I cannot begin to tell you lot how pi55ed off I am about yesterdays result. So near yet so far. However in the cold light of day lets look at where we were and hopefully get realistic about what has been achieved. 12 months ago we had no team (to speak of), no manager and a new owner who took over a club where the fan base that had been totally alienated from the club. The club had suffered back to back relegation and were in free fall..we could have gone down the Coventry and Portsmouth route. 12 months later... We have a good manager, we have first class owner who, as we speak is actively looking for more investment, The fans are totally engaged with the club again. We have the best average attendance ever recored in League 1 and we have been to Wembley twice. As for the team, it's a work in progress, but the base is there to build on. As gut wrenching as yesterday was, we are going in the right direction. I read on here about some of our so called fans calling for new ownership and a change of the manager. This is outrageous...get real. We are all disappointed but are you seriously looking for another overhaul?? For the REAL fans keep the faith..we will get there.
Great post mate...yes emotions are still raw from yesterday but one year on under the new regime progress has been made. We came up short in the end but we will give our all. Gone are the days where we could go shopping for the likes of Defoe etc which would have made Jack's job somewhat easier. This season I have enjoyed a lot more than many before it. Two Wembley finals within a matter of weeks and taking nearly 40,000 fans to each game makes me proud to support this club. At the moment it's like supporting someone who has had a major operation.....they need time to get back on their feet.
Totally agree Flanders, we had no absolute right to smash this little league as a lot of our fans believed, I think some still think we have a Premiership squad at our disposal. Jack Ross has a lot to learn from his first season in English football , he's a very astute knowledgeable experienced football man sadly all in Scotland and this close season is going to be huge for him and our club. Squad wise there are a lot who he could move on (if he can), all the loanees will go, I wouldn't try and keep any of them. The trouble is we could end up wanting another whole squad rebuild which is not ideal so we're in for an interesting two months. Can our owners finance what we need? Time will tell. As you say onwards and upwards (again).
During pre-season we didn't have enough players to complete a training game. JR didn't have much time to assess potential signings and the squad was quickly chucked together. We've got to a league cup final and a play-off final. It hasn't been a bad season, as gut wrenching as it was yesterday. As long as he builds on what he's started and gets us promoted, next season, we are still going in the right way. In the long term another season here to consolidate might not be such a bad thing. This squad would have got walloped in the Championship. A full season for Grigg, Watmore and Hume performing could give us great momentum going forward. I'm a little concerned about our finances and what the Grigg signing has taken out of us, although I understand a lot of it was based on performance bonuses which we won't have hit any, yet. We need a big season from him now. JR needs to learn from this. We need to be more attacking and adventurous in our play and instead of trying to defend a 1-0 lead, we should be putting teams to the sword, in this league. If his idea was to stop the losing mentality which had blighted the club for years then fair enough, but he's done that now so he needs to start taking more risks. I'd take the captaincy from Honeyman and give it to a Grant. I feel like it's guaranteeing him a start when his performances suggest that probably shouldn't be the case until he ups his game. FTM
Agree with most of this but surely giving Grant the captaincy would result in the same issue you've outlined with Honeyman? He's by no means a guaranteed starter in my book and next year will likely be even worse - age isn't on his side.
We don't know what personnel changes there will be, but I think we'll find next season harder. That said, so long as lessons have been learnt, I still think we'll do automatic next year - more losses, but of course countered by draws becoming wins.
I'm not blindly defending Jack or the team but the defining difference to us not achieving promotion was Luton and Barnsley putting together club history making unbeaten runs for both clubs and the fact we had nine games in April due to international postponements and reaching the Checkatrade final using mainly first teamers in the final few rounds. Nine games at the end of a very physical season brought the poor results we should have anticipated.
The only complaint I can level at the management (owners, recrutement team, whoever) , is the fact we relied so heavily on Grigg coming in and coming good, especially as he was injured.oh, and our luck with loan players isn't great, is it? Other than that, the owners are bloody great and have done a fantastic job. we have to keep Ross imo.
My view is that the whole management team and owners have done an amazing job - given where we started at the beginning of the season. For the first time in many years there is fight and pride in wearing the shirt. Part of me also thinks that if we had actually won yesterday there would have needed to be a whole new squad rebuild/overhaul which could have been potentially too much too soon. I was gutted but with a logical head on life for the club could be very much worse
If you are talking about the squad, I just don't see a base, or core, to build upon. I think we well overachieved finishing in the top 6. Mathews, Oviedo, Honeyman, Gooch, Catts, Maguire, Morgan, McGeouch: too small. Our entire defense, center midfield, and strikeforce: too slow. Name one outfield player in our senior squad who will start 40 games in the Championship. An unproven Denver Hume is the most likely for me. Perhaps O9 and Gooch, over a couple of seasons, due to their youth and versatility.
I think if you look at what Ross had in terms of a squad when he took over....he then when about putting together a squad of players and like or loathe them, this squad only tasted defeat 5 times in the regular season. by any standard..in terms of league 1..that is a base to build on.
Presuming we still have McGeady after the summer then we need to get 3 CBs, a RB and 2 forwards. Maybe a LB of Oviedo goes (but we have Reece and Hume...) We have Embleton, molyneux, Mumba, diamond, Kimpioka to come in. Plus Watmore if he stays fit. If we get a RB in, then O9 can pay in his natural position as well. Love and Matthews can go no hesitation. Lovens to retire (I think), Dunne and Morgan to go back. Everybody else fit for purpose in this league. Priority has to be fixing CB and forward positions.
I think I'd rather have a big mobile DM, rather than that 2nd, or certainly, that 3rd CB. Allowing 5 shots on goal per match to clubs with an avg. attendance of 6K seems unnecessary to me. Those 8 guys carrying the piano must be getting their licks in too. It would certainly calm the nerves a little bit next season on set pieces.
