Assuming we get promoted how different will the team look next season?

[Sam_Brown]

Should we expect almost 11 new players on the field or do we have a decent foundation to build on for next season? I’m not aware of what other teams usually do when being promoted to the Championship. Is the quality of teams a massive jump up from where we are now? Should we be thinking this January window about getting in players who will cut the mustard should we go up?

[Pompey55]

Should we expect almost 11 new players on the field or do we have a decent foundation to build on for next season? I’m not aware of what other teams usually do when being promoted to the Championship. Is the quality of teams a massive jump up from where we are now? Should we be thinking this January window about getting in players who will cut the mustard should we go up?

Personally I am not looking at next season at all let’s get this one over before we bother
I am more interested in any January recruitment being for one reason only and that is to strengthen the squad so we can maintain our promotion challenge

[Sam_Brown]

Definitely. I did feel like I was maybe tempting fate just thinking about making this topic!

I’m bored though and my mind wandered before clinging to thinking about how newly promoted teams tend to fare in the championship. I did come across this article:

https://www.skysports.com/amp/football/ ... ampionship

Which paints things in an optimistic light. The majority of teams that get promoted tend to stay up but it doesn’t explore how much investment or change is needed to get to that point.

[Dinksy]

My old teacher used to say if you assume things you are making an 'ass' out of 'U' and 'me'.
He was a bit of a plonker.
Much like the poster of this question.

[New Forester]

Now don’t have a go about a man who took the Pompey flag to great heights

[Pompey1984+1]

I think we are fairly well stocked in most positions to have a stab at staying up if we were to be promoted, where I think we would struggle is where we seemingly struggle now - putting the ball in the net.

[Blue Walter]

I think the paramount priority has to be that we make sure we get out of this league first which should govern the January window activity. If we were to get promoted I do think we are short of Championship quality players, especially at squad level. I think the step up in class is a bigger leap from this league as opposed to from League 2 to League 1. In my opinion Poole, Morrell, Rafferty, Swanson, Lane and, possibly, Shaughnessy are that quality. I think Bishop could possibly operate there. Pack has played there for most of his career but dropped to this league because his pace has waned and was unable to nail down regular football at that level. Raggett is a top League One player but I don't think that top players at this are level are necessarily Championship quality and I think Raggett would struggle. So I would think that there will be quite a turnover of players should we manage to get promotion. First and foremost we need to make sure we get out of this league before thinking too far ahead.

[richisbradders]

Just starting with I think it’s a good question to ask so I don’t get the haters here.

GK - Norris could do a job in the next tier, don’t see any reason why not

Def - Poole, Shaughnessey, Rafferty could start, I’d hold onto Swanson and Towler

Mid - Morrell could start. Hold onto Pack for experience and develop Devlin, so we would need some bolstering here.

Forward - Bishop. Keep hold of lane and Saydee also.

So by my reckoning will need say 2 quality midfielders, 1-2 defenders and 1-2 good forwards, scattered with a few good loans in.

[Blue Walter]

I suppose it all depends on how the club will see promotion to the Championship at what level they would want to aim at. We will be rubbing shoulders with teams relegated from the Premiership, with their purchasing power that entails, plus the class of playing in the Premiership brings. We will be competing against teams who are established Championship sides and teams that have ambitions of promotion. That, I would assume, covers the top half of the Championship and would be difficult to break into without substantial player investment. Then, of course, there is clubs just looking for survival at that level which I would think most promoted League One teams would eye. Holding your own, or you could say 'ooh err matron' or consolidation is what we would be looking at.

All these factors will, no doubt, be taken into account when the playing budget is thought of. Also what players are considered able to achieve the level the club is seeking with those already at the club.

At the moment all this talk is irrelevant concerning the Championship because first of all we have got to get there. I firmly believe that the January window should be concentrated on League One alone. I think recruitment has got to be aimed at where we have weaknesses and where we need to improve at this level. Even, perhaps, looking beyond this season as a League One club should we fail this time around.

[Jack_Tinn]

I suppose it all depends on how the club will see promotion to the Championship at what level they would want to aim at. We will be rubbing shoulders with teams relegated from the Premiership, with their purchasing power that entails, plus the class of playing in the Premiership brings. We will be competing against teams who are established Championship sides and teams that have ambitions of promotion. That, I would assume, covers the top half of the Championship and would be difficult to break into without substantial player investment. Then, of course, there is clubs just looking for survival at that level which I would think most promoted League One teams would eye. Holding your own, or you could say 'ooh err matron' or consolidation is what we would be looking at.

All these factors will, no doubt, be taken into account when the playing budget is thought of. Also what players are considered able to achieve the level the club is seeking with those already at the club.

At the moment all this talk is irrelevant concerning the Championship because first of all we have got to get there. I firmly believe that the January window should be concentrated on League One alone. I think recruitment has got to be aimed at where we have weaknesses and where we need to improve at this level. Even, perhaps, looking beyond this season as a League One club should we fail this time around.

totally agree with this. I want the club to achieve promotion but I think fans should be realistic when considering how difficult it is going to be for the club in the Championship. This falls into the bracket of being a nice problem to have that the owners are very aware of.

To illustrate: I remember something a few years back where it was said that the average L2 club had a playing staff budget for the season of £3m. Wrexham this year have a budget of £5m in L2 whereas Accrington have a budget of about £1.8m https://www.capology.com/uk/league-two/payrolls/

L1 has a step up from L2 but it is not a massive increase on L1. The average is said to be about £4m. So a 33% increase on L2 on average. Reading and Derby are believed to have a budget in excess of £7m (as newly relegated teams) whereas Cheltenham are about £2.5m https://www.capology.com/uk/league-two/payrolls/

The Championship average is about £20m. So a 500% increase on L1. This average is a little inflated by the teams coming back from the Premiership. Leicester have a budget believed to be £60m and Plymouth are operating on £6m. So the gap between the haves and have nots in the division is vast. If you took a comparable club to Pompey - say Birmingham or Ipswich or Hull perhaps - then it is reported that their budget is £13m (or £8m above Pompey's reported budget this year of £5m for L1) .https://www.capology.com/uk/championship/payrolls/. Pompey could be looking therefore to increase its playing budget by circa 300% if and when they are promoted. Much of that extra £10m each season would need to be generated from the Owners since the increase in prize and TV money won't cover that type of increase.

That being said.....as others have said above it is not a complete squad rebuild in my view if Pompey get promoted since the strategy is to since young players with upside (Lane, Towler, Swanson, Yengi) or established players who could play at that higher level (Bishop, Poole, Morrell, Oglivie) once it is acheived.

[BlueinPLtwenty]

I think we will play in blue shirts white shorts and red socks at home. I rather like the salmon pink away shirts but I am not sure about the white kit. Thats how I think we will look! I suppose it depends on the Kit suppliers for the second and third kit.

[Sam_Brown]

Touché.

[Pompey1984+1]

Wonder how long till someone sniffs around the gaffer

[Blue Walter]

Wonder how long till someone sniffs around the gaffer

I have thought that myself. If he does get us promoted then I think it is nailed on that other clubs will be looking in his direction. I think that continued success will draw attention anyway. I would think he is ambitious and would want to manage at the highest level he can. I don't know how long his contract is but I would assume the club will be thinking of a longer term offer to him. I would think he would want to finish what he has started here before he is tempted away. A longer contract would mean any admirers would have to pay the club compensation.

[pompeygunner]

I suppose it all depends on how the club will see promotion to the Championship at what level they would want to aim at. We will be rubbing shoulders with teams relegated from the Premiership, with their purchasing power that entails, plus the class of playing in the Premiership brings. We will be competing against teams who are established Championship sides and teams that have ambitions of promotion. That, I would assume, covers the top half of the Championship and would be difficult to break into without substantial player investment. Then, of course, there is clubs just looking for survival at that level which I would think most promoted League One teams would eye. Holding your own, or you could say 'ooh err matron' or consolidation is what we would be looking at.

All these factors will, no doubt, be taken into account when the playing budget is thought of. Also what players are considered able to achieve the level the club is seeking with those already at the club.

At the moment all this talk is irrelevant concerning the Championship because first of all we have got to get there. I firmly believe that the January window should be concentrated on League One alone. I think recruitment has got to be aimed at where we have weaknesses and where we need to improve at this level. Even, perhaps, looking beyond this season as a League One club should we fail this time around.

Agee with Blue Walter, lets just get there 1st.