Sandy Pate Best Stag wrote:Whilst agreeing with the sentiments of your post Ben, I cannot agree with your view of the club's position in the football pyramid, probably because of when I started watching the team.
I began my stags burden in the early 60's and look on the team as being more than capable of mid league one level and that is my expectation of them. I watched what you no doubt regard as the glory years with a solid league base and several magnificent cup runs. I went when you had to be at the ground by 2.20 or still be outside at kick off time. Free gifts were given to all attendees such as hair gel or other useless items and we had great fun squirting it at each other.
I've seen a succession of owners come and go some good some bad. I've also seen players that would rings around anything we have had for a number of years who thought for themselves (to a great degree) and weren't handicapped by playing to rigid systems with little room for individuality. Admittedly today's crop have much better fitness levels and stamina (due to the professional training) but not the same ball skills or football awareness.
As stated I agree with your sentiments but think you fall far short of expectations and lack ambition. Maybe the current crop have the same views as you and that is why we are doing so poorly. Hopefully the owners don't and we continue to push on to our truly rightful position in League One.
Sandy Pate Best Stag wrote:Whilst agreeing with the sentiments of your post Ben, I cannot agree with your view of the club's position in the football pyramid, probably because of when I started watching the team.
I began my stags burden in the early 60's and look on the team as being more than capable of mid league one level and that is my expectation of them. I watched what you no doubt regard as the glory years with a solid league base and several magnificent cup runs. I went when you had to be at the ground by 2.20 or still be outside at kick off time. Free gifts were given to all attendees such as hair gel or other useless items and we had great fun squirting it at each other.
I've seen a succession of owners come and go some good some bad. I've also seen players that would rings around anything we have had for a number of years who thought for themselves (to a great degree) and weren't handicapped by playing to rigid systems with little room for individuality. Admittedly today's crop have much better fitness levels and stamina (due to the professional training) but not the same ball skills or football awareness.
As stated I agree with your sentiments but think you fall far short of expectations and lack ambition. Maybe the current crop have the same views as you and that is why we are doing so poorly. Hopefully the owners don't and we continue to push on to our truly rightful position in League One.
MTFCMusings wrote:Sandy Pate Best Stag wrote:Whilst agreeing with the sentiments of your post Ben, I cannot agree with your view of the club's position in the football pyramid, probably because of when I started watching the team.
I began my stags burden in the early 60's and look on the team as being more than capable of mid league one level and that is my expectation of them. I watched what you no doubt regard as the glory years with a solid league base and several magnificent cup runs. I went when you had to be at the ground by 2.20 or still be outside at kick off time. Free gifts were given to all attendees such as hair gel or other useless items and we had great fun squirting it at each other.
I've seen a succession of owners come and go some good some bad. I've also seen players that would rings around anything we have had for a number of years who thought for themselves (to a great degree) and weren't handicapped by playing to rigid systems with little room for individuality. Admittedly today's crop have much better fitness levels and stamina (due to the professional training) but not the same ball skills or football awareness.
As stated I agree with your sentiments but think you fall far short of expectations and lack ambition. Maybe the current crop have the same views as you and that is why we are doing so poorly. Hopefully the owners don't and we continue to push on to our truly rightful position in League One.
The quality is always going to be less than it was 'in your day'. The size of squads and number of substitutes these days means that the quality of player who were starters in your day for Mansfield will now be squad players at premier league or championship teams. That's how I look at it anyway.
88BenM wrote:We are Mansfield Town, a football club that has predominantly spent its life in the lower regions of the Football League. We have flirted with relegation into the abyss more than once, we know how to deal with it, we know how to cope.
With the above being true, I still find it amazing that we are now of the opinion as Stags fans that we should expect more, that we should command a place at the top table of League 2 and if we were to finally manage to breach the League 1 shores, we'd be expecting a pretty short stay in that division too before ascending to our 'rightful' place as a Championship club. I'm not here to argue with anybody about how this season has gone, how our budget dictates that we should be at the other end of the table or this appointment was trash or that decision was terrible. I just think we as fans, should definitely know better and when we hear the lofty ambitions of those in charge, we should remain humble and take such things with the pinch of salt which they rightfully deserve.
I do believe that history does to a large extent have some sway as to where the future path lies. Since I attended my first Stags match in 1997, we have spent just 6 seasons outside of League 2. 02/03 in League 1 and 08/09-12/13 in the Conference. In the entirety of my time as a fan we have finished inside the top 10 of League 2 on just 5 ocassions which were 8th in 99, 3rd in 02, 5th in 04, 8th in 18, 4th in 19. We must surely by now have accepted that we are playing our football as an average at best 4th tier side! Why then, are we, after a few seasons of near misses and a few interviews with our ambitious owners, are we demanding that X should be doing this and Y should have done that, fans getting onto the players backs and consistently needing a scapegoat?
And speaking of our owners and board members, I am absolutely astounded by some of the abuse that has been levelled at them from all different angles this season. They are human beings, we all make mistakes. I do not recall the interview with any of them where they stated that we will be firing our way to the Championship in record time. I suspect that if any of us had an off the record discussion with any of them that are involved in calling the shots, each one would have a story of something which they'd like to refine, do better or make a different decision. I think each and every one of them has earned the right to make those mistakes, why do they need to put up with some of the abuse that is aimed at them? If you were in a fortunate position, through your own personal successes, that you could earn yourself a say and a stake in the football club which we all support, would you put up with some of the personal abuse that is aimed at you? Often by those hiding behind a twitter name or a name on any other social media platform too. I am sure that some people will not be happy until some of our shot callers are publically flogged in Mansfield market place.
We have so much to be thankful to our owners about, just take a look at the Radford & Hymas Academy, we are the envy of many football clubs up and down the land who could only dream of a facility like that! We have it, we own it, thanks to 2 men that if you cut in half, would bleed amber and blue!
We are all disappointed with how the last 12 months have gone, but we do not have to let this kill us from the inside. We have much more to look forward to as a football club than we ever have, lets use the lessons of history to check our expectations but don't get too bogged down in it that we allow it to hinder our ambitions!
The One wrote:Not into 500 word posts
Sacking DF was right
Appointing Dempster was stupidity bordering on negligent.
Thats why we are where we are.
Rob wrote:The One wrote:Not into 500 word posts
Sacking DF was right
Appointing Dempster was stupidity bordering on negligent.
Thats why we are where we are.
Even if we are relegated folk like you will insist it was right to sack DF. It was the wrong decision, we finsihed in our highest league position in 15 years and sacked the manager, how much more bleedin obviously wrong can you be? Appointing JD was also wrong, but no matter who we'd appointed we'd be nowhere this season. Yet DF outers like you thought sack him and we'll be top three next season, so deluded!
The One wrote:Rob wrote:The One wrote:Not into 500 word posts
Sacking DF was right
Appointing Dempster was stupidity bordering on negligent.
Thats why we are where we are.
Even if we are relegated folk like you will insist it was right to sack DF. It was the wrong decision, we finsihed in our highest league position in 15 years and sacked the manager, how much more bleedin obviously wrong can you be? Appointing JD was also wrong, but no matter who we'd appointed we'd be nowhere this season. Yet DF outers like you thought sack him and we'll be top three next season, so deluded!
DF blew it twice, We needed to appoint a proven manager to replace him to maybe get a top three place. We got Dempster. Our form from a year ago , for me it started Notts away was garbage under DF. The stats do not lie.
The One wrote:Rob wrote:The One wrote:Not into 500 word posts
Sacking DF was right
Appointing Dempster was stupidity bordering on negligent.
Thats why we are where we are.
Even if we are relegated folk like you will insist it was right to sack DF. It was the wrong decision, we finsihed in our highest league position in 15 years and sacked the manager, how much more bleedin obviously wrong can you be? Appointing JD was also wrong, but no matter who we'd appointed we'd be nowhere this season. Yet DF outers like you thought sack him and we'll be top three next season, so deluded!
DF blew it twice, We needed to appoint a proven manager to replace him to maybe get a top three place. We got Dempster. Our form from a year ago , for me it started Notts away was garbage under DF. The stats do not lie.
Sedgwick wrote:The One wrote:Rob wrote:The One wrote:Not into 500 word posts
Sacking DF was right
Appointing Dempster was stupidity bordering on negligent.
Thats why we are where we are.
Even if we are relegated folk like you will insist it was right to sack DF. It was the wrong decision, we finsihed in our highest league position in 15 years and sacked the manager, how much more bleedin obviously wrong can you be? Appointing JD was also wrong, but no matter who we'd appointed we'd be nowhere this season. Yet DF outers like you thought sack him and we'll be top three next season, so deluded!
DF blew it twice, We needed to appoint a proven manager to replace him to maybe get a top three place. We got Dempster. Our form from a year ago , for me it started Notts away was garbage under DF. The stats do not lie.
Not buying the blew it twice bull... He had 12 games and the players let him down when Evans jumped ship.
He had one full season with a chunk of players he didn't want or sign, and he finished 4th and when we were full strength and executing his plans to perfection we were nearly there. Imagine if Lincoln sacked Cowley after they lost in the playoffs.... DF should have been here at least until Christmas.
lifestags wrote:Thinking about it, this group of players have bottled it 3 times.
1) When Evans left and they stopped playing.
2)When the pressure was on last season)
3) When they had a manager they could take the mick out of.
Get them gone and start from Scratch.
MTFCMusings wrote:Sedgwick wrote:The One wrote:Rob wrote:The One wrote:Not into 500 word posts
Sacking DF was right
Appointing Dempster was stupidity bordering on negligent.
Thats why we are where we are.
Even if we are relegated folk like you will insist it was right to sack DF. It was the wrong decision, we finsihed in our highest league position in 15 years and sacked the manager, how much more bleedin obviously wrong can you be? Appointing JD was also wrong, but no matter who we'd appointed we'd be nowhere this season. Yet DF outers like you thought sack him and we'll be top three next season, so deluded!
DF blew it twice, We needed to appoint a proven manager to replace him to maybe get a top three place. We got Dempster. Our form from a year ago , for me it started Notts away was garbage under DF. The stats do not lie.
Not buying the blew it twice bull... He had 12 games and the players let him down when Evans jumped ship.
He had one full season with a chunk of players he didn't want or sign, and he finished 4th and when we were full strength and executing his plans to perfection we were nearly there. Imagine if Lincoln sacked Cowley after they lost in the playoffs.... DF should have been here at least until Christmas.
The difference you're missing is Lincoln outperformed their objective under Cowley. Flitcroft failed to achieve his. Twice. That can't be question IMO. The question is whether two failures should equal a dismissal.
MTFCMusings wrote:I would say the minimum requirement in his first season was to make the play-offs, given the position we were in. His second season the objective was definitely promotion.
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