Rumours in Manchester have linked us to a number of loan deals for youth players at Man City.
This is hardly unexpected, but it’s not welcomed either.
Postecoglou’s links to the City Football Group are clear and so these rumours aren’t exactly a shock.
The idea of doing this rebuild on the cheap is obviously one that will appeal to this board.
I think when you are trying to build a team loan deals are to be avoided wherever possible. But I’m not daft; we are probably going to need a handful of loanees in certain positions as the scale of the job in front of us is so big.
That’s a consequence of this board’s insane decision to let contracts run to their final year and to have so much filler in the team.
But whilst loan deals are probably something most fans would accept, what we won’t accept is an influx of “project players” who belong to some other club.
This manager isn’t getting messed about like that, he has to be supported properly and if we’re going to be developing youth players – and he undoubtedly has skill in that area – we should be focussed on our own and not doing the job for some other club.
I know this board considers us a third tier team but that’s taking it too far.
This guy needs massive support from the boardroom; they picked him, and they know he’s got no experience at this level and they know what he’s up against.
If they try and fob him off with Man City youths, the entire support should be up in arms.
That’s not supporting the manager, that’s hanging him out to dry and if the board does that we’re done for.
This idea is a not-starter, completely unacceptable.
We have our own talent which we can develop. Some of these players – Montgomery, Henderson, Dembele – are already on the periphery of or already in the first team.
Connell, Afolabi and others are out on loan but coming back to Parkhead.
To bring in another club’s youth players instead would be an insult to them, and we have to stop the outward flow of our own best young stars.
How are we going to do that if we turn ourselves into an unofficial branch of another club?
It’s a shocking idea.