Expectations

30 games to go in the league, 90 points available. A very winnable FA Cup 1st round game.

Entertain. Attack. Fight for everything.

A play off place is possible

Quoted from Spurn boy

I don’t want to wait for next season for success, we are only in October so plenty of time left to hopefully turn things around. UTM

We would need over 2 points per  game now for the play-offs , so i suppose it depends what you would class as a good season ?

Anywhere above 14th would be good now for me , with hopefully a decent run in the cup or an early exit against a big one that makes us some £££.

We need visible proof that we will be challenging at the right end next season on the pitch from whoever comes in .

I hoped we'd challenge for the play-offs and now expect a new manager to mould a decent set of players into a team by playing to their abilities rather than to nullify the opposition. If they achieve that, then a mid table finish and the opportunity to add the missing pieces in the summer.

It would be nice to have a period where we win more than we lose instead of struggling in the league.

Promotion in 2 or 3 years would be great after a couple of seasons winning well at home for a change.

Then the fans can go to the games thinking we are going to win again today and going home happy.

I never expect, only hope, and right now I hope we get going and pull away from the bottom end of the table before we become marooned. I can't face another relegation scrap.

Anywhere 10 or more places above the relegation zone will do for me and I don't care how we achieve it as entertainment can come later.

What worries me is that people automatically think a new manager means more wins and points, but history has taught us that isn't always the case. Talking about still getting to the play offs is fanciful.

The good thig is that we have acted early and have plenty of time and a window to sort ourselves out.

After watching pre-season I expected a completely different style off football to Hursts normal, turgid, hard working style. We looked bright, on the front foot, pressing high with intent. Well, after 4 games that was binned so my expectations were adjusted to mid-table, with a decentish cup run (something I will credit Hurst with, he had the knack of getting us to really perform in one off games).
What I'm expecting now -  consolidation, sort out the leaky defence, then hopefully a bit more 'entertaining' football, with a top half finish. Anything else would just be a " nice to have" bonus

Quoted from IlkleyMariner

I’m still shocked about our decline since outplaying Bradford in the first half of that game.

At half time, we were in second place………cannot explain what has happened since.

This. We were excellent that first half. Still struggling to come to terms with the way this has panned out.

The relaxed interviews with Hurst looking quietly confident prior to the season starting. The season ticket sales. Everyone was buzzing about the recruitment in close season. I was hoping for a play off place. I expected Hurst would be here for a few seasons yet and I genuinely thought he'd eventually turn us into a solid Division One side before getting the call from Rotherham or Wednesday.

No idea what I think now. I trust the owners to go after the "right" appointment. Depends if they can sell us.

To say I'm anxious is an understatement.  

At the beginning of the season I'd hoped for the playoffs, but that seems a long way off now. I hope they consolidate a mid-table finish and at all costs avoid a relegation dog fight.

I believe now was the best time for Hurst to go and have a new man at the helm. I hope he can get the positive results we need and have them play entertaining football.

UTM

66/1 to get promoted available

Yeah the falling off the cliff post-Bradford is quite spectacular to say the least.

Prior to that you look at how we did:

AFC Wimbeldon - Draw - Matched a very good side who started like a house on fire.  Their early form highlighted by the fact they're on such a bad run at the minute yet only four points outside the top 7.

Notts County - Defeat - Could have gone either way.  Left Meadow Lane thinking a point would have been fair but a game that could have swung either way (and it did).  Currently 2nd and sat top for a long time.

Salford - Win - Outplayed them.

Mansfield - Draw - By far the best team I've seen at this level in a fair few years.  Yet we squared up to them and at times had them all tied up.  More composure and we win this.  Poor goal to concede from our side but a point a fair outcome.

Walsall - Draw - Gotta be honest I can't remember anything about this other than Eisa's rocket.  Apparently we had 66% possession and twice as many passes completed as them so certainly not a game we got outplayed.

Gillingham - Win - Best team won.  Although they had already suffered a surprise defeat to Colchester before, they came here as the team to beat and we did, without too much trouble.  They still sit comfortably in the table, a point outside the top 7.


Before the start of the season I expected us to make a serious challenge on the promotion places.  Post Bradford game I had seen nothing to make me question that really.  My frustration was that we weren't killing games off, just like against Bradford and other occasions when going ahead but then letting sides back in.  We still had Wilson to come back and hopefully Pyke to pick up his fitness. The midfield needed to get forward a bit more but I felt that would come.  If anything, I thought we were only going to better as the team gelled more.


And then we went to Wrexham.

Going into that game Wrexham had conceded 15 times in 7 games.  13 of those in just 4 home games. Yet we went there and failed to lay a glove on them.  Ok, we didn't have Rose and Eisa but we went with a mentality that we were going up against a side better than us and our best hope was to escape with a lucky 0-0.  That changed everything for me.  After that we lost our confidence and we've not had it back since.  We've looked scared of everyone since and the players have lost any swagger and belief they had in themselves.

It's impossible to not look at the table and be looking more at FGR, Tranmere and Sutton than it is Accrington, Morecambe and Crewe.  But 12 points to make up in 30 games isn't that difficult to believe in.  I certainly don't believe that the side who huffed and puffed against Doncaster can make it up, but I do believe that the side who schooled Bradford for 45 minutes and gave Mansfield a real game can do.

The majority of times when we've seen managers come in at this stage of the season, they've inherited a excrement side.   Whoever this new person is, they won't inherit a excrement side.  It's arguably a bit imbalanced but the core is there for a good side.  Someone who comes in and has that instant impact to get the players believing in themselves would see us jump right up the table.

It's not a guarantee and it's never that simple.  But there isn't a whole rebuilding job needed here, just getting the best out of what's available.  My expectations have definitely lessened in the last 6 weeks. But I won't accept that lower mid-table should be the ceiling for our aspirations this season, not just yet anyway.