It was a different world then

Most of those players (obviously not our own youth products) we picked up cheaply from lower leagues or the reserve teams of big clubs (eg Bowen/Crook). We will not even be able to afford their equivalents in the modern world. Wage wise we were on a par with all bar the big four or five in the premier league. Now we won’t be on a par with the top 12 or 14 in the championship. Clubs owned by wealthy individuals who subsidised them heavily were the exception rather than the rule.

It’s going to be a lot harder to be successful operating that model than it was 15 or even 7 or 8 years ago. Much, much harder.

More to the point though there needs to be a balance between selling every single player on vaguely decent wages and retaining a strong enough squad to challenge for the top six in a season where we still have a chance. Selling Oliveira to Fulham would be a terrible decision in that context.

Posted By: Jim, Jan 14, 12:39:52