Quote Originally Posted by laddo View Post
Agree once again with Jacob. The fact he wasn't played enough is far more of a crime than letting him go. Overall he was wasted at Notts by Ardley that's not to say some of the blame didn't land at the players feet as well as the managers. He never did enough to justify his transfer fee and hefty wage, not that it's the players fault he was so handsomely paid.

And the main reason why we couldn't we shift him the summer is surely down to his wages. Looks like nobody was keen to take him on at L2 level for the same or similar weekly wage. Mr Hardy paid him too well.

Nobody could expect the loss of Thomas AND Roberts so that obviously added to the loss of Dennis. If you take the finances out of the equation he was never replaced and mistake to let guaranteed goals leave. However at NL level can you afford to be paying both him and Enzio such sizeable salaries? One yes, two ? Doesn't look like it.

Knowles wage as a comparison I imagine was a fraction, he was never the replacement as suggested.
For me this is further vindication of what a poor manager Ardley was. He shipped out the clubs potentially best scorer and shipped in loads of poor low quality loan players in a relegation battle. He then did the same again by leaving his potentially best goal scorer at the club on the bench and flooding the squad with arguably poor defensive loan players. Then he gets rid of him and again overloads the squad with a host or poor defensive loan players. The forward he brings in is totally unsuited to the style we played and was never altered to suit him turning the exercise into a complete waste of money and time.
whilst in the process ridding the squad of a decent promising centre back and attacking player both that would have been more than adequate squad players to be developed. Poor use of his resources spun king money up the wall
Fast forward to now and the coach in charge seems to be getting more out of this squad by using the correct players for the correct systems whilst emphasising attacking football as opposed to the negativity he had spread within the club.
That's the beauty of history we can now compare his wicked ways with what's happening now, and now seems so much rosier than it ever was with Ardley, certainly in my eyes but I am admittedly anti Ardley
Still early days and work in progress but the squad he has inherited is playing much better football than before. Refreshingly so far I'm sure I've not heard IB says this is a tough game they are a great team they are difficult to beat , about a mid to bottom placed team who are there for the taking.