Alfie May- Progress at Birmingham

Still cant see why we couldn't have kept him AND signed Godden. Just not signed Ahadme.

I'm sure everyone would agree May would have scored more than the solitary League goal that Ahadme has to his name (in the same playing time), although I'm sure May would have played far more minutes than Ahadme has. 

Garrymanilow said:

It's got nothing to do with Ahadme, May had to go because he and Jones clashed and it wasn't going to work. Jones didn't like him because May didn't like always doing what he was told and getting screamed at about it and Jones didn't like that he didn't like it. One of the main things that our players talk about in interviews is how good the atmosphere is and how good Jones is at identifying the right kind of personalities. We also all saw how it went at Stoke and Southampton when he couldn't get the players onside. Jones needs total buy-in, because he's essentially a tiny cult leader, and he would not have got that from May, which would have made for a fractured dressing room and failure. Think about how long it took us to get going this season and then add in an unhappy, very popular player who is well known for making his feelings known when he's got the hump. You can question whether it's good that they weren't able to get past that (it isn't) but we have the people we have and the reality is the second we hired Jones it was inevitable that he'd want May out in the summer.

Very good comments. Fans (including me) are apt to forget that players are humans who have to work together just like people who work in an office. 

Garrymanilow said:

It's got nothing to do with Ahadme, May had to go because he and Jones clashed and it wasn't going to work. Jones didn't like him because May didn't like always doing what he was told and getting screamed at about it and Jones didn't like that he didn't like it. One of the main things that our players talk about in interviews is how good the atmosphere is and how good Jones is at identifying the right kind of personalities. We also all saw how it went at Stoke and Southampton when he couldn't get the players onside. Jones needs total buy-in, because he's essentially a tiny cult leader, and he would not have got that from May, which would have made for a fractured dressing room and failure. Think about how long it took us to get going this season and then add in an unhappy, very popular player who is well known for making his feelings known when he's got the hump. You can question whether it's good that they weren't able to get past that (it isn't) but we have the people we have and the reality is the second we hired Jones it was inevitable that he'd want May out in the summer.

All of this, plus with the season May had their was inevitably going to be interest in him and May wanted to go. Probably for the reasons above but I don't doubt for a second he wouldn't have been interested in the substantial pay rise offered by Huddersfield and then Birmingham. End of the day Alfie had a contract here he could of stayed and battled for his position in the team, he decided not to do that and fair play took the money and success. It was win-win for everyone, we are a better team for Jones leadership (which seems like he didn't want to make May indispensable) and Alfie is earning a life changing amount of money towards the end of his career and will win something all of which he greatly deserves.

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

Dazzler21 said:

I remember May very unprofessionally saying to the fans after a loss that Appleton had to go.

He wasn't wrong.

Doesn't matter if he was right or wrong, it was unprofessional.

doronron said:

Think he would have been the difference between us getting an automatic promotion 

I don’t think it’s simple as that, as he doesn’t have the pace that TC has. We’re at our best when TC and Small are playing well and adding width.

As said above he also didn’t get on with NJ.

Under a different manager and playing a different way maybe, but then another manager would have done a lot things their own way.

Scoham said:

doronron said:

Think he would have been the difference between us getting an automatic promotion 

I don’t think it’s simple as that, as he doesn’t have the pace that TC has. We’re at our best when TC and Small are playing well and adding width.

As said above he also didn’t get on with NJ.

Under a different manager and playing a different way maybe, but then another manager would have done a lot things their own way.

No reason why him, Godden, Small and Campbell couldn’t have played in the same team.  That’s only 4 attacking players .  

oohaahmortimer said:

Starinnaddick said:

I get the impression he scores most of his goals when Birmingham are dominating the opposition. 

Yeah just like last season for us 

I take it all back what I said about Alfie, he was obviously a s*** player who could not score when we were not having most of the game

Scoham said:

wmcf123 said:

Scoham said:

doronron said:

Think he would have been the difference between us getting an automatic promotion 

I don’t think it’s simple as that, as he doesn’t have the pace that TC has. We’re at our best when TC and Small are playing well and adding width.

As said above he also didn’t get on with NJ.

Under a different manager and playing a different way maybe, but then another manager would have done a lot things their own way.

No reason why him, Godden, Small and Campbell couldn’t have played in the same team.  That’s only 4 attacking players .  

NJ is one good reason. Agree under another manager, but then another manager might not have signed Godden, played Small on the right or rated TC.

completely agree, its all what ifs. Alfie is a top striker at this level and i don't think we need to revise how good he was for us. All that said if Jones bent over backwards to keep him would we be a better team ? none of us know that. All we can say is we are a better team this season than last because of the decisions Jones has made. Also would Alfie had stayed when Birmingham offered him life changing money ? I sincerely doubt it. All in all as said previously its a win-win for everyone involved.

Starinnaddick said:

I get the impression he scores most of his goals when Birmingham are dominating the opposition. 

He reached 20 goals in 3 consecutive league one seasons playing for terrible bottom half teams.

Agreed but both clubs spent a fortune and not just on players from us. Would have cost us a similar fortune to be competing up with them all season rather than for just half of it.

Starinnaddick said:

I get the impression he scores most of his goals when Birmingham are dominating the opposition. 

It's annoying but Charlton have been losing their best players for as long as Ive been supporting them, and decades before that. Sometimes you dont even get a season out of a player before someone snatches them away or the powers that be make the decision to move them on for a quick (usually undervalued) buck. Ive learned to never get attached to any one player as they are always one transfer window away from leaving, and players are rarely loyal these days. It's the reality of being way down the football food chain, and won't ever go away until we start winning the champions league. Just see all the ex-player stalker threads we have going on CL to see how many revered players have passed through our club over recent years. 

Alfie has done well for himself at Birmingham and got a seasons worth of good wages out of them. I can imagine he will fall further down the pecking order if they spend big in the summer ahead of their championship season and it will be interesting to see what happens to him next. I think he's a better goal scorer than Lyle Taylor so I dont think he will drop down to league two or anything, if he gets pissed off being an unused sub next season he might end up on loan at another L1 club, or one of the struggling Championship teams. Be interesting to see what the reaction would be here if he moves down south again considering the reasons he cited for going to Birmingham in the first place. 

DennisBooth said:

Starinnaddick said:

I get the impression he scores most of his goals when Birmingham are dominating the opposition. 

Stupid post, Last Season we weren’t dominating the opposition. He scores goals because he is an excellent goalscorer at this level. He kept us up last Season. How’s Ahadme doing? One league goal all season. We bought a turkey there.

Ahadme wasn't bought to replace May, he was cover for Leaburn.  Godden is the like for like May fill in.

Not to say that Ahadme hasn't been a let down (he has) but he was never intended or expected to score at the same rate as May was.

thenewbie said:

DennisBooth said:

Starinnaddick said:

I get the impression he scores most of his goals when Birmingham are dominating the opposition. 

Stupid post, Last Season we weren’t dominating the opposition. He scores goals because he is an excellent goalscorer at this level. He kept us up last Season. How’s Ahadme doing? One league goal all season. We bought a turkey there.

Ahadme wasn't bought to replace May, he was cover for Leaburn.  Godden is the like for like May fill in.

Not to say that Ahadme hasn't been a let down (he has) but he was never intended or expected to score at the same rate as May was.

He was bought with the money we got from May. I didn’t say that he was bought to replace May.