum that elicited the first “forever” comment. I picked up on it and filed it away for future consideration. It’s today’s Argus article where he’s repeated the same word that has caused me to believe its use was deliberate (or, at least, subsequent to the Burnley forum has become deliberate).
Come on, surely by now you don't equate money spent with players bought.
As [MENTION=27279]dazzer6666[/MENTION] says we know exactly what the business plan is, and how it will (hopefully) work for the club.
As said many times, I can't wait for the whoooooo signings, followed by all the usual nimrods like The Spurs fan and Spence spending all of August saying x,y & z are, championship at best, shite and a waste of money.
Blue Valkyrie
Not seen such Bravery!
Don't forget one of dwayne's mates who will report in advance that the incomming player is utter shite.
Definitely.
I would hope the Albion do a THIS SEASON Leicester and flirt with 7th, without ever looking like the team capable of reaching that position, but doing the ground work for the season after.
Last week, MankyClaret was spouting how he hoped Burnley would screw it up because he didn't what the detraction of European football next season. What a tool.
chimneys
Well-known member
- Jun 11, 2007
- 3,590
Well the Premier has only been going 26 years and guess who are the only 6 teams to have been in it throughout (wrong Everton, not City) ?
I think that forever is setting the bar pretty high.
Add to a that, next season only those 7 teams, incl City, will have been in PL for last 11 seasons. A very high bar we are looking at.
That's cos he has family who are season tickets holders at Sporting GodKnowsWhere.