Well my view on the season just gone...

...for what it's worth having analysed the fixtures and final standings. I know we've a limited budget compared to other teams, in addition to a lower average gate (and normally a half empty stadium) compared to the majority of the division so in order to improve, we need to focus in on our weaknesses in how the team play and how the team is allowed to play.

Unless we do that we can expect the same result again next season.

You can also mix in a couple of "What ifs?"...such as;

1. What if Colace had been given international clearance earlier?
2. What if Hume and Macken had been allowed to develop an outstanding partnership?
3. What if Howard had signed a new deal prior to the season, had not been a disruptive influence and added to the competition in midfield?

and many more...questionable tactical decisions by our manager Mr. Davey.

I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but rather than using these "what ifs" as an excuse or picking out individual decisions or incidents, I would like to explore one theme running through our season. The fact that we capitulate at the end of games. This to me has been our main weakness.

In my opinion, it is clear we need to improve our fitness/concentration levels and organisation defensively especially when playing away from home. If we had kept our head and adopted a positive mentality during the last 5 or 6 minutes of a game we could have easily picked up more points.

Looking at the fixtures, in 7 games we have effectively dropped 12 points during this closing period (8 points away and 4 points at Oakwell).

Here are the games in question.......

Kabba 86, Blackpool (A) Lost 1-0 (1 point dropped)

Ledger 88, Preston (A) Lost 2-1 (1 point dropped)

Scotland 90,Swansea (A) Drew 2-2 (2 points dropped)

Taylor 85, Birmingham (H) Drew 1-1 (2 points dropped)

Smith 88, Watford (A) Drew 1-1 (2 points dropped)

Ward 90, Coventry (A) Drew 1-1 (2 points dropped)

Reid 84, Wolves (H) Drew 1-1 (2 points dropped)

The pessimists out there could argue that this could have caused us to drop points in future games. The optimists would say if we'd have won away at Blackpool early in the season would we have grown in confidence and got stronger who knows? With us dropping points at the end of a game has this dented the team's confidence and resulted in us losing more points? Really we'll never know.

However, on the field, is this soley down to our defenders and goal keeper? Ok they have probably been at fault for the final killer shot/header that went into the net but are they soley to blame? Probably not for every point dropped. Our midfield and strike force also have to help protect the goal by tracking back and applying pressure on opposing players during this period as well as providing outlets at the other end of the field. We could argue all day about individual incidents, which players did not do their jobs and during which games but we have to look at the bigger picture. We have conceded 31 goals in the last 30 minutes of games and it's just not good enough.

Off the field, the manager and coaching staff are responsible for picking the players, instilling the organisation employing the tactics and for assessing the fitness levels of players. They are also responsible for making (or not making) substitutions to aid us tactically during a game. Far too many times, when we're leading by one goal or drawing, we have sat back, made questionable tactical changes and let the other team come at us, without an outlet for our defence. This has to be fixed if we are to improve next season.

Some other interesting points for debate....

We have only scored more than; Plymouth, Donny & QPR
These teams conceded more than us; Burnley, Watford, Derby, Forest, Norwich, Southampton & Charlton

Better goal difference to; Charlton, Southampton & Forest
Equal goal difference to; Plymouth & Norwich

Better Home Record than; Plymouth, Southampton, Charlton, Blackpool
Better Away Record than; Norwich, Charlton, Watford, QPR, Derby

So in all what I'm trying to say is, we need more grit, determination and belief in our own ability, especially away from home whilst making Oakwell more of a fortress. It's also clear that we have a lack of positivity away from home, the season previous only Scunny scored less goals away from home, this season just gone, only QPR scored less.

Davey seems to have the mentality of...rather than playing to our team's strengths....he looks at nullifying the opposition first and thinking about trying to take points second. We therefore sit back and try to stop teams rather than playing to our strengths and letting the opposition worry about us.

This has to change if we are to develop this squad and club further up the Championship hierarchy.

All in all. I'm delighted that we haven't been relegated but I'm frustrated that we've been in a relegation battle. Even without the "what ifs" we could have easily done a Donny and finished higher up the league. For me we will be in the mix again for the faves for the drop and the bookies are rarely wrong. It's going to be even tougher next year, so we need to be more determined and more tactically astute. If we don't....I feel we'll be in trouble again.

Roll on next season but we need a step change in our performances, if we are to take the club forward.

What was it Einstein said? "Insanity is, doing the same thing, over and over again whilst expecting different results."