Mark Ashton Leaving (Merged)

[Olé]

7 minutes ago, Moments of Pleasure said:

Why would he "fancy a new challenge" at this moment in time, as a matter of interest? 

Because he can see the immediate future like the rest of us and is well aware that the natural arc of his tenure is swinging sharply down - and if he sticks around he'll soon be accountable for the return on and retained value from all his spending.

And one thing which we all know about Mark Ashton is he's not half as fond of accountability as he is of taking credit - I'm no @Kid in the Riot but I'm afraid it was completely predictable that he'd high step out of here before he gets measured.

It's criminal when you think about it. He was able to sell over £70m of players, half of it talent from our academy, almost all not his signings, and what has he left us with to show for it? A squad that cost over £50m and with no obvious resale value. 

Make a mess, waste lots of money, and then leave before you have to deal with the consequences and while you can still claim you did a good job. That would be bad enough if it wasn't obvious he's hardly been a bystander in Ipswich's takeover. 

[Rudolf Hucker]

10 minutes ago, M.D said:

Ashton's been removed from those lists now..

The power of OTIB is boundless.

[Rudolf Hucker]

11 minutes ago, headhunter said:

If I was Lee O'Neill from that list I'd start looking for a new role!! Luke Werhun is waiting in the wings!!

The Club Chaplain should worry, more likely. Werhun seems to already sit on the right hand of 'god'.

[CyderInACan]

On 19/04/2021 at 21:38, Harry said:

 

Well. The club always seem very keen to espouse his involvement in the foundation, the stadium, the training ground (sorry high perf....shit, I can’t even bring myself to say it!!), and all manner of ‘positive’ aspects, so I’m pretty certain his remit would include media (I mean, if it includes being responsible for a stadium that was completed before he even arrived then the man is capable of anything ) 

I think he was also responsible for writing the theme tune, singing the theme tune too. . . 

[headhunter]

With Ashton on £500K PA that's £40k per month - City could have saved that by saying "we'll pay you until the end of April and since you are so keen to start you can do so at the beginning of May".

His mind cannot be on BCFC in the manner it should be. I had a  valued member of staff years ago who said they were leaving for another job. I was disappointed but .said would you like to go right away and they said "yes" so I said go on then - saved myself their salary for an unproductive month. [their decision to leave meant I didn't have to pay a month in lieu]

[Numero Uno]

32 minutes ago, Olé said:

Because he can see the immediate future like the rest of us and is well aware that the natural arc of his tenure is swinging sharply down - and if he sticks around he'll soon be accountable for the return on and retained value from all his spending.

And one thing which we all know about Mark Ashton is he's not half as fond of accountability as he is of taking credit - I'm no @Kid in the Riot but I'm afraid it was completely predictable that he'd high step out of here before he gets measured.

It's criminal when you think about it. He was able to sell over £70m of players, half of it talent from our academy, almost all not his signings, and what has he left us with to show for it? A squad that cost over £50m and with no obvious resale value. 

Make a mess, waste lots of money, and then leave before you have to deal with the consequences and while you can still claim you did a good job. That would be bad enough if it wasn't obvious he's hardly been a bystander in Ipswich's takeover. 

...........and yet there are still people who think the bloke is hard done by. The only player we have left with optimum re-sale value is the Goalkeeper. We could sell a couple of the young 'uns but not for anything even approaching top dollar. Mark Ashton and Lee Johnson are jointly culpable for the absolute mess that the club finds itself in over recruitment imo. We would have been better off employing Swiss Tony to do the job. There is one world famous lower league Manager out there who would suggest that if they were Doctors they would be struck off................. I know Steve sees something in Ashton but I really struggle to fathom why we pay our CEO half a million quid given the value and turnover of the company.

Make no mistake about it if a new season was starting in a few weeks, with the squad we currently have, we would be one of the red hot favourites to be departing it in the wrong direction and tbh I would whack a sizeable lump on myself. Absolute fact, just look at the single odds on our matches if you doubt that statement and therefore when NP/Whoever takes AT LEAST two seasons to get us out of the mess we find ourselves in just remember who started it and then ask yourself whether the current CEO has been hard done by in terms of fan opinion of him.

Anyone who thinks we are challenging top 6 next season is literally out of their mind, I would say anything above 14th with far better football being played will be a significant success for ANY Manager getting our gig (I would take QPR's progress this season from where we find ourselves right now all day long) unless Steve really lets the purse strings go which is very unlikely, and if that annoys you that is where the mismanagement of the club, from the point that we banked the significant sums of money from "family silver" transfers and literally squandered on "clubs in the bag" by the previous regime, has led us.

[Harry]

1 hour ago, Olé said:

Because he can see the immediate future like the rest of us and is well aware that the natural arc of his tenure is swinging sharply down - and if he sticks around he'll soon be accountable for the return on and retained value from all his spending.

And one thing which we all know about Mark Ashton is he's not half as fond of accountability as he is of taking credit - I'm no @Kid in the Riot but I'm afraid it was completely predictable that he'd high step out of here before he gets measured.

It's criminal when you think about it. He was able to sell over £70m of players, half of it talent from our academy, almost all not his signings, and what has he left us with to show for it? A squad that cost over £50m and with no obvious resale value. 

Make a mess, waste lots of money, and then leave before you have to deal with the consequences and while you can still claim you did a good job. That would be bad enough if it wasn't obvious he's hardly been a bystander in Ipswich's takeover. 

This is bang on with how I see things. 
I’ve said before, LJ covered for many of MA’s misgivings. Once LJ left and no one was there to take the flak on his behalf any more, the responsibility started heading his way. 
Can’t be having that. Best put that Plan B in place and jump ship. 

[Harry]

1 hour ago, M.D said:

Ashton's been removed from those lists now..

My word. You’re right.
Hi Mark. Hope you’re well  

 

[Southend Blue]

I'll make it quick but have to ask is Mark Ashton a masochist or like to indulge in some perverse pleasures.   Only reason I enquire you'd have to be stark raving mentally incompetent to want to join up with us at the moment.   Had the 'pleasure' of a  3 - 0  loss at Northampton last night, no goals in five games and possibly the worst selection of players seen in terms of ambition and playing motivation I've seen, and there's been a few over the years.

I understand Ashton isn't wanted over your side of the country that much is clear but some of us actually seem to welcome his imminent arrival or even 'so what with what Bristol City fans think' you know, that kind of thing.    Viewed as a new broom to go with the 'New World Order' at Portman Road now Evans and Lambert have cleared the way.

This club is in disarray right now, we get laughed at by Norwich (rightly so grudgingly) although some sympathy with it.   As they enter the Premier League once more we're still going absolutely nowhere two leagues below with a new manager that isn't any improvement on before and ownership with the Gamechanger Yanks that promises new horizons and golden times ahead but such is the scale of what needs to be done don't think David Copperfield, Penn and Teller and all the worlds wizards together could make a go of it.    Does Ashton really know what he's letting himself in for.    A change of scenery maybe ?   I don't know there's just this overwhelming sensation when you've dug too deep a hole and wonder if you'll ever get out of it.

May have been better if you had shipped of one of those nice suspension bridges you've got over that side of the country our way along with Ashton as some of us feel like jumping from a high distance right now.    Cook has had a terrible start,  would leap off and miss the water seems so clueless.     We're bringing in new faces to do a job but but what needs to be done is so mammoth makes you question your faith sometimes. 

Will catch up with this another time but it really is dire out there, unless you're a supporter of this club and get to live week in week out with it you couldn't quite comprehend how bad it is.     All the pieces of the jigsaw seem to be coming into place but feel we'll be left with a three piece Vanessa Feltz box than a English Heritage 500 masterpiece.    Things to do, will let you get on now.  

 

 

[Olé]

40 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

...........and yet there are still people who think the bloke is hard done by.

Really??

He's an ex West Brom reserve goalkeeper and Oxford United director who has earned nearly 2% of the club's total revenues since he's been here (by now pocketing over £2m from us in gross earnings); he's indulged with (and lays claim to) glowing praise for a whole range of transformational things including the academy and the stadium most of which happened before he got here; he's been allowed to pick and choose his appearances and leave it to the owner to speak up when things aren't going well; he's been able to hire his relatives and allegedly indulge preferred agents; he's even been able to participate in a US takeover bid for a rival club that logically could only have started a long time before he gave notice, enabling him to now leave without ever having to face up to what he's left us with.

If that's being hard done by, I'd absolutely love to see what being wrapped in cotton wool and spoiled rotten looks like. 

The only thing I'd give him credit for is the fantastic act. He's managed to convince football people he's a business expert (see: any interview of his), while simultaneously convincing business people he's a football expert (see: Steve Lansdown). Unsurprisingly the truth is probably that he's neither, he's a bluffer with a well-oiled act who spun a nothing football career into presenting himself as a big time football executive, and then having secured the corresponding role, has spun it back the other way into being a football expert that oversees recruitment or second guesses the manager (it was Watford, 13 years ago, that first noted MA's habit of offering owners his second opinion). He's entrepreneurial, I'll give him that, but only in so far as he's able to keep selling this amazing act to new clubs.  

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, M.D said:

Ashton's been removed from those lists now..

Looks like OTIB / Twitter shit-stirring has had an effect.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Moving into next season. The injured are in bold.

1st team signings

Bentley

Kalas, Moore, DaSilva,

Williams, Nagy, Massengo, (Walsh- if renewed).

O'Dowda, (Paterson- if renewed).

Palmer

Martin, Wells, (Weimann- Year option in favour of the club).

Rowe was a bit of business who has delivered relative to price. Unsure if injured? Think Moore was injured but not checked for a day or two.

From within- for which Ashton can't claim credit.

O'Leary, Wollacott

Vyner, Pring, Nurse

Bakinson

Semenyo

Unsure if Nurse injured, was he featuring in an U23?

Not as concerned. The squad seems to have a reasonable age profile, and injuries like this would wreck a season at pretty much any club.

Having said that it's unbalanced in places and if we see a major exodus of out of contract in the summer, how we recruit, it could shape us for some time to come.

I certainly blame him for eg the number of over 30s in the last couple of seasons. What's all that about.

[Lorenzos Only Goal]

5 hours ago, Olé said:

Sorry, what???

Have you pointed this out to Gregor or anyone in the media so they can ask the club if this is reasonable? Hopefully it's just an eager or inexperienced website admin at Ipswich, but public implication of this is that Mark Ashton is wilfully neglecting his duties under the Companies Act 2006. As a director he as a legal duty to avoid any situation where he has a direct or indirect conflict of interest. Being listed and publicised as Chief Executive of a rival business would seem to be such a case.

 

Perhaps he'd be well advised to give them a quick call and get that corrected!

https://www.itfc.co.uk/news/2021/april/mark-ashton-to-join-town-as-ceo/

 

[Numero Uno]

20 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Looks like OTIB / Twitter shit-stirring has had an effect.

I bet the bloke detests the fans.

[Numero Uno]

3 minutes ago, Lorenzos Only Goal said:

https://www.itfc.co.uk/news/2021/april/mark-ashton-to-join-town-as-ceo/

 

Which is why he shouldn’t be on their staff list right now.

Are we all chipping in on a leaving present btw?

[CyderInACan]

47 minutes ago, Southend Blue said:

May have been better if you had shipped of one of those nice suspension bridges you've got over that side of the country our way along with Ashton as some of us feel like jumping from a high distance right now.    Cook has had a terrible start,  would leap off and miss the water seems so clueless. 

Probably shouldn't've but I did chuckle at that last bit. Chin up mate - 2021/22 could be your year! 

[RedRock]

23 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Moving into next season. The injured are in bold.

1st team signings

Bentley

Kalas, Moore, DaSilva,

Williams, Nagy, Massengo, (Walsh- if renewed).

O'Dowda, (Paterson- if renewed).

Palmer

Martin, Wells, (Weimann- Year option in favour of the club).

Rowe was a bit of business who has delivered relative to price. Unsure if injured? Think Moore was injured but not checked for a day or two.

From within- for which Ashton can't claim credit.

O'Leary, Wollacott

Vyner, Pring, Nurse

Bakinson

Semenyo

Unsure if Nurse injured, was he featuring in an U23?

Not as concerned. The squad seems to have a reasonable age profile, and injuries like this would wreck a season at pretty much any club.

Having said that it's unbalanced in places and if we see a major exodus of out of contract in the summer, how we recruit, it could shape us for some time to come.

I certainly blame him for eg the number of over 30s in the last couple of seasons. What's all that about.

Read and weep.

Compare that to Cotts squad.

If that’s 5 years ‘progress’, supposedly building on Cotts foundations, then I’m mighty glad I didn’t employ him as my CEO. 
 

What I don’t get is why an astute businessman like Steve has allowed this to happen. Three years ago any wise person could see what was happening and several posters on here commented as such. 

[glynriley]

14 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

Which is why he shouldn’t be on their staff list right now.

Are we all chipping in on a leaving present btw?

[Olé]

29 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

Are we all chipping in on a leaving present btw?

I think that's a bit much, a card will do.

[Bazooka Joe]

People like Mark Ashton & Ed Woodward epitomise everything that's wrong with modern football.

Will be glad to see the back of them.

 

 

 

So I can kick them up the arse.

[Bazooka Joe]

47 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

Which is why he shouldn’t be on their staff list right now.

Are we all chipping in on a leaving present btw?

How much does a vanity mirror cost nowadays?

[Rudolf Hucker]

55 minutes ago, Southend Blue said:

some of us actually seem to welcome his imminent arrival

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

MA’s priority seems always to be to do what is right for him rather than for anyone else, including his employer. He’s taken over our club which was on the up: newly promoted, with a reshaped academy and in progress, the building of a completely renovated stadium together with a fabulous relaid pitch. The successful model of combining football and rugby to play on the same ground under the Bristol Sport umbrella was already in train.

The door was open for our newly appointed, highly paid business leader to lead us through it to a new world beyond.  Four years later, we’re still stuck in the old one - further away from that door then we were before he joined. In the intervening period, he’s sold off our Crown Jewels and will leave us with mere but costly imitations (and a l-o-t of them). It’s cost us £2m+ for the privilege of having him as our CEO and we’ve little to show for it.

You’re very welcome to MA. Enjoy the ride (ps I’m sure that you won’t). We don’t yet know what him leaving will mean to us structurally but almost to a person, I think that we all know that we’re pretty happy that he’s leaving. 

Good luck!

[GrahamC]

1 hour ago, Olé said:

Really??

He's an ex West Brom reserve goalkeeper  

Is there any evidence that he even played at that level?

I think his CV contains some serious embellishment, if you have ever stood anywhere near him he makes Ronnie Sinclair look like he’s Niki Maenpaa, the bloke is about 5ft 8, no way did he even get a pro contract, I reckon.

[Taz]

1 hour ago, Southend Blue said:

I'll make it quick but have to ask is Mark Ashton a masochist or like to indulge in some perverse pleasures.   Only reason I enquire you'd have to be stark raving mentally incompetent to want to join up with us at the moment.   Had the 'pleasure' of a  3 - 0  loss at Northampton last night, no goals in five games and possibly the worst selection of players seen in terms of ambition and playing motivation I've seen, and there's been a few over the years.

I understand Ashton isn't wanted over your side of the country that much is clear but some of us actually seem to welcome his imminent arrival or even 'so what with what Bristol City fans think' you know, that kind of thing.    Viewed as a new broom to go with the 'New World Order' at Portman Road now Evans and Lambert have cleared the way.

This club is in disarray right now, we get laughed at by Norwich (rightly so grudgingly) although some sympathy with it.   As they enter the Premier League once more we're still going absolutely nowhere two leagues below with a new manager that isn't any improvement on before and ownership with the Gamechanger Yanks that promises new horizons and golden times ahead but such is the scale of what needs to be done don't think David Copperfield, Penn and Teller and all the worlds wizards together could make a go of it.    Does Ashton really know what he's letting himself in for.    A change of scenery maybe ?   I don't know there's just this overwhelming sensation when you've dug too deep a hole and wonder if you'll ever get out of it.

May have been better if you had shipped of one of those nice suspension bridges you've got over that side of the country our way along with Ashton as some of us feel like jumping from a high distance right now.    Cook has had a terrible start,  would leap off and miss the water seems so clueless.     We're bringing in new faces to do a job but but what needs to be done is so mammoth makes you question your faith sometimes. 

Will catch up with this another time but it really is dire out there, unless you're a supporter of this club and get to live week in week out with it you couldn't quite comprehend how bad it is.     All the pieces of the jigsaw seem to be coming into place but feel we'll be left with a three piece Vanessa Feltz box than a English Heritage 500 masterpiece.    Things to do, will let you get on now.  

 

 

He's had a very mixed time here.

On the whole (taking off my hate Ashton hat), before he appeared we were getting stupid amounts for our players, and it wasn't uncommon to see someone sold for "an undisclosed fee". You just knew that it was peanuts. We are no longer pushover in the transfer market. He has to take some credit for that.

To put another angle on that though, he came to the club (in a permanent capacity) at a time when we were "on the up" and attracting better players. With better players you get better transfer fees - it  stands to reason. So could someone on a smaller wage have got better/equal fee's for our better players? Possibly. General feeling now when someone is sold though, is that if an undisclosed fee is mentioned, it's generally considered to be a decent fee now.

He can pull off some great deals for incoming players as well. Take Adam Webster, who you'll know very well. We signed him for a supposedly low fee, with a decent sell on to you guys, should we sell at a profit. Lo and behold one year later, along come Brighton, we get a very good fee/profit for a player who had a great season, and had up to then, had issues with injuries. 

We then get signings like Henry Lansbury. Punts like Eisa and Szmodics, who in hindsight were bought with a sell on in mind should they not work out here. Expensive punts, who we were probably lucky to break even on to be fair.

Mixed bag really.

- He likes the sound of his own voice. 

- Will disappear if you go on a bad run, only to put his head above water when things look better.

- Declare his love and admiration/respect for the great Lansdown family (or whatever your equivalent is now) at every opportunity.

- Most importantly, will baffle you with bullshit and corporate jargon.

I worked up in that neck of the woods for a while (Bury St Edmunds) and I can assure you that most of your lot will probably see through him very quickly. A number on here didn't take long.

Oh and finally, he'll bring his family and friends to work with him. 

Thanks for taking him off our hands 

[Bazooka Joe]

30 minutes ago, Taz said:

He's had a very mixed time here.

On the whole (taking off my hate Ashton hat), before he appeared we were getting stupid amounts for our players, and it wasn't uncommon to see someone sold for "an undisclosed fee". You just knew that it was peanuts. We are no longer pushover in the transfer market. He has to take some credit for that.

To put another angle on that though, he came to the club (in a permanent capacity) at a time when we were "on the up" and attracting better players. With better players you get better transfer fees - it  stands to reason. So could someone on a smaller wage have got better/equal fee's for our better players? Possibly. General feeling now when someone is sold though, is that if an undisclosed fee is mentioned, it's generally considered to be a decent fee now.

He can pull off some great deals for incoming players as well. Take Adam Webster, who you'll know very well. We signed him for a supposedly low fee, with a decent sell on to you guys, should we sell at a profit. Lo and behold one year later, along come Brighton, we get a very good fee/profit for a player who had a great season, and had up to then, had issues with injuries. 

We then get signings like Henry Lansbury. Punts like Eisa and Szmodics, who in hindsight were bought with a sell on in mind should they not work out here. Expensive punts, who we were probably lucky to break even on to be fair.

Mixed bag really.

- He likes the sound of his own voice. 

- Will disappear if you go on a bad run, only to put his head above water when things look better.

- Declare his love and admiration/respect for the great Lansdown family (or whatever your equivalent is now) at every opportunity.

- Most importantly, will baffle you with bullshit and corporate jargon.

I worked up in that neck of the woods for a while (Bury St Edmunds) and I can assure you that most of your lot will probably see through him very quickly. A number on here didn't take long.

Oh and finally, he'll bring his family and friends to work with him. 

Thanks for taking him off our hands 

He has friends?

Unbelievable !

[steviestevieneville]

2 hours ago, Southend Blue said:

I'll make it quick but have to ask is Mark Ashton a masochist or like to indulge in some perverse pleasures.   Only reason I enquire you'd have to be stark raving mentally incompetent to want to join up with us at the moment.   Had the 'pleasure' of a  3 - 0  loss at Northampton last night, no goals in five games and possibly the worst selection of players seen in terms of ambition and playing motivation I've seen, and there's been a few over the years.

I understand Ashton isn't wanted over your side of the country that much is clear but some of us actually seem to welcome his imminent arrival or even 'so what with what Bristol City fans think' you know, that kind of thing.    Viewed as a new broom to go with the 'New World Order' at Portman Road now Evans and Lambert have cleared the way.

This club is in disarray right now, we get laughed at by Norwich (rightly so grudgingly) although some sympathy with it.   As they enter the Premier League once more we're still going absolutely nowhere two leagues below with a new manager that isn't any improvement on before and ownership with the Gamechanger Yanks that promises new horizons and golden times ahead but such is the scale of what needs to be done don't think David Copperfield, Penn and Teller and all the worlds wizards together could make a go of it.    Does Ashton really know what he's letting himself in for.    A change of scenery maybe ?   I don't know there's just this overwhelming sensation when you've dug too deep a hole and wonder if you'll ever get out of it.

May have been better if you had shipped of one of those nice suspension bridges you've got over that side of the country our way along with Ashton as some of us feel like jumping from a high distance right now.    Cook has had a terrible start,  would leap off and miss the water seems so clueless.     We're bringing in new faces to do a job but but what needs to be done is so mammoth makes you question your faith sometimes. 

Will catch up with this another time but it really is dire out there, unless you're a supporter of this club and get to live week in week out with it you couldn't quite comprehend how bad it is.     All the pieces of the jigsaw seem to be coming into place but feel we'll be left with a three piece Vanessa Feltz box than a English Heritage 500 masterpiece.    Things to do, will let you get on now.  

 

 

Plenty more eloquent to reply than me. One thing I will say though is, if he’s allowed in charge & heads up recruitment as he will surely want to then you’re in serious trouble .  

[Mr Popodopolous]

3 hours ago, RedRock said:

Read and weep.

Compare that to Cotts squad.

If that’s 5 years ‘progress’, supposedly building on Cotts foundations, then I’m mighty glad I didn’t employ him as my CEO. 
 

What I don’t get is why an astute businessman like Steve has allowed this to happen. Three years ago any wise person could see what was happening and several posters on here commented as such. 

Is it that bad when fit?

Bentley- We all agree is good.

Kalas- Has been a high end CB at this level prior to joining us.

Moore can be in and out.

DaSilva- problem? When fit I mean.

Williams and Walsh when fit are good, Massengo's best years are to come, Nagy is and can be cover.

O'Dowda I'll grant hasn't really done much save for some great goals every now and then, and a great period prior to injury in Autumn 2017- he was really hitting straps then.

Paterson (along with Weimann- especially Weimann) were a key component in our excellent start.

Palmer- Yes he's flattered to deceive.

Martin- puzzled at the issues with him, good at Derby last year but we certainly didn't utilise him well.

Wells was overperforming at QPR but give him the service and his general track record is about 1 in 3 or thereabouts.

Looking at younger players

Any issues with O'Leary and Wollacott as cover?

Vyner is versatile- Pring and Nurse are academy products.

Bakinson is still young, plenty of room to develop- Semenyo too.

You appear to overlook the massive number of injuries we had and have had this season. That I certainly do blame Ashton for in terms of who he has hired in the medical dept etc.

Mawson and Baker- not even mentioned them as out of contract. Sessegnon he is back now but off in the Summer, missed half a season.

Brunt was injured for some time but was a poor signing for sure.

Simpson, Mariappa and Lansbury- Ashton or manager led? I honestly don't know. 

Got mixed views...think people can underestimate how costly and difficult a League in which clubs with £35-45m wage bills can be midtable and below.

The injury list this season and to a lesser extent the last couple would **** over any side though- but notably this season's one.

[RedRock]

Well...

Bentley - yep and probably the only player worth more than we paid for him.

Kalas - adequate, but at least 50% loss of value

Moore - love the guy, solid but prone to horrendous errors

Dasilva - Worrying injuries and risk of being targeted due to size, high ball behind

Williams - unknown but disastrous start

Walsh - Unknown ...after 3-4 years!
 
O’Dowda - Don’t get me started!!!!

Paterson - More miss than hit

Palmer - As above

Martin - Would have been useful 5 years ago

 

Vyner - decent but needs to make a position his own.

Semenyo - potential, a year on, still potential

Bakinson - See Paterson

 

No leaders, no spirit, no partnerships no cohesion. 
 

All in all, a bit of a shambles and not a great legacy from our CEO of 5 years wheeling/dealing. 

 

[reddoh]

8 hours ago, Rudolf Hucker said:

The Club Chaplain should worry, more likely. Werhun seems to already sit on the right hand of 'god'.

It is said God moves in mysterious ways  Werhun must like this.

[Wrongagain]

2 hours ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

 

Bentley- We all agree is good.

Paterson (along with Weimann- especially Weimann) were a key component in our excellent start.

The injury list this season and to a lesser extent the last couple would **** over any side though- but notably this season's one.

Bentley - agree he can be really good, but he can also be very bad, which seriously impacts defence - a spell as number 2 would wake him up!

Pato - somewhere in there is a very good player, missing is the sports psychologist that can get him to turn up and play to his strengths, so unmotivated at times he should not be anywhere near a team.

The injury list is the biggest worry and it’s been getting worse season on season, when do the alarm bells start ringing? Something is very wrong with the pitch and or the training ground and it has to sorted before pre season starts - how many injuries occurred during the last pre season?