I have read and will continue to read your posts because they are interesting and thought provoking. Generally I am in agreement with you; from defending the club through the bad times to strongly pointing out that patience is key. There's nothing wrong in glorying about past successes and looking forward. The two aren't mutually exclusive. I was responding to your message by way of engaging in debate. That's all. I know I will get your thoughts if I read your thoughts. Not really necessary for you to point that out. My one brain cell is fully functioning today. Ps One of my favourite posts of yours was the majority report after Wembley. That little injection of humour was priceless. Made you seem almost human
Of the teams promoted to the Championship in the past five years I think only three have been relegated the following season. Donnie, Yeovil and MK Dons. That's three from fifteen. Add to that two other teams that have also been promoted and relegated in the whole of the five years, Peterboro and Charlton that's a total of five from fifteen, so 67% of the clubs have stayed up. That's not to say that it won't happen to us though, just pointing out that most promoted teams are not relegated the following season BTW your post is really interesting and thoughtful. IMO
i felt this was one of a few reasons why we became succussful in the second half of the season. we attacked with pace out wide , we had good movement up front and the midfield 2 were not asked to attack all that much. they were required to hold shape , break up play as and were they could and then pass the ball. It worked a treat. Thats not to say the midfield 2 werent important as i believe brownhill and hourihane were vital to all the happening. quite rightly players like fletcher, hammill and winnall get noticed, but with out brownhill in that midfield im more than happy to say we wouldnt have finished 6th.
Personally I think the run in the 2nd half of the season will help us next season and I,d expect us to be nearer the top than the bottom fat too negative and pessimistic remember Brentford.
46% of clubs promoted to the Championship through the play-offs are relegated a year later. I've got one opinion to offer in this thread, and that's that you are overrating the quality of the Championship. I get to watch a fair bit of it following Jacob and whilst yes, it's a step up, it's not quite the jump some would have you believe. It is however awash with money and we cannot compete on that score. It's also home to a plethora of Hourihane's/Hammill's/Winnall's. Lads who deliver, regularly. I've named those three knowing they delivered a level down. We'll have to see if they can reproduce that delivery on a higher stage. I wouldn't doubt them. But aye, scary amount of matchwinners in the Championship. Jacob ended the season 5th choice centre mid at Derby. And he's the sort of midfielder we could only dream of recruiting. That's what we're up against. I could name about ten clubs, if not more who could push for the title next season, so many big clubs, so many great players. But we're also up against a good ten others who aren't 'all that'. I'm not worried. I'm looking forward to it. Momentum is key. A kind fixture list, get off to a good start... who knows?
There are a lot of quality players in the championship but there aren't many quality teams. Its the reason why having a great team spirit & a well drilled side plays a massive part. It's why teams like Ipswich keep competing for the play offs with little investment, it's why Brentford have done well & why Preston finished top half. I'm already of the belief we'll finish above Rotherham & Burton & I'm confident there'll be at least one basket case of a club that ends up below us but I think we should be aiming for more than that with the exciting young team we have. I want us to go down the Peterborough route (when they were in the championship) of going out to win every game & impose our game on the opposition whether that's 442, 433, 451 etc. We had about 8 seasons of fighting for survival & playing for draws away from home & apart from the FA Cup season in 2008 it was pretty dire. So I just hope we go for it & I think we will. I've been so impressed by the way Hecky's dealt with injuries & the loss of Hammill to suspension & Long leaving. I think he'll be more than ready for the championship. I liked your post, the only thing I disagree on is Roberts. He wasn't dropped because he was poor he got dropped (unfairly in most people's opinions) due to Mawson been the captain & Nyatanga been Johnson's pal. Roberts was very impressive & was dealing with league one football comfortably until he was took out of the team. It was only when he got brought back a month later that his confidence looked shot but Johnson had a habit of doing that to players, ask Winnall, Williams, Davies or Townsend
Interestingly, in LJ's 17 games as Bristol manager, they would have finished 6th had the season began then.
You make some very good points, and to be fair, my experience of the quality of the Championship dates from when we last played there, so you have an advantage over me there as well. My points are based upon the amount of money that is swilling about in the Championship and the theory that surely this must buy better players, and therefore, a better team. I do not particularly want to spend the next 8 years losing games the majority of the time, and I do not think anyone else does either. That means that we must strive to be competitive, or face a slow and agonising strangulation, even if we are not relegated at our first attempt. I know what that means because that is exactly what happened last time. To say that it was the fault of a string of managers who were sacked for lack of success is to misunderstand the difficulty of establishing in the higher division. I hope that we will stick with the management team, and stick with the plan through the coming months and years of struggle, because the constant changes of management and constant changes of direction were part of the problem during our last visit to the Championship. In the coming months and years, there will inevitably be calls from the fans for changes. The board need to remember that patience was the key this season. Patience is nearly always the key.
Can you explain more clearly what you mean by the phrase, "And what about ambition or aspiration". You see, I suspect that phrase leaves someone with a bill for the cost of your ambition or aspiration, in which case, you perhaps ought to name that someone, or describe how you will be doing the funding.
Certainly. “I always turn to the sports section first. The sports section records people’s accomplishments; the front pages nothing but man’s failures.” Earl Warren, Chief Justice, American Supreme Court, 1950’s/60’s It may be unintentional, but your latest post suggests to me that we must accept what's given, choose what that brings. You’ve previously questioned whether this is the right time to go up – as if there’s ever a wrong time. You seem to have a big thing about stability and financial rectitude, and that has its place. But we don’t go to Oakwell to watch a bank statement or a balance sheet. I don't like the idea that we have to unquestioningly accept whatever is put in front of us, choose how badly it is playing out before our eyes. Any business relies on investment to obtain competitive advantage and thereby turn a profit. I don’t advocate that we mortgage the future by splashing the cash, but I do think that like any business, without some modest investment at this stage we cannot hope to grow. We have what will surely be additional season ticket income, extra TV money and possibly a John Stones windfall. We need to use these funds to supplement our excellent policy of identifying and developing young talent – in all likelihood from the league(s) below us. I don’t think we’re actually that far apart, but I much prefer to have my eyes on the horizon than my eyes to the floor.
I'm not sure I agree with your opinion that if a great player comes along that doesn't suit a 4-4-2 then we shouldn't risking 'ruining' them by attempting to coach 4-4-2 into them. Look at Hourihane. He didn't suit a 4-4-2 when we first signed him. We played all manner of formations to cater for him and none were particularly effective as they didn't suit the rest of our squad (particularly Winnall). What did work was playing him in a central two coaching him how to play 4-4-2. Not only does he now fit perfectly into a 4-4-2, but he's become a better all round player because of it - he's far from 'ruined'. The championship is going to be very difficult, and we need something that can give us an edge next season. If the entire squad, including those coming through the academy, all concentrate on playing a single formation and system and all become experts in playing that formation and system, its going to differentiate us from the opposition. We may not have the most talented players in the championship, but if they're the most organised, best drilled and are all pulling in the same direction, then they could be more effective players. If we are insistent on changing formation whenever we sign a player that doesn't suit our current formation, then we still have to coach the rest of our players to play this new formation. What's more, if this new signing is so good that we should be considering changing formation and system just to cater for them, they may only be here for 6/12 months and then we go back to square one. I think the current approach is the correct way to go. What we'll end up with is an entire squad who are suited to 4-4-2 rather than a mix of players, the majority of which might suit one particular formation while the others suit another and whatever we choose isn't particularly effective. The only question that remains is what formation and system do we play. Football is an entertainment industry and if there is no entertainment on show then the paying customers won't turn up. There's no doubting 4-4-2 is an entertaining formation and I think its as effective as any. Leicester showed us how inferior players can play a 4-4-2 extremely effectively.
I have no problem with using any additional money that the John Stones deal produces being invested wisely. That is trading income, not further investment. But the John Stones transfer is not in our hands, so until it happens we may as well put it out of our minds. As I have said, on many occasions before, the last time that we were relegated it cost Mr Cryne £2.7m. When Mr Cryne has to pick up the cost of failure, I think that he has the right to decide how to invest, and speaking for myself, I am not prepared to tell him how he should be spending his money. No bank would be prepared to fund speculative investment in a football club of our size and situation, so Mr Cryne is our only option. You use words that suggest generalities, but I asked you to be specific, and specifically, you are asking Mr Cryne to dip into his pocket. It is easier to have your eyes on the horizon when someone else is funding your journey.
You make some very good points, especially the one about Hourihane being coached to be a better player in 4-4-2. I think that most systems can be entertaining though. I enjoyed watching Jacob Butterfield when he briefly played as an attacking midfielder in a 5 man midfield, and the team that included Craig Hignett in a similar position could be a joy to behold. Nicky Eaden / John Stones were both very fine wing backs in 5-3-2 system. I always believe that the players drive the system rather than the other way around. I am afraid that we will have to agree to differ on this one.
And the best way to avoid the cost of further relegation is by investing modestly and wisely to ensure we have a team that is competitive with at least the lower third of the Championship. The troubles which ultimately led to our relegation were the hiring of the hapless Keith Hill and his assistant and the adopting of our own version of the austerity programme. That's what we must avoid this time around. The Stones money, if it materialises is extra revenue which will pass back into the club, and if not utilised, go to the beneficial owners. If some of it is spent in order to acquire a certain amount of experience to supplement our excellent development policies, that to me would class as investment ('re-investment' if you want to be pernickety). My other point is that it wasn't just 'patience' that turned our ship around last season. There was a definite decision to supplement our youngsters with the experience of Long, White and Hammill, and also to switch to a more productive playing formation. That blend of approaches will probably be needed if we are to survive in the league above.