Best Of

There was an interesting match choice the other night on Sky - Chelsea v West Ham versus Middlesbrough v Sunderland. Needless to say I watched the championship game as that league is so much more ‘competitive’ than the identikit teams in the Prem and is a bit of a yawn fest at times now.

A few ‘big’ fixtures but a lot of overhyped dross a lot of the time but the TV 💰💰💰play heavy on clubs minds.

I do wonder whether the Championship is now closer to a ‘traditional supporter experience’ than the Prem (more accessible generally), is still a really good standard and as a product it’s only behind the Prem as most attended leagues in the world.

For clubs like Wycombe, being an established Championship club would be a better experience for the supporter. Sure, I’d love to see us in the Prem one day but a decade of championship football would be amazing. The league ticks a lot of boxes for me and I do wonder whether that product could spin out from the clutches of Sky and sell itself as the premium product to a standalone broadcaster.

In essence it does become Prem 2 allowing teams to be more competitive for another 20+ years until the cycle starts again and we then have….Prem 3!

Based on Mike’s interview I’d assume Sam Grace will pretty much pick the side for the next few games (with Mike observing) and then we’ll start to see the dynamic change after 2/3 games.

So with the exception of Xavier, I don’t think we’ll see any new boys start for a while (inc. Norris).

While it’s really exciting, one of my fears is that our squad is almost too big now, and it could make it difficult for any of our new signings to hit the ground running. I think it could be next season before we really start to see the likes Magnus, Anders and Lowry getting consistent game time and coming into their own. While new signings don’t have to be a fans favourite from the start, it surely does help their confidence to get some early minutes and form, so hopefully they get that shot.

There's an article in today's financial times about the record amount spent in our division ahead of next season's new spending rules.

https://www.ft.com/content/497dd187-6a03-4460-bfc0-f41055b36c3b

It's behind a paywall and too big to paste in its entirety but a few snippets are as follows...

Wealthy overseas owners drive record spend in English football’s lower leagues

Three-way fight for promotion in third tier comes ahead of tighter financial rules on spending.

" A three-way fight for promotion between a New York hedge fund, a Kazakh billionaire and two Hollywood actors has fuelled a record transfer splurge in English football’s third tier, as wealthy team owners look to get ahead of tighter financial rules taking effect this summer. The 24 clubs in League One have spent almost €56mn this season — more than the total for the past eight seasons combined — according to figures from data website Transfermarkt. Table-topping Birmingham City, owned since 2023 by US hedge fund Knighthead Capital, has spent more than €35mn, equivalent to about 63 per cent of the league’s total spend.

The record outlay in League One comes ahead of new spending rules being introduced by the English Football League, which administers divisions other than the top-tier Premier League. From next season, clubs will be able to spend only up to 60 per cent of turnover on players, including wages, while using equity injections from owners to fund transfers will also be subject to new restrictions.

Other big League One spenders include second-placed Wycombe Wanderers, which was bought by Kazakh tech billionaire Mikheil Lomtadze last May, and newly promoted Wrexham."

Ah spoof account. Sorry I’d misjudged you previously - I thought you were being serious.

Well played.

Was that the one held (I think) in the Centrespot? If so I remember going with my wife - who knows nothing about football, but a little bit about people - saying that he came across as a horrible, arrogant prick.

How right she was.

It seems insane that a player of his versatility, commitment and talent couldn’t get near the first team giving the strength in depth we had acquired (even pre-Jan).

He did us, and the wider football world, a lot of credit.

It feels like the club have done the right thing by him for his career and rest of his life, which if so is highly encouraging.

Thanks Wheels. Great memories.

I wouldn’t be wholly shocked to see Saturdays game include a lot of the new boys.

In terms of the grand prize this season being promotion, Saturday is (and I await the screams of anguish from the FA Cup purists) a bit of a free hit so would be an excellent opportunity to get some of the new guys that haven’t played much, or need more minutes in there legs a chance to get a full 90 or even 70 minutes under there belts.

its also consistent in how we have approached cup games this season with wholesale rotation.

The kicker will neither Preston or us fans will really know how well a team of new boys would play. Could be amazing, could be like the first preseason friendly of the summer.

"I notice no-one seems to have Westergaard in their starting 11, the nearest is a 5050 v Scowen."

To be fair to him he's an unknown quantity, a good performance or a screamer or two and opinions quickly change.

He certainly comes across as a nice guy and an astute reader of the game. To my mind the key question is whether he has the commanding presence that will be needed with a squad bursting with expensive talent and - I imagine - big personalities.

There will be a lot of squad members who expect to play each week but won't be - Dodds will need to keep them all motivated and in a positive mindset in order to prevent dissent creeping in - and then be able to quickly stamp down on any grumbling before it leaves him feeling undermined. If he tries to be everyone's mate I think that might be harder to achieve.

Matt Bloomfield had a ruthless streak that meant he commanded respect. Plus he was Mr Wycombe - I wonder whether players have as much natural respect for coaches who have never played professionally (I honestly don't know - it didn't seem to affect Mark Warburton or Danny Cowley when winning). Matt was also manager so everyone knew the buck stopped with him, whereas Mike Dodds is head coach and therefore not top dog. If players have an issue do they go to him or to Dan Rice? If the latter, that could leave Dodds bypassed and again undermined.

I have every hope that his experience at Sunderland will have given him the answers to all this. But as I say, to my mind that will be his biggest challenge.

Good shout - didn't John Mousinho do that briefly?