This for one minute isn't about the actual pre season games, they are what they are.
Why do we currently find ourselves with the weakest squad depth we've probably had since the Stubbs summer window nearly a week before the season kicks off ? its borderline amateurish. The playing staff must share the supporters frustration with the usual hot air from TS.
"record investment" was it ? might be a good time to dig that bank card out and flesh the squad out as at the minute we might as well be pushing water uphill.
The bank card might indeed be out and ready to be used, but if potential target's heads are being turned by bigger offers from clubs who have an inferstructure big enough to allow them offer more, there is nowt much the club can do, other than over reach. Smith's head was turned, if rumour is to be believed, by the lure of more money from a club in a lower division. The "massives" have the means to cover this, not just by creative accounting, but by a bigger fan base that will turn out if they start winning games week in week out. For us to do that leans heavily on one man's ability to fund the club, rather than the expectation of crowds of 20K+ if the club has a successful season. We are, and always have been, a small fish in a big expensive pond, like Burton, Wycombe, and the like, we face an uneven playing field when the step up is made. How does the financial winnings for success in promotion to the Championship, compare to the "reward" for failure, yep "reward" for failure, in relegation from the Premiership?? How can that be fair?? Looking at some of the signings being made by clubs we have to face is frightening, but that is the slope we kick up against everytime we step up. The frustrating thing is how close we have been to stopping up. Mistakes have been made, and not seemingly been acted on, but without the addition increased investment, this is the position we will face year in and year out. Does Mr Stewart run the risk of seriously damaging his personal finances, aka Mr Morris at Derby, or do we continue to keep the ship on a steady sound level and continue to at best yo-yo?? I'd sooner a steady ship, one looking for potential additional investment, rather than over reaching and going down the Derby, Ipswich, "massives", Bolton, Portsmouth route. Because if the "massives" gamble on gazumping us with Smith and Itchy fails, their contracts will be a heavy burden to bear with another season in the "third" division. Hopefully Mr Warne and Mr Scott will pull summat out of the hat, UTM bring it on.
I don't want us spending the sums some do in this league chasing a pipe dream, but I do expect the manager to have had the tools to have the squad pretty much ready to go a week before the big kick off which we don't currently have.
We were prepared to in my opinion vastly overpay Michael Smith and Michael Ihiekwe, i would like to see some evidence of that portion of the budget allocated on younger replacements which haven't yet and probably wont materialise.
Twas ever this. I don't think there's a clear answer to this particular question and I would not like to be the one incharge of the fiscal arrangements of running the club. I am aware that Rotherham United is lauded within the game as being a very well run club, one of only a handful and I am very grateful to the Chairman for that. I also praise his judgment in (as it seems) not breaking the wage structure; would anyone want to be held to ransom by a footballer and his agent?
There's no doubt that money talks but it's not always the answer. Splashing the cash would help but there's no guarantees and could possibly lead to ruin.
More people through the turnstiles would also help but since the late 60's the club's fortunes have waxed and waned (until the arrival of TS) which in my view has not helped in growing a larger commited following, up one minute down the next sang the faithful 3000.
Football is an entertainment business and TS must develop a strategy for staying in the Championship, not just for one season but long term and offer a viable and entertaining product, people won't pay to watch rubbish.
I guess we all know this. but it's a chicken and egg situation, what comes first? Someone has to make the call and I'm glad it's not me.
Since we got into the Championship under Evans the Chairman has constantly made the point that lessons have been learned, next time will be different, the money is there for recruitment, he's expressed these sentiments after every relegation. In my opinion and I don't say this as a criticism, he may need to change the record.
"The Chairman has constantly made the point that lessons have been learned, next time will be different, the money is there for recruitment, he's expressed these sentiments after every relegation. In my opinion and I don't say this as a criticism, he may need to change the record"
Agree 100 per cent on this. Actions speak louder than words, maybe as TS football knowledge is extremely limited he genuinely does believe lessons have been learned ? who knows.
Just finished listening to episode 8 of the Moment of Truth podcasts on BBC Sounds. There was an interview with TS who explains why he took on the poison chalice that was Rotherham United and amongst other interesting insights he made was what I thought was quite a revealing comment. He reinforces his ambition to see the club reach the Premiership and goes on to say he works on a 3 year plan, which includes promotion to the Championship. Once that is achieved and we are established in the 2nd tier in 2 or three years time 'around 10th' as he put it, that would be time to measure our status, and look into more investment. The question is how are we likely to achieve a mid table position without, as we as fans may see it, prior funding to be able to maintain Championship membership in the first instance. It also put doubt in my mind that the budget in place at the moment may be insufficient to get into that position, i.e 10th or mid table, to receive the real investment he seemed to allude to.
I'm not a gambler and I certainly don't advocate others to gamble their money but it sounded to me the Chairman is playing cautious, but I don't think caution is likely to bring the type of success his ambition aspires to.
Modern football while a business is a different business to manufacturing where known and measurable outcomes can be aimed for with a certain amount of a***en and certainty.
I think we can all agree that it is frustrating trying to recruit and compete whenever we get to The Championship, but unless we risk gambling the financial stability that we currently have I dont think there is an easy answer. Let's face it, most footballers go and play for whoever will offer them the best financial deal (and who can blame them?). We are going to offer the lowest wages in our division because that is all we can afford, and we will quite rightly offer contracts with pay drops built in if we drop to league one which is a real possibility. If I was a proven Championship player in my prime and Rotherham were in for me I know what I would do. I would have my agent tout me around to other Championship clubs and delay signing for Rotherham until the last possible moment in the hope of a better offer coming in. So we sign either young prospects who can improve, older players who might be past their peak but who might still do a job or players coming back from injuries who need another opportunity. We add them to the good core group we already have, try to get a good team spirit going and work our nads off. And sometimes we have to wait and we get 'gazumped'. I dont doubt we are doing our absolute best but the deck is stacked against us. I think we do very well all things considered. We might well struggle again but will no doubt give it our best go. What option do we have? One alternative is to push the boat out wages wise to get a landmark signing or two in who might not work out anyway. Dexter Blackstock, anyone? The other answer might be to run up millions of pounds of debt and keep our fingers crossed it all works out. I'm not interested in that either. It rarely works in the medium term. We should remember what it felt like when the buckets were being handed round last time we nearly went bust and also remember what happened to Bury not too long ago. It just isnt a risk that is ever worth taking. Sorry, but the truth is that while ever we are are run even close to living within our means and having to compete with the parachute payment clubs, ex Premier League clubs, clubs owned by multi billionaires who are happy to flout FFP Rules and risk everything and clubs who get two or three times the support we get, we have top weight on. And that's fine by me.
-- Edited by smiler on Saturday 23rd of July 2022 09:37:05 PM
