Where does the blame lie? | Vital Football

Where does the blame lie?

Hastings

Hastings

Vital Football Hero
Mansford?
Critch?
Applebore?
Bigger budgets?
Unlucky with injuries?
Recruitment?

What will St Simon do next? Are we for likely to be competitive in Div 3?
 
I think the blame lies firmly at Mansfords feet. I believe he's the one who employed Applegone and gave him free rein. Having said that, there was obviously problems before with Critchley walking. This was something to do with a lack of transfer funds if rumours are to be believed and therefore does the blame end with the big cheese, SS?

I'm not sure but what I do know is that if we go down we're going to struggle in League One without serious investment into the playing staff and a hungry manager/coach. Let Dobbie have a go!
 
There are a lot of "big" clubs in Div 3 and only 3 can get promoted.
Plymouth, Wendies, Ipshit, Pompey, Horwich, Derby, Barnsley, Charlton and that's without mentioning the perennial money spenders Peterbrough
 
All of those things mentioned Hasty. We will struggle to survive in div 3. Every game appears to be a up hill toil. We don't have what it takes to compete on or off the pitch. Where's the feel good factor going to come from? Time will heal I guess.
 
Last edited:
Critchley. Leaving us in the lurch having performed minor miracles with this squad.

Not saying the club haven't made mistakes, but it's a reality of where we are that if we are in the championship we're likely to be in a relegation battle.

We're not an attractive proposition for players to come to, both because of wages and other aspects like the fact the training ground is a bunch of portercabins.

Appointing Appleton was a mistake, but the only other candidate "of note" at the time was Rosenior who wasn't even able to get/keep the Derby job for long (although he's doing very well at Hull now).

I obviously hope we don't go down, but if we did we're still in a significantly stronger position that the start of the season we came up. We have got a decent squad, with a few standout players under decent contracts - not saying we'd walk straight up but there's no reason we should be at least challenging.
 
inside_man said:
Critchley. Leaving us in the lurch having performed minor miracles with this squad.

Not saying the club haven't made mistakes, but it's a reality of where we are that if we are in the championship we're likely to be in a relegation battle.

We're not an attractive proposition for players to come to, both because of wages and other aspects like the fact the training ground is a bunch of portercabins.

Appointing Appleton was a mistake, but the only other candidate "of note" at the time was Rosenior who wasn't even able to get/keep the Derby job for long (although he's doing very well at Hull now).

I obviously hope we don't go down, but if we did we're still in a significantly stronger position that the start of the season we came up. We have got a decent squad, with a few standout players under decent contracts - not saying we'd walk straight up but there's no reason we should be at least challenging.
Click to expand...
Yes but. If we go down we will no doubt lose our best players.
 
No doubt we will be in league one next season and we won’t come straight back up, whoever we appoint. You can only hope lessons are learnt and the recruitment is right and the manager and is sorted well before August.

You’ve got to point the finger at the board mainly for the failings this season. Something obviously wasn’t quite right towards the back end of last season when we were absolutely terrible looking back. Maybe Critchley wanted out then?

Appleton was always an unpopular and uninspiring appointment and he did absolutely nothing to win the fans over, with his crap tactics or negative comments in the press making out “little Blackpool” should be grateful just to be in the Championship.

However that said, recruitment has been absolutely terrible and I do feel for Appleton with that. However it clearly wasn’t working and he should have gone after that Wigan game and given a new man the World Cup break and the January window to assess and get it right. This obviously didn’t happen and we have flair players and appoint a dinosaur in McCarthy. I was actually quite pleased with his appointment but in reality the football is even worse, performances are dire and we don’t look like winning.

I don’t buy this number of injuries as a excuse, this comes down to signing players who have hardly played in the last few seasons so it’s a recipe for disaster in a fast paced physically damaging league when games come thick and fast. The lack of discipline comes from an unhappy changing room and squad.

Ill be glad when this season is over, let’s make an early appointment and get recruitment right and start afresh for league one next season.
 
premier 1 said:
Yes but. If we go down we will no doubt lose our best players.
Click to expand...

Sure, but they're mostly under contract and we can command decent fees for them.

Grimshaw, Ekpiteta, Gabriel, Lyons (though early on, granted), Yates, Carey are all too good for league one but we can command a decent fee if they were to go. If not they are the ones to build a team around.

Husband, Lavery, Dougall, CJ, Thorniley would also be very good players in league one, but I think they're a mixture of out of contract / club has an option.

Tharme and Casey are, from what I can tell, doing well out on loan at league one clubs at the moment - they'd be in the squad.

Given where the club is at the moment, needing significant infrastructure investment etc., we have to probably look to replace the Critchley scenario and bring in a young coach (perhaps the United bloke might be interested when it's not mid-season) and build a team that takes us up and then keeps us there.
 
inside_man said:
Sure, but they're mostly under contract and we can command decent fees for them.

Grimshaw, Ekpiteta, Gabriel, Lyons (though early on, granted), Yates, Carey are all too good for league one but we can command a decent fee if they were to go. If not they are the ones to build a team around.

Husband, Lavery, Dougall, CJ, Thorniley would also be very good players in league one, but I think they're a mixture of out of contract / club has an option.

Tharme and Casey are, from what I can tell, doing well out on loan at league one clubs at the moment - they'd be in the squad.

Given where the club is at the moment, needing significant infrastructure investment etc., we have to probably look to replace the Critchley scenario and bring in a young coach (perhaps the United bloke might be interested when it's not mid-season) and build a team that takes us up and then keeps us there.
Click to expand...

Well thats it then, sell the best players and start from scratch. Shouldn't take much time at all and by bumming around on the scrap heaps and lucky bins, we'll be back in the Championship before we know it. With that approach we're sure to attract the best players. We've had our fair share of luck, its not going to keep happening. Pay peanuts and you most often get monkeys.
 
Last edited:
nodrogaty said:
Well thats it then, sell the best players and start from scratch. Shouldn't take much time at all and by bumming around on the scrap heaps and lucky bins, we'll be back in the Championship before we know it. With that approach we're sure to attract the best players. We've had our fair share of luck, its not going to keep happening. Pay peanuts and you most often get monkeys.
Click to expand...

That's not what I said though is it? I was responding to Prem who said we'll lose all our best players, and I responded with they're under contract (which is unusual for us) so we shouldn't be losing them unless we get a fee we are happy with.
 
It's definitely a worry gents. I agree we need a hungry young manager with a Thommo to support them. The training facilities has always been my priority but this without a spade in the ground must be 3 years off.

I'm glad St Simon is doing the fans forum, I'm hoping that is leadership rather than a Tory style threat and despair mode.

We have come such a long way in the short period of ousting the Os. The ground looks much healthier, the pitch and the "temp" (I hope) training facilities. What worries me is the loss of the optimism and younger fans abandoning the club.

I still pray we stay up and i'm looking forward to 3 points and cheering the boys on at Reading. In my head I knew we were down when I saw us at Peterborough and Critch's reaction after the game.

UTVMP!!!
 
If we go down how many of of youngsters might get the chance to step up and be the core of a side for years to come. Apter, Trusty, Tharme etc?
 
inside_man said:
Sure, but they're mostly under contract and we can command decent fees for them.

Grimshaw, Ekpiteta, Gabriel, Lyons (though early on, granted), Yates, Carey are all too good for league one but we can command a decent fee if they were to go. If not they are the ones to build a team around.

Husband, Lavery, Dougall, CJ, Thorniley would also be very good players in league one, but I think they're a mixture of out of contract / club has an option.

Tharme and Casey are, from what I can tell, doing well out on loan at league one clubs at the moment - they'd be in the squad.

Given where the club is at the moment, needing significant infrastructure investment etc., we have to probably look to replace the Critchley scenario and bring in a young coach (perhaps the United bloke might be interested when it's not mid-season) and build a team that takes us up and then keeps us there.
Click to expand...

Can’t see the United bloke coming to league one.

Not sure I’d agree with your list of who’s too good for league one either:

Grimshaw & Yates - fair enough
Ekpiteta - has had a poor season but not alone and is more than capable at that level
Lyons - going to be a good player this lad, I do worry someone will come in for him at summer but the length of contract he has should go in our favour
Gabriel - can’t keep fit
Carey - absolutely NOT is he too good for league one, he has potential and there’s a good player in there but he’s one who will benefit the most from a season in league one. Be very surprised if anyone from the Championship came in for him.

Husband, Dougall, Thorniley and Lavery I could all agree should be reasonable at L1 level and it might do Lavery some good to get some regular game time and hopefully goals as he’s looked a shadow of himself this season. CJ I’m not sure on to be honest.
 
We've been punching above our weight for too long. Imho, the main blame lies at Mansfords feet, his timing, decision making and general lack of nous is more than questionable. The infrastucture is not quite there but we should expect better from those pulling the strings. I have never got the buying players to sell them on mentality. He's bit off more than he can chew thats for sure. I have no faith in him any more. The whole things dysfunctional.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.