Unpopular opinions

[equinox]

Something to console yourselves with:

Next season will be a better season if we are relegated than if we stay up.

[CrosspoolClarets]

Maybe not an unpopular opinion, but here goes:

I thin VK needs to evolve the style next season in preparation for the premier league. This maybe perceived as an arrogant thing to do, but for me if the end goal of the 4 year plan is to become a decent premier league outfit, he needs to ditch the ultra possession style and evolve it into something more of a Brentford or Fulham or Wolves. Even last season there were so many games where we just passed the ball to death, and then won the game in the last 15-20 as the opposition were shattered. Good fun at the time, but it is not sustainable for the league above. He also needs to learn that not every buy needs to be some up and coming raw diamond that he can mould into a sellable asset. The only way we will thrive ultimately is to have a good mix of youth and experience.

I hope our signings next season have experience in the english league, and a few more games under their belt, so they can augment our younger players.

I reckon the priority next year is to get promoted next year - failure would be a total disaster. Financially.

The style is a 2nd priority to that - if it ain’t broke (in the EFL) don’t fix it.

[CrosspoolClarets]

With the greatest of respect but I could acknowledge we'd been unlucky if we signed 4 fit strikers all good enough for this level and then they all got freak injuries and couldn't play.

But when you go into a PL season with one forward of the quality required, (ignoring anything that was known about his injury/illness) its not exactly bad luck is it- it's poor planning.

To be fair, we also have Amdouni who has a far higher pedigree so far than Lyle, we have Jay as backup, we had Obafemi (who badly tore a muscle) and we had Redmond who could play in the hole (who also had a season ending injury). That is 3 out of 5 forwards with season limiting injuries and amazingly Jay has been one of the only fit ones

[blatherwickstattoos]

I agree with the op. Many fans wanted a change of style at the end of the Dyche era and playing a possession based game in the premier league with an inexperienced and regularly changed team is the reason we haven’t been good enough.

We now have a younger squad with the ability to improve. We lost a game on Saturday with 75% possession and have clearly improved throughout the season gradually. We have been poor in both boxes and I think this can be mitigated to an extent by the loss of our best striker and best defenders.

We peaked at Fulham away and haven’t played well since . We aren’t getting any better at all

[CrosspoolClarets]

I’ve just checked and after the 3rd week in Feb Sheff Utd would have the same points ,we would have 2 more,and Luton would have 1 more.

That’s not what we are talking about though. You are referring to PGMOL accepted errors. I am on about things they haven’t accepted - Luton’s equaliser, Villa’s penalty, the Bournemouth handball, the Coufal foul on Koleosho. All were accepted by virtually all pundits as too harsh on us.

Doesn’t excuse our poor performances, but we cannot pretend we haven’t been ridiculously unlucky (or robbed, depending on perspective). I get surprised why some of our fans are so insistent that it is all down to the manager (who, for clarity, has been very naive in my view, but will learn)?

[Jamesy]

That’s not what we are talking about though. You are referring to PGMOL accepted errors. I am on about things they haven’t accepted - Luton’s equaliser, Villa’s penalty, the Bournemouth handball, the Coufal foul on Koleosho. All were accepted by virtually all pundits as too harsh on us.

Doesn’t excuse our poor performances, but we cannot pretend we haven’t been ridiculously unlucky (or robbed, depending on perspective). I get surprised why some of our fans are so insistent that it is all down to the manager (who, for clarity, has been very naive in my view, but will learn)?

Of course it is down to the manager, who you blindly claim will learn. He hasn’t shown any evidence of learning so far and we have just sleepwalked back to the Championship.
No one can take away from him what he achieved last season. However, the only reason he hasn’t been fired is that Pace and Co. have invested (gambled) too much into the project.
Past achievements don’t really buy loyalty in football. Look at Ranieri at Leicester the season after they won the Premier League.

He has got a massive job on his hands now to cull this bloated squad of expensively assembled players and to get the right players in for a long campaign in the Championship. This in itself could be problematic if we don’t receive substantial revenue from player sales.

Personally I think that if we are out of the play off positions at Christmas, Alan will get twitchy and pull the trigger.

[NewClaret]

Of course it is down to the manager, who you blindly claim will learn. He hasn’t shown any evidence of learning so far and we have just sleepwalked back to the Championship.
No one can take away from him what he achieved last season. However, the only reason he hasn’t been fired is that Pace and Co. have invested (gambled) too much into the project.
Past achievements don’t really buy loyalty in football. Look at Ranieri at Leicester the season after they won the Premier League.

He has got a massive job on his hands now to cull this bloated squad of expensively assembled players and to get the right players in for a long campaign in the Championship. This in itself could be problematic if we don’t receive substantial revenue from player sales.

Personally I think that if we are out of the play off positions at Christmas, Alan will get twitchy and pull the trigger.

Firstly, I do think he’s shown signs he’s learning.

He reverted to 4-4-2 after a handful of games and we looked more solid. Just last game he dropped Amdouni (who I think will be a very good player if he stays with us in the Champ or at a team that can afford a luxury player). I also think his January signings of two more physical and quick players show that he’s understanding the qualities we need at this level.

Thats not to say he’s done everything I’d have liked, particularly in terms of shape, but he’s shown evidence of learning.

You mention Leicester. That’s an interesting one for various reasons, but sticking on topic, where has sacking Ranieri got them? From league winners to the Championship. Smaller teams who have high turnover of managers exclusively go in one direction - down. In fact pretty much all success stories in football, be that silverware or relative success, are where the manager has been given patience and time to implement a plan. Maybe list off the worlds most successful managers in your mind and ask yourself how long they’d been in each role?

Every investment is a gamble. Every single transfer in football. If nobody took a gamble on players no transfers would ever occur. They worked last season not this season, but I think it’s way too early to determine whether they will long term. A few early goals for last summers signings in the championship and everyone will be talking silly money for them again.

[dougcollins]

To be fair, we also have Amdouni who has a far higher pedigree so far than Lyle

Just let me know when he decides he's going to show it.

[Jamesy]

Firstly, I do think he’s shown signs he’s learning.

He reverted to 4-4-2 after a handful of games and we looked more solid. Just last game he dropped Amdouni (who I think will be a very good player if he stays with us in the Champ or at a team that can afford a luxury player). I also think his January signings of two more physical and quick players show that he’s understanding the qualities we need at this level.

Thats not to say he’s done everything I’d have liked, particularly in terms of shape, but he’s shown evidence of learning.

You mention Leicester. That’s an interesting one for various reasons, but sticking on topic, where has sacking Ranieri got them? From league winners to the Championship. Smaller teams who have high turnover of managers exclusively go in one direction - down. In fact pretty much all success stories in football, be that silverware or relative success, are where the manager has been given patience and time to implement a plan. Maybe list off the worlds most successful managers in your mind and ask yourself how long they’d been in each role?

Every investment is a gamble. Every single transfer in football. If nobody took a gamble on players no transfers would ever occur. They worked last season not this season, but I think it’s way too early to determine whether they will long term. A few early goals for last summers signings in the championship and everyone will be talking silly money for them again.

Seriously I do admire your optimism. He has spent a small fortune by Burnley standards on players who look a mile off it and in the wrong positions.
Your assertion that we look more solid and his January signings to illustrate he is learning just doesn’t wash. We are even worse now.
Just the goalkeeper situation alone demonstrates that he isn’t learning.
If he hadn’t spent all that money on the squad I am certain he would have been fired by now.
Let’s wait and see what he does between now and Christmas. I just wish I could be as optimistic as you. UTC.

[NewClaret]

Seriously I do admire your optimism. He has spent a small fortune by Burnley standards on players who look a mile off it and in the wrong positions.
Your assertion that we look more solid and his January signings to illustrate he is learning just doesn’t wash. We are even worse now.
Just the goalkeeper situation alone demonstrates that he isn’t learning.
If he hadn’t spent all that money on the squad I am certain he would have been fired by now.
Let’s wait and see what he does between now and Christmas. I just wish I could be as optimistic as you. UTC.

He’s spent an awful lot by Burnley standards. The problem is, as we’re finding out, Burnley standards and Premier League standards are worlds apart.

You have to be owned by a billionaire/a state, or have a 60000 home attendance (in many cases both) to really stand a chance of competing financially.

My view is that complaining about the relatively low fees (compared to most Premier League signings - even Brentford & Bournemouth are now paying £20m+ on players) serves only to underline how we’re actually just not a Premier League club any more. Not necessarily because we’ve been relegated (that hasn’t helped) but because of the money that has flowed in to all clubs.

I’m not necessarily optimistic. I don’t view myself as that at all. I am just not pessimistic. Which in my view you have to be if you can’t see the significantly stronger squad we have now than when we last came up and how it will definitely be one of or the best squads in the league below even with a number of departures.

So I ask myself: heading in to next year would I rather be a Birmingham, Boro, Sunderland, WBA, Norwich, Watford, QPR, Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United fan… or a Burnley fan? Yes there are no guarantees whatsoever but they are all big city clubs, many with larger stadiums and much larger catchment areas… and I’d rather be in our situation than theirs. That doesn’t mean I am happy how this year has gone but I can put our clubs position in to perspective in terms of the wider football pyramid… and it’s not bad at all.

[Rileybobs]

Sorry for the delay.

Foster having a severe mental health problem, then surgery, plus Koleosho missing most of the season, Beyer missing most of the season, and having a huge number of points taken off by officials, some being 3 point swings (Forest, Luton and West Ham where a stonewall penalty would have put us 2-0 up) and some being 1 or 2 points (Bournemouth away, Villa away).

I’d say that is outrageously bad luck, without which I reckon we would be on 30+ points and nearly safe (despite being rocky at the back with iffy goalkeeper distribution and aerial domination).

You think without bad luck we would currently be on 30+ points? I'm sorry but that's completely delusional.

[Jamesy]

He’s spent an awful lot by Burnley standards. The problem is, as we’re finding out, Burnley standards and Premier League standards are worlds apart.

You have to be owned by a billionaire/a state, or have a 60000 home attendance (in many cases both) to really stand a chance of competing financially.

My view is that complaining about the relatively low fees (compared to most Premier League signings - even Brentford & Bournemouth are now paying £20m+ on players) serves only to underline how we’re actually just not a Premier League club any more. Not necessarily because we’ve been relegated (that hasn’t helped) but because of the money that has flowed in to all clubs.

I’m not necessarily optimistic. I don’t view myself as that at all. I am just not pessimistic. Which in my view you have to be if you can’t see the significantly stronger squad we have now than when we last came up and how it will definitely be one of or the best squads in the league below even with a number of departures.

So I ask myself: heading in to next year would I rather be a Birmingham, Boro, Sunderland, WBA, Norwich, Watford, QPR, Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United fan… or a Burnley fan? Yes there are no guarantees whatsoever but they are all big city clubs, many with larger stadiums and much larger catchment areas… and I’d rather be in our situation than theirs. That doesn’t mean I am happy how this year has gone but I can put our clubs position in to perspective in terms of the wider football pyramid… and it’s not bad at all.

Brentford and Bournemouth haven’t spent any more on players than we have. So we are now little old Burnley?
So Vincent might as well not have spunked all of this money then and the Yanks are wasting their time chasing the dream?
You are contradicting yourself when you quote 60,000 gates or billionaire owners to compete? Yet little clubs like Brentford and Bournemouth are managing it.

Don’t tell me Bournemouth have got a wealthy owner, I already know. The fact is every club has to play within the rules of FFP so how can Brentford and Bournemouth have an advantage over us with smaller supporter bases and revenue streams?
In Brentford’s case they scout good young talent and sell at a profit to survive. This in itself is a long term plan.

I actually like the Championship and if you asked me to be honest I would say that that’s about where we should be, but again don’t tell the Yanks.

You can defend Vincent and his lack of achievements this season all you like and use any comparisons with other clubs to try and support your argument. However, you cannot escape the fact that after all the money he has spent on this massive squad of nothing type players with tiny or no cahoonas we are going down without so much as a whimper and we have a pathetic 13 points from 27 games.

[Stockbrokerbelt]

The team is a disjointed mess with a total lack of belief and unity.

Edwards has Luton performing to their max ability; can you say the same about Vincent here?... because ultimately, that's what the job of the manager is.

The same Luton we took 4 points of last season & 4 points this season that should have been 6.

[StayingDown4Ever]

Brentford and Bournemouth haven’t spent any more on players than we have. So we are now little old Burnley?
So Vincent might as well not have spunked all of this money then and the Yanks are wasting their time chasing the dream?
You are contradicting yourself when you quote 60,000 gates or billionaire owners to compete? Yet little clubs like Brentford and Bournemouth are managing it.

Don’t tell me Bournemouth have got a wealthy owner, I already know. The fact is every club has to play within the rules of FFP so how can Brentford and Bournemouth have an advantage over us with smaller supporter bases and revenue streams?
In Brentford’s case they scout good young talent and sell at a profit to survive. This in itself is a long term plan.

I actually like the Championship and if you asked me to be honest I would say that that’s about where we should be, but again don’t tell the Yanks.

You can defend Vincent and his lack of achievements this season all you like and use any comparisons with other clubs to try and support your argument. However, you cannot escape the fact that after all the money he has spent on this massive squad of nothing type players with tiny or no cahoonas we are going down without so much as a whimper and we have a pathetic 13 points from 27 games.

It’s an absolutely embarrassing points haul from 27 games.

[StayingDown4Ever]

The same Luton we took 4 points of last season & 4 points this season that should have been 6.

The same Luton it could have been 6 points if we didn’t persist with that weakling in goal.

[NewClaret]

Brentford and Bournemouth haven’t spent any more on players than we have. So we are now little old Burnley?
So Vincent might as well not have spunked all of this money then and the Yanks are wasting their time chasing the dream?
You are contradicting yourself when you quote 60,000 gates or billionaire owners to compete? Yet little clubs like Brentford and Bournemouth are managing it.

Don’t tell me Bournemouth have got a wealthy owner, I already know. The fact is every club has to play within the rules of FFP so how can Brentford and Bournemouth have an advantage over us with smaller supporter bases and revenue streams?
In Brentford’s case they scout good young talent and sell at a profit to survive. This in itself is a long term plan.

I actually like the Championship and if you asked me to be honest I would say that that’s about where we should be, but again don’t tell the Yanks.

You can defend Vincent and his lack of achievements this season all you like and use any comparisons with other clubs to try and support your argument. However, you cannot escape the fact that after all the money he has spent on this massive squad of nothing type players with tiny or no cahoonas we are going down without so much as a whimper and we have a pathetic 13 points from 27 games.

Well in Brentford’s case they spent €72m in summer and €49m the year prior with €256m over 5 years. They agreed a €30m deal for Nusa in Jan that fell through on medical and have already signed €33m Thiago for summer. So they’re already signing players nearly double our outlay.

And Bournemouth spent €127m this year, €83m last year, €278m spent over 5 years. So Bournemouth at least have spent more than us.

I am not contradicting myself at all. I am saying to be financially competitive in the league you need a billionaire owner. Obviously there’s a few small clubs breaking the mould and beating the odds, of which we are also doing at this moment in time but likely not for much longer.

You’re right, the performances haven’t been great and the results/points tally reflects that. If you just look at the here and now, things aren’t great, if you look at the bigger picture and squad vs the competition we’ll have next year the picture isn’t so bleak.

I also like the Championship. Partly because we will always be more competitive at that level than Premier League level where we’re making up the numbers. But especially as we get to smash Rovers again twice next year. So lots to look forward to.

[TPClaret]

Last season was my favourite season as a fan of 40 years. Never seen us play such a dominating style of football. Passing teams to death. That’s why this season has been so disappointing.

[Jamesy]

Well in Brentford’s case they spent €72m in summer and €49m the year prior with €256m over 5 years. They agreed a €30m deal for Nusa in Jan that fell through on medical and have already signed €33m Thiago for summer. So they’re already signing players nearly double our outlay.

And Bournemouth spent €127m this year, €83m last year, €278m spent over 5 years. So Bournemouth at least have spent more than us.

I am not contradicting myself at all. I am saying to be financially competitive in the league you need a billionaire owner. Obviously there’s a few small clubs breaking the mould and beating the odds, of which we are also doing at this moment in time but likely not for much longer.

You’re right, the performances haven’t been great and the results/points tally reflects that. If you just look at the here and now, things aren’t great, if you look at the bigger picture and squad vs the competition we’ll have next year the picture isn’t so bleak.

I also like the Championship. Partly because we will always be more competitive at that level than Premier League level where we’re making up the numbers. But especially as we get to smash Rovers again twice next year. So lots to look forward to.

Again you are simply waffling about financial/expenditure figures which are not much different to ours.
You keep quoting the squad as if Kompany has invested wisely against the competition next year.

In a nutshell we have wasted a fortune this season and Kompany has trousered a bit more money from his multiple signings. What we are going to do with all of these surplus to requirements players is anyone’s guess. Hopefully, some clubs somewhere will be naive enough to give us a small return on these poor signings.

I won’t hold my breath, I will wait for the Yanks to decide how best to sort out this mess. And they won’t have a clue either.

[Jakubclaret]

I've just checked townsends stats

1 goal
2 assists

You can add another assist to that.

[Nori1958]

You can add another assist to that.

Wow

[Jakubclaret]

Wow

It's not bad to say he's only getting thrown on towards the end. He's doing far more than anyone we've got in the short space of time he's featuring.

[NewClaret]

It's not bad to say he's only getting thrown on towards the end. He's doing far more than anyone we've got in the short space of time he's featuring.

In hindsight it looks a bit strange we went for a 6th left sided winger in Redmond over Townsend who’s looked decent in the right whenever he’s played. Can only imagine it was his age that factored in (Redmond a couple of years younger).

[Jakubclaret]

In hindsight it looks a bit strange we went for a 6th left sided winger in Redmond over Townsend who’s looked decent in the right whenever he’s played. Can only imagine it was his age that factored in (Redmond a couple of years younger).

It was a mistake not getting him I'm pretty sure he would have contributed.

[NewClaret]

It was a mistake not getting him I'm pretty sure he would have contributed.

Yep, I agree. Doubt we’d be in a different position but would’ve offered more balance for sure. Strange one.

[Jakubclaret]

Yep, I agree. Doubt we’d be in a different position but would’ve offered more balance for sure. Strange one.

Lots of things are strange. It's a club where people aren't making best interest decisions & there's a complete lack of accountability.

[Culmclaret]

Lots of things are strange. It's a club where people aren't making best interest decisions & there's a complete lack of accountability.

It has felt from the start of this season that winning, or at least drawing, first team games is not a priority

[taio]

It has felt from the start of this season that winning, or at least drawing, first team games is not a priority

We need a stronger mentality. Like not wishing to foreit the remaining games.