[Stoneyspireite]

Yes - a terrific season last year with the core principle of passing around and through teams delivering a 6th place finish. However, what styles have ultimately been promoted this year? Bristol - pressure, graft, yes passing, but power and speed in abundance. MK - yes passing, but midfield goals huge contribution to their promotion. Preston - power, strength, direct play with quality strikers. I agree it is concerning that our glamour players would seem to be off, but have we seen the best of them? Roberts missed many games through injury and is a year older, Ryan for all his quality on the ball, very few goals. I know they are good players but the style of play will dictate their effectiveness. If Saunders recruits widely who knows what we will perform like next year. Change is often needed when a team has reached its peak. I'm looking forwards to preseason games and our new era. Roberts and Ryan are not world beaters. Before the slating arrives, there are many more good quality players out there. If we get the right combination it could all happen again!! Even the big bucks Blunts can't get it right where wages are not a barrier to progress. Let's give Saunders the time and chance he deserves.

[Goku]

The aim isn't to push on. It's to reduce debt and.. what's that horrid word... 'consolidate'.

[brianclose]

Goku, on 29 May 2015 - 01:34 PM, said:

The aim isn't to push on. It's to reduce debt and.. what's that horrid word... 'consolidate'.

We were meant to consolidate last year and push on this. LOL.

[brianclose]

Stoneyspireite, on 29 May 2015 - 01:29 PM, said:

Yes - a terrific season last year with the core principle of passing around and through teams delivering a 6th place finish. However, what styles have ultimately been promoted this year? Bristol - pressure, graft, yes passing, but power and speed in abundance. MK - yes passing, but midfield goals huge contribution to their promotion. Preston - power, strength, direct play with quality strikers. I agree it is concerning that our glamour players would seem to be off, but have we seen the best of them? Roberts missed many games through injury and is a year older, Ryan for all his quality on the ball, very few goals. I know they are good players but the style of play will dictate their effectiveness. If Saunders recruits widely who knows what we will perform like next year. Change is often needed when a team has reached its peak. I'm looking forwards to preseason games and our new era. Roberts and Ryan are not world beaters. Before the slating arrives, there are many more good quality players out there. If we get the right combination it could all happen again!! Even the big bucks Blunts can't get it right where wages are not a barrier to progress. Let's give Saunders the time and chance he deserves.

I admire the sentiment, but we were one big bustling Craig Davies/Jermaine Beckford striker away from making a push for the top 3 next year IMO. We'd built the house and just had to put the roof on top. Now its back to the foundations.

[60s 70s Spireite]

Stoneyspireite, on 29 May 2015 - 01:29 PM, said:

Yes - a terrific season last year with the core principle of passing around and through teams delivering a 6th place finish. However, what styles have ultimately been promoted this year? Bristol - pressure, graft, yes passing, but power and speed in abundance. MK - yes passing, but midfield goals huge contribution to their promotion. Preston - power, strength, direct play with quality strikers. I agree it is concerning that our glamour players would seem to be off, but have we seen the best of them? Roberts missed many games through injury and is a year older, Ryan for all his quality on the ball, very few goals. I know they are good players but the style of play will dictate their effectiveness. If Saunders recruits widely who knows what we will perform like next year. Change is often needed when a team has reached its peak. I'm looking forwards to preseason games and our new era. Roberts and Ryan are not world beaters. Before the slating arrives, there are many more good quality players out there. If we get the right combination it could all happen again!! Even the big bucks Blunts can't get it right where wages are not a barrier to progress. Let's give Saunders the time and chance he deserves.

Its not what styles what got promoted. Its what cost. Players of the ilk of Smith (loan) Emmanuel Thomas ,Grigg (loan), Alli (latterly loan, Adobe (early season loan) Beckford, Gallagher (loans) don't come cheap-they come at money way beyond what we can afford and choose to pay.

I admire your positivity, but I would argue we built a team that cost not a lot, that could play exceptionally pleasing football and won a lot of matches. The best of everything we could have hoped for. There are quality players out there, but, in view of the messages coming form the top about affordability and players needing to go, they won't be coming here.

[Freddie]

brianclose, on 29 May 2015 - 01:40 PM, said:

I admire the sentiment, but we were one big bustling Craig Davies/Jermaine Beckford striker away from making a push for the top 3 next year IMO. We'd built the house and just had to put the roof on top. Now its back to the foundations.

If it was Beckford it would be an expensive roof, circa £30,000 per week! Roughly our entire playing budget on one player. It really is incredulous that anyone could imagine we could ever afford such an outlay.

[Goku]

60s 70s Spireite, on 29 May 2015 - 01:51 PM, said:

Its not what styles what got promoted. Its what cost. Players of the ilk of Smith (loan) Emmanuel Thomas ,Grigg (loan), Alli (latterly loan, Adobe (early season loan) Beckford, Gallagher (loans) don't come cheap-they come at money way beyond what we can afford and choose to pay.

I admire your positivity, but I would argue we built a team that cost not a lot, that could play exceptionally pleasing football and won a lot of matches. The best of everything we could have hoped for. There are quality players out there, but, in view of the messages coming form the top about affordability and players needing to go, they won't be coming here.

100% correct.

[warfey is a spireite]

brianclose, on 29 May 2015 - 01:38 PM, said:

We were meant to consolidate last year and push on this. LOL.

weve been consolidating the 46 years ive been going up /down , up/down ,

[brianclose]

Freddie, on 29 May 2015 - 01:55 PM, said:

If it was Beckford it would be an expensive roof, circa £30,000 per week! Roughly our entire playing budget on one player. It really is incredulous that anyone could imagine we could ever afford such an outlay.

Apparently Preston were only paying 1.5k of it though..

[warfey is a spireite]

brianclose, on 29 May 2015 - 01:40 PM, said:

I admire the sentiment, but we were one big bustling Craig Davies/Jermaine Beckford striker away from making a push for the top 3 next year IMO. We'd built the house and just had to put the roof on top. Now its back to the foundations.

if we can afford to hire a digger bri

[Stoneyspireite]

Individuals don't get teams promoted. The blend of players and management of the squad and their effectiveness delivers success. As mentioned earlier, we are a town with a team that will move upwards and downwards over periods of time. Change does not necessarily mean perceived decline. It all depends on mind sets and realism of who we are, what we can become and where our ceiling is. Without a middle Eastern or Russian bank roller we are just the same as the rest. I enjoy watching our team, travelling around the country to support them and reserve the right to be philosophical about our future. We are well placed with a great ground and are about to enter a new period of CFC history. Whatever that brings it will not be dull, unlike many of our less fortunate local and regional neighbours. I can't think of any other local club in a better position than us in terms of recent history or excitement around our club. DA has been great for CFC and whatever his plans, it's his cash, his vision and his commitment that has delivered our new fantastic home of football and remarkable memories. We are lucky.

[brianclose]

[quote name='Stoneyspireite' timestamp='1432909212' post='1120170']
Individuals don't get teams promoted. The blend of players and management of the squad and their effectiveness delivers success.

Correct - who would have thought a young firebrand from Port Vale with a discipline problem and an unwanted scouser on his way to non-league Luton would have formed the best central midfield pairing ever witnessed at this football club.

[Beelzebub]

60s 70s Spireite, on 29 May 2015 - 01:51 PM, said:

Its not what styles what got promoted. Its what cost. Players of the ilk of Smith (loan) Emmanuel Thomas ,Grigg (loan), Alli (latterly loan, Adobe (early season loan) Beckford, Gallagher (loans) don't come cheap-they come at money way beyond what we can afford and choose to pay.

in view of the messages coming form the top about affordability and players needing to go

And what messages would these be. The only statements from the club have been very positive. CT has said we will have our biggest budget ever and DA says we are pushing for the Championship. Nobody at the club has ever said anything about players needing to go. You are confusing the muddled negativity from certain posters with what the club is actually saying. Wait and see.

[60s 70s Spireite]

brianclose, on 29 May 2015 - 02:26 PM, said:

Correct - who would have thought a young firebrand from Port Vale with a discipline problem and an unwanted scouser on his way to non-league Luton would have formed the best central midfield pairing ever witnessed at this football club.

I am not sure about the stories of Jimmy heading to Luton. This is a player who was interesting (reportedly) Real Zargoza in 2011, who Scunthorpe were ordered to pay £170,000 for, who had played 49 games for in the his last season there, and had won the Scunthorpe player of the year award as voted by the readers of the Scunthorpe Telegraph. Scunthorpe had no money (like us now) and were hoping to get him to sign on the cheap. Brian Laws said at the time:
The money isn’t available for him at this moment in time, but in a few weeks’ time, if nerves are jangling and there’s still nothing on offer, we might be able to do something for him.” In the article published in Scunthopre on 31 May 2013, the concluding sentence was:

Fellow League Two side Chesterfield were last night reported to be a possible destination for Ryan.

Read more: http://www.scunthorp...l#ixzz3bXTziUZZ

This post has been edited by 60s 70s Spireite: 29 May 2015 - 02:57 PM

[60s 70s Spireite]

Beelzebub, on 29 May 2015 - 02:45 PM, said:

And what messages would these be. The only statements from the club have been very positive. CT has said we will have our biggest budget ever and DA says we are pushing for the Championship. Nobody at the club has ever said anything about players needing to go. You are confusing the muddled negativity from certain posters with what the club is actually saying. Wait and see.

DA has said we have to bring youngsters on, that is the way forward. DS said 'I hope other clubs don't steal our players' and 'we will have to wait and see who is still here'. One way to ensure players are still here is to offer extensions to contracts. Clearly we can't afford to do that, and hence players will go, DA will want a fee now rather nil next summer. The players we sign will not be as good as the players leaving- as their wages will be less. From the Premier League down, its effectively the clubs paying the most in wages that have the best players and best team. Yes, occasionally they are blips to that theory, but ultimately cream rises to the top. We batted well above our average last season, to start again, as we are likely to, will be a massive ask.

And whatever people say, Stuart Basson effectively told us all this some weeks ago.

[Misnomer]

Beelzebub, on 29 May 2015 - 02:45 PM, said:

And what messages would these be. The only statements from the club have been very positive. CT has said we will have our biggest budget ever and DA says we are pushing for the Championship. Nobody at the club has ever said anything about players needing to go. You are confusing the muddled negativity from certain posters with what the club is actually saying. Wait and see.

Lol that's hilarious! Thanks for the laugh, Beezy.
You know when Phil said 'this is as good as it gets for a very long time'; what do you think he meant by that? Because, so far, it doesn't look like his prophetic analysis is registering on the antithesis chart.....
Some folk just don't want to hear it, do they.

[Goku]

Misnomer, on 29 May 2015 - 03:05 PM, said:

Lol that's hilarious! Thanks for the laugh, Beezy.
You know when Phil said 'this is as good as it gets for a very long time'; what do you think he meant by that? Because, so far, it doesn't look like his prophetic analysis is registering on the antithesis chart.....
Some folk just don't want to hear it, do they.

Must be brilliant to just believe everything the club says and dismiss everything revealed externally as 'gossip' and the like. What a fun, naive world to live in.

[Guest_freelander2_*]

Beelzebub, on 29 May 2015 - 02:45 PM, said:

CT has said we will have our biggest budget ever

Do you actually believe that?

For us to have our biggest playing budget ever next season, we must be budgeting that income from gates will be equal to, or greater than last season. Do you consider that to be likely or wise?

This post has been edited by freelander2: 29 May 2015 - 03:24 PM

[dim view]

Misnomer, on 29 May 2015 - 03:05 PM, said:

Lol that's hilarious! Thanks for the laugh, Beezy.
You know when Phil said 'this is as good as it gets for a very long time'; what do you think he meant by that? Because, so far, it doesn't look like his prophetic analysis is registering on the antithesis chart.....

The bit about Drew leaving was very prophetic.

[Wooden Spoon]

Stoneyspireite, on 29 May 2015 - 02:20 PM, said:

. It all depends on mind sets

no it doesn't, it depends on how much money you spend to acquire the quality needed to finish at the top.







All the wishfull thinking in the world wont win football matches, top drawer players do that....and they cost more than we can afford.

Beelzebub, on 29 May 2015 - 02:45 PM, said:

And what messages would these be. The only statements from the club have been very positive. CT has said we will have our biggest budget ever and DA says we are pushing for the Championship. Nobody at the club has ever said anything about players needing to go. You are confusing the muddled negativity from certain posters with what the club is actually saying. Wait and see.

don't look at what the club are saying - look at what the club are doing.