Yates and Grant for £100k - says AH

[Chicken Balti Pie]

I we had gone up it would have meant Hardy had got it right, would it not? Apart from using hindsight there is no reason to think we could not have had a successful campaign in L1. Nolan would have done his job proper, the players would have proved themselves capable and all would have been jolly. Roses strewn in our path on our way to Hardy's promise of Championship footy within his stated aim of five years...if only...

But it wasn't Notts that was the problem (well it was as we weren't self sufficient) but going up would have seen us in the same financial mess as Paragon went under that was funding Notts.

His ego would still have led to similar if not more expensive signings that led to a wholly unbalanced squad that led to our downfall. I still maintain had we just signed Michael O'Connor, we would have been fine, we only needed a couple more points to have stayed up, with O'Connor, the midfield wouldn't have collapsed that led to the weird stuffing by Yeovil at home even though we should have slaughtered them. His ego wouldn't let him relent and sign up the player we actually needed

[upthemaggies]

The only way it might have worked out for Hardy is if we'd found a player who'd flown under everybody else's radar who turned out to be the best player seen at Notts since Don Masson with a resulting bidding war between two top clubs determined to land his signature.

Hardy's own plan was apparently to get us high enough to attract a buyer who could not only make him a profit but also manage whatever debts he'd incurred and sustain the ascent, for which Hardy would take most of the credit, or at least credit for turning us around.
It would seem however that people looking for a football club to buy tend not to be interested in those that are going to cost a lot of money with a high chance that they aren't going to be able to improve the club's position, at least in the short term, with the risk of incurring the wrath of fans over a perceived stalling of progress. It's easier to pick one up that's at rock bottom for next to nothing where the fanbase is going to welcome you as saviours with the likelihood that you can build momentum without throwing everything you've got at it in one go.

[SwalePie]

.... It's easier to pick one up that's at rock bottom for next to nothing where the fanbase is going to welcome you as saviours with the likelihood that you can build momentum without throwing everything you've got at it in one go.

I'm really, really, really hoping that's the very process that we're currently undergoing with the Bros. Reedtz.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

But it wasn't Notts that was the problem (well it was as we weren't self sufficient) but going up would have seen us in the same financial mess as Paragon went under that was funding Notts.

His ego would still have led to similar if not more expensive signings that led to a wholly unbalanced squad that led to our downfall. I still maintain had we just signed Michael O'Connor, we would have been fine, we only needed a couple more points to have stayed up, with O'Connor, the midfield wouldn't have collapsed that led to the weird stuffing by Yeovil at home even though we should have slaughtered them. His ego wouldn't let him relent and sign up the player we actually needed

For me the crux of the problem was not that Paragon fed Notts, but that Hardy may have been more focused on Notts than Paragon? In my opinion his biggest mistake was to appoint a CEO of Paragon and become the Chairman of Notts. It can only be speculated that there may have been a better outcome if he had continued to build Paragon as he had done and employed someone in the role he undertook at Notts who had more experience. I do think he had good intentions and wanted the best for the club.

I completely agree it was a mistake to let Michael O'Connor go to Lincoln. Also as I've mentioned on here in the past I'd add into that Adam Colin going to Carlisle and Curtis Thompson going to Wycombe. All three were good enough, capable and experienced at that level to stay at the club and help mount another promotion campaign. Although Thompson was not getting much game time under Nolan so maybe that's what's prompted his move?

We should also have pulled out all the stops to replace Shola Ameobi with John Akindi from Barnet who were relegated that season to the National League. He was a perfect replacement for how we played at the time and was proven at that level. Although we did sign Hemmings and Dennis so it could be argued that they were capable.

However the biggest lost for me was not on the field but in the dressing room with Alan Smith, Mike Edwards and Shola Ameobi leaving. They were Nolans support network and eyes and ears and between them had vast amounts of knowledge, experience at the highest level of the game. We were lucky to have that.