leonSnowflake RoyalSanguine Yes, it would be a bad thing. The specific 'problem' we have is not quite that our players aren't good enough, and I'd argue that Stam's squad was even better, but that they are under-performing. In the event that we go down, they all leave, almost to a man. Does Bodvarsson stay and play in League One when he has Iceland ambitions? Does Swift, who has obvious technical ability but needs better coaching, play in League One or does he join another Championship side? And Mannone, Moore, Ilori, O'Shea, Gunter, Yiadom, Barrow, Bacuna, Blackett. All Championship level players, or better.
If we go down, I'd say we're building a team around Walker, Omar Richards, maybe Gunts, Meite, McNulty, Callum Harriot, and maybe Aluko if no-one will have him, but we'd probably look to shed his wages. Less money coming into the club, which means half the matchday squad is from the academy.
None of this is necessarily a bad thing, but it would certainly be 'back to square one', with promotion not even visible in the distance.
Interesting. You see a player exodus as a negative, whereas i see it as essential no matter the division.
Besides, an exodus on the level you describe is extremely unlikely. These players would all have to find Championship clubs who wanted them, were prepared to pay us for them and willing to offer them wages comparative to what they are stealing here. Simply won't happen for the majority.
The good ones find clubs and the shit ones stay.
That sounds promising.
Not really, because as the contract holder we largely set the price - see Moore this summer. So we can over price the ones we want to keep and underprice the ones we actively want shot of, as well as incentivising them to try to find clubs by sticking them to rot in the ressies. The good ones we do sell have then funded at least an adequate replacement for a lower division, and possibly more than one.
It will help us lose some of the mediocre bloat we've accumulated.