For me the starkly obvious aspect of this was when we played Bolton on Saturday.
We are supposed to be on a project for promotion, were behind schedule anyway due to losing at Bury and drawing at home to Northampton, and it looked like a three point additional setback was on the cards.
I watched and thought, well where is it coming from, not the Ajose/Josh partnership, Holmes was being heavily targeted, we were losing to a team with a degree of nous.
On comes Lookman and he transforms everything.
After the game I thought if Lookman goes what have we got? Incidentally I wouldn't complain if Lookman is often used as an impact sub, or a convincer if the more experienced players establish a lead in a game. Anyway, I simply thought that if any aspiration of promotion is to be credible Lookman had to stay.
I imagine the debate was one between, yes the money is handy, but look at the difference he makes? It is indeed creditable that the internal debate, either in Roland's head with Alan Turing, between Roland and Katrien, in the SMT at the club, between Slade and the board, led to Lookman staying.
In addition I also believe the debate may even have extended to what is good for Lookman the footballer, and I believe it makes perfect sense for him to stay and develop as a player here. For that aspect of things credit is due somewhere too.
So on this issue, credit is definitely due to the club as a whole in my opinion.
If the regime made all the right moves from day 1 we wouldnt even be in this division, and subsequently it would be even harder for other clubs to plunder our best players.
Still, its a big improvement on previous policy, I just wish it didnt take a relegation to get there.
If we end up winning the league by a mile a lot of people could warm to RD, but for some they will never change their opinion even if we end up back in the prem under him.
I wouldn't warm to him. It's not about league position its about arrogance, incompetence, and running this club into the ground. If he cared for this club he'd attend matches. If he cared for this club, he'd appoint a proper CEO and would staff other managerial positions accordingly. If he cared for this club he wouldn't have made public outbursts against the fans. If he cared for this club he would have no truck with the sort of shenanigans Meire gets up to. If he cared for this club he'd have sought genuine dialog with fans instead of trying to browbeat them that his ways are the only way. If he cared for this club he wouldn't have tried playing his weird experiments with the likes of Thuram, Fraeye and Mowgli. If he cared for this club he would be horrified at the fans backlash and would be making very public efforts at reconciliation.
But that's not what's happening. He continues with his lousy experiment in stony silence. He's interested in getting his money back and in some facile plan to prove that he's cleverer than he is. He's got money, but that's all. He has demonstrated complete and utter contempt for the fans, staff and history of this club. Maybe he'll do enough to get us back into the Championship. Even if he does though, that would just be righting one of his many wrongs. I'd like to see us get promoted, but even that would feel like a hollow victory. For me, he has killed the positive feelings that the club always had. Promotion for me will not make my heart sing as it did in 2012; it'll be good, but it will still be tainted and I will still fear for our future.
If I was the type of person that believed in gods, spirits and mumbo jumbo, I'd tie a little voodoo doll of him to a toasting fork. That's the only warming to Duchatelet that I could ever see myself doing.
If the regime made all the right moves from day 1 we wouldnt even be in this division, and subsequently it would be even harder for other clubs to plunder our best players.
Still, its a big improvement on previous policy, I just wish it didnt take a relegation to get there.
If we end up winning the league by a mile a lot of people could warm to RD, but for some they will never change their opinion even if we end up back in the prem under him.
I wouldn't warm to him. It's not about league position its about arrogance, incompetence, and running this club into the ground. If he cared for this club he'd attend matches. If he cared for this club, he'd appoint a proper CEO and would staff other managerial positions accordingly. If he cared for this club he wouldn't have made public outbursts against the fans. If he cared for this club he would have no truck with the sort of shenanigans Meire gets up to. If he cared for this club he'd have sought genuine dialog with fans instead of trying to browbeat them that his ways are the only way. If he cared for this club he wouldn't have tried playing his weird experiments with the likes of Thuram, Fraeye and Mowgli. If he cared for this club he would be horrified at the fans backlash and would be making very public efforts at reconciliation.
But that's not what's happening. He continues with his lousy experiment in stony silence. He's interested in getting his money back and in some facile plan to prove that he's cleverer than he is. He's got money, but that's all. He has demonstrated complete and utter contempt for the fans, staff and history of this club. Maybe he'll do enough to get us back into the Championship. Even if he does though, that would just be righting one of his many wrongs. I'd like to see us get promoted, but even that would feel like a hollow victory. For me, he has killed the positive feelings that the club always had. Promotion for me will not make my heart sing as it did in 2012; it'll be good, but it will still be tainted and I will still fear for our future.
If I was the type of person that believed in gods, spirits and mumbo jumbo, I'd tie a little voodoo doll of him to a toasting fork. That's the only warming to Duchatelet that I could ever see myself doing.
Yes, they deserve credit for their actions in the transfer market. When their actions don't include:
Selling two top midfielders to Burnley and QPR in the summer Signing fewer players than the newly-appointed manager determined were required, when we were "miles away" Leaving the squad short in full back and central midfield positions
Until they can overcome the enormous amount of damage they have done in the past, they will get no credit from me.
This squad might be good enough to get promotion. Even if it does, we'll be no better placed than we were when they took over. So, RD and KM: show some improvement and you will get all the credit you deserve. But start by selling up and never coming back.
We won't win League One by a mile. Arguably Bolton have a little bit more about them, more through know-how than quality. We should be up there competing with Bolton & Bradford though, and anyone else who gets something together like Millwall and MK Dons.
But even if we do finish Champions I don't think the majority will forget that with better management of the club from Jan 2014-May 2016 we would never have gone down in the first place.
It also won't change their long-term ambition for the club, which is to be mid-table in the Championship and making money through developing and selling players, rather than building a strong team, filling the stadium, improving the stadium and aiming for the Premier League.
I think with Lookman we are all just relieved that what felt inevitable didn't happen, but it would have been crazy to sell a player we can keep, develop and use to hopefully help us improve. So we shouldn't mask relief with delusions of progress.
But on the plus side we have just signed another midfielder. Granted we don't know if he can play or can actually pass a ball as only a few have ever witnessed this.
We do not know if Palarse made an offer for Lookman, nor do we know if the club received offers in excess of £2m.
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the club put misinformation out about Lookman so as to look as if they resisted the temptation to sell him.
We do not know if Palarse made an offer for Lookman, nor do we know if the club received offers in excess of £2m.
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the club put misinformation out about Lookman so as to look as if they resisted the temptation to sell him.
No they wouldn't would they ?
Agree with all that. Sky Sports are all over deadline day like a rash and went to a reporter at Palace on a regular basis and never was Lookman even mentioned. I'm not convinced there were any offers but the Club get the credit to hanging onto him.
If the regime made all the right moves from day 1 we wouldnt even be in this division, and subsequently it would be even harder for other clubs to plunder our best players.
Still, its a big improvement on previous policy, I just wish it didnt take a relegation to get there.
If we end up winning the league by a mile a lot of people could warm to RD, but for some they will never change their opinion even if we end up back in the prem under him.
I wouldn't warm to him. It's not about league position its about arrogance, incompetence, and running this club into the ground. If he cared for this club he'd attend matches. If he cared for this club, he'd appoint a proper CEO and would staff other managerial positions accordingly. If he cared for this club he wouldn't have made public outbursts against the fans. If he cared for this club he would have no truck with the sort of shenanigans Meire gets up to. If he cared for this club he'd have sought genuine dialog with fans instead of trying to browbeat them that his ways are the only way. If he cared for this club he wouldn't have tried playing his weird experiments with the likes of Thuram, Fraeye and Mowgli. If he cared for this club he would be horrified at the fans backlash and would be making very public efforts at reconciliation.
But that's not what's happening. He continues with his lousy experiment in stony silence. He's interested in getting his money back and in some facile plan to prove that he's cleverer than he is. He's got money, but that's all. He has demonstrated complete and utter contempt for the fans, staff and history of this club. Maybe he'll do enough to get us back into the Championship. Even if he does though, that would just be righting one of his many wrongs. I'd like to see us get promoted, but even that would feel like a hollow victory. For me, he has killed the positive feelings that the club always had. Promotion for me will not make my heart sing as it did in 2012; it'll be good, but it will still be tainted and I will still fear for our future.
If I was the type of person that believed in gods, spirits and mumbo jumbo, I'd tie a little voodoo doll of him to a toasting fork. That's the only warming to Duchatelet that I could ever see myself doing.
We are a team with little creativity or attacking flair, if we sold Lookman on deadline day it would have been one of the most idiotic (impressive for them) ideas to be conjoured up at the club.
They have sold top quality for shit prices and made continual balls ups, still.
A trained chimp could see we needed strength in cm, but here we are, light in cm.
No credit, doing your job with an ounce of common sense is expected.
Anybody who believes that Roly & Latrine knocked back any offer for Fox that approached twice as much as they paid for Ricky Holmes needs psychological help. As for declining £4mil or more for Ademola Lookman, I have no words. It is just about possible that Morgan or Ade declined the opportunity, as Michael Morrison declined his Romanian adventure. We'll find out if that were true if MF or AL get frozen out. We've seen how SMT subscribe to Kim Jong Un's tolerance of staff disobedience. The most likely course of events is that no offers were formally placed. Any number of parties could have been flying kites, placing 'stories' in the all too gullible and complicit press; agents seeking paydays, would be suitors trying to find Roly's price point, Roly guageing the subjects' marketability. Roly is convinced that all players have a discernible financial value. He denies that they are not all interchangeable - to his mind Chicksen is the same as Fox, he in turn can be replaced by Lennon or even Solly; Lookman is the same as Novac, Magennis and Ajose. If an offer is received that matches or exceeds the number on his spreadsheet/back of an envelope/fag packet then he is open for business and the player is available. Given Latrine's attitude to business propositions, she might well have been approached by Wednesday or the glaziers but the bone idle, deluded half-wit didn't fancy a late night at the office and just didn't find out what they wanted. Entirely unwittingly, that may turn out to be the best afternoon's work she never does, until Foxy finds out he could have doubled his money and escaped the toxic pantomime.
No credit will be forthcoming from me whatsoever. They've left us short on players before and will do so again. These idiots haven't learnt a thing, and the sale of Cousins and JBG for a combined paltry £4m shows they also have no business acumen at all.
Katrien Meire is a moron, end of story. And holding on to a promising young player following rumoured bids of "just" £4.5m does NOT deserve praise in a market where Championship players some people have barely heard of are going for £10m+.
No credit will be forthcoming from me whatsoever. They've left us short on players before and will do so again. These idiots haven't learnt a thing, and the sale of Cousins and JBG for a combined paltry £4m shows they also have no business acumen at all.
Katrien Meire is a moron, end of story. And holding on to a promising young player following rumoured bids of "just" £4.5m does NOT deserve praise in a market where Championship players some people have barely heard of are going for £10m+.
Fuck 'em.
We'll sell Lookman for 3 million in January!!!!!
Not if he's on the bench most of the time we won't .
Firstly I doubt any bid that matched our valuation and structure requirements came in for Lookman, so let's keep that perspective - this isn't a board determined to keep hold of their prize asset regardless.
Secondly, anyone that thinks we got a £2m bid for Fox and they turned it down will believe absolutely anything.
It's odd that fees paid are always undisclosed but bids supposedly made are always made public. I don't believe anything that comes out of the club and the bid for Fox was more than likely half that less another 20% and would have been accepted if THD hadn't gone or they could have got someone else in. £2m for Fox is just too unbelievable.
Comments
We're being asked to give credit to people who have historically deserved no credit, surely we should know what we're giving them credit for first ?
We are supposed to be on a project for promotion, were behind schedule anyway due to losing at Bury and drawing at home to Northampton, and it looked like a three point additional setback was on the cards.
I watched and thought, well where is it coming from, not the Ajose/Josh partnership, Holmes was being heavily targeted, we were losing to a team with a degree of nous.
On comes Lookman and he transforms everything.
After the game I thought if Lookman goes what have we got? Incidentally I wouldn't complain if Lookman is often used as an impact sub, or a convincer if the more experienced players establish a lead in a game. Anyway, I simply thought that if any aspiration of promotion is to be credible Lookman had to stay.
I imagine the debate was one between, yes the money is handy, but look at the difference he makes? It is indeed creditable that the internal debate, either in Roland's head with Alan Turing, between Roland and Katrien, in the SMT at the club, between Slade and the board, led to Lookman staying.
In addition I also believe the debate may even have extended to what is good for Lookman the footballer, and I believe it makes perfect sense for him to stay and develop as a player here. For that aspect of things credit is due somewhere too.
So on this issue, credit is definitely due to the club as a whole in my opinion.
But that's not what's happening. He continues with his lousy experiment in stony silence. He's interested in getting his money back and in some facile plan to prove that he's cleverer than he is. He's got money, but that's all. He has demonstrated complete and utter contempt for the fans, staff and history of this club. Maybe he'll do enough to get us back into the Championship. Even if he does though, that would just be righting one of his many wrongs. I'd like to see us get promoted, but even that would feel like a hollow victory. For me, he has killed the positive feelings that the club always had. Promotion for me will not make my heart sing as it did in 2012; it'll be good, but it will still be tainted and I will still fear for our future.
If I was the type of person that believed in gods, spirits and mumbo jumbo, I'd tie a little voodoo doll of him to a toasting fork. That's the only warming to Duchatelet that I could ever see myself doing.
I was looking forward to seeing Alou again. Different gravy when fit.
Selling two top midfielders to Burnley and QPR in the summer
Signing fewer players than the newly-appointed manager determined were required, when we were "miles away"
Leaving the squad short in full back and central midfield positions
Until they can overcome the enormous amount of damage they have done in the past, they will get no credit from me.
This squad might be good enough to get promotion. Even if it does, we'll be no better placed than we were when they took over. So, RD and KM: show some improvement and you will get all the credit you deserve. But start by selling up and never coming back.
But even if we do finish Champions I don't think the majority will forget that with better management of the club from Jan 2014-May 2016 we would never have gone down in the first place.
It also won't change their long-term ambition for the club, which is to be mid-table in the Championship and making money through developing and selling players, rather than building a strong team, filling the stadium, improving the stadium and aiming for the Premier League.
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the club put misinformation out about Lookman so as to look as if they resisted the temptation to sell him.
No they wouldn't would they ?
In the context of this thread it matters a lot
They have sold top quality for shit prices and made continual balls ups, still.
A trained chimp could see we needed strength in cm, but here we are, light in cm.
No credit, doing your job with an ounce of common sense is expected.
As you were
It is just about possible that Morgan or Ade declined the opportunity, as Michael Morrison declined his Romanian adventure. We'll find out if that were true if MF or AL get frozen out. We've seen how SMT subscribe to Kim Jong Un's tolerance of staff disobedience.
The most likely course of events is that no offers were formally placed. Any number of parties could have been flying kites, placing 'stories' in the all too gullible and complicit press; agents seeking paydays, would be suitors trying to find Roly's price point, Roly guageing the subjects' marketability.
Roly is convinced that all players have a discernible financial value.
He denies that they are not all interchangeable - to his mind Chicksen is the same as Fox, he in turn can be replaced by Lennon or even Solly; Lookman is the same as Novac, Magennis and Ajose. If an offer is received that matches or exceeds the number on his spreadsheet/back of an envelope/fag packet then he is open for business and the player is available.
Given Latrine's attitude to business propositions, she might well have been approached by Wednesday or the glaziers but the bone idle, deluded half-wit didn't fancy a late night at the office and just didn't find out what they wanted. Entirely unwittingly, that may turn out to be the best afternoon's work she never does, until Foxy finds out he could have doubled his money and escaped the toxic pantomime.
Secondly, anyone that thinks we got a £2m bid for Fox and they turned it down will believe absolutely anything.
That's 1000 fuckups and 1 pat on the back.
Yeah all is forgiven!
Our supporters seem desperate to forgive them quickly. Unique or wierd you decide!