[Osborne again]

stevie_b, on 06 April 2025 - 11:42 AM, said:

Took the words right out of my mouth 😍 I've really enjoyed the season. Got a couple of football buddies and we've done most of the away games (and all of the homes of course). I love it. My favourite purchase has been my Two Together Railcard: saves me and the one friend, neither of whom are old enough to qualify for a Senior Railcard (although we sometimes feel that we are 😬), a fortune.

Season ticket renewed. Looking forward to it already.

COYB 💙⚽💙⚽💙⚽💙⚽💙⚽

Good on yer, and well said. Mid- table is OK by me for this season, with anything else a bonus. We've had some really freak injuries with the defence being decimated. Add to that the injury to Grigg, Markanday and Berry leaving, and Colclough's drop in form really hasn't helped our season. Both Tyrone Williams and Chey Dunkley are big worries for next season also.

[BlueRodneyFern]

Osborne again, on 06 April 2025 - 12:20 PM, said:

Good on yer, and well said. Mid- table is OK by me for this season, with anything else a bonus. We've had some really freak injuries with the defence being decimated. Add to that the injury to Grigg, Markanday and Berry leaving, and Colclough's drop in form really hasn't helped our season. Both Tyrone Williams and Chey Dunkley are big worries for next season also.

Don't worry about Dunks I spoke to him in the gym and he will be fully fit as he is nearly now

[Osborne again]

BlueRodneyFern, on 06 April 2025 - 12:50 PM, said:

Don't worry about Dunks I spoke to him in the gym and he will be fully fit as he is nearly now

Well, that's good news mate. Hopefully he'll come back and have a great season with us, because he's been missed.

[LondonBlue]

It’s dissapointing. Injuries? Yes. Recruitment? Should’ve been better and can be better for next season. However, I’d have snatched your for 10th in League 2 after coming away from the likes of Borehamwood, Maidenhead and Woking dissapointed and wondering whether we would ever see the EFL again.

[DMU Blue]

Disaster 🤣

How do these folks manage to get through the ups and downs of normal every day life 🤣

[stainlessstephen]

Osborne again, on 06 April 2025 - 12:20 PM, said:

Good on yer, and well said. Mid- table is OK by me for this season, with anything else a bonus. We've had some really freak injuries with the defence being decimated. Add to that the injury to Grigg, Markanday and Berry leaving, and Colclough's drop in form really hasn't helped our season. Both Tyrone Williams and Chey Dunkley are big worries for next season also.

I agree entirely, although another member basically labelled me a loser saying the same thing albeit in fewer words...

[s42blue]

Cook always said he’d give the players the chance to earn a new deal and they could compete in L2. Imagine the hysteria if last Summer he’d cleared out the under contract players who’d seen us go up as Champions?! Not only would it have been disloyal but also expensive.

As Phil Kirk said this year he’d be happy at 12th. In a public forum.

I’m led to believe the clear out will be that. OoC players have had their chance and not delivered. We have our sights on some wow signings. Sadly Phil’s time is short but his ambitions are high.

WATAW.

[CFC91]

Some melodramatic shite from the resident bed wetters again I see.

Yesterday was embarrassing of course but if we finish 10th this season that’s absolutely fine with me and a decent first season back in the league

Plenty out of contract in the summer, plenty to move on and plenty who will have no complaints about it

[1978blue]

BlueRodneyFern, on 06 April 2025 - 12:50 PM, said:

Don't worry about Dunks I spoke to him in the gym and he will be fully fit as he is nearly now

My main worry with Dunkley is that he is almost back to fitness but he still isn't heading the ball which for a centre half is a bit of a worry. Other than that he was in good spirits when he spoke to us after last week's game🤞🤞

[stainlessstephen]

CFC91, on 06 April 2025 - 04:24 PM, said:

Some melodramatic shite from the resident bed wetters again I see.

Yesterday was embarrassing of course but if we finish 10th this season that’s absolutely fine with me and a decent first season back in the league

Plenty out of contract in the summer, plenty to move on and plenty who will have no complaints about it

Totally agree.

This season was all about consolidation. I'm of the view the focus will be on a serious and concerted bid for promotion will be on the cards soon.

For those old enough remember when John Duncan just took over when the club was within hours of being closed down. His first season was consolidation- then, boom!

[60s 70s Spireite]

stainlessstephen, on 06 April 2025 - 06:32 PM, said:

Totally agree.

This season was all about consolidation. I'm of the view the focus will be on a serious and concerted bid for promotion will be on the cards soon.

For those old enough remember when John Duncan just took over when the club was within hours of being closed down. His first season was consolidation- then, boom!

I am not sure what some folk mean by consolidation. Wouldnt it mean we had the bones and core of our team for next season, newly blooded youngsters now matured into regular first teamers (see Darikwa) signings showing signs of coming good towards the end of this season in readiness for the next.

Who are these players that show we have consolidated?

Have we done ok considering the injuries? Likely. Have we seen good recruitment this season- I dont think we have. Reading between the lines of what is said at the top table - I think they would perhaps concur.

[stainlessstephen]

Right.

So, in a few words and notwithstanding the season hasn't quite finished, put your journalists' heads on and come up with a headline summarising the season.

"Could do better" isn't allowed. (And no, I'm not a schoolteacher; I deal with businesses when they fail, I write reports to the Insolvency Service as to whether or not directors are fit for purpose).

This post has been edited by stainlessstephen: 06 April 2025 - 07:38 PM

[Cactoise]

stainlessstephen, on 06 April 2025 - 07:35 PM, said:

Right.

So, in a few words and notwithstanding the season hasn't quite finished, put your journalists' heads on and come up with a headline summarising the season.

"Could do better" isn't allowed. (And no, I'm not a schoolteacher; I deal with businesses when they fail, I write reports to the Insolvency Service as to whether or not directors are fit for purpose).

'What could have been'

[Johnnyspireite7]

stainlessstephen, on 06 April 2025 - 07:35 PM, said:

Right.

So, in a few words and notwithstanding the season hasn't quite finished, put your journalists' heads on and come up with a headline summarising the season.

"Could do better" isn't allowed. (And no, I'm not a schoolteacher; I deal with businesses when they fail, I write reports to the Insolvency Service as to whether or not directors are fit for purpose).

Damned Calf injuries!

[dim view]

60s 70s Spireite, on 06 April 2025 - 07:17 PM, said:

Have we done ok considering the injuries? Likely. Have we seen good recruitment this season- I dont think we have. Reading between the lines of what is said at the top table - I think they would perhaps concur.

Morning.
Are you referring to what they said at the AGM? I missed it. What did they say?

In my opinion there are heroic goals for 'consolidation', one being recruitment. We can all name the others. Crooty's Strategic Plan is miles better than 'owt Carson churned out, which contained errrr... no plans. But I'd only mark it 7 out of 10. What, for example, has happened to the 'game changing' artificial pitch on Stand Road?

[60s 70s Spireite]

dim view, on 07 April 2025 - 06:46 AM, said:

Morning.
Are you referring to what they said at the AGM? I missed it. What did they say

I was. I wasnt there neither.
However per the DT Ash said. re the number of players used and wages.
they have used 37 players this season because of injuries and that they don’t want that to happen again. Recruitment team tasked with being ‘imaginative’ on that front.

This post has been edited by 60s 70s Spireite: 07 April 2025 - 07:15 AM

[Burgerman]

s42blue, on 06 April 2025 - 03:58 PM, said:

Cook always said he’d give the players the chance to earn a new deal and they could compete in L2. Imagine the hysteria if last Summer he’d cleared out the under contract players who’d seen us go up as Champions?! Not only would it have been disloyal but also expensive.

As Phil Kirk said this year he’d be happy at 12th. In a public forum.

I’m led to believe the clear out will be that. OoC players have had their chance and not delivered. We have our sights on some wow signings. Sadly Phil’s time is short but his ambitions are high.

WATAW.

I agree with most of this apart from they have not delivered. What do you measure "not delivered" against. It it because we didn't get back to back promotions, failure to make the play offs (albeit we still have a very remote chance), what exactly haven't they delivered?

The injuries decimated our squad, no arguments from me about that. Our recent good run of form that put us in spitting distance of the players was achieved by a team with many of our NL squad contained therein.

I would say the perception of not delivering is down to the individual fans. When the season kicked off I stated I would be more than happy with a top half finish and I stand by that. There's a few on here who struggle to accept we didn't get back to back promotions.

I 100% admire the club for giving our National League winning players a shot at the EFL, they have competed well and not let themselves down. My expectations for next season will be an improvement on this so yeah, there will be players who are out of contract who will be released but of the 15 or so who are out of contract, I don't expect them all to leave. If they do then I see us having another season mid table L2 while we build a new squad to compete for promotion. We will not sign a full squad over the summer where they will compete for promotion (just my opinion).

I think our NL squad did deliver, they were NL players for a reason and that's shone though for some individuals. We still did OK under the circumstances.

[Johnnyspireite7]

dim view, on 07 April 2025 - 06:46 AM, said:

Morning.
Are you referring to what they said at the AGM? I missed it. What did they say?

In my opinion there are heroic goals for 'consolidation', one being recruitment. We can all name the others. Crooty's Strategic Plan is miles better than 'owt Carson churned out, which contained errrr... no plans. But I'd only mark it 7 out of 10. What, for example, has happened to the 'game changing' artificial pitch on Stand Road?

Not got planning permission due to the NImbies on Stand Road and surrounding area.

[dim view]

Johnnyspireite7, on 07 April 2025 - 08:02 AM, said:

Not got planning permission due to the NImbies on Stand Road and surrounding area.

Has pp been rejected?
If there's one thing our Chairman should be good at it's overcoming council planning problems.

[dtp]

60s 70s Spireite, on 06 April 2025 - 07:17 PM, said:

I am not sure what some folk mean by consolidation. Wouldnt it mean we had the bones and core of our team for next season, newly blooded youngsters now matured into regular first teamers (see Darikwa) signings showing signs of coming good towards the end of this season in readiness for the next.

Who are these players that show we have consolidated?

Have we done ok considering the injuries? Likely. Have we seen good recruitment this season- I dont think we have. Reading between the lines of what is said at the top table - I think they would perhaps concur.

Maybe, the players we have consolidated include Gordon, Dobra, Duffy and Mandeville backed up by MacFadzean, Dunkley, Naylor and Grigg. Additionally, Boot, for me has proved he is plenty good enough as a back up keeper.

From that, first choice recruitment wise, I think we might need a GK, RB, LCB, DM, and a CF.

Obviously, we will need to fill the squad out depending on who stays and who goes but I tend to try and think in terms of a settled team with appropriate cover. Something which has certainly not happened this season. I would also like to think we could recruit some decent U21 talent within the exercise too.