Being a selling club.

[Bobby Gurney]

I'm just starting my 2019/20 season with AFC Wimbledon, in my 4th season in the English Championship.

Up until now, my squad focused around bringing in cheap young players (for the reason being that they're cheap), whilst trying to keep the best of the young players that I've been developing from my first and second seasons in League Two. As up until the previous season, my clubs results had improved year in year out, meaning I could keep hold off my star players, but now, after finishing 21st, 15th and 17th, with a miniscule wage and transfer budget, and the board blowing £20 million on a new stadium, I'm having to sell my best players, my favourite team players and destroy the core of my side simply because the club cannot allow the most valuable players to leave on a free at the end of the season with the finances in the state that they are.

So!

What are your thoughts on being a selling club? Do you enjoy the challenge of having to develop players, sell them on and continuously rebuild? Or do you feel you've hit the glass ceiling in terms of progress, and move on to another club with a better chance of forging a legacy with one fairly constant team?

[Ellis_D]

No matter what, I HAVE to make the top with my club - whatever the methods (other than cheating). I NEVER sell my best players unless I have to, and I don't care how long it takes me to get a club to the very top, I stay there no matter what.

I have quit for other clubs, bigger clubs, before and for me it takes away the enjoyment of the game, and I end up quitting that game after a season or two. So I never do it any more.

[clifton_royal]

Have a very similar save at the moment too. Just started my 5th season with AFC Wimbledon.

Managed to get back to back promotions, and then have finished 11th and 9th in the Championship. Just moved into a new 14,750 seater stadium, which is helping finances massively, although having to pay back the loan to finance it. Seem to be selling out every home game, which comes as a pleasant surprise.

Forced into selling a few key men every summer, managed to sell someone for £3mil in the summer transfer window just gone, and sold someone for £2.5mil the year before. Trying to keep the wage bill as low as possible, I didn't have anyone on more than £6k a week, until I managed to sign Adam Le Fondre on £11k a week. Being a Reading fan, I couldn't resist the temptation! Very hard to sign players though, even average Championship players seem to want £10k+ and I've had next to no money to spend on players.

Have had a few moments where I've been tempted to jump ship (have had quite a few offers) but once I resigned myself to staying in the Championship for a few seasons just to try and expand the stadium and improve the training/youth facilities, I'm actually enjoying it more than ever. Even slightly hopeful of sneaking into the playoffs this season. Think my plan if I was to get promoted would be not to spend any money on new players, and then even if I were to come back down I'd have the finances to make infrastructure changes which should help in the long term.