Wells - Open to Offers/ Dion Charles Rumour

But we have all these great kids now who LJ apparently wouldn't play. Plus we have an experienced manager now, all the things you hammered LJ for. No more excuses on previous regimes. NP has cleared out what he deems the dross from that regime, and has kept those he feels he can work with. It's on him now, there are enough players left that pushed for the play-offs for 2 of the previous 4 seasons. He either delivers or he doesn't, and SL will judge him, as he has all our other managers

 

The stats are saying we are improving as a team which you and Onefer both want, but being let down big time by individual mistakes that you and Onefer won't acknowledge.

Not true about the clear out, there are still a few in contract borderline potential drossers left IMHO, that have a lot to prove. That it would seem have brought no interest from other clubs so far (I cannot understand why?).

SL and the fans will judge him and at least if he fails he did it himself and not as a poodle to somebody in a nice suit.

As for the quip about the academy, only Kelly got a chance and even he was kept out of the team by DaSilva before he left for Bournemouth and some on here think DaSilva is crap and or too small.

My take is thus, credit is due firstly to GJ who made us believe, but his methods were questionable, then SOD who although he failed as 1st team manager, started the academy structure that has started to consistently show good results, then Cotterill who gave many of us the 2nd best season ever supporting BCFC and a championship for the first time in over 60 years, LJ who made us believe again but could never deliver the elusive consistency (he was ultimately let down by SL in the 2018 January window) and that was the end of our best chance since the Hull play off game to progress, then I believe that we were just coasting and SL must have been happy with that for a time, it was obvious that LJ would pay the price and not Ashton. Pearson has 3 years (if he lasts that long) to make us more consistent (which is the key) and as somebody has pointed out, this season is a truly transitional season (his hands are tied as were Holden's before him), hopefully next season more investment will become available.

In short SL has delivered a shiny state of the art stadium and training facility and has huge plans with the planners for a more financial infrastructure, but took his eye off of the ball regarding the playing side, the answer probably is take your chances whilst they are available to you. An average of winning one third of your games in the past 4 seasons (68 out of 184 games) is never going to cut it, unless SL and the fans are happy with that lack of consistency.

 

My own take is almost the same.
In short SL has delivered a shiny state of the art stadium and training facility and has huge plans with the planners for a more financial infrastructure. His previous appointments and investments on the pitch also cemented us as a well-established team in the second tier of English football. He has facilitated the platform for us to spring forward and take us to the next level and made a bold and ambitious appointment in Nigel Pearson, to realise the dream.
Whilst we can (and do) argue with each other on the pro's and con's of the past regime(s), we all hope that Nigel is the man to take us to the next level - to the Premier League.

 

I agree with portions of that, although a fair amount of it is seen though your eyes and we all see or interpret things differently.
Performances for me so far have certainly improved from the 2nd half of last season but too early to tell from seasons gone by..
GJ took us from the depths of League 1 with relegation a reality and took us on a journey with promotion and then a season 90 minutes away from landing in the top tier of English football...just falling short following AD's achievements..
Then complete dire IMO which I'd rather leave out & forget when GJ was sacked until SC was appointed.
SC did a great job rebuilding which was helped by having one of the biggest budgets in League one at the time.....and yes, even though it was in League one, it was a great season winning the Mickey mouse cup and becoming champions with some impressive score lines along the way..
Following season in the Championship IMO, SC was completely out of his comfort zone, unable to change tactics or formations to compete, we were easy prey and were destined for the drop......
Much to everyone's surprise, the underwhelming for most, LJ was brought in to save the day. And did..
The rest has been scrutinised, dissected, thrown into the air at least a million times on this forum alone..so will leave it there....but in main, was deprived of his key players at the end of his first two full seasons, which totally ruined any momentum that we had in the championship to progress.. IMO.

 

Your view reference SC is wrong, his relationship with SL had completely broken down over the summer. SC thought he was unsackable and SL was frightened to pull the trigger because of a fans backlash.

Ashton was brought in along with LJ a man that they could control in all financial dealings.

The crux for me was the 2019 4 year contract, LJ held a lot of aces during negotiations and never used them and that gave Ashton even more control. Firstly out of all of his key players only Brownhill was ever sold in a January window and that was in a desperate attempt to sign a striker. Secondly and far more importantly that is exactly what he signed up for.

PS:- As for SC's so called budget, we actually only paid for 2 players Agard and Freeman, probably 1mil in total, the rest were free and Smith was a swap.

 

What saving us from ANOTHER relegation and then more years in the championship.......yes what a comparison....Chalk & cheese

 

Yes he did 100% and he kept us the championship, but should have been his own man and he wasn't and that led to a dysfunctional recruitment policy.

 

I agree, unfortunately 2 posters claim it's EVERYBODY else who brings up LJ, but the usual start is the classic "I wonder who will get the blame" from one or other them.

As Van Morrison sang "still carrying a torch".

 

Look at this thread, who was the first person to bring former managers into the thread….. I’ll give you a clue out of the 2 of us, it wasn’t me!! This is usually how it starts, With one of the haters, or naysayers having direct or indirect pops, then if I or Onefor defend that former manager it gets turned to us being obsessed. It’s a classic on this forum, I’m rarely the first to bring up his name, but you bet I’ll
defend him from the school yard bullies on here!!

 

I corrected the fact suggesting that Pearson is the manager who pushed Wells out wide, when it has been all 3 managers since Wells arrived, I think that is entirely valid.

Then later in the thread it descended into the "I wonder who will get the blame for that" as it always does.

 

I just sit on the sidelines all innocent like, reading the comments and chip in with a comment of my own if things start to calm down!

 

OK, let's see who brings him up again or the dreadful squad he left us....... I'll put a wager, it's not me or Supercon..

 

Nor me! As I said before, I rarely do, but I also rarely ignore the unfair criticism and comments.