OFFICIAL - Jason Lowe signs

With a team that I strongly suspect will be built from frees and loans (maybe we will buy a striker though - but not for much more than a million or so), I suspect eight place (just outside the play-offs) is a little bit too optimistic for the coming season and around fourteenth place a more realistic top end target.

Obviously would be happy to be proved wrong though.

As TROY says, staying up will again be our priority.



But if we sell to one of those billionaires queueing up to buy us though...!

Sluffy wrote:With a team that I strongly suspect will be built from frees and loans (maybe we will buy a striker though - but not for much more than a million or so), I suspect eight place (just outside the play-offs) is a little bit too optimistic for the coming season and around fourteenth place a more realistic top end target.

Obviously would be happy to be proved wrong though.

As TROY says, staying up will again be our priority.



But if we sell to one of those billionaires queueing up to buy us though...!

I agree eighth is a big ask given the circs but that's why I would deem the season a success if we got anywhere between there and fourteenth. I think between fifteenth and twentieth is much more likely and it would be acceptable for me in its own right provided we continue to progress off the field in terms of straightening out our financial position.

With Parkinson in charge finishing 17th or higher would be a success.

Sadly, I feel we will be rooted in the bottom 3 until Parkinson is potted in Sept/Oct. I just don't see him changing his attitude to personnel/tactics.

Natasha Whittam wrote:With Parkinson in charge finishing 17th or higher would be a success.

Sadly, I feel we will be rooted in the bottom 3 until Parkinson is potted in Sept/Oct. I just don't see him changing his attitude to personnel/tactics.

I'm not sure he has the room to change the personnel to any great degree Nat but I do agree that his tactics were questionable on several occasions last season. Personally I think he will have learned a great deal from those mistakes and I hope to see proof of that early on in the season. If it turns out he hasn't then I'll hold my hand up and admit he should go but I'm not going to do that until and unless he deserves it. Right now I think he's done what was asked of him to date, ie he got us back into the Championship and kept us there so to sack him now would be an injustice. Obviously a lot will depend on what's going on off the field and who we can bring in to add depth to the squad but I'm keeping my expectations low on that front because I don't want to start a season feeling disappointed before a ball's been kicked. We've all had to do that too many times already.

You negative fools. Investment is around the corner

luckyPeterpiper wrote:Lusty having read way too many of your rants about Ken "Beelzebub" Anderson already I see no point to giving you yet another chance to foam at the mouth about the man who has basically kept this club alive over the last two or three years. I will say this, if Ken can find a buyer who generates a large profit for him personally then good for him, he deserves it. Frankly I think it's incredibly unlikely that he's sabotaging any potential investment in the club for personal profit reasons and I still don't grasp your rationale when you say you think he's some power mad despot who's secretly stripping the clubs assets until he's bled it dry. While I respect your opinion on most things I have to say I think you're wrong at best and delusional at worst on the topic of Ken Anderson and his motives.

Thanks for your response. I much prefer the calm(er) voice.

Boggersbelief wrote:You negative fools. Investment is around the corner

Why are we buying Rovers' has-beens then? We already have Lowe and now the BN seems disappointed we aren't in the hunt for Graham. If investment is imminent wouldn't signings be on hold until the budget is known?

wanderlust wrote:

Boggersbelief wrote:You negative fools. Investment is around the corner

Why are we buying Rovers' has-beens then? We already have Lowe and now the BN seems disappointed we aren't in the hunt for Graham. If investment is imminent wouldn't signings be on hold until the budget is known?

I agree with lusty here. If Ken was confident or actually knew that there was fresh investment money coming in he'd tell Phil and the scouts to keep looking around but hold off actual signings until he knew how much we'd actually have to spend. It's my opinion that the club's operating on the assumption there'll be no investment in the immediate future and I suspect Ken knows that for certain so he's letting PP and the rest do the best they can with what we have now because there's no other choice.

New money may come in later, I personally think it will if we can consolidate our position in the championship this season but right now I don't think anyone's going to find us all that attractive in terms of potential return at least not in the short term. Since most speculative investors are looking for quick profits that will put them off.

luckyPeterpiper wrote:

wanderlust wrote:

Boggersbelief wrote:You negative fools. Investment is around the corner

Why are we buying Rovers' has-beens then? We already have Lowe and now the BN seems disappointed we aren't in the hunt for Graham. If investment is imminent wouldn't signings be on hold until the budget is known?

I agree with lusty here. If Ken was confident or actually knew that there was fresh investment money coming in he'd tell Phil and the scouts to keep looking around but hold off actual signings until he knew how much we'd actually have to spend. It's my opinion that the club's operating on the assumption there'll be no investment in the immediate future and I suspect Ken knows that for certain so he's letting PP and the rest do the best they can with what we have now because there's no other choice.

Bloody hell!

wanderlust wrote:

luckyPeterpiper wrote:

wanderlust wrote:

Boggersbelief wrote:You negative fools. Investment is around the corner

Why are we buying Rovers' has-beens then? We already have Lowe and now the BN seems disappointed we aren't in the hunt for Graham. If investment is imminent wouldn't signings be on hold until the budget is known?

I agree with lusty here. If Ken was confident or actually knew that there was fresh investment money coming in he'd tell Phil and the scouts to keep looking around but hold off actual signings until he knew how much we'd actually have to spend. It's my opinion that the club's operating on the assumption there'll be no investment in the immediate future and I suspect Ken knows that for certain so he's letting PP and the rest do the best they can with what we have now because there's no other choice.

Bloody hell!

Don't be so shocked lusty. I don't agree with you on KA's motives but it's pretty obvious that we're not going to see a sudden influx of money any time soon. I am certain Ken's doing his best to find it but the fact is we're not an easy sell right now so he's got to work off the assumption he won't be getting big wads of extra cash in the immeditate future and cut the club's budgetary cloth accordingly. That way if nothing else it'll be a welcome surprise for Phil and the fans if money does come in in time to use it in this transfer window.