Ardley an improvement

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Originally Posted by laddo

No I wouldn't agree if looking exclusively looking at the squad.

However in hindsight I'd say 18th would have been an over achievement with what was happening with the club that season. Put it this way can you identify 5 clubs who were run worse and had more off-field problems than Notts? I can't.

Every squad was above Macc and for good reason following their one win lol. Every club including Yeovil and Notts should have finished above them based on squads.

But just look at that table after 18 games we had the joint second lowest number of wins, highest goals conceded, 2nd worst goal difference and joint 2nd worst points total. All this from a starting point of 5th the previous season. We were in decline from the second game of the season.

Like I said all 3 managers underperformed, all 3 failed. It's all too convenient to choose to forget the roles and impact the earlier 2 managers and moreso the chairman had that season.

Having a unmotivated, fractured, imbalanced, bloated, ultimately unhappy squad as a result of struggling all season and having 3 managers before Christmas isn't an advantage. That's also bonkers IMO.

Delighted we get to talk about Neal Ardley yet again over a year after he left the club and and nearly 3 years after that disastrous season XD

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Why does there need to be 5 that were run worse than Notts? Is off field running in the short term the only factor in a team’s performance? Why are we not top of the league this season then, surely everyone can agree off the field we are being run very well indeed.

There doesn’t need to be 5 worse off the field. Just on it. With the players we had over the season, we should have done a lot better than 18th, even with the circus in town. We are talking 10 extra points. Would that have been over achieving over a season?

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Originally Posted by laddo

No I wouldn't agree if looking exclusively looking at the squad.

However in hindsight I'd say 18th would have been an over achievement with what was happening with the club that season. Put it this way can you identify 5 clubs who were run worse and had more off-field problems than Notts? I can't.

Every squad was above Macc and for good reason following their one win lol. Every club including Yeovil and Notts should have finished above them based on squads.

But just look at that table after 18 games we had the joint second lowest number of wins, highest goals conceded, 2nd worst goal difference and joint 2nd worst points total. All this from a starting point of 5th the previous season. We were in decline from the second game of the season.

Like I said all 3 managers underperformed, all 3 failed. It's all too convenient to choose to forget the roles and impact the earlier 2 managers and moreso the chairman had that season.

Having a unmotivated, fractured, imbalanced, bloated, ultimately unhappy squad as a result of struggling all season and having 3 managers before Christmas isn't an advantage. That's also bonkers IMO.

Delighted we get to talk about Neal Ardley yet again over a year after he left the club and and nearly 3 years after that disastrous season XD

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I think we were in decline from the 18th May 2018 when we lost 4-1 at home to Coventry after getting a 1-1 draw at their place, except none of us realised until the second game of the season. If I recall correctly did that defeat not hit Kevin Nolan hard. Clubs can be vulnerable the following season after a play-off heartache.

That play-off semi final at Meadow Lane is probably the most pivotal moment in both clubs recent history. Since then both teams went in completely different directions and have been complete polar opposites in the four years since. Coventry's path was one that went upwards, ours crashed downwards.

Today Coventry sit 10th in the Championship, we sit 6th in the National League. That's 67 league places difference. It just shows a lot can happen in a few years in football. We can only keep the faith and hope that the next four years will see our time to rise come.

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Originally Posted by The_Don_ORiordan

Why does there need to be 5 that were run worse than Notts? Is off field running in the short term the only factor in a team’s performance? Why are we not top of the league this season then, surely everyone can agree off the field we are being run very well indeed.

There doesn’t need to be 5 worse off the field. Just on it. With the players we had over the season, we should have done a lot better than 18th, even with the circus in town. We are talking 10 extra points. Would that have been over achieving over a season?

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Answers below:

Because 18th place was quoted by yourself.

No a complete off field mess and turmoil isn't the only factor but I'd suggest it's a major one due to the impact it has.

See answer above, it's not the sole factor but clearly there is a common correlation between the two not just at Notts but at football clubs

It's obviously very difficult to guage the overall total impact of the off field mess on on field matters but the connection and correlation should be recognised and not underestimated.

Agree looking solely at the playing squad and players available we should have done much much better. The previous season being a useful guide. However the fact we had such a large squad (please see associated negative words in previous post) to choose from should be viewed as a blessing and a curse IMO. You can't view it purely on players available for selection.

Not sure we need to go over 2018/19 yet again on NCM but hope that answers everything you asked.

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Originally Posted by laddo

Answers below:

Because 18th place was quoted by yourself.

No a complete off field mess and turmoil isn't the only factor but I'd suggest it's a major one due to the impact it has.

See answer above, it's not the sole factor but clearly there is a common correlation between the two not just at Notts but at football clubs

It's obviously very difficult to guage the overall total impact of the off field mess on on field matters but the connection and correlation should be recognised and not underestimated.

Agree looking solely at the playing squad and players available we should have done much much better. The previous season being a useful guide. However the fact we had such a large squad (please see associated negative words in previous post) to choose from should be viewed as a blessing and a curse IMO. You can't view it purely on players available for selection.

Not sure we need to go over 2018/19 yet again on NCM but hope that answers everything you asked.

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I didn’t bring it up. I was simply responding to an inaccurate post. 18th isn’t mid table. And we didn’t have an imbalanced squad full of championship trainees. If anything we had too many experienced pro’s. (Read Ego’s)

I pointed this out to CBP and he felt the need to personally insult me saying I hadn’t said it. He’s gone very quiet since.

Since then, various folk have picked parts of my comments and decided to create discussions from them. Having 30+ players, can be both a curse and a blessing, I know which Sol would have preferred, he gained those extra 10 points with arguably more difficult circumstances, not being able to sign players that NA could, and his players not being paid. Likely too the milk bill. He was also a complete rookie.

Not to repeat, but all the managers should have done better than 18th with that squad. Even with the off field shambles we can agree to disagree. The gauge is surely what Sol a rookie, achieved in trying off field circumstances.

It's all ifs, buts and maybes with a little guesswork and a big fat dollop of opinion thrown in for good measure when it comes to that infamous season.

If the whole debate is centred on whether 18th is midtable or not then I'm out lol. I'd suggest the parts picked out for discussion by others are if more far more interest.

I'm sure we can all agree Sol did fantastically well that season I'm shocked he's been without a club for the last few years since failing at Southend in his very next job. One hit wonder? Or not?

He certainly did a lot better than all 3 Notts managers and many managers at other clubs in L2 that year.

Actually we can agree to agree not disagree, all 3 should have done better.

And to end on a positive, the personal insult that you mention, which were oh so common on this board and plagued most threads, are in decline and now seemingly a rarity. It's very pleasing to see. All things Notts can be discussed, debated and argued without it going personal or insulting :)

This cr@p again.

Ardley was manager of over half a season when we lost our football league status. A catastrophic failure for the club that had not been seen before in our long history. This is especially the case now given what we know now about getting out of this division and the spending habits of our rivals this season.

I can't believe anyone can see Ardley as anything other than an abject failure as manager of our club.

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Originally Posted by Mapperleypie

This cr@p again.

Ardley was manager of over half a season when we lost our football league status. A catastrophic failure for the club that had not been seen before in our long history. This is especially the case now given what we know now about getting out of this division and the spending habits of our rivals this season.

I can't believe anyone can see Ardley as anything other than an abject failure as manager of our club.

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I cant honestly see why some people still think that this guy was a good manager for us.. He relegated us to none league football for god sake, for which he should have been sacked. But no, We then entrusted him to get us back into
the football league, but once again he fu*ked it up big time.

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Originally Posted by Mapperleypie

This cr@p again.

Ardley was manager of over half a season when we lost our football league status. A catastrophic failure for the club that had not been seen before in our long history. This is especially the case now given what we know now about getting out of this division and the spending habits of our rivals this season.

I can't believe anyone can see Ardley as anything other than an abject failure as manager of our club.

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Absolutely and unequivocally this ^^^

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Originally Posted by The_Don_ORiordan

You would hope not. So are you of the same opinion as Matt, that 18th would have been an over achievement given that squad over a season?

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I would say 18th would have been par for the course that season even with the benefit of hindsight. If we had stuck with either Nolan or Kewell, 18th place would probably have been my predicted finishing position. Instead the manager we stuck with was Ardley, and he took us into non-league. It's been done to death on here what might or might not have happened regarding the three managers we had that season, but what definitely did happen is that the manager who had far more games than the other two failed big time. Coincidentally, that's when laddo went from being a very occasional poster on here to being the main poster on here. He repeatedly ridiculed anyone who said Ardley should go, but when he did go laddo agreed with the owner's decision and took the driving seat on the Burchnall bandwagon.

The Burchnall bandwagon could still reach its destination, I just hope the driver has a good satnav.

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Originally Posted by Elite_Pie

...The Burchnall bandwagon could still reach its destination, I just hope the driver has a good satnav.

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Everything crossed and we need to put a marker down on Friday!