Is promotion realistic this season without splashing the cash?

In our last two promotion seasons we purchased the extra quality required. 2003 Kav and Thorne, big money in those days.

Malky bought the likes of Campbell, Kimbo and Mutch to achieve the premiership dream, again by our standards big bucks.

Is the 6 or 7 million budget going to be enough to give us a fighting chance?

Plenty have managed it recently, the jacks, hudds, Bournemouth, Watford, Burnley to name a few. A good manager is the key, we finally have one that doesn't need to spend £10 million.

Ask Huddersfield.

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Originally Posted by JKB

In our last two promotion seasons we purchased the extra quality required. 2003 Kav and Thorne, big money in those days.

Malky bought the likes of Campbell, Kimbo and Mutch to achieve the premiership dream, again by our standards big bucks.

Is the 6 or 7 million budget going to be enough to give us a fighting chance?

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Possible, yes

Highly unlikely imo

There's a slim chance but in all honesty, probably not.

Teams are spending 20m+ and not going up. It's a very difficult division to get out of. To have any degree of certainty of promotion we would have to spend a hell of a lot, like 30m .

You never know though

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Originally Posted by JKB

In our last two promotion seasons we purchased the extra quality required. 2003 Kav and Thorne, big money in those days.

Malky bought the likes of Campbell, Kimbo and Mutch to achieve the premiership dream, again by our standards big bucks.

Is the 6 or 7 million budget going to be enough to give us a fighting chance?

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Yes.

Id say it was only the League 1 promotion season where we really threw the chequebook at it. There was also Andy Campbell , Spencer Prior. A lot of money spent for a League 1 team. The Thorne transfer fee was £1.7m wasnt it. Frightening a stupid fee no wonder we almost went under.

Not a chance.

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Originally Posted by life on mars

Ask Huddersfield.

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The loanees paid big dividends, Ward, Brown and Mooy were all excellent, hope thats a market Warnock taps into, also helped knowing the German market. Strange they got up with a negative goal difference though.

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Originally Posted by Hilts

Yes.


Id say it was only the League 1 promotion season where we really threw the chequebook at it. There was also Andy Campbell , Spencer Prior. A lot of money spent for a League 1 team. The Thorne transfer fee was £1.7m wasnt it. Frightening a stupid fee no wonder we almost went under.

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All paid for with Sam's loan notes no doubt. Tan must have paid out at least ten million to get us promotion.

I think it is, definitely.

I don't think we're a million miles away from challenging the play offs now.

I've got Absolutely no respect for any manager who is willing to spend 10 million on Rhodes or Mccormack or their like.

I think if we can shift Noone, Lambert and Pilkington and add Patterson, Gallagher, Ledley and a good 10 then we'll definitely be contenders next season.

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Originally Posted by goats

Plenty have managed it recently, the jacks, hudds, Bournemouth, Watford, Burnley to name a few. A good manager is the key, we finally have one that doesn't need to spend £10 million.

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All good examples. Bournemouth excellent manager, Huddersfield good loanees and German buys, Watford taking advantage of their owners having other clubs and loanees, Burnley Andre Grey helped how much did he cost them? Finally the Jacks, how did they get there? Oh yes Earnie only hitting the post for Reading got them there.

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Originally Posted by thehumblegringo

I think it is, definitely.

I don't think we're a million miles away from challenging the play offs now.


I've got Absolutely no respect for any manager who is willing to spend 10 million on Rhodes or Mccormack or their like.

I think if we can shift Noone, Lambert and Pilkington and add Patterson, Gallagher, Ledley and a good 10 then we'll definitely be contenders next season.

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I agree clear the dead wood and add that extra bit of quality in the final third and the playoffs are achievable.

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Originally Posted by JKB

All good examples. Bournemouth excellent manager, Huddersfield good loanees and German buys, Watford taking advantage of their owners having other clubs and loanees, Burnley Andre Grey helped how much did he cost them? Finally the Jacks, how did they get there? Oh yes Earnie only hitting the post for Reading got them there.

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It was Forest he was playing for when he hit the post in the second round of the play off semi. As soon as he came on he caused problems and scared the crap out of us. Robert Earnshaw was a great player and probably the best you've had in the last twenty years. Now if you could fined another one of him promotion would be very likely. As it is you have as much of a chance as any in the division. Its more than just spending, you need the right coach and there are not many better Warnock.

At least you have something worthwhile to aim for next season. With us it's just finishing seventeenth or better.

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Originally Posted by ZZ Jack

It was Forest he was playing for when he hit the post in the second round of the play off semi. As soon as he came on he caused problems and scared the crap out of us. Robert Earnshaw was a great player and probably the best you've had in the last twenty years. Now if you could fined another one of him promotion would be very likely. As it is you have as much of a chance as any in the division. Its more than just spending, you need the right coach and there are not many better Warnock.

At least you have something worthwhile to aim for next season. With us it's just finishing seventeenth or better.

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I agree that he put the shits up you that night but I don't think Earnshaw was anywhere near our best player in the last 20 years mate.

Aaron Ramsey was probably the best but given he left so early I probably think Jay Bothroyd would be the best player we have had.

Kavanagh, Ledley, Whittingham, Koumas, Chopra, Gabbidon, Revell :hehe: Medel, and there's probably a few others I'm forgetting who i think are better than Earnshaw in my opinion.

If Zohore plays anywhere near like he did in the second half of last season He'll make that list too.

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Originally Posted by thehumblegringo

I agree that he put the shits up you that night but I don't think Earnshaw was anywhere near our best player in the last 20 years mate.

Aaron Ramsey was probably the best but given he left so early I probably think Jay Bothroyd would be the best player we have had.

Kavanagh, Ledley, Whittingham, Koumas, Chopra, Gabbidon, Revell :hehe: Medel, and there's probably a few others I'm forgetting who i think are better than Earnshaw in my opinion.

If Zohore plays anywhere near like he did in the second half of last season He'll make that list too.

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Watching Bothroyd every week was an absolute pleasure. The things he could do I've not seen anyone at the City do in 40 years.

He should have done so much more with his career

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Originally Posted by Rhiw-Blue

Watching Bothroyd every week was an absolute pleasure. The things he could do I've not seen anyone at the City do in 40 years.

He should have done so much more with his career

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Yes Bothroyd for me too.

Before a ball is kicked we will start 8th in the table. Shouldn't be to hard to push on from there

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Originally Posted by thehumblegringo

I think it is, definitely.

I don't think we're a million miles away from challenging the play offs now.

I've got Absolutely no respect for any manager who is willing to spend 10 million on Rhodes or Mccormack or their like.

I think if we can shift Noone, Lambert and Pilkington and add Patterson, Gallagher, Ledley and a good 10 then we'll definitely be contenders next season.

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Villa spent £84m, EIGHTY-FOUR MILLION, and we finished above them. I do think we've got a shot, we've got one of the best managers in the division, that's proved it time and time again. If we get clever, and try and get 2 good players in each division, we've got a shot. Defensively we're sound, we've got industrious midfielders and Zohore up top, so we need a bit of creativity and class, plus depth.

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Originally Posted by ZZ Jack

It was Forest he was playing for when he hit the post in the second round of the play off semi. As soon as he came on he caused problems and scared the crap out of us. Robert
Earnshaw was a great player and probably the best you've had in the last twenty years. Now if you could fined another one of him promotion would be very likely. As it is you have as much of a chance as any in the division. Its more than just spending, you need the right coach and there are not many better Warnock.

At least you have something worthwhile to aim for next season. With us it's just finishing seventeenth or better.

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My mistake, l thought it was the the perennial playoff chokers. Earnie was good but not the best we've had in the last 20 years.

It's not a realistic expectation. That's not to say it can't happen. If had to manage expectations, I'd say top 8.

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Originally Posted by JKB

In our last two promotion seasons we purchased the extra quality required. 2003 Kav and Thorne, big money in those days.

Malky bought the likes of Campbell, Kimbo and Mutch to achieve the premiership dream, again by our standards big bucks.

Is the 6 or 7 million budget going to be enough to give us a fighting chance?

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We didn't get promoted the season we bought Thorne and Kavanagh - that was the season we screwed up in the playoffs against Stoke. The QPR final was the season after.

However, we still spent a few quid in the promotion season - Whalley, Campbell, Margetson among others. If you look at the squad list around that time (Sam Hammam's first three seasons), it was HUGE.

I think Warnock will be able to get the best out of what is already at his disposal once they've had a proper pre-season under him, and judging by our form from January (6th in the Championship in 2017) we can't be far off as it stands.