I feel sick

Not looking forward to next season. It was really promising around January and I thought we were moving up but we've just fallen flat on our face.

Three seasons back in the Football League.

First season we were in with a chance of the play offs when Bignot all of a sudden  starts pussyfooting around with a team on the edge of the play offs and season finishes with a wimper rather than a bang.

Second season in and Slade almost takes us back from whence we'd recently came. Saved at the last minute by Jolley.

Third season in and see 1st season, heading towards playoffs and then wallop - we hit mediocrity big time and plummet down the league.

Three seasons in, and it's one step forward and two steps back. Four managers, no improvement. One de facto club chairman, no initiative.

Fourth season? Without removing the de facto chairman repeat 1,2,3 ad nauseum.....

There's something badly wrong. And it starts at the top with John Fenty. He wants out, and I believe him, but he's taking his 200k a year out of the playing budget. And that's a 3k+ a week striker (plus nat ins etc). He's in no rush, he's looking for as much of the 3 million plus quid in shares and loans (benign my bottom), back as possible. Does he deserve to get out with all his money back? After almost relegating us to non league THREE times and actually RELEGATING US FROM THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE? It'll take him 15 years at 200k a year and who can blame him for not putting any more money in, and who would WANT him to?

Not for me, we need to apply pressure. He needs to name his price (he's never done this) and he needs to go. And he needs to go soon, we can't trust him to keep us out of the national league, I can see where we are going with these winless runs, and it's back to the flipping Dog and Duck.

Quoted from jock dock tower

Three seasons back in the Football League.

First season we were in with a chance of the play offs when Bignot all of a sudden  starts pussyfooting around with a team on the edge of the play offs and season finishes with a wimper rather than a bang.

Second season in and Slade almost takes us back from whence we'd recently came. Saved at the last minute by Jolley.

Third season in and see 1st season, heading towards playoffs and then wallop - we hit mediocrity big time and plummet down the league.

Three seasons in, and it's one step forward and two steps back. Four managers, no improvement. One de facto club chairman, no initiative.

Fourth season? Without removing the de facto chairman repeat 1,2,3 ad nauseum.....

first season back we would have made the play offs if wer hadnt sold Bogle, or rather Bogle didnt sell himself.  Bignot was unlucky in that reapect

What saddens me is the spurned potential. The people running the show without the ability to capitalise. The crowds that want something to get behind.
It's there waiting, but there's nobody at the club with enough talent to capture the imagination and give the supporters something exciting and worthy of their money and dedication. Since we were returned to the league we have made an absolute dogs dinner of it and totally killed the rekindled pride and optimism with dismal failure and dreary, cheapo survivalism. Shame.

Get a bleedin' grip everyone.  Firstly, let's decouple the issues of Fenty (on which I think we all agree) and Jolley (differences of opinion)

This is MJ's first season in proper management and he's done some things really well and has also made mistakes, but he's shown enough to deserve our backing.  He's managing with one hand tied behind his back and is a rookie.  If he's honest he'll be admitting he hasn't cracked his formation (maybe because the players available for the money aren't good enough) and has misfired with a few signings, especially Welsh who has been an expensive let-down.

But for all those mistakes, he will learn from them in the way he puts together his squad for next season.  He's blooded or made into regulars some good young players (Clifton, Pollock, Burrell and Rose A) and hopefully will give Max Wright a game before the season ends.  He'll know the sorts of characters he needs and those he can do without.

I think to expect playoffs this season was always unrealistic.  We were all happy with mid table and not being in danger of going down, and so it has transpired.  

I think Jolley will keep improving, and would love to see him look at the following:

-  Reconsider 352 if the personnel aren't up to it
-  Prioritise a striker in the summer window
-  Consider relaxing his "live in the area" rule if it would help get one or two more signings over the line
-  Be bold in his backroom staff demands and keep pressing the board
-  Make the team far more cynical and streetwise
-  Pick an outfield captain to enforce the point above
-  Allow himself a "luxury player" a la Dembele, to give himself more of a creative attacking element

Quoted from HackneyHaddock

Get a bleedin' grip everyone.  Firstly, let's decouple the issues of Fenty (on which I think we all agree) and Jolley (differences of opinion)

This is MJ's first season in proper management and he's done some things really well and has also made mistakes, but he's shown enough to deserve our backing.  He's managing with one hand tied behind his back and is a rookie.  If he's honest he'll be admitting he hasn't cracked his formation (maybe because the players available for the money aren't good enough) and has misfired with a few signings, especially Welsh who has been an expensive let-down.

But for all those mistakes, he will learn from them in the way he puts together his squad for next season.  He's blooded or made into regulars some good young players (Clifton, Pollock, Burrell and Rose A) and hopefully will give Max Wright a game before the season ends.  He'll know the sorts of characters he needs and those he can do without.

I think to expect playoffs this season was always unrealistic.  We were all happy with mid table and not being in danger of going down, and so it has transpired.  

I think Jolley will keep improving, and would love to see him look at the following:

-  Reconsider 352 if the personnel aren't up to it
-  Prioritise a striker in the summer window
-  Consider relaxing his "live in the area" rule if it would help get one or two more signings over the line
-  Be bold in his backroom staff demands and keep pressing the board
-  Make the team far more cynical and streetwise
-  Pick an outfield captain to enforce the point above
-  Allow himself a "luxury player" a la Dembele, to give himself more of a creative attacking element

Its his players who are not capable of 3-5-2.....
Striker - talk about staing the obvious
Didnt know we had a 'live in the area' policy, its ridiculous if we do, whose going to upsticks for a 1 / 2 year contract, especially if they have kids
what backroom staff? Please dont tell me its a fitness coach ffs
Cynical? Number of Red Cards would suggest we aint that nice anyway
Captain - makes little difference, unless your Roy Keane
Dembele was crap

Jeez if people here are feeling like this about town, i cant begin to imagine how Notts County fans are feeling right now.
Yes we havent won in a while but we are far from staring down the trap door into non league again

Welsh lived in Liverpool, didn't he?

We have had a right up and down season but it has not all been bad,

Yes we are on a bad run and we have had a few of those but we have had a couple of good runs as well as the odd average run.

To me that says we do not have the players who can perform week in week out and we have a rookie manager,

Next season could be the chance that MJ is no longer the rookie and we have the players that can do it every week,

If that does not happen then the gates will go down Jolley might be sacked and non league could be our future for the next decade or more.

The only bright spot on the horizon is Fenty might give MJ the funds to do the job required or he walks away,

BUT

I doubt none of those things will happen and we will skirt just above the drop zone again and again.All hope of success eludes me at present.