Caldwell out?

[haka]

Carlisle rich owners finished bottom. It's not as important this level as some think.

I refuse to accept we should just accept being in the same league as Burton, Fleetwood, Northampton, Port Vale etc etc. I could name 12 clubs in this league who I don't feel we should be scared of and sp accepting to be in their company.

It's not "just accept" or being "scared". Stop putting words in people's mouths, you didn't even read what I said. City can compete.

But anyone who talks about modern football and ignores financial doping is living in cloud-cuckoo land. Read the link I gave you. Read ... well, anything really.

 

[Antony Moxey]

What you seem not to factor in is they all think the same about us, little old Exeter, held together by the fans, no financial clout, punching above their weight, we shouldn't be worried by them.

Why does that need to be factored in? Who cares what other teams think of us?

 

[JGrecian23]

It's not "just accept" or being "scared". Stop putting words in people's mouths, you didn't even read what I said. City can compete.

But anyone who talks about modern football and ignores financial doping is living in cloud-cuckoo land. Read the link I gave you. Read ... well, anything really.

Okay let's go back to accepting we can never compete with Stevenage and just be happy to be here. If we finish bottom who cares hey, Lincoln had more money than us.

 

[haka]

We competed with Stevenage yesterday.

You create straw men and ignore what people actually say, it's really tiresome.

 

[GrecianGrain]

I’m not. It’s not enough just to have a club to support - that was over 20 years ago. We’ve moved on so far from that, yet still supporters think we should be eternally grateful just to have something. Well no, it’s not enough, there needs to be more. At the very worst we should never be below mid-table L2 - there will never be a situation where that is acceptable, not just be thankful we’ve got a club at all.

Right now we’re mid table L1. Our sights should be L1 survival as the minimum, and there’s no reason to think that’s not achievable. This season we’ve been on the worst run in living memory and arguably the worst in the club’s history yet in the end we’ve survived comfortably, so all of this be thankful to have a club at all is so small time it’s ridiculous and frankly insulting to those that have got us to where we are now.

As for moving forward, I don’t think at this time any changes are required anywhere, all we need at the moment is an improvement to our front line - I don’t think if the current squad started next season we‘d have a run like we did pre Christmas, so I think all things being equal next season should at the very least eclipse this in terms of points gained and final league position.

We’re so village in our thinking at times, it’s laughable that supporters label the club as lacking in ambition, they should look to the terraces first because there’s no-one more small time than us in the stands.

Thanks for clarifying. Just to be clear I’m not saying I’m happy with getting relegated and having no ambition. No one should be really. But the tone of the post suggested that what we have achieved this season was not enough and lacked ambition.


It’s possible to be towards the top end of the league and I think we shouldn’t limit ourselves at all as I think our model works really well and provides long-term stability which lends itself to long term success. But we are, compared to a lot of clubs at the top end of this league, a small club. Again, that doesn’t mean we should aim for mid/low league 1 finishes, but realistically it’s where we will finish based purely on budgets/players we can attract etc.

I don’t believe I lack ambition or have ‘village thinking’ when I say that, it’s just a strong probability given all we know about how football works. We can’t pull in 15-20,000 crowds, we can’t have a squad of 23 league 1 ready experienced players. We have more hurdles to get over and than say a former prem club like Bolton, or a Peterborough with a rich benefactor.

By hopefully finishing above a lot of those teams around us we have done exceptionally well and it should be commended given we probably still have one of the smallest budgets despite the investment in Jan, and because we do have limitations and it’s not weak to point out those limitations.

 

[grecIAN Harris]

Why does that need to be factored in? Who cares what other teams think of us?

All these teams that J mentioned are like minded and of similar size. They're all trying to out do each other and the look at us in the same way we look at them. Some will succeed, some won't. As it goes, this season (in spite of late September to early December) we are generally succeeding. We have to aim for the next group now, mid table to play offs, to show improvement. It is, and always will be, a slow build for us.

 

[Mid Devon Grecian]

Most successful manager? Billy McDevitt, obviously.

Look, it's a trophy!

The Grecian Archive - 1934/35 All Results and information (exeter.ac.uk)

Brian Godfrey and Paul Tisdale won squat ...

Interesting to look at the teams we were playing back then, many we’ve also been up against in the last few years.

fascinating to see we played ourselves on 31/03/1935 and lost 6-1!

played 3 games in 4 days in April 1935 won 2 and drew the other.

 

[GrecianGrain]

Anthony has beaten me to it. I'm not sure why you would think we need an American investor to try and aim for stability and promotion from this division. I've already listed all the average clubs in the league. Rotherham, Huddersfield etc don't worry me. Lose Pompey, Derby and Bolton possibly and the league looks weak.

Everyone in the club should aim for promotion, fall short then and its mid table again which is fine. Aim for mid table and fail and we are in trouble at the wrong end.

I want to see some ambition (doesn't mean we have to spend millions), it's more to do with the attitude of the club and supporters.

But who are these people who lack ambition?! The board, the manager, fans? I don’t lack ambion, but I also don’t demand the world. We are a small club doing very well. I simply don’t understand the people you’re referring to? ‘Everyone should aim for promotion’. Okay, well so do Portsmouth, Bolton, Peterborough, bigger clubs bigger budgets. I’m not saying we should not be ambitious, I think we have a chance of championshiop football, but it’s not likely given what we’re up against. That’s just a fact

 

[Mid Devon Grecian]

I also don’t think Sonny has got enough plaudits for the difference he’s made since returning from Yeovil. I know he’s not blown anyone away, but he’s been absolutely vital.

Agree 5 goals and 4 assists, absolutely invaluable in us getting our form back.

 

[GrecianGrain]

Okay let's go back to accepting we can never compete with Stevenage and just be happy to be here. If we finish bottom who cares hey, Lincoln had more money than us.

Again, nobody is saying this, you are saying that people are saying this. We did compete, we can compete, we won. We will also compete next season