Missed Opportunity? (6 Viewers)

[Samo]

As we approach our long awaited return to Coventry, it would seem logical that if ever we needed a positive transfer window it has to be this one.
Of course I accept that finances are limited but as the old saying goes, you have to speculate to accumulate, From a business point of view, I would have thought the club would be desperate to drive up season ticket sales and the club's standing with some statements of intent, even a marquee signing.
I know the window is still open and we may have missed some of our targets but they have not succeeded in creating a buzz of anticipation and a clamor to watch the team as I would have hoped and expected. Well the budget is the budget I hear some say. Budgets can be adjusted and rewritten according to objectives. This seems like a missed business opportunity to me.

 

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[clarke1234]

As you says yourself the window is still open

 

[Samo]

As you says yourself the window is still open

And you are hopeful?

 

[Sky_Blue_Ste]

There are five Championship sides that have yet to make a single transfer this window.

Let’s judge it once the window is closed.

 

[Frostie]

Think people need to reset their ambitions a little this summer.
The Championship is probably hardest hit of any league & we've done more business than most clubs. There's a good article on The Athletic about it:

How the Championship is feeling the financial fall-out of COVID-19

Fees are few and far between in English football's second tier and players dropping down from the Premier League face huge wage cuts

theathletic.com

 

[Deleted member 2477]

It can also be a massive risk as we have seen previously with ourselves and more recently other clubs.
id rather we stay within budget and scrape another season in the championship than spunk a load of money on a gamble that might not even payoff like we did in the past with players like Bellend Bellamy, Eastwoodand others.
Havnt seen any club in this league pushing the boat out this season yet. We have to trust in Robins and his recruitment.

 

[Briles]

Bright is our marquee signing.

 

[Samo]

Think people need to reset their ambitions a little this summer.
The Championship is probably hardest hit of any league & we've done more business than most clubs. There's a good article on The Athletic about it:

How the Championship is feeling the financial fall-out of COVID-19

Fees are few and far between in English football's second tier and players dropping down from the Premier League face huge wage cuts

theathletic.com

Fair point. I am just suggesting that for our club in particular, given our circumstances, a little more courage and money could have reaped rewards. Joy is not short of money I'm told, it seems short sighted not to splash some of it now.

 

[rob9872]

Bt why oh why are we not spending eleventy billion pounds? It's so unfair.
Fk SISU and they'r under-achieving bullcarp and whilst you're there get a taxi for the manager

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

Fair point. I am just suggesting that for our club in particular, given our circumstances, a little more courage and money could have reaped rewards. Joy is not short of money I'm told, it seems short sighted not to splash some of it now.

The club doesn’t have any money to “gamble”, they have relied on selling a player on former players being sold.

 

[Speedies_Chips]

It doesnt quite work like that. Whatever we spend on a transfer fee will not be re-couped in extra ST sales.
Our signings have to be made with the objective of improving the team, not to try and boost the no. of ST holders.

 

[skybluesam66]

for us and many at this level and below, loanees can make the difference
If we get 3 loanees who are 1st team regulars, and are in fact 1st names on the teamsheet, then we would push for top half
If they are warming the bench, then we will struggle

 

[Samo]

The club doesn’t have any money to “gamble”, they have relied on selling a player on former players being sold.

Lets be real... the club has as much money as Joy wants it to have.

 

[mr_monkey]

Fair point. I am just suggesting that for our club in particular, given our circumstances, a little more courage and money could have reaped rewards. Joy is not short of money I'm told, it seems short sighted not to splash some of it now.

And then end up in league two again doing things that you have suggested and spending above our means is exactly how we got into the mess of league two before and there is no chance in hell we will be repeating those mistakes

We all need to have some patience and just appreciate how far we have come in the last few years, look at notts county who we beat in the play off semis... They are now in non league

 

[fernandopartridge]

I don't think Samo is saying that the budget needs to be busted, it's entirely within the owners' gift to expand the budget or not. They choose not to. I agree with him that a marquee signing would be nice.

 

[Gynnsthetonic]

I'd liked to of seen £15 a ticket for the first game, think that could be a missed opportunity to fill the ground 1st game back!

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

Lets be real... the club has as much money as Joy wants it to have.

Yes I know and the owners stance has been made clear

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

I'd liked to of seen £15 a ticket for the first game, think that could be a missed opportunity to fill the ground 1st game back!

Agree, thought there would be some goodwill, maybe not…

 

[Frostie]

Fair point. I am just suggesting that for our club in particular, given our circumstances, a little more courage and money could have reaped rewards. Joy is not short of money I'm told, it seems short sighted not to splash some of it now.

I don't think Samo is saying that the budget needs to be busted, it's entirely within the owners' gift to expand the budget or not. They choose not to. I agree with him that a marquee signing would be nice.

A marquee signing like who?
Marquee signings come with marquee sized demands & the risk is high & goes against everything Robins has built in his time here.

Completely hpothetically, say we took a punt on someone like Scott Dann who some have been clamouring for. He was on £60k p/w at Palace & even Bournemouth are struggling to match his demands.
Say we managed to land him but he demands £25k p/w on a 2 year deal. It would be utter madness to offer that, he's 34 years old, injury prone & not managed 20 games in a season for 5 years now. You'd be shelling out £2.6m just on him - that's an awful lot of season tickets you'd need to sell on just one player who might barely ever play.

What does that do for squad morale too? Someone like Hamer or O'Hare could be tearing up the league & they're on a fraction of what this guy's on who isn't even contributing?

Yes, Joy/Sisu could invest more if they so choose but they'd want to see a risk/reward analysis & I can't see a scenario where any would look appealing.

 

[Samo]

I don't think Samo is saying that the budget needs to be busted, it's entirely within the owners' gift to expand the budget or not. They choose not to. I agree with him that a marquee signing would be nice.

Precisely. I am not suggesting throwing everything we have at it, just being a little bolder at a pivotal moment.

 

[Sky Blue Harry H]

Precisely. I am not suggesting throwing everything we have at it, just being a little bolder at a pivotal moment.

Can't see any problems with that approach............

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

A marquee signing like who?
Marquee signings come with marquee sized demands & the risk is high & goes against everything Robins has built in his time here.

Completely hpothetically, say we took a punt on someone like Scott Dann who some have been clamouring for. He was on £60k p/w at Palace & even Bournemouth are struggling to match his demands.
Say we managed to land him but he demands £25k p/w on a 2 year deal. It would be utter madness to offer that, he's 34 years old, injury prone & not managed 20 games in a season for 5 years now. You'd be shelling out £2.6m just on him - that's an awful lot of season tickets you'd need to sell on just one player who might barely ever play.

What does that do for squad morale too? Someone like Hamer or O'Hare could be tearing up the league & they're on a fraction of what this guy's on who isn't even contributing?

Yes, Joy/Sisu could invest more if they so choose but they'd want to see a risk/reward analysis & I can't see a scenario where any would look appealing.

There’s a 30 year old French striker still without a club…

 

[fernandopartridge]

A marquee signing like who?
Marquee signings come with marquee sized demands & the risk is high & goes against everything Robins has built in his time here.

Completely hpothetically, say we took a punt on someone like Scott Dann who some have been clamouring for. He was on £60k p/w at Palace & even Bournemouth are struggling to match his demands.
Say we managed to land him but he demands £25k p/w on a 2 year deal. It would be utter madness to offer that, he's 34 years old, injury prone & not managed 20 games in a season for 5 years now. You'd be shelling out £2.6m just on him - that's an awful lot of season tickets you'd need to sell on just one player who might barely ever play.

What does that do for squad morale too? Someone like Hamer or O'Hare could be tearing up the league & they're on a fraction of what this guy's on who isn't even contributing?

Yes, Joy/Sisu could invest more if they so choose but they'd want to see a risk/reward analysis & I can't see a scenario where any would look appealing.

Where have I suggested a marquee signing being a 34 year old ex player?

 

[no_loyalty]

It would be interesting to know how many season tickets have been sold since the price increase, if not many then it might be worth them reducing the price back down to £299.

 

[COV]

Precisely. I am not suggesting throwing everything we have at it, just being a little bolder at a pivotal moment.

What if Robins has no interest in signing a “marquee” player, should the club do it to keep the fans happy? MR doesn’t strike me as the type to be signing “big names” if they don’t fit what he wants.. you could argue Bright is an exception to that but he’s made it pretty clear it’s up to Bright to prove himself

 

[fernandopartridge]

What if Robins has no interest in signing a “marquee” player, should the club do it to keep the fans happy? MR doesn’t strike me as the type to be signing “big names” if they don’t fit what he wants.. you could argue Bright is an exception to that but he’s made it pretty clear it’s up to Bright to prove himself

Yes, I'm sure if Robins was asked if he wanted a lump to spend on improving the squad he'd say "no thank you"

 

[Sky Blue Harry H]

It would be interesting to know how many season tickets have been sold since the price increase, if not many then it might be worth them reducing the price back down to £299.

Problem is, if there were hardly any take up, they would then be faced refunding those who had purchased at the higher price - might even cost them money !

 

[Samo]

What if Robins has no interest in signing a “marquee” player, should the club do it to keep the fans happy? MR doesn’t strike me as the type to be signing “big names” if they don’t fit what he wants.. you could argue Bright is an exception to that but he’s made it pretty clear it’s up to Bright to prove himself

You may well be right about MR's approach to big names.

 

[COV]

Yes, I'm sure if Robins was asked if he wanted to a lump to spend on improving the squad he'd say "no thank you"

That wasn’t what I was referring to, don’t twist words around. I was referring to the idea we should get a “marquee signing” in.

I’d suggest that if Robins was given a lump sum he’d strengthen in more than one area instead of just trying to land a big name

 

[Grendel]

And then end up in league two again doing things that you have suggested and spending above our means is exactly how we got into the mess of league two before and there is no chance in hell we will be repeating those mistakes

We all need to have some patience and just appreciate how far we have come in the last few years, look at notts county who we beat in the play off semis... They are now in non league

We ended up in League Two not because of that at all but when the budgets were cut to pitiful levels in both relegation seasons. In the Championship we appointed a disaster manager and had a poor squad. League 1 the season we were relegated the squad had been stripped bare.
I actually doubt on transfers in and end since Sisu have been here that the spend is anything but in our favour (i.e. higher sales fees than purchases) - anyone can pick a club - you could pick Luton and not Notts County who made significant strides from non league and actually are building a ground

 

[Great_Expectations]

I get the sentiment around a marquee signing, and who wouldn’t love that.

But if a return to playing home games in Coventry, the first opportunity to watch us live since being crowned L1 Champions, the first opportunity to watch us in the Championship, and in general a return to football after the last 18 months isn’t enough to generate interest then I’m not sure another player or two will help.

Appreciate it isn’t always this binary, but in my views fans should be fans and want to watch your team regardless.

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

It would be interesting to know how many season tickets have been sold since the price increase, if not many then it might be worth them reducing the price back down to £299.

Very few, we shouldn’t have to cut the price to sell 10k imo

 

[shmmeee]

It would be interesting to know how many season tickets have been sold since the price increase, if not many then it might be worth them reducing the price back down to £299.

Virtually none by the looks of it. Was 9,700 the other day and I swear it was about that a month or two ago.

 

[shmmeee]

Very few, we shouldn’t have to cut the price to sell 10k imo

Shouldnt according to who?

 

[COV]

Very few, we shouldn’t have to cut the price to sell 10k imo

When was the last time we sold 10,000 season tickets? Your comment ignores our history, we have no history whatever of high season ticket sales.

You could say that about any number of other clubs and be right, we however have never been big on season tickets though.