After the final whistle today

[drfchound]

There were plenty making the point consistently that Ferguson was delivering performances that had that squad of players underperforming. He was detracting from the players he had, not adding value. Let us not forget that he had a play off budget and we were messing around above relegation zone.

We were never anywhere near the relegation zone last season.
It is embarrassing how many people moan about our promotion season.
Pompey were in there 3 seasons we came straight back with probably the easiest promotion in our history with 5 games to spare scoring far more goals than anyone in the division yet people complain about this.
Embarrassing

I don’t think that people were/ are complaining about us getting promoted with five games to spare.
The reason people are dissatisfied is that we should have won the title that season and finished third when with five games to go we were odds on to win it.
That is what was the disappointing thing from that season.

[dickos1]

You are on your own here. There is I think pretty much consensus among most folk that he underperformed vs budget and players available, that during his reign the football was mainly bad rather than good, his tactical nouse and motivation were lacking, and both the relegation, title collapse and sheer banality of the final season were all deeply regrettable - all while buying some good players but also frittering away substantial parts of one of the biggest budgets in that league on some very questionable decisions.

I don’t think I am, there we’re plenty coming on here during his reign stating all that mattered that season was promotion and it didn’t matter which position we finished in. As I said earlier much bigger clubs with bigger budgets than ours were stuck in that league for a very long time.
We bounced straight back and people like you were predicting a season of struggle, yet you still weren’t happy when we smashed your pessimism out the water with promotion with 5 games to spare.

Why you have to keep comparing this season to last every other game is also beyond me

[dickos1]

There were plenty making the point consistently that Ferguson was delivering performances that had that squad of players underperforming. He was detracting from the players he had, not adding value. Let us not forget that he had a play off budget and we were messing around above relegation zone.

We were never anywhere near the relegation zone last season.
It is embarrassing how many people moan about our promotion season.
Pompey were in there 3 seasons we came straight back with probably the easiest promotion in our history with 5 games to spare scoring far more goals than anyone in the division yet people complain about this.
Embarrassing

I don’t think that people were/ are complaining about us getting promoted with five games to spare.
The reason people are dissatisfied is that we should have won the title that season and finished third when with five games to go we were odds on to win it.
That is what was the disappointing thing from that season.

I’m not suggesting people are complaining about that though am I, it just never gets acknowledged. We were very good that season and won promotion at a canter but all people talk about is the last 5 games not the other 41

[Chris Black come back]

That was not my position. Something else you have made up.

He was below par. If you like below par managers then keep defending him. Nigh on everyone else thought that generosity of our Board deserved more than the mediocrity we were being served up. Perhaps you did not.

Onwards and upwards!

[silent majority]

We bought our way out of Lg2, no more no less, so taking our foot off the gas towards the end was seriously bad management.

[Lifelong supporter]

Wonder if we would be disappointed to finish third this season?
Some seem to forget the horrendous injuries we had last season.
It could be said that Fergie built a youngish squad that only needed another year to develop, an injury free run and the addition of one or two shrewd signings to become successful.
McCann's achieved the latter bringing in Kane and Wilks but he's always said what a good side he inherited and how fortunate he's been for the infrastructure in place at the club - much of it down to the much maligned Fergie.
And he would be the first to say he's won nothing yet.
When he has four promotions on his record, like his predecessor, wonder how much stick he will get then?   

[drfchound]

We bought our way out of Lg2, no more no less, so taking our foot off the gas towards the end was seriously bad management.

100% agree with this.

[dickos1]

We bought our way out of Lg2, no more no less, so taking our foot off the gas towards the end was seriously bad management.

Give over

Lots of sides spend money and not all of them go straight back up.
Portsmouth, Leeds, Sheffield United, Wednesday, forest,
All had massive budgets for their respective league and none bounced straight back
I know you don’t think just having money is that simple and guarantees anything.
And it is embarrassing that we have supporters who think different

[dickos1]

McCann is doing a great job and he’s transformed the performances. Even he has said numerous times Ferguson was one of the best managers he played for.
The issue is, lots of people didn’t want Ferguson to start with so even when we won promotion they needed to still find issues with it.
People said we’d struggle in league two but we absolutely romped promotion people said we needed a season to stabilise in league one that’s exactly what we had.
Gavin said he was very happy with Ferguson had lbrought the club, the interviews still on the website full of praise for him and the job he’s done

[BillyStubbsTears]

Funny though, Dickos.

All that ability, and yet he flounced off claiming that he didn't have a budget that he could do anything with this season.

And yet...here we are. Better performances. Better results.

Makes you wonder...

[dickos1]

Funny though, Dickos.

All that ability, and yet he flounced off claiming that he didn't have a budget that he could do anything with this season.

And yet...here we are. Better performances. Better results.

Makes you wonder...

But billy when I stated that he’d left the club because of the money available to him this was denied by the people who know.
Now surely it can’t be twisted full circle to say that’s why he left now it suits those same people now can it?
Or maybe it can

[silent majority]

We bought our way out of Lg2, no more no less, so taking our foot off the gas towards the end was seriously bad management.

Give over

Lots of sides spend money and not all of them go straight back up.
Portsmouth, Leeds, Sheffield United, Wednesday, forest,
All had massive budgets for their respective league and none bounced straight back
I know you don’t think just having money is that simple and guarantees anything.
And it is embarrassing that we have supporters who think different

You're the one who should give over.

We maintained a LG1 budget in Lg2, kept players like Tommy Rowe etc. It was that simple, whether you agree or disagree. You're right, I don't believe that just having money is the answer, but on this occasion it was.

[dickos1]

It’s not that simple
Why did it take Pompey three years then spending more than us, why did we beat Leeds at Wembley,
Dozens of examples of clubs that have failed to bounce back at the first attempt but because you dont like the bloke who did it then it’s not an achievement.

[Al4475]

From the outside - it looks to me like DF wanted more than the board were prepared to trust him with to get the results and performances they all wanted.

GM, on the other hand, appears to be more than happy with what the board have trusted him with and is on the right lines towards getting the results and performances they all wanted.

I would imagine, tho this is pure speculation, that the budgets were not too dissimilar. This would suggest to me two things:

Firstly, it seems GM is better at getting more out of the things at his disposal (and a big nod to DF for putting a lot of the infrastructure in place with the board.)

Secondly, I would imagine that the board are pleased with what he is achieving and this will make them more inclined to trust him with a larger amount next time as he clearly seems to have spent most of it well.

Good times around the corner again I think, with the club in a better overall long term and stable position than they have been the last two good times.

[dickos1]

From the outside - it looks to me like DF wanted more than the board were prepared to trust him with to get the results and performances they all wanted.

GM, on the other hand, appears to be more than happy with what the board have trusted him with and is on the right lines towards getting the results and performances they all wanted.

I would imagine, tho this is pure speculation, that the budgets were not too dissimilar. This would suggest to me two things:

Firstly, it seems GM is better at getting more out of the things at his disposal (and a big nod to DF for putting a lot of the infrastructure in place with the board.)

Secondly, I would imagine that the board are pleased with what he is achieving and
this will make them more inclined to trust him with a larger amount next time as he clearly seems to have spent most of it well.

Agree pretty much with all of that

[silent majority]

It’s not that simple
Why did it take Pompey three years then spending more than us, why did we beat Leeds at Wembley,
Dozens of examples of clubs that have failed to bounce back at the first attempt but because you isn’t like the bloke who did it then it’s not an achievement.

Quoting other clubs doesn't prove your point, for every one that's failed there'll be dozens who have succeeded because of the funds available. The finishing positions in all the leagues generally reflect the budgets available, that's why everyone is so keen to know how big budgets are.

I'm personal friends with a couple of Portsmouth directors who were in place when that was happening, so I would rule that one out as finances were never a strong option for them. And don't forget that Leeds had points deducted at the start of the season and changed managers mid-season. They should have been out of that league at the first time of asking, which more or less proves my point.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Anyway, it's now 2019. It's McCann's team (albeit Fergie set up good foundations) and I think it's fair to say, we're getting good value for money from a fans perspective and probably from a budget perspective. 

Let's put the past behind us and look forward, together, and enjoy.

[dickos1]

Not many sides bounce straight back up after relegation there will be far more that don’t than do.
And the conscensous of most on here was that we wouldn’t get promoted that season, the poll is still there to view.
We exceeded most expectations that season but in hindsight now people are saying we only did what was expected which I’m afraid is rubbish.
You only need to look at this forum from that summer for the proof

[dickos1]

Anyway, it's now 2019. It's McCann's team (albeit Fergie set up good foundations) and I think it's fair to say, we're getting good value for money from a fans perspective and probably from a budget perspective. 

Let's put the past behind us and look forward, together, and enjoy.

I agree, he is doing a great job and could end up being a legend.
It’s just the constant comparison with last season every other week that is so tedious.

[NickDRFC]

Anyway, it's now 2019. It's McCann's team (albeit Fergie set up good foundations) and I think it's fair to say, we're getting good value for money from a fans perspective and probably from a budget perspective. 

Let's put the past behind us and look forward, together, and enjoy.

I agree, he is doing a great job and could end up being a legend.
It’s just the constant comparison with last season every other week that is so tedious.

Agree with that last sentence!

[arkseyrover]

Spot on DBR. Lets just enjoy the good time that we're having now and celebrate the outstanding manager that we have got. Whichever way you look at it he's transformed the team in every possible way. The worry we should have is how long can we keep him before some big time Charlie club wants to poach him.