Coventry City 2018/19 (5 Viewers)

Sky Blue Harry H

Well-Known Member
Mid table would be a good finish what are you on about?
Maybe Grendel, but before a ball is kicked, it's not what we are all secretly hoping for(particularly after the way last season finished -which was like having 3 mini cup finals on the bounce, and coming out on top!)
 

Nick

Administrator
Mid table wouldn't be a failure though would it for the first season back up?

People need to forget the whole premier league / top flight and the expectancy to just be up there.
 

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
Not if we use it as a building block to improvement (as in a play off challenge) the following year.
We're far from the biggest club in league one so not sure why people think we should be automatically challenging.

Bollocks to building blocks, there's no such thing when you rebuild the entire squad each season. What did we build on top of our 8th place finish under Mowbray? A relegation.

At this level teams are roughly the same, our budget is in the mix and any success will be down to luck, hard work and momentum,not the result of years of careful planning.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Bollocks to building blocks, there's no such thing when you rebuild the entire squad each season. What did we build on top of our 8th place finish under Mowbray? A relegation.

At this level teams are roughly the same, our budget is in the mix and any success will be down to luck, hard work and momentum,not the result of years of careful planning.

There are and have been teams in this division with a wage bill 5 times ours
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
Bollocks to building blocks, there's no such thing when you rebuild the entire squad each season. What did we build on top of our 8th place finish under Mowbray? A relegation.

At this level teams are roughly the same, our budget is in the mix and any success will be down to luck, hard work and momentum,not the result of years of careful planning.
There's quite clearly a different recruiting strategy now. With players bei g given longer contracts.
It may not bear fruit but it's certainly more conducive to building a team over a longer period that it was when we were filli g the squad with 6 month loanees.
 

Nick

Administrator
Bollocks to building blocks, there's no such thing when you rebuild the entire squad each season. What did we build on top of our 8th place finish under Mowbray? A relegation.

At this level teams are roughly the same, our budget is in the mix and any success will be down to luck, hard work and momentum,not the result of years of careful planning.

We aren't rebuilding the entire squad every season, we have brought players in for League 1 after going up from League 2.
 

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
We aren't rebuilding the entire squad every season, we have brought players in for League 1 after going up from League 2.

We spent 5 seasons in this division. We finished:

15, 18, 17, 8, 23

Wheres the progression?

Give me any evidence whatsoever that "building blocks" is an actual thing and not something you've made up.

I maintain that outside of a few outliers most teams in this division have similar wage bills, IIRC Pompeys was around the same as ours and people are tipping them for top 3. What matters is more luck than judgement.

We could easily finish anywhere from 3rd to 23rd, why not hope for the best?
 

italiahorse

Well-Known Member
What a stupid comment.
No supporter wants to finish mid table but sometimes you have to accept that's realistic.
Set a high bar to start surely?
The team is unknown at this level so I start with high expectations and get them refined as the season progresses like most years.
Stupid I know.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
We spent 5 seasons in this division. We finished:

15, 18, 17, 8, 23

Wheres the progression?

Give me any evidence whatsoever that "building blocks" is an actual thing and not something you've made up.

So if we finish mid table next season and hit the play offs after that wouldn't you call that building?
I like what we're doing recruitment wise at the minute and definitely think we are building a team and squad but accept that the owners could revert Back to the previous shortermism at the drop of a hat..
 

Nick

Administrator
We spent 5 seasons in this division. We finished:

15, 18, 17, 8, 23

Wheres the progression?

Give me any evidence whatsoever that "building blocks" is an actual thing and not something you've made up.

I maintain that outside of a few outliers most teams in this division have similar wage bills, IIRC Pompeys was around the same as ours and people are tipping them for top 3. What matters is more luck than judgement.

We could easily finish anywhere from 3rd to 23rd, why not hope for the best?

Give me evidence where I have used "building blocks". I said we haven't signed a whole new squad.

Pretty sure in those years we didn't have the same sort of recruitment and plan did we?

Of course it pays off to bring in players to help develop and then play for the first team, it's not much different to them coming from the academy but we either pick them up from other academies or non league.

I'd much rather some sort of plan for the future than the bring in random players like Hunt, Gadzev, Rose, Bigi (2nd time) and co in a blind panic. I'd much rather sign a Hyam and another youngster who may not make it rather than a Ramage.

Then you mix them with the experienced players like Brown, Doyle, Ogogo, Andreu and even players like Willis and Grimmer who have played a fair bit. Imagine if we were just signing players on 6 month contracts who were "names", people would be moaning about no future planning.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
Set a high bar to start surely?
The team is unknown at this level so I start with high expectations and get them refined as the season progresses like most years.
Stupid I know.

I'm optimistic, maybe misguidedly so. But if we do end up mid table I'll be philosophical about it. There are a lot of teams in this league with promotion ambitions.
We can't all go up.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Yet again you wrote words and failed to make a point.

Keep going though little buddy, you'll get there

The fact Italia likes your post tells us all we need to know

It’s funny really. You often lecture people on lack of facts and lack of knowledge but post made up diatribe all the time.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
We spent 5 seasons in this division. We finished:

15, 18, 17, 8, 23

Wheres the progression?

Give me any evidence whatsoever that "building blocks" is an actual thing and not something you've made up.

I maintain that outside of a few outliers most teams in this division have similar wage bills, IIRC Pompeys was around the same as ours and people are tipping them for top 3. What matters is more luck than judgement.

We could easily finish anywhere from 3rd to 23rd, why not hope for the best?

What was Portsmouth’s wage bill? Can you link that one please.

People get lucky in cups not over a 46 game season
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member

italiahorse

Well-Known Member
The fact Italia likes your post tells us all we need to know
It’s funny really. You often lecture people on lack of facts and lack of knowledge but post made up diatribe all the time.

You made a quote about budgets to help your argument but provided no details.
At least either say it's an opinion or show us the facts.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
You made a quote about budgets to help your argument but provided no details.
At least either say it's an opinion or show us the facts.

Blackburn’s last published wage bill in the relegation season was £25 million, wolves still received parachute payments from the premier league when relegated, Sunderland have a wage bill in excess of £15 million, Wigan still has parachute payments when relegated, Bournemouth invested circa £15 million in the promotion season.

Enough said?
 

italiahorse

Well-Known Member
Blackburn’s last published wage bill in the relegation season was £25 million, wolves still received parachute payments from the premier league when relegated, Sunderland have a wage bill in excess of £15 million, Wigan still has parachute payments when relegated, Bournemouth invested circa £15 million in the promotion season.

Enough said?
Cheers
 

Esoterica

Well-Known Member
We spent 5 seasons in this division. We finished:

15, 18, 17, 8, 23

Wheres the progression?

Give me any evidence whatsoever that "building blocks" is an actual thing and not something you've made up.

I maintain that outside of a few outliers most teams in this division have similar wage bills, IIRC Pompeys was around the same as ours and people are tipping them for top 3. What matters is more luck than judgement.

We could easily finish anywhere from 3rd to 23rd, why not hope for the best?
Building blocks are:
A squad that all but 1 belong to us rather than max'd out with more loans than we're actually allowed to play in 1 match,
Players with a saleable value on contracts beyond the end of the current season
An academy feeding multiple players into the first team squad
A club with an increase in ST on the previous year
A club restoring bonds with it's fans and community

The team vs Notts County on the opening day last year:

O'Brien, Grimmer, Hyam, McDonald, Stokes, Kelly, Doyle (C), Vincenti, McNulty (Nazon 84'), Jones, Beavon (Biamou 72').
13 players used. 9 still ours, 2 moved on by our our choice, 1 expired loan and only 1 player left by their own choice.

That is a lot more judgement than luck and if we're successful again this year and if we do have any momentum to carry forward it'll be because of that, not in spite of it.
 

Gibbo

Well-Known Member
Building blocks are:
A squad that all but 1 belong to us rather than max'd out with more loans than we're actually allowed to play in 1 match,
Players with a saleable value on contracts beyond the end of the current season
An academy feeding multiple players into the first team squad
A club with an increase in ST on the previous year
A club restoring bonds with it's fans and community

The team vs Notts County on the opening day last year:

O'Brien, Grimmer, Hyam, McDonald, Stokes, Kelly, Doyle (C), Vincenti, McNulty (Nazon 84'), Jones, Beavon (Biamou 72').
13 players used. 9 still ours, 2 moved on by our our choice, 1 expired loan and only 1 player left by their own choice.

That is a lot more judgement than luck and if we're successful again this year and if we do have any momentum to carry forward it'll be because of that, not in spite of it.
Last Year O'Brien, Grimmer, Hyam, McDonald, Stokes, Kelly, Doyle (C), Vincenti, McNulty (Nazon 84'), Jones, Beavon (Biamou 72').
This year? Burge Grimmer Hyam Willis Brown Stirling Bayliss Ogogo/Doyle Alllesani Andreu Biamou (Jones, Kelly, Mason, JCH to come or in reserve)
Looks stronger to me
 

itsabuzzard

Well-Known Member
For me it's as much about how Robins decides to approach the season in terms of our own set up than the players themselves. For two thirds of last season it was two steps forward one step back and he struggled to get the balance right in our defensive/counter attacking set up.
This year there should be enough creativity in the team once Andreu, Jones are fully fit and Bayliss, Allassani up to speed with L1 and that should translate to there being much less pressure on 1 individual to carry the goal threat. Until that point though, I can see Robins starting the season very defensively again and reverting back to playing counter attack football utilising Sterling's pace, Bayliss' dribbles, long ball to JCH/Biamou. I'm hoping it will work better this year as we have pace on both flanks and aren't such a scalp meaning more teams will want a win at the Ricoh.
Really excited to see our shape/lineup on Saturday.
Isn't two steps forward and one back a good thing?

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Esoterica

Well-Known Member
Isn't two steps forward and one back a good thing?

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It is. But was also the difference between 6th and playoffs and seriously challenging for autos. Beat a good team, play 2 DMs at home and lose to a bottom 6 team.
 

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