This is why I’ll never be comfortable with the model

[KEYOPener]

I am fan of Clarks but I have my doubts about his ability to reproduce his form in the premiership. Looks like premier scouts think the same. Wether you like it or not now was the time to sell. We already replacements lined up. The team building is about maintaining progression. With Clark we made 2 steps forward and 1 back. The model is about long term stability ultimately in the Premiership not yo-yoing

 

[Sarcoid Kid]

The kid is a billionaire and the interest on his fortune is more in a couple of weeks than we sold Clarke for.

He is a cheapskate who is using our club to learn business, but all it's demonstrating is that he can't take risks.

But the point remains he's not prepared to dip into the family savings, he's trying to build a sustainable business. Unfortunately this approach means we will continue to loose our best players if the price suits him and Speakman.

 

[PaulG]

We dropped from being in the playoffs to almost in a relegation spot. Stop cherry picking.

"Almost in a relegation spot" So dramatic. A six-game losing streak resulting from managerial turmoil, injuries and suspensions killed last season. Those issues are behind us. Judging the team's prospects this season by what happened in that short stretch is also "cherry-picking".

 

[oldboy]

If KLD was owner when kevin phillips was here he would have flogged him after his first good season for prprofit.

We probably should have sold him after his 30 goal season. Loads of penalties inflated his number and if we had xG back then he'd have been running extremely hot. Could have completely rebuilt the squad with the money. We'd have lost 30 goals but he regressed to the mean and we could have increased output in the aggregate.

 

[Ilios]

We probably should have sold him after his 30 goal season. Loads of penalties inflated his number and if we had xG back then he'd have been running extremely hot. Could have completely rebuilt the squad with the money. We'd have lost 30 goals but he regressed to the mean and we could have increased output in the aggregate.

Wouldn't go that far. He scored 30 goals in 36 league games, including 5 penalties. Shearer scored dozens and dozens of penalties and nobody throws that at him. Phillips scored 23 penalties in his entire career, a career of almost 300 goals.

 

[HebburnMackem]

"Almost in a relegation spot" So dramatic. A six-game losing streak resulting from managerial turmoil, injuries and suspensions killed last season. Those issues are behind us. Judging the team's prospects this season by what happened in that short stretch is also "cherry-picking".

It's just simple facts, not drama. If we'd done that an entire season we'd have been down. But keep happy clapping.

 

[Muddied Oaf]

We've known it for 3 years. We know they want to be self sustainable and sign young talent for peanuts and sell them for a massive profit

So why are some of you shocked and angry ? Has it come as a surprise ? Wether you agree with it, believe in it, it doesn't really matter as non of us can do anything about it.

The biggest thing I take from selling a player for a massive profit is they must reinvest it in to the squad if it makes us stronger then fair enough

As for jack good luck to the kid he's been absolutely phenomenal in a red and white shirt and single handedly win us many many games.

We moved on we've still got a lot of incredible young talent in the squad. The best young talent most of us have seen in decades.

Let's be honest after the poor campaign last season most of us expected many more of our young talent to move on. The fact that the majority of them are still here means we still have e a good shot at promotion

Jack Clarke will never be replaced as he gives us so much as an attacking threat and there's no one out there who will make as much a difference as he does.

However these young lads are incredibly talented and adding a forward or 2 might just make us stronger. Only time will tell. Let's just see how the window pans out.

I'm still super excited to watch this young exciting energetic squad this season.

You can pack it in with your common sense posts!

 

[SAFCDownUnder]

How do you propose we get out of it ‘asap’ without players like Jack Clarke?

Downwards maybe?

 

[BS1000]

We probably should have sold him after his 30 goal season. Loads of penalties inflated his number and if we had xG back then he'd have been running extremely hot. Could have completely rebuilt the squad with the money. We'd have lost 30 goals but he regressed to the mean and we could have increased output in the aggregate.

Aye on more shite

 

[Muddied Oaf]

I always knew he was going - it's just the fee that bothers me when you see when inferior players have gone for

Smodzics was the top scorer in the Championship last season and went for £9M
So given that we could possibly make ,£20M for Clarke I'd say that it was good business.

 

[Sidewinder2]

We've known it for 3 years. We know they want to be self sustainable and sign young talent for peanuts and sell them for a massive profit

So why are some of you shocked and angry ? Has it come as a surprise ? Wether you agree with it, believe in it, it doesn't really matter as non of us can do anything about it.

The biggest thing I take from selling a player for a massive profit is they must reinvest it in to the squad if it makes us stronger then fair enough

As for jack good luck to the kid he's been absolutely phenomenal in a red and white shirt and single handedly win us many many games.

We moved on we've still got a lot of incredible young talent in the squad. The best young talent most of us have seen in decades.

Let's be honest after the poor campaign last season most of us expected many more of our young talent to move on. The fact that the majority of them are still here means we still have e a good shot at promotion

Jack Clarke will never be replaced as he gives us so much as an attacking threat and there's no one out there who will make as much a difference as he does.

However these young lads are incredibly talented and adding a forward or 2 might just make us stronger. Only time will tell. Let's just see how the window pans out.

I'm still super excited to watch this young exciting energetic squad this season.

Is exactly the right answer, why are people pissing and moaning it's always been the model.

 

[PaulG]

It's just simple facts, not drama. If we'd done that an entire season we'd have been down. But keep happy clapping.

"If we'd done that an entire season we'd have been down" is not a fact (we didn't) and it is drama (overemphasizing what could, but didn't, happen for effect). I'm no happy clapper just because I don't buy into the relentless negativity and take a longer view. With the exception of a relatively short run of games, this team has consistently played at a level of around 6-10th place since entering the Championship and, based on recent form (the last ten games I cited), that's where we are now. That isn't good enough to get us promoted and we need to improve but things aren't as dire as many are making out.