Was one promised at the end of last season or did I dream it? or has RUFC's historic contempt of its core fan base reared its ugly head again & the forum forgotten about? mmmmmmmmmmmm?????
I doubt that the promised forum will happen. There is a risk it would turn into carnage.
So many questions.
Have we really got a competitive budget in League One? We certainly haven't spent it on transfer fees have we? I can't believe it has gone on wages either. None of the players we have brought in have come from higher than League 1. Some of them were released or made available by other League 1 clubs. We have got Blackstock, Broadfoot, Danny Ward, Richie Smallwood and Lee Camp off the wage bill. They would all have been among the top earners. Also Fisher gone. We are no longer paying whatever share of Adeyemi's wages we were picking up. We will be paying Warney a fraction of what we have paid other managers. It doesn't stack up. We have the Ward transfer money (or some of it). We have paid £75k for Proctor as the only transfer fee paid. I know we have to cut our cloth to League 1 revenue, and maybe we have had to buy a couple of contracts out in part, but even so at first blush it isn't stacking up. Presumably some of the wages we paid in The Championship were reduced according to contract terms when we were relegated? If not, someone wants sacking. Maybe we have some money up our sleeve and a surprise signing or two coming in, but Warne's words in public at least suggest not.
Do we still have a Head of Recruitment and what say does he have in who we bring in? So far, those brought in since his appointment have hardly made a splash have they? If Purrington isn't better than Mattock then we've wasted £350k on him. Ajayi isn't convincing yet. He was a bit shaky at the end of last season but on the basis of some pre-season friendlies the myth seems to have evolved that he is a world beater. Bray - what did we sign him for? If he isn't better than the likes of Taylor and Forde it is a waste of a wage. He can't even get near the bench. And so it goes on. I am fed up of hearing that we will only bring players in who are going to make us better, then watching new signings sat on the bench at best.
What news on the G&C site? Are expansion plans shelved permanently, temporarily or not at all? Is what we have seen with the training ground the end of that project?
Season ticket sales went surprisingly well. The supporters have bought into the vision that the club said it had. There is pressure on the club to at least deliver some half decent football and a competitive (doesn't have to be promotion winning - just competitive) team to the fans or there will be a quick backlash. Sacking yet another manager and having a sixth fresh start in three years won't do it.
It is hard to be critical when TS has done so much, but there does seem to be a lot wrong and the communication from the club amounts to platitudes via the mouthpieces that are Radio Sheffield and the local press, who don't ask difficult questions. A bit more openness might help to allay a few concerns.
-- Edited by smiler on Monday 7th of August 2017 12:16:06 PM
Agreed wotsisname, we could take the more reasonable questions & TRY to get answers from the club but don't hold your breath. RUFC are a club that regards it's supporters as a necessary inconvenience & treats us all with arms length contempt.