[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Not installing a manger straight away was one.

You sure you're not mixing us up with West Bethlehem Albion?

[4evaabaggie]

SpenB, nail, head, hit ........ a lot of people, I feel, are of the same opinion. We have for years now, been driving around in a chauffeur driven car, when we got the car it was mid range with a few special features, it kept up with the other mid range cars, with a good chauffeur it even out performed some of the high end cars, as we drove it fare wear and tear, some of the parts become unfit for purpose, rather than buy new upgraded better parts we went to a scrap yard and bought part worn spares, the more we drove the more part worn spares we acquired, until the car could not keep up with the traffic, the mid range left us behind and we just stayed ahead of the budget range cars, we changed the chauffeur but gave the new chauffeur the same car with the same worn parts, he could not get the car to perform to its previous heights either. Rather than change the parts we persisted and changed several chauffeurs, now our mid range car is struggling to compete in a banger race and we sack the chauffeur again and put a mechanic behind the wheel. The race is almost lost and now we need more than to rebuild a mid range wreck we have to buy a whole new car and upgrade it or we will be in banger racing or worse go kart racing for years to come.

The joys of being a Baggies fan .........

[SpenB]

Nicely and cleverly written eva!

[drewks]

Very good, 4eva.
Go to the top of the class

[4evaabaggie]

SpenB, Trouble is it's true, and the car we drive now is on loan from Billy smart's circus and the doors keeping falling off. How long before the wheels come off as well.

[Blue Baggie]

As long as Lai owns the big top and Jenkins is running the circus, we're in trouble.

[silverbaggie]

My first thought was that it must be a Rover 75; quite quick in its day but replacement parts now very difficult to get due to disinterested owner who refuses to put his hand in his pocket.

But from your description 4eava it sound more like a Reliant Robin; a wheel missing and inclined to wobble at corners.

[Beefy 1965]

Ha ha 3-0
Stop the game now please

[SpenB]

SORRY but here is my part take on the situation:

I can understand about not overspending and therefore what debit etc. brings, But there has to be a line drawn.
Times have changed (possibly not for the good – that’s another debate) and nowadays by only spending revenue (breaking even) then I strongly believe a club (be it ours or not) cannot maintain a (footballing) balance and therefore WILL be overtaken by (an old bloke on a trike – that’s for Eva) other teams.
Now, these other teams could be over spending, be massively in debit, close to collapse, have rich owners or may just have a very good eye for the game and be picking up lower league players cheaply that turn out good.
So, because the club WONT want to keep dropping down till it finds its overall balance (be it a spending level which could/will affect the footballing level) and I say wont because dropping down also means smaller wages and I don’t care who you are in any organization, nobody (even Lai) wants to earn LESS money.
That leaves only one thing to do, to stand still, not even improve, you have to start spending more than the revenue coming in. Unless of cause we can find 11 unknown, unearthed players down the local park wanting £200 / week.
Now it’s clear (maybe) that Lai has not a clue what football is etc. (allegedly). Is his only crime being hoodwinked to, whether by Jeremy for the sale or the board after that? Nobody will (ever) know and until every one of us knows the full stories all we do is accuse, assume, make up things and blame folk.
We all want better players, more wins, better position (league wise), better manager, better Board / owner but at what cost?
So let’s play the academy lads – wait a minute, how many years was DM in charge of those lads? And then when he has every chance to play those lads, he doesn’t, why? Don’t moan that he’s wasn’t picking them, ask yourself WHY he didn’t pick them? He has known then for years so did he think they were good enough to play?! And don’t use age and inexperience to cover the reasons – Google it, there have been 31 players aged 20 and under in the premiership alone this season to date.

We are in trouble with (part of) the present team (old, loans etc.), the board, the owner, we could all go on with reasons. But if the aim of this club is to self-fund then the club can perhaps always be in the black (well, nearly) but I don’t / can’t see it being in this league or the one above. Not this year, but in the future (soon?).

I don’t know the answers (far from it in fact) and yes the whole of my work, class me as a moaner and trouble maker. BUT, and I stand by it – All I am doing is pointing out the obvious, what I believe is the truth. I will always own up if I am wrong. I’m not clever enough to know the fixes and have never indicated that I could be. I am just a concerned outsider that knows he will never have any influence on the outcome of things, but it doesn’t mean I should give up caring about things. This will only ever affect the supporters as players, board members, managers and owners will always come out better than us.

Ok, I apologise again for my MOANING I mean expressing myself (loudly) lol.

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OK before the complaints come - i wont post my random rambling again.

[4evaabaggie]

SpenB, your right, we are restricted by FFP rules, it reminds me of the EU, a few clubs like ours (uk, Denmark) abide by the rules and suffer or slightly break them and get punished, a lot of clubs, greed league mainly (France, Germany) break the rules with impunity, get told off in a slightly raised voice and carry on doing it whilst benefiting massively. We try to play within the rules and have suffered, Fulham spent £100 million + I believe, one season in the greed league, are they better off.

Our kids are okay the ones that have played have done okay, but the prize is to great (££££££££) to risk it on regularly playing young body in a much tougher physical league so they warm the bench.

Answers ...... No idea, protests whilst fourth from the inside looking out, bell yes, from the outside looking in bell no. The outside world don't see the workings inside, when you ride a bus you don't see the engine, the brakes, you just see the end result ....... protests may make us look arrogant to the footballing world, to the upstairs passengers it's been a problem free journey but those sat downstairs by the engine and brakes can hear there is a problem, end result you arrive at your destination, worry free on the top deck, worried sick on the lower deck.

The dire don't lose at any cost football of the last three or four years coupled with the no spend policy has left us with a very old squad (bus) and our engine and brakes are squealing like hell.

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Lost my thread during this so apologies but we need a big paddle or s@@t creek could become our long term home.