I think this goes a little further back than Ashworth, although he has failed to correct a problem of fairly haphazard recruitment.
It appears to me that we have just signed players that the recruitment team like, regardless of whether they fill a specific squad need. This is why we are overloaded with central defenders, wingers and number 10s but short of defensive midfield players, central strikers and (until recently) right backs. Alireza didn't exactly fill a gaping hole on the right when we already had Knockaert and March but we still targeted him rather than a Murray replacement. The result is that we have an unbalanced squad full of not-very-fast wide players drawing big wages when we could have a slightly smaller, better-balanced squad, all earning a bit more.
Until recently Potter has repeated a mantra of 'improving what we have' but the truth is that you can't improve something that isn't there, and we're short of strikers. Look how well Matej Vydra has done recently for Burnley, proving the wisdom of having experienced backup.
Because after the last few games, this is my overriding feeling.
I’m genuinely concerned some at the club were a bit arrogant in assuming we’d stay up this season.
90% of us watching and certainly here on NSC were crying out for the club to sign a striker — yet all we repeatedly heard was how happy GP was with the squad.
Well I think the chances spurned and our overall lack of goals in 2020 tells its own story.
OK, here is my take.
Bloom could quite easily go the Palace route. Get Pards in. Get Big Sam in. Spaff 30 million and £100K a week on Benteke. We would probably be 12th now.
However, this is not a sustainable model, as we will see over the next few years when Palace finally trip up (it will be a very long fall).
No. Instead Bloom has decided to build slowly and sustainably. Potter will stay, whether we stay up or not. Bloom has picked Potter and extended his contract because he likes what he sees. Potter isn't a good interviewee. I suspect he has little time for it, but is smart enough to be able to do it, unrattled (which is why he sounds so lackadaisical). We have no idea what really goes on at the club in terms of the manager's training regime and man management. But we won't stay up simply by getting a manager who sounds better when interviewed and plays to the gallery.
As for spaffing on a £25 mill striker (and the £100K a week salary that goes with it), this will happen as the average wage at the club increases. Apparently we have a good team spirit. Tony probably feels that having one player earning twice what Ali J earns isn't in the best interests of the club at the moment.
The rest is fine margins. The plan is long term, so short term setbacks, including relegation, are factored into the plan.
I'm happy with that. If we find ourselves 12th in the championship next season, playing shite, and with 5 of our current squad sold, and no obvious plan, then I'll be critical. But not now.
I am no palace fan, but I think it hilarious that we are so clutching to the straws that palace will crash and burn sometime soon ....this are a club that has been in the premier far longer that we have and they have the knack of pulling off great results to stay in the prem. People also say that if wilf goes they will crash and burn...well yes he is a very good player, but as shown on Saturday, they were not relying on him.
Hodgson has actually put together a very capable squad and sticks with his team unless injuries and form forces changes....we don’t!
So some people keep trotting out this “ they are shit have no money and will get relegated soon,” and evidence says. No they won’t!
Personally, I think that we have good enough players but they're constantly on edge because one minute you're a starter and then the next you're barely in the squad. Jahanbakhsh opens the scoring against Bournemouth (we rarely take the lead in games, so by all means punish someone who puts us ahead!) and then scores a wondergoal off the bench against Chelsea. He's barely played a few minutes since and it's impossible to justify considering how badly everyone else is playing.
My point about Palace is that theirs is not a sustainable model, meaning that if they go down (and the fact I think they will at some point is irrelevant - maybe they will emulate Arsenal and never drop out of the top flight again, albeit I somehow doubt it) it will hit them very hard.
Where did I predict they will go down soon? I am certainly not 'clutching at straws' about Palace going down soon (couldn't care less about them actually), I was using them as an exemplar of how to do things a different way to Bloom's Albion. In my view theirs is a bad way, and I prefer the way Bloom operates to the way Disney operates. I'm sure our resident football finance expert would agree.
Edit calling [MENTION=31]El Presidente[/MENTION]
My point about Palace is that theirs is not a sustainable model, meaning that if they go down (and the fact I think they will at some point is irrelevant - maybe they will emulate Arsenal and never drop out of the top flight again, albeit I somehow doubt it) it will hit them very hard.
Where did I predict they will go down soon? I am certainly not 'clutching at straws' about Palace going down soon (couldn't care less about them actually), I was using them as an exemplar of how to do things a different way to Bloom's Albion. In my view theirs is a bad way, and I prefer the way Bloom operates to the way Disney operates. I'm sure our resident football finance expert would agree.
Edit calling [MENTION=31]El Presidente[/MENTION]
Palace's strategy of recruiting and retaining players on big wages is high risk but it has worked. If they do go down then he will leave but they’d pick up a good fee (same for Van Arnholt) which along with parachute payments would allow them to adjust to the Championship.
They play a compact, defensive game especially away from home, which because of Zaha’s talent especially allows them to score on the counterattack.
As a result they’ve earned more points away from home than Manchester United, Arsenal, Spurs, Everton etc.
Last reasonable centre forward was Tomer Hemed. We have struggled for goals ever since being in the top flight. We all knew that Andone & Locadia leaving was futile. To not bring in any replacements in January was at best arrogant & at worst acceptance of relegation - perhaps there is not such a desire by our chairman now for BHA to be a top flight club. After all we are only going to make up the numbers at best?