In my opinion we have done pretty well against the odds, we were the least attractive destination of any premier league team so to compete in the majority of games is impressive. I know that there are some that say the players are ‘not good enough’ or ‘not trying’ but I don’t buy into that bullshit.
It was a free hit,we had Leeds place in the PL for 24/25 and will say thanks very much for the money and experience!
You’ll get to enjoy winning again and challenging for the top rather than fearing relegation. On promotion next time around you’ll have grounded expectations. Good luck for the season ahead, the top two is yours to lose, I’m sure the experience of 23/24 will see you through any sticky patches. 46 Games count down 28-29 wins and as long as you draw some of the others you’ll be fine
Not sure if agree with that. Totally agree that the team gave 100% and did their best, but surely the players WERE not good enough. If they were good enough, we would've won more games. Unless you're saying it's all down to tactics and formations. The majority of our players had no premiership experience at all...add to that neither did our manager and coaches. Sometimes in life you just have to hold your hands up and acknowledge that there were 18 teams better than us this season. It's a huge learning curve for all, and hopefully it's just one step back and two forward
I also am convinced that as has been commented on several times , that our devastating list if injuries, 3rd highest in league, cost us several matches.
A disappointing result, but ultimately not surprising. Almost suspect this was the plan from the start. Of course there were plenty of mistakes and shortcomings were ruthlessly exposed. But not the premier leagues worst season. 38 lessons - hopefully we can make good use of them next season and return with a shorter leap to have to make; but I worry that Birmingham, Wrexham, Sheffield United as well as our fellows relegation buddies and plenty of others will all be expecting those top two spots. A very important summer ahead.
As the dust settles, I'm honestly disappointed in the season. Caveat for context - I'm completely aware the challenge was always going to be difficult. I was one of the few who thought we'd get relegated. We came into the season with a squad predominantly built for League One promotion and stabilising in the Championship. As others have stated, it was always going to be difficult to recruit proven Premier League talent as a club that has spent over two decades outside the top flight. The gap between the Premier League and the Championship is arguably as wide as it has ever been. I thought we had a fairly strong first half of the season, where there were encouraging signs we were adapting to the step up and there were several games where we arguably should've got all three points - particularly in some of our home draws. Having said that, I thought the second half of the season was truly miserable, abject viewing. It's overshadowed the campaign, as far as I'm concerned. With only 22 points, we finish with the joint-ninth lowest points total in Premier League history. I appreciate you didn't think we downed tools, Top Bunk, but I think the players did. Maybe it was being on the wrong side of so many close games in the first half of the season - but as soon as we'd concede a goal, heads dropped and it was an almost foregone conclusion we'd lose. From losing positions this entire season, we only managed four points. What annoyed me most about the season was our inability to beat Southampton or Leicester this season. Opposition that were there for the taking, in many respects, because of the poor form, chaotic behind-the-scenes context, and managerial upheaval. Another major issue I had was the experienced players we did manage to recruit were a waste of money. The likes of Muric, Godfrey, and Phillips came in with a load of Premier League experience and were among the most disappointing players of the season. Next season is definitely not a foregone conclusion that we'll get promoted. As Mikey says, Birmingham and Wrexham are two of the richest clubs to have been promoted from League One in recent history. The likes of Leicester, Sheffield United, Southampton, Coventry, Bristol City, and Middlesbrough will be competing. I think we can expect a top six finish though, as long as we can keep hold of the players we know are top Championship performers (the likes of Palmer, Tuanzebe, Greaves, Davis, Morsy, Hutchinson, Jack Clarke, Broadhead, Szmodics, Hirst). Investment will be required, particularly to replace departing loanees and invest in positions of need such as defence, central midfield, and up top. McKenna will have learned a lot and it's far too early to suggest he isn't cut out managing a Premier League side. Thankfully, I think interest in him won't be anywhere near as serious as last summer. He's got to cope with a popular coach leaving for Huddersfield, but this is a brilliant opportunity - I think - to be ambitious and bring in a more experienced coach to help the team, particularly if they have a background in defensive coaching. It'll be interesting to see how Burnley fare next season, because I think promoted sides that go up because of a strong defensive record rather than an attacking record are better equipped to handle the step-up. I'm not sure what McKenna's tactical plan will be next season - whether he replicates the magic of the promotion season system or tries to build something different - but we've been weak defensively over the last two years (even the year we went up). It might lead to more boring football, but a bit of pragmatism might be what we need to adapt better to the top flight, if we do return.
Pretty much every player you signed were playing in the UK. Predominately in the championship. I don’t think that’s the way to go. You need a better scouting network right across the globe. You pay a premium signing players already playing here and there’s far more value and unearthed gems playing abroad. As long as you keep the majority of your squad together, you should bounce straight back.
Totally agree Safe, said it for years, where's our scouting abroad. Personally think, after the money spent, it was a terrible season and sooooo much money was spunked on players that ultimately didn't improve the team!!
