[Baggiebob(BBB)]

What the heck, Rod for5k and Hegazi for £10, I wouldn't have thought you could get a lot for that. Perhaps they were on top wages that made the difference - whatever we do now we'd better get a move on otherwise Bilic will be playing the reserves - if we haven't sold them as well.

[Blue Baggie]

I waiting for some of the posters to say we have to trust Dowling and Jenkins, this penny is taking a while to drop.
They have no respect for us the fans, they are just looking after themselves. They should be sacked, fined and banned from holding such positions.
Mark my words, when we have NO players left to sell, NO parachute payments to siphon off - they will be off, pockets bulging laughing at us.
With an owner who is not interested the only chance we have is if he sells up. Even then it will take 2 or 3 years to rebuild the club at best.
Trying to get a dozen players to join and bond as a team in 3 weeks is never going to work. Forget it unless we want to kid ourselves.
Dowling and Jenkins have had weeks to bring players in and they have done nothing, why is that ? Simple, they are not bothered they just want to
rake as much money in as possible. It's all out of our control, we're not out! but we're going down IMO!
The plan to turn us into a Championship team is exactly that, sell off all the PL players and reduce the wage bill to suit the championship finances.
Problem is we haven't purchased anyone so we now cannot even compete in the championship, we're on the way down guys.
Reminds me of the saying F**K the icebergs full steam ahead theory.
Apart from that the Academy has produced 2 potential superstars that we should be proud of.
Moore, Shan , Harrison, Cutler, Scott and Hopcroft to name but a few of the 44 members who made up the Academy team can take a bow.

[SomersetBaggie]

I waiting for some of the posters to say we have to trust Dowling and Jenkins, this penny is taking a while to drop.
They have no respect for us the fans, they are just looking after themselves. They should be sacked, fined and banned from holding such positions.
Mark my words, when we have NO players left to sell, NO parachute payments to siphon off - they will be off, pockets bulging laughing at us.
With an owner who is not interested the only chance we have is if he sells up. Even then it will take 2 or 3 years to rebuild the club at best.  
Trying to get a dozen players to join and bond as a team in 3 weeks is never going to work. Forget it unless we want to kid ourselves.
Dowling and Jenkins have had weeks to bring players in and they have done nothing, why is that ? Simple, they are not bothered they just want to
rake as much money in as possible. It's all out of our control, we're not out! but we're going down IMO!
The plan to turn us into a Championship team is exactly that, sell off all the PL players and reduce the wage bill to suit the championship finances.
Problem is we haven't purchased anyone so we now cannot even compete in the championship, we're on the way down guys.
Reminds me of the saying F**K the icebergs full steam ahead theory.  
Apart from that the Academy has produced 2 potential superstars that we should be proud of.
Moore, Shan , Harrison, Cutler, Scott and Hopcroft to name but a few of the 44 members who made up the Academy team can take a bow.

It is only your positivity that is keeping me going Blue

[wba13]

Blue boy stop being so totally pessimistic, Bilic new what he was coming into ,nobody has left who did not have a release clauses or kids who wanted rich parents. Do you really think we are going back to the Saunders era well I for one don’t I have every faith all will come good any way if not I have see it all before and we survived . We will end up one of the top sides in the championship .

[Arcane Astral Aeons]

Blue boy stop being so totally pessimistic, Bilic new what he was coming into ,nobody has left who did not have a release clauses or kids who wanted rich parents.  Do you really think we are going back to the Saunders era well I for one don’t I have every faith all will come good any way if not I have see it all before and we survived . We will end up one of the top sides in the championship .

no idea what you been drinking/smoking
but i will have some

[Blue Baggie]

Blue boy stop being so totally pessimistic, Bilic new what he was coming into ,nobody has left who did not have a release clauses or kids who wanted rich parents.  Do you really think we are going back to the Saunders era well I for one don’t I have every faith all will come good any way if not I have see it all before and we survived . We will end up one of the top sides in the championship .

I love your optimistic outlook, I do post what I think (and it gives me no pleasure) - it's not directed at anyone but the people running our club.
Your faith is unshakable fair play to you    I wish I had something to be positive about tbh.
What do you see that makes you have faith we end up one of the top clubs in the EFL ?

---

One thing is becoming more obvious and that's why it took us 3 months to find a new manager. I'm assuming several didn't quite fancy it or the thought of working for D & J wasn't an attractive option.

[drewks]

Hey BlueB - I see how you get to your conclusions, and agree that it all looks bleak.
But sometimes logic or fact is almost superceded by other forces. Remember Leicester winning the PL when they were favourites to be relegated!
I share your 'mistrust' (to put it mildly) of senior people at OUR club, and agree that we should all look forward to the day when they are no longer here.
HOWEVER! I think we have got a diamond in SB. Until it becomes more obvious, I'll continue to have belief that we'll get through yet another sh*te period, and become stronger because of it.

Nurse!! Pills please!

[WBA-Josh]

I'm not sure why Dowling receives so much criticism. Slaven has been at the club for less than 1 month and it's going to take time for the working relationship to gel. Dowling's first job this summer was finding a new Head Coach, he's done that well with Slaven even though it took a while. Now he's got to find players to fit what Slaven wants.

Slaven was never going to walk in and sign 3 or 4 players in the first couple of weeks because he had to look at the squad in the training, talk with the players individually, work out who wants to stay and go, who's mentality and style suits his style etc. He has Krovinovic now, a player in a position that we haven't had quality in since Sessegnon was Pulised, and now that Rodriguez and Rondon's futures are being sorted out, and any other players who may be leaving or deciding to stay (Harper signing a new contract), Slaven can now start sorting through who Dowling and his team will have identified and any of his own options and start to get the squad beefed up with quality.

First game of the season is on the 3rd August. That gives Slaven, Dowling and co 3 and a half weeks to put this squad together.

[Blue Baggie]

After a reflection, nothing that has happened is not what we expected tbh. Now onto the rebuilding. Bilic to BUY us half a dozen new players. With tenacity please. Field Harper & Edwards to become regular 1st team players. Something we have all wanted. We all want success and we have a chance to create a new young vibrant team COYB

---

First match
Johnstone
Bilic Bilic Bartley Townsend
Harper Livermore Field
Filip Edwards
Bilic

Bond - Phillips - Leko - O'Shea - HRK - Burke - Brunt
( Tulloch - Fitzwater - Wilson - 5 loans )
Hegazi, Nyom & Gibbs N/A

[Voice-of-Sanity]

I waiting for some of the posters to say we have to trust Dowling and Jenkins, this penny is taking a while to drop.
They have no respect for us the fans, they are just looking after themselves. They should be sacked, fined and banned from holding such positions.
Mark my words, when we have NO players left to sell, NO parachute payments to siphon off - they will be off, pockets bulging laughing at us.
With an owner who is not interested the only chance we have is if he sells up. Even then it will take 2 or 3 years to rebuild the club at best.  
Trying to get a dozen players to join and bond as a team in 3 weeks is never going to work. Forget it unless we want to kid ourselves.
Dowling and Jenkins have had weeks to bring players in and they have done nothing, why is that ? Simple, they are not bothered they just want to
rake as much money in as possible. It's all out of our control, we're not out! but we're going down IMO!
The plan to turn us into a Championship team is exactly that, sell off all the PL players and reduce the wage bill to suit the championship finances.
Problem is we haven't purchased anyone so we now cannot even compete in the championship, we're on the way down guys.
Reminds me of the saying F**K the icebergs full steam ahead theory.  
Apart from that the Academy has produced 2 potential superstars that we should be proud of.
Moore, Shan , Harrison, Cutler, Scott and Hopcroft to name but a few of the 44 members who made up the Academy team can take a bow.

We have this panic every summer!  Dowling said some of the players who stayed last summer would go and that Slav would get the the baseline budget plus whatever is raised through transfers.  That currently stands at 15m plus whatever we get for Rondon and Rogers, so around 30-35m.  We are very early in the window, let's see where we are on 8th August.  What we need is quality not quantity.  Another 4/5 on top of Krovinovic will make a massive difference.  I suspect it'll be quite a few more than that.