Quote Originally Posted by Jampie View Post
Yeah I meant Championship, sorry, classic mis-type there

And I disagree we've made no progress. Our points haul this season was higher than ever, would have been enough to get us to 2nd the season before.

Strategically we've gone from a players' retirement club to a place with players other clubs might actually want to buy. We accidentally did the same with our head coach. That's definitely progress.

And as I said, if you reliably make it into the playoffs, sooner or later you'll get promoted. Higher up is better, obviously, but Grimsby just got promoted on 77 points to our 82. Just as there's no way you can call it "stable" if we're battling relegation every year, it isn't "stable" or in any kind of equilibrium if we're battling for promotion every year at the top of the table. Which we are.
I disagree with your “progress” on the pitch. Firstly, comparing the points haul does not show what you want, we had 2 less teams last season, Dover and Macclesfield. That’s 12 likely points, which if removed from this year we get….70 points, the same as last season. Only this time, we fall at the first fence. So no progress at all. Again we only played 37 games the season before that do again not comparable.

Secondly, how many players have we “sold” despite having this policy? None. That isn’t progress either.

We have stability, and I’m not against that. I don’t want boom and bust. I want gradual progress. I cannot see that without a change in on pitch philosophy. We need to be able to get possession up the pitch without having to always make 50 passes. That means having the players to facilitate this, not just hoofing it, but a balance when necessary and when teams pin us back.

I do take a positive from the comment made by the board on the flagstaff signing.
“His ability to attack spaces behind opposition defences creates chances from nothing…”

This is what we need, provided we use it, and provided he can finish. It won’t take much to make progress.

Continually making the same mistakes, as you suggest, in the belief that it will work one day may be the way the owners are happy to go. I don’t see the fans sticking with this, though, and it wouldn’t take very much to fail at some point. All in all I think next season is make or break, if fans see the same mistakes being made they are going to start voting with their feet.