best result of the season may turn out to be

[wing commander]

Our pummeling at home to Stevenage...

   At that point the fans,manager and board were left in no doubt that we couldn't survive unless major surgery was applied...A few days later some pretty spent players had left the club and 3 brilliant signings came in...We are still in a battle but now you think weve a great chance if we can stay fit....When you walked out after Stevenage and even the most positive of fan would struggle to make a case for it....

[silent majority]

To be fair though most of the negotiations between DRFC and the players coming in had already taken place. Most, if not all, of those leaving had already been identified as not being part of the future squad. If there was an exception to that it would have been Martin Woods, but his passing stats from that game probably decided his fate.

As a low point you are right though. Even me, ever the optimist, had decided that major changes had to be made and quick.

[wing commander]

  Stevenage was a really low point...Whilst the cup gives financial opportunities I wasn't that bothered about going out mainly due to the injury list we had..It was the manner in how a frankly awful team had rocked up and beat us without having to work for it that hurt...
  As for the negotiations..We as fans don't know this of course when we are walking out dejected again..However if we had known the quality of player we were about to sign we maybe wouldn't have been so critical.....It must have been really hard for PD to watch Meite in training all week only to have to play the kids on a Saturday...Nothing against the young lads,they gave everything they had but the jump from youth team football to championship is far to big to handle and not that fair on them...For me injuries will decide our fate..We have more than enough to stay up as things stand,we just need a bit of luck in keeping our key players fit.....

[mrfrostsdad]

I think you're correct Wing Commander, and although I'm sure a lot of people won't agree, I think the fans left the club as a whole in no doubt exactly what they thought about performances, and the quality of our squad in general (apart from our 1st choice 11 who MAY just have been good enough to compete)

I'd like to think the fans had some input into the quality of the recent signings. Obviously, I have no idea what stage we were at with negotiations for players. I know Meite was already training with is, but I don't think anyone (and I mean anyone) REALLY expected Billy to come back. We wanted him back, yes, but doubted we would get him. Having said that  there were people on here (and they know who they are) who said we shouldn't bring him back as we couldn't afford him and needed to be 'sustainable'. At least one person on here said we should never have signed Sharp the first time we signed him!!

Of course, if we stay in the division next season, the extra £4m we get in tv money will pay the salaries of the likes of Sharp, Tamas etc. some of us said that all along of course, despite being shouted down.

Anyway, well dome the board. And well done the fans for letting your feelings be known. If - God forbid- we were to go down this season (and hopefully we have enough to stay up now) I think the biggest thing which will have contributed to it, was not bringing in an experienced centre half on loan when Jones got injured. Compounded even further when Khumalo picked up and injury as well

[Jenny]

MFD, read what SM put above, most of the negotiations were in place prior to that game - it wasn't a case of fan noise that got us the quality we have now, it is just the club went about it quietly, as they should do rather than the tell all approach that has failed us in previous season.

[wing commander]

Maybe so Jenny and I wouldn't doubt anything Martyn says...However lets not be under any illusion that the Stevenage performance might well have made some of those negotiations go a little bit quicker...lol

[BillyStubbsTears]

Jenny

If folk on here want to believe that their whining posts after every defeat led Dickov and Bramall to a conclusion that they were incapable of reaching themselves, then leave them to it.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

It was definitely a low point. The start of the high points started v Wigan. The turnaround has been immense. Who'd have thought Turnball would be needing a deckchair!

[Filo]

It was definitely a low point. The start of the high points started v Wigan. The turnaround has been immense. Who'd have thought Turnball would be needing a deckchair!

A deckchair?

Any more performances like that and the club should be supplying him with a patio heater to keep warm

[graingrover]

I've read it all now , that whining and moaning on here was actually a positive !

        The stark reality is tha we had a bad stretch of injuries to key players and now have most back plus four great additions to the squad. Thankyou TB , DW , GB and PD. The positive thinkers always believed. IRWT.

         

[silent majority]

Mfd,

Yes the fans making their feelings known had an input, but fortunately the board and PD didn't pay any attention to them.

[hoolahoop]

Mfd,

Yes the fans making their feelings known had an input, but fortunately for the board and PD they didn't pay any attention to them.

Exactly as they would have all resigned en masse or as they say in S6 ....end massive . lol

[RTID75]

Mfd,

Yes the fans making their feelings known had an input, but fortunately the board and PD didn't pay any attention to them.

Thank the Lord for clear headed, non reactionary thinking from one side of that particular argument!

[mrfrostsdad]

Ok, you can all take the piss as much as you like. And of course, all those of you in the know just knew Billy Sharp was coming back when we got beat by Stevenage didn't you? Yeah, course you did. Including the ones who said we shouldn't sign him.. Presumably you'll now say that was a smokescreen by you all so no other clubs came in for him.

Ok, fair enough, if that's what you want to tell me, fine

[hoolahoop]

We all make mistakes

[bobjimwilly]

Ok, you can all take the piss as much as you like. And of course, all those of you in the know just knew Billy Sharp was coming back when we got beat by Stevenage didn't you? Yeah, course you did. Including the ones who said we shouldn't sign him.. Presumably you'll now say that was a smokescreen by you all so no other clubs came in for him.

Ok, fair enough, if that's what you want to tell me, fine

Although I'm on the VSC board, and possibly know a little more than others, I certainly don't class myself as "in the know" and personally had no idea how much sharp wanted to come back, and the fact we got him was a great surprise! What Martin el are are trying to say is the board have known all along what targets they had; in fact PD has wanted to sign Billy since the summer, but it was southampton that didn't want to let him come to us at that point. I like to think our board and manager can rise above some of the irrational negativity, which they have done, and in doing so have signed some quality players for us to escape relegation, which is something that the anti-bramall brigade actually said TB and DW wanted!