Offer

Stuart was being disingenuous when he said he wanted to keep the squad together he must have known he could keep Meredith or Marshall or Cullen. There was no chance of keeping that squad

 

Which was MY point, too.
I was completely taken in by their Cedar Court Interview with AC - As many were, at the time.

 

The squad was 3rd in December. We have regressed but it is not purely down to the owners - they players need to take some flack as well. As does McCall, as does Grayson.

Let's be realistic here and not over react - a terrible second half to the season but throwing money at problems didn't help Bury or Northampton. It would have probably helped in the winter transfer window but we have finished midtable - it isn't the end of the world.

 

If the Prem is genuinely the aim then investment in the best possible players who can stay with you on that journey is essential.

I hope to be proved wrong but Shay and Charlie for example will never be top end championship players let alone premiership players they just don't have that potential.

Take Swansea as an example I'm sure they had players who'd been with them all the way to the top but that will take cash and balls as they are gambles. What ever they want to do they just need to set realistic ambitions for the fans going forward which is something I felt Lawn was actually good at.

 

Rubbish the squad was injury hit with players absent it was failure from up above to provide the funding for enough quality players to b able to cope. We did not have a senior squad right back available left back was been covered by a young in experienced winger, we had a left footed cb playing right side and a player from Bury brought in at the last moment who was and had been very poor for us.

 

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/14956579.Meredith__I_want_to_sign_up_for_more_with_Bantams/

 

Again, fair points. And yet if the Summer recruitment had been satisfactory, then January would have needed just a couple of players, not 4 - and where 6 were needed. Had we actually got six - I believe City would now still be in a PO position. But it's all hindsight, and has been well covered by all on C&B.

 

Meredith got an offer from the championship and went he was probably tapped up before the final

 

we could have signed him up long before that.

 

As I said Yeovil struggled to field 11 players .we bodged it

 

what a rubbish article.

 

It was Yeovil! They were in the middle of their own injury crisis and had just loaned in 4 players the week before to enable them to field a full squad.

If the team had been focused and motivated we should have been able to put out half a teams of reserves and still be better than them.

 

Spot on it was a failure of management and players and it cost the club badly

 

Only possibly, @Ricc ......... I truly believe it was a situation of 'I'll play in the Championship with, or without you', from Meredith. As it was ...... City failed, and Meredith walked. I would have done too, like 95% of us.

 

Fair points but were we not batting above our station, getting results when we didn't deserve them? Granted, we lost a few also when we didn't deserve to but i have to say i wasn't impressed at the summer recruitment and it was only a matter of time until the tide changed this season. I certainly wasn't surprised with the massive slump when you compare our players to other teams. I agree that i think we've ended up more or less where we belong.

 

if think if we'd sorted it in January he'd have re-signed, and then if he did end up leaving after our failure to gain promotion we'd have made some money on it at least.

Money talks, we could have kept him, and McArdle if we really wanted to. Marshall and Cullen possibly not.

 

if you remember Stuart said he hoped several players out of contract in summer 2017 would be made offers around Christmas time, I think that would have included McArdle, Darby and McMahon ?.

 

I don't understand why you'd think he'd tie himself into a further contract when he correctly thought he was good enough for the championship. You're right, money talks and it's a lot louder at that level.

I think McArdle is the only one we should have kept. All the rest had genuinely good reasons for moving on.

 

And round and round we go, Park.
This particular discussion will rage on beyond close season.

 

Time to stop all the bickering and get behind the club. I honestly believe they will put together a competitive squad this summer and give whoever the manager is the best chance possible.