Thedonandonly wrote:
Have a lot to answer for....are taking a pretty penny in wages from the club and their decision making has been truly ludicrous in recent years!
Appointment of Bobby as head of recruitment.
Refusal to spend when finally getting to the championship.
Refusal to spend full stop, premier league ambition with league 2 financial backing.
Sacking KR
Appointing RN
Appointing DM, a man with NO 1st team football experience whilst in the mire of a relegation battle.
Spending the Dele money on a training ground which is still to materialise at the expense of funding the first team squad.
I claimed that this was a business/land deal when relocation took place and I've seen nothing to change my mind.
The first team continues to take a back seat and the club are losing fans fast as a consequence.
1. Firstly, Bobby W has generally done a very good job. He was apparently responsible for signing Harvey Barnes, and numerous other good signings the past couple of seasons. Think it was OntheDot that mentioned that it was Neilson's recruitment guy that was responsible for this summer's signings, so you can't blame Bobby for that. In general, I think he does a decent job.
2. "Refusal to spend"
what planet are you on. He has openly admitted pretty much wasting £1m+ that summer - didn't admit on what but it is believed to be the signings of Benavente and Aguza (plus relocation, agent fees etc). Hardly "refusing to spend". He also offered Karl the following season's budget early in January of our Championship season, but KR apparently refused. Again, PW openly offering cash. He doesn't have megamillions, but you really can't say he hasn't put his hand in his pocket at all.
3. It's been mentioned several times over the past few seasons in interviews that we have been in the top end in terms of League One budgets. This has been corroborated by other sources - Peterborough's chairman Darragh MacAnthony stating that Posh couldn't compete with us on wages for Gilbey for example, and Bradford's manager at the time stating that he couldn't compete with us for wages for Agard. Finally, Andy Cullen has confirmed that our budget for this season is our highest ever for League One. Highest EVER. Bottom line is, we have a very good budget for League One and pay our players well compared to top clubs in this league.
4. Sacking KR was the right thing to do. We were on a downward spiral, we were relegated under his watch. The only mistake they made was not sacking him sooner.
5. Neilson was a good prospect - experienced, a promotion under his belt and at the time of joining us was second in the SPL (equivalent to League One/bottom end Championship). For someone with his level of experience he had accomplished a lot, and had more experience and success than DM.
6. Appointing DM is a risk but a calculated one. He has a very experienced no2 (Keith Millen), and DM is very well respected nationally. He coached the England U16 team, many of whom went on to win a World Cup, our first since 1966 as a nation. He is extremely well respected in academy circles and is credited with developing Dele and others. He is not a short term fix, but was hired with a long term view in mind. I and many others would much rather watch an MK Dons team play "the right way" with an exciting unknown prospect than a one dimensional manager who may or may not keep us up but nothing more. Again, DM was a risk. It may, or may not pay off. But I'd rather take a risk and potentially succeed massively than play it safe and settle for League One for the next decade.
7. The Dele money being used for the training ground is an excellent use of money. Let's say you spent £2m of that on 3-4 players who may or may not work out for a season or two before moving on, either with or without us being promoted. That £2m is then gone and never returned. A training ground is vitally important for several reasons. Planning permission and development take time. Pete said it himself it took TEN years to get the stadium approved and built. The training ground has taken less than that so far. This isn't a short term "lets get it built ASAP" project. It will be built and will benefit the club for decades to come. When it is complete it will rival most Championship and even some Prem clubs. Investing millions in a training ground is a wise move as it becomes an asset worth something, and not an expendable 3-4 players that will probably move on within a couple of years for pennies or a free. The bigger picture is the sell on clause which will likely net us £15m+.
Rose tinted specs, open those eyes and wake up to what's happening to the club ffs.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
