Promotion - yes or no?

[Dunce]

Maybe next year.

[jackal2]

The season is panning out pretty much as I expected when I originally cast my vote. We will make it into the lower section of the play-offs but we don't have the character and steel required to grind out results in tough away games or to beat three top teams and win the play-offs. In that sense, it's a case of 'no change' from Neal Ardley, who had the same problem.

As Dunce says above, we might be ready to win promotion next year, but that will depend on signing the right type of players in the summer, namely two or three big, hard-nosed leaders and battlers who can help us face down the pressure away from home and earn the right for us to play.

It will also depend on the manager being humble enough to revise and adjust his philosophy to suit the league we're in, rather than trying to emulate Pep Guardiola's Manchester City or - perhaps more accurately - Arsene Wenger's later Arsenal sides (i.e. pretty at times, but ultimately gutless and ineffective).

I think we'll know from the signings in the summer, even before next season starts, whether Burchnall recognises what's needed, or whether it will be a case of rinse and repeat.

[SaltySeaDog]

The season is panning out pretty much as I expected when I originally cast my vote. We will make it into the lower section of the play-offs but we don't have the character and steel required to grind out results in tough away games or to beat three top teams and win the play-offs. In that sense, it's a case of 'no change' from Neal Ardley, who had the same problem.

As Dunce says above, we might be ready to win promotion next year, but that will depend on signing the right type of players in the summer, namely two or three big, hard-nosed leaders and battlers who can help us face down the pressure away from home and earn the right for us to play.

It will also depend on the manager being humble enough to revise and adjust his philosophy to suit the league we're in, rather than trying to emulate Pep Guardiola's Manchester City or - perhaps more accurately - Arsene Wenger's later Arsenal sides (i.e. pretty at times, but ultimately gutless and ineffective).

I think we'll know from the signings in the summer, even before next season starts, whether Burchnall recognises what's needed, or whether it will be a case of rinse and repeat.

It appears that we can grind out some decent results away from home against the top teams when under pressure: Wrexham, Grimsby, Solihull, D&R, Boreham.

Is it more in the games that would should have killed off, or had the nous to tighten up that have cost us more? Torquay home, Halifax away, Woking home,

But then we have these other away games that we arguably should have picked up more points from: Weymouth, Aldershot, Eastleigh & Wealdstone.