League One 20/21

[Red Devon]

Or inevitable if you're a Pompey fan... To be fair this group didn't deserve the play-offs - we've regressed over the past couple of years and overall recruitment has been pretty poor. The club stuck with Kenny Jackett for a season too long.

Tough call on who goes up from the four - two teams with streaky managers (i.e. they go on long winning/not winning streaks) in Lee Johnson's Sunderland and Karl Robinson's Oxford. Lincoln and Blackpool have probably outperformed expectations. I've got a soft spot for Michael Appleton who managed at Fratton under very difficult circumstances a few years back and has done a brilliant job at Lincoln. They had an incredible start to the season and dropped off a bit before getting back on track but can't help feeling that they may come up a bit short. Blackpool look really solid and if they can keep key players fit would probably be my favourite to get up - not a bad rookie full season for Neil Critchley. It would be nice to see them continue their renaissance having ridded themselves of the Oystons too.

One of those big day out games for Accrington going to Fratton Park especially with no pressure on them to get anything.

 

[sign of the chimes]

Need a decent promotion push next season? I feel with 18k ST holders and a Chairman who's seems pretty decent you need to have a real go at L1 next season otherwise you will be known as a L1 club that could end up as that bunch of clubs in all divisions that never seem to go up or down.

On the field I don't think the issue has been what we've spent - more how we've spent it. We need to get smarter about the identification, recruitment and development of players. We need to develop a clear strategy and model and implement it. Even increasing our playing budget by 50% for the next couple of years wouldn't guarantee success in L1 and that's before you take in to account the wages to turnover rules.

At the moment we are a top half League 1 club who have been in there for four years - those are the facts. For the preceding four seasons we were a L2 club.

Don't get me wrong, I was effing and jeffing at our performance earlier as I have done watching iFollow at various points this season; but I've not got to a point where I think we're satisfied with our lot or that we've stopped trying to improve.

 

[Red Devon]

What's got to be encouraging is that whilst money/resource is clearly a big determinent in where you end up that there's still a chance of getting up from L2 and using the momentum to get in to the Championship if a club is well run off the pitch and performs well on it. Wycombe were there this season and weren't a million miles off retaining their status under Ainsworth. I'm pretty sure they had a mid-lower table L2 budget when they went up from League One. Luton have stayed in there as well.

Whilst it doesn't feel good today I think there's probably something very healthy about the fact that Accrington (with almost certainly a bottom 4 budget in L1) were still in with a chance of a L1 playoff place less than two weeks ago and dealt us a knockout blow today.

Quite incredible to think that Wycombe came within two points of safety in the Championship despite looking down and out for pretty much all season long...they must feel gutted to have come so close right at the end.

 

[sign of the chimes]

One of those big day out games for Accrington going to Fratton Park especially with no pressure on them to get anything.

Accrington seem to have really excelled against clubs at the top end of the table this season (and us). They will also have felt there was a bit of a score to settle as we only played the other league fixture there last Tuesday and denied them any chance of a Top 6 finish that night - even then they held us to a draw. In both games they had character in spades (and no shortage of talent) - which is an area we've been a bit deficient in this season.

 

[DB9]

On the field I don't think the issue has been what we've spent - more how we've spent it. We need to get smarter about the identification, recruitment and development of players. We need to develop a clear strategy and model and implement it. Even increasing our playing budget by 50% for the next couple of years wouldn't guarantee success in L1 and that's before you take in to account the wages to turnover rules.

At the moment we are a top half League 1 club who have been in there for four years - those are the facts. For the preceding four seasons we were a L2 club.

Don't get me wrong, I was effing and jeffing at our performance earlier as I have done watching iFollow at various points this season; but I've not got to a point where I think we're satisfied with our lot or that we've stopped trying to improve.

This bit is very similar to us, Our L2 status has been for a decade or so and i feel next season we have got to really try to stop being the "Nearly Team" We have such a good off field, The strongest it has ever been IMHO that now needs to transfer onto the pitch and if we did go up i don't want us to struggle, I want us to become an established L1 side, I'm hoping what our manager said a few weeks ago about next season's budget wil prove true and we can get a few quality players in to help our bunch of talented youngsters we have that have shone this season.

 

[sign of the chimes]

Quite incredible to think that Wycombe came within two points of safety in the Championship despite looking down and out for pretty much all season long...they must feel gutted to have come so close right at the end.

Yeah. I'm expecting them to lose Ainsworth to Preston so not sure what effect that will have on them as a group - but to get there and nearly stay there is ridiculous, particularly given how they started the season. As a football fan the first thing I want is to feel pride in the side representing my club. I can only begin to imagine how much pride their die-hard support must feel at the moment. Their wage budget will have been a fraction of the others at the bottom (suspect it was no more than half of Rotherham's for starters).

The best managers seem to be the best communicators and I get the sense Ainsworth is terrific at that.

 

[Red Devon]

Yeah. I'm expecting them to lose Ainsworth to Preston so not sure what effect that will have on them as a group - but to get there and nearly stay there is ridiculous, particularly given how they started the season. As a football fan the first thing I want is to feel pride in the side representing my club. I can only begin to imagine how much pride their die-hard support must feel at the moment. Their wage budget will have been a fraction of the others at the bottom (suspect it was no more than half of Rotherham's for starters).

The best managers seem to be the best communicators and I get the sense Ainsworth is terrific at that.

Very charismatic character Ainsworth, you can see how the players would feed off of someone like that, I loved the way he got away with wearing that leather jacket on the touch line this season He deserves a chance at a bigger club and I wouldn’t have thought he’d be short of offers.

 

[sign of the chimes]

This bit is very similar to us, Our L2 status has been for a decade or so and i feel next season we have got to really try to stop being the "Nearly Team" We have such a good off field, The strongest it has ever been IMHO that now needs to transfer onto the pitch and if we did go up i don't want us to struggle, I want us to become an established L1 side, I'm hoping what our manager said a few weeks ago about next season's budget wil prove true and we can get a few quality players in to help our bunch of talented youngsters we have that have shone this season.

If I were a Grecian I'd be less concerned about staying in L1 as I would be getting there in the first place. You've only got to outperform four L1 sides to retain your status while you've got to outperform at least 20 to get promoted.

The latter is hard with a large core of youngsters - even if they're really good. It also limits the type of 'leaders' you would want in terms of senior pros. I think back to our L2 winning side we had a couple of right barstewards in the team - David Forde (keeper) and Michael Doyle (centre mid) - the latter once had a fight at half time with one of our centre halves which resulted in both getting subbed before the second half kicked off. While not ideal, within the context of the wider group it probably worked out quite well and built up resolve going in to the later part of the season - but suspect if the rest of the dressing room had been largely made up of 19/20 year olds it may not have had such a galvanising effect.

On the one hand I think Matt Taylor is really lucky to be managing within such a stable set up where he knows he'll be given the chance to develop - on the other even with some more investment in the first team he may be a bit more restricted than someone who doesn't have to focus on developing the youth.

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

Very charismatic character Ainsworth, you can see how the players would feed off of someone like that, I loved the way he got away with wearing that leather jacket on the touch line this season He deserves a chance at a bigger club and I wouldn’t have thought he’d be short of offers.

My good lady likes him She knows little on his style of management,just says he’s good looking & nice.He was a real gent to her when she got drenched at the club before a postponed game a few years back,giving her his dry Wycombe FC Puffa coat.

 

[DB9]

If I were a Grecian I'd be less concerned about staying in L1 as I would be getting there in the first place. You've only got to outperform four L1 sides to retain your status while you've got to outperform at least 20 to get promoted.

The latter is hard with a large core of youngsters - even if they're really good. It also limits the type of 'leaders' you would want in terms of senior pros. I think back to our L2 winning side we had a couple of right barstewards in the team - David Forde (keeper) and Michael Doyle (centre mid) - the latter once had a fight at half time with one of our centre halves which resulted in both getting subbed before the second half kicked off. While not ideal, within the context of the wider group it probably worked out quite well and built up resolve going in to the later part of the season - but suspect if the rest of the dressing room had been largely made up of 19/20 year olds it may not have had such a galvanising effect.

On the one hand I think Matt Taylor is really lucky to be managing within such a stable set up where he knows he'll be given the chance to develop - on the other even with some more investment in the first team he may be a bit more restricted than someone who doesn't have to focus on developing the youth.

I know there is no god given right to get promoted but for the last few seasons we've either been in the play offs or just off them and i know its hard to get out but i think we need to get there to develope as a club, Like i said off field we're really strong, But on the field we're just that little short. As for MT being given the time most managers aren't, I think it can lead to being too comfortable and i think he needs to be set a target if given the funds.