Patience for a 2.5 season strategy?

[Zatara]

The stadium will be ready in 2024 and I think we'll see a second wave of investment at that time.

Over this and the next two seasons (22/23 and 23/24) we rebuild the squad at close to zero net spend. Only spending what we bring in and taking the FFP / Profit and sustainability back to around square one.

That means a clearing of the decks*:

Begovic, Lonergan, Coleman, Kenny, Keane, Mina, Digne, Holgate, Gbamin, Allan, Gomes, Davies, Delph, Sigurdsson, Iwobi, Townsend, Rondon, Tosun.

18 players to be moved on.


There are a core group of players we keep*:

Pickford, Nkounkou, Branthwaite, Godfrey, Onyango, Doucoure, Gray, Gordon, Richarlison, Dobbin, DCL

-- 11 players. 2 GK + 10 Outfield needed.

If they wont extend or performances/potential drop then we also sell them and reinvest.

*General examples, you may have others to keep/sell in mind*

Clearly this wont all happen at once so as players are sold / phased out we target replacements who are u23 or pre-contract agreements.

A 'realistic slow sustainable' position target might be:

21/22 = 12th-15th
22/23 = 9th-12th
23/24 = 7th-9th

In 2024 season we could then have a team whose core ages range from 20-27.

At that time we can add players who can push us from 7-9th to top 6 and beyond.

On the one hand this is a radical clearing of the decks but on the other it is a slow progression from what we have currently.


My question is:

Would you accept this strategy from now until the start of 2024 season if it meant the slow progression on the pitch?

This would involve bringing in a progressive, forward thinking manager OR sticking with Benitez. However the strategy remains the same.

Or do you demand immediate changes in January / summer 2022 to roll the dice and hope that things improve faster?

 

[The binman chronicles]

I've always said we need that time, I'm more than sure now no one will get it seeing what we have become. We've given the players a great big shield to hide behind instead of calling them out instead. The difference between getting a result yesterday was Richarlison not being suspended and Townsend trying to karate the opposition. That is how fine the margins are and we never catch a break. We'll lose heavily to them lot and it will come down to a make or break game with Arsenal.

 

[hallamblue]

It's not really about the results at the moment, other than needing enough to stay in the division. It's about the direction of travel. Currently we don't have a clear plan. We need a young coach with clear ideas.

 

[The Sorting Hat]

We need to stick with a manger and let him do his job, even if it means riding a storm now and again.

We can start doing this with the next manager.

Nobody wanted Benitez. He's useless. Everyone now hates him more.
Literally anyone else would be better, at least the fans could get behind a new manager (as long the Board don't double down and go for Souness, Rodgers, Dalglish etc,).

​

 

[sageyefc]

Give us a plan we can get behind and we will, paelladyce isn’t it

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

On the fourth day of Christmas my good friends gave to me:
Four club strategy ideas!

I think we could all get behind a clear sense of a plan. We can be fickle with managers at the best of times as a fan base and you'll definitely get those who just dislike them.

I'd not even be completely averse to it being Benitez, but my gut feeling says this is probably not a great idea given how it's going. Y'know when something feels doomed to fail? Like if everything can go wrong it will? Well, that's the vibe I'm getting.

 

[MrGrumpy]

The stadium will be ready in 2024 and I think we'll see a second wave of investment at that time.

Over this and the next two seasons (22/23 and 23/24) we rebuild the squad at close to zero net spend. Only spending what we bring in and taking the FFP / Profit and sustainability back to around square one.

That means a clearing of the decks*:

Begovic, Lonergan, Coleman, Kenny, Keane, Mina, Digne, Holgate, Gbamin, Allan, Gomes, Davies, Delph, Sigurdsson, Iwobi, Townsend, Rondon, Tosun.

18 players to be moved on.


There are a core group of players we keep*:

Pickford, Nkounkou, Branthwaite, Godfrey, Onyango, Doucoure, Gray, Gordon, Richarlison, Dobbin, DCL

-- 11 players. 2 GK + 10 Outfield needed.

If they wont extend or performances/potential drop then we also sell them and reinvest.

*General examples, you may have others to keep/sell in mind*

Clearly this wont all happen at once so as players are sold / phased out we target replacements who are u23 or pre-contract agreements.

A 'realistic slow sustainable' position target might be:

21/22 = 12th-15th
22/23 = 9th-12th
23/24 = 7th-9th

In 2024 season we could then have a team whose core ages range from 20-27.

At that time we can add players who can push us from 7-9th to top 6 and beyond.

On the one hand this is a radical clearing of the decks but on the other it is a slow progression from what we have currently.


My question is:

Would you accept this strategy from now until the start of 2024 season if it meant the slow progression on the pitch?

This would involve bringing in a progressive, forward thinking manager OR sticking with Benitez. However the strategy remains the same.

Or do you demand immediate changes in January / summer 2022 to roll the dice and hope that things improve faster?

I see Richy going in the summer and most likely DCL as well. Both will want out. DCL is everywhere right now except on the pitch. This will get us back to zero plus huge wages off the books.

 

[Bluemersey]

The stadium will be ready in 2024 and I think we'll see a second wave of investment at that time.

Over this and the next two seasons (22/23 and 23/24) we rebuild the squad at close to zero net spend. Only spending what we bring in and taking the FFP / Profit and sustainability back to around square one.

That means a clearing of the decks*:

Begovic, Lonergan, Coleman, Kenny, Keane, Mina, Digne, Holgate, Gbamin, Allan, Gomes, Davies, Delph, Sigurdsson, Iwobi, Townsend, Rondon, Tosun.

18 players to be moved on.


There are a core group of players we keep*:

Pickford, Nkounkou, Branthwaite, Godfrey, Onyango, Doucoure, Gray, Gordon, Richarlison, Dobbin, DCL

-- 11 players. 2 GK + 10 Outfield needed.

If they wont extend or performances/potential drop then we also sell them and reinvest.

*General examples, you may have others to keep/sell in mind*

Clearly this wont all happen at once so as players are sold / phased out we target replacements who are u23 or pre-contract agreements.

A 'realistic slow sustainable' position target might be:

21/22 = 12th-15th
22/23 = 9th-12th
23/24 = 7th-9th

In 2024 season we could then have a team whose core ages range from 20-27.

At that time we can add players who can push us from 7-9th to top 6 and beyond.

On the one hand this is a radical clearing of the decks but on the other it is a slow progression from what we have currently.


My question is:

Would you accept this strategy from now until the start of 2024 season if it meant the slow progression on the pitch?

This would involve bringing in a progressive, forward thinking manager OR sticking with Benitez. However the strategy remains the same.

Or do you demand immediate changes in January / summer 2022 to roll the dice and hope that things improve faster?

Is this you Marcel Brands?

 

[Saint Domingo]

The fan base won’t accept that unfortunately. They want to win now, and they want to be doing it in a style that appeases the media so they can read pleasing things on the internet about us.

 

[Bluemersey]

Is this you Marcel Brands?

How do you expect us to rebuild the squad with virtually a zero spend. Young talented players don't exactly come cheap these days. Zero spend this summer might see us getting relegated despite knowing we needed a total rebuild. I think your plan may work in champ manager but not in the real world plus with these jokers in Charge not a chance.

 

[longers]

Don’t most other clubs spend peanuts once a stadium is built ? Arsenal for example spent peanuts for years as they had to keep paying off the stadium.

 

[Zatara]

The fan base won’t accept that unfortunately. They want to win now, and they want to be doing it in a style that appeases the media so they can read pleasing things on the internet about us.

This thread should prove or disprove your viewpoint.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

If I live to be 100 I'll never understand your obsession with yoof mate.

Do West Ham fans care old Moist isn't "young" or "progressive" sat in the top 4?

Madness!

 

[Zatara]

If I live to be 100 I'll never understand your obsession with yoof mate.

Do West Ham fans care old Moist isn't "young" or "progressive" sat in the top 4?

Madness!

Write down who are the best 6 managers in the world. Would any of them come to us?

Now write down the 7-12th best managers in the world. Would any of them come to us?

When you feel you have gone down the list to a point where youre confident we could appoint that person, ask yourself if theyre on the upward trajectory or the downward path?

If you can bring in a manager who is young and on the way up like Chelsea did with Mourinho, Spurs did with Pochettino etc then you will have them at their best and they will carry your club up on their shoulders and drag it forwards.

 

[zukai12_]

A manager with any semblance of a plan, a manager who actually tries to play football


That alone would be a major positive step

I can take a bad run - although not this bad for anybody- but it's the lack of plan and style that really kills