Fitton and co...

[pauld]

NMH, that's a really good list of all the things that have gone wrong. Those kinds of things go wrong at all clubs (and usually a few more to boot) - what people are so fed up with is the failure to adequately address those issues. Where they have been addressed, it's either been with a woefully inadequate solution or wildly too late, often both. There seems to have been a complacency around far too many problems that's resulted in us being where we are.

[ron dodgers]

so with Paynter(end of contract), Morrison( clause in contract) Ward (loan ended and crocked anyway) the cock up is with greer (already said sorry)  Austin (loads of money and a dodgy shoulder) and maybe Cox (loads of money and didn't want to stay) plus Pericard and Dossevi not performing.
The players are to blame for the rest
Have I got it right?

[BANGKOK RED]

Wilson lost the plot, Fitton didn't fix it quick enough. Simplicity.

I heard yesterday that Ferry is unfit and out of shape. How the fuck was that allowed to happen? These cunts get paid as much as they do yet they are not fit enough to play 90 minutes? 

Should never be allowed to happen.

[Highland Robin]

Excellent analysis from NMH.  The truth seems to be that we all wear rose-tinted spectacles.  My memory is that last season was actually nail-biting, with a poor start, a solid middle (with spectacular highlights against Leeds and Southampton etc) and a poor end.  The play-off SF against Charlton was one -well two - of those magic, knife edge contests, which we all remember because we won; and then inexplicably the complete let down of the final - not that we lost, but simply there was nothing near a spark from anyone on the pitch.  Something was wrong, and I guess we will never know what, but it was exacerbated in the summer by losing those we did in the way we did.  (Paynter had made it clear from about Feb that he didn't want to play for us; Ward, we all knew, was too good to stay with us in L1; and Greer - well enough said already.
I am a Fitton supporter.  I don't know whether he interferes too much, any more than I know what actually goes on in the dressing room.  He DID save the club, and we are now amongst the most stable in the league.  All this stuff about agents and not ddealing with them...well, Im sure he can't win that battle alone, but I support him in at least trying.  It is agents who are destroying any sense of loyalty to clubs, and in the lower leagues, that is key (allowing for the small number of outstanding players who are discovered and then, inevitably move quickly up the ladder).  We have to find a better way for football to be managed, and it has to be that the whole club lives within its means.  That is painful for those of us who simply love football and want success for our club, and I guess getting to where we need to be will always run the risk of errors being made which rebound on the team.  I've no idea where DW stood in all this, as the go-between, but it seemed as though he was fully supportive of the Fitton strategy.  But, good guy that he was, I suspect he did not have the skills or experience to sort out what could be done in these circumstances.  I agree that the Greer transfer was the shock, and that Douglas (the fans' choice too) has not proved to be a good captain, and that his playing has probably suffered too, as a result (like rather too many England cricket captains).
No answers!!  I believe we will escape the drop.  The team is actually too good, regardless of all the negative bollocks on here, and if PH can just get the team spirit right, very quickly, then we will still be in L1 next season; but regardless of what happens, I remain totally besotted with STFC, and couldn't be anything else.  Indeed I hope next season to be rather closer so my support can be more material!!!

[jimmy_onions]

HR, good post, but reagarding escaping the drop, you want to read dvs latest stats posts. Its not impossible yet, but its so highly unlikely (in terms of points required per game) its all but over.

[mrverve]

HR, good post, but reagarding escaping the drop, you want to read dvs latest stats posts. Its not impossible yet, but its so highly unlikely (in terms of points required per game) its all but over.

Im not conviced that we would need 52. It's getting very tight down there. I can't Dag and Red winning all their games in hand and coupled with Yeovil and Tranmere getting dragged in after Tuesday night, I think the points needed might be lower. A lot of teams down there have to play each other aswell. We'll see.

[Batch]

and then inexplicably the complete let down of the final - not that we lost, but simply there was nothing near a spark from anyone on the pitch.  Something was wrong, and I guess we will never know what,

That's a possibility. Paynter seemed either unfit or had half a mind on his Leeds move for sure.

But Millwall were also very effective in the football style they played. Battling bruisers with a decent striker, rather than a slick passing team. I was hopeful that Huddersfield would take them out in the semi-final, but Millwall nullified them exactly as they did to us.

[jimmy_onions]

Im not conviced that we would need 52. It's getting very tight down there. I can't Dag and Red winning all their games in hand and coupled with Yeovil and Tranmere getting dragged in after Tuesday night, I think the points needed might be lower. A lot of teams down there have to play each other aswell. We'll see.

Either way and regardless of what others are doing, it would require a phenomenal change in form and luck from us, and very quickly.

[mrverve]

We have to win at least 5 games. Up until the Walsall home game I was confident that we could avoid the drop but the last week has just totally made me re-evaluate the situation. I mean bottom of the league, for fuck sake.

[pauld]

Im not conviced that we would need 52.

Nor am I, I don't think it's even likely to be 50. Problem is, I can't see us reaching much beyond 40

[Doore]

Hang on a minute chaps......

Haven't read all of the 80% bollocks in this thread, but enough of it to be able to categorize it as such!

Think we have to remember that sometime in life things go wrong. This season, things have gone spectacularly wrong! Paynter and Greer were offered more money - They left. I don't blame anyone for this. The club were being held to ransom and therefore both left. The club is bigger than any player, so they had to go. 

Ward was only here as a mercenary anyway. He made it clear that this was a stepping stone. Ritchie struggled to get into the team last year because he wasn't as good as the other options we had. Has he improved significantly since then or is he still a little small and a little inconsistent?

If you remember, we were shockingly shit in the Wembley final and in the ,last month of the season. I wonder why? There have been rumours of disquiet in the team since last year. There was stuff about a Greer camp and a Douglas camp. At the beginning of the season, on last year's showing, most were backing Douglas. On this year's performance I suspect most would reconsider! I wonder if that disquiet is more of the reason that things have gone wrong within the club?

Before Austin came last year we were struggling to score. He made the difference in many a games. This years there have been lots of rumours and a culmination of a transfer request and a move. We got lots of dosh for him, despite the fact that he may well go down the Barry Corr route. Think history might prove that it was probably a good move for us.

Pericard was supposed to be the Paynter replacement. We'll it just hasn't worked. Probably difficult to offload him now, which is why he's still here and not contributing!

Three young CBs fighting to make a solid partnership in the heart of defence. All have played individually well, but don't gel together. So, Morrison wanted to go and we signed the mystery man Misun - He's gone missing! We also sign Flint, who looks to be one for the future. We try to bring experience in Frampton, but, I suspect that what we need is someone further up the pitch holding the ball up or breaking up play better? Not had much luck in that department.

On the goalkeeping front, I think that Lucas pulled off some spectacular saves last year. This year, he has been poor in comparison. Smith has appeared better, but neither have had a great year.

So, to be honest, I am happy with last year and disappointed with this one. Am now looking forward to next year and hopefully an opportunity to be up and around the top of L2 and building for the future.

Superb.

[Spencer_White]

Wilson lost the plot, Fitton didn't fix it quick enough. Simplicity.

He lost the plot not banging down Fittons door in January for more strikers.

Losing the plot means getting hammered. We lost a lot of close games, drew too many games we should have won.

There was only mild criticism of Wilson's line ups and tactics on here considering the run we were on.

[flammableBen]

I don't think Wilson lost the plot, if anything he kept the same plot, like a bad episode of eastenders over and over again - getting gradually more desperate until you run out of crack.

Wilson had a plan to play some tidy, on the floor, slightly highpaced, direct football. That got worked out back sometime late last season.

Which is ok. You don't even need another plan. It's a plan which WILL FUCKING WORK IN LEAGUE ONE/ DIV TWO/ THIRD DIVISION. But you need the right mix of players. You need a solid defence. Reliable full backs. Two hitters in midfield (not a playmaker, wilson's ONE FORMATION doesn't require one) and someone who can finish upfront (and a holderupper as a bonus).

That was sold from under him and not replaced - either by his fault or the boards. Who cares really? Failure and bottom of the league. FUCKING YAY.

I'm not even going to bother to make sense out of that.

[pauld]

For those (can't remember if it was on this thread but it'll do as well as any) who were arguing that we'd be better off if Fitton and Co sold up because "someone would come in for us", a couple of illustrations as to quite how bad that might be:

The serial bankrupt/conman/liar at Watford:
http://www.twohundredpercent.net/?p=11180
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/mar/18/digger-watford-owner
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/watford/9420900.stm

Meanwhile, the unenviable choice for Wrexham fans is between about five/six different consortia featuring variously a convicted criminal who's already killed Chester (just been sent down for decking a copper, so at least he's unlikely to feature now), no less than 3 disqualified directors and a land-sale conman who's banned from doing business in Australia and has been done for fraud over here:
http://www.twohundredpercent.net/?p=11300
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/5348290.stm

Or actually not their choice as it will be decided by their current board who seem a lot keener on asset stripping than football.

So, yes, if Fitton and Co were to sell up, someone probably would come in. But the question is who? Be very careful what you wish for.

[Phil_S]

For those (can't remember if it was on this thread but it'll do as well as any) who were arguing that we'd be better off if Fitton and Co sold up because "someone would come in for us", a couple of illustrations as to quite how bad that might be:

The serial bankrupt/conman/liar at Watford:
http://www.twohundredpercent.net/?p=11180
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/mar/18/digger-watford-owner
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/watford/9420900.stm

Meanwhile, the unenviable choice for Wrexham fans is between about five/six different consortia featuring variously a convicted criminal who's already killed Chester (just been sent down for decking a copper, so at least he's unlikely to feature now), no less than 3 disqualified directors and a land-sale conman who's banned from doing business in Australia and has been done for fraud over here:
http://www.twohundredpercent.net/?p=11300
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/5348290.stm

Or actually not their choice as it will be decided by their current board who seem a lot keener on asset stripping than football.

So, yes, if Fitton and Co were to sell up, someone probably would come in. But the question is who? Be very careful what you wish for.

Or you could end up with some landed gentry type with some cunt advising him who seems yo have a hold on him & dreams of making money to line his own pockets from mythical redevelopment deals.

I'll stick with AF & Co thanks. As a supporter of the Fans consortium, I even wonder if Bill & Co could have come up with the 8 million plus that they have spent on the club so far.