A Happy Villan Says Keep The Faith

Saw this and thought it would be nice to publish a bit more positivity on this bright sunny day!

Picklefactory said in the transfer thread:

I’m also looking forward to this season.

There is absolutely no guaranteed recipe for success in football at any level, and even more so at the top level. We had MON spending fantastically and being backed by the owner to a ridiculous tune. We managed 3 x 6th places….but at what cost to the future of the club, when his pot of gold was taken away…he stomped off sans toys and assorted dummies.

We had years of buying ‘proven’ Premiership players at extortionate prices/wages, all ‘known’ names of supposed pedigree……..the vast majority of whom we are now praying to offload for whatever anyone is willing to pay.

What my eyes and ears are telling me is that the club have learned some very hard lessons and are TRYING to fix all of those mistakes that they made. Yes, Randy Lerner messed up in many, many ways, but I still believe it was with good intentions, but appalling guidance and decision making.

Personally, I am, and have always been, fully behind the strategy that Paul Lambert and the rest are attempting to build. I think it is precisely the right thing to do, it is exactly what many of the most successful European team have done…EXCEPT they did it years ago and we are miles behind the way they have brought tons of young talent through their ranks. How many Barca, Real and various top German players have come through from a very young age at their clubs???? they received top coaching and belief in their talents.

He is trying to build the whole playing staff into one type of football that everyone fits into, and he wants the type of young, hungry, raw talents to try and mould into exciting honed talents. But that will take time and patience, but unfortunately, modern fans seem to have none and want instant success.

He has had one full season to try and both undo all the rubbish that has been done over the past 5 years and also start his rebuild of the club with a new direction, and that is a tough ask, in my book.

I am right behind the plan, and I think PL is taking us forward.

Time will tell if he has the eye for the right young talent and the skills to bring that talent to fruition. But I think he’s done well so far. I’m sure he will have a few failures, as did Fergie on many an occasion (Bebe, Taibi, DjembaDjemba, Obertan etc), as did Guardiola (Caceres, Hleb, Chygrynsky) and many others, but if only 50% of his signings turn out to be gems, at these prices, it will be a massive success story.

I would still like a dominant captain in the middle of the park, with a bit more experience of high level somewhere. (Not necessarily EPL), but I’m happy we’re not wasting stupid money on ‘proven’ wasters.

Keep the faith.