After the relative euphoria three weeks back when we secured our Championship status for another year, it's pretty much been a case of sit back and wait to see what Roland does next.
Well, things are beginning to take shape and the glass half-full brigade may be beginning to feel more uncomfortable than they have done for awhile (cue the comments!).
The short-sightedness of letting contracts of some of our better players run out may be coming home to roost. Whilst this was a Slater & Cash faux pas, Duchatelet had the time and the funds to have tackled this fully but chose not to. Dorian Dervite has exercised his right to negotiate a much improved deal and has effectively moved to Bolton on a free. Ben Hamer looks like doing the same with Leicester in the frame and no-one will be able to blame Michael Morrison if he follows suit.
Alex Dyer has been shown the door following a host of other out-of-contract players (Hughes, Evita, Cort etc) and it looks like Paul Hart's purple patch developing the current cream of the crop is also coming to end. If he moves to Man City you have to assume it was an offer he couldn't refuse but being asked to effectively re-apply for his own job probably didn't improve our chances of persuading him to stay on. If Diego Poyet moves on, he could yet haunt us horribly in terms of lost opportunity.
Jose Riga expressed an interest in having another go at managing the club and would have presented the least risk option for next season. For whatever reason, it would appear he has been over-looked and instead we will be getting another Belgian and former Millwall lunk, Bob Peeters. I will give Peeters a chance but he looks a decided risk, albeit in the same way Jose Riga did. He has had four years managing lower league clubs in Belgium and my immediate concern is he might be perfect for Duchatelet in terms of knowing the sort of players we will be recruiting to fill the gaps left in the depleted squad.
There is plenty of time left for Duchatelet to show real ambition for next season but his plan and modus operandi thus far would suggest otherwise. Season ticket pricing was innovative and has arguably been a success already in terms of ensuring average gates remain above five figures but at a reduced overall revenue. I remain open-minded, if doubtful.
Elsewhere, I was delighted to see Wycombe Wanderers stay up on the last day in dramatic circumstances by beating Torquay away and seeing Northampton lose at home. A work colleague made the trip down there with his two sons and I feared the worst for them. Chuffed too for Cambridge United re-joining the football league. A good mate of mine's two sons have been representing their younger sides for a few seasons now and I know how much the U's deserve their promotion. Richard Money has been doing an outstanding job there and they are a club on the up.
Hopefully Derby will get their just deserts at the weekend by winning promotion at the expense of the unconvincing QPR who have spent like drunken sailors in a desperate bid to regain their Premier League status that they squandered so easily last season. Please let us get to see Financial Fair Play Regulations in action and Rangers penalised for trying to buy their place in heaven.
Finally, whatever unfolds from here on towards the kick-off on 9th August, we shouldn't have the pitch to blame for any bad results.
Well, things are beginning to take shape and the glass half-full brigade may be beginning to feel more uncomfortable than they have done for awhile (cue the comments!).
The short-sightedness of letting contracts of some of our better players run out may be coming home to roost. Whilst this was a Slater & Cash faux pas, Duchatelet had the time and the funds to have tackled this fully but chose not to. Dorian Dervite has exercised his right to negotiate a much improved deal and has effectively moved to Bolton on a free. Ben Hamer looks like doing the same with Leicester in the frame and no-one will be able to blame Michael Morrison if he follows suit.
Alex Dyer has been shown the door following a host of other out-of-contract players (Hughes, Evita, Cort etc) and it looks like Paul Hart's purple patch developing the current cream of the crop is also coming to end. If he moves to Man City you have to assume it was an offer he couldn't refuse but being asked to effectively re-apply for his own job probably didn't improve our chances of persuading him to stay on. If Diego Poyet moves on, he could yet haunt us horribly in terms of lost opportunity.
Jose Riga expressed an interest in having another go at managing the club and would have presented the least risk option for next season. For whatever reason, it would appear he has been over-looked and instead we will be getting another Belgian and former Millwall lunk, Bob Peeters. I will give Peeters a chance but he looks a decided risk, albeit in the same way Jose Riga did. He has had four years managing lower league clubs in Belgium and my immediate concern is he might be perfect for Duchatelet in terms of knowing the sort of players we will be recruiting to fill the gaps left in the depleted squad.
There is plenty of time left for Duchatelet to show real ambition for next season but his plan and modus operandi thus far would suggest otherwise. Season ticket pricing was innovative and has arguably been a success already in terms of ensuring average gates remain above five figures but at a reduced overall revenue. I remain open-minded, if doubtful.
Elsewhere, I was delighted to see Wycombe Wanderers stay up on the last day in dramatic circumstances by beating Torquay away and seeing Northampton lose at home. A work colleague made the trip down there with his two sons and I feared the worst for them. Chuffed too for Cambridge United re-joining the football league. A good mate of mine's two sons have been representing their younger sides for a few seasons now and I know how much the U's deserve their promotion. Richard Money has been doing an outstanding job there and they are a club on the up.
Hopefully Derby will get their just deserts at the weekend by winning promotion at the expense of the unconvincing QPR who have spent like drunken sailors in a desperate bid to regain their Premier League status that they squandered so easily last season. Please let us get to see Financial Fair Play Regulations in action and Rangers penalised for trying to buy their place in heaven.
Finally, whatever unfolds from here on towards the kick-off on 9th August, we shouldn't have the pitch to blame for any bad results.
Riga joined when we had just hit bottom of the league and were boring the pants of people, home and away. No disrespect to Chris Powell but something had to change.
ReplyDeleteIf the Peeters rumour is true it appears a massive backward step. My glass has been half full since the RD takeover, but I'm anticipating a feeling of being massively let down soon.
Riga kept us us, had the team playing some snappy football. Peeters has just finished 3rd from bottom on the division he's been in. Makes no sense to change.
And then there's a player exodus happening.... FFS, stop this madness and meet the fan groups ASAP!!
At the moment, I feel like I'm peering through a dusty window into Frakenstein"s lab and on the table is our beloved club.
ReplyDeletePH