The ground thing just won’t go away. Just about every problem we’ve had in the past 30 years can be traced back to one thing: we don’t own the place where we play. It puts us at the mercy of the land owners or – apparently in this case – the leaseholder. What’s the difference? Either way, our lemon gets squeezed.
What I love about these wrangles is there is always somebody
who claims to be “a friend” of the offending lemon squeezer, and obligingly
makes their case for them. I suppose it makes a change from “sources close to…”
Apparently we were stupid for not
resolving the lease issue (i.e. paying over the odds to stay at a UCL facility)
rather than pushing for promotion, like we splurged huge amounts of money in
assembling a team featuring Tommy Hull.
I don’t particularly like the thought of returning to Corby
for an indefinite period. Nor do I like the thought of being held to ransom by
a tinpot chancer. Given the choice – if it is the only choice – I’d take Corby,
even though it would feel like a backward move. However perhaps there is a
wider game being played here. Rockingham Road has unexpectedly re-entered the
equation. Whatever was in those sealed bids evidently wasn't enough. Were they all unrealistic, or does somebody need to adjust their expectations. The council could still play a
part by indicating a preference for how the site is used: a few more cereal box
starter homes, or a regenerated community stadium? If in doubt about which is the right answer, contact me for an unbiased opinion.
Whatever path we take I hope people have seen
enough of the present club regime to back their judgement and trust their
motives. The last thing we need is more tedious factionalism. United we stand, divided we fall (other cliches are available).
* NB need to check whether this is still allowed under international law.
TBH I do think we splurged on a number of players. Kolo, Ogbonna, Sandy, Moreman to name the most obvious. If you think they're here on peanuts then you'll be mistaken. Kolo, leading goalscorer in the league, Ogbonna, proven goalscorer in this league, Sandy, won this league last year with Dunstable, Moreman, proved himself at Step 2.
ReplyDeleteYeah they're all here on expenses only. D'oh!
The argument about not spending on players before sorting out long-term is an interesting one. On the one hand it's sensible, in a 'don't run before you can walk' kind of way. On the other we thought the medium-term had been sorted out with LP so wanted to push on. Maybe we should've set a modest budget but not gone crazy as I believe we have done this season.
Only we could win the Championship and then find ourselves in a massive mess just one day later.
ReplyDeleteAlthough unlike the Ladak / Rolls era, I actually this time trust the powers that be to make the best decisions for the club.
I'm not party to the club's budget but happen to believe RJ when he says we are living within our means. To do otherwise with Ladak so fresh in the memory would be lunacy. The cost of a long term ground solution is way beyond normal trading and will require special and separate investment. I'm not in agreement with cutting the playing budget just to pay over the odds to stay at LP, when nothing has changed other than the leaseholder thinks he can screw more out of us.
ReplyDelete