Williams is Favourite [New Head Coach speculation thread]

[PedroTheFisherman66]

I spose it depends how you look at it Pedro? If I was being a miserable sod, (which I often am), you could argue that 1) in our first season back in Div 4, we ought to have finished in a P/O spot, but didn't, and 2) in our 2nd season, we ought to have got auto, but didn't? The Broz ob agreed with 2) cos they sacked the manager because of it.

I think you are echoing my thoughts.maybe we should and could have finished higher.But I can forgive ourselves in the first season simply because our manager walked out on us.I don't see that as a failure within the club.The second season we were ravaged by injuries to our match winners (not run of the mill type players) and securing a play off spot was an adequate failure,compared to missing out completely.Although automatic would have been better and the aim, we were still in with a shout of promotion.i believe we fell short because of the managers tactics at Wimbledon,maybe that was the final nail in Maynards coffin.? So dont be miserable CG look at the positives from last seasons efforts, not the Negatives.

[Elite_Pie]

Yes.if we continue to compete at the top of the league.However I don't think we will be stagnating( if that's how you perceive it)for long as we seem to have an improvement season upon season so far.The squad on paper seems to be getting stronger each season, why the negativity?

Probably because if 'the plan' takes 10 years to get out of this division, there's a fair chance I won't be around to see it finally work.

[upthemaggies]

No change to the odds but they've now lifted the suspension of bets on Luke Williams.

So if there's anything of value to be read into that, with nobody now shorter than 5/1, it's either going to be an unknown name announced next week (foreign or somebody who is currently a no.2)....... or everybody offered the job so far has turned it down and the owners will either need to make whoever they want a better off or widen the net.

[countygump]

I believe we fell short because of the managers tactics at Wimbledon, maybe that was the final nail in Maynards coffin?

I believe that was the deciding factor in SM getting the sack. If we had at least given the impression we were going all out to try and get a victory, whether we had won lost or drawn, I think he might well have kept his job.

[PedroTheFisherman66]

Probably because if 'the plan' takes 10 years to get out of this division, there's a fair chance I won't be around to see it finally work.

Surely your not going over the river then to have a shot of glory with another team.? Seriously I dont think it will take to long before we get promotion.They keep investing in the team and we are seemingly improving steadily season upon season.i would be disappointed if we hadn't been promoted within 3 years with a couple of play off defeats enroute.

[BigFatPie]

No change to the odds but they've now lifted the suspension of bets on Luke Williams.

So if there's anything of value to be read into that, with nobody now shorter than 5/1, it's either going to be an unknown name announced next week (foreign or somebody who is currently a no.2)....... or everybody offered the job so far has turned it down and the owners will either need to make whoever they want a better off or widen the net.

LW now come in to 2/1.

[noelfindorv2]

But how long can you live with it? The last two seasons haven't been a disaster, but as gumpy said I think we've underachieved in both. Could you live with top half or playoff failure for the next few seasons simply because we're continuing to build for the future?

We spent 4 years building in the NL until promotion to L2. If it takes another 2 years in L2 to get promotion to L1, then yes, if we're not breaking the bank doing it and building a team that can compete each time they go up a level.

[slack_pie]

LW now come in to 2/1.

Hmm interesting, but perhaps just due to the suspension being lifted on betting? Who knows.

I think it'll either be LW or a new coaching team with joint responsibility (everyone's responsible, nobody's responsible) comprising Alves and two unknowns, at least one of whom will be foreign (most likely Scandinavian). I hope the former happens, but at this stage, and considering the "restructuring the football dept" comment, I fear something whacky is more likely.

[slack_pie]

We spent 4 years building in the NL until promotion to L2. If it takes another 2 years in L2 to get promotion to L1, then yes, if we're not breaking the bank doing it and building a team that can compete each time they go up a level.

The bros goal is incremental progress, or to improve the likelihood of success each season. If it takes four years to get promoted but each year we're a better side, I'm cool with that. Better then getting promoted and then relegated straight after, or losing in the playoffs one season and then struggling the next.

[kill_the_drum]

If our model is to sell and re-invest, then our ascendancy up the leagues is unlikely to be quick.
It will always be our best players that we?re selling, for obvious reasons, and we might not always be in a position to instantly replace them.
Was selling Langstaff, Nemane and Crowley a bad decision? I guess the majority of us would say not because we understand that?s our model, and the players obviously wanted to go. However I would bet my life if we hadn?t sold them, we?d have finished top 3.
When I compare the last few seasons with the Bros to the years that proceeded Munto, I couldn?t be happier. The fact we?ve got players/Managers/back room staff that other clubs are interested in, is the indication that we?re getting more right than wrong.
Every area of the club seems to be improving in a way that will have longer term benefits.
The only thing I think they got wrong so far was the January window, which puts even more pressure on the summer signings.

[durhampie]

If our model is to sell and re-invest, then our ascendancy up the leagues is unlikely to be quick.
It will always be our best players that we?re selling, for obvious reasons, and we might not always be in a position to instantly replace them.
Was selling Langstaff, Nemane and Crowley a bad decision? I guess the majority of us would say not because we understand that?s our model, and the players obviously wanted to go. However I would bet my life if we hadn?t sold them, we?d have finished top 3.
When I compare the last few seasons with the Bros to the years that proceeded Munto, I couldn?t be happier. The fact we?ve got players/Managers/back room staff that other clubs are interested in, is the indication that we?re getting more right than wrong.
Every area of the club seems to be improving in a way that will have longer term benefits.
The only thing I think they got wrong so far was the January window, which puts even more pressure on the summer signings.

I personally think they didnt get the Jan window wrong, similar to why the coaches not were not replaced...They obviously realised that Maynard was a dud, and that they had made a huge mistake in setting him on. The plan to sack him was probably made around that time, and rebuild in the summer with a complete new management set up, and players..

[MAD_MAGPIE]

Part of the problem is that we have been out of league one for ten years and this will now become at least eleven years. So there is an element of impatience amongst part of the fan base and it's understandable. It's 30 years since we were last in the second tier as well. So for the size of club we are we have underachieved for many years looking at it this way. It's been discussed on here about the clubs natural level and it's not League two or the National League.

However this doesn't tell the story of the overall decline from finishing 7th in league one in 2011 to relegation to the National League in 2019. The only decent season in that time that bucked the trend was the Nolan play-off season in 2018.

So from 2019 to 2023 it was a case of building the club up from the ashes and putting the foundations in place for it to survive in the EFL once we got back there.

To get double promotion from the National League to League One would only have been possible if a league one team had been built while we were in the National League. Wrexham did that but they spent a lot of money doing it whereas the way the club operates it becomes a much more difficult task because teams are built more gradually over a few summers. MK Dons are doing similar to Wrexham did spending large amounts of money but it didn't work for them last season. It may come together for them this season and they will likely be favourites.

Our league position has improved season on season for the past six years. It may not be fast enough for some fans but I much prefer this than the boom and bust that we saw so many times from 2001 to 2019. One thing is for sure is that the six years under the Brothers has been the most stable the club has been and that is also factoring the fact there was the Covid pandemic in that time as well.

There is also a little bit of a ceiling to break through as well because we've been out of league one for a decade. The clubs that we are now competing with have been at that level more recently than us. Take the four sides that got promoted Port Vale bounced straight back up to LG1, Doncaster and Wimbledon spent three seasons in LG2 and Bradford spent six years at this level.

I do believe we will get to league one in the next year or two and if that means it takes four years in total like it did to get out of the National League then so be it. It's all well and good getting promoted to league one but we have to be good enough and strong enough to survive there. Off the field everything appears to be in place and I believe our owners have been learning about this level and what's needed to get out of it. So the past two years they will have learned a lot of lessons. We have already heard about more physicality and aggression in terms of potential signings.

[cjpieman]

The bros goal is incremental progress, or to improve the likelihood of success each season. If it takes four years to get promoted but each year we're a better side, I'm cool with that. Better then getting promoted and then relegated straight after, or losing in the playoffs one season and then struggling the next.

The issue is that you might argue the squad is getting weaker not stronger though and thats a worry.

My opinion is that it will be Williams, he hasn?t been touted for any other jobs. Maybe it was agreed weeks ago and we are trying to recruit his ?coaching team? before any announcement ?

[irishpete]

The issue is that you might argue the squad is getting weaker not stronger though and thats a worry.

My opinion is that it will be Williams, he hasn?t been touted for any other jobs. Maybe it was agreed weeks ago and we are trying to recruit his ?coaching team? before any announcement ?

He was a late appointment last time. Maybe will be announced the day the players return at the end of the month

[legs77]

He was a late appointment last time. Maybe will be announced the day the players return at the end of the month

He was appointed around this weekend last time he was here I expect the new guy will be in this week whoever it is.