The reality of this season

[b4life]

With the possible exception of a run in the trophy, it’s pretty clear that both DC and TK have given up on this season and are now trying to put in place the foundations for next seasons whether we like it or not. While TK may say that only a winning team will get back supporters there doesn’t seem to be much effort at encouraging back any supporters based on the frankly absurd £15 for Tuesdays replay. Surely there can be no doubt that the root cause of our current situation is the large number of poor signings by John Still on 2 year contracts. We’ll only truly know whether DC is the messiah who can lead us into the promised land when he’s had the chance to get his own signings in and get rid of the dead wood. I’ll still try to get to as many matches as possible as I do like the style of play that DC is putting in place but I don’t think we have any chance of the play offs now that Jack Taylor has gone, even though it was probably the right call for player and club. I can’t see us bringing in any other players unless DC is able to secure a target for next season. Time to enjoy each match for what it is and hope we might get a good trophy run.

[Norfolkbee]

With the possible exception of a run in the trophy, it’s pretty clear that both DC and TK have given up on this season and are now trying to put in place the foundations for next seasons whether we like it or not. While TK may say that only a winning team will get back supporters there doesn’t seem to be much effort at encouraging back any supporters based on the frankly absurd £15 for Tuesdays replay. Surely there can be no doubt that the root cause of our current situation is the large number of poor signings by John Still on 2 year contracts. We’ll only truly know whether DC is the messiah who can lead us into the promised land when he’s had the chance to get his own signings in and get rid of the dead wood. I’ll still try to get to as many matches as possible as I do like the style of play that DC is putting in place but I don’t think we have any chance of the play offs now that Jack Taylor has gone, even though it was probably the right call for player and club. I can’t see us bringing in any other players unless DC is able to secure a target for next season. Time to enjoy each match for what it is and hope we might get a good trophy run.

I can't argue with anything you say other than to say that I don't think TK and DC had any real expectations for this season right from the start. Sure DC was allowed to make a couple of decent and much-needed signings in the summer, but by and large he has been asked to soldier on with certain players who are either permanently injured, disinterested or just plain stealing a living. We just have to hope things change in the summer and that hopes of a playing budget capable of winning promotion are not just pipe dreams.

[finchleyman]

No ambition which is why there are no supporters. TK likes to be a big fish in a small pond rather than the other way around and maybe he's right.

[beew]

With the possible exception of a run in the trophy, it’s pretty clear that both DC and TK have given up on this season and are now trying to put in place the foundations for next seasons whether we like it or not. While TK may say that only a winning team will get back supporters there doesn’t seem to be much effort at encouraging back any supporters based on the frankly absurd £15 for Tuesdays replay. Surely there can be no doubt that the root cause of our current situation is the large number of poor signings by John Still on 2 year contracts. We’ll only truly know whether DC is the messiah who can lead us into the promised land when he’s had the chance to get his own signings in and get rid of the dead wood. I’ll still try to get to as many matches as possible as I do like the style of play that DC is putting in place but I don’t think we have any chance of the play offs now that Jack Taylor has gone, even though it was probably the right call for player and club. I can’t see us bringing in any other players unless DC is able to secure a target for next season. Time to enjoy each match for what it is and hope we might get a good trophy run.

I can't argue with anything you say other than to say that I don't think TK and DC had any real expectations for this season right from the start. Sure DC was allowed to make a couple of decent and much-needed signings in the summer, but by and large he has been asked to soldier on with certain players who are either permanently injured, disinterested or just plain stealing a living. We just have to hope things change in the summer and that hopes of a playing budget capable of winning promotion are not just pipe dreams.

This was the unfortunate reality, of the desperate situation, Still burdened us with. I can only hope TK has finally learnt his lesson in trusting, those who he thought were knowledgeable friends, rips up his football contacts diary and let's someone young and ambitious spend the budget. Employing also-rans at the end of their careers isn't a smart move as invariably they're only in it to squeeze every last penny for themselves.

[letchbee94]

I would hope that both have not written of this season and I also doubt that they have.
Only 5 points of the play offs.

[Ajtheone04]

I'd put it like this: DC and TK still want to make the playoffs but they're not going to invest so much time and money in doing so and if we don't they won't be disappointed
All whilst building for next season in the background

[Norfolkbee]

I'd put it like this: DC and TK still want to make the playoffs but they're not going to invest so much time and money in doing so and if we don't they won't be disappointed
All whilst building for next season in the background

Precisely and this has been the situation all season. DC has had a free run this season, but the pressure will doubtlessly be on him throughout the summer and next season - unless, of course, TK has other ideas.

[hoofer2]

I haven't written the season off just yet. If we sign a striker who scores with regularity then no reason to think we won't be in the mix. We are 9 unbeaten now.

If you take away Akinde's penalties he did not score as many as he should. We were 100% reliant on him and all at sea when he didn't play.

Let's see...

Personally I think we need to cut our losses on Santos and Shaq at end of season even if both start playing again this season. Fitness records are too fragile

[becbee]

What it comes down to is, do fans go to football matches to watch football as a leisure / social activity or does it only matter to them if promotion / trophies can be the final outcome?
We could make the Play Offs - but you could say that about at least half the teams in this league. Likewise we are still in the FAT - again, as are 20 other clubs.
We sit above 6 ex EFL clubs, at least we don't have relegation fears as some of them do.
So yes, things could, should be better. But they could be a whole lot worse.

[Norfolk & Chance]

What it comes down to is, do fans go to football matches to watch football as a leisure / social activity or does it only matter to them if promotion / trophies can be the final outcome?
We could make the Play Offs - but you could say that about at least half the teams in this league. Likewise we are still in the FAT - again, as are 20 other clubs.
We sit above 6 ex EFL clubs, at least we don't have relegation fears as some of them do.
So yes, things could, should be better. But they could be a whole lot worse.

There's a third reason why fans go, or used to go.
Because going to games was in the blood!
It didn't matter where we were in the table, what chances we had of promotion or a trophy, nothing mattered but 3pm on a Saturday.
And I believe TKs mission statement is indeed "things could be a whole lot worse".

[Mem Beespod]

I don’t believe both TK and DC have given up on this season. On the contrary, I believe DC is desperate to get promotion this season but all the noises coming out of the club is that TK is not prepared to support any investments. Managers at this level don’t get much time so it’s in DC’s interests to do the best he can so that if he and the club part ways at some point, he has achievements in the bag to sell himself.

[djhdjh]

I haven't written the season off just yet. If we sign a striker who scores with regularity then no reason to think we won't be in the mix. We are 9 unbeaten now.

If you take away Akinde's penalties he did not score as many as he should. We were 100% reliant on him and all at sea when he didn't play.

He used to win all the penalties, though...

[MCB]

I don’t believe both TK and DC have given up on this season. On the contrary, I believe DC is desperate to get promotion this season but all the noises coming out of the club is that TK is not prepared to support any investments. Managers at this level don’t get much time so it’s in DC’s interests to do the best he can so that if he and the club part ways at some point, he has achievements in the bag to sell himself.

Yeh, this is DC's first managerial role, and he seems to have a strong desire to go through the leagues, with or without us. Rather like when he was a player. When we got relegated with him in the side - did anyone realistically expect to see him tearing it up in the Championship with Ipswich?

He adapted his lack of pace to succeed. I'm sure he's capable of doing it as a manager. My only worry is a) with TK and b) with the fanbase. Why? Well, the danger is that both are impatient and won't give him the time he needs.

So we know about Jack's going for money. But since he took as sole boss we've also lost senior pros Dave Tarpey, Nana Kyei, Cousins, Fumnaya Shomotun, Byron Harrison, Boucard, Mark Robson, Mo Bettamer. That's a lot of salary to cut back on - and brought in possibly the league's best goalkeeper, a captain and dedicated DCM and a striker who suffered the Kabba-Kurse so we have no idea.

Combined with the FA Cup & trophy run last season, financially, he's in credit. But he is not in charge of purse strings so we don't know what is available to him to spend, if anything.

But one thing is for sure - what will getting rid of him achieve? He was rumoured to be one bad result away from being sacked. But then what? Do we have a team capable of being promoted? We had 4 left backs and 4 wingers and no strikers in the fifteen on Saturday - we're so unbalanced it's crazy. That can only be resolved by signing players.

We can talk about Cheye and Reynolds and Adams not being good enough - which might be true, but if lose them today, who the hell replaces them? But that's not our priority positions. We're now in the position that it has to be one in, then one out. Arguably only Sparkes and Mauro are currently disposable.

DC knows that whilst we're in with a chance, the play offs and FA Trophy are targets. Who the hell do we have to be scared of in this division?! Also, this is how he makes his name, overachieving with limited resources - throughout history it's how non-league managers got identified. The Cowley's continually did so at Concord, look at them now.

Meanwhile, i've accepted that at the end of the season we're going to lose Santos, Sweeney, Shaq, Ak & Mauro (league contracts coming to an end, all think they can play higher, all spent most of the season in the Kabba Room), so let's try and get them as fit as possible and get some quality out of them and push for success.

Next season we could literally start with a spine of Loach, Johnson, H Taylor, Dunne, EMC & Pavey. Will TK be prepared to let DC build a team around them? I'd rather he did than some other random manager we bring in.

Whilst we're still capable of Wembley twice, I still see the possibility (rather than probability) of a great season ahead.

[StephenM]

I suspect it's a lot of fans, rather than the manager and chairman, who have this league campaign down as a write off. Those fans then decide, due to their own bias, that the manager and chairman also hold that opinion.

[Tuesds]

Great post MCB. It was even more ridiculous than you suggest on Saturday; because it was the Trophy we had an 18-man squad, and yet had just one centre half and no strikers amongst them! It's even worse when you consider that the system that Currie has settled on this season calls for three centre halves and two strikers in the first XI alone!

Hopefully Walker and Sweeney will indeed return on Saturday to correct that imbalance a little. A ludicrous situation, however.