What are Stefan's intentions for the Club?

Great point as if we link back to Wrexham it seems they are being quoted inflated prices - because teams know they have money. Should definitely not always believe what is portrayed by the media

 

You do realise @Park bantam was replying to Fordy don't you

 

Yet Hughes said we missed out on Wright as we could not match Plymouths deal although quoted as an undisclosed fee, I couldn't see Villa letting the lad go without a fee ?.

 

Is Hughes very prickly? Have to say he isn’t always happy after a defeat/poor performance but I wouldn’t want a manager to be. I’ve listened to a lot of his interviews and can’t say I’ve ever got that vibe just a frustrating at times. Someone who’s prickly to me is like when Adams was interviewed about Crankshaw after the Crawley game and a fair few of Stuart’s interviews when he felt the heat. But I suppose we all have a different threshold on people but not for me. I think if he has succeeded in promotion and playing better football then comments like that wouldn’t surface.

I agree he failed last season though and the football was dull.

 

Given our turnover and profile we should be picking up the best assets in this league and below. No excuses. Bar Pattinson we haven’t this summer got the best in class in the division.

I totally get we can’t compete with Wrexham.. the rest sorry we should be able to. But we can’t and that’s again with record turnover.

 

We have one of the best budgets in the league the choice of player is down to the manager.

 

Given our turnover and profile we should be picking up the best assets in this league and below. No excuses. Bar Pattinson we haven’t this summer got the best in class in the division.

I totally get we can’t compete with Wrexham.. the rest sorry we should be able to. But we can’t and that’s again with record turnover.

I would suspect Wrexham, Notts county, Mk, Salford, Stockport, will have bigger budgets. Like I say Wrexham I get. The rest will make no where near as much as us in terms of revenue.

 

You are probably right on most of those but that still leaves us competitive. Would I like to have ownership where we could spend more money? Of course I would but as I have said many times there will be a change of owner at some stage and the status quo will more than probably continue. In the meantime i think Rupp is as good as we are likely to get

 

I think the big difference in perspective with a few posters seems to be:

I expected play offs minimum last season, and Hughes delivered.

Not going up may be seen as a failure, but our 46 game league performance, for me, was a success. He achieved what he needed to achieve (season upon season improvement, and we were serious promotion contenders, which is what I personally asked).

I'm looking for Hughes to build on that this season. The current feeling that we're weaker or whatever hasn't had time to actually play out. Like you, I hope those predictions are wrong, and we get the autos. We're playing what feels like an odd formation at the minute with a few players that don't seem to naturally suit it, but who knows? We might get better at it, or we might switch formations. We shouldn't be conceding many goals, and at the other end of the pitch you'd like to think we'd be more capable of scoring the 2 that we'll need if we average letting in a goal a game at the back.

If Hughes can make the team work better than it did last season, we'll go up.

I can still see why people aren't so optimistic, I'm not going to shout anyone down (unless they're really whinging about silly things, like one off performances and results), and the next 10 games are massive. There's a chance we fall on our face, in which case Hughes is under real pressure from me, too.

We need to show pretty quickly that we can win games. I don't care if it's narrowly or by a big margin. Most likely the games will be very close, very competitive, and the margins very narrow. Fine. Just win more games than we did last year and secure that third spot MINIMUM.

I don't think going up 3-4 places is that crazy, and some of the other teams entering the division are embarrassingly overrated and will struggle to do much better than us.

 

Yes

 

And the Gills but I’d maybe not be sure about Notts and Mk Dons

 

Some interesting comments today in the YP from Matt Taylor, Rotherham boss. They are apparently "self-sustaining." And have the lowest budget in the Championship so possibly some bias, but implying that it is now difficult to recruit quality from lower divisions as being priced out of the market by certain clubs in NL and L2/1.

I think it is interesting in relation to the debate here on whether a decent "L2 budget" does actually buy you a core of quality L2 players, but also hammers home the fact that "self-sustainability" will likely only get you so far in the current climate. Attempting to move further up the pyramid now needs serious owner financial outlay (needless to say I do not think that financial recklessness or "overstretching" is an option) as well as income generation alone, even for well supported clubs with potential like ourselves.

In regards City, until such a willing owner appears like magic out of the Genie's lamp, I have come to realise that the best I can hope for City to be in is a challenging L1 position; and there is nothing I can do about this situation other than continue to support the team and try to not get so angry when things do not go right in this respect, in this, or subsequent seasons.

 

Agree, it would be difficult now to integrate someone into the board room.

The only person I would like to see taking that role in any event will be Mark Hughes when he retires.

I think we've put ourselves in a really tough spot regarding the next appointment, and I'm very worried we just get another narrative-led appointment like Adams that hoodwinks fans into thinking we're signing someone special. Adams coming in from Morecambe based on a season's success working under an extreme budget with no expectations seemed to excite some fans. Ultimately, we were on a hiding to nothing with a manager not suitable for a club of this size (and I'm talking connecting with such a big, expectant fan base), and his training methods were some of the worst I've ever seen in terms of long term injuries to players. His signings, likewise, were dross as like the budget-obsessed version of Stuart he seemed intent on outsmarting the game by signing the cheapest, least wanted players in the EFL.

I worry what's next, and how well the creative City PR team will dress up the next appointment - it will almost certainly prove to be mutton dressed as lamb, at least in my opinion.

I might be in a minority, but unless we have someone with a real, genuine footballing expertise leading the on-pitch progress of the club beyond the current manager, I'll stick with what we've got thanks all the same. That said, if we're not getting promoted this season or at any point we're not performing at a high play off/automatic promotion pace for an extended period, Hughes will go, and we're unlikely to be gifted another opportunity like having an email land in the Junk box from a stand out candidate.

 

I can see why people are worried about Wrexham, but we are overrating the teams coming up and who came down.

There's something in the City fan mentality (maybe all football fans?) where the less you know about something, the better it is.

How many players have we had who couldn't get in the team, and just magically got better week in, week out until they could no longer be left out the team? Happens with some players every single season. Then they play, and they're crap. We could call it the Rouven effect.

The more you know something, the worse it is. The less you know something, the better it might be.

It's a logical fallacy.

Likewise, with a manager. Retain the same manager for 16 months, and you get to know them a little bit - weaknesses and all. So now Hughes, who guided us to the play offs in his first full season, is gash. Someone we know a lot less about is probably fantastic by comparison.

 

Very fair response Jon I agree judging on individual results is wrong but let's hope tomorrow goes to plan - its a messy and cruel world out there!

 

Or recruit a manager and players who can overachieve. Move up the league and the rewards are much greater which has been pointed out. Also the club becomes more attractive to possible new buyers

 

It wasn’t just Morecambe Adams was successful at though was it he had history of reasonable success and at that time finances were precarious and he had a history of working with low budgets which appealed. I wouldn’t rule Morecambe having a successful season this time either they started well. We will soon find out.
I sincerely hope Hughes brings us the success a large following hopes for. However I fear not I think the sort of manager to finally crack this league will be well versed in lower league football and willing to use tactics solely with aim of winning matches

 

Why don't you put yourself forward to be the official club car wash partner. As you say they are worthless so the exposure for your business will be a huge ROI. Can you imagine your huge colourful Car wash sign on the fence outside the crappy training facilities to brighten up everyone's day? FACT

 

Promotion from this league is my hope too, and I still have a small but fading scrap of hope it will be MH and this season . But whatever and whenever, I think the ceiling will be a competitive L1 team without a new owner willing to significantly "invest" their own money in the playing budget.

 

Just picked this discussion up. Not too sure about Salford where some interest seems to be waning. Chairlady gone, Neville only fringe and not so many 'big' signings. I think Notts Co. have blown a lot on McGoldrick but not much else and Stockport now have someolder players who have not been replaced. I get the feeling they made a first year dash for promotion which failed and consolidation is their thing.
As you say Gills are the big spenders, their budget is the highest as far as I know and probably twice the next highest, apart from possibly Wrexham, and most likely as much as three times the L2 average.