Monday Musings - Stay with the excitement
Monday, 14th Jan 2008 17:52 by Paul Redfern

Sitting here with the sun shining in San Francisco, one cannot but develop a certain sense of detachment.

Especially in the light of the last few days where just about every emotion seems to have been splurged on RamZone's message board. Messages have ranged from the hysterical wrist slashers to the voices of reason cracking with desolation and dismay. PJ is eminently sensible; PJ is a total idiot; PJ doesn't know what he's doing; PJ knows what he's doing and so on.

But one message that seems to be fairly constant is that Billy Davies messed up big-time. There doesn't seem to be anyone who will defend his signings prior to the Premiership season. Nor does there seem to be anyone who will willingly congratulate him for getting us into the Premiership a year ahead of schedule – it's all grudging and a very far cry from the time we won the play-off final when euphoria abounded and hopes were high. The talk is now of lowest points tally, least goals scored, what sort of team will get us out of the Championship next year and the poisonous legacy left by one B. Davies.

So why is PJ excited to be here? Why isn't he heading for the hills?

Attendances up to December 8th were averaging over 32,000 (see link) with an overall total of 353,500 almost double that of Wigan (184,849). This statistic meant that we were 12th in the table for average attendances.

The reserves that played Arsenal (who included Senderos) and lost 2-1 was composed entirely of Academy players and in time, a few of those players will become first team squad players with maybe one or two startling breakthroughs.

Academy goalkeeper 15-year-old James Severn has been included in the squad for the England under 17s for the February tournament in Algarve, Spain.

Whether or not we get the American investment this week, we are likely to get further investment even though this may be based on selling the Plaza rights for incoming companies and we are also exploring the possibility of another tier on top of the current PP stadium.

Even the first team squad is by no means as awful as results have shown it to be. I know I'll be howled down for this, but Davies did leave a few players of solid Championship quality (Mears, McEveley, Miller, Pearson etc) who buttressed with some decent Premiership players, and given a good pre-season work-out, will contribute considerably towards a decent season next year.

There is much potential here for a decent mid-table Premiership team scratching for a European place in two or three years time and so PJ's excitement is understandable.

PJ has, as I see it, three immediate priorities.

• To add to the squad this window so that we can give a decent account of ourselves for the rest of the season and even maybe win the odd game or two.

• To get a recognisable game plan (this has already started) that doesn't include wellying the ball upfield because it will always come back with a different coloured shirt with it.

• To keep the fans on board for the rest of the season.

Longer term he needs to develop the infrastructure more - particularly with the Academy and scouting network so that by the next transfer window, we are in a position to start bringing in a few more foreigners who will add to the squad.

The third priority is arguably the most important as if he is able to keep the fans coming in, we will have the financial muscle to out-do most, if not all, Championship clubs next year. Hence his signings of Robert, Savage and Villa were probably done with one eye on this priority. Robert is a player of sumptuous if erratic skill while Villa is an unknown quantity and therefore interesting. Savage is a calculated risk in my opinion but I suspect that PJ wanted to generate some passion and whatever happens between now and the end of the season, you can depend on Savage to irritate, annoy, and dismay people in equal parts.

It all promises to be very interesting and I shall be very surprised if there are major changes to the statistic relating to attendances at the end of the season which will be exactly how the Board and PJ will want it for next year.