Most liked posts in thread: Think need to lower expectations

To be honest, fans should have looked over in August at the squad we assembled this summer and figured out it would have been a big ask for them to challenge. Maybe it's because Adams recently achieved success with a poor squad and we thought lighting would strike twice, but the window just seemed off. Not surprised at all the head of recruitment was binned days after the window shut.

We signed Threlked to play full back, even though he hasn't played the position for over 2 years, other than filling in twice for Salford. Ridehalgh who has probably been one of the better signings, but he's 31 and has never had more than 28 starts in a season his career as he always picks up knocks. Kelleher, christ knows where that one came from.

Angol, looks good in spells but cant/wont move too quickly as his hamstrings don't look like they exist anymore. Lavery and Eisa, two injury prone players in recent years. Songo'o didn't come in fit, injured in pre season and took too long to get anything out of him. No club wanted Robinson, didn't sound like Adams wanted him either. And i dont think they know, or Gilly himself knows where exactly he plays? He's a right winger who drifts centrally and offers sod all to the right back in terms of protection.

But the club doesn't help itself. I mean in the summer you had Sparks in the press saying "this club wont accept mediocrity anymore".... that's gone well. Then he went on the Peterborough chairmans podcast saying "we don't sign injured players" knowing we had guys like Angol, Lavery and Ridehalgh who miss months every year with injured just signed weeks before.

We just dont seem to have signed smart players. The amount of individual errors leading to goals this season seems off the scale. Teams never seem to tear through us like they did under McCall last season, and in the later stages of the T&S management. Most the goals lately just seem from our own undoing.

 

Lowering expectations? Not a chance. Bold statements have been made. We should be demanding they are fulfilled. I'm fed up of the constant see saw of having our hopes built up only to see them dashed within a few months of the season starting. It is not good enough. Demand better.

 

SR should come out and state that he is actively trying to sell the club . And if he isn’t why not ? He clearly doesn’t give a monkeys about the club . It’s been a disaster since he took over . He’s at the top of the problems

 

The talk of Sparks moving onto better things comes exclusively from people on this board and has no foundation in reality.

 

Sparks was moulded for the role by a man who I don’t think got one footballing decision right in all his time at the club, in Rhodes. Is it any wonder he’s made so many bad decisions so far?
Also is it any wonder we are being run with an accounting style mind of break even and ensure the club keeps its owners pockets full?
He’s more open in the press and that’s the only difference I see so far. Otherwise we will continue to decline much like we did under Rhodes

 

The club and its Chief Executive set the expectations.
Not getting promoted is failure. Him and Stefan Rupp have failed to put in place the infrastructure and sign the right players to back up those words.

Failure this season sits on the shoulders of Sparks and Rupp.

 

Jordan’s post is spot on.

I was a bit concerned at the end of last season but with Adams coming in, us having a good preseason and starting the season well I was very optimistic.

The hype from the club, after I was apathetic last year, reeled me in, but the disinterest from Rupp is annoying me, as is all this talk of Sparks moving on to better things?

on what basis are people saying that? He’s failing at the minute. Anything less than a top seven finish and genuine promotion attempt this year and we’ll lose thousands of fans in the summer. Only way he can rectify things is to get Rupp to sanction January reinforcements - 3/4 new faces. Like we did last year. Like Bolton did. Make a statement. Actions, not cheap words, which anyone can give on a podcast.

 

Expectations are already lower than a snakes belly who's trying to keep a very low profile.
How much lower shall we set them?

 

My expectations are already low enough, thank you very much.

 

The club fullfill all my expectations. I expect nothing but crap week in week out and that is exactly what i get.

 

Has JR left yet?

 

The club won’t be worth anything the rate it’s going down the league @Storck . He clearly has no intention of making things right . He kept us on a even keel (after his own mistakes ) for his own benefit . The real alarm bells will ring when season ticket sales drop next season . I think people have just had enough now . All the hard work started by David Baldwin and carried on by James mason is all undone and the fans couldn’t feel more adrift from the club . I don’t see how Covid would effect the value of the club . That’s just a excuse .A few clubs have changed hands during Covid .

 

You'd have a point if this season's season ticket sales had been substantially lower than previous seasons. I'd wager that the club's fall from the verge of the Championship, when Rupp took control, to a mid table League 2 side has knocked far more off the value of the club than the pandemic has. The club could have a far more destructive owner, but it could also have someone far, far better than Rupp and I'm not talking someone with bottomless pockets. Someone who's interested and has a plan for the future would be a start.

 

I guess that depends if I could afford to keep it in the hope I might be able to get something out of it further down the line.

Let's not even get into whether there would be any willing buyers out there for it...

 

I’m lowering mine because I’d hoped we could go up automatically, but unless we invest in January I can’t see beyond mid table. I’ve also resigned myself to Adams needing another 2 windows to get the team he can truly call his own.

 

I agree but he needs to start producing results and fast. I thought he was brought in because he can get results in this division, no matter the short comings in the squad?

 

My expectations are already low at this point, need some serious work in the January transfer window to stand a chance of anything.

If this season was to be a write off to set up for next season (as often as we’ve heard that) then so be it, but don’t hype up your fan base with promises and hope prior to the season starting.

 

Because city has a big stadium and sells lots of cheap tickets, people think we are a massive club. We are where we are, teams like Harrogate with a tiny ground, and support are out doing us.

 

I think the difference in expectations are possibly due to 'recent' higher levels that the club have achieved eg Premier League and then the fall. Those that have followed the club for longer will remember spending more time at the lower levels. Now this isn't to say we should just accept Division 4 football for ever but over our history it is our more natural level