Originally Posted by
slack_pie
I think the 'awful after Christmas' idea needs a bit of a rethink. Granted, results were average at best, but we had an average-at-best squad. We went on an amazing run during the first three months of the season, with a fair helping of luck along the way, and then results settled down to reflect the ability of the squad. Think about it: we had Duffy and Brisley pretty much all season. Dan Jones or Dicko. Hawkridge on the wing. Stead and Ameobi up front - a combined age of over 70. Nicky Hunt deputising at right-back. That's not a promotion-winning squad. It's not even a playoff-achieving squad. Yet somehow, that's what we achieved.
After Christmas, we had some poor results, but also some fairly good results. We hammered Crewe at home, drew against Swansea, beat Coventry at home in a massive six-pointer, got hard-fought draws against Wycombe and Luton. The play-off away leg was another hard-fought draw (although it should have been a win).
If we were lucky in the first half of the season, we were unlucky in the second half. We lost Yates, Bennett got injured on his first start, and we ran out of steam. The playoff debacle rounded off what was a season of two halves.
I'll be the first to admit that this summer was an unmitigated disaster, but last season wasn't. He took an at-best mid-table squad to the brink of promotion. I for one loved last season. For all the frustration and complaints about style of play, it was great to have something to be proud of for once. It was great to have a full stadium and a sense of optimism.
It's hard to work out how it went so badly wrong over the summer. If only he had stuck to what was working and built on it. I don't know... part of me would be happy to have him back, but part of me knows how ridiculous that would be.