Escape from League One: Inside the Rat Race

[bobjimwilly]

http://www.onthepontyend.com/2015/03/escape-from-league-one-inside-rat-race.html

Fair assessments from our play-off rivals?

[Crowle Rover]

Interesting reading and yes, a fair assessment I'd say.

[The Red Baron]

I think that Blunt is a bit too confident of three points when we play them at Bumhole Lane. Especially given our away record and their recent form.

[bobjimwilly]

I think that Blunt is a bit too confident of three points when we play them at Bumhole Lane. Especially given our away record and their recent form.

I hope Scunny thrash em tonight, but not sure that will happen.

[wilts rover]

A good read and just to show how opinions differ everyone predicts a different points total for 6th spot.

[besty]

The next game is always a potential banana skin! We have some big games coming up against the likes of MK Dons, Bradford City and Sheffield United to name a few, and if we buckle under the pressure against these promotion contending sides, it could have an adverse effect on our run-in.

Against the LIKES OF,bloody love it! 

[Sammy Chung was King]

Sorry don't agree with our poster saying not getting in the play-off's wouldn't be a failure, whatever drivel has been fed us over the second half of the season that 'Promotion wasn't the aim', some of our fans have heard it that much they believe it.
Paul hasn't had funds to buy players but he has had plenty of board support to get in players he wants, don't let anybody fool you this squad is as good as any in the league.
He has somehow had the goalposts moved to 'We want to finish as high as we can', whereas at the start of the season promotion was the aim.

He isn't massively underachieving, three points from the play-off's but with the squad we have play off qualification should be the minimum expected, as long as we qualify then he has done a good job, if not he has to go for me.
By the way i still think we will make the play-off's, for me Rochdale and Peterborough will not maintain the form, they are having a 'Golden period' where everything is going for them, they haven't been up there most of the season, they will drop back towards where they came from bottom half.

Barnsley the same these teams didn't lose manager's because they were doing well, there are problems in the side's that are still there(not including Rochdale who Keith Hill has managed all season).
Our squad if it had started better would have had the ability to be in the top four all season, over the whole season Paul hasn't managed to get six or seven of his side playing well enough to win games consistently.

I still think he has many strengths, but i still think that he identifies the right players, but finds it hard to get their best from them consistently.
I think we will sneak into sixth spot, Sheff utd are not secure in fifth yet, but are starting to create a gap and will probably hang on to it.

[silent majority]

Sammy,

I know our poster and it's ok for me to say he's of younger years than most. A sensible kid no doubt, but it's his opinion to express.

If the goalposts have been moved then it's not been done by the board. I've been saying all season that we have a decent budget up there with the best. And to confirm David Blunt stated at the last 'meet the owners' that they had given PD a budget capable of promotion.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Sammy,

I know our poster and it's ok for me to say he's of younger years than most. A sensible kid no doubt, but it's his opinion to express.

If the goalposts have been moved then it's not been done by the board. I've been saying all season that we have a decent budget up there with the best. And to confirm David Blunt stated at the last 'meet the owners' that they had given PD a budget capable of promotion.

Nothing wrong with an opinion Silent, i wasn't criticising just don't agree with him that's all, i believe he has had a decent budget and he has got us just slightly under where i think the squad is capable of being, the play-off's.
I hope he can get us up there at the end.

[Colin C No.3]

If David Blunt has stated that PD has been given sufficient funds to assemble a side capable of promotion, then PD has to deliver.

[drfchound]

Sammy Chung says that this squad has been good enough to be in the top four all season.
Has it been forgotten already that we barely had a squad at the start of the season.
The back four was very poor until we got Butler and Stevens and got McCombe back to fitness too.
Since Christmas we have looke like a team that can get into the top six.
Before Christmas we looked very weak indeed.

[hoolahoop]

Sammy Chung says that this squad has been good enough to be in the top four all season.
Has it been forgotten already that we barely had a squad at the start of the season.
The back four was very poor until we got Butler and Stevens and got McCombe back to fitness too.
Since Christmas we have looke like a team that can get into the top six.
Before Christmas we looked very weak indeed.

Yes we were definitely hampered in the first few months of the campaign in every . area. There was a point when the defence was that leaky , that we might face the relegation zone. The manager has finally got the players he wants , playing in the way he wants but we were always up against it given that we had to be at our very best with probably the hardest run-in. Can we make it ? Well it won't be for the want of trying but those dropped points in recent weeks mean that we will end up probably 4-6 points outside of the P/Offs.

Is that a failure ? No given the pre-season mess that cocked everything up, the injuries to key players when it most mattered or the thinness of the squad ...it is a minor miracle.
Should Paul Dickov be sacked ? Definitely not and it's a ridiculous thing to say . he has come good with the players he has attracted and given a "quiet" preseason and a bit of latitude from some of the 'unfaithful' he will come good.
The very mention of the idea when a manager is trying to manoeuvre the team into a P/Off position is neither helpful or supportive.

[drfchound]

Agreed, we may well fall short but given the poor start due to circumstances beyond the managers control, it would still be a decent season.
If we don't go up this time round i would expect us to be very strong next season and one of the strongest sides given that the owners back PD and keep our better players and allow him to bring in a few additions.

[Lifelong supporter]

If David Blunt has stated that PD has been given sufficient funds to assemble a side capable of promotion, then PD has to deliver.

How does David Blunt, especially, or anyone else for that matter, know what budget is required to assemble a side capable of promotion?
If only it was all that easy.

[steve@dcfd]

Quote
Is that a failure ? No given the pre-season mess that cocked everything up, the injuries to key players when it most mattered or the thinness of the squad ...it is a minor miracle.
Should Paul Dickov be sacked ? Definitely not and it's a ridiculous thing to say . he has come good with the players he has attracted and given a "quiet" preseason and a bit of latitude from some of the 'unfaithful' he will come good.

It will have failed twice if we do not make the playoffs, he was set goals to keep us up last year and get us promoted this season. We should be in the playoffs, we have the players, we were in Sixth place and he as not kept us there. If he is still here next year then the owners will show that they have accepted that failing to achieve their goals is OK.

Sick of hearing about preseason he as had time and supposedly a budget to get us in the playoffs.

He as already said, talk again he wants to tie up contracts before the end of the season, yet at this time nothing as happened.
He said there would be a strategy meeting last week, if there was with the owners they must have decided no more loans for the final push.

When the owners were at Keepmoat builders they would not accept failure in the goals they set. So if they accept second best this year then they will have to accept the outcomes.
Ie begging for season ticket renewals and support to come to games.

[Filo]

Quote
Is that a failure ? No given the pre-season mess that cocked everything up, the injuries to key players when it most mattered or the thinness of the squad ...it is a minor miracle.
Should Paul Dickov be sacked ? Definitely not and it's a ridiculous thing to say . he has come good with the players he has attracted and given a "quiet" preseason and a bit of latitude from some of the 'unfaithful' he will come good.

It will have failed twice if we do not make the playoffs, he was set goals to keep us up last year and get us promoted this season. We should be in the playoffs, we have the players, we were in Sixth place and he as not kept us there. If he is still here next year then the owners will show that they have accepted that failing to achieve their goals is OK.

Sick of hearing about preseason he as had time and supposedly a budget to get us in the playoffs.

He as already said, talk again he wants to tie up contracts before the end of the season, yet at this time nothing as happened.
He said there would be a strategy meeting last week, if there was with the owners they must have decided no more loans for the final push.

When the owners were at Keepmoat builders they would not accept failure in the goals they set. So if they accept second best this year then they will have to accept the outcomes.
Ie begging for season ticket renewals and support to come to games.

Isn't that what the club were derided for of the years? Lack of marketing and failure to push things?

They just can't win can they?

[Lifelong supporter]

http://www.onthepontyend.com/2015/03/escape-from-league-one-inside-rat-race.html

Fair assessments from our play-off rivals?

Tactical naivety?