Define success

Quoted from GrimRob

Success is a top five finish - that's a good achievement given our wage bill and size

So you would be happy to stay another year in this shiitty league? Success would be promotion, nothing else matters and if PH then decided to leave then fine, job done and move on.

Quoted from moosey_club

success by its actual definition is defined as acheiving ones goals......the clubs clear goal is to get promotion ....no promotion no success

That seems to be the way most have decided to interpret the question - but that makes it a pointless question. Obviously if we don't achieve our goal of promotion then we haven't achieved our goal of promotion. There's no question to answer.

For me, success is doing everything we can to maximise our chances of promotion. If the players work really hard, care about the club, try to play good, attacking football, score plenty of goals, win plenty of games, challenge at the top of the league then I cannot ask any more.

Quoted from MeanwoodMariner

That seems to be the way most have decided to interpret the question - but that makes it a pointless question. Obviously if we don't achieve our goal of promotion then we haven't achieved our goal of promotion. There's no question to answer.

For me, success is doing everything we can to maximise our chances of promotion. If the players work really hard, care about the club, try to play good, attacking football, score plenty of goals, win plenty of games, challenge at the top of the league then I cannot ask any more.

Agree with you and the more wins we get in a season, the more the floating fans might be tempted back, bringing in more finance which in turn could be invested in strengthening the team

IF we can keep on making marginal improvements sooner or later promotion has to be a foregone conclusion...maybe not this season or even next but eventually imho it would come

Quoted from FishOutOfWater

Agree with you and the more wins we get in a season, the more the floating fans might be tempted back, bringing in more finance which in turn could be invested in strengthening the team

IF we can keep on making marginal improvements sooner or later promotion has to be a foregone conclusion...maybe not this season or even next but eventually imho it would come

How long is eventually? We are told that to preserve the club's financial future we need a new stadium and that it's not dependent on which league we are in, however, it must be surely easier to justify and easier to attract partner investors the more successful we are.

Foregone conclusion? Why? Have we earned a divine right to get out of this league?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

How long is eventually? We are told that to preserve the club's financial future we need a new stadium and that it's not dependent on which league we are in, however, it must be surely easier to justify and easier to attract partner investors the more successful we are.

Foregone conclusion? Why? Have we earned a divine right to get out of this league?

As I said my opinion

I just believe that if we carry on in the same vein we will get out of this league in the next few seasons

If we run out of money or other circumstances change then maybe that could knock us off course but as things are I believe our day will come

How long eventually is - who can say? How long is a piece of string?

I know some are desperate for us to get promotion this season and consider it already well overdue but if it was so easy then teams wouldn't be spending so long down here, they'd just bounce right back if they had a perfect formular for success

Anyway if the likes of Mansfield, Cambridge, Luton etc have managed to haul themselves back up a level then I just believe we can too. Might take time but everything comes to he who waits so they say....

Quoted from FishOutOfWater

Agree with you and the more wins we get in a season, the more the floating fans might be tempted back, bringing in more finance which in turn could be invested in strengthening the team

IF we can keep on making marginal improvements sooner or later promotion has to be a foregone conclusion...maybe not this season or even next but eventually imho it would come

The longer we stay in this league the smaller the budget becomes hindering our chances of promotion i would suggest. Success is promotion as that is the aim of the club, we can have a good season, be pushing for this and that, cup run etc but if ultimately we fail to get promoted then it aint been succesful.

Quoted from moosey_club

The longer we stay in this league the smaller the budget becomes hindering our chances of promotion i would suggest. Success is promotion as that is the aim of the club, we can have a good season, be pushing for this and that, cup run etc but if ultimately we fail to get promoted then it aint been succesful.

This

Promotion. Anything else is a failure. The question then is what caused the failure and what can we do to be successful next time?

This is the best squad we've had since coming down to this level, even the three/four seasons previously when struggling in League Two.

By that definition alone, success has to be an improvement on last year.  In the last two seasons we've been play-off semi-finalists twice, FA Trophy finalists once and FA Trophy semi-finalists once.  We're not that far off.

We could, in theory, get to the FA Trophy Final and lose, get to the Play Off Final and lose, go on a decent FA Cup run ending up in a big pay day away at a Premier League club.  Alas, we'll have won nothing, still be in this league but with a massive boost to the coffers.  Still an improvement on last year.  

Do you sack the guy who's got you that or give him a chance, perhaps some extra finances, to do what he's done the previous three summers (improve the squad)?

For me, we shouldn't be looking at anything less than promotion this year.  I genuinely wouldn't swap our squad with any other team at this level.  The key will be keeping key people fit and fresh.

Hurst's biggest challenge will be in January as previously he's failed to impress in the transfer window.

Quoted from diehardmariner

This is the best squad we've had since coming down to this level, even the three/four seasons previously when struggling in League Two.

By that definition alone, success has to be an improvement on last year.  In the last two seasons we've been play-off semi-finalists twice, FA Trophy finalists once and FA Trophy semi-finalists once.  We're not that far off.

We could, in theory, get to the FA Trophy Final and lose, get to the Play Off Final and lose, go on a decent FA Cup run ending up in a big pay day away at a Premier League club.  Alas, we'll have won nothing, still be in this league but with a massive boost to the coffers.  Still an improvement on last year.  

Do you sack the guy who's got you that or give him a chance, perhaps some extra finances, to do what he's done the previous three summers (improve the squad)?

For me, we shouldn't be looking at anything less than promotion this year.  I genuinely wouldn't swap our squad with any other team at this level.  The key will be keeping key people fit and fresh.

Hurst's biggest challenge will be in January as previously he's failed to impress in the transfer window.

Not convinced we have a better "squad" overall by any stretch of the imagination, as highlighted by the loans and short term deals we have already used in the first 4 weeks of a season and utter refusal to trust the young pro's in waiting.
We are lighter up top numbers wise than last year, not convinced we are stronger out wide ( Arnold unfortunate, Makreth not convincing as yet) which leaves Paddy and Neilson, one aint a winger which leaves one performing winger currently.
Centre mid Brown is a definate improvement, Clay i have only seen in the friendlies so cant comment on recent form and Disley remains the same for me....at the back,,Magnay definate improvement, Thomas unfortunate, Bignot same as, Pearson & Toto still bedding in, both good players, but sometimes players despite how good they are individually just dont marry up as a partnership and Mckeown the same as.
Regards Hurst position, well should he remain in place for the season and ultimately not deliver the prize at the end of it then how many chances do you give him? Alot of the players are on a one year deal again so can he rebuild a better team on a smaller budget the year after to go one better? Big ask.