Doldrums

[bear 73]

Fair enough Rob. I'm not as bad as you might think but hyperbole and exaggeration sometimes get the better of me.

But back to point, it'd be interesting to do a poll and see where fans think we are in relation to our stature, infrastructure and potential: are we punching above our weight, are we about right, or could we do better and must try harder.

Personally, I believe we should be mid table league 1 side, on a par with a club like Oxford United getting around 65 points a season. Am I being naive. Is that just fantasy?

Well in terms of infrastructure I think I've said enough about our 3 sided ground, to me it just portrays a lack of ambition, even though we know that's not true. I think top end League 2/bottom end League 1 is about right - Conference was below and our 1 season in the Championship clearly well above! My main issue with some on this site this weekend is that we've played one game yet the knives are out, I find that a ridiculous over-reaction.
Finishing top 7 is, I believe, a realistic expectation, I think those who think we should walk this league are living in cloud cuckoo land.

From the Club,
Our aim is to make progress on and of the pitch---
Keeping level headed Through extremes of results,
The club has to be in a better position than it was 2 years ago,
We are building and it wont happen over night.
We need to put bulding blocks in place for a sustainable future, it will not happen over night.
Clough to win games you need the majority of your best players on the pitch,
The one word utered the most is the club has potencial.
Having faith in the club and its staff has been seen in the stadiums fan base.
The club seems to be on track
P-S 31 thousand at Derby in league 1
Stability the key to progress

[Sneag]

Fair enough Rob. I'm not as bad as you might think but hyperbole and exaggeration sometimes get the better of me.

But back to point, it'd be interesting to do a poll and see where fans think we are in relation to our stature, infrastructure and potential: are we punching above our weight, are we about right, or could we do better and must try harder.

Personally, I believe we should be mid table league 1 side, on a par with a club like Oxford United getting around 65 points a season. Am I being naive. Is that just fantasy?

Well in terms of infrastructure I think I've said enough about our 3 sided ground, to me it just portrays a lack of ambition, even though we know that's not true. I think top end League 2/bottom end League 1 is about right - Conference was below and our 1 season in the Championship clearly well above! My main issue with some on this site this weekend is that we've played one game yet the knives are out, I find that a ridiculous over-reaction.
Finishing top 7 is, I believe, a realistic expectation, I think those who think we should walk this league are living in cloud cuckoo land.

From the Club,
Our aim is to make progress on and of the pitch---
Keeping level headed Through extremes of results,
The club has to be in a better position than it was 2 years ago,
We are building and it wont happen over night.
We need to put bulding blocks in place for a sustainable future, it will not happen over night.
Clough to win games you need the majority of your best players on the pitch,
The one word utered the most is the club has potencial.
Having faith in the club and its staff has been seen in the stadiums fan base.
The club seems to be on track
P-S 31 thousand at Derby in league 1
Stability the key to progress

I'm a big fan of steady progress, not so keen on glacial progress.

If we take a decade or more to progress up each division a lot of us old timers won't live to see the championship.

[MTFCMusings]

Sharpe mentioned in his interview something along the lines of that last season whilst disappointing doesn’t feel like a failure to him and Nigel, it feels like good progress. They are not tainted by the failures of the past like we are as fans.

[Billy the fish]

Sharpe mentioned in his interview something along the lines of that last season whilst disappointing doesn’t feel like a failure to him and Nigel, it feels like good progress. They are not tainted by the failures of the past like we are as fans.

He mentioned they’d not been around long enough to see the failings of the past . Sharpe 2 years and NC 18 month

[Dan]

I think the January window has killed us off twice. Had there not been one I think we'd have been in League One for a few years now. I think Flitcroft suffered from it and Clough did last season too.

[bobbystagsfan]

I think the January window has killed us off twice. Had there not been one I think we'd have been in League One for a few years now. I think Flitcroft suffered from it and Clough did last season too.

Last January and the one under flitcroft were similar. Signed players that we were impressed with on paper, but just did not deliver the goods. Upset the balance of the team too, felt like Murphy started a few too many games when he was so out of form with Clough thinking he could play him and Akins into form maybe?

[five to three]

The negative feeling for me is that I am hoping this season we can build on last season so then to see the same old issues raise their head in the first game is disheartening! Players in wrong positions. Lacking a proper forward line threat. Lack of investment in the centre of defence. Some players clearly preferred over others regardless of ability. Same old same old. It's only one game but that's all we have to go on at present. Just hope it changes over the next few games.

[Marky Mark]

Beginning to think that Akins is on a bit of a hiding to nothing and it's going to take a 40 goal season to get some fans back onside, and even then that wont be enough for some. He's already being singled out for Saturday despite being no better or worse than favourites like Bowery, JJ or Maris - yet there's barely a whisper about any of them.

[MTFCMusings]

Beginning to think that Akins is on a bit of a hiding to nothing and it's going to take a 40 goal season to get some fans back onside, and even then that wont be enough for some. He's already being singled out for Saturday despite being no better or worse than favourites like Bowery, JJ or Maris - yet there's barely a whisper about any of them.

Agree, he wasn’t as bad as some others on Saturday, but the players you mention have credit in the bank, which Akins doesn’t and until his performances improve that will continue to be the case.

[part time pete]

I thought Boateng was brilliant in the PSF games, but on Saturday he was very disappointing.

In fact I was shocked at his performance.

[Bradders]

I thought Boateng was brilliant in the PSF games, but on Saturday he was very disappointing.

In fact I was shocked at his performance.

First time I've seen him play, and I thought that he was excellent. He must have been brilliant in pre-season if Saturday was disappointing!

[part time pete]

I thought Boateng was brilliant in the PSF games, but on Saturday he was very disappointing.

In fact I was shocked at his performance.

First time I've seen him play, and I thought that he was excellent. He must have been brilliant in pre-season if Saturday was disappointing!

He was.

[arsene wengers coat]

so on average I'd guess that by being any higher than 10th or 11th we're over achieving our historical position.

If that's the ceiling of our ambitions we may as well give up now.

[maverick34]

I thought Boateng was brilliant in the PSF games, but on Saturday he was very disappointing.

In fact I was shocked at his performance.

Have to say with it being a poor performance all around, to me Hiram was one of our better performers. His problem was not having his colleagues on the pitch switched on and up to speed. There's only so much you can do on your own but its one game out of 46 in the league and I'm sure when the rest of them decide to play, Boateng will show his quality even more.

[bear 73]

so on average I'd guess that by being any higher than 10th or 11th we're over achieving our historical position.

If that's the ceiling of our ambitions we may as well give up now.

Once the ambition was league football, then to stay in league football.
The next ambition was stability and a push for promotion.
All acheived
Where would you expect a 6ooo fan base to get to.
Me league 1 but will take time our record signing is £150 000, non league clubs spend more.
But having a club comes first every time, expecting top 7 again

[robbingdog]

Not far wrong there to be fair

[adamstag]

Beginning to think that Akins is on a bit of a hiding to nothing and it's going to take a 40 goal season to get some fans back onside, and even then that wont be enough for some. He's already being singled out for Saturday despite being no better or worse than favourites like Bowery, JJ or Maris - yet there's barely a whisper about any of them.

Agree, he wasn’t as bad as some others on Saturday, but the players you mention have credit in the bank, which Akins doesn’t and until his performances improve that will continue to be the case.

I don’t think it’s really akins, it’s more clough.

It’s like those toys you get for babies where they’ve got to fit the right shape block into the right shape hole, and sadly cloughs square isn’t fitting into the triangle - it’s almost as if he’s some weird fascination with him when sadly for all concerned bar a few random games he’s been average, at best.

He looked off the pace saturday and lost the ball often (he wasn’t on his own - maris wasn’t great) but as you mention the lad isn’t in credit, he’s very much in debit.

Let’s hope on saturday he has a cracker and we can all see the akins clough sees

[gazza1988]

Maybe he had that as a child?

Please note this is a joke, I saw it earlier and been deliberating whether to share it or not.

[adamstag]

Maybe he had that as a child?

Please note this is a joke, I saw it earlier and been deliberating whether to share it or not.

[adamstag]

Moving away from that defeat, despite sadly cocking up numerous attempts at getting into league 1 (especially under flitcroft) when you look at the club you’ve got to smile and look where we’re at.

Record STHs
Good players
one of the best managers in the lower leagues
Brilliant chairman
etc etc

We’re certainly moving in the right direction

[scotsstag]

Moving away from that defeat, despite sadly cocking up numerous attempts at getting into league 1 (especially under flitcroft) when you look at the club you’ve got to smile and look where we’re at.

Record STHs
Good players
one of the best managers in the lower leagues
Brilliant chairman
etc etc

We’re certainly moving in the right direction

Spot on mate, let's enjoy the ride for a bit.

[StagInHucknall]

For me having academy players come through to be first team regulars (who are tied down to long contracts) would count as success and then a slow build towards promotion like Exeter. I don’t think there was any from the academy who got a chance. Instead just shipped away on loan forever.

[Marky Mark]

so on average I'd guess that by being any higher than 10th or 11th we're over achieving our historical position.

If that's the ceiling of our ambitions we may as well give up now.

It's nothing to do with our ambitions, it's a statement of fact on where our relative position is to show that we aren't entitled to be anywhere higher.

I've just found this table which shows our all time league position as 85th, so 8th from bottom of League Two. Our median position is 81st so it's pretty accurate. We're not entitled to be anywhere, as frustrated as we are not to be higher.

http://alltimeleaguetable.co.uk/

[bobbystagsfan]

so on average I'd guess that by being any higher than 10th or 11th we're over achieving our historical position.

If that's the ceiling of our ambitions we may as well give up now.

It's nothing to do with our ambitions, it's a statement of fact on where our relative position is to show that we aren't entitled to be anywhere higher.

I've just found this table which shows our all time league position as 85th, so 8th from bottom of League Two. Our median position is 81st so it's pretty accurate. We're not entitled to be anywhere, as frustrated as we are not to be higher.

http://alltimeleaguetable.co.uk/

Some on here are starting to sound like Luton fans from 10-12 years ago.

Sadly they managed to achieve what we haven't

[Sandy Pate Best Stag]

so on average I'd guess that by being any higher than 10th or 11th we're over achieving our historical position.

If that's the ceiling of our ambitions we may as well give up now.

It's nothing to do with our ambitions, it's a statement of fact on where our relative position is to show that we aren't entitled to be anywhere higher.

I've just found this table which shows our all time league position as 85th, so 8th from bottom of League Two. Our median position is 81st so it's pretty accurate. We're not entitled to be anywhere, as frustrated as we are not to be higher.

http://alltimeleaguetable.co.uk/

I think the point you are missing is all the years that the club was starved of money and investment contributed to that assessment and achievement. And I’m not just talking about the Hasloan years.

We have been in a position for a number of years now where the opposite is true. We have owners who have not only invested in the team but have also invested heavily in the club’s infrastructure meaning that it is now in a totally different place. Under these circumstances we not only should be but also deserve to be higher up the pyramid.

To blandly accept anything below league 1 shows a total lack of ambition and a betrayal of the sacrifice and investment made by the current owners. They deserve better and so do the fans who have stood firmly behind the club during it’s darkest hours.

Please don’t say I don’t support Clough and want him gone as that is the furthest thing from my mind and he has my total support. I do however expect him to add quality to the squad during this window and there needs to be very good reasons if he fails to do so.