As is well documented Ashton, he had a golden chance of the big time in 2008. A little investment or even a couple of quality loans would have (IMHO) achieved automatic promotion. Whether it was GJ who though Nick Carle and Dele Adebola were the answer, or whether that was only the level of funding he was offered we will never know.
DH won more in the end of the season after LJ had gone so our position was improved. Read what I said, I had nothing against him but I can’t sit and watch the atmosphere and IMO you should never go back on a manager you had to sack.
Agreed until we sold Scott and then had money to spend. Until then he toed the line, now he’s saying we should use some to bolster the squad, he’s right. He said the owner sets the limits I just work within them, and If you’ve questions why some of the money has not been invested don’t ask him, ask someone else
I agree and said so at the time, that’s 15,years ago though, we can’t keep harping Back, we have to look forward.
Nige states it here, he never moans about money and will not waste his energy about things beyond his control. “It is what it is. Football managers would always like a bit more money to spend and what I think has possibly intensified the argument is maybe because we’ve got some injuries and we are tight. But that’s life, you can’t do anything about it so you just have to get on with it. I don’t think you’ve ever heard me moan about anything like that. I’m not somebody who wastes a lot of energy on things I can’t change so it’s where we are. And, really, if you want other answers about it from a business point of view, you’re going to have to ask somebody else. Not me.”
I did choose my words very carefully as the LJ debate is now a lost cause for me and in all honesty the bloke left 2 years ago, I do admit we are still struggling, it's not good but our football club cause is,that is now all I really want to get involved in.
The point I was trying to make was that’s the closest we’ve been to the Premiership and despite all the hot air from SL we’ve been nowhere near ever since We’ve had a LC Semi Final under LJ and promotion from L1 plus Papa Johns trophy under Cotts
August- January 17-18 was great, the rest was pretty much miserable to be fair, I’d like to have seen LJ work without Mark Ashton though weather or not it would have made a difference who knows.
The main problem in my eyes is SL knows diddly squat about football, because it’s his money ultimately on the line he wants (understandably I guess) to oversee spending, the only time he gave control to a point, to someone else he chose Mark Ashton . The rest is history. He seems like bit of a control freak and doesn’t like managers who question him. The only way now to challenge is to buy some quality players, SL saw Luton do it on the cheap and wants us to do the same. What he doesn’t realise they were a freak, they are not the norm. edit It will also be interesting to see how they fare in the PL this season. I don’t follow these things so I’ve no idea whether they spent loads or will just enjoy the ride for a season, pocket the cash and hope to become a yo-yo team
Most of the teams that have been promoted from the Championship are good sides with quality players and with the right work ethic They’ve either gone up because of their skill, helped in some cases by parachute payments following relegation, or as a one off as has been said like Luton, but they are not the norm. It’s been noted many times on here that Lansdown knows diddly squat about football and it’s hard to disagree
Why? Remember the year we finished 8th there was no wage control in place so hardly like for like scenario edit And LJ hadn’t spent the previous two years reducing expenditure by a third
I merely put up 8 years of our final placements and how little things have altered, I wouldn't downplay a 7th place past or present, how rediculous, I'd say it was a great achievment, if we finish 1oth I will say it was progress, comparisons with LJ have become futile to me, it's a lost cause, I am far more concerned with current events, it's 2 years since he was sacked, he has been with 2 other clubs and history has been repeated, I hope he recovers and continues a good career, it's of no consequence at all to me, not my bag of tricks.
