What might have been

We are all aware of the close shaves we have had in almost signing big names of the past (Denilson and Rivaldo) and future (Thiago Alcantara) among others. Did you know that many other clubs close to us have similar stories? Case in point:

In the early and mid 1990s, the Lancashire club (Blackburn) competed to sign elite players and promising up-and-comers alike.

One of those promising up-and-comers was a French midfielder named Zinedine Zidane. In 1995, the 23-year-old Zidane had not yet become a legend.

Blackburn had a chance to sign Zidane then, but according to the Lancashire Telegraph, club financier Jack Walker said, “Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?”

Source

... I see the lack of investment a few years ago as one of the reasons we are were we are...

If we had got that champions league spot, our worldwide exposure would have increased tenfold - maybe we would be owned by a billionaire now and rubbing shoulders with the European giants....

In response to the OP, I dont think any club has as many 'tried and failed' players as we have...

other clubs are generally willing to pay for their targets...

Reebok_Rebel wrote:... I see the lack of investment a few years ago as one of the reasons we are were we are...

If we had got that champions league spot, our worldwide exposure would have increased tenfold - maybe we would be owned by a billionaire now and rubbing shoulders with the European giants....

You could say this about anything though. If John McGinlay had missed that penalty against PNE at Burnden we might never have made the big time. We might be lining up against Bamber Bridge next week.

I asked Rebel this yesterday but he didn't answer. Rebel, how much debt do you want the club to get into before you will be satisfied about its ambition? Is 110M in 10 years not enough?

largehat wrote:I asked Rebel this yesterday but he didn't answer. Rebel, how much debt do you want the club to get into before you will be satisfied about its ambition? Is 110M in 10 years not enough?

if we had took the gamble on getting in a bit more debt... and it paid off, we would have been better off in the long run for it.

I dont want us in debt at all, but I think we missed a golden opportunity to progress as a club the season fat Sam walked...

sorry but I do.

I'm glad you used the word 'gamble', because if it hadn't come off, we'd have ended up like Portsmouth are now.

Any club which cannot fill a 27,000 stadium week-in, week-out, will never compete at the top level of the game without either kamikaze financial planning in the Rangers, Leeds and Portsmouth mould or a billionaire benefactor in the Chelsea and Manchester City mould.

largehat wrote:I'm glad you used the word 'gamble', because if it hadn't come off, we'd have ended up like Portsmouth are now.

Any club which cannot fill a 27,000 stadium week-in, week-out, will never compete at the top level of the game without either kamikaze financial planning in the Rangers, Leeds and Portsmouth mould or a billionaire benefactor in the Chelsea and Manchester City mould.

this is true... but we almost got there spending fuck all, so we wouldn't have had to have spent billions on getting to that next step...

ok, sustaining it may have been an issue... but we could at least have said we were one of the select few who had been there...

the problem is, I put my foot in my mouth with this... I want us to do well, all the while wanting us to turn in to something a hate - a club that attracts glory hunters and spends there way to silverware...

I cant fucking win!