Fitton to blame...Total joke to blame Paul Hart.

[flammableBen]

Hey I've seen just as many home wins in the last 5 months as the rest of you.

[pauld]

Now that I think about it, it was only a joke and ben's clearly ace but you can do one, BR, you ladyboy wierdo (Look, big smiley!)

@Nemo rimming is firmly off the agenda I'm afraid.

[Lumps]

Hey I've seen just as many home wins in the last 5 months as the rest of you.

You realise you're fast talking yourself into being held responsible for the fucking disaster that this season has become? If you are our home win lucky omen, and you just haven't been arsed to go, the whole thing is your fault.

[chalkies_shorts]

This season has been a complete shambles. Regardless, I think people are forgetting a lot of good things about the board:

1) Cheap season tickets.
2) Best league finish in years last season.
3) Money is being spent on the squad, no matter how much certain people will deny that fact.
4) Trying to forge good relationships with larger clubs and thus getting in some decent players.

I know this season has wiped out a lot of that goodwill but it's one bad season. Who's not to say Fitton and the board cannot put it right next season?

These are good points. I think you could add reconnencting to the business community, getting things right in the posh bits and 3 quality shirt sponsors as well.
One thing I remember is Fitton saying when he appointed the Chief Scout is that they would have 5 players lined up in each position. I take it this is still work in progress. Even when Charlie went it looked like the club were running round saying "cor, fuck me, Charlie's gone, what are we going to do now" - a complete unpreparednesss for the bleeding obvious. Fitton has spent plenty of money for thsi Division - its the fact its been pissed up the wall that is the problem not the sums spent - and that money was spent by Wilson on a team of midgets.
How can we be so good off the pitch and so shit on it?
The next managerial appointment is absolute key as crowds will drop considerably unless we get a "name manager", which is going to be hit and miss or someone who is going to hit the grouod running and stack up points early doors.

[leefer]

I tend to think of Fitton and the board buying a new shop,it looks respectable and in general is being run well,the problem is that this season the shop has been selling shit goods.

[Simon Pieman]

And thinking about it Fitton/the board have changed things where they've gone wrong previously too:

* Town End price structure - maybe the discount wasn't enough for some people but they made it cheaper for a limited time after listening to the fans. The take up wasn't good enough and the idea was fairly scrapped.
* Malpas fitted in with Fitton's ideas for a manager. He didn't fit in with the required standard. Fitton then got in an experienced manager which was a change from Malpas.
* Last season we narrowly missed out on promotion with a pretty small squad. This season a larger squad was obtained probably to help us in the quest for auto-promotion or at least ensure a play-off spot again. Unfortunately the extra players were all in the wrong areas but the change in idea is there to see.

I think Fitton hasn't addressed some shortcomings in the decision making/management process:

* We sold Cox for good money and got in a decent replacement in Austin (albeit late on from the start of the season). McNamee was sold because he was behaving like a stroppy git and we didn't miss him as a result. Fitton evidently thought we could do the same with other players but it has backfired.
* Taking too long to sack managers and get new ones in. I can see Fitton's reasoning here in wanting a stable club and continuity in the management structure but it's had the opposite effect by hanging on to under-performing managers for too long.
* Selling players too close to the end of the transfer window and not allowing sufficient time to replace.

There are some decisions, a combination of Wilson's and Fitton's which the fans thought were the right ones and everyone was wrong:

* Getting in the experienced pros. David Prutton's capture was seen to be good business. Frampton looked to be in the Greer category when we got him in. Most people were happy with Pericard's signing before they'd seen him turn out for us. Many spoiled their undergarments when we did a deal for Dossevi, based on one friendly game. We all wanted experienced pros, we liked the idea of these players, but they haven't been good enough.
* Signing Simon Ferry. An in form Ferry can be class at our level. Out of form and favour Ferry doesn't improve us. I'm sure everyone based their opinion/decision on last year's performances but it hasn't worked out for some reason.

I honestly think Fitton is not as stubborn and idealist as people make out. It's a learning curve for him also and he has tried to change where necessary. I think next season will see some changes yet again.

[leefer]

Getting rid of Byrne i feel was a big mistake,he seemed to get on well with the players.
Also he leaves important decisions ie selling and buying to late...the Benyon signing was laughable.
Also in my opinion he has taken his eye of things at the actual ground,silly little things but important to families who are dishing out money with kids in tow etc.
That said this time last year we were praising him no end so as you say Sie lets hope this has been a big blip,the crowds for a team struggling have been superb and a good start next season is a must.

[BANGKOK RED]

the Benyon signing was laughable.

How so?

[leefer]

How so?

Because we went for three players before him,didn't get them,and he isn't/wasn't good enough in my opinion............though he could do a job next season,at the time though we were trying to sort of replace Austin.
Fitton and co new Austin was on his way............yet signed Benyon on deadline day after missing out on others.
It has cost us big time.

[Spencer_White]

How so?

Because we were trying to replace a striker worth around £1.5 million with one who was worth around £100,000? We were never going to get another striker anywhere near as good as Austin, which was why we needed a whole new striker force, 3 new players.

[Nemo]

Because we were trying to replace a striker worth around £1.5 million with one who was worth around £100,000?

Which of course we had successfully done all of 12 months previously (except Cox was 1.7m and Austin less than 100k)

[flammableBen]

Which of course we had successfully done all of 12 months previously (except Cox was 1.7m and Austin less than 100k)

Although a bit different as we still had Paynter shaped options at that point. Austin was carrying our attack single handedly.

[BANGKOK RED]

Fitton was willing to spend AT LEAST 300k on a player. 300k AT LEAST.

300k is A LOT for a player at this level, we bought Austin for 50k FFS. We bought Cox for 250k (ish). Fitton was putting forward the money, despite Wilson's apparent incompetence.

But would you really have wanted Wilson, who PROVED inept at putting a squad together, with a huge wad to spend?

[BANGKOK RED]

Although a bit different as we still had Paynter shaped options at that point. Austin was carrying our attack single handedly.

Although the money was clearly available for a player.

[jonny72]

How so?

Fitton (or Wilson) said they didn't even make their first contact with Torquay until about 5pm or something like that, so he was obviously a last minute panic buy. He was one of the top scorers in League Two when he joined us so he should be more than capable of scoring 20 for us next season - just need to get him the right partner.