Matt Taylor - 2 Years As ECFC Manager...

[JamieEcfc]

I didn't anticipate serious injuries at the start of the season. A top seven finish was in our grasp.

But I was talking about expectations at the start of the season, you're saying you expected to get Top 7 with players you or anyone else has yet to play a first full season?

Naturally you change your expectations as the season progresses, before Christmas I thought we would get Play offs as a minimum, once Randall was out for the season I said the play offs would be a reach.

I was disappointed not to finish in the play offs, which in itself with expectations at the start of the season is something positive to take away and is something to build on for next season.

 

[Topsham Boy]

Isn’t the bottom line survival and everything else a bonus?! Realistically can you see us climbing the Leagues. We don’t have the financial clout to be anything other than what we are now.

No that’s not quite right. Obviously remaining in L2 is the first priority and avoiding relegation , but there is no logical reason why City
could not become an established L1 outfit.
Look at Lincoln , Crewe, Accrington, Fleetwood, Burton, Shrewsbury as examples.

 

[JamieEcfc]

This attitude is offensive and dull. I doubt there are any fans that are "happy" any time we don't win a game or any season we don't gain promotion. Not having a tantrum every time things don't go our way doesn't make you happy. I recognise the difficulties of this season and the opportunities we'll have next season as a result of the decisions made this time around.

This. I find amongst a lot of our social media, every time we lose people have to get angry and call the players sh*t, call for the mangers head, mention Taggy buying a Range Rover all that sort of nonsense. We can't win every game but fans can be so reactionary and hysterical.

Not reacting this way doesn't mean you don't care or are a happy, for me I can be disappointed with results but still keep the faith for the next game.

 

[The Proper Chap]

Interesting watching this nearly a year on.

Matt Taylor post City 0 Northampton Town 4 | Exeter City Football Club - YouTube

 

[IndoMike]

Do you expect progression when he's admitted numerous times that the focus was on the youngsters this season? I wouldn't have expected us to progress on the back of last season with the trimming of our squad and budgets, I've been very pleased with the competitiveness of our young squad to take the season to the final day.



We threw the kitchen sink at Bolton, leaving us outnumbered on the counter and we scored, when not scoring is a bigger loss than not conceding you'd expect us to go for it, if he doesn't make changes fans would be angry that we've not gone for the win.

I don't think we've played the best football - however, when our most creative players were all fit (Randall, Williams & Jay) we played very easy on the eye football, there is no coincidence in our form dropping on the back of injuries to Randall & Williams, had we kept them fit we'd have made the play offs and there'd be eyes on the automatic spots aswell - Our form from that period of them 3 playing together carried us to the final day.



In his reaction to the retained list he admits Ajose has been a disappointment, you can point fingers at the manager but you can also question the player themselves, I was never keen on Ajose when he did get his opportunities in the first team, then you take into account the injuries which Taylor mentioned which he believes Ajose never recovered from to be a Jamie Cureton type player Taylor was hoping he'd be for us - I fully back Taylor playing Seymour being played ahead of him - He was a good signing on paper but clearly he's not reached the levels he's expected to and I'd look at the players attitude and body as the reason why.

Upto £4000 is an imaginary number for Stubbs and Ajose, you're overestimated by atleast £700 there.



If you asked Taylor, or any rational fan, if they thought at the start of the season we'd be in contention for the play offs on the final day of the season they would say "Wishful thinking".

In terms of replacements, replacing Matt Taylor with Kevin Nicholson would be very questionable.
Gary Johnson would be a good replacement.

However I'm not looking at other managers I'm happy for Taylor to carry on the work building from the platform him and the boys have made this season.

Regarding the signing of Ajose, if you "bought" a car which had passed its MOT and you spent (say) 200k over 2 years having to try to fix it you'd be asking serious questions about the seller and the MOT.
You'd also be wondering how you could have been mugged in this way. Unfortunately in football it seems you can do nothing about it. Too many grey areas I suppose.

 

[JamieEcfc]

Regarding the signing of Ajose, if you "bought" a car which had passed its MOT and you spent (say) 200k over 2 years having to try to fix it you'd be asking serious questions about the seller and the MOT.
You'd also be wondering how you could have been mugged in this way. Unfortunately in football it seems you can do nothing about it. Too many grey areas I suppose.

I can see why he was considered a marquee signing and it brought a lot of excitement so I don't think many would have turned their nose up at the signing, I just think we soon learnt that he wasn't the player fans expected him to be and it was clear as day to me why he wasn't playing, be interested to see where he goes next.

Top end conference I suspect.

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

The 3rd year anniversary.

A big season for MT coming up.The suggestion of a enhanced playing budget for the next campaign will lead to a higher expectation from the personnel that will be recruited to supplement the clubs home grown talent.

8th,7th & 9th finishes is pretty good in the context of Exeter City managers.Close but no cigar.
In those seasons despite good runs with top 3 placings for long periods in the season,the Grecians dropped out of those placings when it really mattered.Frustrating.

 

[Banksy]

The 3rd year anniversary.

A big season for MT coming up.The suggestion of a enhanced playing budget for the next campaign will lead to a higher expectation from the personnel that will be recruited to supplement the clubs home grown talent.

8th,7th & 9th finishes is pretty good in the context of Exeter City managers.Close but no cigar.
In those seasons despite good runs with top 3 placings for long periods in the season,the Grecians dropped out of those placings when it really mattered.Frustrating.

At school his end of term report would have read ‘Tries hard but must do better’.

 

[SEA Grecian]

The 3rd year anniversary.

A big season for MT coming up.The suggestion of a enhanced playing budget for the next campaign will lead to a higher expectation from the personnel that will be recruited to supplement the clubs home grown talent.

8th,7th & 9th finishes is pretty good in the context of Exeter City managers.Close but no cigar.
In those seasons despite good runs with top 3 placings for long periods in the season,the Grecians dropped out of those placings when it really mattered.Frustrating.

I know it doesn't make much difference to the overall point but the pedant in me feels the need to point out that we finished in 5th place in Matt Taylor's middle season.

 

[John William]

Football is for better or worse a results business and we are no different, despite our tendency to think we are some superior beast because of our ownership model and Academy.

Promotion to L1 has to be the goal for most L2 teams including ECFC. Being top half is not enough. If you wanted to be negative you could point out that 12 teams have been promoted in those three years but we are not one of them.

I like MT as a manager but he has one more year IMO. After that, if we are still in L2 we should probably see if someone else can deliver.