57 points?

This is apparently Mr Jolley’s target as he seeks year on year improvement. A team “pushing up towards the top end of the table” is his aim.

[url] https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/grimsby-town-league-two-jolley-3503193[/url]

Now, I know we should take the GT stuff with a very large barrel of salt but is this really what we can expect? A slog up to 57 points and a spot somewhere near upper mid-table. Not even aiming for the play-offs now then?

I have little time for JF but I would not blame him if he was somewhat annoyed by this lukewarm ambition for the season when the manager has been given a pretty reasonably budget and it is only November.

Given how strong the league looked before the start of the season, I'd have taken 57 points. I still would.

It's going to take some time to turn this oil tanker of a club around. Incremental progress after years of non-league and a very near return to it will do me.

Patience is required. There isn't a quick fix. And I don't remember anyone predicting we'd be anywhere near promotion this season.

Next season is a different matter.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

This is apparently Mr Jolley’s target as he seeks year on year improvement. A team “pushing up towards the top end of the table” is his aim.

[url] https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/grimsby-town-league-two-jolley-3503193[/url]

Now, I know we should take the GT stuff with a very large barrel of salt but is this really what we can expect? A slog up to 57 points and a spot somewhere near upper mid-table. Not even aiming for the play-offs now then?

I have little time for JF but I would not blame him if he was somewhat annoyed by this lukewarm ambition for the season when the manager has been given a pretty reasonably budget and it is only November.

The whole club lacks ambition from top to bottom. No desire or vision, no ability to change anything.

Unless we get new owners nothing will change, as everybody takes their lead from the man at the top.

In fairness to Jolley, you've quite creatively paraphrased him there.  I suppose it is election season after all.  

He's said he wants to improve on the 56 points from last season and have a team pushing to the top end of the division.  That's pretty much the textbook answer.  Very few will come out and say they expect to be at the top end or battling against the drop.  I just read it as another answer from Jolley where he doesn't really answer anything.

With regards the budget - is it reasonable?  I know Hanson and Green will have commanded decent figures in their past but both came here after disappointing spells previous.  Same for Ogbu actually.  We also offloaded a fair chunk of high earners in the summer.  Despite Fenty suggesting that he reflected that the budget wasn't competitive enough last season, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same this season.

Why have I got Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet show in my head?

Same old, same old though isn’t it? Have patience, Rome wasn’t built ..... etc..... etc.

We all know it is a textbook sidestep answer.. we all know it is hard to find something positive to talk about after 2 blank weeks. But really, what an uninspiring bit of media flannel this is. We need some enthusiasm and drive, like we were promised by this new broom not a miserable anodyne low target of the Hurst variety.

I am hoping for a decent cup run because it does not look as though there is much other excitement on its way.

If he was brimming with enthusiasm, I've no doubt someone would be on here criticising him and asking what on earth he'd got to be enthusiastic about.

Personally, I've been patient enough. We've been to hell and back, the unthinkable actually happened and almost repeated a couple of seasons ago. Mid table in division 4 / League 2 is absolutely unacceptable. We should be looking at the play offs as the minimum. Anything less is abject failure. We are a good sized club at this level, the reign of John Fenty has meant many of this clubs fans, partiicularly in their teens / twenties / even early thirties now have seen nothing but shite and they think that's the norm.

Quoted from fishboyUTM

Personally, I've been patient enough. We've been to hell and back, the unthinkable actually happened and almost repeated a couple of seasons ago. Mid table in division 4 / League 2 is absolutely unacceptable. We should be looking at the play offs as the minimum. Anything less is abject failure. We are a good sized club at this level, the reign of John Fenty has meant many of this clubs fans, partiicularly in their teens / twenties / even early thirties now have seen nothing but shite and they think that's the norm.

How can anybody can disagree with that assessment? Some do - clinging on to a belief that it will all come right.

Football has changed hugley since our time in the sun, and the club has fallen behind.

It needs a re-boot. Fenty has tried a re-boot may times by changing the manager but has yet to cotton on to the fact that he is the one that needs changing.

Quoted from fishboyUTM

Personally, I've been patient enough. We've been to hell and back, the unthinkable actually happened and almost repeated a couple of seasons ago. Mid table in division 4 / League 2 is absolutely unacceptable. We should be looking at the play offs as the minimum. Anything less is abject failure. We are a good sized club at this level, the reign of John Fenty has meant many of this clubs fans, partiicularly in their teens / twenties / even early thirties now have seen nothing but shite and they think that's the norm.

Paraphrased it for you.... but then again there is that old counter argument that without him, would there even be a GTFC?

The last time we finished higher than 14th in league 2 was 2006.  So if we finish in the top half of the league then that is progress.

I’d love us to make the top 7 and I’m sure Jolley would like to too.

However, would finishing mid table be a disaster? Not really

The bookies had us as a relegation contender this season.

The club is financially stable and living within its means.  If it can do that and make steady progress up the division and eventually be contenders for League 1, then I’m happy with that.  

I don’t want someone pumping money into the club and then pulling the plug and potentially killing the club.  Build a foundation, invest in youth, strengthen the connections with the local community.  That’s what I want to see.

I'm sick to death of Michael Jolley. He's taking us backwards. He deserves a lot more flak than he's received for our abject results for much of his reign.

In the calendar year 2018 his league record was...

P 35
W 14 (40%)
D 7
L 14 (40%)
GD -3
Pts 49 (1.4 pts/game)

And his record in 2019...

P 36
W 11 (30.6%)
D 8
L 17 (47.2%)
GD -9
Pts 41 (1.14 pts/game)

A clear and worrying decline since the start of this calendar year.

And it's worth pointing out that every player at the end of the January transfer window was either signed by Jolley or was given a contract extension by Jolley. In other words they are all his players.

I've said this before, but we're just under 6 months from the end of the season. He's on a 6 month rolling contract. Now would be the perfect time to give him his 6 month notice.

I share you concerns regarding the manager. He is doing a poor job in my opinion and his performance should be monitored upstairs.

However, I don’t think you could give him his notice. The players would lose all focus, as would the future plans of the manager. The club would be in limbo. I’m not sure it even works that way, I think you’d have to dismiss him immediately and pay him six months basic wage.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but I’m tired of these pathetic losing or winless streaks, his style of football is a disgrace as well. I’m all for mixing it up but many gameplans wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Slade era. And for a man as qualified as he is in football management, I find that bewildering.

Quoted from fishboyUTM

I share you concerns regarding the manager. He Is doing a poor job in my opinion and his performance should be monitored upstairs.

However, I don’t think you could give him his notice. The players would lose all focus, as would the future plans of the manager. The club would be in limbo. I’m not sure it even works that way, I think you’d have to dismiss him immediately and pay him six months basic wage.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but I’m tired of these pathetic losing or winless streaks, his style of football is a disgrace as well. I’m all for mixing it up but many gameplans wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Slade era. And for a man as qualified as he is in football management, I find that bewildering.

Exeter did the same thing with Paul Tisdale in November 2017. At the end of the season (after they lost the Play-off Final) he joined MK Dons.

Quoted from fishboyUTM

I share your concerns regarding the manager. He is doing a poor job in my opinion and his performance should be monitored upstairs.

However, I don’t think you could give him his notice. The players would lose all focus, as would the future plans of the manager. The club would be in limbo. I’m not sure it even works that way, I think you’d have to dismiss him immediately and pay him six months basic wage.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but I’m tired of these pathetic losing or winless streaks, his style of football is a disgrace as well. I’m all for mixing it up but many gameplans wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Slade era. And for a man as qualified as he is in football management, I find that bewildering.

More likely the club would be in Limbrick?

These two are probably the most highly qualified managers we have ever had. They certainly can talk a good game, pity the practical doesn’t seem to live up to the theory.

Quoted from fishboyUTM

I share your concerns regarding the manager. He is doing a poor job in my opinion and his performance should be monitored upstairs.

However, I don’t think you could give him his notice. The players would lose all focus, as would the future plans of the manager. The club would be in limbo. I’m not sure it even works that way, I think you’d have to dismiss him immediately and pay him six months basic wage.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but I’m tired of these pathetic losing or winless streaks, his style of football is a disgrace as well. I’m all for mixing it up but many gameplans wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Slade era. And for a man as qualified as he is in football management, I find that bewildering.

To be honest I think the players have already lost their focus, probably p!ssed off with his constant tinkering, swapping out of players, deconstructing the best team we've had out all season(Exeter) and the fact that he WILL not learn from his mistakes...
Afraid I'm with Golly now, his time is done for me, playing style is non existent and he's appearing tactically inept...
Galls me saying that because I really wanted MJ to be a shining light for young, hungry English managers who were prepared to start at the bottom and work their way through the ranks but as far as I can see that at this moment in time he's only working his way into non-league with GTFC and I want better for my beloved club .

Just for reference, where does everyone think our par for the course is?  League One?  While that might have been true 20/25 years ago, it certainly isn't now.  In terms of budget, infrastructure and general 21st-century-worthiness, we are firmly mid-table League 2.  I think it's therefore unfair to criticise any manager who fails to single-handedly drag us back to where we believe we should be, despite their perceived shortcomings.

I admit that I never saw the glory days and may be naturally resigned to seeing us scrap around in tiers 4 and 5.  The best things I've seen Town do are beat Burnley 6-5, embarrass Spurs and finally win at Wembley in 2016, but these pale in comparison to what most people on here (I presume you're all ancient) witnessed.  

I just think that, while we are currently floating along without sign of financial peril, we aren't too far away from trouble should we gamble without success, especially as we might be taking on the enormous risk of financing a new stadium at some point in the next 1000 years.  But promotions and relegations are much more exciting I suppose.  

We just need new impetus.  Simple as that.  But I believe in Jolley to build us something that can sustain, it's just whether we can as fans can stomach more boredom until then.

We were one off the favourites with the bookies for relegation.  As things stand there is still a risk of this happening.  The 2 games in hand are quite crucial if we are to move away from the bottom.

We need to review where we stand about new year.

Quoted from MarinerDevil

Just for reference, where does everyone think our par for the course is?  League One?  While that might have been true 20/25 years ago, it certainly isn't now.  In terms of budget, infrastructure and general 21st-century-worthiness, we are firmly mid-table League 2.  I think it's therefore unfair to criticise any manager who fails to single-handedly drag us back to where we believe we should be, despite their perceived shortcomings.


We just need new impetus.  Simple as that.  But I believe in Jolley to build us something that can sustain, it's just whether we can as fans can stomach more boredom until then.

But what about the clubs in the Championship and L1 now? Where were they 25 years ago. There's a good few, Lincoln being one, Wycombe being another, Hull another, Rotherham another ........ that in terms of budget, infrastructure etc, were a long way off where they are now and probably never dreamt it. Where were we when Buckley Mk1 started? You have to start from somewhere and you have to move up rapidly or you don't move at all, unless it's down. This slowly, slowly building is a false economy, in football you have to speculate to accumulate at least a bit and you have to be prepared to take risks as an owner and as a manager.

Jolley is gradually turning into Hurst Mk2 and I think he is more interested in his own future than getting the team moving. The two things should be linked as they were with Buckley, the Cowleys etc. but sometimes managers get on in the game on the back of perceived potential. At the moment that is all Jolley has - potential, nothing else.

As things stand and considering current form, I’d love to know where we’re getting 57 points from.....

Quoted from Heisenberg

As things stand and considering current form, I’d love to know where we’re getting 57 points from.....

We certainly need to start winning the odd game, yes we have games in hand but we are only six points off the bottom team now.

It’s hard to try and understand this
It’s about what u see on the pitch
And what I’ve seen on the pitch these last half a dozen games or so that I’ve seen hasn’t been, urmmmm inspiring
I think we have the occasional glimpse of been better but then go back to looking timid and lightweight
If Macca hadn't saved that pen at Camb that would have been Another game lost
Think the players are overall better but something is getting lost in the communication
6 points off bottom is not improvement
Salford where absolutely shite and they are now above us

Maybe I'm going against the general consensus here but I think we should be able to get the 38 points we need from the next 31 games to hit that 57 points mark....

Jeez......somebody paraphrases a normal interview response and its lets hang Jolley out to dry...FFS.

Jolley actually says his first target is to surpass last seasons points tally  which will hopefully then push us up the table. He then points out that the table is fairly open and moves can be made pretty quickly.  
We found that when we didnt lose for a few and have found it again when we have lost a few.
Plenty of people on here have pointed out the freaky topsy turvy results over the last few weeks, teams winning 4-0 then losing 4-0, form out of the window and games that look like bankers flipping over.

We dont have the budget, the infrastructure, the board or leadership to be Championship or League 1 and probably not even top of League 2, and there arent that many proven managers knocking about at this level waiting for us to call them either to help us out perform what sadly is our current natural level.

There is talk of the budget this season, now i dont know if it has increased much over recent seasons, more than inflation that is,  but i have heard and reading between lines have surmised myself that what has changed is the wage structure. Macca "hauling the club over the coals" over his new contract was a result of that i believe, players coming in on a higher wage than was previously paid when Macca signed his last contract.

Has the budget actually increased or was Jolley allowed to break the structure to sign better quality players while the overall budget remained similar, meaning thinner squad and also the use of youth ie cheaper players to balance the books ?  

Jolley is our fourth manager since returning to the league, we have turned over god knows how many players in that time...all very similar to the build up of the last time we dropped out of the League, a change of manager and no doubt philosophy and squad again would IMO be fking disastrous.

No ones hanging MJ out to dry. Football is results business. MJ is not delivering the required results at the moment and as my stats in an earlier post prove the results since the start of January have declined considerably. This isn’t a short term decline. It’s been going on for 10 calendar months.

His results in 2018 averaged 64-65 points over a full season. His results in 2019 would get us 52 points.

It is hardly surprising that fans are starting to question whether MJ is capable of delivering success.

Everyone seems to think we have a better squad than he inherited and the budget (and infrastructure) have improved since he took over. Why have results gone the opposite way?

Let’s be honest, if Slade delivered the results that Jolley has then he’d be public enemy number 1 and would have already been sacked.

Why Jolley gets away with it is a mystery to me. He talks a good game, but delivers naff all in the bread and butter competition (League Two).

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

This is apparently Mr Jolley’s target as he seeks year on year improvement. A team “pushing up towards the top end of the table” is his aim.

[url] https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/grimsby-town-league-two-jolley-3503193[/url]

Now, I know we should take the GT stuff with a very large barrel of salt but is this really what we can expect? A slog up to 57 points and a spot somewhere near upper mid-table. Not even aiming for the play-offs now then?

I have little time for JF but I would not blame him if he was somewhat annoyed by this lukewarm ambition for the season when the manager has been given a pretty reasonably budget and it is only November.

So you have taken one part of a statement by MJ and used that to determine your slant on things. I can find no reference at all in the statement by MJ that mentions 57 points as a target. All he says is that he wants to improve on last seasons tally of 56 points and you have then assumed  that 57 is the target. As long as we keep improving on previous seasons and the club keeps making a profit then that is fine by me. That is not acceptiong mediocrity, it is building a stable base and platform for future seasons.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

No ones hanging MJ out to dry. Football is results business. MJ is not delivering the required results at the moment and as my stats in an earlier post prove the results since the start of January have declined considerably. This isn’t a short term decline. It’s been going on for 10 calendar months.

His results in 2018 averaged 64-65 points over a full season. His results in 2019 would get us 52 points.

It is hardly surprising that fans are starting to question whether MJ is capable of delivering success.

Everyone seems to think we have a better squad than he inherited and the budget (and infrastructure) have improved since he took over. Why have results gone the opposite way?

Let’s be honest, if Slade delivered the results that Jolley has then he’d be public enemy number 1 and would have already been sacked.

Why Jolley gets away with it is a mystery to me. He talks a good game, but delivers naff all in the bread and butter competition (League Two).

Happy for Jolley to get the boot provided you can divulge the name of the manager who is available, who we can afford, who would
be prepared to come here, and (most importantly) would guarantee improvement/success.

It's not as easy as "I don't like this manager- so let's get a new one..." .
Particularly as JF's managerial appointment history is rather sketchy, to say the least. Be careful what you wish for.

Quoted from rancido

So you have taken one part of a statement by MJ and used that to determine your slant on things. I can find no reference at all in the statement by MJ that mentions 57 points as a target. All he says is that he wants to improve on last seasons tally of 56 points and you have then assumed  that 57 is the target. As long as we keep improving on previous seasons and the club keeps making a profit then that is fine by me. That is not acceptiong mediocrity, it is building a stable base and platform for future seasons.

That is just a nit-pick. It is accepting mediocrity. This stable base idea for a club can be ruined by one loose brick. We are a good run away from the play-offs but we are also only a bad run away from relegation bother. That is the reality of this division, you either aim to go up and out, in which case you achieve or you end up top half, or at least you have a cushion against bad breaks. Or, you just aim for "stability" in which case the only two options are mid-table survival or go down. In any case stability implies some consistency and that is now surely a word no-one could possibly apply to MJ.

Nobody is saying spend spend spend, and ruin the club financially.  My point is all about the managing of the side that he (and it is now his alone) has put together and the way he operates his selections and tactics. Other people have been making the point that he seems to be getting away with things now when past managers have been caned by the fans for negativity and mediocre ambitions and I think that is fair comment. We were all prepared to give the bloke a chance, he talked and talked and talked some more, even if his actual track record was not brilliant he looked as if he might have some contacts. And we liked his talk didn't we? That pressing game he promised, getting players forward, quality balls into the box, being positive ..... seems an age ago.

To my mind his one success to date has been in bringing on some younger players. As a manager whose job it is to get the club onwards and upwards he is not doing so well  after a goodly amount of time, goodwill and leeway and despite some pretty reasonable budget backing. Yet all he says is that we aim to "improve". His only consistency is in setting the bar low enough to make achievement easier.

In a nutshell MJ is not consistently producing the goods on the park. In the end you cannot just hang on to someone who is failing to achieve football success purely because there appear to be no other alternative managers on the horizon.

The managers can come and go.

But while the budget and the playing/training conditions remain the same not much will change.  Just the names.  

And for those that can’t understand why our budget doesn’t appear to match our attendances compared to other clubs.  It’s because they have more outside income than we do.
Whilst BP has some fantastic memories for me, it is now a millstone around our neck.

Quoted from Civvy at last

The managers can come and go.

But while the budget and the playing/training conditions remain the same not much will change.  Just the names.  

And for those that can’t understand why our budget doesn’t appear to match our attendances compared to other clubs.  It’s because they have more outside income than we do.
Whilst BP has some fantastic memories for me, it is now a millstone around our neck.

I agree about BP but don’t forget Civvy, that situation has existed for years. The Would board knew it was a money pit in the early 60s even when Tommy Wilkinson’s blokes were doing the maintenance they wanted to move to Cambridge Road. The Ramsdens wanted to have the “Findus” as the main stand and fortunes were spent getting the facilities and power over that side to dressing rooms we never used. Those nights against Everton and the like were at least the catalyst to getting the Barrett removed. What did we get from the next big push in the Buckley era? That was where things really stagnated. But it is chicken and egg. Build first and hope? Get success on the pitch first and hope?

Quoted from Civvy at last

The managers can come and go.

But while the budget and the playing/training conditions remain the same not much will change.  Just the names.  

And for those that can’t understand why our budget doesn’t appear to match our attendances compared to other clubs.  It’s because they have more outside income than we do.
Whilst BP has some fantastic memories for me, it is now a millstone around our neck.

I am not sure about that.

I have been to business meetings at BP over the years, with the usual fish and chip lunch and bar facilities. Seemed ok to me. Obviously I would rather have a shiny new stadium with extra parking and what not, but if the same people were running the show I doubt it make much difference.

What is needed more is a can do attitude and making the most of the facilties we have - I doubt they are utilised to their maximum.

Although it was a long time ago, my wedding reception was held there, and most people commented on how novel it was and how enjoyable it was; in fact there should be a law passed that every Town fan should have their wedding reception there to help finance the club.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I am not sure about that.

I have been to business meetings at BP over the years, with the usual fish and chip lunch and bar facilities. Seemed ok to me. Obviously I would rather have a shiny new stadium with extra parking and what not, but if the same people were running the show I doubt it make much difference.

What is needed more is a can do attitude and making the most of the facilties we have - I doubt they are utilised to their maximum.

Although it was a long time ago, my wedding reception was held there, and most people commented on how novel it was and how enjoyable it was; in fact there should be a law passed that every Town fan should have their wedding reception there to help finance the club.

Sorry lew its true. There was an article on the BBC about the club's which have the heaviest reliance on through the gate income I.e.they generate less off the pitch compared to others. Town were one of those clubs. Will try and find it

Quoted from toontown

Sorry lew its true. There was an article on the BBC about the club's which have the heaviest reliance on through the gate income I.e.they generate less off the pitch compared to others. Town were one of those clubs. Will try and find it

I have no doubt that part is true.

My point was - is BP being fully utilised or is it too easy to say "oh it will be different when we get a new stadium...."

There are a lot of division 4 grounds as bad or worse than BP surely? And according to your stats ALL of them provide greater revenue than BP off the pitch.

It is not great, we all know that,  but nevertheless it does have conference facilities that must be under used.

Blundell Park is not utilised to its full potential on match day, never mind during the week!

The big issue isn't in the dugout.  Don't get me wrong Jolley needs to improve and fast but he's probably another indication of we're getting what we paid for.  A manager with a lack of experience and a support team that's as equally young and naive.  We went cheap, hoped it be inspired and we're getting what we paid for.

The playing squad should ring alarm bells.  Our big summer signings were two strikers who are arguably past their best and on the way down the ladder.  How much interest would there have been in Hanson and Green considering their record of the last previous 18 months?

The club is run poorly with a short-sighted approach to everything.  That's the real issue.

My brother had his wedding reception at McMenemy's a few years back... Very novel and I particularly enjoyed glancing out over the hallowed turf 😎👌

Quoted from Rik e B

My brother had his wedding reception at McMenemy's a few years back... Very novel and I particularly enjoyed glancing out over the hallowed turf 😎👌

Why, was the best man down there getting some goalmouth action in the box?

I was the best man 😎👌

Went out down Meggies after and the amount of devious sexy ladies who approached me thinking I was the groom-gone-rogue was astounding... Should try that trick more often 🤔😅

Quoted from Rik e B

I was the best man 😎👌

Went out down Meggies after and the amount of devious sexy ladies who approached me thinking I was the groom-gone-rogue was astounding... Should try that trick more often 🤔😅

They’re competitive buggers aren’t they.