So the 2021-2022 season is over, and without question it has been a season of ups and downs. At the start, some of us were hoping that we would make the play-offs which seemed a real possibility given our strong start. It soon proved to be a false dawn as September and October saw us sliding down the table leaving us many points adrift, a gap that proved unbridgeable and remained that way. 10 points adrift of the team finishing 6th is quite a chasm. So the rest of the season was about restoring our pride and players' confidence after the batterings at Rotherham, at home to Ipswich and losing to Harrogate. The problems stemmed with being unable to score, which ultimately affected the cohesiveness of the entire team no matter who was played. I think Danny Cowley improved the team during the January transfer window with the arrivals of Hume (pity he got injured), O'Brien and Carter and playing Hirst after he was primarily a benchwarmer prior to Marquis's departure. I think the most pleasing thing about the season was the Cowleys ability to restore the confidence and improve the balance of the side towards the end, Shefffield Wednesday apart. I have no idea which players are out of contract, While it would be great to sign Hirst and Carter permanently,, their performances for us will no doubt have attracted the attention of clubs in the Championship so I am not counting on their arrival any time soon. Our two gifted players, Curtis and Harness have blown hot and cold all season, and I feel it would benefit their careers if they could move on to someone like Ipswich or maybe one of fhis season's promoted clubs. It would also enable the Cowleys to get some fresh blood into the squad. What is disappointing, is the fact that academy players continue to remain on the fringes before being loaned out to Bognor and disappearing from view. It is an area of weakness for me. Next season we will see a Derby side brimming with players who have come through from their youth rank. I suspect Derby will challenge strongly for promotion. I hope the standard is improving as we recruited a guy from MK Dons for that purpose. That is it. Good luck to those who have made the play-offs, While the promotion of Sheffield Wednesday would be popular around the footballing world, I feel MK Dons will be triumphant.
There are going to be quite a few 'big teams' in League One next season and for that reason I hope that either Sheffield Wednesday or Sunderland go up. That will still leave one of them, plus the likes of Derby, Ipswich and Bolton. Peterborough and Barnsley are yoyoing so expect to see them in the promotion mix. Not to mention Charlton and Wycombe (if they don't go up). Plymouth and Oxford are unpredictable but could be adark horses like this year. With the greatest of respect to the sides coming up from League Two, I don't expect any of them to be capable of a double promotion. But that still leaves (if you add Pompey to the list) practically the whole of the top half likely to be in the promotion race.
Good thread Ides !! Pompey have awarded professional contracts to three academy players so far, in keeper Toby Steward, midfielder Harry Jewitt-White, and striker Dan Gifford. They all look good prospects. Young defender Hagi Mnoga will be back at Fratton Park after a useful loan spell at Weymouth, and may possibly be included in Pompey's first team squad next season. It will be interesting to see if Alex Bass will be first choice goalkeeper next season, after a decent loan period with Bradford City, or will Danny Cowley look to sign another talented youngster from a higher league ? Bass is a talented keeper, so perhaps he deserves a run in the first team. Apparently both George Hirst and Hayden Carter would be happy to return to Fratton Park next season. Would it be another loan, or will the Eisners produce enough cash to sign them permanently, who knows ! It is important we can push for promotion next season, so we will require a strong squad that is good enough not only to win us promotion, but also good enough to keep us in the Championship if we do succeed. Next season could and should be quite exciting, especially with the extensive ground improvements currently underway..
