I think we are disappointed as to how last season panned out - a season of opportunity, that was always, always going to be tough but one in which we made life hard for ourselves (harder than it should have been maybe) by inadequate and poor recruitment (particularly last summer), poor team selection at times (too much chopping and changing - no team "feel" or consistency), poor tactics in many games, ineffective substitutions and too many individual gaffes in front of goal (ours and theirs). We are where we are and got what we ultimately deserved. Looking forward (no point in looking back) and to the challenges of Burton, Rotherham et al, which by no means should be underestimated, we should all put our shoulder to the wheel and support the team as best as we can so that we can view the relegation as a positive (as most of us did went we went down to League One) and try to lift the team to heights that will enable the team to compete for promotion back to the "promised land".
And we done em in the cup 2-1 with a goal from he of dogs danglies! I was there and can testify that visiting Rotherham is a very bleak proposition, it's almost as bigger cesspit as Ipsh#t! Bah!
Agree with most of this BUT have we NOT got behind the team this season? We have and the team has not responded no matter what we did or how many "Clappers" etc we were given. The team have to give us something to be positive about and to cheer for.
Obviously we are all disappointed that we didn't perform better in the league but if anyone had any higher expectations than finishing around where we did then they have to be kidding themselves. On paper we had one of, if not, the worst team of players in the league - yes it can be argued that was down to poor recruitment but that blame cannot be apportioned completely to AN, whom admitted that the club struggled to attract the targets he had identified. I actually think we could have scraped survival had we not had the injuries to Klose and Tettey at such a crucial time of the season. As far as the relegation goes I have chosen to look at things in a positive manner. I think we have all identified that there is some deadwood at the club, a fact that AN has also mentioned in his most recent presser. As has been mentioned this squad is essentially the same group as it was 2 or 3 years ago, it hasn't developed and is now struggling. Time to shift some players and look to rebuild the squad, with an injection of youth and quality (hopefully), that can not only achieve promotion but present a decent opportunity of establishing themselves in the Premier League.
I had moderately higher expectations, i probably on reflection was kidding myself. With our board and an inexperienced manager we were in trouble from the start, those hopes were shot to pieces though once the summer window slammed shut without a defender in sight. I still think a better manager could have steered even this team to safety. Lambert managed with a squad significantly worse in that first season, then Hootun again with a comparable squad, and then in the following season whilst relegated we had like this season, the points on the board and an advantage only for Sunderland to do a sunderland. Bottom line is, a really good and experienced manager could have kept us up, an inexperienced average to poor one more than likely won't. Whilst the players will have suffered a pay cut so it may be easier to ditch some of the deadwood, our recruitment and retention of our best players is bugger. So I can at best see the team going a fraction backwards, with maybe a slight improvement in the squad. I don't see any real positive because instead of adding to our few PL quality players we will be trying to replace them and as a championship side they won't be better players! Bah!
One final thing I´m a bit curious about. ILD - you say you don´t accept mediocrity, but following Norwich at the moment, and for several years actually, is doing exactly that, accepting mediocrity, and just what, precisely, were you planning on doing about it, anyway? storming in to Neil´s office and telling him to pull his finger out or resign, or what exactly? Just interested.
Crikey RBF you are STILL missing the point, it's not the fact that we were relegated, it's the WAY we went down without a fight. What part of that can't you grasp? If you're happy with the way we just capitulated in so many games I find that so very difficult to understand.
What I actually said was I don't understand why you and others seem to be happy with the way we capitulated this season and seem happy to be in a lower league with the same manager who put us there. I'm not happy with that situation, we went down without a fight and I find that totally unacceptable, you apparently don't, and seem to be happy to accept it. Personally I can't do anything about, I'm not the manager of the football team, I suppose I could make a futile gesture and hand back my season ticket, but that wouldn't help me or the club. Finally I support my team whatever league they find themselves in I always have, it doesn't mean that I'm always happy about the situation. I pay my money and am entitled to my say on what I see and at the moment I see mediocrity, and awful management.
KIO and ILD you´re both ( whether deliberately or not) confusing ´accepting´ something with ´liking´ something. I´ve never once said I was happy with how we capitulated this season, but on the other hand, I´m not in the slightest bit surprised, and therefore find it far easier than you two apparently, to accept our current lot. You seem to think that we are better than that, I´m afraid I don´t, and I will be very surprised if we get anywhere near the play-offs next season - love to be wrong though.
RBF, you are of course entitled to your opinion, but personally I'm still struggling to get your point. I am very surprised in the way we capitulated, and although I do have to accept it, as its happened and is history, I'm still as angry as hell in the way this manager conducted himself in the transfer market, team selection and tactics. NOT what I expected from a team promoted to the best league in the world and needing to stay there to get the money to go forward and improve. I'm getting a bit bored with this now, and I don't want to fall out with you any further, so I'm going to leave it there.
I don't think you can blame Transfers on AN. I doubt he has much to do with it. He might identify some targets, probably not all of them. Still. I think there's a different team of scouts and staff to get in players.
Yes he is to blame, as I have previously said, the manager at NCFC has total control on all matters regarding the football side of the business! He says who he wants and does that within a prearranged budget. Why do people think otherwise, do you not understand what a managers roll is???
My expectations were a bit higher. I suppose I was ready for another first I imagine it comes with all the fixings... please log in to view this image
