[Slick_Footwork]

[quote='BaggieMan' pid='117839' dateline='1497679040']

Hope the new owners prove me wrong but it seems a continuation of the 'line your own pockets' running of the club that we saw under JP.

Agree with all that slick .......amen to the first 7 words of your last sentence too - let's give the new regime a chance before we all start moaning again!

Welcome back, Drewksy. Good holiday?

I don't begrudge JP making a great sale for his own ends, and he only took the salary of a mediocre player. His managership of this Club was 1st rate, and I think many fans of fallen Clubs would love to have a Club run as well as he did over 15 years.

To give the guy his due, he was an excellent business man and considering he's renowned for knowing nothing about football, made some great footballing decisions with his staff choice and handling of many situations. From where we came when he started, it's impossible to be overly critical, but I'll always believe the purse strings were a bit too tight!

Although I believe his salary as CEO, considering the size of the turnover, was pound for pound one of the highest in the world and by far the highest in world football. There were a couple of Prem CEOs with bigger salaries, but at clubs with much superior turnovers. I remember reading a great, incredibly well researched article about him 5 or 6 years back. I'll have to see if I can find it.

But yes, overall, the guy did a good job. I'd agree on that.

So far, the new owners are following suit on the spending style though. We were ridiculously tight last summer and while we did sign Chadli, who was proven Premier League class, it was very much papering over the cracks of a poor window. I remember us scrambling for players on deadline day, only to sign Robson Kanu, who'd been available all summer on a free...

Not a dig at HRK, who has done okay, but he clearly wasn't first choice and probably, considering the lateness of the transfer, not second or third either...

In January we signed Livermore for £10m, but sold Saido for £15, so another profit there...

Not going to complain yet but our squad is paper thin and full of players past their sell by date. Since the last window, we've already lost Fletcher and Olsson, who both played a part last season and never replaced Saido either. The new owner will be judged at the end of this window, but he's not showing any signs of removing the 'cheapskate' stigma that we've held for the last 10 years.