All I seem to hear on here these days is criticism of owner, management and players as if we are not living up to the high standards of a top class team. We are not a top class team in the last 13 years we have been in League One more than in any other league. Palarse are an established Premiership team and Millwall are an established Championship team which leaves us as an aspiring League One team along with a number of other ex "big" teams.
OK we are not playing the best football in the world but we are only one of many clubs in the third tier and the club deserve our support to help it rise to the level of Millwall and maybe one day Palarse - that is the reality
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Go back five years more and they were in non-league!
Having aspirations is not a crime but we have to face the reality of where the team is today. Thinking we are above this level is a strategy that ensures you’ll make it very hard to escape. Ask Sheffield United fans what their six consecutive seasons down here were like.
Never understood the complaints that we're now up against pub teams (Urgh hate hate HATE that turn of phrase) of Accrington, its a little frustration that this is position we find ourselves in - But we could stay a Premier League team, and still end up against the likes of Accrington, its the beauty of promotion / relegation in this country.
Would hate the alternative of a closed shop League like the MLS
We have always been a club looking up and hoping to rise. At the moment we are going backwards.
We should not be sitting in midtable/lower midtable with the finance and structure we have in place. Of course it may happen for a season, but it shouldn't be the norm or accepted as fine.
Something has badly gone wrong this year and we shouldn't just throw our hands up and accept that this is where we are.
Even under Roland and ESI we weren't as bad on the pitch as we are now.
Yes there is some utter dross in League One, but even teams like AFC Wimbledon tend to try and play football.
Charlton aren't doing very well.
That leads naturally to criticism about the way the players are playing, the signings we're making etc.
Is this not also the best place to discuss performances, bad free ticket schemes etc?
If and when we turn this around, the site will be more positive, it was in the past in times of success.
Are you serious???
Thats like Torquay fans saying that Leroy Rosenior did a better job as Manager as their current lot in the National League - I dont give a flying fuck how we did on the pitch under ESI, they were taking us in one pissing direction.
The only reason we didnt do so badly on the pitch under those bastards was because of the squad that Bowyer and Gallen had put together prior to them coming in - They then managed to scrimp and beg other clubs for loan players, even though ESI had put us in a transfer embargo.
They did NOTHING but take take take
There are plenty of better run clubs in L1 and L2 - this is not simply a matter of budget.
Even with basically a bargain bucket of players on a shoestring budget, we only got relegated thanks to covid and a single game.
It points to something going badly wrong this season. TS has spent money, he's signed players, he's signed coaches, it all amounts to absolutely nothing other than potentially the worst season in our recent history.
I came within 5 numbers of winning last night's Euro Lottery lol .. I would have bunged in a few million given a win .. BUT, nowadays it take a LOT more than just 'a' few million' to make a huge long term difference
SOOO .. we are what we are, a mid table L1 club with champagne ambitions but only beer money
One of those teams would beat the other.
"Even under Roland and ESI we weren't as bad on the pitch as we are now" - is a true statement. Notice the words 'on the pitch'.
Tommy has....... er - shit, hang on a minute. Played a guitar in the pub and hired his kid?
Much of the criticism about TS has been about his initial hype and his (unrealistic) five year plan. What was he supposed to say after taking over the club? If he had said his plans were to put the club on a sound footing for steady growth he would have got pelters too! Many also seem to criticize him for not having as much money as they would like! We all would like limitless cash to throw at the team, but that is not realistic. There are very few owners in that position. As far as I am concerned it is much better having an owner who seems to actually care and who shows his face. The whole atmosphere since TS took over feels so much better than the Roland days to me.
The whole point of my post is this bit:
"We should not be sitting in midtable/lower midtable with the finance and structure we have in place. Of course it may happen for a season, but it shouldn't be the norm or accepted as fine.
Something has badly gone wrong this year and we shouldn't just throw our hands up and accept that this is where we are. "
You trying to pick apart a true phrase because you don't like it, while ignoring the bigger point.
Funnily I'm not bothered by the rest, and agree with it - Hence why I'm not arguing that
I think thats us, right?
We formed our own political party to pave the way for a return to The Valley. We rebuilt the stadium. We won promotion to the Premier League, relegated and returned next season as Champions. We even established ourselves in the Prem for a number of seasons, regularly taking the scalps of famous 'super clubs'. We were regarded throughout football as the 'model club'. We did it. Together.
All things must pass and eventually the wheels fell off.
The return of Chris Powell, after a false start but ending in a record breaking title winning season, albeit in the Third Division made us believe once more.
Once more, we were again a club 'all singing from the same hymn sheet'.
We need to be a club again. All together. It's a proven recipe for success.
Right now as a club we appear to be broken and divided, just like in Chris Powell's first season.
We've been here before. We know what's needed.
When the team is successful they are happy.
When the team is largely shite they will have a moan.
As we are heading for our lowest league position in living memory I think it's quite natural for fans to have the hump.
I renewed my season ticket yesterday and still go to plenty of away games so my support for the club is still there.
But if I want to come on here and have a moan I will do just that.
People look at our stadium and the number of people and look at the teams we play and their stadiums and gates. Most of which would actually fit in one of our stands. People think, wrongly, it means we have more money for better players etc etc. Ignoring the fact our overheads, and losses, dwarf 90% of teams at this level.
The valid reason is we have an owner who is rich enough to make this work, to a degree, who has publicly stated his ambition and thrown enough money at it. He has made a pigs ear of it, on the pitch at least.
If we were rescued from ESI by a group of fans who re mortgaged their houses and didn't have a pot to piss in the reaction would be completely different.
The reality is every season we spend in this division the closer to oblivion we become and it wasn't the fans that said we would blow this league out the water.
People are pissed off because the, very expensive, players are shit and the club have over promised and under delivered.