I feel completely dejected for different reasons to most. I’ve felt for most of the season that we had to be in it together & keep backing the lads as it was a bit of a **** or bust campaign with the amount of key players leaving in the summer & little money to replace them. What’s happened over the last month or so has just completely deflated me. It’s as much the negativity of the fans & their behaviour at the ground as what’s been going off on the pitch. I just find the abuse of players & management & the carry on yesterday an embarrassment. I turned up at Blackpool for what I believed would be a defeat but I thought it’d be an enjoyable day out with loads in fancy dress & to hear chants about the football been **** whilst still at 0-0 & fans screaming abuse & getting into an argument with Jordan Williams from a few yards away was pathetic. My mates kid was gutted yesterday that he didn’t get to see the players come back out. The club shouldn’t have arranged for the awards to be done post-game. I agree that was a silly idea but even still the fans shouldn’t be on the pitch. We’re a laughing stock. Other clubs fans are ridiculing us for having a pitch invasion to celebrate getting into the play offs when we’ve done our utmost to balls it up. Our fans have spent the last month or so hounding the manager out & when Devaney’s took over he’s basically picked Collins preferred 11 & formation because in a nutshell that’s the only way for us to play due to us not having any wingers at the club or any natural full backs barring Williams. He’s obviously told them to be a bit more attack minded in the first half & De Gevigney’s lack of pace was exposed again & were it not for a brilliant bit of recovery play from Williams we would’ve probably conceded. We looked done after an hour by playing more intensely but the lack of options off the bench was shown to be an issue yet again. Connell was knackered & couldn’t get back on several occasions yet Devaney had no faith in his bench to replace him & to be honest a better side or maybe a more motivated side with something to play for would’ve (in my opinion) punished us. I’ve said all season the main issues at the club are down to poor recruitment & yesterday only enhanced that view. I’ll make a prediction now (assuming we don’t go up) & that’s that we’ll be far closer to the drop than automatic promotion in league one next season. I don’t think people realise how tough it’s going to be to replace 6 regular first teamers on little money. Kane, Williams, Cadden, Cole, McAtee & Roberts are all rarely injured too. Unless we’re incredibly lucky with recruitment we are in big trouble next season. If you’ve not been happy this season I dread to think how you’re going to find league one next season.
I'm not even bothered about the play-offs. Probably won't go on Friday, definately won't go to Wembley if they get through. Might not go next season, even though I've renewed. I simply don't enjoy it any more.
Sums up my feelings The charlatans at the top have systematically ruined this club, helped by modern football in general of course, but they have contributed to it ten fold. It’s time they look to sell up to be honest.
Those "charlatans" have been literally keeping the club afloat from their own pockets. Granted, they've made some mistakes. But I don't doubt that their intentions are good. Serious question - if they sell up, what do the new owners need to do differently in order to move the club forward while not risking its future. Just for the record, I'm incredibly frustrated with the lack of progress over the last few years, but I'm not really sure how to get out of the rut, other than an extremely wealthy individual or consortium coming in and throwing a load of money at it. Which as we well know, often creates as many problems as it solves.
I also felt deflated. I don’t think it’s an age thing either - both my daughter and nephew were of the same mindset. Play offs used to be an achievement. However i feel like have had all the enthusiasm drained out of me. I can’t see us getting past Bolton. League One will be difficult next year. If by some miracle we did make it to the Championship, I can only see a relegation. I’m usually mega- positive but I just don’t know how we compete.
Dejected is the wrong description for my feelings yesterday. Dis-interested / apathetic as to the prospect of the play-offs would be closer to it. Given a simple scenario of having one game to control our own destiny, it's almost embarrassing to think that we relied on others failing to take advantage of our inability to do so to see us over the line. Any excitement about the lottery of the play-offs is non-existent. The change in kick-off time to Friday means I can't attend the home leg and I don't feel the slightest disappointment about that, which is unlike any other play-off campaign we've ever been involved in. The bookies have us as a 5/1 shot to get promoted. I think our true odds are way, way longer than that. It would be something of a football miracle to negotiate the next 3 games successfully, from what I've seen.
Add Lincoln and Blackpool to that list, and Bolton or Peterborough or Oxford. But - and strangely for me as a pessimist by nature - I reckon we'll still be in the mix again.
I got the goal difference mixed up lol, in any case they won’t lose to Sunderland but more importantly Birmingham won’t beat Norwich.
I know this sounds awful but part of me when that 95th min equaliser went it wanted it to be a fatal blow. I will be there Friday or whenever sky decides it will be played but more in hope then expectation.
Another season in L1 doesn't faze me, but another season of watching that utter dross does. I'm not expecting much from them, given the squad shake-up we'll see in the summer, but I'd hope we'll get a better attitude, a more effective style and players who'll run their blood to water for that shirt. The club needs an enema, from top to bottom.
At full time me and my dad both felt rather underwhelmed, however we will more than likely be there on Friday. Got Friday off anyways as I'll be at Headingley all day for the cricket, then shlep down to Oakwell for the footy.
Under the new board and set up we've made it to 2 consecutive playoffs.It might not be enough for some but the majority of league one would bite your hand off.The board are working hard to sort the financial side and thats possibly impacted recruitment but no matter which way you look at it under Nareev weve reached 2 playoffs and also laid the foundations going forward with experienced back room staff which can only be good for the future.
Well I’m excited for the playoffs and was nervously refreshing the Lincoln page hoping that we were in. I don’t see any point being miserable about it, it’d just make me feel bad, I might as well choose to be hopeful.
Those 'charlatans' are solely responsible for the predicament we find ourselves in and the absolute negativity around the club. So yes they might be good people, but they are f*****g $hite at running a football club.
Agree with all that mate. I’m frustrated with a lot of the **** thrown at the board, who have as you’ve stated, invested a lot of their own cash to keep us going. Also, no alternatives are ever given. We’d be in a much worse place without this board.