Have we shot ourselves in the foot this season?

[Reznor]

Without getting too doom and gloom about it we have financially probably shot ourselves in the foot this season as promotion does seem very unlikely. This is the last season of our parachute payments from our relegation and Khan really should have invested more heavily into our management and playing staff if he was serious about a promotion push. We made just over 5 million in the summer transfer window so we can hardly say we have invested in a big way. We are probably nowhere near our fair play spending levels, that's even if they are adhered to anyway anymore. It is pretty vital that teams that are in the Premiership stay there this season and that Championship teams that are very serious about promotion gain promotion as the vast increase in the BT and Sky deal is going to make Premiership teams very rich indeed. A team being relegated from Premiership season 2016/17 will still earn an estimated £100 million so the knock on effect is the teams relegated that season will be in a very strong position to invest and have a better chance,if managed correctly,of making a quick return to the Premiership. This is why some in high places are wanting a Premiership 1 and 2 with both leagues obviously having less teams and leading to what some would argue better competition but this can be argued both ways I would say. The nuts and bolts of it are that if there ever was a season that promotion to the Premiership was more important than another this season is it. Championship teams after next season will financially be at a huge disadvantage in comparison to Premiership teams and teams relegated from the Premiership that season. Personally I am not overly worried about being in the Premiership as I enjoy the Championship though I do wish we were run better from a management perspective so we competed every week instead of being all over the place. Some will find it very frustrating if the Premiership becomes a distant dream again like it was before Mo came along. I just hope that current and future owners keep us on a stable footing even if the the cash cow of the Premiership becomes very hard to reach.

[westcliff white]

i always thought it was 3 years of parachute payments

[Reznor]

i always thought it was 3 years of parachute payments

You may be right actually as the parachute payment process has been changed recently. It was to be 2 years but may have been altered. Either way it is small fry compared to the payments the new tv deal will be paying.

[Ordar]

Yeah I said at the start of the season that it was imperative that we spent money and got promoted this year. Its going to be incredibly difficult to compete with the relegated sides once the new TV deal kicks in. That's why we saw several teams (Boro and Burnley to name a couple) spending 15+million this season.

This is the season to get promoted and we should have gone all out to get there. There is still time for us to turn it around, although realistically its going to be very difficult if we get cut even further adrift of the playoff places (which looks likely with us playing Boro next). There isn't a chance in hell of Symons getting us promoted, and I still believe that we have one of, if not THE best squad in the division.

Personally I'd sack Symons now. Seek out and pay a good manager and decent coaching staff to come in with the promise of big funds to spend in January as long as we're around the play off places.

People's expectations should be higher. Mid table again with the squad we have is surely unacceptable. There are six players of the season from last year in the team. We have 3 of the top 10 players in the division in McCormack, O'Hara and Cairney.

Not getting promoted this year effectively will cost the club about £100m. Just let that sink in.

[alexbishop]

I think us fans need to be far more ambitious and need to accept the following:

1) It is really really important we get promoted this season.

As MJG has set out on numerous occasions - we only get parachute payments for one more season and these aren't enough to sustain our current level of spending - therefore further cuts will need to be made next season thereby reducing our chances further of getting promoted.

2) Kit is unlikely to get us promoted this season (or next). There is very little evidence that he will be able to get this squad promoted. The evidence points to comfortable mid-table but as stated above - this isn't enough.

3) The more time Kit gets given, the more difficult it will be for a new manager to come in and achieve promotion this season. Therefore, if we change manager, needs to be sooner rather than later.

[H4usuallysitting]

And the foot and the head.........and shrapnel in each arm

[filham]

We have bought eleven new players this season but I suspect the total transfer fee was less than we got for Roberts. With the exception of Cairney they were  frees or bargain basement buys. Even for critical centre back positions we seemed reluctant to pay up early on for the top players that were needed, instead we bought players at low prices right at the end of the window.

There has been no sign of us splashing parachute money about, perhaps it is in the Kitty for the transfer window.

Remember the money spent on new players during Kit's spell in charge has been very low indeed, I bet you have to go back a long way to find a Fulham manager who hasn't been given more transfer money than Kit.

Even Magath was allowed to spend £11m on McCormack.

[MJG]

Parachute payments for us are four seasons.
We get 19m this year and then two more seasons of about ten each.

So think about that, if we don't go up this year we lose 10m off the ST as soon as next season starts. That's why this season us do key.


Oh and if we did go to shot our foot we would of course take far to long to do it and then miss.

[Reznor]

Parachute payments for us are four seasons.
We get 19m this year and then two more seasons of about ten each.

So think about that, if we don't go up this year we lose 10m off the ST as soon as next season starts. That's why this season us do key.


Oh and if we did go to shot our foot we would of course take far to long to do it and then miss.

Thank you, I stand corrected on the parachute payments.

[rubbernecca]

Oh and if we did go to shot our foot we would of course take far to long to do it and then miss.

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[Reznor]

No it's not wrong to sound as if your talking Doom and Gloom.
You have identified, not so much as the club shooting itself in the foot, it's more of blowing the foot completely off the end of it's leg, then bashing itself with the soggy end. If the club has any aspirations of going back up, the sooner the better, like now, this season.
In my view , we have the players, maybe one or two signings in the January window to launch a serious assault in the run in to make sure. But the question on my lips is, have we the management to take us there.
Hmmm I know what your thinking, because each match we continue to drop unnecessary points, will make the task that much more difficult in the new year to say the least.
I would like to ask the Chairman and his Board of merry men, but I doubt they would have faintest idea of what I am talking about.
But before one of you wise Genitalmen says " we don't know what your talking about either ", there, I have said it for you, and I asked for that.  

Woolly, is part of your name Woolly because you live there(the one near St Neot's Cambs)?

[Wimbledon_White]

Woolly, not sure if you've explained it clearly enough...but are you pro-Kit or anti-Kit?

Tough to tell seeing as you rarely comment on it.

[Lighthouse]

Shooting ourselves in the foot will only happen if we bring in a manager and coaching staff and it doesn't give us instant success. So I think we have far too many supporters who believe that playing Russian roulette is worth the gamble.

There is no panic to get things done instantly or it will all be over. We tried that last season and look where it got us. A little bit of gun control is all that is needed. Put the gun away.