Three reasons our season went wrong

1. Lack of pace. I don't know what's happened to the old spreadsheet. Have we hidden the pace and agility column or just forgotten it's a component of a half decent team?? We have so few players who threaten running at the opposition (Maghoma like) and, worse, at times our defence have been absolute treacle treaders. Ball and chain on the ankle stuff. You can maybe get away with one but not a whole back 3 and it's why Williams has been out of position all season.

2. We panicked last summer and brought in players who clearly weren't right. The way we stockpiled right backs and defenders without any having proven pedigree smacked of throwing a great deal of dung at the wall hoping some would resemble a Rembrandt. Fewer signings, more quality of the like of Earl who are ready for the level and better standard of loans are needed this time around.

3. We've suffered all year from a Wembley hangover in my opinion, fans and players. Explain that play off final and the context to a fan of another club and it brings home what a horrible way to lose it was. Though no one talks about it. It hurts too much. Perhaps that's why we as fans have been so reluctant to be excited and picture ourselves in the play offs as we didn't want to open up to the hurt of getting our hopes up and going through it all again. Had Duff still been around, I think we might have gained strength from it. But Collins was on a hiding to nothing coming in to a group who'd almost nailed it last year. How do you improve a successful group without breaking it? He was the stepdad who couldn't make us laugh as much as the real dad who'd walked out.

 

Releasing Norwood and then signing Watters Dallas and Shaw.

Losing Isted Collins Andersen Kitching Thomas and using a scattergun approach on their replacements.

 

Short summary but 100% correct.

 

At Wembley we were conned. Wednesday fans know that, even as deluded as they are. That refereeing performance that day cemented my view that there is an underlying agenda happening. It's knocked my interest in football in a huge way.

But i don't think it has affected this season on the pitch. Every match we lamented the weakness from the bench, Collins' lack of game management and our lack of streetsmarts (Norwood). Plus Cole and Kanes' lack of interest, it was a miracle we managed the Play Offs at all. We probably should've gone up last year, but like i said the powers that be didn't want that

 

We never released Norwood, Shaw and dallas were poor signings but there was plenty of optimism on here about signing watters.

Isted and Thomas were never our players and the 2 out of the other 3 we got money we couldn't turn down for.

 

The EFL buddy

 

But we replaced the entire defence.

 

What choice did we have? We got 4 million for a player with 1 year left. We lost a loanee and got 5million for kitch who wanted out. We can't turn those fees down. The problem was the replacements.

 

I don't think it was necessarily selling the lads from last season - we achieved fair prices for them all imo.

It was the replacements were pretty grim.

 

We had a choice. We chose to sell. Amd twice we've suffered for it.

 

Sh1t3 recruitment last summer.

I'll never ever get my head around why we brought Watters back after what we saw last season. Absolute bants by the club.

 

The issue isn’t last Summer it’s the two Summers before we never had the replacements lined up ready.
That’s the real issue with our current process.

 

Just look at the replacements
Mads Andersen > MDG
Bobby Thomas > McCart
Liam Kitchen > Lopata/Shepherd

We lost 3 championship quality center halves and recruited 2 kids from non league, a young lad from the French 2nd tier who isn’t really suited to the physicality of the English game and a lad who couldn’t get into the worst team in the championship.

on paper that looks like a recipe for disaster!

 

Places in the first team and back up were filled by inadequate quality.

 

Clearly it was not replacing the strong defensive unit we had. Coupled with us being not organised defensively in the slightest.

 

Totally agree with that. The best summary of our season that I have seen.

 

What would you have done? Keep Anderson deny him his move to the prem then lose him for free this summer? Same with kitching who wanted out and it showed in his performances start of season.

I'm sure had you approached the board and said I'll give you 4 million and 5 not to sell those 2 and I'll match the wages they will get at Luton and cov they would have gone for it.

 

I agree I've watched us since the 90s I've seen us have our pants pulled down on many occasions. 4 million for Anderson with a year left on his contract and 5 million for kitch was really good business. Like you say it's just the replacements although I think there's a player in Earl and I liked the little I saw of Pines the rest not impressed at all.

 

I think, emotionally we as fans invested so much in Duff over that season that when he went it completely blew us up and left us hollow husks.

I wanted to take to the new manager, he seemed like a good man, but I'd already had my heart ripped out by Mickey Want-away there was no way I could love another so soon.

So, Oakwell never got rocking like it did second half of last season and we never came to trust our new man.