We wont get any income from the loss of these players. How will we find the money to purchase replacements?

Yep. No point to tanking an English team because relegation but also because we don't have a draft system.

And yet we have allowed SO MANY players' contracts expire at the same time.

If Transfermarkt is correct, I simply find it too much of a coincidence that so many will expire at the same time.

So maybe they've reviewed the budget and thought "f*** it, let's play the youth team from next season" knowing that we will go down.

We would be insanely profitable until the parachute payments expire and probably thereafter as we slowly rise up with a batch if great home grown talent that we can sell at profit.

Especially if we managed to build a decent stadium without the need for fans to entertain.

I must repeat: this theory does depend on Transfermarkt being accurate

If you want to live in a world full of kindness, respect and love, try to show these qualities.

In general though, there is always good riddance to bad rubbish. I want at least half of these gone. I'm sick of looking at their enfeebled attempts to run, pass, shoot or tackle. Half the team looks like it's just drunk a few Guinness and eaten a couple of breakfast rolls during the pre match team talk.

Red and Blue Army!

I have to say I am not.

I’m currently envisaging a few scrappy renewals with a look to the loan market to paper over the cracks. RH still at the helm next season as there will be almost no supply for a new manager willing to take on a squad in that sort of shape with the ability to keep us up, or better, with virtually nothing to spend.

This is not based on any evidence or great levels of thinking just perhaps a defence mechanism of fearing the worst to be braced should it happen.

I sincerely hope I am wrong.

COYP

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

I am inclined to agree and it's the press who are making a lot of noise about the 12 players. Amongst them are Henderson, Hennessey, Sakko, Benteke and Wickham and I would be surprised if any of them stayed/ were wanted.

Of the others, I think they include Clyne, VA, Dann, Cahill, Kouyate, McCarthy and Townsend and I suspect a number of those will be renewed without too much of a problem. Hence, I don't believe the situation is as serious as is perhaps made out to be especially when you take account of the new striker, Butland and hopefully a fit Ferguson.

Unfortunately, I don't think you are wrong. I've expressed similar fears on other threads. I suspect Hodgson will be here next season if he wants to be - not because he's a brilliant manager (he's solid and reliable) but because I don't see the club providing the kind of money an upgrade on Hodgson would expect to be made available for revamping the squad over the next two windows. I expect the revamping to be a slow process over several windows combined with a couple of youngsters from the Academy at some point, just enough to keep us above the relegation zone.