Twiggster wrote:"Bates supports his managers", WR? Sorry mate, but after the cash he gave to slackwell, he learned his lesson.
Why are you discounting the major recruitment undertaken by Wise which was the start of our unbalanced squad, or the wages Bates must have stumped up to secure Robbo [who was on his way to the Champs with Swans at the time and was a major financial and playing millstone around our neck from day 1]? I'm guessing the likes of Dougie Freedman [our finest loan] and Lihaj [2nd best] + all the other loans from the Prem weren't here for Div 1 and Champs wages. Nah, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that Bates has supported his managers well enough. What he doesn't get quite right - in common with 99% of chairman - is the selection of his managers. The hardest part of a chairman's job. Even clubs who are loaded with cash get it wrong more than right.
He supports them to a degree but only to a level similar to other midtable championship sides and as such what we have is a midtable side that threatened at times to over achieve. If Bates would have thrown SG the kind of cash that Leicester have done then he would have had a right to expect promotion - given what we have spent all he had was the right to be midtable and hopefully have a shot at the play-offs is the squad steered clear of major injuries - which it didn't.
Bates's job is to balance the books and he seems able to do that - although part of his job though is to have staff who can find ways to offload players no longer needed as they were replaced by better players as the team progressed (how many of the current squad would have been needed if we'd got promoted again?)
SG's job was to manage the team he had and balance the budget as best he could and I think he did. Some managers might have been able to do better, most would have done a lot worse.
Cjay wrote: ↑Sat May 17, 2025 4:23 pm
I've pretended to support a team that's been crap for most of my life as part of a long term plan
Victor_Notts-17 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 7:03 pm
Did you post them because there's something wrong with your brain
weasel wrote:He supports them to a degree but only to a level similar to other midtable championship sides and as such what we have is a midtable side that threatened at times to over achieve. If Bates would have thrown SG the kind of cash that Leicester have done then he would have had a right to expect promotion - given what we have spent all he had was the right to be midtable and hopefully have a shot at the play-offs is the squad steered clear of major injuries - which it didn't.
Bates's job is to balance the books and he seems able to do that - although part of his job though is to have staff who can find ways to offload players no longer needed as they were replaced by better players as the team progressed (how many of the current squad would have been needed if we'd got promoted again?)
SG's job was to manage the team he had and balance the budget as best he could and I think he did. Some managers might have been able to do better, most would have done a lot worse.
Grayson inherited players who are now in the Prem. Signed one who now plays in the top flight in France. Inherited Snod who may yet play in the Prem but is the best of his type in the Champs. Our goalie is as good as owt in the league. We have a Prem centre half, a Prem utility left sided player, some on here claim Clayton to be the best mid outside the Prem, Ross is one of the leagues top goal scorers, Warnock wanted Becchio at one point and so on. This stuff about Bates doesn't back his managers and we only have a mid table squad is total nonsense. The right manager takes LUFC into the top 6 at the very least.
I agree we do have a decent keeper (signed by Grayson) - albeit no one in the premiership wanted him for a very low fee.
We don't have a prem centre half unless you are including O'Brien who was allowed to leave Bolton as he was no longer good enough for their squad and hasn't been available for most of the season (we have a defender who has only played at league 2 level before and a defender not good enough for Celtic's squad).
We don't have a prem left sided utility player - we have a player deemed not good enough to be a utility player in Stoke's 25 man squad.
Yes we have the promising Clayton (signed by Grayson) - again though a player who has not played above league 1 level till this season. On his day a very good player but is still learning the game and as such will be inconsistent - as has already been proven.
Yes we have Snodgrass who is having a very good season and full marks to Bates for not selling him.
Yes we have one of the leading scorers in the division in McCormack (signed by Grayson).
Yes we have Becchio too - who has been woefully out of form since his injury.
And the rest of the superstar XI?
We have a few pieces of a good team. We don't have a team with adequate strength in depth. If you analysed every squad in the division I'm sure you could find a similarly strong few players in every team. As such we are a mid table side with the same chance of getting into the play-offs as a dozen teams.
As I said Bates has his job which is to balance the books. The funds then allocated to SG made us a mid table side.
Cjay wrote: ↑Sat May 17, 2025 4:23 pm
I've pretended to support a team that's been crap for most of my life as part of a long term plan
Victor_Notts-17 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 7:03 pm
Did you post them because there's something wrong with your brain
weasel wrote:I agree we do have a decent keeper (signed by Grayson) - albeit no one in the premiership wanted him for a very low fee.
We don't have a prem centre half unless you are including O'Brien who was allowed to leave Bolton as he was no longer good enough for their squad and hasn't been available for most of the season (we have a defender who has only played at league 2 level before and a defender not good enough for Celtic's squad).
We don't have a prem left sided utility player - we have a player deemed not good enough to be a utility player in Stoke's 25 man squad.
Yes we have the promising Clayton (signed by Grayson) - again though a player who has not played above league 1 level till this season. On his day a very good player but is still learning the game and as such will be inconsistent - as has already been proven.
Yes we have Snodgrass who is having a very good season and full marks to Bates for not selling him.
Yes we have one of the leading scorers in the division in McCormack (signed by Grayson).
Yes we have Becchio too - who has been woefully out of form since his injury.
And the rest of the superstar XI?
We have a few pieces of a good team. We don't have a team with adequate strength in depth. If you analysed every squad in the division I'm sure you could find a similarly strong few players in every team. As such we are a mid table side with the same chance of getting into the play-offs as a dozen teams.
As I said Bates has his job which is to balance the books. The funds then allocated to SG made us a mid table side.
I won't be signing for your Sunday league side, as good as I am You make too many excuses and I prefer to play for a manager with ambition. Pugh is with us because Stoke have pushed on. He was good enough to get them up and to help them stay up. Bolton doing really well without OB who is as good as any CB in our league. Norwich and Swans doing magnificently with a team full of lower league players. Managers who make excuses always fail.
ps: our academy lads are also the future and better than you clearly think they are.
Sorry mate, but after the cash he gave to slackwell, he learned his lesson.
You make too many excuses and I prefer to play for a manager with ambition. Pugh is with us because Stoke have pushed on. He was good enough to get them up and to help them stay up. Bolton doing really well without OB who is as good as any CB in our league. Norwich and Swans doing magnificently with a team full of lower league players. Managers who make excuses always fail.