07 May 2016 23:44:22
I can say that the club's actions or lack of action will speak louder than any words can this summer.

We are at a critical point in the club's history where we could end up going one of two ways.

1)Either we invest intelligently and supplement that investment with opportunities for players from our thriving academy in desperate need of a sustained chance while returning immediately to the champions league.

This is crucial because I am a believer in the importance of having a home grown and British core of players like the Terry, Lampard, Joe and Ashley Cole, Shaun Wright Phillips Contingent. As things stand, we will possibly have only Gary Cahill as our only startin British player next season. I am sorry, for a British club, that can not be right.

This is not plucked out of thin air, looked at the most successful clubs in every European country, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Man United prior to them losing Sir Alex Ferguson. All home grown spines which set the standard and are the fabric of the club.

This leads me on to the point of potential acquisitions. I would like to ask why we do not compete for players who are subject to potential bidding "wars". Surely, if the player is coveted, it must mean something. We limit ourselves in our capacity to recruit the best available if we are reluctant to compete for players such as likes of John Stones who more than one club will look to I am sure.

2)If the club choose to not invest and follow the same process of selling to buy whilst operating a one in one out policy, I fear we will likely head the same way the scousers did, mediocrity.

The message this sends out also says that we as a club do not have the ambition to compete with the likes of the Manchester Clubs and the rest at the top table where we have fallen off this season. I understand the Manchester clubs have bottomless pits for one reason or another. Suspicious reasons in the case of City, creative accounting comes to mind since they intend to seemingly buy Guardiola what he wants, regardless of the amount.

I hope the club get us out of this mess but I do not have faith that they can when they seem to demand winning whilst trying to do it on a net spend which is comparable to a relegation threatened club. In life, you pay for what you get most of the time, Leicester being a freak, and we can all talk and talk and talk about what we would like to do but ultimately we can do nothing. As I said, the clubs actions or lack of action will speak louder than anything else could.

1.) 08 May 2016
08 May 2016 01:15:52
you may well be correct but we must remember its football its a merry go round you have your time at top and then someone else does the last decade has been a real pleasure we won it all and the club has come a long long way. i think RA will invest if he's looking at new stadium he's obviously seen himself invested for the future but your right we could go the route of Liverpool but look at them now they have the foundations to be great again football would be boring if we didn't have the odd tough time you wouldn't appreciate the good times has much.

good news is we now have flourishing academy a world wide profile a squad of talented players albeit they came up short this year.

we need give conte a good season or two to build the squad and implement the style he has in mind its just a new era and the ending of an old one and who knows it could be even better.

2.) 08 May 2016
08 May 2016 13:23:14
Firstly Conte will need to survive his first season before we can expect any sort of longer term strategy.
Secondly the results that are required by the board in the short term mean that playing younger players never mind Academy players isn't a realistic plan.
Thirdly the acquisition strategy if it can be called that is surrounded by many competing factions within the club with the manager having no overall responsibility for the signings.
I am sure Conte will be given x amount of money and more say on a few signings as with other managers but long term strategy is in the hands of RA, Emenalo and a cabal of Advisors.

3.) 08 May 2016
08 May 2016 15:59:04
WTF are you people talking about youth players. RLC is no where near D. Ali and just recall how Barkley played when he was 19-20.
Just check out who are world U20 champions and European U21 champions.
Try to find any UK national team.

4.) 08 May 2016
08 May 2016 16:18:21
I actually think any purchases we buy should be direct first 11 players not squad nos we can use the youth for that and existing starting player.