ENIC...

[sausage]

Liverpool finished 40 (!) points in front of us, not sure they're a great barometer as the onus is on everyone else to catch up. Pity it was also a product of being decisive for quite a few transfer windows previously, in ways we can only dream of

Well, yes and no. Van Dijk was a large part of that and their pursuit of him was, in many ways, no different to the way that we lost out on plenty of other targets. The defining aspect was selling Coutinho for stupid money, which allowed them to offer equally large (at the time) money for VVD.

Our problem is that we've not sold anyone for enough money to justify it.

Part of that is because, I suspect, a combination of the club's desire to hold onto our best (possibly by the manager also) and not be a 'selling club'. Thing is, all the top clubs sell their good players now and again. As we've seen from the stats behind the recent Bournemouth discussion, not selling a high value player now and again seems to hinder a team's growth more than it helps it.

 

[KikoSpurs]

And the thing is, that's not happening. Because beyond the vocal minority of people who are always negative about the club, most people are happy compared to previous years and enjoy going to games and supporting the team. That might change if we regress of course

Well big test comes now with Europa League.

Let's see, after all this shit pandemic ends, if we can still fill a 60k stadium playing Banter Town FC on a rainy thursday night.

 

[jurgen]

Yeah, I often wonder what it's like to sell your best player for a ludicrous sum of money and then be decisive with the proceeds. I wish we had done that at some point in the recent past.

By recent do you mean 7 years ago?

And yes we can go round in circles about the Liverpool selling for loads of money thing, but it's clear from the agents fees that they've paid that it was a concerted effort to grease the wheels and get deals done. On the flip side we've heard our chairman doesn't like paying them and while I can completely empathise with that, you end up spending many windows trying to flush turds like Vinnie J as a result...

 

[SecretLemonadeDrinker]

Well big test comes now with Europa League.

Let's see, after all this shit pandemic ends, if we can still fill a 60k stadium playing Banter Town FC on a rainy thursday night.

On the basis that we will probably only be allowed to sell something like 1 in 3 seats - a total of 20K - it should be doable.

 

[Saoirse]

Well big test comes now with Europa League.

Let's see, after all this shit pandemic ends, if we can still fill a 60k stadium playing Banter Town FC on a rainy thursday night.

I obviously hope I'm wrong, but I don't think we'll have a good capacity this side of Christmas. By the time the place is mostly open we'll be in the knockout rounds against decent opposition and it'll sell out

 

[RichieS]

£

Profit.

I 100% agree with both of the above answers to my question about what people think ENIC want from their ownership of THFC.

Follow up question: How do you think they intend to maximise their profit?

I couldn't see anyone buying us prior Covid-19 nevermind now.

The amount of money that you have to put in versus RoI is nuts.

No way anyone will buy us. Meanwhile we will be used as ENIC's milking cow so they can build their mega complex housing districts.

Bonus follow up question for you @KikoSpurs : Would you mind elaborating on the bolded bit? I want to understand more about what you mean.

By recent do you mean 7 years ago?

And yes we can go round in circles about the Liverpool selling for loads of money thing, but it's clear from the agents fees that they've paid that it was a concerted effort to grease the wheels and get deals done. On the flip side we've heard our chairman doesn't like paying them and while I can completely empathise with that, you end up spending many windows trying to flush turds like Vinnie J as a result...

I chose the Bale sale summer as it was the most recent direct comparison and, yes, 7 years remains reasonably recent to me. I could have given Sissoko, Sánchez and Ndombele as more recent examples of when Levy himself (it was obviously Baldini doing the deals with the Bale money) has done big money deals decisively.

By the way, I apologise for the sarcasm in my previous post, the tone of which probably warranted the D'oh rating from @[email protected] (although I wish he'd actually engage in debate rather than hide behind ratings all the time). It just irks me when Liverpool/FSG are held up as a paragon of how we should operate when they are acting directly from the ENIC playbook. They even did the "fucking about ruining a transfer" bit when they originally tried to sign van Dijk and currently have the Scouse horde up in arms because they look to be heading for a second summer without signings! The key advantage they have had is more money - with the stadium being open and refinanced and the increase of our own reputation, they no longer have such a clear advantage in this regard (if any). So while, with hindsight, we probably should have signed Mané (for example), his £135k/week wage requirements (or whatever it was), at the time, put him well within their wage structure but would've made him our highest earner. Sorry, but he hadn't done enough at Southampton to justify that.

I do not think Levy/ENIC are perfect. They really, really need to get another (Mourinho approved) DoF in and hand over control of a defined transfer and wage budget to that DoF (as they did with Arnesen, Comolli and Baldini). They also need to replace McDermott and do some re-structuring in the academy asap (this might be underway in fairness - it's not something that's likely to be reported on in the press until it's done). It's just that, and I say this knowing full well that the internet is prone to hyperbole, I see so many shouty, obnoxious and frankly rude posts about them and those of us that think they're not so bad (not speaking about you in particular) that I feel the need to assume a BSoDL position just to provide a counter. Honestly, some of the stuff you read online (and hear in and around WHL) would have you believe they'd spent 20 years running the club into the ground, which is the exact opposite of what's happened!

 

[shelfboy68]

I 100% agree with both of the above answers to my question about what people think ENIC want from their ownership of THFC.

Follow up question: How do you think they intend to maximise their profit?


Bonus follow up question for you @KikoSpurs : Would you mind elaborating on the bolded bit? I want to understand more about what you mean.


I chose the Bale sale summer as it was the most recent direct comparison and, yes, 7 years remains reasonably recent to me. I could have given Sissoko, Sánchez and Ndombele as more recent examples of when Levy himself (it was obviously Baldini doing the deals with the Bale money) has done big money deals decisively.

By the way, I apologise for the sarcasm in my previous post, the tone of which probably warranted the D'oh rating from @[email protected] (although I wish he'd actually engage in debate rather than hide behind ratings all the time). It just irks me when Liverpool/FSG are held up as a paragon of how we should operate when they are acting directly from the ENIC playbook. They even did the "fucking about ruining a transfer" bit when they originally tried to sign van Dijk and currently have the Scouse horde up in arms because they look to be heading for a second summer without signings! The key advantage they have had is more money - with the stadium being open and refinanced and the increase of our own reputation, they no longer have such a clear advantage in this regard (if any). So while, with hindsight, we probably should have signed Mané (for example), his £135k/week wage requirements (or whatever it was), at the time, put him well within their wage structure but would've made him our highest earner. Sorry, but he hadn't done enough at Southampton to justify that.

I do not think Levy/ENIC are perfect. They really, really need to get another (Mourinho approved) DoF in and hand over control of a defined transfer and wage budget to that DoF (as they did with Arnesen, Comolli and Baldini). They also need to replace McDermott and do some re-structuring in the academy asap (this might be underway in fairness - it's not something that's likely to be reported on in the press until it's done). It's just that, and I say this knowing full well that the internet is prone to hyperbole, I see so many shouty, obnoxious and frankly rude posts about them and those of us that think they're not so bad (not speaking about you in particular) that I feel the need to assume a BSoDL position just to provide a counter. Honestly, some of the stuff you read online (and hear in and around WHL) would have you believe they'd spent 20 years running the club into the ground, which is the exact opposite of what's happened!

Liverpool won't have a problem in the transfer window, especially as they have won 3 trophies in a season, players will queue up or even walk to them to join.

 

[RichieS]

Liverpool won't have a problem in the transfer window, especially as they have won 3 trophies in a season, players will queue up or even walk to them to join.

They will have no problem attracting players if they are actually trying to attract them, which is what the hubbub seems to be about.

 

[topper]

Well big test comes now with Europa League.

Let's see, after all this shit pandemic ends, if we can still fill a 60k stadium playing Banter Town FC on a rainy thursday night.

Didn't they just win the FA Cup at the weekend - we won't meet them until the knockout rounds!

 

[AberdeenYid]

They will have no problem attracting players if they are actually trying to attract them, which is what the hubbub seems to be about.

I dunno about that. I’m not convinced their squad depth is any better than ours, although their first team is very much better.

Adrian is a poor second keeper. Don’t even know who their reserve fullbacks are (not really sure who ours are either). Good strength in midfield as we have (DM excepted). A world class front line with dubious reserves in Origi and Shaqiri.

They’ll have the same issue we have in attracting quality players to sit on the bench and play in the League Cup. I’m sure they’ll strengthen, but doubt they’ll get fullbacks who are of the quality of their first choices.

 

[spursfan77]

If levy doesn’t get the players in Mourinho wants, especially as he’s gone public on them not being unrealistic in the market the way it currently is then we might as well pack it in. Because if Levy isnt going to deliver players for Mourinho then I doubt he will do it for anyone.

I think he will but I don’t think all of them will be in time for the season to start. He’ll piss about again not realising that the money he saves then is lost at the end of the season when the early dropped points costs us positions in the league.

 

[shelfboy68]

If levy doesn’t get the players in Mourinho wants, especially as he’s gone public on them not being unrealistic in the market the way it currently is then we might as well pack it in. Because if Levy isnt going to deliver players for Mourinho then I doubt he will do it for anyone.

I think he will but I don’t think all of them will be in time for the season to start. He’ll piss about again not realising that the money he saves then is lost at the end of the season when the early dropped points costs us positions in the league.

Maybe 1 possibly at a push two in before season starts, it is a nonsense but what can you do the club think their approach is correct so it is what it is.

 

[13VanDerBale13]

Leopards don't change their spots, highly doubt Jose will be backed this summer to the required standard.
We are transfer windows behind getting where we need to be, because we've failed to address squad issues for a number of years now.

 

[spursfan77]

Leopards don't change their spots, highly doubt Jose will be backed this summer to the required standard.
We are transfer windows behind getting where we need to be, because we've failed to address squad issues for a number of years now.

Levy usually gets the players in his manager wants if they are possible deals to do on his terms but they’re rarely early in the window, which puts everyone at a disadvantage.

 

[SecretLemonadeDrinker]

Lads.....do you really not have better things to do on a fine August day than work yourselves into a bad mood about things that haven’t yet happened?

This summer is not last summer. Nor is it the one before that. We now have Mourinho. He won’t quietly accept being dicked around. And he has made a point of being pragmatic and realistic. Two very plausible reasons as to why Levy might get our main transfer business done comparatively quickly for once. We already have ITK that PEH is “essentially a done deal”.

So why not change your tune just this once? Live in the present. Save getting angry until the appropriate moment, if that appropriate moment arrives.

 

[spursfast]

Lads.....do you really not have better things to do on a fine August day than work yourselves into a bad mood about things that haven’t yet happened?

This summer is not last summer. Nor is it the one before that. We now have Mourinho. He won’t quietly accept being dicked around. And he has made a point of being pragmatic and realistic. Two very plausible reasons as to why Levy might get our main transfer business done comparatively quickly for once. We already have ITK that PEH is “essentially a done deal”.

So why not change your tune just this once? Live in the present. Save getting angry until the appropriate moment, if that appropriate moment arrives.

I think with Poch saying today that the board wouldn't back his approach... why would he back JM, he fails and gets the sack midseason

 

[cliff jones]

Lads.....do you really not have better things to do on a fine August day than work yourselves into a bad mood about things that haven’t yet happened?

This summer is not last summer. Nor is it the one before that. We now have Mourinho. He won’t quietly accept being dicked around. And he has made a point of being pragmatic and realistic. Two very plausible reasons as to why Levy might get our main transfer business done comparatively quickly for once. We already have ITK that PEH is “essentially a done deal”.

So why not change your tune just this once? Live in the present. Save getting angry until the appropriate moment, if that appropriate moment arrives.

ah, it’s the old come back to me when the windows over tune, remixed with get a life as usual- yay

I’m looking forward to the other one first- you’d rather wait for the special signing, than insist on a preseason - fitness, social and tactical integration, they can all wait!

Did José get that striker he made it clear he wanted last time?

Dream on, in your deck chair

 

[SheffieldAndy]

I think with Poch saying today that the board wouldn't back his approach... why would he back JM, he fails and gets the sack midseason

You make it seem like they’ve never backed any manager and just sacked them.
Poch said they didn’t agree with his vision, which is something totally different from backing a manager the first real transfer window you get him on.

 

[Laboog]

I think with Poch saying today that the board wouldn't back his approach... why would he back JM, he fails and gets the sack midseason

There were plenty of reports during the years Poch was here when he turned down opportunties for players to be brought in. Poch also wasn't the best at choosing which players we should sign (look at the failed strikers we tried). I wouldn't trust everything Poch says, he is trying to make himself look better for future job opportunities like any fired manager would.

 

[SecretLemonadeDrinker]

ah, it’s the old come back to me when the windows over tune, remixed with get a life as usual- yay

I’m looking forward to the other one first- you’d rather wait for the special signing, than insist on a preseason - fitness, social and tactical integration, they can all wait!

Remember VDV!

Bless you for trying to tell me my own thoughts but, as it happens, I also want our main business done early! I just don’t see the point in ceaselessly complaining about things that haven’t yet happened and might never happen. It’s a strange and destructive way to live one’s life.

If Levy screws up again, that’ll be the time to have a rant.