Graham Alexander should be sacked

For me, it’s quite simple.

This is League Two football. It’s lacking quality and it’ll never be pretty.

Ultimately, as a fan, I care about results. Does GA currently have a 47% win ratio with someone else’s squad - yes!

You’ll go very close with a ratio like that.

 

The January window provided the chance for Alexander to recruit players he wanted on board.
Young came back and unfortunately sustained an injury which as kept him out.Wright hadn't played much for Plymouth but is certainly a player who's more than capable at League Two level and lastly both Walker and Kavanagh have been very astute signings.
Alexander and Lucketti know what's required to build a winning team but 23 other managers will also have the same ethical beliefs in our division.
Financial backing been the biggest factor to recruit the quality players required to win games but even then nothings guaranteed but it helps.

 

22 scrappy wins and 10 draws with 14 defeats, gets you 76 points and the playoffs.
If he can get the squad he wants, with the division looking slightly weaker on paper for next season, we could even get the autos. Next season has to be the year.

 

We say it every year Andy.
Recruitment is key if we are to finally succeed in getting out of the basement division.

 

I feel like about 35 of us posters post this exact sentence or something similar every April-May..... and then Ash Taylor is the first signing through the door.

 

Your 100% right.Forever Optermistic Bantams.

 

Its about time the recruitment team stepped up and improved their due diligence during a summer rebuild.

League 2 is a terrible, terrible, terrible league and there is not a massive difference in ability between the top teams and the midtable teams.

the good teams are just better organised and know their job. They play for their manager and when you combine all of that and get some consistency, you get sides like Cambridge and Stevenage going up and Barrow and Crawley doing well this season.

we need to identify players with the right mentality. More Calum Kavanagh’s. He’s taken it all in his stride, with a bit of a swagger, and looks a cracking find. Sam Walker too. Lewis who? Walker has been excellent.

 

I have a strange feeling, next year will be our year.
I am usually the most pessimistic person when it comes to City. 50 years and 90 % dross.
Can not sat why, maybe its just trapped wind.

 

This. It ain't rocket science. We should have built on last year's playoff position, instead we had a manger who changed things like we'd got fundamental problems when thr system just needed upgrading in certain positions. And as much as I think Sparks isn't up to his job he wasn't at fault for this, Hughes was.
To be fair, the clubs that are going up, we could have predicted they'd do well. Well run ambitious owners looking for success, something we simply don't have.
Maybe now Rupp realised Sparks wasn't up to it and with Sharpe in the building the football side might be better run.

 

Fingers crossed mate.
I think getting David Sharpe through the door, could be a masterstroke.

 

It's the hope that gets us. On paper, it's a weaker L2. At the minute i don't think any of the squads coming down are a threat. Carlisle will lose a lot and their random approach to recruitment of just signing players who had buzz 6 months before under the yanks in Jan will need fine-tuning. Fleetwood and Cheltenham are no great shakes either these days, Fleetwood with known financial troubles too. Coming up, Chesterfield will be a challenger, Cook is a top manager and their current squad would do well in L2, let alone with additions. Play offs are a lottery, but Barnet seem that notch above the rest and they got 7 figures from Peterborough in Jan on sell ons and have a 50% sell on with Ronnie Edwards, so they could come up with a nice kitty to spend.

Salford will spend, County might if Langstaff and Crowley go. Gillingham have cash. MK hopefully go up.

 

All those teams promotions (or in Barrow's case punching above their weight) coincided with having managers in before the start of the season and in some case sticking with them for two or more seasons (i.e. Exeter, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Barrow, Mansfield). Laughably, earlier this season, some fans wanted Challinor out at Stockport, due to their quiet start. Ironically, it was their draw with us that calmed some of them down.

Those in charge, need to ignore all that fan noise and do what's best - which is why Sharp is a big upgrade on Sparks. The former supported Nigel Clough when they went weeks without winning (autumn 2022) Sparks would have caved in to fan pressure and sacked him.

That's always been the solution - although I accept that what Hughes did in the summer was gross professional misconduct and so he had to go.

 

If MK Dons go up that will be the first time in more than ten seasons that a mid-season managerial change has worked in L2.

 

I still blame Sparkes for allowing MH to change course. Harsh I know, but if Sparkes had an atom of football nouse he would have known that would put the squad under enormous pressure, plus the expense. That ultimately comes down to Rupp. It’s ok to be a distant owner, i personally don’t care, but I tell you what I do care about is not taking great care in who appoints as his CEO, and then simply absorbs everything he says. That is why we are in this position.

 

Fingers crossed they break the hoodoo around it. I fear with MK who aren't scared to spend and add debt, and Williamsons style of play in a league which is shifting quickly to a passing league, along with a fully summer of recruiting will have them as a top 3 side next season in this league.

 

Take yer sen for a satisfying dump and prepare to be disappointed again.

 

I still think you have to be more pragmatic, like all the top three have been. Dons play far too openly, for it to work in today's L2. I also think it's been a poor league this seaosn.

Of course though, if they're still in this league - they'll be one of the favourites.

 

You do, to be honest if hey are that good i dont see Williamson being there all of next season. Felt like with Williams at County it was a matter of time before someone in the Champ came knocking because "style of play" is everything these days.

For sure a poorer league, I cant believe we are still in with an outside sniff after how dross we have been in patches.

 

If we can achieve top half of the table that's as good as it gets this time.......

 

Don't forget McCann at Donny too. There were a fair few wanting him gone when they were languishing near the bottom of the table but look at them now with a good chance of sneaking 7th if Crawley slip up.