Oh no we need to sell around 20 players because we have too many. So that’s 20 players raising 50 million ish. Then of course there is the issue of which of our better players may get taken (Berge, Odobert, Beyer, Esters, O’Shea, Amdouni, Brownhill, Cullen) and what quality we can bring in (or not). You can’t guarantee winning anything but a manager who can’t get a club whose come down with parachutes top 4 has failed - except in extreme circumstances of financial distress etc.

In fairness Bellamy has never managed so I don’t know think it’s unreasonable that fans weren’t enamoured with the idea - plus if that’s where you are going why take so long? As for ‘who did they want’ - well I can’t comment beyond the profile I would have liked. I think based on CV only then Parker would fit the mould. My reservations are around how it all ended for him at both Bournemouth and Fulham. I have to hope he’s reflected during his sabbatical and where he needed to improve. But who knows. Also worth noting he’s head coach, not manager.

The appointment of Bellamy perhaps says they plan to take their time. Great as long as we don’t miss out on transfer targets etc. Lampard had one decent season at Chelsea but it was all round weird with transfer embargo’s etc. underwhelming at Derby, poor at Everton and woeful back at Chelsea. Nothing about him says to me he can get a team like ours ‘purring’ Parker - did well getting out of the championship twice but seemed to self sabotage once promoted. Not one I’d chose. Rosenior I wouldn’t mind but I fear the chairman wants ‘a name’ - crazy I know but that’s my worry.

Will we? Why is that? Honestly think the Prem is more physically demanding than the championship these days. We have a number of players who will scare championship defences to death but are short on strikers. If (big if) we go into the season with largely the same squad and a competent manager we should be competitive at the top end. We also have Odobert, Koleosho and a couple of others added in. We look weak at full back though - and of course have no idea who we might get sell or buy . There are always those types - last summer they were saying we’d be top half 😂. I will say this,. With our budget and starting squad anything outside the top 4 is failure - the only caveat being the owners don’t sell all the players and keep the money. Cooper I thought had declined the opportunity to interview. Barnes is a big miss and I think letting Cork and Gudmundson go is a mistake. If we go through this season with the squad we have right now then we should be serious contenders if we get the appointment right. Other teams will also be strong so promotion is never a given however as I’ve said already, less than top 4 is failure for one of the best funded teams in the division.

I don’t know, they like ‘a name’ it is said. Maybe they’ll ask Xavi 😂

And like a bad dream he (Lampard) is now being linked to our vacancy. You guys may yet get your wish, we might actually appoint someone more useless than Kean.

I was absolutely stunned at the Wharton fee. Even through my Claret tinted lenses you could see what a genuine talent that lad is.

Not for me, no experience Would imagine he’s got his sights set higher than Burnley or the Championship. I wasn’t his biggest fan either to be honest. Stories suggest around £13 million/15miilion euro - crazy stuff I’ve heard him and Bellamy had a big fall out pre last game of the season. Some suggestion that this move was already in the works.

I wouldn’t object but I’m not sure he’d leave Cov for us.

lol - no my weekend will be fine but I won’t pretend it isn’t a little disappointing. Let’s see who we appoint as his replacement and what they can do.

Probably rules him out then - though as we are seeing, contracts don’t mean much.

I honestly don’t know enough about most of them. Rohl seems interesting if we want a younger manager 🤷‍♂️. It always comes back to who’d come, who can work within our structures etc, can buy young, develop and sell for a profit. It seems Bayern don’t fancy paying for Kompany though and we aren’t minded to let him go on the cheap so this might rumble on a bit longer.

Alright all - I guess what this teaches people like me who berate clubs for pulling the trigger on a coach who’s done well but having a bad season is that loyalty in football management is all but non existent. Not sure how I feel about this - I’d bought the whole ‘5 year project’ spiel hook line and sinker so half of me is disappointed but last season, and especially the whole Trafford/Muric thing, not pulling out all the stops for Tella and not having a plan for left back, just maybe Kompany wasn’t the right man for us - as others have said, perhaps he’s a good manager when he’s amongst the best resourced in a league but not so much when he isn’t. I kind of hope we try to get Cooper as his replacement.

Haha - as you know I’ve not been coming on much. This relegation has been so long coming that I was over it before it was confirmed really. A disappointing season all round. Complete lack of experience and it showed. We looked improved with Muric in goal but still couldn’t get games over the line. So it’s onto next season and the return of t’crapico with the inevitable ‘2 bald men arguing over a comb’ debates around attendance and allocations. Be much the same as recent seasons I’d imagine - one plus is there is now some safe standing at the back of the cricket field. I guess we will have to see how each squad looks come August. Personally I’m hoping we can make it 7 wins on the bounce and 15 years since you last beat us 😬

Oh god did you not see the stuff about a drum and getting us waving flags (but only ones approved and bought from the club) to improve the atmosphere? I’ll let you google it and enjoy. If it was your club you’d be dying too. Is that accurate? I thought I’d only been here once previously this season, after the City game in August? I don’t recall posting at any other time 🤷‍♂️. Anyway, good tidings to you all, might see you in a month or so after our next win 😉