Hurst and the play-offs

By my reckoning, PH has been a manager 8 years and his teams have been in the play-offs for seven of them!

2008–09 Ilkeston
2009–10 Boston
2010–11 Boston (left just before)
2011–12 Nothing
2012–13 Grimsby (Newport)
2013–14 Grimsby (Gateshead)
2014–15 Grimsby (Bristol R)
2015–16 Grimsby (FGR)

The only blemish was 2011-2012 when Town struggled. But he certainly stopped the rot.

I am not sure if this run will continue as it becomes harder as you climb up the ladder but it's pretty impressive and no wonder he has never been sacked!

How many of those were won, just the two?

Quoted from Rhys_Mariners

How many of those were won, just the two?

Three i believe.

It's no wonder other teams are coveting his services as he's a safe pair of hands without being spectacular. That is not a criticism either.

Other teams are coveting his services? Who?

Quoted from chaos33

Other teams are coveting his services?

If not they soon will be.

Maybe, but that's not the point is it.

Of course, confence clubs might want him, fair enough, but that's not very realistic now is it. The supposed Shrewsbury link was probably no more than two and two put together by an RH journalist scouring Twitter and looking for some content, but really, who do we know that has made a play for Hurst?

He's got a good conference record and he's been an FL manager for two minutes. I think he's doing great, but to say he's coveted (especially by league clubs) is surely an overstatement, or a received idea.

Quoted from chaos33

Other teams are coveting his services? Who?

Rotheram ????

Quoted from chaos33

Other teams are coveting his services? Who?

Didn't the Chairman of Notts County say that he had tried everything to get him there but to no avail ?

UTM

Quoted from chaos33

Did he?! Is that on the record?

And Rotherham are coveting him so much that they just appointed someone else.

Not sure if it was the chairman but one of the senior executives did when interviewed on Humberside, so that makes 1 club.

Quoted from mariner tommy

Didn't the Chairman of Notts County say that he had tried everything to get him there but to no avail ?

UTM

It was Guy Branston who said it in this article.


http://www.theleaguepaper.com/.....er-shirked-a-battle/

I would be very surprised if Hurst isn't on the radar of many a chairman with his track record, even though we don't hear everything that goes on.

Quoted from ginnywings

It was Guy Branston who said it in this article.


http://www.theleaguepaper.com/.....er-shirked-a-battle/

I would be very surprised if Hurst isn't on the radar of many a chairman with his track record, even though we don't hear everything that goes on.



UTM

Thanks Ginny I knew I had read it somewhere

UTM

Maybe he is fancied then. Fair play. As I said, he's done really well. A great season in L2 this year will be fab for him and for us.

Quoted from chaos33

Other teams are coveting his services? Who?

A mate who supports Coventry txt me recently asking about Hurst claiming he was on a few shortlists for their new manager. May well just be Coventry forum chat but the fact he's being talked about shows he has a profile beyond the conference, league 2 and his former clubs. Then again Coventry might well have once been a top flight club but these days they have all sorts of dodgy owner problems and are dropping similarly to Blackpool.

Quoted from ginnywings

It was Guy Branston who said it in this article.


http://www.theleaguepaper.com/.....er-shirked-a-battle/

I would be very surprised if Hurst isn't on the radar of many a chairman with his track record, even though we don't hear everything that goes on.

Interesting, and credit to PH for sticking with the job in hand and seeing us back into the league and becoming a FL Manager in the hardest way. It has to be said though the Notts County job is not known for it's long term security.

I really think he is happy at Town despite the "nay sayers" who where probably just the same under Newman, Kerr and Buckley in that he gets to do things his way and is left alone to get on with the job rather than having the pressure of a big budget and a board who think they know best.

My concern is that we will be most at risk of him leaving if Rotherham go down which is a distinct possibility this term. A young hungry manager with non league & league experience and a good eye for players would appeal to a relegated side who needed to watch the budget............check back and look at one Alan Buckley on Wiki.  

Paul is a level headed guy so he will look hard and long before he leaves a secure job,

Clubs that sack their manager every year will stand no chance of prising him away,

If another good club takes away him he should go with all our blessing,

After he has got us another promotion or two of course.

Paul is still a young manager learning his trade. Doubtless there will come a time when he concludes that he has taken the club as far as he can within the constraints of the funds/facilities available. I also doubt whether any pundit/interviewer will ever draw him out to talk about his career ambition-he just doesn't seem the disloyal, self-promoting sort of chap. Ultimately, however, he'll be judged on his record of achievement and if he continues in the same vein of finding and blending decent footballers into a successful unit, sooner or later a bigger club than Town will approach the board to enquire about his 'availability'. That's just the way it goes. And just to add a post-script about decent footballers, did anyone else notice that Conor Townsend was an unused sub for Scunthorpe against MK Dons at the weekend? I wonder if he'll need 'game time' come January.....

We won't need the play offs this season with 3 going up automatic.
We will be one of the three UTM

Hard to find a manager that is a good "consistent" manager. Whilst he may not be winning leagues etc.. He has a solid team that's hard to beat, some managers can have one season wonders but the next be absolutely useless. Our objective was to consolidate in the league this year so let's not get ahead of ourselves and just enjoy it for what it is... UTM

Honestly think mid table is adequate this year but if he brings in a couple of gems January then who knows ... still think Plymouth Pompey Luton Carlisle donny basically the 5 above us will take some shifting

Daryl Clark at Brizzle Rovers must be on several clubs watch list. His team continues to do well and you would not bet against them going up again this season.

Quoted from GtfcGarner

Hard to find a manager that is a good "consistent" manager. Whilst he may not be winning leagues etc.. He has a solid team that's hard to beat, some managers can have one season wonders but the next be absolutely useless. Our objective was to consolidate in the league this year so let's not get ahead of ourselves and just enjoy it for what it is... UTM

Don't remember PH or JF saying this. It may be the majority view of Town fans or posters on here but is actually not a fact.

JF said the first objective is 50 points, which did not necessarily mean by the end of the season. PH hasn't gone on record about a target of mid-table. I think like a few other fans he might have loftier ambitions having seen the standard of League Two, but will be forming that ambition game by game.

Agree Bigdog. Hurst is clearly ambitious and i have no doubt he is setting his mind on promotion but i think the general consensus among most fans is that as long as we are not in trouble, we'll be happy, at least for this season.

50 points and safety is just over a point a game over the season and we are currently averaging just over 1.5 points per game, which would see us get about 69 or 70 points- 8th spot last season and just outside the play offs. We really need to sort out our home form if we are to challenge for promotion.

Quoted from dapperz fun pub

Honestly think mid table is adequate this year but if he brings in a couple of gems January then who knows ... still think Plymouth Pompey Luton Carlisle donny basically the 5 above us will take some shifting

We've only played one of those 5 yet and beat them on their own muck hill and there's no reason we couldn't do the same at the other 4. It looks like anyone can beat anyone in this division.All to play for and hoping for another 3 points on saturday..

Already buzzing for the Donny game in December , hoping we can consolidate up until then . Outnumber them on their own patch , and the game go differently to my last one against them ; at Belle Vue , when I believe our very own Andy Warrington was in net !

Quoted from ginnywings

Agree Bigdog. Hurst is clearly ambitious and i have no doubt he is setting his mind on promotion but i think the general consensus among most fans is that as long as we are not in trouble, we'll be happy, at least for this season.

50 points and safety is just over a point a game over the season and we are currently averaging just over 1.5 points per game, which would see us get about 69 or 70 points- 8th spot last season and just outside the play offs. We really need to sort out our home form if we are to challenge for promotion.

Ginny, the gtfc voice of reason. Thank you, this is the story.....HOME form is key, support the boys....

Quoted from mariner tommy

Don't like him at all, his derogatory comment the season before last about us during his promotion celebration was out of order. t***

UTM

Not to be taken seriously that. Good record as a manager, yes a bit gobby when he has had a beer or two but not alone in that.

Having seen Town at Wycombe, Luton & Cambridge this season I'd say that the play-offs are certainly a realistic prospect.  Remember, we started in effect with a brand new team and it was inevitable they would take time to become truly effective.  I think they are showing signs of doing so remarkably quickly, in the circumstances.  Interesting that we have outperformed Cheltenham, who ran away with our league last year.  Only concern I have is losing Paul Hurst and I think the real threat is Rotherham: stuck at bottom of the Championship.  It is inevitable they will be keeping a close eye of PH for obvious reasons.  

Quoted from Mariner55

Having seen Town at Wycombe, Luton & Cambridge this season I'd say that the play-offs are certainly a realistic prospect.  Remember, we started in effect with a brand new team and it was inevitable they would take time to become truly effective.  I think they are showing signs of doing so remarkably quickly, in the circumstances.  Interesting that we have outperformed Cheltenham, who ran away with our league last year.  Only concern I have is losing Paul Hurst and I think the real threat is Rotherham: stuck at bottom of the Championship. It is inevitable they will be keeping a close eye of PH for obvious reasons.  

Its true, I think to manage the team that he has played for almost all of his footballing life would be too much of a carrot to resist for him, location of his family also,  and being able to roll out of bed onto the pitch so to speak, but should it happen he has done all the donkey work regarding promotion and it will be for someone else to pick up the baton and run with it

Don't worry about others, it's all about what you do. You should do well and to be in top 10 in October was better than us at same time. We were hovering in lower mid table until we realised there was nothing to be afraid of, once we discovered that and having a manager who had a plan B, C and D the rest couldn't stop us. And we are still getting winning goals in the last 10 minutes when our opponents think they've won. Just keep going right to the 98 minute. We just couldn't win at home before going on a 13 win run out of 14 matches from mid Jan onwards. There is some dross in League 2 and you will be OK. Take one match at a time. Hurst looks like a manager who keeps his head and won't be turned by a few wins or losses. He seems a very balanced guy. Good luck Mariners!
Up the Gas!

ps before tonight's matches all four promoted clubs in top half of table. Sure it won't continue but that's a pretty good indication of something....all four pretty good or League 1 perhaps not special. We haven't been outplayed yet although Bolton did in the first half backin August before DC changed things around and we pulled one back and could have equalised.

So how do you rate your chances of a third successive promotion Eadiee? Things are going pretty well at the minute.

Didn't realise Rovers were just one point off the play-offs. certainly been a fantastic last few seasons for them. Daryl clarke will definitely be attracting interest. Because of the obsession with foreign managers in the prem tho perhaps it makes it easier for clubs lower down to keep managers for longer

Quoted from toontown

Didn't realise Rovers were just one point off the play-offs. certainly been a fantastic last few seasons for them. Daryl clarke will definitely be attracting interest. Because of the obsession with foreign managers in the prem tho perhaps it makes it easier for clubs lower down to keep managers for longer

Doing well but has huge financial backing. I understand their owner is something like the 3rd richest owner of a football club in the whole of the U.K.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

So how do you rate your chances of a third successive promotion Eadiee? Things are going pretty well at the minute.

I think it's like you, top half of the table will do us fans but I think DC behind the scenes is really pushing it. The problem is IMO, the money you need just to stay in the championship is massive. Our ground is awful in terms of championship although great atmosphere for playing in  the lower leagues and until we get the new ground we can't be a serious team in that league. Our new chairman/owner is rich but he hasn't thrown much money at it yet for players. But he is negotiating for freehold of new ground, not leasehold and planning has just gone in to develop a level-2 academyn our heartland. Giving us a good infrastructure to develop our own players and evolution not revolution is his saying. So yes he is rich but the money is being spent sensibly and not on extortionate players wages. And he was standing with the fans in the away end at MK Dons and celebrated when MT got his hat Trick! Great guy. To answer directly I think we will miss the play offs but TBH I'm sure you can appreciate we won't care too much....unless it's a last game balls-up!
Good luck to you. I think you will do it.