Clutching at straws / Good things about league 2

[Spencer_White]

Our worst ever season since 58 when Div 3 and 4 formed was 82/83, when we finished 17th in Div 4. The recipe for such crapness, was an uninspiring manager Ken Beamish.  We had decent enough front players, the sort we can only dream about right now...Quinn Rowland Mayes, good wide men Hockaday and Garry Nelson, both went on to perform creditably at Div 2 level.

 Added to this was a sense of decay about the place...small crowds and negative football.

Nevertheless we did manage to escape, as we did in 06/07...the common factor both times was the dreaded spending money we haven't actually got, thereby enabling the acquisition of staff and players we couldn't really afford.  Not going to happen this time....

Look at Crewe....bring through young players sell them on, been stuck in Div 4 for a while now.

I never really took the board seriously when they said they wanted to run STFC as a business, and despite the way weve sold key players, I still dont take them seriously. They board is top heavy with people who wont want to waste their time watching crap. They might walk I suppose, which would mean we are right back where we were 3 years ago.

I am worried about the young players policy though. Much easier to sell players in L1 than L2. We need to get back sharpish and to do that we need some unfashionable but effective players.

We also need an exciting manager. Either a wheeler dealer or an ex player, and Fitton seems to want to steer well clear of these. I still think Danny Wilson would have been the best manager available to us for a L2 season.

[Reg Smeeton]

I never really took the board seriously when they said they wanted to run STFC as a business, and despite the way weve sold key players, I still dont take them seriously. They board is top heavy with people who wont want to waste their time watching crap. They might walk I suppose, which would mean we are right back where we were 3 years ago.

I am worried about the young players policy though. Much easier to sell players in L1 than L2. We need to get back sharpish and to do that we need some unfashionable but effective players.

We also need an exciting manager. Either a wheeler dealer or an ex player, and Fitton seems to want to steer well clear of these. I still think Danny Wilson would have been the best manager available to us for a L2 season.

What are your thoughts on Trollope?  Arriba has obviously heard something, and I said ages ago that Fitton liked his work at Rovers on a much smaller budget than STFC's.

[Spencer_White]

What are your thoughts on Trollope?  Arriba has obviously heard something, and I said ages ago that Fitton liked his work at Rovers on a much smaller budget than STFC's.

Id certainly take him over Hart.

Question marks over whether Trollope has got the contacts in the game to get us 10+ new players up to the job?

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

Id certainly take him over Hart.

Question marks over whether Trollope has got the contacts in the game to get us 10+ new players up to the job?

How can anyone possibly have the faintest idea who Paul Trollope knows within football?

[Spencer_White]

How can anyone possibly have the faintest idea who Paul Trollope knows within football?

I thought Lawrence did a lot of the signings?

Just thinking back to Dennis Wise and that summer with Bill Powers money, I think Wise was well in with the football agents, and that is never going to happen with this board.

[Huwwy]

I'd take Wilson over Trollope and, from what I've seen so far, Hart. My worry is that we'll have a crapish end to the season, but with an unlikely win or two along the way, and that will convince Fitton to stay with Hart as "he's got to know the players and the club" or some such crap. I think we need a wholesale clearout of players and management.

[Reg Smeeton]

I'd take Wilson over Trollope and, from what I've seen so far, Hart.

Out of interest why? Hart has never had a more wins than losses ratio at any club he's been at....also Trollope has more career wins as a manager than all of Hart's totalled.

Hart is reputed to be a decent coach, but shit at recruitment....not exactly what we need.

[leefer]

Just don't see the point of the Hart appointment.

Get a long term appointment in and let him(or her )get on with the rebuilding job now.
Fact is all Paul Hart will be doing is papering up the cracks...all that means is more time and energy wasted and money.
Stop fucking around...there is plenty of good managers out there champing at the bit,get someone in and let him/her get on with the job in hand.

[london_red]

Just don't see the point of the Hart appointment.

Get a long term appointment in and let him(or her )get on with the rebuilding job now.
Fact is all Paul Hart will be doing is papering up the cracks...all that means is more time and energy wasted and money.
Stop fucking around...there is plenty of good managers out there champing at the bit,get someone in and let him/her get on with the job in hand.

To be fair had we got something out of the last two games people wouldn't be questioning a short term appointment.

Think the 'point' of hiring him was the fact that he's kept sides up the last two seasons and was a last ditch throw of the dice to retain our league 1 status this year.

Obviously in hindsight he's not quite had the immediate impact they were hoping for.

[leefer]

To be fair had we got something out of the last two games people wouldn't be questioning a short term appointment.

Think the 'point' of hiring him was the fact that he's kept sides up the last two seasons and was a last ditch throw of the dice to retain our league 1 status this year.

Obviously in hindsight he's not quite had the immediate impact they were hoping for.

A proper new manager could have gave us the same impetus....and got things rolling for next season regardless of results.

[london_red]

A proper new manager could have gave us the same impetus....and got things rolling for next season regardless of results.

Who could we have got though? No one who you'd want in long term would be keen on joining a sinking ship. Even if we go down I think we'll be a more attractive prospect for managers than when Wilson went, what with a bit of money to spend and the chances of getting a quick promotion on the CV.

Still leaves time to reshape the squad for next season, providing the board get cracking as soon as this one is over.

[DiV]

Gary Johnson went to Northampon

I think he'd have come here.

[Arriba]

What are your thoughts on Trollope?  Arriba has obviously heard something, and I said ages ago that Fitton liked his work at Rovers on a much smaller budget than STFC's.

i have had conversations with numerous people about the managerial job and trollopes name keeps cropping up.
these aint just normal stfc fans talking over a pint, but people who are involved in football or have friends-family in the game.
i'm not saying it will happen,but i aint heard 1 persons name mentioned as much as trollope's is at the moment.


i think the mounting pressure on the board might mean they go for someone more appealing to fans.

[4D]

what positives? Losing half our season ticket holders and crowds down to 4000-not to mention potential loss of sponsors. The board have orchastrated this shambles-you do not go from wembley finalists to bottom 4 from bad luck-it is sheer incompetence

The biggest positive is that Bart will be back more often.

[mrverve]

Trollope's success at Rovers was when Lennie Lawerence was with him. Since Lawerence left, Rovers have gone down hill.

In League 2 I personally wouldn't want Hart or Trollope.

We missed the boat with Gary Johnson.