Seeing the 4 play off sides play, they are all way off premier league quality.
These two seasons of the 3 promoted teams coming back down has significantly widened the gap between the divisions.
They all have no more than a couple of premier league level players which means to go up and stay up in one season is going to require the very risky forest method of buying 20+ players and hope you can build a side. Even then though because of the closed shop of two years that its been, I think it's even harder to do that than when forest did it.
Is the only way left to become an established side, is go up sign 3 or 4 players and accept relegation is likely, go down, come back up and get another 2 or 3, go down, come back up and again and hope that in one of the years in the premier league, you catch an established side having a stinker whilst you have gradually assembled a premier league level squad capable of getting around 36 points.
For Leeds, Burnley and whoever the play off winner turns out to be, who are they targeting as "we can finish above them for 17th". I can't see man u and spurs being as bad again.
Don’t think the way to do it is to try to replace most the team with so called premiership players. Even with the big gap team spirit and togetherness counts. In addition the crowd can still be worth quite a few points.
You need to go up with a good side that can improve, the key is then adding a few that can make a big difference.
The gap is to big. They need to change the rules as the calculation over three seasons just ain’t fair to those coming up.
The day I don’t think we cannot reach Brighton, Bournemouth Wolves, Brentford Forest is the day I’m ready for my box.
This is why the new ground and ambition is so important you need to attract players who have the talent and ambition to get there. It’s a Holy Grail and not what it’s hyped to be but you have got to aim high.
Ps I forgot to the Villa, they are in my sights and we more than matched them when I was a young un.
Plus they are getting twitchy despite the current gap.
Knighthead are going about things the right way, namely it is revenue, revenue, revenue. Nothing to stop us getting to the top.
Next season, other than the three promoted clubs, the shortest spell of seasons in the prem will be forest, Fulham and Bournemouth who will all be going into their 4th consecutive top flight season.
Fulham and Bournemouth did the yo-yo approach and forest nearly killed themselves in spending (they've spent 400m since promotion).
I think that longevity makes it so difficult for a side to come up and survive in their first season.
It's getting to the point where clubs will need to accept their first season will end in relegation and plan for it to take maybe 3 cycles of promotion/relegation before they can really put up a fight to stay up. Unless you catch a wolves or Bournemouth having a dismal season, getting 10 wins is a tall order.
Like we did in league one. We need to build a squad good enough to be more than established in the league above.
Jameron CeromeLike we did in league one. We need to build a squad good enough to be more than established in the league above.
I do think this is the key. A core of the players who take you up need to be capable at a premier league level. Wolves did it a few years ago with the likes of Neves (maybe Jota, but I might be getting my timeline wrong there?).
The problem with planning to yo yo a few couple of times is not recruitment but retention. Up you go with a few quality players but when you are ultimately relegated it is difficult to hold on to the better players and you are battling to build a squad.
Everbluesince92Seeing the 4 play off sides play, they are all way off premier league quality.
These two seasons of the 3 promoted teams coming back down has significantly widened the gap between the divisions.
They all have no more than a couple of premier league level players which means to go up and stay up in one season is going to require the very risky forest method of buying 20+ players and hope you can build a side. Even then though because of the closed shop of two years that its been, I think it's even harder to do that than when forest did it.
Is the only way left to become an established side, is go up sign 3 or 4 players and accept relegation is likely, go down, come back up and get another 2 or 3, go down, come back up and again and hope that in one of the years in the premier league, you catch an established side having a stinker whilst you have gradually assembled a premier league level squad capable of getting around 36 points.
For Leeds, Burnley and whoever the play off winner turns out to be, who are they targeting as "we can finish above them for 17th". I can't see man u and spurs being as bad again.
There being a huge gap between the top 2 divisions is nowt new. Finishing 13th in Bruce's first season was a minor mircale. The gap has widened since then but it is what it is and for us (and any club TBF) it'll come down getting 2 things right:
1. Having enough cash to be able to sign who you want/need - Uncle Tom's got this one sorted. We'll be ahead of all 6 clubs promoted in 22/23 and 23/24 on this one - comfortably in some cases (Luton!)
2. The black art of identifying and signing the right players. Much harder but doable if you've got the right people doing it and 1 above is in place - which it will be. No pressure then Craig.
Its a massive challenge
I dont think we could hope for better leaders of our club to embrace it and find a way
Exciting times ahead
Agreed.
There is a massive difference in success between teams who need to sell their best players on relegation, and those who don't.
If we can have a model where we can genuinely go down, strengthen further, and then go back up stronger (all due to the strength of our non-TV money revenue streams), then we will get there eventually.
LeithbluesAgreed.
There is a massive difference in success between teams who need to sell their best players on relegation, and those who don't.
If we can have a model where we can genuinely go down, strengthen further, and then go back up stronger (all due to the strength of our non-TV money revenue streams), then we will get there eventually.
The mantra last year was having a "Championship-ready" team. Next year it will be all about having a "Premier-League ready" team or thereabouts.
Agreed. I think we have to sign 2-3 players that could or should be getting game time in the premier league.
I don’t think the key is accepting relegation to return, don’t let Tom Wagner here you say that either.
The key for us is to build the core of a side that can compete, I think we will do that this summer and then if you do go up, of course, you have to massively invest to have half a chance of surviving.
I think we will be shocked at a couple of signings this summer and the sheer ruthless nature of how we will operate too, some players who have been almost nailed on every week this year will be fighting for their spots and inevitably becoming squad players.
If you look at our team now I’d suggest Klarer, Paik, Iwata & Stansfield could play in the Prem, the rest is probably up for debate.
Going to be interesting to see who can keep up with the pace of growth.
I think from our current squad, only Paik could play prem level tomorrow and possibly nobody.
Stanno isn't far off and has room to improve and will get there.
Klarer, maybe, but we haven't seen enough of being defensively tested playing league one.
Iwata, I don't think would make it.
I think what we've seen the last couple of seasons, is going up with even half a team of premier league level players isn't enough.
Leeds will be a real acid test to see the reality of the gap between the two. If Leeds come down with a sub 30 points tally, having posted 100 points and no doubt splashing some cash this summer, then that will be really damning.