Jourdan

The same Clough who built his Derby side around a trusted core that progressed together and the same Clough who then took some of those same trusted players to Leeds and Forest?
I don’t dispute he will be tested more. You could make the same argument for the entire squad, mind you. Even our player of the year could be replaced by that logic.
The reality is that we need a starting point to build a competitive squad and logically our most consistent and best performing players - Wildsmith, Cashin, Nelson, NML, Collins - should (and hopefully will) be the foundations of that. Most promoted teams that do well have a high performing core group that they stick with and put their faith behind.
Warne would be brave, bordering on crazy, to deviate from that, especially given the importance he places on team chemistry, team spirit and the psychology of the group.
Do we really want to rip up the squad and have to wait weeks and months for it to gel? Surely we want to make important tweaks that give us a boost but maintain a sense of continuity?

Wildsmith is one to keep, in my opinion. Anything else would seem counter-intuitive.
He’s been part of a strong defence and kept twenty clean sheets. He’s been first choice for us for the past two years. He deserves a shot at being a Championship regular. Crucially too he won’t demand the same wages as keepers like Rodak and Ryan with higher level experience.
OK, yes, upgrade on players when you can. But in our position we’ll need to prioritise where money is spent and goalkeeper would not be a top priority.
Surely if we can extend Wildsmith’s deal and spend funds elsewhere, it makes the most sense?

The same Clough who built his Derby side around a trusted core that progressed together and the same Clough who then took some of those same trusted players to Leeds and Forest?
I don’t dispute he will be tested more. You could make the same argument for the entire squad, mind you. Even our player of the year could be replaced by that logic.
The reality is that we need a starting point to build a competitive squad and logically our most consistent and best performing players - Wildsmith, Cashin, Nelson, NML, Collins - should (and hopefully will) be the foundations of that. Most promoted teams that do well have a high performing core group that they stick with and put their faith behind.
Warne would be brave, bordering on crazy, to deviate from that, especially given the importance he places on team chemistry, team spirit and the psychology of the group.
Do we really want to rip up the squad and have to wait weeks and months for it to gel? Surely we want to make important tweaks that give us a boost but maintain a sense of continuity?

Wildsmith is one to keep, in my opinion. Anything else would seem counter-intuitive.
He’s been part of a strong defence and kept twenty clean sheets. He’s been first choice for us for the past two years. He deserves a shot at being a Championship regular. Crucially too he won’t demand the same wages as keepers like Rodak and Ryan with higher level experience.
OK, yes, upgrade on players when you can. But in our position we’ll need to prioritise where money is spent and goalkeeper would not be a top priority.
Surely if we can extend Wildsmith’s deal and spend funds elsewhere, it makes the most sense?

Wildsmith is one to keep, in my opinion. Anything else would seem counter-intuitive.
He’s been part of a strong defence and kept twenty clean sheets. He’s been first choice for us for the past two years. He deserves a shot at being a Championship regular. Crucially too he won’t demand the same wages as keepers like Rodak and Ryan with higher level experience.
OK, yes, upgrade on players when you can. But in our position we’ll need to prioritise where money is spent and goalkeeper would not be a top priority.
Surely if we can extend Wildsmith’s deal and spend funds elsewhere, it makes the most sense?

Yes I've had the email.
I'm a bit disappointed it didn't include the key stat: XG for all the games I've watched. 😃

Follow that by he is about to come into the peak age for a GK. I’m trying to get my head around why people want him gone. He has saved us a lot more times than he has cost us.
 

Wildsmith is one to keep, in my opinion. Anything else would seem counter-intuitive.
He’s been part of a strong defence and kept twenty clean sheets. He’s been first choice for us for the past two years. He deserves a shot at being a Championship regular. Crucially too he won’t demand the same wages as keepers like Rodak and Ryan with higher level experience.
OK, yes, upgrade on players when you can. But in our position we’ll need to prioritise where money is spent and goalkeeper would not be a top priority.
Surely if we can extend Wildsmith’s deal and spend funds elsewhere, it makes the most sense?

Wildsmith is one to keep, in my opinion. Anything else would seem counter-intuitive.
He’s been part of a strong defence and kept twenty clean sheets. He’s been first choice for us for the past two years. He deserves a shot at being a Championship regular. Crucially too he won’t demand the same wages as keepers like Rodak and Ryan with higher level experience.
OK, yes, upgrade on players when you can. But in our position we’ll need to prioritise where money is spent and goalkeeper would not be a top priority.
Surely if we can extend Wildsmith’s deal and spend funds elsewhere, it makes the most sense?

Wildsmith is one to keep, in my opinion. Anything else would seem counter-intuitive.
He’s been part of a strong defence and kept twenty clean sheets. He’s been first choice for us for the past two years. He deserves a shot at being a Championship regular. Crucially too he won’t demand the same wages as keepers like Rodak and Ryan with higher level experience.
OK, yes, upgrade on players when you can. But in our position we’ll need to prioritise where money is spent and goalkeeper would not be a top priority.
Surely if we can extend Wildsmith’s deal and spend funds elsewhere, it makes the most sense?

Wildsmith is one to keep, in my opinion. Anything else would seem counter-intuitive.
He’s been part of a strong defence and kept twenty clean sheets. He’s been first choice for us for the past two years. He deserves a shot at being a Championship regular. Crucially too he won’t demand the same wages as keepers like Rodak and Ryan with higher level experience.
OK, yes, upgrade on players when you can. But in our position we’ll need to prioritise where money is spent and goalkeeper would not be a top priority.
Surely if we can extend Wildsmith’s deal and spend funds elsewhere, it makes the most sense?

Wildsmith is one to keep, in my opinion. Anything else would seem counter-intuitive.
He’s been part of a strong defence and kept twenty clean sheets. He’s been first choice for us for the past two years. He deserves a shot at being a Championship regular. Crucially too he won’t demand the same wages as keepers like Rodak and Ryan with higher level experience.
OK, yes, upgrade on players when you can. But in our position we’ll need to prioritise where money is spent and goalkeeper would not be a top priority.
Surely if we can extend Wildsmith’s deal and spend funds elsewhere, it makes the most sense?

Wildsmith is one to keep, in my opinion. Anything else would seem counter-intuitive.
He’s been part of a strong defence and kept twenty clean sheets. He’s been first choice for us for the past two years. He deserves a shot at being a Championship regular. Crucially too he won’t demand the same wages as keepers like Rodak and Ryan with higher level experience.
OK, yes, upgrade on players when you can. But in our position we’ll need to prioritise where money is spent and goalkeeper would not be a top priority.
Surely if we can extend Wildsmith’s deal and spend funds elsewhere, it makes the most sense?

Clowes is a smart businessperson. A new deal will come but only when Warne has exceeded expectations. Say it’s this time next year and we are comfortably safe.
Warne has two years to run on his current deal, so surely you just let things play out.
Dealing with the manager’s future would be a needless distraction at this point. It should be a case of all eyes and all minds on building the best possible playing squad we can.

I don’t think we have to be ruthless. We have to be sensible and strike a balance.
At the end of the day, Warne’s success has been achieved through good man management and building a good club culture.
If we decide to be ‘ruthless’ we’ll be left with almost no-one and having to rebuild the team from scratch as well as the good atmosphere in the dressing room and good team spirit and understanding amongst the players.
That shouldn’t be underestimated. Warne won’t want a team of strangers lining up together on the opening day.

I don’t think we have to be ruthless. We have to be sensible and strike a balance.
At the end of the day, Warne’s success has been achieved through good man management and building a good club culture.
If we decide to be ‘ruthless’ we’ll be left with almost no-one and having to rebuild the team from scratch as well as the good atmosphere in the dressing room and good team spirit and understanding amongst the players.
That shouldn’t be underestimated. Warne won’t want a team of strangers lining up together on the opening day.

I don’t think we have to be ruthless. We have to be sensible and strike a balance.
At the end of the day, Warne’s success has been achieved through good man management and building a good club culture.
If we decide to be ‘ruthless’ we’ll be left with almost no-one and having to rebuild the team from scratch as well as the good atmosphere in the dressing room and good team spirit and understanding amongst the players.
That shouldn’t be underestimated. Warne won’t want a team of strangers lining up together on the opening day.

The ''big money'' you mention here comes from parachute payments, and in Coventry's case- the Gyokeres money. We have neither, therefore these kind of suggestions are probably a bit of a stretch for us right now.

I don’t think we have to be ruthless. We have to be sensible and strike a balance.
At the end of the day, Warne’s success has been achieved through good man management and building a good club culture.
If we decide to be ‘ruthless’ we’ll be left with almost no-one and having to rebuild the team from scratch as well as the good atmosphere in the dressing room and good team spirit and understanding amongst the players.
That shouldn’t be underestimated. Warne won’t want a team of strangers lining up together on the opening day.

I don’t think we have to be ruthless. We have to be sensible and strike a balance.
At the end of the day, Warne’s success has been achieved through good man management and building a good club culture.
If we decide to be ‘ruthless’ we’ll be left with almost no-one and having to rebuild the team from scratch as well as the good atmosphere in the dressing room and good team spirit and understanding amongst the players.
That shouldn’t be underestimated. Warne won’t want a team of strangers lining up together on the opening day.

I don’t think we have to be ruthless. We have to be sensible and strike a balance.
At the end of the day, Warne’s success has been achieved through good man management and building a good club culture.
If we decide to be ‘ruthless’ we’ll be left with almost no-one and having to rebuild the team from scratch as well as the good atmosphere in the dressing room and good team spirit and understanding amongst the players.
That shouldn’t be underestimated. Warne won’t want a team of strangers lining up together on the opening day.

People will get bogged down with individuals, when we have to think about the team as a whole.
We don’t necessarily need 11 outstanding individuals to prosper, but we do need individuals that complement the players around them and make the sum of the parts that much better.
As mentioned before, look at the current Ipswich squad. On an individual basis, very few of them if any would have been considered a top Championship player last summer and probably still aren’t now.
However with good coaching and man-management, as a unit, they look fantastic and have carried confidence and momentum through into this season and they are very much deserving of their place in the promotion picture.
The beauty of next season is everyone starts on zero and if we start our preparations today, we have a head start on over a third of the division.

People will get bogged down with individuals, when we have to think about the team as a whole.
We don’t necessarily need 11 outstanding individuals to prosper, but we do need individuals that complement the players around them and make the sum of the parts that much better.
As mentioned before, look at the current Ipswich squad. On an individual basis, very few of them if any would have been considered a top Championship player last summer and probably still aren’t now.
However with good coaching and man-management, as a unit, they look fantastic and have carried confidence and momentum through into this season and they are very much deserving of their place in the promotion picture.
The beauty of next season is everyone starts on zero and if we start our preparations today, we have a head start on over a third of the division.

Clowes is a smart businessperson. A new deal will come but only when Warne has exceeded expectations. Say it’s this time next year and we are comfortably safe.
Warne has two years to run on his current deal, so surely you just let things play out.
Dealing with the manager’s future would be a needless distraction at this point. It should be a case of all eyes and all minds on building the best possible playing squad we can.

Guys, concentrate on the play-off push.
Who cares who was right and who was wrong?