Gorgiesaint

A draft system would not work within the structure of English football at present. You need a closed shop environment to allow it to work - unless you are happy to seal the Premiership off at the end of this season so we can never get back there? My suggestion (FWIW) is this: No salary cap in the Premier League. Allows the top clubs to still compete with European teams on a level playing field. Salary Cap in place from CCC downwards - in return for this, league clubs get a greater share of Premier League money. Clauses inserted into all players contracts that they take a pay cut if relegated. Increased penalties for administration - any club must start back in L2 - this will act as the deterent to Premier League clubs to spend beyond their means. Overall it will mean that clubs in the lower leagues have better income but tighter financial control so less opportunity to screw it up & go bust. More opportunity for risk in the Prem but severe penalties if you don't live within your means.

No I agree with you - thats why I said quality not quantity was needed. What I disagreed with was that Lowe budgeted for failure - IMO he budgeted!!

History shows Lowe budgetted for failure - I know this means I'm gonna take pelters from the anti-Lowes but I don't agree. Lowe has made many mistakes - his failures in choosing managers to work successfully within budgets is what has cost us. Surely the experience of the last 2 years demonstrates that working outside of your budget has disasterous consequences. Lowe had a budget & stuck to it. (I know there are then arguments about how much was siphoned off etc) IMO we did not use the budget we had effectively - we had too many players who were not good enough - quantity not quality. At the end of the day, it can be argued whether that bloated squad is the fault of the manager or chairman, the chairman does pick the manager. For that reason blame Lowe - but don't blame him for being prudent with the finances.

Thanks for that - been looking for one post that summed up yesterday.... ....and I've just found it!!

and to think we criticise Lowe for not learning from his mistakes - he wouldn't be stupid enough to repeat this one again would he, against say somebody like Barclays.........

Actually not sure!! So 2 bids may have been the wrong thing to say so apologies - but Fry is still talking to that group (at least if you believe the Echo this morning). IMO there is no point in worrying about no announcements just yet (& yes I am as concerned about it as you hence why we're both on ths forum at stupid o'clock in the morning!) until the payroll run is due which I believe is the 20th or 21st. If we get to then with no announcement then I will be really worried.

Talks have not broken down!!! He's still talking to them, it's just gone on longer than expected - remember if he's got 2 bids then he will be busy playing them off against each other so he gets the best deal for the creditors.

Really - it's still a very expensive set of curtains even at the bargain basement price!! The point is there is a very small market to sell football clubs to. lol - reminds of a certain football club chairman who finally got it right after he appointed Strachan - he followed that up with his next appointment.....oh. At the end of the day, Fry is doing his job & getting on with it. He will have known by talking to all of the interested groups where they currently stand. Nick, I understand your concerns about the one & only bid walking away but I'm sure Fry will know there are better bids about to unfold - hopefully tomorrow will see the start of the endgame.

Michael Wilde has not made any friends yet lol Think that's your answer Mike - now go away please - and don't come back.

Erm sorry but he won't remind you of Pahars. Sulky, lazy, play-acting & tempremental are words that spring to mind.

I did suggest Dave Jones on another thread yesterday - although it's massively unlikely that Cardiff will let him go after Ridsdales comments. I did check the Cardiff 606 messageboard & every single Cardiff fan to have commented (up to that point) was behind him & said he had to stay. Still would be a tremendous opportunity if he became available as he has a proven track record at L1 level when he was at Stockport.

lol Benjii, taking a club forward into a new season at the highest level they've been at (something he did with Team Bath as well) does not strike me as a lack of ambition. FWIW I do agree with you that Tisdale would be a decent appointment but I'm sure he will show some loyalty to Exeter. Right now, they are the better placed club, lets hope we get bought soon & we can begin to stabilise. Then we may be a decent draw for a manager & players at that level.

Jack Cork - our best outfield player in the first half of the season in the shambles that was JP's management. It is also a sad indictment of the rest of the players that he left in Dec/Jan and no-one has stepped up to the mark.

Why?? He's had back to back promotions at Exeter and has things organised the way he wants down there. He will have little pressure on him. Or he could join the soap opera that is SFC.....

Sorry Nick but I don't think there is any way Tisdale will come here as manager this season now that Exeter have been promoted. (not that I would complain if we got him!!) My shout of who is available would be Boothroyd. Apart from that, will be interesting to see if Dave Jones will keep his job after Cardiff fell away & missed the play-offs today, if he became available would he be interested?

no - he has been involved since the start of the season & whatever he has tried it has not been good enough

Lets just hope that there is a next season to come back to....

There is something new here - and thats the comment that we owe £2m to the inland revenue. This is the first time that has been written about anywhere. The danger now is that we get taken over but if that debt is not paid in full then there is a CVA issue coming out of administration - and we are looking at a further points deduction. We could be looking at a starting point of -25 points next season.

Well done to Exeter & Paul Tisdale - although if anyone had any hopes of taking him as our next manager, then I'm sure they are blown away for at least another season. See the BBC did a blog on Exeter.... http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2009/05/ecstatic_exeter_scale_the_heig.html#080985

Only if you were in Tonga!!! Of course by now, it would be yesterday for us as well.......

Whatever the rights & wrongs, IMO Crouch's comments after the announcement of the points deduction were ill-timed to say the least. As regards the timings, what would he have known as the plc was set up way before he was involved with the club at any level above being a supporter. That said, at least he is making some effort to try and save the club - unlike Lowe, Wilde & Askham.

At least its a month of his wages saved, and as you say he contributed little. Have we got anyone else still on loan that we can cut short?

Thats Toxteth O'Grady

If the stewards had sent them back - do you really think that the Northam fans would have gone ok, I'll go & sit back in my seat!!!!! The first guy on the piych was from the Kingsland, but then many were from the Northam who moved round. You, along with thousand of others, who join in following the 'mob mentality' do not help the situation, as you provide cover (inadvertently) for those who do want to cause trouble. My guess wold be 200-250 people goading the Burnley fans, with only a handful intent on causing trouble, but you leave the police no option but to deal with a larger mob & is gets reported as such. Let's hope the FL are feeling leniant on this one.