Ready for the Premier League

[Chicken Runner61]

Much as it pains me to say it but Palarse are much more Premier ready this season than they were last season. Mid table strong home record and taking points off the big clubs. Still got a S*** ground and structure but their team looks better now than it did six months ago because they got a manager who just strengthened up the defence and made them play to a system that allows a team with limited resources to compete instead of trying to beat teams that have spent millions on players that can take you apart man for man.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

The secret is getting there. After that, a minimum guaranteed income of 65 million gives you only one choice. How much do you spend strengthening your squad? There is not a promoted team in Championship history that has not needed serious strengthening after gaining promotion.
Take last season. At its conclusion, it looked on paper that Cardiff and Hull both had better prospects than Palace. The difference is that Palace have made the bigger adjustment of the three in both playing and management personnel.
This " we are not ready " argument is complete and utter bollox. The PL is the financial promised land and in football money is everything. You have to grab your opportunity when you get a chance. The " not ready " comment usually comes from fans who do not fancy a season of unmitigated struggle. Chairmen, managers and players are usually up for the challenge.
Bring it on, I say.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

The secret is getting there. After that, a minimum guaranteed income of 65 million gives you only one choice. How much do you spend strengthening your squad? There is not a promoted team in Championship history that has not needed serious strengthening after gaining promotion.
Take last season. At its conclusion, it looked on paper that Cardiff and Hull both had better prospects than Palace. The difference is that Palace have made the bigger adjustment of the three in both playing and management personnel.
This " we are not ready " argument is complete and utter bollox. The PL is the financial promised land and in football money is everything. You have to grab your opportunity when you get a chance. The " not ready " comment usually comes from fans who do not fancy a season of unmitigated struggle. Chairmen, managers and players are usually up for the challenge.
Bring it on, I say.

Whilst I agree with you I do think you need 3 seasons up to be able to build. And Palace did better because they stopped trying to win it and concentrated on staying up using the maths that TSoprano above has given

Burnley, Reading, Wigan Birmingham and QPR will testify that no matter who you buy they still have to get the points to stay up. Even with money you have to buy a team to win it and you can blow £65M easily in the Prem look at Spurs

 

[Stat Brother]

TBH I don't think Premier League Ready has anything to do with the team.

I wouldn't be surprised if the phrase wasn't first mentioned as palace went transfer market crazy.

I read PLR as everything but the team is prepared for top flight football.

The stadium - check.
The training facilities - check.
The boardroom - check.
The backroom staff - check.
The budget - I believe the extra income has already been balanced to the final penny.
The transfer targets - 2 lists, top flight and promotion challenging championship.
The manager - check.


The club is premier league ready now.

 

[Bozza]

TBH I don't think Premier League Ready has anything to do with the team.

As discussed by Paul Barber, I agree. But that is not what I am talking/asking about.

Maybe the phrase is more like "We're not ready to go up." I can only think this relates to team/squad matters and I don't believe any team, certainly in recent years, has been "ready". Which is why most start spending money on players pretty damned quickly.

 

[Working class pride]

It means people are looking for excuses for failure and trying to look clever by reading too much into what is not there

 

[Stat Brother]

As discussed by Paul Barber, I agree. But that is not what I am talking/asking about.

Maybe the phrase is more like "We're not ready to go up." I can only think this relates to team/squad matters and I don't believe any team, certainly in recent years, has been "ready". Which is why most start spending money on players pretty damned quickly.

I've convinced myself this season is the one year we don't want promotion.

A full season as first team regulars for Dunk, Ince and March is exactly what they need.
JFC isn't listed with those but that might just be me missing the point.
I'd also like to see more of Chicksen.

Should that team gain promotion (one chicken, two chickens) then we'll have at least 3 first team places, already covered and we're playing with house money.

Promotion now would need a full rebuild and would delay the yoof set up.

 

[Working class pride]

You dont order promotion like a you do a pint of beer. Were a club like Palace, just from administration (twice) on 13000 paying punters more ready than the Albion with 28000 paying punters? The not ready line is just a platitude for failure.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I remember during the first AMEX season a prominent poster kept repeating that we were not ready to get promoted. Too soon was his reason. When I asked as to what the optimal time to spend hanging around in The Championship was I never got an answer. In my view it's never too soon. Staying in the Prem is about what you do when you get there; not how you arrive.

 

[phazza]

What does this phrase mean?

It's usually prefixed by "We're not..." and then, maybe, suffixed by "...so I don't want us to go up".

I ask because the only sensible interpretation I can attach to it is that there is a belief that "we" (and it doesn't have to be talking about the Albion) do not have a team/squad that is capable of competing in the Premier League.

If that's the case, then I simply ask: who has been ready?

The gulf between the Championship and the Premier League is so great that the only hope any promoted team has of "being ready" and vaguely competitive is to splash some of that incoming cash to strengthen where they see fit.

Has any Championship team ever truly "been ready" for promotion?

nobody knows if we are ready or not.
it may be our style suites the prem better than the championship. (weve not done badly against any prem team in the last 3 years- albeit in cup games)
we dont know what TB would do if we go up.
either way it's an adventure, we should always be wanting to go up - if we do lets enjoy it and see where it takes us

 

[Mackenzie]

Swansea are a decent model to follow. They established a playing style throughout the club, took their time over promotion and thrived when they reached the top division.

 

[perseus]

I think the model has always be to get the spine of the side right, and then keep the best players and fill in the gaps with peripheral players like full backs, stopper centre halves and wingers and squad players when promoted.

Spine: Keeper, covering central defender, midfielder or two, striker (goalscorer). Sign say five players on promotion and hope (with quite good reason) that some of the existing players can cope with the new standard.

I think Southampton had a more than strong spine to their side. The problem Cardiff faced was their new signings were not good enough. (Unless Zaha produces something special in the last 30 minutes at Sunderland.)