It is fair comment, and I'm usually as positive in general. I defend the players a lot, love Thorny as a manager, and hate people who boo the side on a Saturday and pick on the youngsters in particular. So I'll justify my attitude.
We're not talking about anything behind the scenes, just the reality of what has happened-and what we fear, given previous trends and evidence, will happen next.
Long term, the total inability to renew contracts on time has massively undermined the club both on the pitch and off it. Everyone knows how the Bosman ruling works-apart from SISU. We have failed to protect the value of the business' most important assets, ie the players, and many have been lost for nothing or sold for less than their potential value. I can't be the only one already anticipating Cranie, Bell, McSheffrey and Clingan leaving on frees next summer, and even Freddy will reject new terms and go somewhere better if AT somehow turns his City career around.
I was furious at Xmas because we hawked Thomas out on loan for money just as he was needed in the side. Ranson was outvoted by SISU on the board. We gave Doyle away to get him of the wage bill when Carsley and Clingan were crocked-the excuse being "Carsley will be back soon". He never played for us again. The big casualty was Boothroyd, which as we know now was for the best. But he was constantly refused even a Premier youngster loan to replace the departed players, biting his tounge in interviews to protect the board. We were sinking like a stone, and without miracle man Thorn taking over we would have been relegated. By replacing Carsley, Sammy, Doyle and Thomas, that situation could have been averted. Throughout this period, there was ZERO communication from the owners or board. If they'd said-"we're broke, we can't afford to strengthen, please get behind the side", I could have coped better. But they didn't.
Then of course there was the new board, Ransons departure and comments, the near administration, the emergence of the embargo and the mortgaging of Ryton. After a difficult transition period loaded with spin galore, I actually started to believe the hype of the new board. I like the new kit. Paul Clouting seems a reasonable footbal business brain and talks lots of common sense. Brody, bar the odd bit lost in translation, was starting to win me over with his New Openness. We'd be replacing King with a similarly high profile forward (-meaning for scoring goals, not the other stuff!) and we were going to hand AT the same budget this team that Boothroyd had. Wow, what could a manager like Thorny do with that? So, we've freed up the (not insignificant) wages of King, Doyle, Osbourne, Ireland, Quirke, Gunnarson, Westwood, Carsley and McIndoe. With that in mind, we could pool the wages from some into a few better players...should see us add 4-6 quality signings. Ideally some Danny Green-type bargains from the lower leagues with AT's vision. Awesome stuff. Roll on new season!
Now it seems that wasn't quite the case. After a bright new openness, we've descended into the foggy silence again. So we look at the reality-Westwood, Quirke and Ireland replaced adequately, hopefully, maybe lost a bit of quality, but probably with a slight saving for wages on 'keepers we had before. No-one else incoming, or even looking likely soon. I can imagine Brody thinking "mmm, well you can't play without a goalkeeper, he's like your Catcher or Netminder. So we need a couple of them.."
Not only that, but the only tabloid gossip is concerning players leaving, not arriving. OK maybe the deals are getting done in secret-but we all knew that Westwood, Clingan, Dann, Fox, Murphy, Dunn and countless others were coming due to such sources. Threre's no smoke without fire. So when I hear about Turner and Juke being hawked around, yeah, I panic-'cos if they go too, I don't see us replacing them. Having paid my season ticket money out on previous occaisions only to end up watching a different team to that originally advertised, yeah, it really grinds my gears!
The decent players who could have matched that Brody idea of a replcement "franchise" player have gone elsewhere, AT admitting "they're out of our reach". So why did they get fans hopes up, then? By saying we'd get a proper striker, and by saying we'd give AT the same budget as Aidy?
a) Because they're downscaling outgoings (and their short-term losses) in anticipation of the takeover. OR
b) This is the reality, but just like with the Fox/Dann sales, they wanted to get season tickets sold first. Now they can start to make noises about not having the money and needing to cut our cloth. Which, again, is fine-BUT BLOODY SAY IT FIRST, NOT AFTER MAKING IDLE PROMISES!!!
I could add my concern about the shunting aside of Uncle Joe-his tone seemed to belie grave concern. He spoke about his only interest being the best of Coventry City Football Club and it's supporters. It implied that a bid that should be accepted probably won't be, as SISU will not simply accept that they aint too good at this and get out of town-but instead hang on for a deal that will never come that sees them walk away with a profit. I bet the witch with the steel balls is gonna get us relegated with her stubbornness! The longterm hope is to make money from the arena, and in the meantime just cut every single cost possible at the club until it isn't making a loss. Which will be a long and painfull journey probably eventually ending in the lower reaches of League 1, if we are lucky.
