
Originally Posted by
freemuzzy
LW took over after we had already had three years in the NL; three failed playoff campaigns and never really got anywhere near automatic promotion. It?s revising history massively to say it was an easy league to get of.
When LW arrived, we had lost two of our best players in Wootton and Roberts too. The team the team lady could have got promoted:
Slocombe - the keeper throughout our time in the NL.
Defence - Brindley, Rawlinson, Cameron, Baldwin - all bar Baldwin had also been there throughout other failed promotion campaigns. Club stalwarts but hardly players way above NL.
Wing backs - Nemane and Chicksen. Chicksen hit double figures - he had never had a season like that before or since. Maybe something to do with the manager encouraging him to get in the box? Nemane ended up being the best RWB in the league but was barely used the season before under Burchnall and never from memory trusted in that position.
Midfield - Palmer and Bostock. Palmer undoubtedly an excellent player pre injury but another who had been in our team when we weren?t promoted under previous manager/s. Bostock ended up being a crucial signing but again was carefully managed and took a while to get up to speed. He has just been transfer listed by Solihull Moors.
Attacking midfield - Rodrigues, Austin, Scott. Rodrigues was the one player clearly above the level when LW arrived but again illustrates the importance of a good manager. Under Ardley he either played on the wing or not at all, there were times when he was out of the squad altogether in his first season here. Austin and Scott played their part but are they really players way above that league?
Striker - Langstaff - Two incredible seasons here but he credits LW with turning him from a winger into a number 9. He wasn?t a readymade star in the same way many of those who Wrexham signed were. Had we signed him under Maynard he?d have probably played him LWB and everyone would have moaned about ?cheap? recruitment.
I get some people cannot understand why anyone would ever leave this club and take some turning around after that, but terms of his record in 18 months I don?t really see how we could ask for much more. We had lost a few games in L2 but were still in the playoffs when he left after two massive home wins - look at what Maynard did with the same squad in the second half of that season - the defence and keeper/s clearly weren?t fit for purpose.
I for one would love to see what he could do with a proper goalkeeper and defence to work with in this league.