In the 80's up to mid 90's ''they don't wanna go up!''

Do we now? What's changed from last 8 seasons of struggle! Are we able to compete now after a season out? Will we get the xtra £ we may need to be competitive? Do we really want to be championship so soon?

Discuss!

 

Personally i would take the buzz of promotion any time, ready or not. Worry about next season once it happens

 

Not for me would be a mistake. We need to regroup.

 

If your good enough you go up simples. You can never get promoted too soon, you build on that promotion, and perhaps the momentum can get you successive promotions.

 

Us and Swansea springs to mind as counterbalance to that.

 

Up to Championship and up to Premier League differemt Gaz.

 

i dont think Swansea' flying high now had anything to do with us getting promoted before them.

 

I disagree fella! We're probably less ready now to get promoted and do well in the division above than we were back n the day.
No infrastructure of any note. No offers of substantial cash injection.

Too early for me. It's orrible when you don't want your own team to go up. But like I've banged on abart on ere recently (no matter who the head coach/manager) but for longevity it'll be the best thing I hope

 

I agree - it doesn't mean I want us to lose games because that is just not true. I just would prefer that our efforts weren't quite enough this year to go up because I think it is too early and would be counter productive. There is always the counter argument that you have to take the chance when it comes because it might not come again, but if we went up now, there is every chance we'll be back down again after a horrible season next year, and starting another L1 season in August 2016, starting again from scratch, probably with yet another new manager. I would prefer us to build momentum as a stand out L1 side who look ready to take on the championship, so we might stay there for some years not bounce straight back down. Plus a season of flying high all year at the top of the table would be great for the club. Obviously, that might not happen, but that would be my preferred forecast.

 

Think I heard that the terms of the new TV deal give Championship clubs £5,000,000 and league 1 clubs £750,000. Going up is a no brainer, we need the money.

 

I'm in two minds; I definitely want us to get promoted but I don't think I can face another era of struggle and relegation dog flights.

 

Should have never sacked Andy Ritchie... Massive mistake that was.

 

Division 2

by any name is our natural home, we should be there, end of story.

 

My only fear through this season hasn't been relegation, other than after the Crawley game I never entertained the thought, (and to his great credit, Burton quickly turned that around), my fear has been we might make the play-offs. Despite mixed results throughout the season, we've never been far away from them and since Peterborough imploded that 6th position has become wide open. It could be anyone, including us.

We're nowhere near ready for Championship football. We're a bang average side in this division. We can play fast, expansive football, but when we do we conceded lots of goals. Multiply that by a factor of 3 in the Championship. We can keep it tight, but then we're pretty dull to watch and we do end up hanging on for long periods of the game. In the Championship we'd concede two or three every week playing like that without ever even creating a chance.

We've got a number of players in the squad with potential. I expect a lot of those to have improved considerably by the time we kick off next season compared to how they were when we started this season.. They'll be a year older with a year's experience at this level. With a couple of good additions, I believe they could form the basis of a decent promotion squad. And with that extra year of experience and a couple more additions they might be able to hold their own in the Championship if they get that extra year to develop.

If we are promoted this season they'll get their butts kicked every week next season. Players with potential, who could have been part of a decent young team or sold at a good profit, will be dropped from the team and eventually released. We'll see them in a couple of years time playing at Championship level with a different team when they're actually ready for it. We'll replace our young lads with older journeymen footballers on huge wages but no resale value as we try to fill the team with the experience everyone in the crowd says we need. And we'll be relegated, tied to contracts we can no longer afford.

If we are promoted and stick to the plan, continue with the young players even when they're losing, we'll take some right hammerings on almost weekly basis. I done't believe for a second either the board or the vocal fans have got the patience to deal with that. "Johnson Out" - probably by November. Revert to plan A above.

That's not to say we shouldn't go for it. We should try to win every game between now and the end of the season. I'll be disappointed whenever we lose. But if we finish the season 7th, one point from the play-offs, I'll not be too frustrated and will see it as an opportunity to really have a go next season rather than something we missed out on.

Having said all that, we'll finish 10th and stay far enough away from the play-offs to have never really looked like challenging for them.

 

I'll take the promotion, thanks.

 

"We're a good side. It was obvious to me from the first two home games we were a good side. And we're going to get better, a lot better."

Not my words.

But the words of one who now has us "bang average".

Time, and football, wait for no man. If we do well enough from now on to secure promotion, we have the chance to be good enough next season.

How old are these players we are waiting for to develop? Some are nearly mid twenties. How old is John Stones and what level is he playing at? If you're good enough you're old enough.

I don't think we'll get promoted. But to consider it a negative is perverse. There is no nailed on promotion next season or any other.

Love it if it happens.

 

We can tackle that problem IF it crops up.
"They don't want to go up" was the mantra of the non-attending oracles in the 1970's, too. Especially after the club just missed out on promotion from the Fourth Division at the end of the 1976/77 & 1977/78 seasons. This conveniently ignored the basic fact that we failed simply because we weren't good enough. When we finally clinched promotion under Allan Clarke in 1978/79, they followed their previous gibberish by coming out with another level of faecal matter, "No one's happier than me they've gone up".

 

so will I

 

I know we had a bit of good fortune to go up in 2006, but didn't the two teams who went up automatically come straight back down?

What harmed us was never really having longevity in management which meant the philosophies changed and there has been a massive turnover in players - yes this was all necessary to a point as if the results aren't good enough then this happens. This was nothing to do with the team that got us promoted.

You have to take an opportunity for promotion whenever it comes as every year that goes by you have clubs coming down from the Championship, often retaining big crowds and having money to spend, as well as new money coming in to existing League One clubs which just makes the job harder.

I'm not expecting promotion this year, even if we did sneak into the playoffs as I think to then play a team who has been in and around the playoffs all season - well, we'd be found out over a two legged fixture.

Next season I think we just need a striker in the same class as Winnall to both partner and understudy when one or the other is inevitably injured and some more options at full back. I reckon we have a very good midfield for this division, we just need a certain Irishman to rediscover a bit of form. Pearson's energy really broke up the play yesterday and I don't think we'd have won the game without that so it would be nice to get him on loan for another season but given how highly rated he is, Man Utd will probably try and find him a Championship club.

 

If someone offered me a two-legged playoff semi final with PNE, where we turn them (and Wiseman) over, before beating the Blunts at Wembley, the last thing I'd be doing is thinking "nahh, not for me thanks, I'll settle for 7th and another 46 games in this dog **** division with away clubs bringing 89 supporters to Oakwell because it'll stand our young lads in good stead.."

Others prefer that, no problem. Me, I want my club to compete as high up as possible.