7 consecutive seasons in PL

[SingYourHeartsOut]

You mean to say, the people who keep referring me to a time in the 2010s as grounds for the wonderful job Fosun have done, are confused as to why I am dwelling on a time period much closer to the present day, which still affects our present and our potentially our future?

Yes, I know, I'm not exactly disagreeing with you.

I guess maybe if you see a **** sandwich and someone has put the bread on the top it's fair enough to be shouting 'there's still **** in there'.

If you see it as a salad some fool put a boiled egg in half way through and you can pick that out, you can still be grateful for the rest.

It's all about a point of view, nobody is seeing the facts very differently.

 

[berwickwolf]

Yes, I know, I'm not exactly disagreeing with you.

I guess maybe if you see a **** sandwich and someone has put the bread on the top it's fair enough to be shouting 'there's still **** in there'.

If you see it as a salad some fool put a boiled egg in half way through and you can pick that out, you can still be grateful for the rest.

It's all about a point of view, nobody is seeing the facts very differently.

I'm genuinely not sure how you could see a **** sandwich, even with bread, and argue that its a salad because you choose to identify it as such?!

Edit: that's a sentence I've never used before, but might use again

 

[Nige]

At first glance yes but once you allow for Forest, Luton, Everton and Brentford have to play each other which means at least one will drop points we are now mathematically safe as there is not a combination of results which could see all 4 overtake us. I’ve linked the analysis in the OP under the Teams that cannot catch us thread.

I'm good with That
Thanks.
Can crack open the fizzy stuff now then..

 

[Andywolf74]

This is basically where I am at. One of Jeff's primary responsibilities is management of the club finances. It's his job to know how close we are to breaching financial rules, and steer us away from the iceberg well ahead of time with a sensible, proactive financial plan. Not the feast and famine farce we have come to associate with his leadership. Sometimes that means telling a manager "no" if the player's fee represents a great risk to the club.

He has sanctioned incredible sums on the likes of Guedes, Fabio, Sasa (with his catalog of injury problems), Hoever etc, while allowing players to leave beyond peak saleability (or in the case of Adama, for nothing). And he's often lucky. Is it a coincidence that only when Hobbs took control did the more sensible and reasonable purchases of the likes of Dawson, Lemina and Gomes become the rule and not the exception? For all Jeff's talk about learning and growing - the man's been Wolves chairman for nearly 8 years. How embarrassing that a scout turned Sporting Director can offer the club better value for money than Jeff's enviable connection to the world's best player agent.

We were regressing from the 2020/21 season onwards, with the 2022/23 season the closest we’ve come to relegation. For me, the Lage appointment was probably the worst decision Shi made and it so very nearly resulted in relegation. It left the club with no choice to go s*€* or bust in the Jan 2023 transfer window and fortunately coincided with the realisation from Lopetegui and Hobbs that we’d been wasting a lot of money on players that weren’t the right fit for the premier league. Hopefully the summer 2024 transfer window will allow a little loosening of the purse strings + some overdue player sales to support GON in building on a fantastic first season.

 

[Timberwolf]

It'd help if you understood the argument I am making before mis-attributing logical fallacies. I am referring to a specific period of the club's time in the Premier League, not the low-resolution view of the ownership overall. Yes, what came before was nothing less than distilled magic, what came after has been impressive in its own, more modest way - the bit in between (the "****" in the **** sandwich, if I may) is where my focus lies in terms of the financial difficulties we are now facing. So please, regale the class with the scores of positive signings that were made in this period.

You mean the period when we signed Fabio, Sept 2020?
Toti, Semedo & RAN. Not the **** in the sandwich. Plus they brought in £65m from the sale of Jota, Costa and Doc.
Look, I don’t think anyone will argue that Silva, Guedes and Cutrone were terrible buys. But that’s all you seem to dwell on. It’s crazy, that when we’re praising the club for achieving 7 seasons in the Premier League, all you can do is find negativity.

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

But I am not referring to the period since promotion. My post points specifically to the period between January 2020 and January 2022. To be honest, we can include the subsequent Summer and Autumn in that. On balance, this period featured a lot more negatives than positives in terms of leadership at the top and transfer business, and in my opinion is the main contributory factor to our FFP troubles in the last year or so. In this system, bad decisions take time to catch up with you.

And you don’t think that the time period you state happening to coincide with a once in a lifetime world event that shut the country down for months and sent the whole worlds finances to hell in a hand cart may have some slight bearing on our fortunes as a football club?

 

[Timberwolf]

How is it not?

There are always exceptions to the rule, but, generally, in every country across the planet, the teams that spend more, both on transfer fees and wages, will be higher in the table than the ones that don't.

It's really not rocket science. Right now, we have owners who don't want to spend, and our wage bill, I would guess, has rapidly dropped down the league.

No spending and low wage bill usually equals relegation in quick fashion from the Premier League.

We obviously have to hope we're an exception to the rule. Unfortunately, unlike a Brighton/Brentford, we don't have a track record that gives you much faith, especially as the one edge we arguably had, Jorge Mendes, has seemingly disappeared - and rightly so, after it no longer brought the results we wanted.

You’ve just expanded the discussion. You agreed with the post that ‘the height of the club’s ambition was to avoid relegation’. Then you posted ‘it was the height of Jeff’s ambition’.
You really believe that Jeff, employed by a multi-billion corporation, that oversaw two 7th placed Premier League finishes, a brilliantly exhilarating European campaign, has broken the club transfer fee time and time again, only ever want to finish 17th. That’s the pinnacle of Fosun’s ambition? Really?

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

You mean the period when we signed Fabio, Sept 2020?
Toti, Semedo & RAN. Not the **** in the sandwich. Plus they brought in £65m from the sale of Jota, Costa and Doc.
Look, I don’t think anyone will argue that Silva, Guedes and Cutrone were terrible buys. But that’s all you seem to dwell on. It’s crazy, that when we’re praising the club for achieving 7 seasons in the Premier League, all you can do is find negativity.

I’d have a pretty good go at arguing that Fabio, Cutrone and Guedes weren’t terrible buys at the time they were made. And surely that’s the only legitimate basis to judge them on?

 

[Timberwolf]

I’d have a pretty good go at arguing that Fabio, Cutrone and Guedes weren’t terrible buys at the time they were made. And surely that’s the only legitimate basis to judge them on?

Fair point. Hindsight is a wonderful gift

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

You’ve just expanded the discussion. You agreed with the post that ‘the height of the club’s ambition was to avoid relegation’. Then you posted ‘it was the height of Jeff’s ambition’.
You really believe that Jeff, employed by a multi-billion corporation, that oversaw two 7th placed Premier League finishes, a brilliantly exhilarating European campaign, has broken the club transfer fee time and time again, only ever want to finish 17th. That’s the pinnacle of Fosun’s ambition? Really?

No, not 'ever'. They used to be very ambitious, backed that up by spending lots.

Now, yes, they would take 17th every year.

Again, we aren't a special case. We're an example of what money can do. We spent loads, the wage bill rocketed and results followed. So we went from a Championship side to back-to-back 7th place finishes.

So, when that financial power isn't there, it's natural we will drop down.

The same everywhere in the world, generally.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

No, not 'ever'. They used to be very ambitious, backed that up by spending lots.

Now, yes, they would take 17th every year.

Again, we aren't a special case. We're an example of what money can do. We spent loads, the wage bill rocketed and results followed. So we went from a Championship side to back-to-back 7th place finishes.

So, when that financial power isn't there, it's natural we will drop down.

The same everywhere in the world, generally.

We aren’t exactly a million miles off 7th though (we could easily be 7th had it not been for some incredibly poor officiating) and are a million miles off 17th. Getting back to 7th next season isn’t like scaling Mount Everest, far from it in fact as it’s a realistic challenge.

 

[VancouverWolf]

I’d have a pretty good go at arguing that Fabio, Cutrone and Guedes weren’t terrible buys at the time they were made. And surely that’s the only legitimate basis to judge them on?

Exactly.
They were bought with the best data, videos, scout reports, medicals etc.

Judging those transfers in hindsight is easy but it tends to obscure the reasoning for taking a punt on them at that time.

 

[VancouverWolf]

No, not 'ever'. They used to be very ambitious, backed that up by spending lots.

Now, yes, they would take 17th every year.

Again, we aren't a special case. We're an example of what money can do. We spent loads, the wage bill rocketed and results followed. So we went from a Championship side to back-to-back 7th place finishes.

So, when that financial power isn't there, it's natural we will drop down.

The same everywhere in the world, generally.

There’s no reason to indicate that they’d accept 17th. every year.

 

[inaglasshouse]

We should be aiming for top 6 next year with our two new striker options, GON, RAN and Neto all tied down to long deals. We can easily fund this with the money for Sasa and Silva swelling the coffers. Even Silva going for zilch will save millions. Add to this the money rolling in from our gaming tie ups we can offset any losses with clever accounting.

 

[VancouverWolf]

We should be aiming for top 6 next year with our two new striker options, GON, RAN and Neto all tied down to long deals. We can easily fund this with the money for Sasa and Silva swelling the coffers. Even Silva going for zilch will save millions. Add to this the money rolling in from our gaming tie ups we can offset any losses with clever accounting.

I hope you’re right but maybe you’re too optimistic.
Do RAN and Neto want to stay, regardless of a salary increase? And will we be able to get one, let alone two strikers, at a cost that suits us?
Good strikers are hard to find as we well know from our experiences with Silva, Sasa, Cutrone, Diego Costa, Jose Willians .
Hwang has not exactly set the world on fire with goals in his time with Wolves and I wonder if he will resume scoring after his injury.

 

[SuperGran]

I hope you’re right but maybe you’re too optimistic.
Do RAN and Neto want to stay, regardless of a salary increase? And will we be able to get one, let alone two strikers, at a cost that suits us?
Good strikers are hard to find as we well know from our experiences with Silva, Sasa, Cutrone, Diego Costa, Jose Willians .
Hwang has not exactly set the world on fire with goals in his time with Wolves and I wonder if he will resume scoring after his injury.

I think he’s missed the sarcastic emoji off
Sasa is out till January for a start.

 

[SA Wolf]

I hope you’re right but maybe you’re too optimistic.
Do RAN and Neto want to stay, regardless of a salary increase? And will we be able to get one, let alone two strikers, at a cost that suits us?
Good strikers are hard to find as we well know from our experiences with Silva, Sasa, Cutrone, Diego Costa, Jose Willians .
Hwang has not exactly set the world on fire with goals in his time with Wolves and I wonder if he will resume scoring after his injury.

His brother Willian Jose was worse.

 

[WorcesterWanderer]

Regardless of results, ownership and anything else we may worry about at any time - it is a genuine joy and a privilege to be able to watch my club in the best league in the world. I'm quite optimistic and hopeful for the future and it's mostly down to GON. I hope that, if we get to celebrate 14 years in the PL in another 7 years, he is still here and doing wonderful things.

Life can be tough sometimes and football is an escape for me, I will always feel lucky to believe that I was 'chosen' by fate to support us.

 

[Darvo]

I’d reached an age where I was beginning to think I’d never see this in my lifetime (almost resigned to The Championship purgatory forever).

Thanks Fosun and all those concerned with an incredible achievement.

 

[Jefe]

Overall would you say Fosun have been good, bad or simply indifferent as owners?

That's a tough question, because it's been such a bizarre, eclectic mixed bag of the divine, the mediocre and the absurd at times. I would say most of the credit they built up is gone for me, and there is a make-or-break feel to this Summer transfer window.

To demonstrate my point, consider this hypothetical. Let's say Robin Li's consortium had won the bid for Wolves back in 2016 instead, and stride-for-stride achieved the same things Fosun did in phase one: a swashbuckling promotion full of brilliant goals, then European qualification and a Cup semi-final in the second season, followed up by a Europa Quarter Final and another 7th place finish. Crushed by the blow of missing out on a second European campaign, Robin feels he can't take Wolves any further and sells up to Fosun.

Wolves then immediately regress to a 13th place finish. Fosun sack Nuno (the most popular manager in many fans' lifetime) and make an uninspired appointment of Bruno Lage, fail to back him then take too long to sack him with the club rock bottom of the league. They announce there are "no outstanding candidates" (just before rivals Villa appoint Emery) and potter around with a caretaker for too long, then dupe a European pedigree manager to come with an apparent lie of omission about funding. He finds out after saving their bacon, and leaves as Fosun embark upon something close to a public fire sale, just as fans were beginning to believe "Project 2.0" was dawning.

With no oversight from the chairman, a rookie coach is appointed on the eve of the season. Against the odds, he is unearthed gem who re-instills optimism among the fan-base, only for Fosun to fail to back their man yet again (not even a solitary loan signing of a striker) as Wolves again start to backslide toward a lower mid-table finish.

...Would many be saying Fosun had done a good job? Other than the bare minimum of keeping us in the league? No, they would point to a clear pattern of regression on the pitch and less competent decision making at the top than the last owner - even deception at times. We have to face it that the majority of their good work came in an increasingly small period of their ownership: from 2017-2019. We're now at the stage where less than half of their performance as owners has been good, in my opinion.

But by God, was it good once upon a time. Neves, Jota, Patricio, Moutinho, ooh la la. Oh, but for "the Project" to return. They've given us some great memories, but also a lot of regret for not pushing the boat out that little bit more at key moments. We've watched on futilely as club after club leapfrogged us.

If they were to sell us at the end of the season, they'd ultimately have taken a lower mid-table Championship club and left them as a lower mid-table Premier League club. It's a good achievement, but it's nowhere near great.

 

[Jefe]

You mean the period when we signed Fabio, Sept 2020? Toti, Semedo & RAN. Not the **** in the sandwich. Plus they brought in £65m from the sale of Jota, Costa and Doc. Look, I don’t think anyone will argue that Silva, Guedes and Cutrone were terrible buys. But that’s all you seem to dwell on. It’s crazy, that when we’re praising the club for achieving 7 seasons in the Premier League, all you can do is find negativity.

Right, so this is is a Fosun circle-jerk thread, and anyone with less than complete effusive praise for their performance should leave it at the door.

 

[Jefe]

And you don’t think that the time period you state happening to coincide with a once in a lifetime world event that shut the country down for months and sent the whole worlds finances to hell in a hand cart may have some slight bearing on our fortunes as a football club?

I know, right. Crazy how much Villa, Brighton, West Ham and Newcastle have regressed since then, too. You're being solipsistic. Some 25 other clubs also had contend with the pandemic, too. If Fosun failed to meet that unique challenge when others were unfazed or even thrived...

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

That's a tough question, because it's been such a bizarre, eclectic mixed bag of the divine, the mediocre and the absurd at times. I would say most of the credit they built up is gone for me, and there is a make-or-break feel to this Summer transfer window.

To demonstrate my point, consider this hypothetical. Let's say Robin Li's consortium had won the bid for Wolves back in 2016 instead, and stride-for-stride achieved the same things Fosun did in phase one: a swashbuckling promotion full of brilliant goals, then European qualification and a Cup semi-final in the second season, followed up by a Europa Quarter Final and another 7th place finish. Crushed by the blow of missing out on a second European campaign, Robin feels he can't take Wolves any further and sells up to Fosun.

Wolves then immediately regress to a 13th place finish. Fosun sack Nuno (the most popular manager in many fans' lifetime) and make an uninspired appointment of Bruno Lage, fail to back him then take too long to sack him with the club rock bottom of the league. They announce there are "no outstanding candidates" (just before rivals Villa appoint Emery) and potter around with a caretaker for too long, then dupe a European pedigree manager to come with an apparent lie of omission about funding. He finds out after saving their bacon, and leaves as Fosun embark upon something close to a public fire sale, just as fans were beginning to believe "Project 2.0" was dawning.

With no oversight from the chairman, a rookie coach is appointed on the eve of the season. Against the odds, he is unearthed gem who re-instills optimism among the fan-base, only for Fosun to fail to back their man yet again (not even a solitary loan signing of a striker) as Wolves again start to backslide toward a lower mid-table finish.

...Would many be saying Fosun had done a good job? Other than the bare minimum of keeping us in the league? No, they would point to a clear pattern of regression on the pitch and less competent decision making at the top than the last owner - even deception at times. We have to face it that the majority of their good work came in an increasingly small period of their ownership: from 2017-2019. We're now at the stage where less than half of their performance as owners has been good, in my opinion.

But by God, was it good once upon a time. Neves, Jota, Patricio, Moutinho, ooh la la. Oh, but for "the Project" to return. They've given us some great memories, but also a lot of regret for not pushing the boat out that little bit more at key moments. We've watched on futilely as club after club leapfrogged us.

If they were to sell us at the end of the season, they'd ultimately have taken a lower mid-table Championship club and left them as a lower mid-table Premier League club. It's a good achievement, but it's nowhere near great.

Has there been a massive regression though, realistically? The peak was two 7th place finishes and an FA cup semi final. Had we not had the absurdity of refereeing decisions this season we could easily be sat in 7th right now and do to some naivety by players a few weeks ago would be in another semi final. All this “make or break” talk for me is way OTT.

You’ve mentioned Villa and plenty on here look at them enviously, under their ownership they’ve also spent some ludicrous money on average players(pound for pound more failures than us), appointed a rubbish manager in Gerrard aka Lage, made huge losses like us and will have a fire sale in the summer like we did last year. It’s all relative.

Fosun have made mistakes, Shi has made mistakes, managers have made mistakes but on the whole the Fosun years have been the best of times for a lot of fans.

 

[Jefe]

Has there been a massive regression though, realistically? The peak was two 7th place finishes and an FA cup semi final. Had we not had the absurdity of refereeing decisions this season we could easily be sat in 7th right now and do to some naivety by players a few weeks ago would be in another semi final. All this “make or break” talk for me is way OTT.

You’ve mentioned Villa and plenty on here look at them enviously, under their ownership they’ve also spent some ludicrous money on average players(pound for pound more failures than us), appointed a rubbish manager in Gerrard aka Lage, made huge losses like us and will have a fire sale in the summer like we did last year. It’s all relative.

Fosun have made mistakes, Shi has made mistakes, managers have made mistakes but on the whole the Fosun years have been the best of times for a lot of fans.

I would say relative to the peak years, there has been a very significant regression, yes. Not just off the pitch decision-wise, but on it with the standard of the Football. It's only been this season that we could say our enjoyment of the players could match the 2018/19 season, and that playing style comes at a cost as it requires a deep squad to facilitate (which GON will never enjoy under Fosun). Gary has succeeded in spite of the owners, not because of them.

I've been accused on this thread of picking out the worst points of Fosun's ownership, but you've just hoisted Vile's owners from the single petard of appointing Gerrard, in all their time since 2018. They have gotten Villa promoted, appointed a far more decorated manager than we've had in that time in Emery, and turned them into a team who finished 7th like us, and are currently on the verge of a Champions League campaign (er... not like us)... and they achieved it in less time and from a position of major inferiority to Wolves. Sadly, they are now the ones singing "Mind the Gap". Whatever you may think of Vile, their owners have ambition and cojones.

Will it come crashing down and facilitate a fire sale? Who knows, wouldn't be the first time they've found creative ways to avoid FFP punishment. With the offensive level of leniency shown by the Premier League, who's to say they won't get a 3 point deduction - assuming they don't bin off points deductions altogether by then?

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

I know, right. Crazy how much Villa, Brighton, West Ham and Newcastle have regressed since then, too. You're being solipsistic. Some 25 other clubs also had contend with the pandemic, too. If Fosun failed to meet that unique challenge when others were unfazed or even thrived...

Each club was affected in a different way.

West Ham thrived because it took away the toxic atmosphere that was present between the fans and the players, manager and board. All their players said how much better it was to play football without a hostile crowd behind them.

Newcastle were mired in mid-table until being bought by Saudi Arabia, they could only get better. It was nothing special they did.

Villa were the biggest winners from COVID because they would have been relegated without a shadow of a doubt if the season had not been suspended. You wouldn't be citing them as an example without COVID intervening.

Brighton have done well but their approach might not work across the board.

Our momentum was brought to a complete halt by it. I will always be convinced we would have got Champions League football had the season continued. The following season we lost our biggest advantage, the crowd, and our best player. Nuno was badly affected by it and looked a broken man by the end of the season. You cannot possibly say that COVID didn't hit us harder than most.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

I would say relative to the peak years, there has been a very significant regression, yes. Not just off the pitch decision-wise, but on it with the standard of the Football. It's only been this season that we could say our enjoyment of the players could match the 2018/19 season, and that playing style comes at a cost as it requires a deep squad to facilitate (which GON will never enjoy under Fosun). Gary has succeeded in spite of the owners, not because of them.

I've been accused on this thread of picking out the worst points of Fosun's ownership, but you've just hoisted Vile's owners from the single petard of appointing Gerrard, in all their time since 2018. They have gotten Villa promoted, appointed a far more decorated manager than we've had in that time in Emery, and turned them into a team who finished 7th like us, and are currently in the hunt for the Champions League (er... not like us)... and they did it in less time and from a position of inferiority. Sadly, they are now the ones singing "Mind the Gap". Whatever you may think of Vile, their owners have ambition and cojones.

Will it come crashing down and facilitate a fire sale? Who knows, wouldn't be the first time they've found creative ways to avoid FFP punishment. With the offensive leniency shown by the Premier League, who's to say they won't get a 3 point deduction, assuming they don't bin off points deductions altogether by then?

No I mentioned villa recruitment also (something Fosun have got pelters for in the past). They’ve had significantly more “fails” than we have. Re points deductions, similarly who’s to say they won’t be hit harder? It’s all assumption in either direction, one which COULD cost them, what we’ve done is make sure definitively that it WONT cost us.

Re our “significant” regression. I’ve pointed out why that’s not the case, purely on sporting reasons had Lemina not decided to be clever on the half way line and put the ball into the stand we’d be in a semi final again. Had we not been cheated by some atrocious officials this season we could be in 7th again. That’s not significant regression, not even near.

We’ve realistically had a mediocre season in Nuno’s last for which there’s lots of reasoning, some on Fosun, some absolutely on Nuno and some on Covid playing behind closed doors. No doubt about it we made a huge mistake in appointing Lage which has ultimately set us back, JL was a good appointment. Ultimately he wasn’t backed how he’d have been liked (again no disputing that) however let’s be straight, he was never going to be here for a long haul, he’d have jumped ship for the first “big” job. GON has been a good appointment, regardless how the season finishes we’ve seen real progress from the last two seasons on the pitch playing football that at times has been much better than those first two seasons in the premier league as well. We’ll see how he’s backed in the summer, I don’t expect a massive budget but I think he’ll have funds for a refresh (and he’ll generate some) so no I don’t see significant regression at all.

 

[Jefe]

Each club was affected in a different way. West Ham thrived because it took away the toxic atmosphere that was present between the fans and the players, manager and board. All their players said how much better it was to play football without a hostile crowd behind them.

Newcastle were mired in mid-table until being bought by Saudi Arabia, they could only get better. It was nothing special they did.

Villa were the biggest winners from COVID because they would have been relegated without a shadow of a doubt if the season had not been suspended. You wouldn't be citing them as an example without COVID intervening.

Brighton have done well but their approach might not work across the board.

Our momentum was brought to a complete halt by it. I will always be convinced we would have got Champions League football had the season continued. The following season we lost our biggest advantage, the crowd, and our best player. Nuno was badly affected by it and looked a broken man by the end of the season. You cannot possibly say that COVID didn't hit us harder than most.

I think we might have gotten near the Champions League that season if Nuno was backed at the key time. The winter window of 2019/20 was where the cracks began to show with Fosun. We managed to bring in Podence, at the last minute, and that was about it. With more options, he may have arrested the slide.

While I agree the bond Nuno had with the fans was important, I also increasingly suspect that he was affected to the point of leaving, over funding more than anything else. The stuff about missing his family in Portugal was a Chinese whisper (forgive the pun) that self-evidently turned out to be cobblers. Wolves managers under Fosun seem to always end the same way... prickly... and unapproachable...

 

[Aimless Balls]

We were dying for a backup striker when we signed Podence.

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

We were dying for a backup striker when we signed Podence.

We'd signed one in July in Cutrone.

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

I think we might have gotten near the Champions League that season if Nuno was backed at the key time. The winter window of 2019/20 was where the cracks began to show with Fosun. We managed to bring in Podence, at the last minute, and that was about it. With more options, he may have arrested the slide.

While I agree the bond Nuno had with the fans was important, I also increasingly suspect that he was affected to the point of leaving, over funding more than anything else. The stuff about missing his family in Portugal was a Chinese whisper (forgive the pun) that self-evidently turned out to be cobblers. Wolves managers under Fosun seem to always end the same way... prickly... and unapproachable...

I can't agree. There wasn't a slide or cracks showing then. We were flying in the league having just beat Man City and only losing at Liverpool because of a dodgy VAR decision. Raul was at his peak and Adama was playing his best football for us. Even after COVID we were a ridiculous penalty decision away from going into the last game at Chelsea with the winner getting Champions League football. Even if we had lost we still would have finished 6th and qualified for Europe again. That penalty against Burnley was a massive sliding doors moment for us.

The problems started with the COVID season and Raul's injury. we weren't playing great but were still 6th when it happened.

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

The hypotheticals are just silly.

Rank in the modern era, I'm saying that for all Sir Jack did, Fosun are the best. All had their pros and cons of course.

 

[Aimless Balls]

We'd signed one in July in Cutrone.

And he’d already been found out. We were crying out for one still. We signed Campana that Jan too and it was pretty disappointing when it was clear he had no shot of ever actually playing.

 

[Achilles Last Stand]

What would Villa's spending have been without the "once in a 35 years" 100M£ transfer of Jacko?
They will now be forced to sell some of their best players, and IF Watkins goes, will they find a readymade replacement for him next summer?
Without him they surely wouldn't be where they are now...

 

[Achilles Last Stand]

The hypotheticals are just silly.

Rank in the modern era, I'm saying that for all Sir Jack did, Fosun are the best. All had their pros and cons of course.

And now with Hobbsy at the wheel, I am very hopeful we will continue tofind cheaper players that fit in with our model, and thus could also continue to evolve our playing squad to keep up and compete for league positions 6-10.
Anything above that needs one or two of those big clubs to fail miserably...

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

And he’d already been found out. We were crying out for one still. We signed Campana that Jan too and it was pretty disappointing when it was clear he had no shot of ever actually playing.

Seriously? He'd been found out after less than 5 months? I don't remember him being that bad in the few appearances he got. There is some serious revisionism going on here. I don't remember massive calls for a new striker at the time.

 

[Timberwolf]

Right, so this is is a Fosun circle-jerk thread, and anyone with less than complete effusive praise for their performance should leave it at the door.

Only if they make **** up as they go along. Don’t expect the mix to be your very own echo chamber.

 

[Aimless Balls]

Seriously? He'd been found out after less than 5 months? I don't remember him being that bad in the few appearances he got. There is some serious revisionism going on here. I don't remember massive calls for a new striker at the time.

It’s not any type of revisionism, don’t do that. We were trying to advance in Europe and we had no backup #9. Cutrone was kicking it out for throw-ins.

 

[Jefe]

Only if they make **** up as they go along. Don’t expect the mix to be your very own echo chamber.

Likewise, chum.

 

[Jefe]

The hypotheticals are just silly. Rank in the modern era, I'm saying that for all Sir Jack did, Fosun are the best. All had their pros and cons of course.

Fosun are the best of the modern era, but to be fair it's not a particularly high bar. Unless you want to go back to the days of Jack Harris, to whom we owe infinitely more than Fosun, that only leaves three candidates.

Morgan's reign started well but will be remembered for the disastrous "double dip" relegation, and his prioritising the stadium over the squad. Sir Jack, while a brilliant man, philanthropist and Wolves icon, did not have the right temperament or strategic mind to run a Football club successfully or efficiently, let's be honest. That only really leaves Fosun, who win by default for fulfilling a target that should have been realised decades before for a club of Wolves' standing and history.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Fosun are the best of the modern era, but to be fair it's not a particularly high bar. Unless you want to go back to the days of Jack Harris, to whom we owe infinitely more than Fosun, that only leaves three candidates.

Morgan's reign started well but will be remembered for the disastrous "double dip" relegation, and his prioritising the stadium over the squad. Sir Jack, while a brilliant man, philanthropist and Wolves icon, did not have the right temperament or strategic mind to run a Football club successfully or efficiently, let's be honest. That only really leaves Fosun, who win by default for fulfilling a target that should have been realised decades before for a club of Wolves' standing and history.

Fosun “win by default” and yesterday Jeff was “incredibly lucky”. It’s almost like you have an agenda and can’t give any credit where it’s due