Richard Smallwood

We finished 7th in 12/13.

If you give your manager, even a really good one, absolutely nothing to build on, then that's probably your limit.

Anyone thinking this season is all on Hughes is deluded.

It's like getting a fast car that can go 0-60 in 3 seconds, but you're still playing catch up on those already flying.

Perspective needed. We are battling against previous poor performance.

 

What have been our league positions since being in div 2?

We are losing 3 of our best players. We don't have a better squad. Better manager I give you. Squad I don't.

 

If he was on say 3k, and his agent had made suggestions that he would only accept something similar (this would have happened from Christmas onwards), that might have been in the decision to release him as opposed to offer him a new contract. I suppose your logic is we didn't offer him a contract on reduced terms so we didn't want him per se?

 

I agree, if we could get 6th or 7th that would be a good season. One of the issues we have at this level everytime we are here is we try to win the league in one go, instead of building a team over a few seasons. We now have a new core of players on multi year contracts. If we don’t go up this season but look a well organised decent side, the building blocks will be in place the season after to add to the team not fully reconstruct for a push at automatic’s.

 

Leicester did though fella.....

Anyway comparing the PL to L2 is absurd. Realistically there are 3 teams that can win the PL. L2 is pretty much open for promotion (thats the aim).

20/21 season
Forest Green = 6th to 1st
Exeter = 9th to 2nd
Port Vale = 13th to 5th

Season before that Cambridge and Morecambe went up despite finishing nowhere close to the play offs the previous season.

 

Who cares!

What are you dwelling on the past for?

This is why your car wash is failing!! You have no vision!! Look to the future ffs.

 

So basically you are saying the average joes and dross we have binned off are as good as our incomings?

Chapman and Smallwood both have better CVs than Vernam and Watt, that is undeniable. Far better pedigrees. Plain to see Walker is an upgrade on Cooke. And jury is out on Platt and Critchlow....but you never rated Paudie anyway.

Young and Harratt were well thought of by fans at their former clubs. Are you really suggesting they are any worse Lavery and Robinson?

 

Vernam has only played consistently well in League Two. Chapman has championship experience an was comfortable in League 1.

Smallwood spent the majority of his career in the championship. Was captain for Championship outfit Hull last season. Watt has barely gotten out of 3rd gear in League 2

Paudie’s Replacement is still up for debate. But seeing as Platt has come in as well an finally replaced Canavan from 6 months ago, I’d say the defence is stronger as well

Walker is a massive upgrade on Cooke

Harratt & Young are better options than Elliot, Delfonseo, Lavery & Robinson combined

I fail to see how the squad is worse than last year

 

SNAP. Pretty much word for word haha

 

In 12/13 we finished 7th following a season that we barely survived relegation.

We also had the League Cup distraction. It's a fact that has to be taken into account, that from the QF through to the final, we showed relegation form - clearly a squad distracted by their brief fame etc.

In 2020/21 Port Vale, ended up 13th and were arguably the best team last season (certainly when they had their first fifteen available)

But we can argue this all day long, I'm a big puzzled as to who's "flying". I can't think of many who are already going at "0-60 in 3 seconds' - mainly because the 'cars' have changed and some are still to be purchased.

But let's look at what we've got;-

1. We've four relegated teams - which will be in the usual state of flux that a downer gives a club. Few on here were backing us to go straight back and when you see just how terrible all four were last season - it's difficult to see how they are "flying" in comparison to us. I'd expect Gillingham and Doncaster to be a threat. To give some perspective Rovers have made just three signings - one of the George Miller, which some of us were pretty 'meh' about us signing.
2. I'll give you Mansfield. I said at the time of the play-offs that I hoped either they or Vale would go up. Plus Stockport.
3. Even though I don't rate them, I'll concede that Northampton might have a better squad. Note, that more than a third of their squad have left though.
4. Salford underachieved and are certainly in a worse position than us. Recent history shows that managers have to be installed the previous season, with only Bolton and Forest Green bucking that trend in recent season (and it would be fair to say that Forest Green were an example of a club "flying" before Rob Edwards took over)
5. Swindon have their own financial problems.

After that I'm struggling to think who's in a better position, current squad-wise than us. And so don't get this massive gap narrative.

 

Crawley - 1 new player, owned by the wagmi lot.

Mansfield have lost 4 regulars who were all on loan last season. No guarantees they return. Bishop, Longstaff and Murphy will be hard to entice back or replace.

Tranmere have lost a raft of experienced players....Clarke, McManaman, Spearing, Maynard.

Newport lost a few - including Telford and another 1 who went to higher league.

Swindon - waiting on 3 or 4 key players to agree deals including Payne.

Northampton will be up there again. Salford are always lurking. No doubt Doncaster will have a say as they are doing bits - as are Walsall - signed loads. As will Stockport.

Cant comment on Crewe, Wimbledon and Gillingham who came down.

What I will say is Walker, Smallwood and Chapman would pretty much walk into any L2 side.

 

Smallwood walks into any League 1 side. Been promoted out of that division 3 times.

 

Fordy, I thought you were better than this. It is absolutely bonkers to compare The Premiership, where the money disparity is exponentially different compared to L2 and also where first team squads do not have around a third leaving each season.


There's no logic or stats to back up the narrative, that a team has to have been better than we have in order to be optimistic about promotion the following season.

In L2, it has been showed numerous times, that previous position is irrelevant

Crewe and Swindon were 12th and 13th and then got automatic in 19/20. Cheltenham, who along with Exeter were the best team I saw that season - ended up 4th having been 16th the season before.

Mansfield were 16th last season and then got to this season's play-off final.

Port Vale ended up 13th last season and got promoted

We got promoted in 2012/13 having been even lower.

What I love about L2, that, more than any other division, promotion is linked to the manager who has the best ability to choose a correct squad and and an identity of play. We've got a manager, that already had us wishing the season wasn't over and the squad already 'looks' better.

The manager situation is very relevant. In recent seasons all 12 promotion winners of the past three seasons were in place no later than mid-June of that pre-season. In fact 9 of these were managers who'd been there the previous season.

This shows that knowing your squad and having time to build an identity - is far more important than previous league position.

 

Dont disagree with that which is why Posh, Wigan and Rotherham were all linked.

 

Your post reveals what I've found. There's no-one, currently who have a squad that we should be green with envy over, so I simply don't get how some can imply we're way behind these clubs, because we've had two/three/four etc bad seasons.

Add that we've got a manager in who isn't in 'experimental' mode and there are genuine reasons for optimism and it's not just head in the clouds 'happy clapping'.

Now in fairness, I'm not convinced doing business early gives a distinct advantage. Some of Parky's gems were mid/late June onwards signings.

So who knows, Doncaster who are apparently deliberately taking their time - could get some gem loanees from the top 2 divisions, which are always dependent on the final transfer actions at the parent club. They'll need them as they've got a strike force that was arguable more timid than ours last season. Jordy Hiwula, was a particularly big misfire for them and they're looking to offload.

But for me, the pre-season activity couldn't have gone better.

 

No , I don’t mean that at all. Every player has a price, ie salary ceiling. MH is saying I want to keep Watt on, for example £3k a week but NOT at £4k a week . Why, because he thinks he can get a similar player or better on the same £3k per week. See what I mean? Watt accepts the deal offered or a minor compromise or MH moves on…..

 

Bradford
Crewe
Doncaster
Mansfield
Northampton
Salford
Stockport
Swindon
Tranmere
Walsall

Majority of those 10 sides will make up the top 7 next season. Probably be a surprise too.

That said its only June so things can change between now and July 30th.

 

Without looking into it, are the lower finishes play offs and the higher finishes autos? I'm sure it's not that simple, but I'm just curious. I'm out and about so can't check.

 

Love the way you've diplomatically put this in alphabetical order. I'm waiting for the 'Bradford have no chance of winning the league' posts