So it all began on March 25th 2021 where IB was appointed head coach and took over an underperforming , faltering team with an insipid negative style of play that had been driven into and forced upon them. He took over a team coated with expectations of mediocrity where the point was to be adored and worshipped like a deity.
several games later IB had sounded out his squad and got a team to play attacking winning football which ultimately took them to the play offs. As we all know fete can be cruel as can be match officials and an unfortunate defeat left us yet again in one of the lower basements of the Football world full of want to to be, never will be and has beens.
The season ends in disappointment and the squad is partially dismantled with some star players leaving the club for more money elsewhere and some players leaving to play football in the football league proper. IB is tasked with rebuilding a team and squad with what most would reasonably and sensibly believe is a reduced budget. A squad is assembled and a team is developed with a football identity that is far more attacking minded than what had gone before under the former incumbent. The season begins in spectacular style with a large convincing away win and steadily progresses with wins and draws with a mixture of good,bad and ugly performances but still leave us unbeaten after 7 games and handily placed in the table. So far so good but then the footballing Gods play a cruel trick upon us and we lose the spine of our team. The goalkeeper, our captain and arguably our most formidable centre back signed to combat those pesky teams that show no desire to play football on the grass but choose to play Hoof Ball and bully defenders in their own box . Possibly an issue in its own right but then to rub salt into the wounds the natural replacement for this conundrum is also injured, limp forward Connell Rawlinson and then also the next natural replacement Alex Lacey also become a victim of the Football Gods and their tricks ! IB still cobbles together a competitive team that although dominating some games for 70 minutes and possibly more go on to lose their unbeaten start and lose 3 games on the bounce and calamity ensues. The final nail in the coffin is a one all home draw in a game we could have won if we had taken our chances.
So where does this leave us ? as far as I'm concerned this season is still a learning curve for IB and I would expect him to get us into a play off spot, where we are again in the hands of fete and match officials and fortune be it good or bad. For me next season is the season of reckoning for IB. He will have had time to develop his squad and improve his desired style of play. My assessment of things is IB and the team are not far of being the finished article and maybe one or two shrewd signings might just complete the team he is trying to create that could be as this season progresses or hopefully next season.