Press-tige

[Matt Collins]

Good article

It's all very well saying we'd splash the cash again but buying 8 first team era in one summer and then trying to bed them in is a huge risk

Better to spend the next four windows and 18 months honing a side with genuine premier league quality - with two massive caveats

There's no guarantee we go up second time of asking

Some of our better players might leave this summmer if we don't

So I'm torn on this one. But this team would get absolutely murdered in the top flight. 

[Toronto Villa]

Every day we spend out of the top flight is a day where we fall further behind.

As a general rule: if you waited until you were 'ready' you would never *do* anything at all.

I don't really believe that. There are plenty of examples of teams who were a million miles behind that have got up and done well. Southampton is a great example of having a very solid structure in place that has produced competitive sides since they went up. Swansea even have done well despite their size and resources. You can look at Stoke, West Ham and of course Leicester who not only caught but won the bloody thing.

The critical thing for us is to decide on a defined strategy and always work towards it. So that even when we make a change in personnel (players/coaches/manager) we don't deviate from the grand plan. For the last 5/6 years of our time in the PL there was no such plan, and you could even go back to MON where the plan (it appeared) was to spend whatever MON wanted as opposed something more well thought out. A lack of identity and direction is what got us into this mess and committing to those things will set us up for the future.

[peter w]

TV they were teams who built up a momentum before going up - we haven't done that. Look at Brighton, they are bang average but have just got used to winning so are finding it difficult to stop. Those types are teams are more adept at staying up then a yo-yo club.

[ChicagoLion]

TV they were teams who built up a momentum before going up - we haven't done that. Look at Brighton, they are bang average but have just got used to winning so are finding it difficult to stop. Those types are teams are more adept at staying up then a yo-yo club.

Agree, our squad looks unbalanced and with no definitive playing style.
The teams that seem to do well have both.

[Matt Collins]

Today's game is definitely making me lean towards the view that there would just be too much to do with this team before we could compete in the premier league. I don't think it's doable in eight months

I'd want a new keeper, new right back, new centre back, at least two centre midfielders, a winger and a centre forward. Minimum.

I've got no interest in watching us get beaten every bloody week again