Carnero

Were we not told the current negotiations were subject to NDA and that no details would be released as a consequence? I mean it's been like 20 days since the American deal was mooted. How quickly are you expecting the due diligence we've all screamed for after the Alonso fiasco to take, not to mention the small matter of contracts being drafted, proof of funds, set up of escrow, EFL approval and other similar 'small matters'.
And Nixon has released an update since his initial Tweet, by the way, which clearly stated that Cook is currently working though the required processes.

Hence why we didn't bother recruiting Marshall, Byrne, Ibe, Jozwiak and Kazim along with the loanees this season?
Explain how we're falling foul of P&S. I see we've been found guilty of filing non-compliant accounts, but nothing else.
You seem to be arguing against as point that no-one is making. @angieram quite clearly stated utilising the academy AND first team recruitment. That means recruiting to fill voids the academy products can't. For example, our U23 CBs aren't ready to be regulars in the first team, so we'll recruit 2, 3 or even 4 of them this summer. However, Ebosele and McDonald are ready to deputise for Byrne so we won't be after a RB
Marshall, Byrne and Jozwiak have been very good signings, with two of them proving exceptional value for money. Kazim was also recruited as a backup or even 3rd choice CF and also proven to be goof value. We took a punt on Ibe due to our financial position which so far hasn't worked out. Te Wierik seemed to be a victim of circumstance, both Covid and a change in manager.
Last season we signed Bielik who was one of the best players in the league before picking up another injury and Shinnie who again has been good value since signing on a free.
There's enough evidence there to suggest recruitment has improved, but we'll soon see how much of that was down to Cocu's influence.

So the c£2m spend per season between 2008 and 2016 yielded: Hendrick, Hughes and Lowe of any real sell on value. Bennett, Ball, O'Brien, Hanson featured for the club but left for nothing or very little. Rawson, Vernam, Guy, Zanzala are having respectable careers in the lower leagues.
Total spend = £16m
Total sales = £16.5m upfront
£16m yielded 2 PL players (Hendrick, Hughes), 2 Championship players (Bennett, Lowe) and 5 L1/L2 players

2016 onwards we've spent £6m per season and sold Bogle, LThomas, Whittaker, Delap, Gordon, MUFC3. Bogle and Delap very likely to be playing PL football next season. Buchanan, Bird, Knight, Sibley have cemented a place in the first team, with several on the fringes.
Total spend = £24m
Total sales = £12m

If we sold those 4 currently in the first team, we'd get more than £12m. From a financial point of view, it's hard to argue against what we're currently spending, especially when you factor in P&S.
From a player ability point of view, we've gone from 4 top 2 division players from 8 age groups, to 8 top 2 division players in 4 age groups - and that's not even counting the ones who will step up over the next couple of years. 11 other players from the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 intakes have been included in matchday squads too.

The quality in the academy indicates how sustainable it is for us to continue bringing through and then selling the academy players. As one is sold, another is ready to step up. Lowe -> Buchanan -> Archie -> Maloney for example.
As a Championship club with a top academy, we should be able to fill the first team with academy graduates, whereas the 'big 6' shouldn't as their bar should be higher than ours.
Bird, Knight and Sibley appeared to be ready in 19/20, but because the quality in the rest of the team deteriorated they no longer are?
"Nearly everyone on that list from each year"? How much turnover are you expecting? 9 was the smallest crop, with 12 the biggest

In fact rather than being irrelevant the academy has massively helped the FFP/P&S position we find ourselves in, whilst the costs of running the academy can be excluded the sales of academy players do count (basically as pure profit, save for signing on fees/agent fees). Without the sales of the likes of Hendrick, Hughes, Lowe, Bogle & Whittaker our finances for FFP/P&S purposes would be in a far bigger mess.

My thoughts are similar. In the last few games of the season he (for me) was not very influential. Interesting comments though from the DET about his games for Ireland :
"Jason Knight is the bright spark here. Big future ahead."...."Jason Knight is going to be a very good player!"...."Jason knight is Ireland’s best player."..."Jason Knight looks like a proper baller. You can see why Wayne Rooney showed faith in him in the last couple of months. Real exciting prospect"...."Jason knight is by far the best player over the 2 games , he running past his own players chasing the ball and going forward he is by far been the best .. what a player he is gonna be"...."Jason Knight has been excellent tonight for Ireland"..."Jason Knight is a player."..."Jason knight is going to be a star…. Two complete performances the past few days"....."A premier league team should take a punt on Jason Knight. Young energetic hard working and might just have the talent to back it up."...."Not a bad 2nd half still the same final 3rd issues. But Kenny will be happy with the performance and a clean sheet. Jason Knight brilliant again. Should be on every XI going forward."
Based on that maybe we should think twice before we dispose of our Crown Jewels....
 

In fact rather than being irrelevant the academy has massively helped the FFP/P&S position we find ourselves in, whilst the costs of running the academy can be excluded the sales of academy players do count (basically as pure profit, save for signing on fees/agent fees). Without the sales of the likes of Hendrick, Hughes, Lowe, Bogle & Whittaker our finances for FFP/P&S purposes would be in a far bigger mess.

In fact rather than being irrelevant the academy has massively helped the FFP/P&S position we find ourselves in, whilst the costs of running the academy can be excluded the sales of academy players do count (basically as pure profit, save for signing on fees/agent fees). Without the sales of the likes of Hendrick, Hughes, Lowe, Bogle & Whittaker our finances for FFP/P&S purposes would be in a far bigger mess.

I am finding this thread a bit depressing, tbh. 
One of the brightest, no the brightest, parts of our club under Mel's tenure has been the sustained development of our academy and younger players. I think credit goes to the entire team from Mel's investment through Darren Wassall's excellent stewardship and all the coaching and education teams behind our young players. They are almost without exception such rounded young sportsmen who know how to play the game in the right spirit.
I actually take a certain amount of pride in our academy concept and am pleased we have decided to nurture future talent rather than just leaving it to the "big" clubs.
At the very best not having an academy would have given us the money to buy one more Waghorn type player a year, who wouldn't be allowable against FFP, and would give no more guarantee of a return against investment than our current set up. 
But success is everything, so let's rip up all that investment in the future of the game, make several dozen staff redundant and use the money to employ analysts who will buy in a random assortment of strangers that aren’t allowable against FFP and who have no association with our club. What makes you think that would work better? 
Ah, yes, Brentford. Anyone would think they'd just got promoted ( at last.)
Just a final thought. Moor Farm provides some of the very best training facilities in the whole country, which benefits all our teams. We wouldn't be able to afford to keep that going for the first team squad only. No academy, no Moor Farm. 
 

More wise heads after the event I see. Also slightly revisionist. Mel never bragged about having half the team being academy products. He discussed a plan for sustainability that involved up to half the matchday squad having come through the youth system. 
To be honest, I'm not really sure how the academy set up can be viewed as any kind of failure or let down.  The investment is already producing a steady stream of players quite capable of playing at Championship level or higher and a fair few already playing for their respective countries. If we really must continue slinging poo at our owner, I'd cite our recruitment of senior players as a key factor. The academy wouldn't even get a mention.
Frankly, I've no problem with us selling Bogle and Lowe when we have McDonald, Festy, Stretton, Brown, Bird, Watson, SIbley and Buchanan coming through. Our problem is poor recruitment of senior pros not the academy project.

Yet another example of the bad luck the club (and Mel) has had is that our national PL2 title winning under 18 squad are coming to maturity at a time when transfer fees are depressed by the pandemic. 
As for philosophy, I think the academy has had a fairly consistent style and identity for some time now. The problem is that the first team style has chopped and changed along with managers and necessity. Will Rooney try a more attacking brand of football next season when he starts from a level playing field? If he doesn't,  our current crop of youngsters who were brought through to play attractive football, will not shine or gain value.
I  actually feel more affinity with our academy than I do with the first team at the moment. 
 

Playing devil's advocate; think of where we'd be right now without the academy. I don't know specifics of how much the academy cost vs made, but if we hadn't sold the trio last season we really would have been in serious trouble financially (as apposed to pretty serious currently lol) and if we hadn't got the academy we wouldn't have had replacements for Lowe in the shape of Buchanan etc. Yes we lurched over the safety line at the last minute, but fear without the youngsters we'd have been way off. 
IMO I think the balance is about right at the moment, it's just the finances mean the youngsters have been relied on instead of given chances at convenience, and not having the kind of dependable experience they need to be playing alongside. They all looked better players in the on the up cocu team.
And whilst the younger age group stars being picked off before the first team is frustrating, it's always going to happen unless we become a big 4, and largely pays for the academy I guess, so means any other players through are almost 'free' and pure profit if sold on.
I've still got very high hopes for our kids, especially Sibley. Just hope we can build a team that they can flourish in, instead of being mismanaged and collectively drowning under pressure.

Whilst I abhor racism and bigotry of any kind, I remember back to being part of a rural village school many years ago which had never seen cultural diversity and I remember the horrid jokes I shared at that time.
I would ask what is the point of BLM if we (majority white) cannot acknowledge our mistakes and move forward to a better, more enlightened future?
If everyone who has ever made a mistake is thrown out of their profession, surely we risk a horrible backlash?
The ECB needs to believe Robinson and any others who come out of the woodwork, are truly apologetic and better educated but he may be a different man now, as I am.
 

We have much more fan based revenue than the average. Player wages (post covid) will come down materially. I think we have a good chance of promotion without losses if we have strong management  (football and corporate) in place. Hope one of these US groups will bring that. 

McDermott called up by the Aussies, won’t play for us again....why do we even bother ?‍♂️

Nurse! Nurse!

Yeah, just saw it on the Beeb. Thought you meant it was selectors call.
I guess it's a zero tolerance policy, but I'd also wager there's any number of folk scrubbing down their 10 year old tweets and FB / Insta posts. Good thing we're not all held accountable for every mistake we made as young 'uns. It'd be a long line. Just read the tweets again and they seem immature and ignorant, but not hateful. 

Test cricket buddy. It's a marathon not a sprint. They've held their own after a rocky start and that's good enough for now. 
On a general note, thought Ollie Robinson had a great game. Saw the media did their best to derail him with their Twitter-Gate nonsense, but he just got his head down and was impressive, I thought. Not too shabby with bat in hand too.
As for the tweets, I'm not terribly tolerant of that kind of silliness but he was a kid when he posted that stuff so not a big deal IMO. Answered his critics in the best possible way.

Well the best thing I can say about this week is that Southgate has done a good job in dampening expectations ? 

I’m flicking between the football and cricket and can’t decide which is more boring.
Beer and food outside I think!

No. God please no. I don’t want that bloke around this football club anymore

It's all out there if you even bother to look instead of asking me buddy. Here's a starter for 10 though. To be honest, either you genuinely haven't noticed all the flak around the lad or you're trolling. I can't work out which?‍♂️
 

I get that the world's moved on, and I am not part of that (never will be).
But the further we move away from what really matters in football, eleven men each side on that pitch, supported in person, an opportunity to win against the odds and be part of something special, the more I feel that football as we know it will soon be gone forever. VAR, playacting on the field, off field politics and the way that money completely dominates the game. 
Next generation won't need or be able to experience football in the flesh, it will all be virtual reality where only financial input will count as a measure of a fan's loyalty. 
 

Nurse! Nurse!

seems somebody came up with the idea in 1982 ???