Goal difference and is League One not such a bad option?

greenteign · Apr 22, 2018

Our flimsy positive goal difference took a blow yesterday and in my view could well be what keeps us out of the play offs this year. Given everything that has happened this season, I also wonder whether another season in League One might well be the best outcome for us. We would undoubtedly struggle in the Championship with our limited resources. The revevelopment of the Mayflower will hit gate receipts anyway, so why squander the bigger crowds a higher league would generate? Most people would rather watch a winning side pushing for promotion than one struggling for survival. The second half of this season has been brilliant and if we make the play offs it will be great fun, but let’s not despair at the prospect of another season in League One - after all, we’ll have a couple of games against the Wearsiders to look forward to!

Green Flash · Apr 22, 2018

No - you never know when next chance comes along - worst that could happen is we get relegated but if we are sensible with salaries there is no reason we should be worse off with the extra tv money

the corkscrew · Apr 22, 2018

It doesn't really matter what is best for us. The players will play to the best of their ability and if we're not good enough we'll stay in League 1, and if we are good enough we'll go up. No matter what the chairman, board or conspiracy theorists believe

mervyn · Apr 22, 2018

Although I would naturally prefer promotion, I think there are some good points in the OP. Looking further ahead, whenever we do gain promotion we may have to resign ourselves to being a yo-yo club for some while whilst we lack the financial resources afforded to clubs with owners rich enough to speculate on a huge scale. Average championship club losses for the last financial year were around £9 million. Even that bastion of financial good stewardship, Ipswich Town, lost £11 million. Given this, I think a slow but steady team improvement year on year under DA is the only way forward, even if it brings all the angst of narrowly missed promotions.

cheshiregreen · Apr 22, 2018

Whatever happens in the last few weeks of this season it will be our highest League finish since 2009/10.

loyal1970 · Apr 22, 2018

what ever happens it's been a better season than most of us thought it would be after the first 1/4, I just hope there is a bit more investment in the squad next season better quality players also it would be nice if Bolton came down.

X Isle · Apr 22, 2018

the_corkscrew":1vcmeucn said:
It doesn't really matter what is best for us. The players will play to the best of their ability and if we're not good enough we'll stay in League 1, and if we are good enough we'll go up. No matter what the chairman, board or conspiracy theorists believe

Spot on.

If we're good enough we'll go up, if we're not then we won't. Simple as.

This season I will say however that missing out shouldn't bring anyone to the point of rage or imaginative finger pointing for blame. Three or four months into the season we would have laughed out of town anyone who said we'd be in the play-off race at the seasons end.

Win lose or draw now this has been a fantastic season. The squad, indeed the whole club is a work in progress under DA and we need not think that we have missed the last ever opportunity to go up. We would just go again with Derek one season wiser about L1. Cause to slit wrists?, methinks not.

moles40 · Apr 22, 2018

What a rubbish thread.Whats the point of being a footballer and supporting a team if you don’t think getting promoted is a good idea,might as well just fold the club then.

Carlo · Apr 22, 2018

Quite. Of course we should want promotion!!

I’d rather struggle in the Championship instead of the potential of struggling in League One next season!!

xmastree · Apr 22, 2018

There seems to be an assumption on this, and similar, threads that if we narrowly miss out on the play-offs this year then we will (as a minimum) walk the play-offs next year. It's nonsense, you cannot assume any such thing, so grab promotion if you can this year.

Don't necessarily agree about the reduced revenue next year either. If we got promoted we might fill HP most home games.

Too many people seem to be looking for excuses to not get promoted. If it doesn't happen, then so what, but if it does let's enjoy it.

mde203 · Apr 22, 2018

We all want to be promoted, but I think it's absolutely correct thatnot being promoted could be a better long term option.

Look back to the Sturrock years. In our first year back in Division Two, we had a good year and finished a couple of spots outside the playoffs. The next year we won the league. If we'd have gone up that first year, would we have had such a long and fairly successful spell in the Championship? Quite possibly not. Two years in Division Two allowed us to build further and to become a club which was ready to survive in the Championship. If we do the same in this spell, I think we'd all look back on not being promoted this year being ultimately a good thing.

Of course, as I said above, being promoted would be the preferred option.

samjones · Apr 22, 2018

No one in their right mind would turn promotion down if we had chance to play in the championship. The revenue generated would be bigger even with the grandstand closure.
JB is hardly going to go for broke and sign big players on massive wages to try and compete with the big boys
We would probably lose most weeks in the championship and get relegated but at least we would of been there and played teams like Aston Villa, Leeds, Sheffield Weds/Utd,etc...
So we might end up being a yo yo club but at the end of the day we are still a long way off being a mid table championship team

After Yesterdays awful performance Charlton and Scunny are definitely now in the boss seats

Metal Green Mickey · Apr 22, 2018

For me, this season has been a much better one than last season.

Yes we got promoted but l just didn’t enjoy our style of play.

Once Toums was brought in, Taylor came back from injury and Lameiras brought back into the fold we have been simply wonderful to watch at HP.

We have seen goals galore. Skills on the ball by our two wonderful no 10’s and we played a more attacking style.

If we can keep Bradley and Taylor in the summer and add to our squad with better players then hopefully the good football will remain.

My one concern is the budget. We need to keep hold of Bradley and Taylor. Then you have Threkeld, Sarcevic as other key players out of contract. However, will resigning these players eat up our budget to strengthen the team in other areas? A left back is a must. A GK. More pace in midfield needed. And further forward options.

What would help is if one or two of the youngsters can break through.

PlymOdi · Apr 22, 2018

One question I wonder how people think about:

Am I right Adams said he struggled with the transfer window when we were in the playoffs last time due to less time? Would people prefer to get Play-Offs and potentially lose in the final, or get 7th and have more time to prepare for next year?

I know we'd all prefer to win the Play-offs, but looking at it from another angle.

samjones · Apr 22, 2018

PlymOdi":1tar9aoj said:
One question I wonder how people think about:

Am I right Adams said he struggled with the transfer window when we were in the playoffs last time due to less time? Would people prefer to get Play-Offs and potentially lose in the final, or get 7th and have more time to prepare for next year?

I know we'd all prefer to win the Play-offs, but looking at it from another angle.

That's probably the most positive spin I could put on it.

We are not good enough to go up or win the play offs IMHO. There are better teams in the mix so dropping out of contention and at least knowing we are staying in League 1 gives us a couple of extra weeks to prepare for the transfer window.
If we don't have a plan B on the pitch I doubt we have 2 plans for potential player acquisitions depending on what league we are in.
To go on another promotion chasing campaign in league 1 we will need to strengthen significantly and really any purchases should have the potential to move up into the championship.
This means we do not need old journeymen and therefore it also won't be cheap.
Some of our best players are loanees so I reckon we will need 8 +players this summer