Talk of incomings and outgoings but how far were we off realistically last season?

Last season to us all was a terrible but in reality how far were we actually off being a top 6 team?

Whilst ‘on the day’ dosent cut it with fans were we actually as ***** as everyone thinks?

We gave Birmingham a good go at Oakwell and for 45 minutes with 10 men, there own fans applauding how well we played that first half at St Andrews, we bet Wrexham and was a minute off a point at there place, we battered Bolton and Reading and after Christmas was sitting in the playoffs the 4 teams mentioned all spent heavy for league 1 too…….you had teams like Huddersfield who blew there ****** in in January and finished a whopping 3 points in front of us and Rotherham who signed 900 players pre season so surely we’re guaranteed promotion had you believed members on here……..a think there’s some very good players in that team who were steered down wrong path most of last season (IMO)

We’ll get who sign and lose who want to leave or we can’t turn down the offer……..it’s been like this for the last 30 years and it’ll be like this for the next 30 years

 

The final league table says 17 points and about 28 goals, either scored or not conceded, off being a top 6 side.

 

You’re quite right Darren……hence my ‘how far were we off’ title.

Fine margins, the recruitment could’ve been better, little bit of Lady Luck helps in all sports too, a still think that game at Bristol Rovers was a turning point for us

 

Every season that we don't get promoted out of this league is disastrous for the club and the owners. To the fans it's just frustrating and disappointing. We didn't sort out the imbalance in the squad in January and that cost us.

 

Correct on all 3 counts Spug

 

Outside of the obvious fitness and injuries played a big factor last year.

Humphries started mega unfit, got good, then wasn’t bothered, then got good again when it didn’t matter.

Nakwali - suspect was never more than 80% fit

McCarthy - coming back after such a long injury almost always takes half a season to get up to any kind of speed. Well he’s just had that with us, now he’s left.

Roberts - started unfit and hopeless, got fit and up to his proper standard, got injured and was hopeless again, then finished well once regaining his fitness

Benson - finally came back and looked sharp, then got injured again

Connell - still think he’s recovering from his illness. Hoping we might finally see him fully back next season

Jalo - fit for a brief window between injuries

That’s outside of reasonably significant injuries to Phillips, MDG, Earl, Cotter, Watters, Gent, Farrigua,

We had at least 3-4 players getting up to fitness all season and it showed.

Bad luck with a number of injuries.

And outside of that, which is completely inexcusable, is that we didn’t look fit in general until maybe the last 7-8 games.

So on this front, hopefully we can have more luck, and address some pretty simple, obvious issues for this coming season.

 

Promoted teams are built on strong foundations.

we never once had a defence / goalkeeper unit that were up to the task.

 

Miles off last season as we gifted goals for fun. Keeper and back line were suspect right through.

 

We seemed to get weaker over the season - perhaps a loss of motivation or confidence, perhaps a loss of connection with and belief from the fans. Ultimately though we just conceded far too many goals and looked fragile and unable to hold on to a lead. Scored enough, but you don’t get promoted conceding two a game.

 

I think we were a fit Jalo and a competent striker away from being top 6 under Clarke.
Conor got the brief benefit of Jalo which got him the job, but I've no idea how near or far we will be to top 6 next season.
Fingers crossed we can hit the ground running.

 

On the face of it we did score plenty but there was also plenty of games where we needed a goal but didn't look like we'd score if we played all day long which cost us a lot of points.

 

Completely disagree Jalo got Conor the job. I'd give that honour to Bland, how good he was, including in a position which isn't as natural to him, I also think it was his improvement with Humphrys, our improved performances overall (despite results, and beside the odd game) and himself being an accomplished figure within the game, hopefully with lots of contacts.
With some backing and some tweaks, I believe he will turn some of our better performances into better results. Certainly hoping so mate.

 

This.


With bells on.

 

We were a back 5 away from promotion. 7 if you include a central midfield due who did little by way of protection

don’t address these areas and we won’t be anywhere close.

 

I'd say, realistically, we were 17 points off the play-offs and 31 points off automatic promotion, while only being 15 points above relegation. We were a shambles of a team saved from the drop by the individual skill and goals of DKD, Phillips and Russell.

 

How far we were off last season is irrelevant really as we embark on a new formation and playing style.
The best way to measure where we are at is,
Need defensive full backs, need wide players, need pace at centre half, need to sort out the goalkeeping situation.

 

Chuffing miles off. We were a shambles. Even when we were up there around Xmas I wasn't sure how we'd managed it based on what I'd seen in our games.

 

Suspensions, injuries and squad depth in areas ultimately lead to a drop in confidence and we soon just fell away.

Performances against Wrexham home and away, and Birmingham at home, clearly showed we were capable. But for whatever reason, we couldn’t be ‘up’ for other games. Which is what Clarke alluded to in his ‘winners’ mentality. Conor also touched on this too - but referred to it as ‘standards’.

Ultimately the table doesn’t lie. But technically, you’d like to think that it was capable of squeezing into that top 6 come the end of season.

 

Its all opinions but It felt to me like we we're very keen to give Conor the job but there was very little evidence on the pitch to justify giving him it until Jalo's individual brilliance against Bolton helped to get the win and feel good factor that let the board strike immediately in appointing him.
Hopefully we get silly money for DKD and move several fringe players on that let's Conor recruit the players that he wants .

 

You can flick the coin either way. If we'd have been a bit better at home then maybe top 6. If we'd have been a bit worse away then maybe bottom 4.
The alarming thing for me is 73 goals conceded. That is relegation defending. Until we get somewhere near resembling a decent defence and goalkeeper we ain't going nowhere.
I would also add a couple of midfielders who don't just look good in training when the pressure isn't on.. doing there 500 keepyupeys and pinging 50 yard balls about. But can really help a under pressure defence out. And enjoy doing the muck and bullets part of the game. We have teccy midefielders, but they can't and proved they can't be relied on defence wise. They go missing and they all do it, Connell Russell and Phillips..
I think this one window is too much to turn this ship around. We need such a clear out and a change in mindset of firstly recruitment, stop getting the same type of players who look good on a spreadsheet but can't actually run for 90 mins and don't hide.
All I'm hoping for the first half of the season really is to sort our defending out because it's crucial to move forward..
That would be a massive improvement..