You Don’t Know What You Had ’til It’s Gone!

Article submission from JonH

(Big Yellow) Taxi For MON?

‘Don’t it always seem to go,
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’

It is slowly dawning on us that MON is not the messiah after all, he is, in fact, just a very naughty boy.

The fans are split, opti’s v negi’s and the Fairy Glen v the Gremlin Glen.

Since saturday, passions are running high and various conspiracy theories abound: Is the money there? Has MON lost the dressing room? Will Ashley Young challenge Tom Daley at London 2012?

From my point of view I have read the various opposing opinions and postings on the forum and am trying to decide where I stand on the whole issue.

And it’s a bit of a dilemma………….

Firstly, The Board and the financial situation.

It’s now three years since RAL bought out Doug and at the time various undertakings were given and promises of investment made in both the infrastructure and the playing sides of the business.

In my opinion we are being run by a very competent, professional and honourable group of people who have kept up their end of the bargain. I know people say what’s the point of a new pub, mosaic, steps etc if we’re not doing it on the pitch? Fair point. What I’m saying is, why would they spend on one aspect as promised and not the other? I just don’t see the logic in Randy spending millions on Bodymoor, The Holte Pub etc etc without investing in the core business i.e. the football team.

Well as a fan, I’m a lot more proud of our great, historic home now than I was three years ago when it was showing signs of being left to deteriorate. Our training complex is outstanding as befitting a ‘big’
club. Also if the reason given for us not hosting any matches at the Olympics is true, i.e. construction works to the ground, then the money obviously is there and is being invested.

So, onto the second point, and the dilemma……….. Martin O’Neill.

Let me state from the outset that I am an opti, a fan and hopefully one day ( if invited) a member of the Fairy Glen.

BUT I am not a blind optimist, things aren’t going well at the moment. I’ve always taken each season as a seperate entity, meaning that each year we start afresh with a clean slate, however reading various posts on the forum does indicate a worrying trend, results wise, at the moment.

As I’ve already stated, I believe the money is there, I also believe that MON knows what we need. What I don’t understand is why he dithers so in the market.

I think MON has already replaced Barry. I reckon he was convinced Barry was off to Liverpool last summer and bought Stevie Sidwell as his replacement. I like Sidwell and was pleased when we got him but I don’t think he has been given an opportunity to really show us what he’s about yet. What we desperately need are centre halves. Of all the usual suspects being bandied around I’d really only go for Upson. I think we should look further afield, Scandinavia or the Baltic leagues to uncover another hard, uncompromising player, the type of which seem to abound in these parts.

Anyway, I digress. As mentioned before. it’s three years under the new regime during which time we have finished 11th and consolidated 6th place for the past two seasons. We have gone from being also-rans to contenders.

If you had offered me that three years ago would I have taken it? Absolutely.

It is a mark of how far we’ve come that last year was seen as a disappointment ONLY finishing 6th. Yes Moscow was a disgrace and our form petered out dramatically, yes we could and probably should have achieved more, but we were there, challenging and on merit. Benitez, S.A.F. and others recognised us as a threat, we were playing with the big boys again.

If you had offered me that three years ago would I have taken it? Hell yes.

So, the dilemma………..

Has Martin done enough over the past three years for us to continue to support him and give him the chance to turn the current situation around?

In this fans opinion, yes he has!

{for those that don’t understand the references to the fairy glen, it is what an opti was labelled by a negi and it has sort of stuck since! ed}