GTFC: things could be a lot worse...!

This article about the decline of Rangers makes salutory reading: [url]http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/18/how-the-mighty-glasgow-rangers-have-fallen[/url] - it's a dispiriting tale of over-ambition, financial arrogance and dubious practices.

Leeds United are another example: if you put to one side the contentious early Revie era reputation, when they matured in the Jimmy Adamson spell they were an impressive footballing squad, only for Peter Ridsdale's over-reaching financial ambition to start the major unravelling process...

So, there's been a lot of criticism on here levelled at previous and current Board members and major shareholders - and there's been some significant mistakes (including manager appointments, non-appointments and dismissals) as well as several PR instances where the diplomatic verdict would be that 'there were significant opportunities to improve, and more thought/advice was required'!).

But: the club has survived, despite dropping down/out of the League. It has avoided tax or other creditor disputes, and resisted the false temptations administration. Even in this non-League phase it continues to compete at play-off level plus Trophy contention - and there's a full time playing squad that  - on Saturday's showing - demonstrates some ability, commitment and togetherness. And there's been a lot of effort put into trying to make a new stadium happen - not an easy project in these economically challenging times.

Whilst Rangers might be the extreme example of a fall from grace, in our shared impatience to restore our footballing fortunes I think it's worth reflecting that at least we have some financial and playing stability, both a necessary platform for future (and hopefully imminent) success.

[And to pre-empt some likely responses, this isn't a pro-Fenty post (I reserve the right to continue to criticise when deserved!). But at the same time he and others involved in the club deserve some appreciation for not making the dreadful mistakes (deliberately or inadvertently!) that have caused the implosion of other high-profile clubs like Rangers and Leeds.]

Quoted from TAGG

GTFC:things could(and should)be a lot better...!

So easy to say when it's not your money being spent each season  ! - just an honest observation  !!

Love or hate the man - his pocket has kept us going and unless a major player comes from nowhere to buy him out, we need his money !!

Quoted from acko338

So easy to say when it's not your money being spent each season  ! - just an honest observation  !!

Love or hate the man - his pocket has kept us going and unless a major player comes from nowhere to buy him out, we need his money !!

I accept your point but as was posted in another thread, the money this club has lost in recent seasons because of extremely poor management decisions, then those responsible should make up the shortfall.

Grimsby "true" position is upper half of league 1. This is where "we should be with the size of our fanbase and catchment area. We undoubtedly overachieved in the 90s.

Us being in the Conference is completely unacceptable, with the exception of Slade and possibly Hurst all the management appointments we have made since we were relegated out of the Championship have been a complete disaster, especially Newall and Woods.

While it could be worse ala Stockport, Scarborough but there aren't many clubs who have suffered this elongated period of complete and abject underachievement and this is down to the upper echelons of the club, a number of our former players should also struggle to look in the mirror after taking our cash and not being bothered.

So no I don't think things could be a lot worse. Yes we are relatively financially stable but a number of other clubs 15 years ago went into administration shifted their debt and moved on upwards. I wish town had done that when we could have.

The decision by the Council to effectively turn down the Great Coates site was as shortsighted as any decision by a democratic public body in my memory.

What saddens me is that last time I was in Grimsby I saw kids wearing Hull shirts. This would never have happened when I was a kid. But then Hull had a far sighted Council who saw the importance of their football club.

Getting back into the league is the start of us returning to us where we should be and hopefully it will happen this season. A new stadium is also part of it.

Quoted from acko338

So easy to say when it's not your money being spent each season  ! - just an honest observation  !!

Love or hate the man - his pocket has kept us going and unless a major player comes from nowhere to buy him out, we need his money !!

If you make as many intercourse ups as him then he deserves to pay. Like I have said on other threads he's putting our club in debt year on year.

Quoted from horsforthmariner

Grimsby "true" position is upper half of league 1. This is where "we should be with the size of our fanbase and catchment area. We undoubtedly overachieved in the 90s.

Us being in the Conference is completely unacceptable, with the exception of Slade and possibly Hurst all the management appointments we have made since we were relegated out of the Championship have been a complete disaster, especially Newall and Woods.

While it could be worse ala Stockport, Scarborough but there aren't many clubs who have suffered this elongated period of complete and abject underachievement and this is down to the upper echelons of the club, a number of our former players should also struggle to look in the mirror after taking our cash and not being bothered.

So no I don't think things could be a lot worse. Yes we are relatively financially stable but a number of other clubs 15 years ago went into administration shifted their debt and moved on upwards. I wish town had done that when we could have.

The decision by the Council to effectively turn down the Great Coates site was as shortsighted as any decision by a democratic public body in my memory.

What saddens me is that last time I was in Grimsby I saw kids wearing Hull shirts. This would never have happened when I was a kid. But then Hull had a far sighted Council who saw the importance of their football club.

Getting back into the league is the start of us returning to us where we should be and hopefully it will happen this season. A new stadium is also part of it.

I think we did very well to stay at the level we were in the 90s (apart from the 96-97 season of course) but just looking back at a few teams who made it out of the second tier into the top flight, I'd question just how much we did over achieve?

Notts County 91-2

Oldham 91-2, 92-3, 93-4

Swindon 93-94

Barnsley 97-98

Bradford 1999-2000, 2000-1

All of the above were on a par with us for quite some seasons and we were never really in awe of some of the other clubs like Leicester, Luton, Watford, Charlton, Bolton etc to name a few

Maybe there's an argument that we didn't actually make the most of our opportunities at that level and that we maybe could have been giving it a go at the play off end of the table instead of just looking to consolidate year after year at that level

Once the Prem was reduced in size of course and the money kept coming in making it some kind of closed shop then it would have been too much to ask maybe but then again the likes of Hull (who you mention), Swansea, Cardiff and Stoke have all pushed on in the last decade or so from a level that we were very often comfortable at

I'd happily have had Scunthorpes recent history.. YoYo'd up and down the 2-3 divisions without being threatened with non league football  

Quoted from lukeo

I'd happily have had Scunthorpes recent history.. YoYo'd up and down the 2-3 divisions without being threatened with non league football  

Yes they are a small town club with a more ambitious outlook than their rivals thirty odd miles to the East. who  are burdened with backward thinking councilors, even average players need days to make up their minds to consider joining us