I think Lennon could do with going out on loan for a whole season to L1, wouldn't write him off just yet. Often regular first team action can kickstart a player, and he wont get that here.
Agree that we'll probably see one or two 'key players' leave. The important thing is how we react to that with replacements.
RE Watt as the number 9. We need more than 2 strikers. Watt has shown he plays better up top with someone. We have Igor. I think Watt can play that 9 role but with his clear technical and finishing ability I'd like to see him with a 'big man' partner. In reality I think we need 2 more strikers however if we sign 1 decent number 9 it may be a chance to see more of KAG etc.
On the playing side, I think the first priority must be to try and extend the contracts of JBG and Jordan Cousins. If Johan isn't keen on that, I can see him being sold in the summer, which would be a major blow. If offers are made, a sale or sales may happen anyway, given the level of losses incurred and Roland's pronouncement, shortly after the takeover, that he hoped supporters would forgive him if the odd player was sold. The disposals of Yann and Dale Stephens were, of course, in the pipeline at that stage but I think the significance of his statement goes well beyond that and reflects his stated objective; for example, he had no hesitation in selling many of Standard's star players after they lost in last season's play-offs. In some respects, it's comparable to the approach of Michael Gliksten in the 60s and 70s, who simply sold a player every year or so to cover the losses. Of course, the TV money in the Premier League is now astronomical, but even with a significant percentage increase, we are still likely to have one of the smaller budgets in the Championship. In addition to clubs with parachute payments, there are owners at other clubs throwing large sums of money at it, such as Forest (fat lot of good it's done them) and, potentially next season, Wednesday.
The way in which we finish the season may be significant in creating an attractive proposition for players (both the current ones and potential recruits), supporters (e.g. in terms of season ticket sales) and maybe even Roland himself. The recent turnaround in form looks to have achieved the target of mid-table for this season and we shall have to wait and see what he has planned for us in 2015/16. There is a core of quality in the side but we shall, I suspect, need to replace players like Buyens, Bulot and, possibly, TBH. The three free agents we picked up last month on short term deals look like good business and hopefully a couple of those will stay. We'll also doubtless be scouring the market again over the summer for more Bosmans.
In more general terms, it goes without saying that a period of stability on the manager/chief coach side is absolutely imperative. Leaving aside the major substantive benefits of continuity, we also need to try and restore our reputation within the wider game, as it's taken a bit of a battering over the last 12 months.
Player sales are a fact of life. Thinking back to the early 90s 1991 Watson, Peake 1992 Lee and Barness 1993 Webster 1994 Minto 1996 Bowyer All went for decent(ish) money, and were generally replaced by free/cheap transfers or youngsters, and that was with a smaller squad too.
JBG and Cousins are contracted until 2016, they must be priorities for contract extensions. My guess is that the former will leave and the latter will re-sign...
Agreed. Critical in maintaining this momentum will be to hold on to what we have, prinicipally Luzon, Watt, Vetokele and Cousins. The big question is whether or not RD will sell ... he certainly has done in the past but the promise of the PL may hold him back.
We should also aim to keep Ben Haim, Bulot, Eagles, Diarra and Johnson.
Consistency will be essential and another turnover of staff will destroy that.
What has he sold? You don't refer to STVV? It's widely expected in Belgium that he will be pressured into selling Standard if STVV get promoted.
Wow! Really? Even though he doesn't personally own STVV any more, and he got away with that trick the first time they were promoted? I can see that events since have demonstrated that STVV is still very much part of his empire as far as player swapping goes. Have you got any links?
Nothing published that I have seen, but the Standard Socios are very strong on this idea. The Belgian FA rule bans ownership of two clubs in the division. It looks odds on that STVV will get promoted. It was always considered that selling STVV to his wife (partner) was a sleight of hand, but up to now it was not an issue. The problem is compounded by his various public spats with both the FA and the chairmen of other clubs. I guess this means that those chairmen will push for the FA to enforce its rules. I think someone else commented on here recently that STVV is his 'favourite', it being his home town, and also a model for the commercial development around it; indeed it turns out that he has promoted the STVV ground development as a template for Jena, as we learnt yesterday. And why not, I think it's pretty sound. But all that tends to suggest that of the two he might wish to sell Standard
Not wishing to doubt you PA but certainly in English Law a wife would been seen as a different legal entity to her husband. What makes you believe, other than the malcontents from SL's wishful thinking, that he would have to sell SL? That he is not smart enough to have spotted that one when he "disposed" of STVV?
Not much more than I have already written, TBH. However since we wrote this, @Mountsfield Park has reminded us in another thread that he didn't sell STVV to avoid Belgian FA regulations but because of his political position in the town, where he is a councillor.
There was an excellent map of player transactions done by a Standard fan which found its way on here via ITTV. Would love to see that again. I would imagine that the bosses of Club Brugge and Anderlecht will have something very similar lined up to chuck at the Belgian FA. Then again, when we consider our FA and FL and their fit and proper person tests...
Agreed. Critical in maintaining this momentum will be to hold on to what we have, prinicipally Luzon, Watt, Vetokele and Cousins. The big question is whether or not RD will sell ... he certainly has done in the past but the promise of the PL may hold him back.
We should also aim to keep Ben Haim, Bulot, Eagles, Diarra and Johnson.
Consistency will be essential and another turnover of staff will destroy that.
What has he sold? You don't refer to STVV? It's widely expected in Belgium that he will be pressured into selling Standard if STVV get promoted.
Wow! Really? Even though he doesn't personally own STVV any more, and he got away with that trick the first time they were promoted? I can see that events since have demonstrated that STVV is still very much part of his empire as far as player swapping goes. Have you got any links?
Nothing published that I have seen, but the Standard Socios are very strong on this idea. The Belgian FA rule bans ownership of two clubs in the division. It looks odds on that STVV will get promoted. It was always considered that selling STVV to his wife (partner) was a sleight of hand, but up to now it was not an issue. The problem is compounded by his various public spats with both the FA and the chairmen of other clubs. I guess this means that those chairmen will push for the FA to enforce its rules. I think someone else commented on here recently that STVV is his 'favourite', it being his home town, and also a model for the commercial development around it; indeed it turns out that he has promoted the STVV ground development as a template for Jena, as we learnt yesterday. And why not, I think it's pretty sound. But all that tends to suggest that of the two he might wish to sell Standard
Not wishing to doubt you PA but certainly in English Law a wife would been seen as a different legal entity to her husband. What makes you believe, other than the malcontents from SL's wishful thinking, that he would have to sell SL? That he is not smart enough to have spotted that one when he "disposed" of STVV?
Not much more than I have already written, TBH. However since we wrote this, @Mountsfield Park has reminded us in another thread that he didn't sell STVV to avoid Belgian FA regulations but because of his political position in the town, where he is a councillor.
There was an excellent map of player transactions done by a Standard fan which found its way on here via ITTV. Would love to see that again. I would imagine that the bosses of Club Brugge and Anderlecht will have something very similar lined up to chuck at the Belgian FA. Then again, when we consider our FA and FL and their fit and proper person tests...
I think it's just one to watch.
Can we create a new CL rule, only use the initials TBH when talking about, Talal Ben Haim - otherwise it gets a bit confusing for someof us older folks
Agreed. Critical in maintaining this momentum will be to hold on to what we have, prinicipally Luzon, Watt, Vetokele and Cousins. The big question is whether or not RD will sell ... he certainly has done in the past but the promise of the PL may hold him back.
We should also aim to keep Ben Haim, Bulot, Eagles, Diarra and Johnson.
Consistency will be essential and another turnover of staff will destroy that.
What has he sold? You don't refer to STVV? It's widely expected in Belgium that he will be pressured into selling Standard if STVV get promoted.
Wow! Really? Even though he doesn't personally own STVV any more, and he got away with that trick the first time they were promoted? I can see that events since have demonstrated that STVV is still very much part of his empire as far as player swapping goes. Have you got any links?
Nothing published that I have seen, but the Standard Socios are very strong on this idea. The Belgian FA rule bans ownership of two clubs in the division. It looks odds on that STVV will get promoted. It was always considered that selling STVV to his wife (partner) was a sleight of hand, but up to now it was not an issue. The problem is compounded by his various public spats with both the FA and the chairmen of other clubs. I guess this means that those chairmen will push for the FA to enforce its rules. I think someone else commented on here recently that STVV is his 'favourite', it being his home town, and also a model for the commercial development around it; indeed it turns out that he has promoted the STVV ground development as a template for Jena, as we learnt yesterday. And why not, I think it's pretty sound. But all that tends to suggest that of the two he might wish to sell Standard
Not wishing to doubt you PA but certainly in English Law a wife would been seen as a different legal entity to her husband. What makes you believe, other than the malcontents from SL's wishful thinking, that he would have to sell SL? That he is not smart enough to have spotted that one when he "disposed" of STVV?
Not much more than I have already written, TBH. However since we wrote this, @Mountsfield Park has reminded us in another thread that he didn't sell STVV to avoid Belgian FA regulations but because of his political position in the town, where he is a councillor.
There was an excellent map of player transactions done by a Standard fan which found its way on here via ITTV. Would love to see that again. I would imagine that the bosses of Club Brugge and Anderlecht will have something very similar lined up to chuck at the Belgian FA. Then again, when we consider our FA and FL and their fit and proper person tests...
I think it's just one to watch.
Can we create a new CL rule, only use the initials TBH when talking about, Talal Ben Haim - otherwise it gets a bit confusing for someof us older folks
Just be grateful we don't have a member called TBH who posts a lot. Do we?
Oh no, I should never have written that. Bad Dobby.
Agreed. Critical in maintaining this momentum will be to hold on to what we have, prinicipally Luzon, Watt, Vetokele and Cousins. The big question is whether or not RD will sell ... he certainly has done in the past but the promise of the PL may hold him back.
We should also aim to keep Ben Haim, Bulot, Eagles, Diarra and Johnson.
Consistency will be essential and another turnover of staff will destroy that.
What has he sold? You don't refer to STVV? It's widely expected in Belgium that he will be pressured into selling Standard if STVV get promoted.
Wow! Really? Even though he doesn't personally own STVV any more, and he got away with that trick the first time they were promoted? I can see that events since have demonstrated that STVV is still very much part of his empire as far as player swapping goes. Have you got any links?
Nothing published that I have seen, but the Standard Socios are very strong on this idea. The Belgian FA rule bans ownership of two clubs in the division. It looks odds on that STVV will get promoted. It was always considered that selling STVV to his wife (partner) was a sleight of hand, but up to now it was not an issue. The problem is compounded by his various public spats with both the FA and the chairmen of other clubs. I guess this means that those chairmen will push for the FA to enforce its rules. I think someone else commented on here recently that STVV is his 'favourite', it being his home town, and also a model for the commercial development around it; indeed it turns out that he has promoted the STVV ground development as a template for Jena, as we learnt yesterday. And why not, I think it's pretty sound. But all that tends to suggest that of the two he might wish to sell Standard
Not wishing to doubt you PA but certainly in English Law a wife would been seen as a different legal entity to her husband. What makes you believe, other than the malcontents from SL's wishful thinking, that he would have to sell SL? That he is not smart enough to have spotted that one when he "disposed" of STVV?
Not much more than I have already written, TBH. However since we wrote this, @Mountsfield Park has reminded us in another thread that he didn't sell STVV to avoid Belgian FA regulations but because of his political position in the town, where he is a councillor.
There was an excellent map of player transactions done by a Standard fan which found its way on here via ITTV. Would love to see that again. I would imagine that the bosses of Club Brugge and Anderlecht will have something very similar lined up to chuck at the Belgian FA. Then again, when we consider our FA and FL and their fit and proper person tests...
I think it's just one to watch.
Can we create a new CL rule, only use the initials TBH when talking about, Talal Ben Haim - otherwise it gets a bit confusing for someof us older folks
I'm not convinced that success to Mr. Duchatelet means promotion to the Premier League. I have a suspicion that he wants to prove that you can run football clubs at their "natural level" without making a loss.
A way of proving that football needn't be the boom bust animal that it is for most clubs. He sees the network as a way of assisting.
He might be right or he might be wrong but I'm fairly sure he's not in it for the glory rather than to prove something to himself and others.
We have finished the past two seasons strongly and at the end of both seasons I felt we were only a couple of players short of having a decent enough squad to build on the momentum into the following season. Yet both times - once under TJ/MS and once under RD - we did the opposite, with wholesale changes and player turnover - last year also manager change.
I look at our current form and depth and feel positive. Then I look at how many of the players are on loan or out of contract or potentially for sale at a big profit and I can't help but think we need to be prepared for more wholesale changes. To quote Chris Powell, it does not scream of stability. I can but hope it will be third time different...
Agreed. Critical in maintaining this momentum will be to hold on to what we have, prinicipally Luzon, Watt, Vetokele and Cousins. The big question is whether or not RD will sell ... he certainly has done in the past but the promise of the PL may hold him back.
We should also aim to keep Ben Haim, Bulot, Eagles, Diarra and Johnson.
Consistency will be essential and another turnover of staff will destroy that.
What has he sold? You don't refer to STVV? It's widely expected in Belgium that he will be pressured into selling Standard if STVV get promoted.
Wow! Really? Even though he doesn't personally own STVV any more, and he got away with that trick the first time they were promoted? I can see that events since have demonstrated that STVV is still very much part of his empire as far as player swapping goes. Have you got any links?
Nothing published that I have seen, but the Standard Socios are very strong on this idea. The Belgian FA rule bans ownership of two clubs in the division. It looks odds on that STVV will get promoted. It was always considered that selling STVV to his wife (partner) was a sleight of hand, but up to now it was not an issue. The problem is compounded by his various public spats with both the FA and the chairmen of other clubs. I guess this means that those chairmen will push for the FA to enforce its rules. I think someone else commented on here recently that STVV is his 'favourite', it being his home town, and also a model for the commercial development around it; indeed it turns out that he has promoted the STVV ground development as a template for Jena, as we learnt yesterday. And why not, I think it's pretty sound. But all that tends to suggest that of the two he might wish to sell Standard
Not wishing to doubt you PA but certainly in English Law a wife would been seen as a different legal entity to her husband. What makes you believe, other than the malcontents from SL's wishful thinking, that he would have to sell SL? That he is not smart enough to have spotted that one when he "disposed" of STVV?
Not much more than I have already written, TBH. However since we wrote this, @Mountsfield Park has reminded us in another thread that he didn't sell STVV to avoid Belgian FA regulations but because of his political position in the town, where he is a councillor.
There was an excellent map of player transactions done by a Standard fan which found its way on here via ITTV. Would love to see that again. I would imagine that the bosses of Club Brugge and Anderlecht will have something very similar lined up to chuck at the Belgian FA. Then again, when we consider our FA and FL and their fit and proper person tests...
I think it's just one to watch.
Can we create a new CL rule, only use the initials TBH when talking about, Talal Ben Haim - otherwise it gets a bit confusing for someof us older folks
It will get really confusing when we sign Freddie Francis-Smith...
Agreed. Critical in maintaining this momentum will be to hold on to what we have, prinicipally Luzon, Watt, Vetokele and Cousins. The big question is whether or not RD will sell ... he certainly has done in the past but the promise of the PL may hold him back.
We should also aim to keep Ben Haim, Bulot, Eagles, Diarra and Johnson.
Consistency will be essential and another turnover of staff will destroy that.
What has he sold? You don't refer to STVV? It's widely expected in Belgium that he will be pressured into selling Standard if STVV get promoted.
Wow! Really? Even though he doesn't personally own STVV any more, and he got away with that trick the first time they were promoted? I can see that events since have demonstrated that STVV is still very much part of his empire as far as player swapping goes. Have you got any links?
Nothing published that I have seen, but the Standard Socios are very strong on this idea. The Belgian FA rule bans ownership of two clubs in the division. It looks odds on that STVV will get promoted. It was always considered that selling STVV to his wife (partner) was a sleight of hand, but up to now it was not an issue. The problem is compounded by his various public spats with both the FA and the chairmen of other clubs. I guess this means that those chairmen will push for the FA to enforce its rules. I think someone else commented on here recently that STVV is his 'favourite', it being his home town, and also a model for the commercial development around it; indeed it turns out that he has promoted the STVV ground development as a template for Jena, as we learnt yesterday. And why not, I think it's pretty sound. But all that tends to suggest that of the two he might wish to sell Standard
Not wishing to doubt you PA but certainly in English Law a wife would been seen as a different legal entity to her husband. What makes you believe, other than the malcontents from SL's wishful thinking, that he would have to sell SL? That he is not smart enough to have spotted that one when he "disposed" of STVV?
Not much more than I have already written, TBH. However since we wrote this, @Mountsfield Park has reminded us in another thread that he didn't sell STVV to avoid Belgian FA regulations but because of his political position in the town, where he is a councillor.
There was an excellent map of player transactions done by a Standard fan which found its way on here via ITTV. Would love to see that again. I would imagine that the bosses of Club Brugge and Anderlecht will have something very similar lined up to chuck at the Belgian FA. Then again, when we consider our FA and FL and their fit and proper person tests...
I think it's just one to watch.
Can we create a new CL rule, only use the initials TBH when talking about, Talal Ben Haim - otherwise it gets a bit confusing for someof us older folks
It will get really confusing when we sign Freddie Francis-Smith...
I'm not convinced that success to Mr. Duchatelet means promotion to the Premier League. I have a suspicion that he wants to prove that you can run football clubs at their "natural level" without making a loss.
A way of proving that football needn't be the boom bust animal that it is for most clubs. He sees the network as a way of assisting.
He might be right or he might be wrong but I'm fairly sure he's not in it for the glory rather than to prove something to himself and others.
Why do you think that? The squad has improved over the last twelve months to a point where if it is still largely in place next season we I think would be close to a top 6 side. His second team in Belguim STVV(?) is about to be promoted.
I think success for Mr Duchatelet will be taking £10 million profit out of the club year on year and that will only happen in the Premier League or yo-yo-ing between.
Comments
Agree that we'll probably see one or two 'key players' leave. The important thing is how we react to that with replacements.
RE Watt as the number 9. We need more than 2 strikers. Watt has shown he plays better up top with someone. We have Igor. I think Watt can play that 9 role but with his clear technical and finishing ability I'd like to see him with a 'big man' partner. In reality I think we need 2 more strikers however if we sign 1 decent number 9 it may be a chance to see more of KAG etc.
The way in which we finish the season may be significant in creating an attractive proposition for players (both the current ones and potential recruits), supporters (e.g. in terms of season ticket sales) and maybe even Roland himself. The recent turnaround in form looks to have achieved the target of mid-table for this season and we shall have to wait and see what he has planned for us in 2015/16. There is a core of quality in the side but we shall, I suspect, need to replace players like Buyens, Bulot and, possibly, TBH. The three free agents we picked up last month on short term deals look like good business and hopefully a couple of those will stay. We'll also doubtless be scouring the market again over the summer for more Bosmans.
In more general terms, it goes without saying that a period of stability on the manager/chief coach side is absolutely imperative. Leaving aside the major substantive benefits of continuity, we also need to try and restore our reputation within the wider game, as it's taken a bit of a battering over the last 12 months.
1991 Watson, Peake
1992 Lee and Barness
1993 Webster
1994 Minto
1996 Bowyer
All went for decent(ish) money, and were generally replaced by free/cheap transfers or youngsters, and that was with a smaller squad too.
JBG and Cousins are contracted until 2016, they must be priorities for contract extensions. My guess is that the former will leave and the latter will re-sign...
There was an excellent map of player transactions done by a Standard fan which found its way on here via ITTV. Would love to see that again. I would imagine that the bosses of Club Brugge and Anderlecht will have something very similar lined up to chuck at the Belgian FA. Then again, when we consider our FA and FL and their fit and proper person tests...
I think it's just one to watch.
Oh no, I should never have written that. Bad Dobby.
A way of proving that football needn't be the boom bust animal that it is for most clubs. He sees the network as a way of assisting.
He might be right or he might be wrong but I'm fairly sure he's not in it for the glory rather than to prove something to himself and others.
I look at our current form and depth and feel positive. Then I look at how many of the players are on loan or out of contract or potentially for sale at a big profit and I can't help but think we need to be prepared for more wholesale changes. To quote Chris Powell, it does not scream of stability. I can but hope it will be third time different...
i'm just back from a six-week ban
as the poet said