Is this the reason for the collapse

[phil old leake]

2 days after we lose the league championship and he announced 10 players are surplus.  I wonder if any of them got wind and thought fxxx him

[grayx]

I was thinking along those lines over the past few weeks tbh. Then again wouldnt those players but wanting to impress other managers, particulary when playing on live tv?

[roversdude]

Think some of those have gone due to the collapse

[GazLaz]

Only Williams started and he scored!

[Lincoln Rover]

Possibly an answer, but I listen to how previous managers have dealt with retained lists and telling players.
SOD said he used to tell the players he wasn't keeping at the end of the season in January. It was fair to them and give them plenty time to work with agents and other clubs.
It would be interesting to find out when the respective players were actually informed they were surplus to requirements. Just a thought.

[GazLaz]

He says in the interview he sat down with them on Monday.

[drfchound]

How many of the ten have featured enough in the collapse to have made such a difference?

[RoversAlias]

Don't think there's any weight to this whatsoever. Most of the 11 were not in the side anyway, really only Williams and Grant and Williams gave his all, whilst Grant had been poor for months anyway. Plus, he apparently sat down with all the players on Monday to deliver the news one by one. Many teams announce their retained / release lists immediately after the season ender, it's just not often we're one of them!

[Sammy Chung was King]

It's a mixture of many small reasons adding upto us not quite seeing it home. His pressing game for example most teams who play this way drop off with performances second half of the season. Losing key components in the machine Houghton being the one i'm thinking of.
The managers inability seemingly to take a game at a time as he did last season maybe getting a touch over confident transferred itself to the players. Ourselves the atmosphere maybe changing a bit with us also thinking the job was done.
After all that credit to those behind that didn't give in Portsmouth were the best team over forty six games. We were the best side over forty games just like a game lasts ninety minutes plus injury time you get nothing for being ahead one nil on ninety minutes if you two goals in, in injury time.
The main thing is we are promoted the manager has time to look at where things need improving among the team and himself. Well done to the squad for getting the main job done.