Bruce

Swiss ramble has posted Stoke's accounts for 2022-23. https://swissramble.substack.com/p/stoke-city-finances-202223 Operating loss of £27m before player sales (by comparison we had a £29m operating loss). Like us, Stoke made a hefty profit on player sales which offset some of their losses, leaving a loss before tax of around £11m (£7m for us). Assuming that Stoke has around about the same value in PSR credits as us (around £8m/year) then their last 2 years are: -£10m 2022, -£3.5m 2023 for a total of around £14m in the last 2 years. That gave them a decent balance to spend this

Carrick clearly believed that, out of the players we had available for Sunderland Greenwood Hackney - Azaz - Forss was going to be more effective than Forss Hackney - Azaz - Greenwood Assuming McGree is back and starting then he is likely to believe that his best available front four is Greenwood McGree - Azaz - Forss Greenwood has played once or twice on the right and been a non-entity when he did. McGree was also poor last season when he got moved to the right to accommodate Ramsey. Silvera has one trick which is to cut in from the left and shoot,

looks like we're having quite the clear out this summer. As with Bola, we'll sell someone to get them off our books even if the timing isn't ideal. I suspect that we'll be looking at a fairly reduced core. I think we may try and get O'Brien back and will probably sign Greenwood if Leeds don't go up. Reckon Coburn will go out on loan. Pretty sure McGree will be sold. Dieng - Glover Smith - ??? Fry - Lenihan - RVDB - Clarke Engel - Bangura Hackney - (O'Brien) - Barlaser - ??? Jones - Forss ??? - (Greenwood) Azaz - Silvera ??? - Latte Lath Unlike

I don't think we have a realistic chance of the playoffs even if we win. Of course we might go on a storming run, one team usually does, but it's not something you can plan for. To be honest, I think our main focus has to be on developing our team for next season. That probably means getting us much game time for Azaz, Van Den Berg, and any other players we feel will be here next season to build around while sorting out whatever it is that's causing us so many injuries. If we go on a good run on the back of it, great.

Assuming we don't get promoted, I reckon our best chance next season is if Forest, Sheffield Utd and Burnley get relegated while Leicester, Leeds and Southampton get promoted. I reckon Forest and Sheffield Utd are absolute basket cases and will struggle. Burnley could go either way. Luton spent the season planning to go down and would likely go straight back up. Leeds, Leicester and Southampton going up will take a lot of money out of the league. Hull and Ipswich will still be strong (more so Ipswich) but the likes of WBA, Norwich, Watford will feel the end of their parachute paymen

Whether by luck or judgement, last season Carrick pretty much had a settled formation from day 1. This season it feels like he has been shoehorning players into a different role every other game. The never-ending injury crisis combined with massive overhaul means it is hard to be critical. Thing is, even though he nearly always stays with some sort of 4-2-3-1 on paper, on the pitch it feels like he's trying a different version more often than not. Whatever he does, though, it looks complicated. Players seem to be in odd parts of the pitch, making odd runs and passing in a slow and laborious ma

1. 3-1. I don't think too many of our injuries will be back and I have a nagging suspicion that McGree may not yet be capable of a full 90. Assuming that Forss and Greenwood are ok to start I reckon there's a fair chance that we start with the same 11 as against Sunderland. 2. Start of the year I figured it would be between 6th-10th. Still feel the same though probably nearer 10th than 6th. 3. No unless Forss and Latte Lath both come down with season ending injuries in the next 2 weeks. 4. Darth Vader for both.

They literally have the term "spursy" to mean screwing up in the worst possible way when it would be easier not to. One thing Spurs fans aren't is optimistic.

I'm pretty sure that if we were seriously after a free agent that Scott would have downplayed any interest. I can believe we have an emergency list and they want to make sure Carrick and Scott agree with the names on it.

I strongly suspect that the club aren't put any serious effort into free agents. I'm sure they are keeping an eye on things but most of these players have hardly played in months and, sometimes, years. Likely to take 10 games before they can do anything meaningful. In the meantime they'll be demanding a hefty pay cheque and unlikely to sign on for less than an 18 months contract. Obviously, Forss could wake up with a broken knee tomorrow and suddenly we're looking at having no fit centre-forwards for the rest of the season. In that case we're probably still better off trying an U21 or Hop

This is the video clip of the goal. Around 11 minutes in.

There's a good fan vid doing the rounds and it is a better finish than it looks on TV. Rusyn does a Forss, he hits it early, reasonable amount of pace and swerve, stays low and it bounces just in front of Glover. You would still expect a Championship keeper to save it most times but it looks like Glover was a bit on his heels, not expecting the shot and gets caught out. I would put it at 50/50 good finish bad keeping.

I suspect that he performed ok in training in the last two weeks and his fitness levels looked ok. That said, I agree. If it is a hernia as opposed to some sort of groin damage that just won't quite sort itself then he needs surgery and the club has to show a duty of care by refusing to let him put it further at risk. Then again, we know every footballer says they play nearly all their matches in some sort of pain so it's not that black and white.

Then again, he goes away, plays without any problems for 2 months. Comes back in November sometime and is then injured before he can play for us. I'm starting to think we're hosting the second season of Squid Game at Rockliffe.

Sometimes it's the player insisting that they are ok to play or don't want to undergo surgery. They can probably manage it ok in training until they get onto the pitch. If you're a young player like Coburn and you know the clock is ticking on getting into the team, you may downplay the discomfort rather than risking 6 weeks out. So I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that the club is making him play. Coburn has to consent to an operation and he may be reluctant to. If we see Coburn on the bench again next week and he comes on and moves in slow motion then I think we need to ask questions ab

Think this is massively unfair. We've thrown money at all sorts of short cuts to promotion over the last few years and failed. Now we're trying a different way. I see absolutely no sign that we're settling for a mid-table championship existence. The ambition is patently there. Doesn't mean we'll succeed but Gibson isn't chucking £10m+ a year down a hole for the sake of it.

Not saying the season's over but it certainly feels that way. They need to focus on getting Coburn ready for next season. Unless there's a chunky payment due if Hoppe starts a game then either he or Nkrumah or almost anyone from the U21s needs to get a start up front. But no more Silvera as a centre forward.

Two inconsistent, mid-table teams played a mid-table game with the occasional piece of quality. Entertaining enough for a neutral, frustrating for the fans. Don't know what's wrong with Coburn but he needs to get whatever it is fixed. Sticking him on the bench like that is not doing anyone any good.

Hope not. Hopefully 4-3-3 with Greenwood Forss Azaz. Have my doubts though.

I think it's both. I hope we can hang on to Hackney because I'm pretty sure McGree is going. Last season we brought in Lenihan and Co, had a terrible start, and Wilder got sacked. This season we had an even worse start. Next season, if we keep no loanees (again), lose Hackney, McGree, McNair, Dijksteel, Howson then I think Carrick would be justified in walking rather than oversee another terrible start. I don't think that will happen but we have 18 games now to build the foundation of next season's team. If by the end of it we have 9 nailed on starters who have built an un

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Ramsey started 8 games for us and people would have paid £10m for him. 18 games left this season and plenty of time for O'brien to make an impact.

It is quantity as much as quality. If we have to replace 5 first teamers, even if the replacements are better, it still takes so long to get them integrated that you start the season behind. At the moment, our budget for transfers is the same £10m or so from last year (Rogers' fee) but we potentially need to buy or pay loan fees for Right back, 2 central midfielders, 1 attacking midfielder, 1 centre forward. Like this year, that means scouring the reject rail for players we think might come good with good coaching. Probably we'll also sell McGree so that's another replaceme

There is some irony that Gibson is now only a middling owner in the Championship when it comes to wealth. P&S rules are, at this point, stopping some clubs from simply blowing out the competition with money.

I was about to say that he had improved the team a bit and at least they weren't getting hammered so often. Glad to see I don't have to.