2020-21 Early Season Sky Blues Talk Half-Truths and Theories..... (6 Viewers)

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

I agree with a lot of this Dreamer; football is an emotional game and that what makes it different.

But I might be alone on this; I've just never understood the need to scream abuse at our own players from the stands for perceived mistakes. It's a very dynamic game, with decisions made in a split second with many moving parts. It might be the case for example that the player who is initially viewed to have made the mistake - has been dragged way out of position to cover for another one of our players.

Anyway point really is, I would say I care about this club as much as anyone else. Do I go along to scream abuse at our players after we go a couple of goals down. Not my thing as it's completely counterproductive to the team and individuals in the team. Last season I saw AB subbed and being subjected to some entirely needless abuse as he walked off the pitch. I will never get it, frustration or not.

I've also never shouted abuse at one of our players, but I do regularly show signs of frustration and anger at bad passes or mistakes with a tut or a sigh, mixed in with the occassional "what the fuck was that?" To call an individual player shit is counterproductive. But it seems for some they can't help themselves. I've always been of an opinion it's to do with being emotionally repressed and closed and this gives them an opportunity to vent their feelings in a way they see as less damaging than doing so elsewhere like at home or work.

 

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[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

The job got done and got promoted whilst outperforming the other relegated teams. Playoffs or automatic, the result was the same. We then followed up by outperforming all the promoted teams bar Luton, and then won L1 the season after.

Swindon were almost definitely in a better position than us. I don’t believe we had the biggest budget in that league by any means either.

Show some respect to the league, clubs like Pompey, Luton, Bradford, Plymouth and so on have struggled to bounce back at the first time of asking. Considering the club was in terminal decline, we’ve did really well to get back up.

You don’t know Bolton will bounce straight back up. But, for what it’s worth, I hope they do.

Don’t get me wrong, I was merely pointing out that We made a meal of league two.
Portsmouth had a points deduction 1st time round, it is difficult to bounce back 2nd season in. But eventually they won the league. They’re the only similar size club that’s been down there.

I love Robins. as you said the job got done. But let’s not pretend that everything was going swimmingly well until Jones got injured and we stumbled across a way to get McNulty firing.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

In all fairness to Grendel at that time, weren’t we slumping a little in league 2. We won the play offs but we were limping along until the last 10 games.

not getting out of that league at first attempt would have been a travesty. The fact we were in league 2 was a travesty. I don’t buy this small budget crap in league 2 - we had one of the biggest and were lower that Accrington, Wycombe, Exeter.

Where do you get your info on the League Two budget? Fisher stated before the season started that we would have a top 8 budget, presumably meaning the 8th biggest. While recognising that he isn't the most truthful of people, he is hardly likely to under play the amount Sisu were allowing Robins to spend.
I think you really understate yourself the condition of the club at that time. When Robins took over we were bottom of the third division and the worst team in it by a considerable margin. It required an almost complete rebuild. We must have had 8 or 9 new players to fit into a team pattern that season, but he did it. To say, yes but we are more comparable to Wolves and Sunderland than to Doncaster, ignores the state of the club and the way the infrastructure had been cut away. We were a shell of the club we had once been.
The job he did that season was amazing, as it has been over the past two years as well. He may well fail this season, but nothing should be taken away from his achievements in the past few years including getting us out of the fourth division at the first attempt.

The Check a Trade win
Notts County away
The play off final
Winning a League Title.
All of this in three years from the position we were in and all down to Robins. These last three years, even though at a low level, are stand out years for me in the 54 years I have been following our club. There is no need to belittle or downgrade any of these achievements. Without Robins they wouldn't have happened.
No doubt the 'experts' who wanted him gone at frequent intervals over the past few years will be back with a vengeance at the first sign of faltering progress this season.
Don't believe me? Have a look at the comments in the match day thread on Robins and the team during and after the home win (yes, that was a win) against Lincoln last season.

 

[Gibbo]

I fully predict to read at various times this season:

Giles can't defend
Sheaf is a laughing mercenary
McFadz has been found out/past it
3 centre backs doesn't work in this division - let's bin it and go 4-4-2
No fucking around at the back Marosi - launch it
The team isn't big enough for this division - we need more physical presence
SISU is really serious about building a new stadium at Warwick Uni in the next couple of years
Various members of the forum on obligatory suicide watch if we go 1-0 down early on or lose a couple of games

If everyone is predicting a place well below half way / just above the drop zone, it means we are losing a lot of games, which means in turn that a number of our players are not up to this standard. But who? It's the reverse of the Walsh conundrum.

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

Where do you get your info on the League Two budget? Fisher stated before the season started that we would have a top 8 budget, presumably meaning the 8th biggest. While recognising that he isn't the most truthful of people, he is hardly likely to under play the amount Sisu were allowing Robins to spend.
I think you really understate yourself the condition of the club at that time. When Robins took over we were bottom of the third division and the worst team in it by a considerable margin. It required an almost complete rebuild. We must have had 8 or 9 new players to fit into a team pattern that season, but he did it. To say, yes but we are more comparable to Wolves and Sunderland than to Doncaster, ignores the state of the club and the way the infrastructure had been cut away. We were a shell of the club we had once been.
The job he did that season was amazing, as it has been over the past two years as well. He may well fail this season, but nothing should be taken away from his achievements in the past few years including getting us out of the fourth division at the first attempt.

The Check a Trade win
Notts County away
The play off final
Winning a League Title.
All of this in three years from the position we were in and all down to Robins. These last three years, even though at a low level, are stand out years for me in the 54 years I have been following our club. There is no need to belittle or downgrade any of these achievements. Without Robins they wouldn't have happened.
No doubt the 'experts' who wanted him gone at frequent intervals over the past few years will be back with a vengeance at the first sign of faltering progress this season.
Don't believe me? Have a look at the comments in the match day thread on Robins and the team during and after the home win (yes, that was a win) against Lincoln last season.

I think you’re taking my comments out of context. I didn’t want Robins gone and never have done.

a club our size shouldnt have been in League 2. Top 8 is ambiguous, yes it could have been 8th biggest but also could have been the biggest. No team is going to officially announce where they are in that scale. Budget isn’t a direct correlation of league position. It helps yes, but ultimately as a club we were the biggest in the league

im happy we got promoted. It was job done - bit let’s not pretend drawing 0-0 to Morecambe to scrape our play off place, losing 6-2 at home to Yeovil and having the double done to us by Forest Green and Accrington was a great season.

League Two promotion was the bare minimum expected, we achieved that then went from strength to strength.

 

[Ring Of Steel]

Where do you get your info on the League Two budget? Fisher stated before the season started that we would have a top 8 budget, presumably meaning the 8th biggest. While recognising that he isn't the most truthful of people, he is hardly likely to under play the amount Sisu were allowing Robins to spend.
I think you really understate yourself the condition of the club at that time. When Robins took over we were bottom of the third division and the worst team in it by a considerable margin. It required an almost complete rebuild. We must have had 8 or 9 new players to fit into a team pattern that season, but he did it. To say, yes but we are more comparable to Wolves and Sunderland than to Doncaster, ignores the state of the club and the way the infrastructure had been cut away. We were a shell of the club we had once been.
The job he did that season was amazing, as it has been over the past two years as well. He may well fail this season, but nothing should be taken away from his achievements in the past few years including getting us out of the fourth division at the first attempt.

The Check a Trade win
Notts County away
The play off final
Winning a League Title.
All of this in three years from the position we were in and all down to Robins. These last three years, even though at a low level, are stand out years for me in the 54 years I have been following our club. There is no need to belittle or downgrade any of these achievements. Without Robins they wouldn't have happened.
No doubt the 'experts' who wanted him gone at frequent intervals over the past few years will be back with a vengeance at the first sign of faltering progress this season.
Don't believe me? Have a look at the comments in the match day thread on Robins and the team during and after the home win (yes, that was a win) against Lincoln last season.

Robins took over with us pretty much relegated to League Two, we are now in the Championship despite all the comings & goings & behind the scenes chaos (has any other CCFC manager had the backdrop that Robins has had to deal with?). It has been an unbroken upward trend all the way under him, that is fact and undeniable. But people for some weird reason want to pick holes and go back 3 years to try and come up with tenuous (at best) reasons as to why it wasn't such a good season when we were promoted, and we stumbled across a winning formula. Incredibly strange.

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

Robins took over with us pretty much relegated to League Two, we are now in the Championship despite all the comings & goings & behind the scenes chaos (has any other CCFC manager had the backdrop that Robins has had to deal with?). It has been an unbroken upward trend all the way under him, that is fact and undeniable. But people for some weird reason want to pick holes and go back 3 years to try and come up with tenuous (at best) reasons as to why it wasn't such a good season when we were promoted, and we stumbled across a winning formula. Incredibly strange.

Again I think you miss my point. I was saying why people got frustrated. It was a good season, the job was done.


What Robins has achieved last year and to an extent the year before was miraculous.

I also accept the jump is massive this year, anything above 22nd is a successful season.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

I think you’re taking my comments out of context. I didn’t want Robins gone and never have done.

a club our size shouldnt have been in League 2. Top 8 is ambiguous, yes it could have been 8th biggest but also could have been the biggest. No team is going to officially announce where they are in that scale. Budget isn’t a direct correlation of league position. It helps yes, but ultimately as a club we were the biggest in the league

im happy we got promoted. It was job done - bit let’s not pretend drawing 0-0 to Morecambe to scrape our play off place, losing 6-2 at home to Yeovil and having the double done to us by Forest Green and Accrington was a great season.

League Two promotion was the bare minimum expected, we achieved that then went from strength to strength.

Again, I think you are ignoring where we were going into that season. When Robins took, not only the team was on it's knees, the whole club was. Take away our name and our history and just look at the reality of what Robins had to work with.
I give Fisher credit for very little as that is what he deserves. Bringing Robins back however, was a masterstroke. It was quite conceivable that with the wrong managerial appointment again, we would have done the same as our compatriates in relegation, Chesterfield and slide straight out of the league, or struggle in the way Port Vale and Swindon have done.
How can anyone say that losing your leading scorer and the biggest provider of assists from the first part of that season, Jones, was a stroke of luck? McNulty had started to find his feet already by the time Jones was injured including scoring in the very match where Jones was hurt. To say this changed things for McNulty and the team is a myth. If Jones had stayed fit that season I think automatic promotion would have been achieved. To say we should have achieved promotion simply because it was League Two and we are Coventry City is simply ignoring the facts of where we were. Robins deserves huge credit for getting us back at the first time of asking.

 

[Ring Of Steel]

Again I think you miss my point. I was saying why people got frustrated. It was a good season, the job was done.


What Robins has achieved last year and to an extent the year before was miraculous.

I also accept the jump is massive this year, anything above 22nd is a successful season.

I respectfully disagree- people do not get frustrated because these alleged failures of 2017/2018 are fresh in their mind, they (and I know, its not all by any means) come out with the negative nonsense because they overreact to anything & everything thats not up to scratch in their eyes. Thats the only reason. Social media etc doesn't help, its like a virus- one person starts & then others start kicking off & it becomes a race to see who can be the most scathing & come up with the most articulate analysis as to why we are 'failing' so badly. All of this while the team find a way to win. Christ only knows what will happen when we take a couple of batterings this season.

 

[Ring Of Steel]

Again, I think you are ignoring where we were going into that season. When Robins took, not only the team was on it's knees, the whole club was. Take away our name and our history and just look at the reality of what Robins had to work with.
I give Fisher credit for very little as that is what he deserves. Bringing Robins back however, was a masterstroke. It was quite conceivable that with the wrong managerial appointment again, we would have done the same as our compatriates in relegation, Chesterfield and slide straight out of the league, or struggle in the way Port Vale and Swindon have done.
How can anyone say that losing your leading scorer and the biggest provider of assists from the first part of that season, Jones, was a stroke of luck? McNulty had started to find his feet already by the time Jones was injured including scoring in the very match where Jones was hurt. To say this changed things for McNulty and the team is a myth. If Jones had stayed fit that season I think automatic promotion would have been achieved. To say we should have achieved promotion simply because it was League Two and we are Coventry City is simply ignoring the facts of where we were. Robins deserves huge credit for getting us back at the first time of asking.

Sunderland, Portsmouth & Ipswich just 'being' Sunderland, Portsmouth & Ipswich didn't do them too much good last season, did it. There is a bit of merit in the theory of a club's stature helping them to create momentum, I get that,, however that didn't apply to us at all with St Andrews & everything else going on.

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

Again, I think you are ignoring where we were going into that season. When Robins took, not only the team was on it's knees, the whole club was. Take away our name and our history and just look at the reality of what Robins had to work with.
I give Fisher credit for very little as that is what he deserves. Bringing Robins back however, was a masterstroke. It was quite conceivable that with the wrong managerial appointment again, we would have done the same as our compatriates in relegation, Chesterfield and slide straight out of the league, or struggle in the way Port Vale and Swindon have done.
How can anyone say that losing your leading scorer and the biggest provider of assists from the first part of that season, Jones, was a stroke of luck? McNulty had started to find his feet already by the time Jones was injured including scoring in the very match where Jones was hurt. To say this changed things for McNulty and the team is a myth. If Jones had stayed fit that season I think automatic promotion would have been achieved. To say we should have achieved promotion simply because it was League Two and we are Coventry City is simply ignoring the facts of where we were. Robins deserves huge credit for getting us back at the first time of asking.

McNulty firing was a result of playing 2 up front rather than the wingers.

The year we got relegated we were similar to other clubs. We were comfortably at the Ricoh and were relegated because we didn’t replace Armstrong and fixated on Kelvin Wilson. We were relegated because of bad decision making via manager appointments. The turmoil for Robins in his second spell wasn’t until last season.

I agree that robins was an important manager appointment because again- the minimum expected was promotion.

I’m a believer that there are minimum levels. We were too big for league 2. Once Sunderland get their manager sorted they’ll come up.

Sunderland, Portsmouth & Ipswich just 'being' Sunderland, Portsmouth & Ipswich didn't do them too much good last season, did it. There is a bit of merit in the theory of a club's stature helping them to create momentum, I get that,, however that didn't apply to us at all with St Andrews & everything else going on.

i also think the St Andrews factor isn’t that bad. Not like Northampton. Ultimately the players are getting paid, the agent basing it on last years agents fees - I think we were 3rd on the list, is getting paid, and the facilities available to our squad were probably better than the Ricoh facilities (we were made to use the away dressing room)

the only people that are affected by the stadium are the fans

 

[Ring Of Steel]

McNulty firing was a result of playing 2 up front rather than the wingers.

The year we got relegated we were similar to other clubs. We were comfortably at the Ricoh and were relegated because we didn’t replace Armstrong and fixated on Kelvin Wilson. We were relegated because of bad decision making via manager appointments. The turmoil for Robins in his second spell wasn’t until last season.

I agree that robins was an important manager appointment because again- the minimum expected was promotion.

I’m a believer that there are minimum levels. We were too big for league 2. Once Sunderland get their manager sorted they’ll come up.



i also think the St Andrews factor isn’t that bad. Not like Northampton. Ultimately the players are getting paid, the agent basing it on last years agents fees - I think we were 3rd on the list, is getting paid, and the facilities available to our squad were probably better than the Ricoh facilities (we were made to use the away dressing room)

the only people that are affected by the stadium are the fans

Sure, you often hear players saying "I'd rather play in an empty stadium than in front of 20,000 of my own fans supporting me"

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

Sure, you often hear players saying "I'd rather play in an empty stadium than in front of 20,000 of my own fans supporting me"

No - but in league one the season before we were only getting 12k the year before. With exactly the same amount of stands open at the Ricoh. Further to that - the players have regularly commented on the pitch being playable.

But that’s a different argument

 

[Ring Of Steel]

No - but in league one the season before we were only getting 12k the year before. With exactly the same amount of stands open at the Ricoh. Further to that - the players have regularly commented on the pitch being playable.

But that’s a different argument

lol, the lengths people will go to in order to justify the negativity

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

lol, the lengths people will go to in order to justify the negativity

Flip it the lengths people were ready to go to so they could justify not getting promoted from League Two

 

[Ring Of Steel]

Flip it the lengths people were ready to go to so they could justify not getting promoted from League Two

Oh didn't we actually get promoted then? You're simply making things up, dealing in what ifs, its embarrassing tbh.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

McNulty firing was a result of playing 2 up front rather than the wingers.

The year we got relegated we were similar to other clubs. We were comfortably at the Ricoh and were relegated because we didn’t replace Armstrong and fixated on Kelvin Wilson. We were relegated because of bad decision making via manager appointments. The turmoil for Robins in his second spell wasn’t until last season.

I agree that robins was an important manager appointment because again- the minimum expected was promotion.

I’m a believer that there are minimum levels. We were too big for league 2. Once Sunderland get their manager sorted they’ll come up.



i also think the St Andrews factor isn’t that bad. Not like Northampton. Ultimately the players are getting paid, the agent basing it on last years agents fees - I think we were 3rd on the list, is getting paid, and the facilities available to our squad were probably better than the Ricoh facilities (we were made to use the away dressing room)

the only people that are affected by the stadium are the fans

We started the season with two up front, McNulty and Beavon. Injury to the latter meant that sometimes we did play with a loan striker. Biamou’s inability to score in the early part of the season, an injury to Mc Nulty himself and the inconsistency of Nazon all meant that there as no settled partnership developed, hardly Robin’s fault.
I’m not sure what you mean when you say the turmoil for Robins wasn’t until last season. You know the state the club was in as it collapsed to relegation that season, talking about Armstrong and the failure to get Wilson doesn’t change anything with regard to the situation Robins inherited.
I just don’t understand the notion that promotion was a stick on that Robins some how nearly messed up.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

McNulty firing was a result of playing 2 up front rather than the wingers.

The year we got relegated we were similar to other clubs. We were comfortably at the Ricoh and were relegated because we didn’t replace Armstrong and fixated on Kelvin Wilson. We were relegated because of bad decision making via manager appointments. The turmoil for Robins in his second spell wasn’t until last season.

I agree that robins was an important manager appointment because again- the minimum expected was promotion.

I’m a believer that there are minimum levels. We were too big for league 2. Once Sunderland get their manager sorted they’ll come up.



i also think the St Andrews factor isn’t that bad. Not like Northampton. Ultimately the players are getting paid, the agent basing it on last years agents fees - I think we were 3rd on the list, is getting paid, and the facilities available to our squad were probably better than the Ricoh facilities (we were made to use the away dressing room)

the only people that are affected by the stadium are the fans

Why are teams home records so much better than when playing away? We played all of our games away last season. Had we been at the Ricoh we would have had an average attendance of more than double that at St Andrews. Surely that couldn’t have failed to help us last season. ( the away followings were presumably unaffected by where we played therefore proportion of away to home fans would have been much greater).
For someone who says that they like Mark Robins, you seem to insist on down playing his and the teams achievements.

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

Why are teams home records so much better than when playing away? We played all of our games away last season. Had we been at the Ricoh we would have had an average attendance of more than double that at St Andrews. Surely that couldn’t have failed to help us last season. ( the away followings were presumably unaffected by where we played therefore proportion of away to home fans would have been much greater).
For someone who says that they like Mark Robins, you seem to insist on down playing his and the teams achievements.

You mention about home records but hasn’t our best home record in about 30 years minimum been at St Andrews? Our Ricoh form has been woeful since the first season there where we only lost 4

I don’t downplay the achievements. First season in league one exceeded my expectations, last season exceeded my expectations.

the league two play off season was bare minimum. I guess we had different expectations that season. You’d have been happy with mid table, I expected promotion. You obviously expected the defeats to Newport and Forest Green. I was angered by it.

like I said, he got the job done. It’s a season we never have to think about again. if he matches my expectations of 21st I’ll be delighted.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

McNulty firing was a result of playing 2 up front rather than the wingers.

It was not having Andreu and Jones that led to the change, and as far as I recall we played a 4-2-3-1 style formation when they were available. Once that happened we started playing with two up top more and got the best out of McNulty. So the two are very much linked. Had the wingers been available chances are we wouldn't have changed the formation to give us two up top.

 

[Grendel]

I think you’re taking my comments out of context. I didn’t want Robins gone and never have done.

a club our size shouldnt have been in League 2. Top 8 is ambiguous, yes it could have been 8th biggest but also could have been the biggest. No team is going to officially announce where they are in that scale. Budget isn’t a direct correlation of league position. It helps yes, but ultimately as a club we were the biggest in the league

im happy we got promoted. It was job done - bit let’s not pretend drawing 0-0 to Morecambe to scrape our play off place, losing 6-2 at home to Yeovil and having the double done to us by Forest Green and Accrington was a great season.

League Two promotion was the bare minimum expected, we achieved that then went from strength to strength.

Budget also of course doesn't relate to expenditure - we even paid £125,000 to loan Clarke Harris in January

 

[DannyThomas_1981]

Budget also of course doesn't relate to expenditure - we even paid £125,000 to loan Clarke Harris in January

Just when I thought this forum couldn't get any more bizarre ('taxi for Robins' etc.); there now seems to be an attempt by some to somehow discredit the L2 promotion season. God knows why - it was a fantastic season as a Cov fan and marked the start of our amazing revival.

I know that some are more glass half empty than others - but this is truly astonishing even by the usual standards.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

It was not having Andreu and Jones that led to the change, and as far as I recall we played a 4-2-3-1 style formation when they were available. Once that happened we started playing with two up top more and got the best out of McNulty. So the two are very much linked. Had the wingers been available chances are we wouldn't have changed the formation to give us two up top.

We started the season with two up front. Injuries to Beavon and then McNulty disrupted that.

 

[Malaka]

We are going up

 

[Grendel]

Just when I thought this forum couldn't get any more bizarre ('taxi for Robins' etc.); there now seems to be an attempt by some to somehow discredit the L2 promotion season. God knows why - it was a fantastic season as a Cov fan and marked the start of our amazing revival.

I know that some are more glass half empty than others - but this is truly astonishing even by the usual standards.

It’s a statement of fact isn’t it?

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

You mention about home records but hasn’t our best home record in about 30 years minimum been at St Andrews? Our Ricoh form has been woeful since the first season there where we only lost 4

I don’t downplay the achievements. First season in league one exceeded my expectations, last season exceeded my expectations.

the league two play off season was bare minimum. I guess we had different expectations that season. You’d have been happy with mid table, I expected promotion. You obviously expected the defeats to Newport and Forest Green. I was angered by it.


like I said, he got the job done. It’s a season we never have to think about again. if he matches my expectations of 21st I’ll be delighted.

Isn’t the fact that our home form at St Andrews in spite of our reduced support? Isn’t it also because of the players we had, the way that they were organised, brought together and managed? Surely you are not saying that the home form was due to playing in front of reduced crowds in Birmingham? A reminder that we only lost one more away than at home and that our form in general, home and away, was excellent.
You say that reaching the League Two playoffs was bare minimum. You make no allowance for Robin’s starting point the previous season? It makes no difference how abject that team was, how much turmoil the club was in, how many new faces the manager had to bring in, it was top 7 or the manager had failed? I can only hope that in your sphere of employment your aren’t judged as harshly.
You say that the Newport defeat made you angry. Who were you angry with? The players, Robins the club, all of them? Newport was the first home game, second match of the season after a winning start. No allowance for the hastily assembled new team? You were affronted that we lost to teams like Accrington any Yeovil. No allowance that these teams had played in this division before and that most of them had settled squads and methods of play? This was certainly true of Accrington.
I think I only missed two games all season and so I was there for the defeats by Forest Green and Accrington. Standing in the rain at FG will be a game I remember for the wrong reasons. However I took all of these games as part of a work in progress, of a team that was developing. This isn’t just talk in hindsight, it is what I was saying at the time, particularly in response to those who were saying Robins should be sacked. I both hoped and thought we should be promoted that season. If we had failed though I would not have been blaming Robins, I would still have given him credit for turning around an oil tanker of a club on course, until he took over, for even worse disasters.
You say it is a season that we will never have to think about again. That season has many fond memories for me. For every Forest Green or Accrington away, there were performances at Luton or Swindon to cherish, with the obvious icing on the cake of Notts County and Exeter.
I saw promotion last time from the old second division, I saw everyone of our top flight seasons. Being in Nottingham on that balmy spring/summer evening, watching that game with those people with my two City loving sons who, up to that season had only ever seen mediocrity and heartache, is a memory that is up there with any from all of our glory days. Mark Robins was responsible for that. No amount of rewriting history, downplaying of a wonderful achievement will take that away.

 

[wingy]

What was against us that Season.
The pitch maybe.
McNulty did take well into the season to get going?.
When did Vivash join the backroom?
Edit:- mid August so not great amount of input into squad or tactics maybe?
Injuries .Jones Specifically?

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

Flip it the lengths people were ready to go to so they could justify not getting promoted from League Two

No one is justifying anything. A lot of clubs struggled to bounce back at the first time of asking. We’re no different just because we’re founding member of the Premier league.

A lot of people despise how a lot of Sunderland fans feel entitled to get promoted from L1 - you’re doing the the exact same thing now.

My opinion at the time was this: missing out on L2 playoffs wasn’t in itself a sackable offence, but the team would have to show a lot of improvement the following season. This view, given the circumstances, was probably realistic.

A promotion season, in any circumstance is a fantastic season.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

We started the season with two up front. Injuries to Beavon and then McNulty disrupted that.

If I remember rightly we started with McNulty playing slightly deeper than Beavon. Andreu was also missing the first few games that would play that ACM role. Plan A that season was to play a 4-2-3-1

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

Was

Isn’t the fact that our home form at St Andrews in spite of our reduced support? Isn’t it also because of the players we had, the way that they were organised, brought together and managed? Surely you are not saying that the home form was due to playing in front of reduced crowds in Birmingham? A reminder that we only lost one more away than at home and that our form in general, home and away, was excellent.
You say that reaching the League Two playoffs was bare minimum. You make no allowance for Robin’s starting point the previous season? It makes no difference how abject that team was, how much turmoil the club was in, how many new faces the manager had to bring in, it was top 7 or the manager had failed? I can only hope that in your sphere of employment your aren’t judged as harshly.
You say that the Newport defeat made you angry. Who were you angry with? The players, Robins the club, all of them? Newport was the first home game, second match of the season after a winning start. No allowance for the hastily assembled new team? You were affronted that we lost to teams like Accrington any Yeovil. No allowance that these teams had played in this division before and that most of them had settled squads and methods of play? This was certainly true of Accrington.
I think I only missed two games all season and so I was there for the defeats by Forest Green and Accrington. Standing in the rain at FG will be a game I remember for the wrong reasons. However I took all of these games as part of a work in progress, of a team that was developing. This isn’t just talk in hindsight, it is what I was saying at the time, particularly in response to those who were saying Robins should be sacked. I both hoped and thought we should be promoted that season. If we had failed though I would not have been blaming Robins, I would still have given him credit for turning around an oil tanker of a club on course, until he took over, for even worse disasters.
You say it is a season that we will never have to think about again. That season has many fond memories for me. For every Forest Green or Accrington away, there were performances at Luton or Swindon to cherish, with the obvious icing on the cake of Notts County and Exeter.
I saw promotion last time from the old second division, I saw everyone of our top flight seasons. Being in Nottingham on that balmy spring/summer evening, watching that game with those people with my two City loving sons who, up to that season had only ever seen mediocrity and heartache, is a memory that is up there with any from all of our glory days. Mark Robins was responsible for that. No amount of rewriting history, downplaying of a wonderful achievement will take that away.

my bad I should accept mediocrity. Being 31 all I’ve seen is mediocrity and heartache. I should just accept League Two. Someone better tell Bolton that they shouldn’t be hoping for top 7 because they’ve been in turmoil.

Yeah top 7 was bare minimum, every team who’s just been relegated should always aspire to bounce back up. I bet Charlton expect to bounce back.

judged harshly? Bore off - football is a results business. Robins deserved the whole season, but 8th in League Two would have been a Catastrophic failure. Again you may be happy to accept mediocrity but I weren’t. Nobody is discrediting the league 2 season. They got the job done, not as easy as I wanted but got it done.

I still don’t think the ground makes that much difference to the players. You’re the one who made the comment about the ground - The Ricoh hindered us the year before and would have last season. That’s been said from Robins to Shipley.

Again you seem to think I hold it against Robins. League Two was a frustrating but successful season. I don’t ever want to play in that league again. we made it difficult but we did it. We’ve now moved to the championship and I’m looking forward to getting back to the games and supporting through what’s possibly our most difficult season in the last 8 years

 

[LilleSkyBlue]

I'll be the one stifling the urge not to write 'Jesus Marosi, stop playing it around at the back and just launch it'.

After the first few games last season it imprinted itself durably on my cerebral cortex and it'll take a while to clear.

 

[LilleSkyBlue]

Oh yes, and loads of posters will be writing 'Robbins'

 

[DannyThomas_1981]

'Yeah top 7 was bare minimum, every team who’s just been relegated should always aspire to bounce back up. I bet Charlton expect to bounce back.'

Aspiration is one thing. Making it happen after inheriting a team in complete free-fall is something very different.

Surely as a City fan you will remember our successive relegations and not being able to be promoted back at the first time of asking from the various leagues - it's nowhere near as easy as you are suggesting.

Finally telling ISB to bore off; you need to show far more respect son. ISB was there first time around when we rose through the leagues and was there again to see us promoted out of L2 under Robins. His posts are always reasonable and well argued - probably the most well liked poster on here.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

Was

my bad I should accept mediocrity. Being 31 all I’ve seen is mediocrity and heartache. I should just accept League Two. Someone better tell Bolton that they shouldn’t be hoping for top 7 because they’ve been in turmoil.

Yeah top 7 was bare minimum, every team who’s just been relegated should always aspire to bounce back up. I bet Charlton expect to bounce back.

judged harshly? Bore off - football is a results business. Robins deserved the whole season, but 8th in League Two would have been a Catastrophic failure. Again you may be happy to accept mediocrity but I weren’t. Nobody is discrediting the league 2 season. They got the job done, not as easy as I wanted but got it done.

I still don’t think the ground makes that much difference to the players. You’re the one who made the comment about the ground - The Ricoh hindered us the year before and would have last season. That’s been said from Robins to Shipley.

Again you seem to think I hold it against Robins. League Two was a frustrating but successful season. I don’t ever want to play in that league again. we made it difficult but we did it. We’ve now moved to the championship and I’m looking forward to getting back to the games and supporting through what’s possibly our most difficult season in the last 8 years

So basically you are ignoring all that went before the League 2 season. It didn’t matter what state the club or the team were in Robins had to deliver in your view. In my opinion that remains a really harsh way to look at the situation. Presumably then an 8th place finish and Robins would justifiably have been sacked in your opinion, therefore never having the chance to produce the success we have enjoyed in the last three seasons. We would have been on the same managerial merry go round that has characterised Sisu’s ownership and has resulted in disaster. At least they finally seem to see that having faith in someone with a plan might actually be the way forward. If Bolton get promoted, great for them and their manager and fans. If they do, just like us, they will have bucked the trend. If they don’t, let’s hope that their manager is given thanks and then time for at least steadying another sinking ship, if that is what he has achieved. (Although at least they have a ground).
Having no home ground makes no difference to the players? I think statistics that show the advantage of playing at home prove you wrong. You say games at St Andrews made no difference. I give credit to Robins and the team for overcoming a major disadvantage.. It’s amazing how many pundits, managers etc have said what a fantastic achievement winning the league was while playing away every week, but that isn’t even acknowledged by one of our own fans.
My two eldest boys, the ones I mention above, are 33 and 26. Like you, until that season they had seen nothing to celebrate. Being a City fan was a curse. Robins has changed all of that. And that started with the Check a Trade and continued with our fantastic season in division 4. They finally have some positive memories. It’s a shame that you would have got rid of Robins for finishing two places lower and therefore probably missing out on the great occasions he has subsequently produced.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

If I remember rightly we started with McNulty playing slightly deeper than Beavon. Andreu was also missing the first few games that would play that ACM role. Plan A that season was to play a 4-2-3-1

McNulty may have been deeper. He certainly wasn’t playing in midfield or even the number 10 role. To say we didn’t play with two strikers until Jones was injured is wrong.