This is the January transfer thread, whilst I agree that their mismanagement has caused us untold grief, could we try and focus on recent times? Does every discussion need to relate back to the same problem?

We’ve replaced all the players over the last season, but did you expect like for like or near in fees? Also how fierce would be the competition for a ready made Szmod? That’s part of the previous post - a club that’s currently not relying on a billionaire to cover the 150% turnover to wage bill ratio can’t afford to spend all the proceeds. I don’t want us to rely on them personally. On second part, If you believe that our manager / team aren’t trying to win, or that there’s some sort of agreement with directors / owners that to hold us back, that’s up to you but I think it’s nonsense. Childish, paranoid and simplistic bollox to more precise. Sometimes the most obvious and answer is the truth you know? For example; careless disinterested owners hired directors who are shit at their jobs?

I think where me and you disconnect on this is I don’t see the Rao’s (ergo ”They”) as running the club. I see a club that’s currently having to live within its means, and whilst you me agree that the people they pay to run the club are shite, I’d rather not rely on them ever again.

Re the specific terminology in bold, I’m not sure that’s how it works. Previously they just allotted shares to the tune of our losses, but now we’re not making a loss so they’re not putting their own cash in. They have no interest in us, and are shit: however it’s important to use facts, they don’t take money out. They never have.

I still think it would be early go one way or another with some of the other signings from the summer so I wouldn’t expect anything damming / supporting from me, on players who’ve been here a fortnight. TDLR; Dion replaces Fadz, Forshaw replaces Baker, Kargo is someone I’ve never even heard of and haven’t watched braga this season. There’s literally no assessment to make.

I’m not going near the latest two until they’re in the shirt on the pitch 😂

I’m not employed in football in any form, I’m as clueless as everyone else here but I would ask if you’d consider some of these points I wrote that I think, instead of going to sleep; 1. Any acknowledgment of competition for a small group of players that fit the “model” aka they’re potentially a profit, they’re better than the players you have and they’re leading championship players ready to roll? How many clubs are looking for that? 2. What about finding fees and wages for those specific players from 1. that fit into a structure that suits a budget? A budget that would take a £50m+ (Burnleys annual wage bill for 24/25 btw will be at least 5x total) per season investment to match the 3 relegated teams? This, in an agent era, when players would rather leave for free to enhance their options. Dolan next? 3. There’s genuine agreement, acknowledgment or whatever you’d call it, that we’re basically on the shelf of a multimillion rupee conglomerate. I’m as depressed as anyone regarding this, however I just can’t get my head round the volume of people wishing and hoping for more Rao cheques. Fuck them, I don’t expect or want big investments from them. I know I’m not the only one. If the recent transfer receipts give us a marginally more competitive budget over a longer period compared to a team losing money, it’s a better investment than relying on billionaires who don’t care and can meddle IMO. We’re surely a better proposition for a new owner if we’re not burning through cash too. 4. I really rate Eustace and I also think our academy is basically pushing us forward, however I think the likes of Waggot and other backroom staff are jobs for the boys level shite. I don’t think they’re capable of organising some sort of conspiracy that others constantly reference - as recently as accusing Travis being told to say “we’re already good enough for top 6” to lower expectation. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone cocked these transfers on deadline day up again, but it would be another example of incompetence, rather than notion that shadows are at force to hold us back.

Would be lost in the miasma of crap wouldn’t it. Pointing out we’ve had the same owners for 14 years and lost money in every one but this, I mean what’s the point of that when you’ve 95% screaming for Rao investment? I said recently I’d be happy if the Rao’s, never put a penny into the club again and @RevidgeBlue , a very constant poster over the last decade said I “must be a Burnley fan” So there you go. As pointless as it was fulfilling your request, I’d rather the club washed its own face all day long.

If that’s objectively then I need to resit English GCSE

Maybe not but it would take a liar to argue the average daily diatribe isn’t anything but your last sentence.

wow, you’ll get loads of stick for not moaning 😂

Wow. You’ll fit right in here

You never refer to anything that might tainted by a thing I call “realism” though!

Interesting how you can read 30 approx different posters and then reference the only two who might be “sniffing the flowers” aka praising the owners You know there’s 91 other teams in the English league setup right?

There’s a difference between raising potential “cons”, yet ignoring anything that could be called a “pro”. That’s not balance

Chaddy I admire your perseverance but you’ll never convince a lot of these otherwise. They’re not tuned in for this.

This sort of mental gymnastics is fascinating

He has been here a fortnight and was signed as a replacement for a loan backup. The way you express this opinion ignores this, and it’s no wonder people read this sort of dismissive shite and give up bothering with the discussion. He probably only had a debut because Tronstad (you know, player of the season so far) was injured within 48 hours of him arriving. Don’t let facts get in the way of the a good moan though, ay?

Not if I only experienced it through your eyes. I personally have been nothing but grateful for the difference John Eustace has made.

Surely a backup player shouldn’t be signing on a 3 year contract if he’s here to cover the young loan player and the guy out for another month? If he does well then he might get another year. Do you only use criticism in evaluation btw? I would hate to work for you 😂

I don’t think it even takes any thought at all to come to the conclusion that the Rao’s don’t have any interest in us. So I don’t understand the surprise that they’re not putting more money in when transfer fees recouped can cover it. (For the first time in their tenure) I also seem to be the only person on this website who doesn’t want them to put any more fucking money in, or have any other impact or say. Chance would be a fine thing.

Nobody takes this guy seriously do they?

Thanks for bringing some actual transfer talk and rumour into the thread as opposed to the same cathartic arguments and finger pointing.

You talk like 5 months into Szmodix contract, we all knew he’d go and do that the year after. I also think you’d make a profit on all those players but surely we’re trying to build a team? Selling Szmod should’ve never happened should it - talking about it as if it’s a perfect model, if we’d kept him and only spent the small sums we had, we’d likely be top 2 with JE. Re the Diaz contract post too - is there not even a part of your brain that says “ey up, maybe it would’ve been difficult to get him to agree to anything at that point without creating a nightmare situation with the wage structure”… Apply the same theory with a few others too, consider that if someone is pulling up trees for us, perhaps the standard minimum of 23 clubs with turnover far exceeding us in this country (and countless abroad) might be able to pay them a lot more? For all our BRFC spectacles, players have short careers and rarely will miss opportunities for big four year contracts. We all know who is to blame regarding the reason for our lack of financial clout, and I personally don’t need another skip down memory lane. As I’ve said repeatedly in the quoted posts - the owners couldn’t give a shit and I would rather the club never sees a penny from them again. That’s my ambition, a rovers that exist without or despite the ignorant cúnts. Also the Armstrong deal. Do you know how many times people lamented the fact he had a big% sell on clause here? Do you know why that was inserted? Because we couldn’t pay the fee they wanted. Arma wanted to come here, if you remember his interviews at the time. He’s also sitting on the bench at a club around 7 places above us, likely on a wage that would pay for 2.5 Cantwells. I want the someone in the club to give John Eustace more options, and I fully understand the “Brentford model” and I don’t need a lecture on how football investment works; I just don’t look at the world as if we’re the only ones in it? Even if we had amazing owners in this financial scenario, we’d still be limited to sitting in a queue for these “investments” of nippy strikers with an eye for goal, ready to go at the top of the second tier, that are so easy to come by.

In my opinion, ”deep dark secrets” are the stuff of fantasy, we’re merely something on the shelf of conglomerate, which is something altogether more depressing.