This Season, Next, And Beyond

The playoffs were very unlikely before yesterday. Looking at the fixtures, I reckoned that even with an optimistic view of the points we'd gather, we could afford only one or two losses. Any more than that and it becomes beyond reach, given that we will draw one or two games along the way. We've used up one of our losses and Kevin Long will now go back. That tells me that it will be difficult to even match the Jan-early Feb form for the remainder of the season. The good news is that we face no threat of relegation, which would have been catastrophic. We have a Wembley final to look forward to, and the security of a mid-table finish.

Going forward, there is the prospect of Mourinho to Man Utd, and John Stones to follow. If we get that windfall, we should bank the majority of it and continue to build inexpensively, as we have done. Since mid-December we have looked as though we were beginning to get the recruitment and the systems right. With a less disastrous start that could see us go close to promotion or the playoffs next year without throwing any rash money at it. Our efforts ought to be directed to retaining the better players in our squad (White, Hammill, Winnall, Hourihane, etc). The big funds will be needed the season afterwards if we get up - to try and establish a foothold in the Championship, rather than just go up and struggle. In any event, by the time the Stones deal is concluded we will probably be well into the transfer window, and may have missed out on the better targets. We've gone with the longer-term view this season - even during the disastrous run, so let's see it through.

 

Excellent post. We should be able to escape this division without dipping into the Stones cash at all.

 

What about PC selling the club, will the Stones money go with him?

 

I agree with trying to keep hold of our better players but unfortunately the long term plan of buy develop and sell contradicts this. Its impossible to say how we might do next season because it could be a totally different team that needs 3 months to settle in again.

 

If we don't go up this year I think we can probably expect to see Winnall, Hourihane and Hammill leave. What we need to hope is we have players lined up that can take their place.

This is why the longer you're in L1 the harder it is to get out.

 

I think we will lose hourhine and winnall if we don't go up this year. But I don't know if many championship teams would take a gamble on hammill. So I think we may have a chance of keeping Adam I'd hope. Try get brownhill permenently had to predict how we will do next season look at walsall Gillingham and cov all relegation fodder season before.

 

Very true. Almost impossible to keep quality players.
It's a continuous process of finding replacements.
What we need to do next season is hit the ground running & not have the closed season fiasco we have had the last two years.

 

I've no idea where we'll finish this season. Football isn't predictable enough to be able to write off a third of the season. We've lost two out of the last fourteen league and cup games, so I'd like to think that shows we're having more consistency.
There's no immediate pressure that comes from a sustained promotion or relegation battle, which hopefully will be reflected in a more relaxed approach in our forthcoming displays. That in itself might be helpful in pushing for a Play Off place.
But there are no guarantees. There's far too many variables to take into account at this moment. We don't even know who'll be the permanent Head Coach in the close season. Which is why I'm not too concerned about what may or may not happen in the Summer, or next season, when it comes to retaining, or bringing in, players.

 

Realistically, it is hard to plan in modern football because it is the players that hold most of the cards. The better the player, the better the cards in his hand. For example, our most valuable two players are Hourihane and Winnall. Both start the final year of their contracts in July. I have no doubt that the club would like to extend their contracts, but the players will realise that their hand improves if they delay signing a contract for as long as they can. Their motive is that the club will become more desperate as the contract expiry date comes closer, and a desperate club will make bad or illogical decisions. So over the summer, the club will try to extend the contracts, but the players will be reluctant. If the club receive a reasonable offer during this period, they will have a difficult decision. Do they go for the certainty of cash in hand, or the uncertainty of a ticking clock, and a player looking to maximise his options. Most clubs in our position would opt for certainty.

With four loan players going back, two players who we will probably sell for the right offer and two more at the end of their contracts in June and by no means certain to resign, that leaves us with big summer rebuild. In these circumstances, our most important signing in the next month is a new chief coach.

 

IMO they should be offered a new contract at end of season with a time limit and if refused moved on.
A bit harsh I know but the uncertainty their humming and arghing causes can do a lot of damage to our pre/coming season plans.
Offer them what we are prepared to offer straight away and move on either way.
This season is far from over the teams above us haven't been consistent enough to warrant a prediction on how many games we have to win imo it depends on our consistency which put the jeepers up the competing clubs as posh found out last kick of game in our great escape.

 

Yes.... and maybe still looking for a new head coach/manager if we do this sitting on the fence EOS nonsence

What I see is muddy water, not clear sailing..

 

I feel like Dr Zaz here... banging on about the same point. But I feel it is vital that the club finds some b@lls, and if they think that Hecky fits the bill of what they want, give him the job full time.

If not, then interview and get someone in, so come the EOS we are not left scratching our ar5e. I.E The man in charge next season knows or as a very good idea who is staying and who needs to be replaced. So we can have decent go of getting out of this league

 

Is that not why the board are waiting?

To see if Hecky is up to the job.

I agree, it shouldn't take till EOS to work out if Hecky is the man for the job.

My hope is that after a few more games in charge as caretaker, Hecky gets the job full time.

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

 

Hammill is very keen to stay!

 

If Hammill stayed that's the most important for me. He is head and shoulders above most in this league.

Would love All this team to stay, as with a few clever additions in summer then could really go for promotion. Depends on whether we gamble on going in or look to cash in on our prize assets before they are out of contract.

 

I detect from this that you have an opinion about whether it should be Paul Heckingbottom?

 

I would always say that if we lose 1 key player (notwithstanding those out of contract), if that's just Hourihane, or just Winnall, we'll be OK to rebuild. Losing more than one will make it difficult

 

I think the best transfer targets we could have are the players we have already got. Over the last couple of months the current team have proved they can pick up serious points in this league. They are all young and will improve next year, with the benefit of more league experience and more time playing alongside each other. So we already have a team - it's just that they are mainly loan players or on short-term contracts or on long-term contracts that are about to end, meaning more upheaval and a completely new team could be around the corner.

I hope the bond between the players is sufficient that they want to stay, sign 2 or 3 year contracts and we can finally build toward something. We'll never be successful unless we can convince our better players to stay.

 

To be honest, my opinion on who should be chief coach would not be worth much. I do not even know the full job description, never mind who is available, who is interested and who would be the best man for the job. I can see gaps in Heckingbottom's experience, but I have no idea whether he has the drive or the character to fill those gaps, acquire the knowledge and experience and make the right calls whilst doing so. I certainly do not think he is the automatic choice, simply because he is from the town and is familiar with the players. The playing staffs at football clubs are very fluid, and teams, their balance and their dynamics change on a regular and on going basis.

I was very happy with Lee Johnson throughout his time with us, and was one of the few in that respect. I liked his openness and his willingness to explain as well as his obvious intelligence. He will be a difficult coach to replace, but I hope that we do not go back to the footballing equivalent of a dinosaur, someone who feels it in his bones, someone who relies upon what has worked in the past, someone who does not have an open mind to new ideas.

As you will have read, my views have been very much coloured by my perception of the successes of our last chief coach, but even this is blinding me to the possibility of doing things a different way. As I said in my opening remarks, my opinion is not worth very much.

 

I'm inclined to think that the way the club is now organised - in so far as we understand it - probably limits the pool of potential candidates. I think PH ticks a lot of boxes, but I'd have to admit that he is even less tested than Lee Johnson. One interesting question is this: how many games would PH be allowed to lose?