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

[PlymOdi]

Will league 1 follow the new deadline dates of 17 May – 9 August?

 

[Mark Pedlar]

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

Now is not the time to debate which of our players will or will not be needed next season. Our first 11 is clearly good enough to get into the play offs and get promoted. The problem is, as we have seen, that the back up isn't good enough across all positions. We don't know yet whether we will be able to put that first 11 out again this season. Until we know that, there is no reason to give up.

 

[Gary Wills]

There must be at least fifteen teams whose first eleven can grace the playoffs, but that's not the task is it, to assemble a squad immune from injuries and form-dip.

I prefer cup success and the playoffs to auto, strictly, as you get more games to spectate. Trite stuff.

But I can't see how Argyle as a club could presently assemble a completely changed squad and offer 20+ competitive/close games to spectate at HP in the division above, so L1 would get my vote for next season. Argyle can manage that request as they wish.

 

[oldage]

I agree with Moles40, we cannot pick and choose when we get a chance of promotion.Surely the whole point of supporting the team is to watch them win games and get promoted. The players have done brilliantly to transform our season but to throw in the towel now is so frustrating.We might not get a similar chance for years.

 

[samjones]

There is no way you can pick and choose when you get promoted. Its a competitive environment and you have to seize any opportunity that presents itself whether that be through luck or other teams with injuries and poor form etc...
Quite often a team chasing promotion one year is at the bottom end of the table fighting relegation the next.
With a lot of squads completely changing you start with a clean slate

 

[phil thefluter24]

I wonder , do other teams in the lower leagues have as large a turn over of players as we do? It seems as though every season we start with a new team is this lack of continuity a good thing?

 

[greenteign]

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.

I didn’t say that I didn’t want us to be promoted, just that we shouldn’t despair if we do miss out. I think there is every reason to be optimistic, whatever happens over the next 4 games. I do think our goal difference is an issue though with points between our rivals being so tight.

 

[greenteign]

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.

Agree with all that.