Everton

I do get what you’re saying in a way coz Bobby wasn’t just a first team manager but was the first in the Whelan era to take a whole club approach & (along with Whelan) try to make sure that the foundations were in place for the club to be able to compete without Whelan’s money. There is no doubt that he’s been successful there.
Nor is there any doubt that winning a major cup is a success too especially when you bear in mind that Latics defeated 2 of the top 6 teams in the country along the way.

However I’m sorry but there is no way that you can look at relegation as anything other than a massive step backwards not just in terms of the quality of league Latics will be playing in but in their ability to retain & attract players. Not to mention the huge £40mill black hole that it leaves in latics accounts. The club made a profit last financial year (before tax) which is to be applauded but that included the premier league Sky TV money – take that away & it turns into a substantial loss. Yes some of the big earners will be going as their contracts have expired but what will Latics be able to offer any new recruits in terms of salary.
Bobby himself said the other season that it was absolutely vital to the long term future of Wigan Athletic for the club to remain in the top flight – well that’s gone & getting £2.5mill from the Europa League group stages & £1.8mill for winning the FA Cup is buttons compared to the £60mill for playing in the top flight next season.

I know that thanks to the efforts of Whelan & Bobby that the club will still be here as will most of us but relegation is a massive backwards step & to say it isn’t is akin to burying your head in the sand[/quote]
Relegation was always inevitable, and dare I say it, expected.

It very nearly happened to Jewell, and could easily have happened to Bruce, and had we gone down at the time when those two managers were in charge, we’d have been in much worse state than we are today.

So on the face of it, yes of course being relegated is disappointing, but Martinez ‘has taken this club a massive step backwards’?

Don’t agree.

We’ve been relegated – as has been expected and flirted with for most of our time in the Premier League, but the way the club goes about things, and our perception has vastly improved during his time as manager.[/quote]

some – it seems – drunk too much bubbly after the momentous cup victory … and still hung over after the disappointment of arsenal

Alex Ferguson – VERON

Even the better managers get it wrong from time to time.

28m GBP – it cost Manure for and what – SFA :cheer:[/quote]

So you are likening bobby to Alex ferguson now? And about a player veron who has captained Argentina and won more than bobby and all his signings can ever dream of? Lets look at Verons honours shall we –

Argentine player of the year 2006 and 2009
South American footballer of the year 2008 and 2009 (beating ronaldinho amongst others)
Estudiantes – 3 league titles and copa libatadores 2009
Parma copa Italian 1998-1999, Uefa cup 1998-1999
Lazio Uefa super cup 1999, seria A 1999-2000, copa Italia 1999-2000, Italian super cup 2000,
Manchester United premier league champions 2002-2003
Inter copa Italia 2004 2005 2006, Italian super cup 2005, serie A 2006

Jason Scotland was and remains crap. Bosseli was good. Bobbys way of playing and coaching made him cacker than Gary Teale.

Wake up. Are you head of bobbles fan club or something?[/quote]

my my we have been a busy boy haven’t we
john motson eat yer heart out
ask the utd fans what they thought to veron and what a good investment he was
merely made the point that the best managers also sometimes get it wrong
or merely as veron was such a good player as you make out, SAF got it wrong at manure
(bosselli good ? yeh, right !)
stop behaving like such an ass[/quote]

Neiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhh

Next Tuesday it will be

I’ll presume this is a wind-up, but nevertheless, I’ll respond.

So Whelan should pump additional tens of millions more of his own money into a club that struggles to attract more than 12,000 into parting with £300 for a season ticket?

If he puts £30m in, that’s the equivalent of the average supporter chucking in £5000 – £6000, so tell you what, why don’t you throw some of your savings in – we’ll all do the same – and Whelan can meet us half way?

The club has dragged itself into self-sufficiency by careful management over the past few years, but you’d like them to chance it – knowing that if they fail to get promoted, they burden themselves with serious debt, that could easily see the club going the same way as Portsmouth?

You’re correct: you can’t take it with you, but I bet Whelan would rather leave the money to his family than a football club where some of the supporters expect everything for nothing and criticise him for being tight-fisted.