[paulosull]

Mr Lai what are you waiting for?, sack this fool as we still have slim chance of staying up.

[Dan87uk]

Mr Lai what are you waiting for?, sack this fool as we still have slim chance of staying up.

We're already gone mate, it makes no difference if Lai sack's him now or in May.

[wimbledon baggie]

Stick him on gardening leave until May, don't give him the pleasure of an early pay off. His contract should have an early termination clause in case of abject failure but we all know it doesn't.

What happens next is all about momentum and next season. Imagine if we keep him and we pick up say 4 more points out the next 10 games. It would be beyond painful.

Squad needs a new voice.

[Dexy]

Hope Lai's learned somd lessons about running a football club if he intends to carry on.

[albion59]

Stick him on gardening leave until May, don't give him the pleasure of an early pay off. His contract should have an early termination clause in case of abject failure but we all know it doesn't.

What happens next is all about momentum and next season. Imagine if we keep him and we pick up say 4 more points out the next 10 games. It would be beyond painful.

Squad needs a new voice.

The squad don't need a new voice, it needs a new squad!

[ex coseley kid]

Hope Lai's learned somd lessons about running a football club if he intends to carry on.

I really hope in some way this proves to be the catalyst for Mr. Lai to want to transform our club into a bit of a force to be reckoned with. I've got to have SOME hope in these miserable times.

[baggiejohn]

I really hope in some way this proves to be the catalyst for Mr. Lai to want to transform our club into a bit of a force to be reckoned with. I've got to have SOME hope in these miserable times.

I wouldn't bank on that. Seems to me he's bought an "off the shelf product" that doesn't work. I don't think he's got the knowledge to make it work. We just have to hope that Mark Jenkins has (If he hasn't at least he knows a man who has)

[darbolina]

As a purely financial investor as opposed to a hands on owner, I reckon Lai will give us two years to get back up and then walk away if not. In theory we should be able to get back up and for Lai to realise a period for him to establish a premier league branded club. Not sure he's done too much wrong so far but he's coming to an important period of ownership - having to appoint a new leadership team (one not recommended by Peace as Williams was) and to deal with failure. It's always a good time to see what someone is made of when things are going wrong!

[baggie53]

Lai needs to appoint someone like Mendes

It pains me to say it but with Mendes contacts in football it's proved to be a successful formula at the Dingles

[zippyandbungle]

Lai needs to appoint someone like Mendes

It pains me to say it but with Mendes contacts in football it's proved to be a successful formula at the Dingles

It hasn't, so far they have acheive bothing other than playing very nice football in the league below us.
They were 14 points clear at one stage , they are now 6, they have reading,Leeds and the vile next......if any team can blow it...
Then they have some big financial issues

[Albionic]

It hasn't, so far they have acheive bothing other than playing very nice football in the league below us.
They were 14 points clear at one stage , they are now 6, they have reading,Leeds and the vile next......if any team can blow it...
Then they have some big financial issues

Thanks you have cheered me up no end, with that last paragraph!!!

[barnestormer]

It hasn't, so far they have acheive bothing other than playing very nice football in the league below us.
They were 14 points clear at one stage , they are now 6, they have reading,Leeds and the vile next......if any team can blow it...
Then they have some big financial issues

It'll be interesting to see how the wilfs sidestep ffp next season with Boly on a release clause of €45M to sign him and jota the wonderkid who will be signed on 1st July for surely an equal amount never mind having to upgrade at least 3/4 others that will surely be found out in the prem

[TheJacko2000]

It'll be interesting to see how the wilfs sidestep ffp next season with Boly on a release clause of €45M to sign him and jota the wonderkid who will be signed on 1st July for surely an equal amount never mind having to upgrade at least 3/4 others that will surely be found out in the prem

FFP is rarely a problem for the first 2 or 3 seasons for newly promoted teams.

[barnestormer]

FFP is rarely a problem for the first 2 or 3 seasons for newly promoted teams.

Agreed but their net spend will surely be well over the £100M mark with high wages for their Portuguese wizz kids

[TheJacko2000]

Agreed but their net spend will surely be well over the £100M mark with high wages for their Portuguese wizz kids

Doesn't matter what they spend on fees.

[baggiejohn]

Doesn't matter what they spend on fees.

Think you'll find it does, certainly the write down element.

[Standaman]

Lai needs to appoint someone like Mendes

It pains me to say it but with Mendes contacts in football it's proved to be a successful formula at the Dingles

No he does not, Mendes works for Mendes that will be great on the way up but it will hollow out the club like husk on the way down.

[TheJacko2000]

Think you'll find it does, certainly the write down element.

Unless they qualify for Europe they can spend what they want on transfer fees.


Wages are what is capped by PL FFP.

[baggiejohn]

Unless they qualify for Europe they can spend what they want on transfer fees.


Wages are what is capped by PL FFP.

The term used in the Premier League Handbook - Section E - Clubs Finance - Short Term Cost Control is "Player Services Costs & Image Contract Payments"

E.18. If in any of Contract Years 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19, the sum of a Club’s Player Services Costs and Image Contract Payments exceeds £67m, £74m or £81m, respectively, the relevant Club must elect to either: (a) be assessed by the Board on the ‘Prior Year Basis’ (in which case, Rule E.19 applies); or (b) be assessed etc

Not just wages.
If the transfer fee is amortised over the life of the contract then the write down value would be part of the Player Service Costs.

[skyclad99]

No he does not, Mendes works for Mendes that will be great on the way up but it will hollow out the club like husk on the way down.

I agree with you on that. Lets see how it all unfolds financially next year, but a Mendes situation down at the Albion is most definately not the answer.

Something stinks financially to me......

[darbolina]

We need to keep it simple. Go back to a tried and tested system for identifying, buying and keeping players. When we took on Pulis, we took on his system on letting him have overall control in this area. We've not surprisingly ended up as other clubs with similar systems - Villa, Sunderland to name a couple.

Go back to what worked. Assess whether Hammond is the right man for the role he's in, if not change. Then bolster the scouts and the checks in place before signing players. Also, stop this 'tried and tested' rule for players and managers. The fact they're tried and tested in the premier league usually means tried and failed somewhere else.

First of all we need a chairman though and then a permanent CEO, then assess the other positions. Personally, I'd have a good look at everyone who've been making strategic decisions for a few years now as they simply haven't worked and we relied on a sticking plaster called Pulis over an ever growing wound which was after Ashworth and Hodsgon left.

[Mister AT]

It hasn't, so far they have acheive bothing other than playing very nice football in the league below us.
They were 14 points clear at one stage , they are now 6, they have reading,Leeds and the vile next......if any team can blow it...
Then they have some big financial issues

Whilst I love your optimism, just looked and they are 10 clear of 3rd.

[Backofthenet]

I have to say that I'm not really concerned about other clubs, wherever they are. Short term success is usually just that so enjoy it whilst it lasts. Stability is what most supporters want but that is not seen as successful - just listen to Arsenal fans. We'd love to be in the turmoil they're in.
So we need to build something that we are both proud of and works. That's going to take considerable thought and effort and will require a pretty big clear out to start with.
If our academy is as good as it is believed, that is where the future lies. Bring on good young players, breed some loyalty and if they become 'to good' for us they will move on to fulfil their own ambition. Nothing wrong with that
This may have to take place out of the Premier League but so what. We've all seen it coming with managers and players that don't work, have their own ideas that clearly don't work and an infrastructure that is pretty fragile.
This is now time for our owners to cut their teeth and show they are serious about the club and it's not their equivalent of us having a train set. You can't put a football club in the loft and hope it gains in value, you have to invest properly and set things in place. Yes I realise that it is a business but it's in the entertainment business and whilst the so called big 6 can drift along quite happily raking in cash because they are so called big clubs and world wide people seem to love them (they don't watch the rubbish every week) we need to provide something more tangible so we both entertain and get results. That will eventually bring returns in cash and success.
Look where Leicester were before they won the league. That brought quite a lot of credibility. This season not quite so good but they are now in 7th so for a club that size a good position.
Run properly where could we be? 

[paulosull]

with nothing happening today regards Pardew looks like Lai couldnt give a pooh.

[BaggieBoy04]

To be fair no one in China has heard of him but they heard about Fosun and Xai and obviously he couldn't give a rubbish. He needs to learn that if you do don't do what the fans want there going to be unsettled If He doesn't the Sack twonk he has obviously fallen for Williams and Pardew''s Promises.