Cup Runs/Promotion

Maybe with some of the younger fans, but those that have been around a long time are used to the cycle

 

I would image many fans who joined us from our previous spell in Lge 1 - Yes.
Stuck in Lge 2 for what seemed an eternity, before Parkinson came and began to change all that. We all thought that the Club had found some new and long term momentum. However, as is always the case - Nothing good lasts forever.
As @Storck says - For the seasoned supporter, we've been through these same alley ways before. Like the Hills in Yorkshire, there are as many ups as there are downs.

 

Luckily I know nothing of the re-election years, having been born just after the first season in which we needed to be re-elected. But it has been a roller-coaster ever since; I have got used to the ride.

The recent successes do affect one's current expectations, I think. We were rising steadily, we had established ourselves as a play-off side; so whilst one can't expect that every season, it would have been good to at least remain a solid top-10 side. Instead, we're on the downhill again, and the rate at which we are going, and the very real possibility that the bottom will be the next division down, are rather forceful slaps in the face.

RCB

 

i think so, yes. it then brings up the deeper discussion of where we realistically see the level of the football club.

we hear many fans and players stating that we are a championship club. but why are we? what is the evidence to show this?

we have a large(ish) stadium but we don’t own it - arguably it has been and is currently being fillled at over 50% due to the cheap season ticket deal. we don’t own our training ground, we don’t pay big wages or big transfer fees, we don’t have a successful academy producing players on a regular basis, we don’t have an owner with massive wealth (in comparison to some), barring the last two cups runs we’ve barely made it passed the first two rounds in either in the last 20 years - yet we continually bang the drum about being a championship club.

out of 92 football league clubs, are we in the top half for size? possibly not.

 

No we are not a Championship club, and if we can’t stop the rot, we won’t be a League 1 club either. I am not sure why you are stating the obvious. What we have been in recent years is a club aspiring to become a Championship club, but that has also been take away, thanks to Rahic & Rupp despite their promises of promotion within 3 years.

 

you know promotion can’t be promised right? it can be aimed for, but it can’t be promised.

if you can find me a direct quote from the owners stating they promised promotion within 3 years then i’ll hold my hands up that they were wrong on that one.

 

To lose momentum is no disaster - You just have to accept that gracefully.

Remember Liverpool ? So dominant, for so long. Ditto for Man Utd, Chelsea and now Man City.

Lest we forget some more (now) unfashionable teams, who have had their moments ........ Leeds, Ipswich, Derby, Villa, Notts Forest.

Some are short lived ....... Carlisle, Luton, Oxford, Swindon, Barnsley and City.

How about a Club that has still not recovered ? NORTHAMPTON ! Yeah - One for older fans. Fell from grace much faster than City, and have done little since.
So all in all..... Let's just support the Club, as best we can - Through the good times, as well as the not so good.

 

Rather damn good post, sir.

 

Yes I know lots of things, I also know that in order to reach the aspiration of the Championship there needs to be a coherent plan, which has never been published. I won’t hold my breath though,
Very silly of me to quote their aspirations really. If you wanted to keep the fans on side, you cynically tell them you want Championship football in 3 years, you tell them PL is not out of the picture either, and that they can have this £1 per match!

So ‘mushroom’ fans are thrown very small pieces of BS every now and again to keep them quiet, whilst our club, yes we are an integral part of this club, goes to the wall. I keep hearing about its their train set yadda yadda, but without the customers to make the train set go, they are well and truly .......

One broken train set that they can’t sell for a £1!

 

God that takes me back Ronnie , I think they fell from the old 1st division to the 4th in consecutive seasons, but who could forget Ken Leek who we signed from them !

 

Yes they did ....... Dropping stones are still trying to catch up.
But sorry, I was too young to remember Ken Leek.

 

No idea

 

Don't think any change of mentality is responsible for us (not unreasonably imo) expecting us to get past Macclesfield.

 

No idea, but why does it matter? The fans are a important part of the club, without them you go nowhere. They need to keep them informed, a plan for promotion is a great idea.

 

Yes, after the cup final and promotion we definitely had more people acting as if we had a God given right to win everything.

 

Not much to add on the above. Since I was born in the early 90's we've really only had 2 good cup runs, can't remember the one in 97(?) where we got to round 5 or whatever it was.

In fact losing to Yeovil last season was quite a good run.

 

He was Welsh international signed when they were in the old 1st division for £10,000 which at that time was a sizeable fee, at the time Stafford was was at the club....many moons ago, Ah well back to reality