Rob Couhig message to supporters
Dear Fellow Wanderer:
As a season ticket holder, your support means the world to your club, the players, staff, Missy and me. Because you are so intrinsically involved in our success, I think this is a good time for me to bring you up to date on my observations and a series of conversations I have had within the organization over the past 10 days.
First, I fully expect that we will be playing in the Championship next year. With 19 games to go, there are plenty of opportunities for us to make up the necessary points.
I have to admit the past couple of weeks have not been as much fun as we anticipated. As a result, we did not gain on our competitors who are likewise seeking to avoid relegation.
Every team faces issues including injuries and disputed referee calls. Off the pitch, several are involved in internal turmoil involving changes in ownership and management. And all of us must deal with the vagaries of this most unique season caused by the Covid pandemic. The good news is we are really not much further behind. And we have the know how and experience to achieve the unexpected.
I met this morning with Gareth, Dobbo and Pete. Over the past month, I came to the
realization that I have failed the Club and them in not forcefully articulating my expectations for this season. That is no longer the case. When we were buying the controlling interest in the Club, I recall being asked at a forum what my expectation was. I said then that I expected to play at least at the Championship level. I was surprised when a number of fans reacted as though that was unreasonable. I told Missy I did not understand not having high expectations. We bought the club to be at least in the Championship.
I absolutely believe we are going to remain in the Championship. When I met with Gareth, Dobbo and Pete, I told them several things. First, every decision on players must be made to fulfill that expectation. I have no interest in hearing about how great it is for Wycombe to be playing in the Championship. We are here because we deserve it. Maybe it’s easier for me. I am not consumed with the history or status of other clubs. But I know we are not mere visitors. The time for sightseeing is over.
We have had some bad calls and unfortunate injuries. However, we will not use either as an excuse. In fact, we will offer no excuses. Our players will continue to play hard and through the whistle. We will win.
I also told Gareth and Dobbo that they have more job security than any other managers in professional football. Our management team of Gareth, Dobbo, Pete, Andrew Howard and I will be here long into the future. Our players who perform at the level expected of a Championship league player will have successful careers. I want everyone on the squad to stay but performance and results matter. No excuses.
I have asked our media department to refrain from any more stories about Wycombe “firsts" that discuss the wonder of our being in our division. As the old expression goes, when you achieve success, act like you have been there before. From now on everything will be concentrated on the club’s efforts on this remarkable journey we will take together to avoid relegation.
We have 19 games left. We have to cover a bit of ground. It will be done. Hang on and believe. It’s going to be fun!
COYB!
Proud to say: Yeah, I’m a Wanderer.
Rob
Comments
Does RC, have some inside knowledge of 3 or 4 other teams facing imminent hefty points deductions?
Uncle Rob needs to have a little word with Pete who is on record as saying we are "prepared to yo-yo"
Our history is what makes this club and this season so special. I'm not his employee so I reckon I'll carry on talking about it as much as I want thanks very much, rather than be dictated to by a man from New Orleans who'd never heard of Wycombe Wanderers two years ago
Made me chuckle when i opened it....
He's clearly not your average owner. If you read this as "we want to stay up, haven't in any way given up and have made clear to players and staff we aren't done yet" I think that's noble. I can't really agree that it is particularly likely we stay up, or that the next few months are set to be fun but I think it's a good message.
This bit is odd to me. Is he saying that he's always expected to us survive, but just hasn't communicated that clearly enough? If so, why did we invest so little in our squad in the summer? I thought I understood the logic behind the decision with us being prepared to yo-yo and wanting to be sustainable long-term, but if the expectation was always survival (no ifs or buts) then we really can't pretend we gave ourselves a squad at the start of the season that was fit for purpose.
Gave me a good Friday chuckle I must say
I really agree with him on the last part about acting as if we belong. I don’t like hearing Gaz talk about how happy we should be with a point at home against Birmingham just because they’re a bigger club and how lucky we are to be playing in nice stadiums as if we’re kids on a schooltrip.
One wonders how Gaz will react to it.
I hope this isn't Rob's Ivor Beeks York City away moment
It seems like the management team and the PR team have had a bit of a bollocking. Interesting to see how this plays out i the next few days and weeks.
Ever since we were promoted to the championship I have thought we would survive purely on the grounds of other clubs financial problems regarding this season We have and always were going to struggle to compete on a level playing field in this league. Rob maybe right and the finances of some overspending clubs might indeed save us.
Championship expectations and a manager with more job security than anyone else.
An odd conundrum to create for yourself if you are an owner. Sounds like an end to any 'we are happy to be here' narrative from the club.
I do like the bit about not harping on about referees though. Most refreshing
Please enlighten me, im intrigued!
It will be interesting to see the views of posters who constantly remind the rest of us about who we are and our financial position if we make a slightly controversial comment.
Clearly Rob Couhig doesn't share the same view.
http://www.chairboys.co.uk/history/oneill_departs_1995.htm
“The impending departure of O'Neill had been bubbling under for much of the latter part of the 1994/95 season. A fall out with Club Chairman Ivor Beeks following a 0-0 defeat away to York City in March 1995, kept under wraps at the time, was also part of the catalyst for O'Neill's decision to leave Wycombe.”
Ivor Beeks went into the dressing room following a nil nil draw away at York and said that the team had played with no passion. It signalled the breakdown of his relationship with the then manager Martin O'Neill and at the end of the season he left to become Norwich City boss
Are you or were you ever a referee by any chance?
No, I have never been a referee
I think there’s a message in it to Gaz about sentimentality and loyalty. It’s probably the worst part of the job for a caring empathic man like Gaz to have to tell a ‘General’ that their time is up or that barring injuries they will not start. I’m sure Gaz would love to see Bayo or Blooms score in the Championship and so would I. Some might say that is more important than winning or staying up. Rob would disagree.
Other parts were, as said, contradicting other messages around yo-yoing and more job security than any other management team. Maybe you all are guaranteed a job as long as we finish 21st or above? That would be pretty secure by today’s standards.
Ok, thanks for clarification
Seems worth a go - one win and it'll gain momentum
The reality is that if we had serious intentions to stay up this season then we needed to spend a lot more in the summer than the rumoured £50k that we spent (Daryl Horgan).
In our first two Championship matches we started with a midfield duo of Matt Bloomfield and Alex Pattison, and without being disrespectful to either they are just not at this level. Maybe Pattison will be one day but he certainly isn’t now.
Odd perhaps that he didn't address the budget a bit more clearly. Does he really think he's given Gaz enough £ for us to have more than a hopeful punt at staying up?
Three teams just above us all get 30 points deducted and he has. Although can you imagine the meltdown In Peterborough if we survived that way. And indeed on here.
I'd prefer to stay up with a former posh player scoring for us , ideally an opposition player scoring an own goal, but I'd take it.
Rob Couhig is entitled to his view. Every fan who's supported the club through many highs and lows are entitled to theirs.
I still think it's incredible we are in the league we are and the simple financial inbalance in the league makes it really tough for us.
Rob Couhig has never seen us get hammered at home by the Met Police.
I think we only had one change in our first championship XI to our standard League 1 side.
@Right_in_the_Middle - you are absolutely entitled to have your views and I too have seen us hammered in the non league days but I think today the Chairman's views are more relevant.
And it’s not like we ran away with league one either..
The Championship is a huge step up and unfortunately at this moment we don’t have enough players of championship quality to properly compete.
Oh dear, thank you.