Who should get the axe?

[Guest WashyGeordie]

For what the players are earning, and the return we're getting for them.

 

It surely rests on the players' fault if we go down.

[Tachikoma]

I think there is more we can get out of our current set of players - just look at Fulham. They have some properly shite players in their side but it doesn't bog them down much, why? Because everyone's been drilled so hard they could pass between themselves with their eyes closed. Let Shearer work with the current side a while longer before we decide on a fire sale, and end up getting relegated from the coca cola league because our players couldn't gel in time.

[Guest LucaAltieri]

every first teamer needs to go, they have all failed us apart from a couple, this clubs needs a fresh start, unforgiveably relegation will do it

 

Do we have the scouting network to bring in the necessary quality of players to replace them all?

 

By that I mean players good enough to get us promotion and sustain us when back in the premier league.

 

Also, bare in the mind that players are easy to come by but it takes time to build a team. Scrapping what we have entirely will just make the process of adjusting all the more difficult. There would need to be a season of consolidation before challenging for promotion if we started again from scratch.

 

we have to sell them as there all earning way more than they should be, every player is on more that what there worth and will need to be sold off to balance the books

 

no1 in the team is good enough imo, i've had it with many of them

 

I'm not really in a position to agree or disagree with you. I don't know what the budget looks like for next season (and neither do you in reality).

 

However, I do know that if I was in charge I'd be taking that £30m parachute payment and putting it towards the wages of our better players. If we fail at promotion next season THEN get rid of them.

 

Worth the gamble in my opinion.

 

if they weren't good enough to keep us up, then i highly doubt they would be good enough in the championship cos that in some ways is a much tougher league

 

Granted, we shouldn't keep ALL of our big earners. But Duff is a perfect example of the kind of player we need to keep. Without his goals this season we'd be 7 points worse off and relegated already.

 

Martins is another we should keep a hold of.

 

Even though Butt is ultimately shite he may well just be good enough in the championship. Probably not value for money. And we'll struggle to get rid of him... but if we ended up keeping him he would probably do the job.

 

Please remember, this is a league where Stephen Carr has been one of the highlights of Birmingham's promotion campaign.

 

We need to get rid of the likes of Nolan and Shola and replace them with cheaper alternatives.

 

We need to be bringing in promising kids.

 

We need to maintain a touch of premiership quality that will give us the edge on the cloggers of the championship.

[Jayson]

We'd have to change it all in the end regardless.

 

You give a team an entire season against championship standard, they're not going to miraculously rise to premiership standard again quickly afterwards.

 

So even those that stay, will probably not be worth it much if we got back up. They'd atleast need time to get even half back to the crap level theyre at now.

[Guest LucaAltieri]

We'd have to change it all in the end regardless.

 

You give a team an entire season against championship standard, they're not going to miraculously rise to premiership standard again quickly afterwards.

 

So even those that stay, will probably not be worth it much if we got back up. They'd atleast need time to get even half back to the crap level theyre at now.

 

Better to try and rebuild in the premier league than in the championship as far as I'm concerned.

 

I think there is more we can get out of our current set of players - just look at Fulham. They have some properly shite players in their side but it doesn't bog them down much, why? Because everyone's been drilled so hard they could pass between themselves with their eyes closed. Let Shearer work with the current side a while longer before we decide on a fire sale, and end up getting relegated from the coca cola league because our players couldn't gel in time.

 

[Beezeri]

every first teamer needs to go, they have all failed us apart from a couple, this clubs needs a fresh start, unforgiveably relegation will do it

 

Do we have the scouting network to bring in the necessary quality of players to replace them all?

 

By that I mean players good enough to get us promotion and sustain us when back in the premier league.

 

Also, bare in the mind that players are easy to come by but it takes time to build a team. Scrapping what we have entirely will just make the process of adjusting all the more difficult. There would need to be a season of consolidation before challenging for promotion if we started again from scratch.

 

Just pick them randomly and I'm quite confident they would do a better job anyway than the current bunch...

 

Actually we need to keep the hold most of our youngsters and a few with lower wages in the first team such as Bassong, S Taylor, Krul, Guthrie, Carroll and so on

[Guest LucaAltieri]

every first teamer needs to go, they have all failed us apart from a couple, this clubs needs a fresh start, unforgiveably relegation will do it

 

Do we have the scouting network to bring in the necessary quality of players to replace them all?

 

By that I mean players good enough to get us promotion and sustain us when back in the premier league.

 

Also, bare in the mind that players are easy to come by but it takes time to build a team. Scrapping what we have entirely will just make the process of adjusting all the more difficult. There would need to be a season of consolidation before challenging for promotion if we started again from scratch.

 

Just pick them randomly and I'm quite confident they would do a better job anyway than the current bunch...

 

Actually we need to keep the hold most of our youngsters and a few with lower wages in the first team such as Bassong, S Taylor, Krul, Guthrie, Carroll and so on

 

Agreed.

[Big Geordie]

The big earners need shipping out. We all know the likes of Owen and Viduka are out of contract, but the worry for me is who the hell is going to take the likes of Smith, Duff, Geremi, Nolan and Ameobi off our hands? They can afford to stay here until their contract ends.

 

The likes of Jonas, Coloccini and Bassong will surely leave - the first two we may have to take major losses on.

[Ronaldo]

if we go into another season with Butt nailed on in the starting lineup i'll sell my bastarding season ticket

[La Parka]

If we go down:

 

Harper

Colo

Cacapa

Owen

Alan Smith

Gutierrez

Geremi

Butt

Ameobi

Viduka

Barton

Nolan

 

No choice:

 

Bassong, Martins

 

Leaving us with:

 

...............Krul................

Beye Taylor Edgar Kadar

Lualua Guthrie Nolan Duff

......Xisco Lovenkrands

 

I hope we can keep hold of tayls.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

If we go down:

 

All of the out of contract players to leave:

Cacapa

Owen

Viduka

Possibly try to keep Edgar and Lovenkrands and maybe some of the youngsters.

 

Try to sell:

Ameobi

Barton

Alan Smith

Duff

Butt

Geremi

 

Will almost definitely leave:

Colo

Gutierrez

Martins (Depending on how long he takes to recover from the groin operation he will be having at the end of the season)

Bassong

 

Try to keep:

Guthrie

S. Taylor

Enrique

Beye

 

Will have relegation wage clauses in their contracts:

Nolan

R. Taylor

[SUPERTOON]

Who i would let go

 

R.Taylor

Colo

Nolan

Barton

Butt

Shola

Duff

Geremi

Smith

Owen

Cacapa

Viduka

 

The rest will depend on what league we are in.

[Guest LucaAltieri]

Who i would let go

 

R.Taylor

Colo

Nolan

Barton

Butt

Shola

Duff

Geremi

Smith

Owen

Cacapa

Viduka

 

The rest will depend on what league we are in.

 

For what it's worth I think Duff would be decent in the championship. He shines against shit teams. Certainly not one you'd want around long-term... and if we stay up he'd only be useful as cover for left-back, tops... but if we're relegated I wouldn't be devastated if we couldn't get rid of him. He's scored some important goals for us this season.

[colinmk]

Get rid of

 

Colo,

R Taylor,

Barton,

Owen,

Smith,

Cacapa,

Geremi,

Shola.

 

Would offer Viduka a pay per play sort of deal, keep Butt as backup and he has good experience to pass on to youngsters. If anyone wanted Duff I would let him go and same goes with Nolan.

[Guest Chubby Jason]

It would be great to see every single one of them go and totally rebuild. I appreciate it's unrealistic but it would be unprecedented and refreshing if it did happen, it would be a great way to demonstrate that the club no longer accepts pathetic failure year on year.

[midds]

The only ones I'd be disappointed to lose would be Krul, Beye, Bassong, Enrique and Gutierrez. The rest can fuck right off.

 

The 'must move on' list would be: Harper, Coloccini, Cacapa, Butt, Smith, Duff, Barton, Geremi, Owen, Viduka & Martins. (Fucking how much in wages do that shower of wank take out of the club every week??)

 

Time to blood the kids too. 

[Pilko]

I also think that Carroll would be a very important player for us if we went down.

[Guest LucaAltieri]

The only ones I'd be disappointed to lose would be Krul, Beye, Bassong, Enrique and Gutierrez. The rest can fuck right off.

 

The 'must move on' list would be: Harper, Coloccini, Cacapa, Butt, Smith, Duff, Barton, Geremi, Owen, Viduka & Martins. (Fucking how much in wages do that shower of wank take out of the club every week??)

 

Time to blood the kids too.   

 

Shocker.

[midds]

The only ones I'd be disappointed to lose would be Krul, Beye, Bassong, Enrique and Gutierrez. The rest can fuck right off.

 

The 'must move on' list would be: Harper, Coloccini, Cacapa, Butt, Smith, Duff, Barton, Geremi, Owen, Viduka & Martins. (Fucking how much in wages do that shower of wank take out of the club every week??)

 

Time to blood the kids too.   

 

Shocker.

 

We can't afford to keep him on Premiership wages when we've got Krul on the bench. No vendetta (this time). 

[Unlucky Luque]

I don't care about anyone except Carroll, LuaLua and Ranger

[Liam Liam Liam O]

I also think that Carroll would be a very important player for us if we went down.

 

Change that would to a could & I agree with you.

[ChrisJbarnes]

this is boring me. who do people prefer the old board or the new board?

[Liam Liam Liam O]

The only ones I'd be disappointed to lose would be Krul, Beye, Bassong, Enrique and Gutierrez. The rest can fuck right off.

 

The 'must move on' list would be: Harper, Coloccini, Cacapa, Butt, Smith, Duff, Barton, Geremi, Owen, Viduka & Martins. (Fucking how much in wages do that shower of wank take out of the club every week??)

 

Time to blood the kids too.  

 

I'd let Jonas go as well tbh.

 

It's amazing that our best prospects/players are now defenders, but it's absolutely true.

[NG32]

Nolan should get the axe, cut his fucking legs off.  He might be quicker then.

[Guest helios_centric]

Get rid of anyone who offers a poor return for their wages. Anyone earning big bucks needs to turn in big performances - you can't afford passengers and we have more than Stagecoach right now.

 

I honestly don't see any case for retaining Owen, Smith, Barton, Geremi, Viduka, Colo and probably Martins to be brutally honest. Bearing in mind what we are told they earn, they do virtually nothing for the club in return. There are lower paid players who also need shoving out of the door on the basis that they are crap - Ameobi, R. Taylor, Cacapa, Nolan.

 

Whether or not this is unrealistic in terms of how you can possibly rebuild when losing half or more of your first team squad, may well prove to be immaterial because I can really see us haemorraging players through a mix of cost-cutting, contracts not being renewed and players wanting out any way they can. I find it difficult to find more than a handful of current players who I actually want to hang around.