Why the Reedz bothers will fail.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

I'll be the first to hold up my hand and say I supported Ray Trew and Alan Hardy for a long time, and even with the benefit of hindsight I still believe their intentions were genuine, at least until things went wrong and the relationship with the supporters soured.

However, I believe the reasons for the (ultimate) failure of Trew and Hardy are precisely what mark them out as being different from the Reedtz brothers. Trew and Hardy both made emotional, short-term decisions driven to quite an extent by the reactions of supporters on forums like this. They both had sizeable egos (not a criticism, just their nature) and they were, without doubt, swayed by short-term criticism and results. They changed strategies (and managers) many times.

The Reedtz brothers are totally different personalities. They clearly have no desire to be the "centre of the story" and have far cooler, more rational temperaments. They are analytical, patient and long-term thinkers whose approach is more scientific rather than emotional. They stay at least one step removed from the day-to-day mood swings inside and outside the club and have the good sense to stay well clear of social media forums like this where hyperbole rules and every moment is a triumph or a disaster. They also seem to have, as far as we can reasonably tell, sufficient resources to underwrite a patient, long-term approach.

Nobody can guarantee success, and as fans we will always be angered by results such as yesterday's inexcusable defeat, but after many years of Notts County FC being run like a boom/bust rollercoaster, the current calmness off the field is a relief. It means we are ONLY having to worry about results on the pitch, compared with recent years when the drama in the boardroom, the courtroom, and in Alan Hardy's bath seemed to attract even more attention than our gradual decline on the pitch.

The current owners are probably not ones to bring dramatic, overnight success, but they seem to have the right characteristics to put in place firm foundations on which we can gradually build.

Brilliant post Jackal2. The short term approach is one that has led us to where we are today and nearly sent the club out of existence. Since the 2011/12 season where we finished 7th in League One over the past nine seasons it has been a gradual decline apart from the great escape and the Nolan play off season culminating in our relegation out of the football league in the 2018/19 season. That's a big decline in 7 years. The past couple of years for the Reedz brother's for me has been about stopping the slide and laying foundations to take the club 'onwards and upwards' as someone once said. Last season was an excellent achievement to reach the play-offs in Year 1. Heading towards the end of Year 2 the club is in a far better position off the field and behind the scenes than it was two years ago.

I personally think we are very lucky to have owners that we do. As someone else mentioned on this thread look at the others that were floating around at the time they brought the club. Also to add to that since Derek Pavis sold the club there is the Storrie/Scardino, The Supporters Trust and Munto Finance sandwich. The first and last were both boom and bust visionaries that ended with the club perilously close to the brink. The supporters trust had no money but it too had good intentions for the fans to work together for the common good at the start, but for me that deteriorated and the common goal of working together got lost and again put the club on the brink.

Obviously all these reins can all be looked back on in hindsight but from what we have seen from the Reedz brothers so far they are a breath of fresh air for this club after all what has gone off since Derek Pavis sold the club some 20 years ago.

In terms of the football style then it's time for fans to get on board with the possession based game because that's the future. The thread "Meet the new boss same as the old boss" is a good title and whilst not to be taken literally there should be some degree of truth in it, because the core principles should be the same whoever is manager / head coach because as I've said many times on here the club needs a general style, identity and philosophy. Otherwise you end up like we did in the past whereby every time there is a managerial change it's completely the opposite to the one before and that's where you end up with the wrong type of players and bloated squads. So it's about evolution when a managerial change is made not revolution as in the past which contributed to our downfall.

The days' of playing direct and hoofball are numbered even at this level and bring it on I say because we have seen some absolute dross at Meadow Lane in the past 20 years mascaraed as football. Younger players are being brought up to play and pass out from the back at an early age and this has come about from the Spain 2010 World Cup Winning Team when English Football had to take a long hard look at itself and how far behind as a nation we were technically compared to our European counter parts.

If a possession based game is what this club identity is to be then that is what will no doubt be adopted throughout the club from the top to the bottom such that any youth players who are promoted to the first team are the right pieces of the jigsaw and fit seamlessly into the group.

In terms of the stats side this data and information assists and helps in the decision making process which it has been said and helps to paint the overall picture. To have this level of information is something that should be embraced and cherished because anything that can give us an advantage over our opponents has to be a good thing. Also on the other hand it can help with teaching and learning about our own games and performances and where improvements need to be made.

No guarantees of success come in football, but in the Reedz brothers in my view they are putting in all the foundations and pieces of the jigsaw in place to maximise the chance of success which is along way from where the club has been previously at times in the past twenty years.