Paul Sturrock - a good man.

[Beefy]

So even in his failures, Tilly did the "right thing". Don't tell DWB.

Of the 21 teams that stayed up when we went down only Plymouth have plummetted, 6 are now in the Premier and 18 are at the same level or higher.

But how many of those 21 were on the same sort of resources that we were? We only avoided a massive loss in that year because we sold Eastwood at the last second and made the last eight of a cup. I'm sure with another year or two trying to compete at that level, Ron Martin would have filled the squad up with even more players we couldn't afford.

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

But how many of those 21 were on the same sort of resources that we were? We only avoided a massive loss in that year because we sold Eastwood at the last second and made the last eight of a cup. I'm sure with another year or two trying to compete at that level, Ron Martin would have filled the squad up with even more players we couldn't afford.

Who knows what could have happened, if we stayed up, with the same legend manager, the same group of players a few additions, maybe we could have done a Blackpool or a Swansea?
I guess we will never know!

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Who knows what could have happened, if we stayed up, with the same legend manager, the same group of players a few additions, maybe we could have done a Blackpool or a Swansea?
I guess we will never know!

Pushing on from there (perhaps it merits a new thread?) ......If the moons and the stars had been in the right place, who would have taken us the furthest as a club, Tilson, Webb, the fat one fr'y'om Peterborough?..........or any others?

 

[MK Shrimper]

Who knows what could have happened, if we stayed up, with the same legend manager, the same group of players a few additions, maybe we could have done a Blackpool or a Swansea?
I guess we will never know!

I agree. If we'd kept the core of the League 1 winning squad together, then maybe we wouldn't have fell at the first hurdle.

 

[Beefy]

Swansea are where we could have been had the stadium come together for us in 2007. Blackpool really was a minor miracle. I'm not a massive fan of Ian Holloway but you've got to give him props for getting them up in the first place.

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

Pushing on from there (perhaps it merits a new thread?) ......If the moons and the stars had been in the right place, who would have taken us the furthest as a club, Tilson, Webb, the fat one fr'y'om Peterborough?..........or any others?

LOL!

I was just saying, whilst it might have been unlikely, it still could have been possible. We just don't know do we! I'd like to think it would be possible and seeing Swansea, Blackpool, Wigan, QPR doing it gives you a bit of hope. However far off we might be.

I agree. If we'd kept the core of the League 1 winning squad together, then maybe we wouldn't have fell at the first hurdle.

Yep, at the time it seemed right to add 'better' players to our squad. That's what most managers would have done I would have thought. All down to experience I suppose.

If we managed to get into the Championship with Paul Sturrock i'd expect us to have a similar squad to what we had in League 1. I would also expect to see us next year have a similar squad. Maybe shipping out 6 or 7 not good enough players each season and keeping the better ones as we got promoted!

We will see!

UTB!

 

[davewebbsbrain]

I agree. If we'd kept the core of the League 1 winning squad together, then maybe we wouldn't have fell at the first hurdle.

That's a good point. They had been together thru 2 promotion in the main and worked well as a team. Tilly obviously felt they weren't good enough and that's his decision as manager

 

[Napster]

The core of the League One winning team was already old and knackered - Badbuy, Sodje, Goater, Prior, Edwards...Benno wasn't as effective, Petts wasn't Championship standard. We took a risk and it didn't work.

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

The core of the League One winning team was already old and knackered - Badbuy, Sodje, Goater, Prior, Edwards...Benno wasn't as effective, Petts wasn't Championship standard. We took a risk and it didn't work.

That is true and at the time it seemed like the right thing to do!

 

[Reg Martin]

So even in his failures, Tilly did the "right thing". Don't tell DWB.

Of the 21 teams that stayed up when we went down only Plymouth have plummetted, 6 are now in the Premier and 18 are at the same level or higher.

Those stats sent me back to look at the 6/7 championship table and when you look at the clubs in that league that season most of them are clubs who have nearly always been in higher two divisions - us and ColU being main exceptions. Even other 'smaller' clubs like Luton, Plymouth and Barnsley have over the years mostly done better than us.
I think other comments on here that we had a go and it didnt come off are about right.
If there are any lessons to be learned I still think it would be that we should have cut back on the wage bill either immediately after relegation or at the very latest the following year when we didn't go straight back up.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

No one has mentioned the parachute payments premier teams get for being rubbish and getting relegated - West Ham get 30 million for failure - teams coming up from league one get bugger all - what chance does that give smaller clubs like ours?