Returning ram

3 hours ago, LeedsCityRam said:

We obviously have a friendly wager on in any case but I can't get my head around the idea we're only 2 quality signings from a top 6 push. What are you seeing from the current setup that leads you to believe we have the foundation in place for that? Genuinely interested.

Do I think, no, my point was more around other expectations going from survival in this league to mid table before we have even made a signing and how when we make a couple, it will probably goto top 6 😏

I wouldn't be surprised to see us pushing for a top 6 place, I also would be surprised if it was bottom 6 either. I think PW plays winning football over pretty football and in this league, anything is possible, however I'd consider survival next season a success, anything else, a bonus.

8 minutes ago, sage said:

That's the third similar comment this afternoon. Not seen anyone being too silly on the expectations thread.

 

The bar by quite a few last year was success would be promotion, that was changed to promotion was expected when it looked like we'd do it, accompanied with PW wouldnt keep us in the championship.

Now we are promoted, it has been raised to mid table, I fully expect a couple of good signings and it be play offs.

Probably why you see posts are cynical about some fans 😏

2 minutes ago, StarterForTen said:

Though he was voted their Player of the Year

CM24 stats probably say he was average 🤨

Always like to hear "Forest are losing" 🥳

Have they triggered his extra year then ?  If not, then he is technically out of contract end of June.

Nigel Clough would have been a better scout than manager for us.

Mclaren, Lampard and Rowett had large resources at their disposal and each one failed.

Davies and Warne are the best managers we have had in the past twenty years.

LR is a better pundit than manager.

I'd rather watch winning football over pretty football.

It's clear when listening or reading someone's views on the game, the ones that have never played a competitive game of football and don't understand the game.

1 hour ago, Ambitious said:

Barnsley don’t have a manager and I would think Sibley’s wages would be beyond what they would want to pay either, as well as any compensation that we would be due. 

I have absolutely no doubt Sibley will have an array of Championship clubs taking an interest too. I could see him leaving but I’d be stunned beyond belief if it’s back to League One - unless Birmingham throw a ton of cash at him (£20k a week, etc) 

Sibleys wage becomes zero soon unless we offer him another contract. Given he is reported to be one of the highest earners, I would have thought it would also be unlikely we offered him the same contract he is on now, therefore compensation doesn't become an issue either.

I think he will either stay with us on a reduced salary or head to league one, his current salary imo will become an obsolete figure shortly.

18 minutes ago, May Contain Nuts said:

I never said either of those things.

 

Nope, that was my interpretation, like when you replied to my OG post implying that I always ignored the quality of opponents. I also hadnt said that, either in that or any other post 😏

25 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

The influx of foreign money has been anything other than positive for the English game.

I presume we digress from sky money now or foreign money to sky ?

Wouldn't agree or disagree either way tbh, if your a city, Forest or Chelsea fan for example, I'm sure they'd disagree, for me, not really sure it has impacted me that much.

4 minutes ago, sage said:

Nothing to do with playing in an advanced position for much of the season I'm sure.

Anyhow I hope he does well there. He'll get a good reception in his return I'm sure.

Who put him in the advanced position and why has no one ever done it before ?

4 minutes ago, May Contain Nuts said:

McGoldrick has barely been used as a striker this season, they've based their team around providing Langstaff with chances and he's delivered, even if the team overall didn't meet expectation. McG has been a support player, that may be a mistake made by their manager but for them if they can get £2-3m for their striker that's more valuable than getting more goals out of McG 

So what you're saying is that although Bird achieved more goals and assists in one season than he ever has in his career, it's solely down to the lower league he played in and is nothing to do with the manager.

Whereas DM who achieved his highest goal tally at Derby and then dropped down a league, has not scored any where near as many and wasn't even 2nd highest scorer is down to the manager who was playing another player in his position to get a decent transfer fee for him, which is more important than the team.

Makes perfect sense 😏

2 minutes ago, Kathcairns said:

Its not really proof though is it, because if you are a fan you would still prob turnout if the games were played anytime in the day or night, but it shouldnt have to be like that.

Proof regarding my original point, that attendances won't change because of this. The world is changing, football as well, you only have to look at the women's game to see the journey that has taken and the part that TV money has played in that.
 

You don't have to agree with it, totally get that, there is lots that I don't, but imo there is a difference between that and not seeing the positive influence that the money pumped into the game has resulted in a massive growth in attendances.

32 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

Ask people in the grounds if they think the game is changing for the better or the worse, I'm pretty sure the concensus would be the latter.

I think a certain generation would, I think a lot though would be more concerned with VAR than KO times. 
 

Proof will be in the pudding as they say, I wouldn't be surprised to see the same attendances next year as this, we shall see.

7 minutes ago, Crewton said:

It's driven by advertising, and they sell it around the world for the very same reason. When have you ever seen an authentic survey of the UK public that's indicated that they want even more EFL football at stupid o'clock on days of the week when hardly anyone wants to watch a football match?

The changing of the game times on a Saturday, midweek won't move. Three games at 12.30, to sell advertising you need to have an audience, those will mostly be fans of the teams involved, therefore the target audience as they are more likely to buy a sky sports subscription. 

10 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

The game survived for over 100 years without it being marketable to overseas 'customers'. The game is nothing without the fans and its about time they were put back to the forefront of thinking as opposed to an afterthought. Hopefully an independent regulator will see to this.

The game has evolved over the years, fans have evolved over the years, attendances are on the rise and the days of 3pm KOs are a thing of the past.

Years ago we were having crowds of 13k at a decaying ground, where the environment was not welcome for families or women and often intimidating for away fans to the point they wouldn't come. Nowadays attendances are 25k plus and still owners make losses, an independent regulator won't stop more money coming in.

Also not sure where overseas bit has come in, do we really think that the championship is that attractive to that market ? PL fair enough, but I would guess that the change in our league is driven by the UK.

16 minutes ago, May Contain Nuts said:

As always you ignore the quality of opposition and that he's a mid-to-upper Championship player playing against the worst opposition he's ever faced in his career.

Remember same things being said about Mcgoldrick, haven't checked his stats but I guess he ripped the league up this year and got his best returns ever give its worst opponents he has ever faced 🤔

3 hours ago, G STAR RAM said:

Because I work on weekdays and don't particularly want to be going to the pub at 9am with my kids in tow on a weekend.

Which is why I asked, there will be 5/6 games then that will change before hand, but after you can stay in longer 😏

Must admit, my kids get bored after they eaten food in a pub, so no chance of getting them in twice.
 

11 minutes ago, Crewton said:

In my case, I really don't fancy a beer at 10 O'Clock these days, although many do and probably will. So I won't bother and that's a longstanding tradition broken, all because the ever-greedy premier league wouldn't cough up a decent package for the EFL clubs. Yet again, fans are disposable, and the fans of clubs outside of the premier league are the most disposable of all. 

All of the benefits of Sky TV money that you've quoted would still have been available without such wholesale contempt for the traditions of the professional game if only English football had spoken with one voice. But it's been greed, greed, greed, every step of the way.

 

24 live games a season, 10 midweek, BH games and moving to another day will mean that it's probably a handful of home matches that KO at 12.30 per season. Many more changes than we had this season ? I also prob won't have a beer at 10, but would just stay on pub a bit longer to make up for it.

I'd disagree with that, the game has to be marketable, same as every other sport, T20, NFL at Wembley for example, football isn't alone, consumer demand drives change and that's what's happened. Times move on, blame sky for it, but if it hadnt been then it would have been someone else.

Best season in return of goals and assists ever in Birds career. I think he will probably hope Bristol adapt a a style like Warnes, rather than some of the others he has had to play under 😏

1 hour ago, trappatoni said:

Im not moaning about it - midweek is fine for me - but I know people who miss midweek games because of work so if there are going to be more midweek games it will impact attendances - how can it not ?    You only have to look at midweek attendances now and they presumably include non attending STHs of which there are a fair few judging from where i sit in the South. 

As for the Sky money being great for the game - yes it brings foreign talent into the game but I disagree with you about the rest.   

Not sure why there would be more midweek games ? 
 

Football is more than the professional pyramid, the money that is in the game has enabled the grassroots game to evolve. You only have to look at the facilities that are now available in this country and the sky money has been a massive contributor to this.
 

Not sure what's to disagree about strongest league or stadiums, not sure there are many countries with third tiers have the attendances and facilities that we do, but fair enough 👍

7 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

Part of that experience is meeting in the pub for a few beers and a chat pre game and then going back to the pub after to discuss the match. 

Sky/EPL/EFL/FA are destroying the game for the fans that actually go to the matches.

Why can't you still do that ?

19 minutes ago, sage said:

He may well have gone for a different style of football. 

Puts tin hat on.

 

Give it 6 months and this will be claimed to be a fact 😏

4 hours ago, trappatoni said:

I can see this impacting attendances - not so much this season but when fans have had a year and see how many midweek games they couldn't get to or how disruptive it was choosing between other regular hobbies on traditional non football days it's bound to make a few think it's not worth it - especially with the massive price rises that seem to be happening at quite a few clubs including ours.   

No it won't, every year someone says it will, yet attendances are rarely impacted. People enjoy going to games, it's often about the experience something you can't get on TV.

People moan about sky, but the money it pumps into the game is why we have the strongest leagues in the world, the best stadiums, the best league structure and a national team full of rising talent. I will follow the Rams everywhere, but still have sky, because simply put, I enjoy watching football, they haven't ruined the game, just changed it.

20 is plenty....