Of course he's within his right - and my "Mr Wycombe" jibes are all tongue in cheek - but I think a majority of Wycombe fans won't see it that way. I'm already seeing folk on twitter who were angry at the club for letting him go now suggesting Blooms trying to pull our squad apart would damage their view of him. It's certainly not just a "bunch of ingrates" who would change their view of MB if he was to relentlessly pursue our best players.
Agree to disagree. If someone has given 20+ years of very good service and moved on to further their career - and let's take that step completely separate from the views on Dan Rice to be as fair as possible and take it in isolation - him doing what is best for his new employer should not raise any hackles if we are being fair. We have every right to say "no", and we have! I doubt Rice is weeping on his spreadsheet about the sheer disgrace of being offered millions of pounds for a player Blooms signed and developed into what he is now! If anything the fact we can turn the bid down is us flexing our financial muscles.
The squad is likely to already have four or five players who arrived post-Blooms by the time even this current window has settled! By the time the summer is out we might have most of a first team who never met the chap!
'I admire Bloomfield for his tenacity as a player, for surviving a turbulent period for the club and then for his efforts in the first half of the season and while I am disappointed, I can see that he and the new owners did not see eye to eye about the future and he had to leave. But if he comes round here with his mates in his Luton tracksuit, driving his people carrier round the car park, giving it large, talking about being wanted, unsettling our players, knocking over the cones, nicking the bibs and laughing and pointing at our makeshift management team, I would say 'Oi! Bloomfield NOOOO!!'
I saw an interesting interview with Ben Foster once, where he basically said that unless you have a really significant tie to a club, such as having a long tenure or were a childhood fan, most players don't really care about the club itself, because they know the same fans singing their name one week will be saying "get rid" the next.
The reality is that even goes for long tenures - I am sure a few that have been singing "There's only one Matt Bloomfield" are some of the same ones saying the "Mr. Wycombe" title should be rescinded.
It's not worth being concerned with opinions that are likely to change with the wind.
Can’t we put all this stuff on the Bloomfield to Luton thread and leave this for rumours about potential new signings. I have a lot of respect for Matt but he is gone now and we can move on with confidence.
Don't think it was a joke. It was a mixture of media bullshine and a show of affection from a large section of the fans. As someone has pointed out...he was getting it in the neck for most of last season.
You can't say he's an ambitious man who was offered an opportunity because football is a business, loyalty is a myth and the club was happy to let him go (as is their right) and then moan about the high high esteem he was held in when he was here.
Gaz left us with a chance of the playoffs, but because it was QPR it was understandable and his legacy is untarnished.
I’m hoping that Kone stays, scores 20 in the league and a few in the cup and begins next season in the Championship with us. And is then sold for tens of millions to a Premier League side. But that is a gamble for him and us if offers of Championship football are on the table right now.
I don’t get the sense he’s unhappy with us but if he’s offered more money and a bigger stage right now I’m sure he’d be tempted. Our ownership team probably don’t need to sell him right now to raise capital but they will have analysed the data and will know what factors suggest the optimum time to sell is - amount someone is willing to pay, what the data science suggests about winning and losing with and without him and other players in the squad, how the player will respond if an offer is rejected. Sentiment or what supporters might like to happen won’t come into any of their thinking. It’s a business and their metrics for success include more than winning - academy, profit and loss and so on. Winning and promotion may help achieve their measures of success but reducing the odds of winning now for a huge cash injection can be a reasonable business decision in football.
So he may go, he may stay - duh. I’m about 50:50 on it myself.
At least we wont be forced to to sell him for buttons to avoid going under.
Fair enough - for what it's worth, I think the debate will drop off massively once a new head coach comes in. I think the managerial vacuum lends itself to continued discussion, especially given the contentious nature of what has happened.
I think the new chap will (hopefully) at least symbolize the first water flowing under the bridge. Add to that all the new players that did not play under Blooms, and it will feel like quite a clean slate considering.
It fascinates me how a number of people on here know for a fact that it was that big horrible Rice dog who forced Bloomfield out with his evil ways and scheming mischief . I mean it's almost as if they witnessed it! I have no doubt there was a disagreement between the pair on how things were to be run but it is almost as if Bloomfield can't do any wrong . Now there are even people blaming Rice for Luton coming in for Kone , You could not make it up 🤣. I appreciate we at Wycombe seem to put our managers on a pedestal and raise their worth to the heavens and back but just because Bloomfield "felt" unwanted does not mean this should automatically be taken as a reasonable stance in the circumstances . Witnessing some of his actions since getting into management I think the force of ambition is strong in him and I am not entirely convinced he is the hard done little bundle of love that some do .
We do know - aside from any ITK statements so that people who think they don't exist won't pout - that Rice sacked people around Blooms, refused to even say his name, and did not offer an extension, though.
I don't think you are ever dealing with 100% right and wrong when it comes to two fallible humans, but even if you want to stick your head in the stand and say ITKs don't exist, there are some pretty obvious indicators that Rice was making Blooms as uncomfortable and unwanted as possible, ranging from the passive aggressive to the outright aggressive.
Still yet to see anyone explain non-vaguely what they KNOW happened. It should be possible to do that without throwing your sources under the bus. It's just been one big ITK-off without any concrete facts, and the ITKs shouting the doubters down.
How can something be considered a fact without sources? If someone says something as fact without a source, the natural response is "source?" I guarantee people won't just take assertive statement as fact.
Just a reminder that our owner is a billionaire and has been splashing more money on recent transfers than we have ever seen.
We don't "need" to sell Kone even if 10 million is offered.... (I would for that 🤣)
We don't "need" to sell anyone for the money.....
I think the powers above have clicked on that this season, very early into their tenure.... has the potential to get us to The Championship at the earliest of opportunities. That has got to be favourable to the long term plan I would assume?
Matt Bloomfield had total control of all playing aspects prior to the summer of 2024. Throughout the latter part of last year his close ally was sacked and he was removed of all responsibility for transfers. He didn’t even know what players Wycombe were looking at let alone buying!
Despite this Bloomfield led Wycombe to the top two against the odds. Understandably these exploits led to interest from other clubs. Bloomfield had less than 18 months were left on his contract. When anyone performs so well you’d expect a club to make damn sure they keep hold of such an asset. But no talks were even opened on a new contract.
I’ve heard plenty of other things from credible sources (some absolutely baffling stuff that I’m not going to share) that absolutely support the idea Bloomfield was forced out if those two big things are not enough.
Comments
Of course he's within his right - and my "Mr Wycombe" jibes are all tongue in cheek - but I think a majority of Wycombe fans won't see it that way. I'm already seeing folk on twitter who were angry at the club for letting him go now suggesting Blooms trying to pull our squad apart would damage their view of him. It's certainly not just a "bunch of ingrates" who would change their view of MB if he was to relentlessly pursue our best players.
It certainly wouldn't be brilliant if Bloomfield takes Kone would it.
Agree to disagree. If someone has given 20+ years of very good service and moved on to further their career - and let's take that step completely separate from the views on Dan Rice to be as fair as possible and take it in isolation - him doing what is best for his new employer should not raise any hackles if we are being fair. We have every right to say "no", and we have! I doubt Rice is weeping on his spreadsheet about the sheer disgrace of being offered millions of pounds for a player Blooms signed and developed into what he is now! If anything the fact we can turn the bid down is us flexing our financial muscles.
The squad is likely to already have four or five players who arrived post-Blooms by the time even this current window has settled! By the time the summer is out we might have most of a first team who never met the chap!
Very true.
I think it would just show that being 'Mr Wycombe' doesn't mean he's going to let sentiment get in the way of him doing his job. And fair enough.
'I admire Bloomfield for his tenacity as a player, for surviving a turbulent period for the club and then for his efforts in the first half of the season and while I am disappointed, I can see that he and the new owners did not see eye to eye about the future and he had to leave. But if he comes round here with his mates in his Luton tracksuit, driving his people carrier round the car park, giving it large, talking about being wanted, unsettling our players, knocking over the cones, nicking the bibs and laughing and pointing at our makeshift management team, I would say 'Oi! Bloomfield NOOOO!!'
I would say POTD but this is about your fifth that qualifies so far!
Indeed. He's Luton Town manager Matt Bloomfield first and foremost.
I saw an interesting interview with Ben Foster once, where he basically said that unless you have a really significant tie to a club, such as having a long tenure or were a childhood fan, most players don't really care about the club itself, because they know the same fans singing their name one week will be saying "get rid" the next.
The reality is that even goes for long tenures - I am sure a few that have been singing "There's only one Matt Bloomfield" are some of the same ones saying the "Mr. Wycombe" title should be rescinded.
It's not worth being concerned with opinions that are likely to change with the wind.
Can’t we put all this stuff on the Bloomfield to Luton thread and leave this for rumours about potential new signings. I have a lot of respect for Matt but he is gone now and we can move on with confidence.
Don't think it was a joke. It was a mixture of media bullshine and a show of affection from a large section of the fans. As someone has pointed out...he was getting it in the neck for most of last season.
You can't say he's an ambitious man who was offered an opportunity because football is a business, loyalty is a myth and the club was happy to let him go (as is their right) and then moan about the high high esteem he was held in when he was here.
Gaz left us with a chance of the playoffs, but because it was QPR it was understandable and his legacy is untarnished.
I’m hoping that Kone stays, scores 20 in the league and a few in the cup and begins next season in the Championship with us. And is then sold for tens of millions to a Premier League side. But that is a gamble for him and us if offers of Championship football are on the table right now.
I don’t get the sense he’s unhappy with us but if he’s offered more money and a bigger stage right now I’m sure he’d be tempted. Our ownership team probably don’t need to sell him right now to raise capital but they will have analysed the data and will know what factors suggest the optimum time to sell is - amount someone is willing to pay, what the data science suggests about winning and losing with and without him and other players in the squad, how the player will respond if an offer is rejected. Sentiment or what supporters might like to happen won’t come into any of their thinking. It’s a business and their metrics for success include more than winning - academy, profit and loss and so on. Winning and promotion may help achieve their measures of success but reducing the odds of winning now for a huge cash injection can be a reasonable business decision in football.
So he may go, he may stay - duh. I’m about 50:50 on it myself.
At least we wont be forced to to sell him for buttons to avoid going under.
Fair enough - for what it's worth, I think the debate will drop off massively once a new head coach comes in. I think the managerial vacuum lends itself to continued discussion, especially given the contentious nature of what has happened.
I think the new chap will (hopefully) at least symbolize the first water flowing under the bridge. Add to that all the new players that did not play under Blooms, and it will feel like quite a clean slate considering.
I don't see how Kone is important to the long term academy project. Unless he takes out Kazakh citizenship.
It fascinates me how a number of people on here know for a fact that it was that big horrible Rice dog who forced Bloomfield out with his evil ways and scheming mischief . I mean it's almost as if they witnessed it! I have no doubt there was a disagreement between the pair on how things were to be run but it is almost as if Bloomfield can't do any wrong . Now there are even people blaming Rice for Luton coming in for Kone , You could not make it up 🤣. I appreciate we at Wycombe seem to put our managers on a pedestal and raise their worth to the heavens and back but just because Bloomfield "felt" unwanted does not mean this should automatically be taken as a reasonable stance in the circumstances . Witnessing some of his actions since getting into management I think the force of ambition is strong in him and I am not entirely convinced he is the hard done little bundle of love that some do .
We do know - aside from any ITK statements so that people who think they don't exist won't pout - that Rice sacked people around Blooms, refused to even say his name, and did not offer an extension, though.
I don't think you are ever dealing with 100% right and wrong when it comes to two fallible humans, but even if you want to stick your head in the stand and say ITKs don't exist, there are some pretty obvious indicators that Rice was making Blooms as uncomfortable and unwanted as possible, ranging from the passive aggressive to the outright aggressive.
Still yet to see anyone explain non-vaguely what they KNOW happened. It should be possible to do that without throwing your sources under the bus. It's just been one big ITK-off without any concrete facts, and the ITKs shouting the doubters down.
Berry to be announced tomorrow.
How can something be considered a fact without sources? If someone says something as fact without a source, the natural response is "source?" I guarantee people won't just take assertive statement as fact.
Does feel like all threads are crossing over, I’ve started a separate manger rumour one. Maybe just keep this to transfers ?
As was said above - THIS THREAD IS FOR RUMOURS
If it's about MB etc. Take it elsewhere!
You are begging for a separate pun derailment, all this talk about keeping it to the thread subject! 😂
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nVaA0orpORfdRjNAGyfMZhGkvrYkkgMHI&feature=shared
I'm more a "Tango in the night" man myself
Same actually
Just a reminder that our owner is a billionaire and has been splashing more money on recent transfers than we have ever seen.
We don't "need" to sell Kone even if 10 million is offered.... (I would for that 🤣)
We don't "need" to sell anyone for the money.....
I think the powers above have clicked on that this season, very early into their tenure.... has the potential to get us to The Championship at the earliest of opportunities. That has got to be favourable to the long term plan I would assume?
I actually prefer the Peter Green lineup. Will there ever be a song title to rival 'The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)'?
Manger tout Rodney
Perhaps not, but it's all been so vague regardless
What do I know for a fact?
Matt Bloomfield had total control of all playing aspects prior to the summer of 2024. Throughout the latter part of last year his close ally was sacked and he was removed of all responsibility for transfers. He didn’t even know what players Wycombe were looking at let alone buying!
Despite this Bloomfield led Wycombe to the top two against the odds. Understandably these exploits led to interest from other clubs. Bloomfield had less than 18 months were left on his contract. When anyone performs so well you’d expect a club to make damn sure they keep hold of such an asset. But no talks were even opened on a new contract.
I’ve heard plenty of other things from credible sources (some absolutely baffling stuff that I’m not going to share) that absolutely support the idea Bloomfield was forced out if those two big things are not enough.