Perhaps if we had a strategy....

[Rev Owl]

I understand that at the moment we are in a difficult position.

I know lots of people are cross etc.

However having vented our collective spleen, bounced ourselves, and in some cases each other, around the walls, we are still in the same situation.

I would suggest that what is required is some sort of strategy. It maybe that we have one and it just isn't obvious but I don't think we have.

Now to those of you who might point out that whatever I write is going to be ignored by those in power and therefore I am wasting my time, that's true and you can stop reading now.

For those interested in 'chewing the fat' read on.

SWFC has an aim which I think is to be as successful as possible in every area in which we as a club operate. On the pitch and off it.

When you have an aim you need to break it down into goals which are the concrete representation of the aim e.g. getting promoted would be an on pitch goal.

When you have a goal you need a strategy to achieve it.

Firstly you state the aim so everyone is clear and there is some accountability.

Secondly you break down the goal into steps which you need to take to achieve it, working backwards from the goal you have stated.

Thirdly you take an honest look at your situation and assess where you are.

Fourthly you begin working from where you are towards your goal, changing things one step at a time until you achieve it. Then you set a new goal.

Bearing in mind some steps are harder than others and sometimes you need to go back and try something else, learning from your mistakes.

Its always best to have some sort of evidence base to work with and to analyse your success and failures.

I would begin by analysing the teams that have been promoted from the championship say in the last three seasons; formation, management style, recruitment policy etc to see what can be learned if anything, is there a common factor we can tap into?

I would look at the strengths and weakness, threats and opportunities (SWOT analysis) to the club.

I would build for the long term with an emphasis on scouting, academy, alongside a serious financial look at wage structures and budget.

etc etc etc

Currently it seems to me that what is in fact happening is that we are fire-fighting all the time and being reactive instead of forward planning.

Now this might seem to be a lot of hard work but many organisations invest heavily in strategic planning often with less resources at their command and with less pressure riding on the outcome.

There is a price to pay of course a price to be paid by the fans, patience.

Anyone?  

[cowl]

The lack of a strategy is all down to Chansiri.

 

He doesn't want a DoF because to have one would be to give one person too much power (I paraphrase but that's the gist of it).

 

So that's the kind of reasoning we're up against.

 

The only strategy that we as a fan base need discuss at the moment is what can we do to get this guy to sell up.

[robswfc]

11 minutes ago, Rev Owl said:

I would begin by analysing the teams that have been promoted from the championship say in the last three seasons; formation, management style, recruitment policy etc to see what can be learned if anything, is there a common factor we can tap into?

All of them have had inspiring managers that get their players to work bloody hard. They have leaders on the pitch that make sure everyone sticks to the game plan and works together as a team. They stick with a formation and sign players to play a particular role. They are dangerous from set pieces. They play the ball quickly to their forward players and get plenty of bodies into the box when attacking. They quickly get men behind the ball when defending. Their wide players can cross a ball. They play all of the best players that are available to them. They don't get loads of injuries.

We don't do any of these things..

[The Italian Stallion]

13 minutes ago, Rev Owl said:

I understand that at the moment we are in a difficult position.

I know lots of people are cross etc.

However having vented our collective spleen, bounced ourselves, and in some cases each other, around the walls, we are still in the same situation.

I would suggest that what is required is some sort of strategy. It maybe that we have one and it just isn't obvious but I don't think we have.

Now to those of you who might point out that whatever I write is going to be ignored by those in power and therefore I am wasting my time, that's true and you can stop reading now.

For those interested in 'chewing the fat' read on.

SWFC has an aim which I think is to be as successful as possible in every area in which we as a club operate. On the pitch and off it.

When you have an aim you need to break it down into goals which are the concrete representation of the aim e.g. getting promoted would be an on pitch goal.

When you have a goal you need a strategy to achieve it.

Firstly you state the aim so everyone is clear and there is some accountability.

Secondly you break down the goal into steps which you need to take to achieve it, working backwards from the goal you have stated.

Thirdly you take an honest look at your situation and assess where you are.

Fourthly you begin working from where you are towards your goal, changing things one step at a time until you achieve it. Then you set a new goal.

Bearing in mind some steps are harder than others and sometimes you need to go back and try something else, learning from your mistakes.

Its always best to have some sort of evidence base to work with and to analyse your success and failures.

I would begin by analysing the teams that have been promoted from the championship say in the last three seasons; formation, management style, recruitment policy etc to see what can be learned if anything, is there a common factor we can tap into?

I would look at the strengths and weakness, threats and opportunities (SWOT analysis) to the club.

I would build for the long term with an emphasis on scouting, academy, alongside a serious financial look at wage structures and budget.

etc etc etc

Currently it seems to me that what is in fact happening is that we are fire-fighting all the time and being reactive instead of forward planning.

Now this might seem to be a lot of hard work but many organisations invest heavily in strategic planning often with less resources at their command and with less pressure riding on the outcome.

There is a price to pay of course a price to be paid by the fans, patience.

Anyone?  

 

I agree with you mate, this is exactly what the club should be doing, and I don't mind being patient if I can see some sort of forward planning, but I'm not seeing nothing to indicate there is any.

 

The plan it seems by DC was to gamble on getting promotion by buying what was considered by him/his advisors/CC etc. to be the best players to achieve promotion. Nothing new in this, many have tried.

 

But, this clearly hasn't worked, and because the club has now overspent and obviously didn't look at, or didn't worry about what might happen if the gamble failed, we are now in deep do-do. This for me, is the biggest mistake. Ok, our recruitment of players wasn't great either. It left a few weak areas in the team, but why the hell didn't we watch our spending, and/or have a plan B if we didn't get promotion?

 

Even now, DC is saying we need to get promotion this year! With this squad and manager!! Absolutely no chance! Even if the results pick up a bit, we will not get promotion, we're not good enough as a team.

 

It will take us up to 24 months to recover from this position, and with the results on the pitch so far not being too good, this will only add pressure to this poor position.

 

There are numerous other things at the club that aren't right at the moment as well, eg the treatment of some of the players / players being froze out of the team etc. this doesn't lead to a happy dressing room either, hence poor results......

 

I don't want to be negative, but all I see is negative, the club is a mess right now I'm sorry to say.

[hawksmore]

A SWOT analysis?

 

are you on glue? 

 

I think something a little more in depth will have been done. 

[BFR]

The problem is that the short term strategy has a few big question marks over it, just how bad is the financial situation, is anyone likely to come in for any of our players, and will we let them go even if they do?

 

Assuming that we aren't in an apocalypse type of situation come January or May then I think we should look towards how Brentford/Peterboro do their business. Young players, loads of potential, and look to move them on when a club bids a certain amount. While we are in this league it needs to be accepted that we have to be a club willing to sell, but without having to sell anyone like now. Middlesboro and Norwich have both taken around £20 million this summer, with young players who have had one good season, the PL clubs are desperate to throw their money about. The aim should be self sustainability, planning to lose just enough to stay within F&P is daft. 

 

The rest of it just needs to be simplified, enough of loads of different prices for different kinds of season tickets/memberships/tickets, one price throughout the stadium all season, ideally undercut 'them' and advertise everywhere we can. 

 

Obviously none of this will happen, but it's what I'd aim for.

[Semedo's ferret]

Chansiri's strategy was simple. Throw money at the players and get promoted. With little thought to the fans, the structure of the club, and its reputation. That lot can wait till we are an established Premier league club. He didn't have a plan B. We're now paying for it. 

[Rev Owl]

5 hours ago, hawksmore said:

A SWOT analysis?

 

are you on glue? 

 

I think something a little more in depth will have been done. 

Of course it should have been more in depth than a SWOT,  that was just an example.  The point is sometimes people are so busy running an organisation that they don't stop and think how they should be running it. 

[RUMBELOWS91]

6 hours ago, cowl said:

The lack of a strategy is all down to Chansiri.

 

He doesn't want a DoF because to have one would be to give one person too much power (I paraphrase but that's the gist of it).

 

So that's the kind of reasoning we're up against.

 

The only strategy that we as a fan base need discuss at the moment is what can we do to get this guy to sell up.

Easy, just ask him to- his own words.