Dont want to turn this into a Thorn in /out discussion. Too many of those on here and same things repeated and not heard. Bottom line is that everyone involved at CCFC has contributed to us being where we are. You can argue to what degree it is a particular individuals responsibility. The reality is that not one of them sets out to fail and they each do the best they can given their own objectives and qualities.
It is no good saying SISU should pump millions more into the club then write it off if they sell it - that is not the real world. They got the sums wrong at the start and lost focus and control at that time, didnt communicate - that they got all wrong. It was made clear last March when Dulieu and co took over, it was in each copy of the accounts - the club was making losses, it couldnt find funding, they were looking for investors, they would have to wheel & deal players. Like it or not the information was there we had no money, not a pot to piss in! SISU are hard nosed business people not a charity - really surprises me fans are surprised that so few players came in. We dont have to like it, and we dont, but thats the reality
AT, well there never was any real money for him to have, he is closer to what goes on than any of us so surely knew this. Surely he knew that there would be a need to wheel and deal players. Surely he realised that as we have achieved so few results that this affected finances, it affected players wanting or being able to come here, and to be fair to the guy he has always said "we have what we have lets get on with it" That doesnt stop him having made mistakes that no amount of money would have changed. There is an arguement for saying we should judge him on a "proper" financed club but equally there is an arguement for saying he should never have got the job because he didnt have the experience or qualifications to get us through what was always going to be a tough season.
btw proper financed does not mean just throwing money at it - it needs to be sustainable, we need to be able to pay our way. That has consquences for the team and squad - get used to it.
Players leaving - well yes it would have been good to keep them, but lets be honest they were here last year and we achieved what exactly ? Staying up thats what. We are still in with a chance of that (though it looks increasingly less likely). However had we kept Turner, King, Westwood, Gunnarsson etc how would we have paid them ? SISU never guaranteed extra funds, what they said was that it was their intention to source more funds and that would include player sales. We simply could not afford those players there was no money, there was no one who wanted to put money in, there was no one to pay off SISU in acceptable terms. Yes it would be great to have those players but it is pointless to go on with that because it isnt what we have.
Players - Only bright spot has been the young players in my opinion. The older more experienced ones have been inconsistent, ineffective and some a downright waste of money. Players like McSheffery, Clingan Crainie have not performed to their standards. Others like Eastwood have ripped the club off - a professional high paid sportsman not being physically fit to play (not injured) is simply outrageous. The guy earns what ? £10k pw ? what could AT have done with that? The likes of Baker, Bell, McPake have spluttered away but failed to get started this season, but get new contracts approved by SISU yes but not without AT's input
There is more, I could go on on and on ...... surely many would add to this.
But the point I am making is that it isnt one person, one squad or one organisation at fault it is all of them. AT is part of that, he has done good and bad this season but it all contributes to where we are now. The players even the Board and SISU have done some good things and bad it all adds up.
We need to get away from it is AT's fault or it isnt his fault its all SISU's. That is not the real world
Just my opinion
