Something that often happens in football when it comes to salary negotiation that doesn't happen in any other environment is outsiders looking in always take the side of the CEO's/Board over the Staff.

If someone is trying to negotiate a 5% pay-rise on 20k with a big Corporation you won't find many people arguing against it. Of course with Footballers we start to lose sympathy and correlation because someone is throwing their toys out the pram because they aren't getting 70k per week but only 60.

However, looking at Bakary Sako, he was the only Striker that could consistantly score last season and score all types of goals. He was also the only Striker that tried.

Just look at us this season. There are a lot of topics on Murray and Gayle etc but we got fees for them. We had other options and believed quite sensibly that Benteke would be a better Striker than Murray.

We knew full well we were going into yet another season with no good Striker. Sako can blast one from 30 yards, run through a defence and score or tap one in at the far post.

Hate to say it but we don't lose 2-0 to Southampton, 0-0 Newcastle and 2-1 Bournemouth with Sako in the team.

We as fans should of supported/demanded that his salary expectations got met. Just like we would if it was Wilf. It's an absolute joke that with no other striking options the board decided that saving 10k per week was better than finishing easily in the top-half.

Having Sako = 'finishing easily in the top-half'? This is quite an extraordinary statement, selectively extrapolating from a few good games out of an incredibly underwhelming CPFC career.

More the frustration button. That frustration being there has been fundamentally one key issue for so long (Well over a year) that being we don't have a good Striker.

I don't think the Board realise how lucky they have it. When you look at some of the stuff going at both ends of the scale, you've got the Civil War at Manchester United and Cardiff need a full new team and new Manager to have a chance at survival.

Credit where credit is due, our Board are good at solving most problems. Zaha signing a new contract was unexpected and excellent, signing Sakho after the loan, getting Roy Hodgson in when everyone said he was past it.

But we now have a good enough squad and excellent Management Team to finally push on if we could just sort the Striking option out. Not only do they not do that but they get rid of the only the Player capable of scoring from the Central Striker position without damaging our Wing options.

I'm not panicked because I think Parish will get lucky again with Huddersfield and Cardiff permantly taking 2 of the relegation places from now until the end of the season (I hope).

But yes, when I like many others pay good money for a season ticket to see us never score at home and fans are making awkward journeys on Monday nights to the likes of Bournemouth, only to see Ayew stumble around and Sorloth not know what a football is we have a right to highlight the issues without being told "buy the club yourself".

Okay, I can't say we'd of won the last 3 with Sako in the team. I truly believe we would have at least drawn last night and beat Newcastle though. Just look at the state of us up front.

Maybe I'm just a crazy optimist, but I still believe Connor Wickham may do a job for us. If this carries on some may welcome a refreshed and fully-fit Benteke back. The break may do him good.

As Sako is banging them in in the top half op the PL I can understand your frustration!

Wait....there are rumors of a Championship club being interested. At let me guess: about half the wages we offered him, but that is just a guess.
How can you condemn the board without knowing the figures? He came in on a free and as such was on high wages. Fair enough, however he showed very little to justify that apart from the first and last few games.

Yet, I'd be interested if Ayew is costing us more then extending him for a year would have done as I would agree on keeping him if it does.

Edited by DutchEagleJohan (02 Oct 2018 4.18pm)

Sako has signed for WBA.
I don't recall a great clamour for his services since he left us.