14th in the Championship

we will depend on what players we have next season.

 

14th in the cbampionship is a great first season return but it masks how poor we have been since January, which has been nothing but relegation form.

I would take 21st for next time out if it was offered right now. I am very concerned for next season.

 

It's been downright dreadful since Jan 31st. 14 points from the last 17 games, which over a season would equate to 37 points and surefire relegation. 1 win at home since Boxing Day too.

However, what a brilliant pre-January it was. Some superb wins away from home, goals galore and putting to bed a few hoodoos such as beating QPR, Norwich, Wolves at Molineux to boot.

Averaged out, it's meant we've finished 14th on 58 points. To finish in our highest position in this division since 2001 in our first season back is a great achievement and something we would all have been happy with last August.

I just hope we can bring in the right players and kick on next season. I say kick on, if we finished 14th again I think it'd be a bigger achievement than this season. Either way, glad the season is over and we can now concentrate on recruitment.

 

If we are riding high at Xmas, our better performing players will move, because they can get bigger wages. It's all they care about.
If we are struggling, no one will want them.

 

Agree with that. Better than lurking near the bottom and looking over our shoulders all the time.
Retained list out next week let's hope once Hecky returns from holiday he can sign and loan players with the right
pedigree to push us on next season.

 

Will the retained list be a blank sheet of paper. Luckily I'm pissed so today's 'performance' is blurry.

 

Most of us would have taken it at the start of the season. But like with any business targets change as time goes on so very few would have taken where we finished if it had been offered in January.

 

As has been mentioned a few times, targets should be flexible and relative to the context in which they are set.

14th in the Championship absolutely exceeds our principal aim at the start of the season. 99% of supporters would have taken this when we lost at Portman Road in August. However, very few fans leaving Oakwell having beaten Leeds in January would have settled for the results we've seen since, certainly not our home form, nor a slide down to 14th.

A season of two halves, one tremendous, the latter pretty poor. Hence why it is difficult to properly analyse our season. For me, it has to be seen as a success, a major success, due to our comfortable league position and wonderful results through to January. But there will always be a strong sesne of 'what if' and 'what might have been', should we have retained our better players or adaquately replaced them during January.

Still, a very decent first season back at this level, and a million times better than I would have predicted at almost any point during the previous two seasons. Huge job now to recruit for next season, where the principal aim is likely to be safety. We should of course be aiming as high as possible and as this season has shown, another very good season is very much attainable with the right players and Hecky at the helm. U Reds.

 

It's a great finish. We'd all have taken it in August.
There will always be a feeling of what might have been given where we were but what's done is done.

Next season and 50 points is now our focus. We need 10-15 players. And for Hecky to stay!

A great effort to finish 14th and never really looking in trouble though.

 

Let's say Hecky leaves.
A new man comes in and has to start from nothing with nothing. Mr Cryne etc tell him he's on a tight budget and that there's next to nothing to spend but we need at least ten players.
How is that a step forward and does it equate to progress? In my opinion PH should be encouraged to stay especially as he knows the club inside out, from making the tea, answering the phones, printing the programmes, selling season tickets, cleaning the toilets, washing the kit..... everything except coaching and managing the players.
This is going to be one hell of a close season and if we are not to continue the downward trend we are in now then so much positivity has to be shown by the powers that be to justify the trust put in the club by us fans.
By the way, do we have any idea how many s/ts were taken up by the end of April ? Just as a marker as the close season begins. Bums on seats signings may very well be important.

 

Well done to the manager and the players. But I do fear for next season. Such a big churn of players will only lead to one place - the division below.

 

Well said, Dave, my old mate.
I'm really looking forward to our recruitment this Summer and am wondering whether Blackburn's relegation will make it more likely that we'll sign the two young lads of theirs we've been rumoured to be after.

 

Cynically, maybe. I've got a horrible feeling that with all the money sloshing around in this division any future successful seasons will look like either this one or the last. Playoff competitors will know that they can tempt our best players with peanuts (for them), sit them on the bench and take a rival out of the equation.

 

Glad we start again on 0 then

 

Club said 8,000 which they said was up by 20% from last year's April sales.

 

Good achievement. Another "what could have been" season.

Well done Hecky & the players.

Let's hope something positive happens in the summer. I'm crossing everything. I'm not even superstitious.

 

There were only three players in our line up at Newcastle to-day re- Davies, Scowen and Watkins ( on as sub ) that played at Wembley against Millwall in our 3-1 win last season.
Williams,Mawson, Brownhill, Isgrove, Hourihane, Fletcher, and Peppa have all moved on and Roberts, Hammill and White are injured . Every confidence Hecky will recruit the players in the close season with sufficient quality to hopefully sustain our position in the Championship at the very least next term.