Football league 2014/15

[Alviro Patterson]

Adrian Durham was saying the very same things as you Sussex on Talk Sport pre game yesterday evening. While alot of what you and he was saying is true, it does still smack of sour grapes. At the end of the day they complied with the current rules of FFP and I hope they continue to do so.

The owner has put some money in, but he hasn't spent a fortune thus far. Who knows what will happen in the next year or so, we may get relegated, Howe might leave, the Owner may take all his money out, and we may lose half the players, whatever happens happens. As far as I'm concerned it was all about enjoying the rollercoaster this season, and living the dream for next season. I will probably feel this time next season I would have preferred to still be in the Championship, because the football is more real and the fans are more engaged but Bournemouth will always be a small club whatever the backing and whatever division they are in.

Nothing wrong with external investment - virtually every club who has made the Premier League in recent years has a rich benefactor and this is applies across the entire English football pyramid.

Bournemouth may not be a big club, but how the club is run is the envy of bigger clubs. Not reliant on higher level football to operate sufficiently, relegation won't ruin the club, not servicing debts of £10s/£100s Millions.

Just one season of Premier League football will leave Bournemouth a lasting legacy and if the club continues to be well run, be in a better position years down the line compared to it's Pre Premier League days.

[braveneutral]

Those are top quality players he hasn't forked out on.

[budgetmeansbudget]

I think on the whole that fans of smaller clubs in the Football League are pleased that Bournemouth have got promotion. It demonstrates that clubs like us, Burnley, Hull City etc... can be on the brink of oblivion one year, and then with good management, a bit of investment and a little bit of luck can make it all the way up to the premier league. It's important for the future of the Football League that these sort of stories can become reality from time to time. Lets face it the Premier League has moved away from the football league in recent time in terms of the money that is washing around but if it becomes too closed off from the rest it can only be to the detriment of football in this country. There is nowhere else in Europe with second, third and fourth tiers as strong as ours, and long may it continue.

Who knows Hartlepool could go on a run over the next few years or Wycombe, both have recently been on the verge of league oblivion like AFCB a few years ago, and with a bit of investment and a decent manager you never know what can happen?

[sussexpob]

Who knows Hartlepool could go on a run over the next few years or Wycombe, both have recently been on the verge of league oblivion like AFCB a few years ago, and with a bit of investment and a decent manager you never know what can happen?

And by a bit of investment we mean 3 million pounds on players in two years in league one, when put into context, is only 400k off the total league spending from this year through 24 teams, and a wage bill that allowed them to attract sought after players from more established teams, as signing Matt Tubbs from Crawley over other teams was a considerable coup. Having invested that heavily, they would have been considered an utter failure for not progressing upwards.

[sussexpob]

I do agree with alot of what you are saying Sussex and we have had this conversation before, and like you I would probably say I would prefer a game in division 2 in front of real fans instead of the plastic premiership, but at the end of the day you want your team to win games and if that means at the end of the day you get to mix it with the big boys for a while then part of you want to see what it like, however temporary it may end up being. Plus its nice that your team enjoys a higher media profile for a while although that can bring its disadvantages.

Media attention is one thing I guess that I would like to see more.... a few more live games to follow, more highlights and general coverage.

[SaintPowelly]

Wigan are down !!!!!

RACIST PR*CKS !!!

[Alviro Patterson]

That horrible creature in Steve Evans has kept Rotherham up

[SaintPowelly]

That horrible creature in Steve Evans has kept Rotherham up

Hes no more horrible than Mackay and Whealan

[Alviro Patterson]

That horrible creature in Steve Evans has kept Rotherham up

Hes no more horrible than Mackay and Whealan

Seriously?

Whelan was only guilty of using racial language, for which he has apologised for.

Steve Evans on the other hand - guilty of financial irregularities, fraud, foul and absuive language towards match officials on more than one occasion, obscene hand gesturing towards a female football club employee, failure to control his players in a mass brawl. Not to mention he promotes dirty, cynical, gamesmanship anti-football whoever he is manager of.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Who knows Hartlepool could go on a run over the next few years or Wycombe, both have recently been on the verge of league oblivion like AFCB a few years ago, and with a bit of investment and a decent manager you never know what can happen?

And by a bit of investment we mean 3 million pounds on players in two years in league one, when put into context, is only 400k off the total league spending from this year through 24 teams, and a wage bill that allowed them to attract sought after players from more established teams, as signing Matt Tubbs from Crawley over other teams was a considerable coup. Having invested that heavily, they would have been considered an utter failure for not progressing upwards.

That was 800k very poorly spent as it turns out. The 2.5k on Tokelo Rantie is looking decidedly dodgy right now as well. But that is far and away balanced the other way by the successes of Arter, Pugh, Wilson, Cook, Francis, Richie et al.

The investment by the owner is reckoned to be about 10 million so far, but alot of that money has been on the infrastructure at the club, stadium improvement, acquiring high quality training pitches, the main pitch itself, backroom staff, etc.... We haven't exactly gone mad in transfer fees, probably because we can't under FFP. The signing of Jones from Cardiff on £30k a week was a bit questionable but his header at Ipswich may still prove to be crucial in the grand scheme of things.

[Aidan11]

Who knows Hartlepool could go on a run over the next few years or Wycombe, both have recently been on the verge of league oblivion like AFCB a few years ago, and with a bit of investment and a decent manager you never know what can happen?

We almost made it to the Championship 10 years ago had it not been for a bent ref. We had the same owners back then but they were putting some decent money in the club. They have blamed the recession for being unable to do that now. They want out (and we were almost taken over early on but the new owners seemed a bit suspicious ).

Our goalie was Dimi Konstantopolous back then. He was on the verge of playing for Greece at the time. He's now the 'keeper at Middlesbrough.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Who knows Hartlepool could go on a run over the next few years or Wycombe, both have recently been on the verge of league oblivion like AFCB a few years ago, and with a bit of investment and a decent manager you never know what can happen?

We almost made it to the Championship 10 years ago had it not been for a bent ref. We had the same owners back then but they were putting some decent money in the club. They have blamed the recession for being unable to do that now. They want out (and we were almost taken over early on but the new owners seemed a bit suspicious ).

Our goalie was Dimi Konstantopolous back then. He was on the verge of playing for Greece at the time. He's now the 'keeper at Middlesbrough.

I absolutely love that guy.

[Aidan11]

Who knows Hartlepool could go on a run over the next few years or Wycombe, both have recently been on the verge of league oblivion like AFCB a few years ago, and with a bit of investment and a decent manager you never know what can happen?

We almost made it to the Championship 10 years ago had it not been for a bent ref. We had the same owners back then but they were putting some decent money in the club. They have blamed the recession for being unable to do that now. They want out (and we were almost taken over early on but the new owners seemed a bit suspicious ).

Our goalie was Dimi Konstantopolous back then. He was on the verge of playing for Greece at the time. He's now the 'keeper at Middlesbrough.

I absolutely love that guy.

My son still sees him around the bars in the town and have a chat to him. A really nice bloke.

[budgetmeansbudget]

The Bournemouth promotion celebratory bus parade will be going from pier to pier on bank holiday monday.

I cannot stand things like that and suffice to say I will be going nowhere near.

[budgetmeansbudget]

19-0 eh?