What’s it going to be then to see a successful outcome this season compared to 15/16 which had some of the best football played since the Graydon era but ultimately a glorious near miss that then saw the club go into decline for nearly a decade.
That alone is reason enough to take this fantastic opportunity but what lessons can be learnt from that season?
First one is even though Sadler is doing exceptionally well he’s very unlikely to be poached mid season. Smith had several seasons of solid work behind him, he’d been a manager for nearly five years at that point after all and had been refused permission to speak to Rotherham earlier on that season.
Loan players. This is the big unknown. What will Stoke do next month as they’re on a poor run currently. Have no worries with Simkin as by all accounts Stoke’s best player is their keeper. Lowe is different. Logic suggests he’s young and playing every week but Stoke are having another season where they’re not scoring many goals.
Of course 15/16 had George Evans pulling the strings from October up to mid of January. He was recalled and then sold to Reading. He wasn’t really replaced at all as Bryn Morris was just a young player then and hardly used in the run in and was another guy who came in as CM and never played. That’s the big lesson this new regime must study.
Strength in depth. Another problem in 15/16 was if Bradshaw had a hamstring strain the only alternative was Jordan Cook who was bang average. Plenty of CFs in the mix even if they can’t quite do what Lowe can. Big riches now though to have DJ and Gordon when he returns as the back up CFs, that is proper strength in depth for this level. Also played pretty much all the season without McEntee and Daniels in the backline, those were automatic choices 12 months ago.
All in all it’s looking good I’d say especially with three automatic slots available which is the best thing about this league. Been in long enough so it’s time to get up and see what this exciting young team is capable of back in league one.
We didn’t have the strength in the squad because they thought success in January wasn’t selling anyone when they should have added to the squad and pushed us over the line pathetic from the club that was and probably cost us promotion yet again fans defended it though while anyone with a football brain could see it.
They did. The Bonser regime was very single minded: “here’s the budget for the year, sorry it’s less than last, and if anyone comes in for anyone good in January, kiss them goodbye. We won’t replace them because the money’s accounted for.”
Pretty damned certain most fans on here slagged the club off for it. Bonser’s free ride ended around 2010 when the internet caught up to how he got to buy the club for a quid, and the stadium and land for a song with no questions asked.
In 2015/16 we had a team that jad half a dozen or so second division players playing in the third.
This year we have a handful of second division players and one or two who might have even more potential playing in the fourth.
And both have that loanee dependency.
Which is a big concern. Again.
I don’t think Sadler is a flight risk in the same way Smith was. So hopefully he can see us through dangerous January either in tact or if we lose one or two that we at least replenish adequately.
The big difference will be if we avoid any major disruption to the management or squad in the second half of the season.
Also although the connection between players and fans was good then it’s no where near what it is now. We have not been this united for over 20 years and you could argue more given the different ownership then to now.
The club, players and fans feel like they are as one right now.
It was a tricky one with so many OOC players. Perhaps it would’ve been wise to try to sell someone for 200-250k but the club would’ve been even more criticised if Sawyers had gone for that amount. Jan 2008 when Fox and Dann were sold in the last hours of that window and pretty much cost a top 6 place that season still loomed large in memories in that period.
Also didn’t sell Etheridge the following season when he had six months left on his deal and there was no realistic play off challenge.
The main thing is replacing any loan player that is recalled. Seems the only thing the club did when Evans went back is just restore Mantom to the starting 11 but he simply wasn’t as effective after the long lay off he had in 14/15. That injury stopped him developing into a championship midfield and he just reverted to league 1 journeyman player after leaving.
Whitney of course in his wisdom didn’t even start Mantom in the first leg of Barnsley, played Kieron Morris alongside Chambers in central midfield which is as naïve as it gets.
The more I look back the more I think that season was a write off the second Smith left. We should have stuck with a O’Driscoll who was lent a million miles from Smith and O’Kelly and built with him. Dressing room politics seemingly ended that possibility !
I remember the club posted a self congratulatory Tweet about the January window closing and most fans, me included, were celebrating simply not selling our best players and lauding the club’s “ambition”.
We had been gaslight into having such low expectations.
The main difference is that someone else is making the decisions. I think there is a plan, I’d be very surprised if there wasn’t. But as always, a lot of things can go wrong and the worst thing would be to assume it’s over when it’s not. There are 46 games in a season, not 18.