If we get to the Premier League ?

[Charnwood]

Over the weekend I’ve chatted to a couple of ardent Leicester City fans, one a close friend and the other my nephew who’s not missed a City game home or away for many years. Neither think City are good enough for the EPL, or with the current FFP rules have sufficient investment funds to buy good enough players to stay there. Their argument is of course supported by last years promoted clubs sitting rooted to the three relegation places with only 12 games to play, and both Sheffield United and Burnley’s relegation already looking guaranteed.

The conversation prompted me to think about out team if we get promotion this year. How many of our players would be good enough to make the grade and how much would we need to spend to be able to compete and more important to survive.

To be honest once you start thinking about it seriously it’s quite a frightening prospect as even our very best players would struggle to make the bench in most Premier League teams.

I know it’s only hypothetical and there’s still a long way to go, but if we get there I’ve a feeling following our team might not be as much fun as we’re currently having and McKenna will definitely need to extend his magic for us to survive.

What do others think ?

[Bluemike]

I've made my feelings quite clear numerous times that I have nothing positive to say about the Premier League and all the money madness, corruption, greed, predictability, VAR etc etc etc that go with it, factor in the likelihood that the cost of watching our team every week will increase substantially, kick off times will be ridiculous if they aren't already and then the prospect of getting tonked most weeks, all in all not very appealing really.

Looking at it with a positive spin, we have fantastic owners, an incredible CEO and possibly the best young manager to emerge in the English game for many years, not to mention an unbelievable fan base that are second to none so why shouldn't we embrace it and give it a real go ? I know full well we are equal in potential to the likes of Luton, Sheff Utd, Burnley, Forest, Brentford, Bournemouth, Palace, Everton, Wolves and Fulham, that's half the Premier League !!! Only Three get relegated so survival is a real possibility.

As for the squad, yes it would be decimated, I think Morsy, Davis & Hladky may have a part to play, squad players could include Chaplin and Broadhead while the loanees Hutchinson and Moore would most likely do ok, as for the rest, sadly not good enough for the step up, but that's the beauty of it and at the end of the day the financial rewards would see us set fair for a few years and would give something back to our most deserving owners. Let's embrace it should it come to pass. COYB'S

[Blue Wilf]

That has all been my fear for a few years and I have expressed it numerous times. I want to get there and have the joy of that feeling but once we are there, I really do fear for the enjoyment factor unless many millions are invested.

I have said for years that I would rather be challenging for play offs in the Championship than losing 0-6 at home to Liverpool et al... yes, of course a season up there to just see what it would be like would be welcome but I bet we would not enjoy it half as much as a season like last or this one. Even if the investors pumped in stupid money (which they can't due to FFP), there are still no guarantees and we end up with soulless wannabe's playing for our club. Look at Chelsea - £1bn spent and mid table with almost no players I can even name. I can remember most of their 1970 cup winning team well though!

Look at Leeds and Leicester who will have spent hundreds of millions and still got relegated. The stakes are just stacked so much in favour of the self appointed 'top' clubs that it becomes a joke. Add to this the travel for stupid kick off times, bandwagon jumpers who decide to become 'lifelong fans' until relegation, VAR, exorbitant prices for everything, ticket availability, prawn sandwich brigade etc etc... and the answer for me becomes one of - lets see if we get there and if so, great - we try a season and see how we feel but if we don't make it, another season even close to this would be very welcome as I have loved every minute of it! I bet Luton or Burnley fans have hated their seasons as much as we have loved ours... thats my take!

[Shed on tour]

Have to agree with you Charny. I think we will continue to see clubs yo-yo between the Championship and Premier League due to them being unable to compete financially in the Premiership when they reach there but will be too strong for the majority of Championship clubs due to receiving such large parachute payments when getting relegated.
As for us if we reach the so-called promised land I feel we will find it difficult to survive as the majority of our players would struggle at that level and will need replacing. That is when the balancing act between financial outlay and getting the quality in to stay up becomes really difficult. It can be done as Brentford and Brighton have proved but certainly won’t be a easy task.

[Charnwood]

Maybe the two I spoke with yesterday one of whom said he’d prefer to win the FA Cup and stay in the Championship, weren’t kidding when they said they weren’t bothered if City miss out on promotion cos they’ve really enjoyed this season. It certainly doesn’t look or feel as attractive as I thought it would but I can’t stop myself still wanting it to happen. I’m thinking many others will be feeling exactly the same.

[Bluemike]

Maybe the two I spoke with yesterday one of whom said he’d prefer to win the FA Cup and stay in the Championship, weren’t kidding when they said they weren’t bothered if City miss out on promotion cos they’ve really enjoyed this season. It certainly doesn’t look or feel as attractive as I thought it would but I can’t stop myself still wanting it to happen. I’m thinking many others will be feeling exactly the same.

Were they still of the same opinion when they were 18 points ahead of us ? or is it starting to hit home that they might just muck it up ?

[hallamblue]

The promised land is anything but, and certainly not for the fans. It’s the biggest con going and always has been. I hate it.

But

From the Club’s perspective it’s a potential money spinner for the club, manager, staff and those players lucky enough to be in that PL squad through astronomical elevated earnings.

Current squad:

Isn’t good enough, end of. Are any players in this squad that are our players? I’m struggling to think of a single player that could make that step up individually. But as we know the sum of parts when cohesively assembled as a unit MIGHT be able to compete in some of those PL games. But I seriously doubt we’d survive unless we could attract the required quality. Problem is we’d need a lot of new players and that in itself causing upheaval which takes time to overcome. But it is possible. Out if all the clubs promoted , Luton appear to have the best chance of surviving and they would have been the less likely candidates before the season started.

Our only saving Grace IF we get promoted is our owners apparently having deep, deep pockets.

[Cabanas Blue]

I also dislike the premier league maybe it would be better if they had formed a European super league and the money mad so called big teams had p*ss** off, and all the other teams had strict fair play rules so everyone had a chance.
When my uncle played the players were paid £15 a week plus a win bonus how times have changed.

[number 9]

It certainly is a daunting prospect of what comes next...if? It's not feasible financially to replace the whole squad, so many players will have to at least attempt the step up. First and foremost, survival would be key and any players brought in will be thoroughly vetted to meet KM's philosophy for survival. On the surface, it seems apparent KM's attack-minded philosophy may have to transition to a more defensive and safe approach. Otherwise, as many have said we'll get trounced week after week. With that in mind, it would make sense if initially MA/KM start by rebuilding the backline. Defence has been our main weakness, and obviously the challenge would be even more difficult in the Prem. Additionally, we're gonna need quality in the midfield. As we all know, talented midfielders don't come cheap so that may be difficult to achieve at the Prem level. I can also see a couple of high-quality loans coming in, possibly a striker. We'll probably need another quality GK as well. It ain't gonna be cheap, is it?

[Charnwood]

Maybe the two I spoke with yesterday one of whom said he’d prefer to win the FA Cup and stay in the Championship, weren’t kidding when they said they weren’t bothered if City miss out on promotion cos they’ve really enjoyed this season. It certainly doesn’t look or feel as attractive as I thought it would but I can’t stop myself still wanting it to happen. I’m thinking many others will be feeling exactly the same.

Were they still of the same opinion when they were 18 points ahead of us ? or is it starting to hit home that they might just muck it up ?

I’ve posted on here a few times how my nephew who never misses a game believes they’re very lucky to be where they are and have played rubbish but have still scraped wins especially in the early part of the season. I think like me he can’t bring himself to not wanting promotion as he likes winning but just doesn’t look forward to what it entails, especially having enjoyed their success this year. He says he’s felt so much better travelling back to London after every game although I’m sure that will have changed recently. I think after a while a relegation battle just becomes tiring and potentially depressing.

[Bluemike]

The promised land is anything but, and certainly not for the fans. It’s the biggest con going and always has been. I hate it.

But

From the Club’s perspective it’s a potential money spinner for the club, manager, staff and those players lucky enough to be in that PL squad through astronomical elevated earnings.

Current squad:

Isn’t good enough, end of. Are any players in this squad that are our players? I’m struggling to think of a single player that could make that step up individually. But as we know the sum of parts when cohesively assembled as a unit MIGHT be able to compete in some of those PL games. But I seriously doubt we’d survive unless we could attract the required quality. Problem is we’d need a lot of new players and that in itself causing upheaval which takes time to overcome. But it is possible. Out if all the clubs promoted , Luton appear to have the best chance of surviving and they would have been the less likely candidates before the season started.

Our only saving Grace IF we get promoted is our owners apparently having deep, deep pockets.

And that is exactly it, its not always about prima dona superstars, when we went up in 2000 we didn't have any, the likes of Venus, sedgeley etc looked well out of their depth but look what they achieved. This current Town team has a close bond and team spirit like nothing I've seen before here or anywhere and that takes you a long long way.

[Shed on tour]

I guess it’s a case of let’s get there first and then worry about how we are going to stay up. As I’ve said before this might be the best opportunity we have to secure promotion in the near future so hopefully we can obtain it. The other thing to take into consideration is that our owners who have been brilliant in backing us so far, will at sometime want a return on their investment and this will only happen if we obtain Premiership status.
Yes at this moment in time we are no doubt ahead of the planned timescale they had in mind but if you miss out on opportunities when they arrive in the end it could prove to be costly in more ways than one.

[rossi]

It doesn't matter what you do in life - most people strive to be the very best that they can.
That applies to people and organisations.
So promotion to the PL should be every player and every clubs objective. Don't worry about what might happen when we get there - get there first and see what happens.
If we do get promoted, I'm sure that the owners will put as much money as they are allowed into improving the quality of the team. But spending money alone is no guarantee of success, team-work will play as much of a part in a club's success as anything else, and we already have a really good situation in that respect. As long as that boat is not rocked too much - by getting players in on huge salaries - I'd say we would have as good a chance as any other team of survival for at least the first season
So, get there, and then enjoy the ride for however long it lasts.

[Bluemike]

No Sereni's or Finidi's then

[number 9]

No Sereni's or Finidi's then

I had such hi hopes for Finidi George! Didn't he score a hatrick on his debut and then faded away?

Those are some eye opening numbers Charny! I never would have guessed we're better off than Liverpool!!

[arana peligrosa]

Suppose straight away you can make comparison with 2000 and the season thereafter, finishing fifth place and we've done it before etc etc but times and the game will have changed or expanded greatly since then. Is the squad man for man right now better than the one we had back in 2000-01, it's not so easy to answer as one might expect but the rise of the game once again since then in a way renders it immaterial.

The EPL is the place to be. There's no two ways about it. People can bitch about the avarice involved and contempt for use of money and while they got a certain justification in it it's the place where most if not all club names aim to be or strive to achieve. Say again we're approaching one of the very best opportunities of making a return since dropping out in 2002 so whatever happens just grab this chance while it's available. McKenna's not going to be in place forever and this impressive lot of players we got right now can or will be broken up at a later time. Simple math here, go for the objective in hand and make Ipswich Town Football Club a top level Premier League name once again. It's just the thought of missing out when being so close this season, all the years away and considerable damage done by Evans and the whole list of sh*t managerial appointments with it that kind of drives you on.

[RRanger]

Look at it from a different perspective; how many of the current managers in the Premier League would you rather have instead of KMc. I can only think of one : Pep. If Tomas Frank can keep Brentford in the league for as long as he has,then I'm sure KMc can and look what Bournemouth have done with 11,000 home attendance and don't tell me they have backers as wealthy as ours even with FFP. Not being able to get to many home matches,even though Sky have in many ways ruined English football,selfishly the prospect of being able to regularly watch my team live and every game they play after the event ,well,I can't wait.If we have to get our excitement from watching our team surviving in the Prem thats fine by me.
Plus ,we have been telling ourselves how lucky we are to have Gamechanger's investment in the club.They deserve the Premier League - its what they were looking for when they took over. I just hope we don't blow it now.

[Charnwood]

No Sereni's or Finidi's then

I had such hi hopes for Finidi George! Didn't he score a hatrick on his debut and then faded away?

Those are some eye opening numbers Charny! I never would have guessed we're better off than Liverpool!!

They were eye opening numbers 9 but they’ve disappeared !

[mugen1]

Was talking with a buddy about exactly this at the weekend.

He's a Chester City and Liverpool fan.

He made a valid point, turn to your academy, it's done Liverpool no harm.
But, is our academy turning out gems anymore that can have a positive impact on the first team? Whether that's in the Championship or PL? I feel, sadly, not.

[hallamblue]

I quite like the Brentford model. They ditched their academy because the big boys stole their developing youngsters for bugger all money. We have suffered the same , on n7merous occasions. So you have to start to question is it worth all the time, money
And coaching only for a big club to come 8n and poach time and you barely recoup your costs. Brentford buy in older talent and develop them on from their and the sell on for a much higher fee, and keep,the ones they want to keep…it’s a business now unfortunately. Town appear to be going a similar way but not identically.

[number 9]

I quite like the Brentford model. They ditched their academy because the big boys stole their developing youngsters for bugger all money. We have suffered the same , on n7merous occasions. So you have to start to question is it worth all the time, money
And coaching only for a big club to come 8n and poach time and you barely recoup your costs. Brentford buy in older talent and develop them on from their and the sell on for a much higher fee, and keep,the ones they want to keep…it’s a business now unfortunately. Town appear to be going a similar way but not identically.

I think Davis and Hamadi are excellent examples of the Brentford model. You’re right too, if the big clubs get a sniff of our Academy prospects its like taking candy away from a baby!

[number 9]

No Sereni's or Finidi's then

I had such hi hopes for Finidi George! Didn't he score a hatrick on his debut and then faded away?

Those are some eye opening numbers Charny! I never would have guessed we're better off than Liverpool!!

They were eye opening numbers 9 but they’ve disappeared !

What happened?

[Charnwood]

I had such hi hopes for Finidi George! Didn't he score a hatrick on his debut and then faded away?

Those are some eye opening numbers Charny! I never would have guessed we're better off than Liverpool!!

They were eye opening numbers 9 but they’ve disappeared !

What happened?

I’ve no idea mate and I didn’t keep a copy. I need to look the up again and re do the table.

[Bluemike]

Has something vanished then ?

[Ricco]

We have remained frugal, so if we were to go up, we may even be better placed than the teams who go with us, as judging by the Leicester teams, they may already be flying too close to the sun.

I've said a few times that I don't think you can judge who can make the step up. I like many had concerns when we didn't make many signings in the summer, we thought many were bound to struggle a level up, but the majority have taken to it like a duck to water, we are out pointing ourselves from last year.

So you never know, but having said that... I'm not sure on Hladky, I think it may be a push, I'd like to think Davis, Burgess and Tuanzebe have the quality to step up in defence. Morsy and Luongo, maybe, but if I'm honest, I'm not sure about the physicality, it's a lot of running and I think they'd need support, I havent seen enough of Travis. Forwards... I'm not sure, sometimes that's harder to predict than with defenders... I'd imagine Hirst would really struggle, Chaplin and Broadhead could certainly perform, but their lean periods would surely be for longer periods than this season, same but moreso with Burns. I don't think it's too scary to be honest, 3 or 4 quality signings and I'm confident we could give it a good go.

[Charnwood]

Has something vanished then ?

Yea, the table I posted ranking the wealth of the Top 10 Premier League Clubs owners.

[marko69]

I quite like the Brentford model. They ditched their academy because the big boys stole their developing youngsters for bugger all money. We have suffered the same , on n7merous occasions. So you have to start to question is it worth all the time, money
And coaching only for a big club to come 8n and poach time and you barely recoup your costs. Brentford buy in older talent and develop them on from their and the sell on for a much higher fee, and keep,the ones they want to keep…it’s a business now unfortunately. Town appear to be going a similar way but not identically.

I think Davis and Hamadi are excellent examples of the Brentford model. You’re right too, if the big clubs get a sniff of our Academy prospects its like taking candy away from a baby!

Same up here. When people bang on about "only two clubs" ....., that part in bold is one of the many reasons.

[Charnwood]

The table below ranks all Premier League Clubs + ITFC by their owners wealth. I don’t think we need worry too much about our owners financial ability to support our team.

Club. - Owners Wealth

1) Newcastle Utd. £489 Bn.
2) Manchester Utd. £22.1 Bn.
3) Manchester City £17.3 Bn.
4) Chelsea. £12.4 Bn.
5) Arsenal £10.2 Bn.
6) Aston Villa £9.4 Bn.
IPSWICH TOWN £8.5 Bn.
7) Liverpool £7.8 Bn.
Fulham. £6.2 Bn.
9) West Ham £5.7 Bn.
10) Wolves. £5.5 Bn.
11) Tottenham £4.6 Bn.
12) Crystal Palace £4.3 Bn.
13) Everton £2.3 Bn.
14) Bournemouth £1.3 Bn.
15) Brighton £1.0 Bn.
16) Notts Forest £489 M
17) Brentford. £220 M
18) Sheffield Utd. £158 M
19) Luton Town Unknown
20) Burnley Unknown


Others

Leeds United £4.0 Bn.
Leicester City £2.8 Bn.
Southampton. £1.1 Bn
Norwich City. £24 M

[marko69]

Some crazy figures amongst that lot.

[Ricco]

Fulham are a bit bloody smug about it.