03-02-2019, 03:16 PM
(03-02-2019, 03:03 PM)ozzyten10 Wrote: OK - accepted that I know little of FFP across Europe - but that dwarfs the riches and allowable losses on offer in the Prem. Also I will be very interested with the EFL ruling on BCFC coming up. I am re-assured that the new owners have a handle of FFP and have some creative ways around it.
The biggest area that has suffered for us and where we are way behind is a proper player recruitment strategy. Brentford do a fabulous job in this area - so have Norwich and numerous successful medium-small clubs we should be on a par with. We are rightly proud of our academy but with our somewhat scatter-gun recruitment recently, this has suffered. Leeds focus on youth development has shown it can be done. Maybe Karanka is to blame for this.
Well, it was 'Project youth' and 'time' under Warburton. We had many of the Academy first teamer players.
Then it was 'Project Now' under Aitor. But Cash and Benny still playing.
Now it's 'Right here, Right now...' under MoN and Keane.
You look at Brentford, they seem to do a sound job of recruiting. Punching well above their weight. Norwich just seem to keep digging up players to challenge. (Though they're been in the Premier far more recently than us...and they stuck with their man when things were going mid-table last time around...and now reaping the rewards...) Leeds have been, like Norwich, building for a while...and higher in the table than Forest for more years.
Forest. They've been bottom 8 for the last three seasons. Then suddenly we're expected to be top 6 or top 2. Maybe if recruitment had been better. Maybe if they'd 'stuck with something' this Jan'.
But if you're leadership isn't consistent you can hardly expect that results on the pitch will be better. The position of the club is reflective of off the field leadership from the top to the management level. Forest are 12th. 5 points off the play offs. It's not a disaster. It's progress.
The £25 million on '24' players over last Jan and Summer needed doing. It was catch up to replace 5-6 different manager's teams. It had no identity. Aitor gave it identity. And it was going something. Slowly. But only as slow as it takes in general and as slow as it was at Boro'.
Forest are a club in transition to being 'run right.' That takes time off the pitch to get right. So why wouldn't that be reflected on the pitch?
Brian Clough was a genius. And it took him 3 years. The appointment of Taylor was the missing piece. Hopefully the appointment of Keane will help MoN similarly. But there's no reason to suggest they will storm the top 6 and chase down the top 2.
Forest's recruitment hasn't been good enough of players. Leadership off the the pitch and with the management of the team hasn't been consistent.
The top 6-8 seem to have their act together.
Forest have been recently bought and are on their 3rd manager. They're STILL putting the team together off the field. They've just appointed their 3rd manager for our 2nd pre-season this season...amidst an injury crisis on top of the worst run of form of the season which, funnily enough, reflected the discourse OFF the pitch.
Forest deserve to be where they are. Being 'only' 5 points off the play offs is a miracle.
The mediocrity of the top 6's form is there for the taking. Can Forest take advantage of it?
We'll see.
SA.