Realism at last ! (4 Viewers)

[Voice_of_Reason]

At last I feel that we are are accepting that there is no "quick fix" to the damage that has been done over the past few years and we now have a Manager who tells us the truth - and it's so refreshing. Whilst winning games and getting promoted should always be a priority, Mark Robbins correctly states thats that re-structuring from top to bottom is required and firm foundations built rather than trying to paper over the cracks. Yes, it's disappointing to be where we are, but rather than expect too much now we should recognize the revolution that is slowly taking shape and support Mark Robbins and not expect an overnight miracle. My thoughts are that more and more supporters are now accepting this.

 

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[Houchens Head]

Does this mean that if I stick City down for a loss each week, my Prediction League position should soar!!

 

[SkyBlueRuffian]

We certainly play like a League One team, it will happen though we've just got to grim and bare it.
There's no "revolution" just good management, something we've lacked for years.

 

[valiant15]

What revolution?

 

[Otis]

We certainly play like a League One team, it will happen though we've just got to grim and bare it.
There's no "revolution" just good management, something we've lacked for years.

Freudian slip there, but 'grim' and bear it sounds just about right!

Not so sure about baring it though. It's starting to get a tad nippy.

 

[Astute]

My glass is still half full. There is still plenty of time to go. All the top teams have to play each other once at least. Unexpected results to come for all teams.

My glass is getting a bit smaller though.

 

[SkyblueBri]

We need to be very patient this is going to take 2 seasons

To many of our fans are expecting a quick fix, but just look at where we are;

1. Sisu cocked up not understanding football and looked at it like a rundown business by doing a bit of assest stripping to fund the business, They sold ALL the best players.

2. To compound their error they then but a man with no managerial experience in charge and left him there.

3. We then acquired the wrong balance within the squad to be a power in this league, we all know that we lacked pace last year but this was not addressed.

4. Sisu cocked up AGAIN by not sacking the manager at the end of last season.

5. New man appointed IMO the right choice to work with the other managers squad very little money and fixed season long loans.

6. Even though we are no longer a big team the stadium and our past history mean in this league we are perceived as one, so other teams will raise their game.

Conclusion MR needs to stabilize us this year, success for me is one place off demotion, he then will have a closed season to wheel and deal to get a team of his own. Also I think he will keep SISU inline, they know if they try the tricks of the past he will walk.

 

[stupot07]

There's a difference between 'half glass full/optimism' and having unrealistic expectations though Astute.

"Top 6 minimum", "automatically promotion is still on the cards", "we will only lose 3 of our remaining 34 games" this is unrealistic expectations.

"If everything clicks into place and we improve the squad in jan we still have an outside/remote/ mathematical chance of scraping a 6th place finish" - this is optimism.

 

[wingy]

To many of our fans are expecting a quick fix, but just look at where we are;

1. Sisu cocked up not understanding football and looked at it like a rundown business by doing a bit of assest stripping to fund the business, They sold ALL the best players.

2. To compound their error they then but a man with no managerial experience in charge and left him there.

3. We then acquired the wrong balance within the squad to be a power in this league, we all know that we lacked pace last year but this was not addressed.

4. Sisu cocked up AGAIN by not sacking the manager at the end of last season.

5. New man appointed IMO the right choice to work with the other managers squad very little money and fixed season long loans.

6. Even though we are no longer a big team the stadium and our past history mean in this league we are perceived as one, so other teams will raise their game.

Conclusion MR needs to stabilize us this year, success for me is one place off demotion, he then will have a closed season to wheel and deal to get a team of his own. Also I think he will keep SISU inline, they know if they try the tricks of the past he will walk.

Where is £3m. coming from to cover next years loss??

 

[SkyblueBri]

Where is £3m. coming from to cover next years loss??

That is always the background problem, having cocked things up so badly how long will SISU wait around trying to recoup some of their outlay.

 

[Tank Top]

Division 1, is proving to be far more competitive and well equipped than it was forecast to be by the posters, who insisted "If we have a winning team, we will fill the Ricoh" this conclusion is being blown away by some very enterprising teams, and this league may prove harder than "Hampton Court Maze" to get out of, and the thought that we were going to "Boss" the old third Division is receding fast, Despite the fact that Mark Robins, has laid down new standards, and is truthfully Honest about our performances, it would appear that a mid table finish, in this league of so called minnows, would be a good conclusion to the season, and with the fact that there are loan players, to go back to their clubs does not help either, sill plenty of time left, but in reality that fact means nothing.

 

[ccfcway]

dont all managers that come say "its not going to happen overnight, i need time ?"

I think most fans realise that we will not go up this year now,

I think most fans dont realise there is still a chance we could go down though !

 

[Astute]

OK. I am deluded as I think we still have a chance of going up. Clubs have had a worse start than us and gone up. Not saying it will be easy, but the season isn't over yet.

So we lost the last game. We had enough chances to win. If we were not getting chances I would look at it differently.

 

[Evans1883]

I think a realistic promotion target should be 3 seasons..other bigger clubs than us have taken this long or longer..some get luck and do it first time.at times when we actually do play we look like a championship team..it will come

 

[coundonskyblue]

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I think a realistic promotion target should be 3 seasons..other bigger clubs than us have taken this long or longer..some get luck and do it first time.at times when we actually do play we look like a championship team..it will come

Well were stuck with most of these players for 3 years so you're probably right with that.

 

[Otis]

Division 1, is proving to be far more competitive and well equipped than it was forecast to be by the posters, who insisted "If we have a winning team, we will fill the Ricoh" this conclusion is being blown away by some very enterprising teams, and this league may prove harder than "Hampton Court Maze" to get out of, and the thought that we were going to "Boss" the old third Division is receding fast, Despite the fact that Mark Robins, has laid down new standards, and is truthfully Honest about our performances, it would appear that a mid table finish, in this league of so called minnows, would be a good conclusion to the season, and with the fact that there are loan players, to go back to their clubs does not help either, sill plenty of time left, but in reality that fact means nothing.

I got laughed out of court on here when I said this division would be really tough and we would do well to get midtable.

Lots of warnings too from opposition fans and ex-players saying in pre-season, that if anything, League One would be a tougher league than the Championship.

Fair few of us City fans were saying pre-season that we needed to strengthen the squad by bringing in players with strength and pace. What did we go and do? Go for the silky type skilled player such as Barton and Fleck. Neither of which are quick and in Barton's case, as slow as a snail.

Barton is practically skinny and we also for some reason have appeared to favour the diddy men in half-pinters like Elliot, Fleck and Jennings.

Strength and pace and some width. That's what we need.

That though we supporters were saying we needed last season too. Shame really, cos I always believed that managers were supposed to be the experts.

 

[Real]

CCFC fans in thinking the team is better than it is shocker. I recall being told to go and support Villa/Leicester when I said we'd struggle to win promotion back to the Premiership. One guy in particular was very vocal, wasn't you Supermac? All this nonsense about having a good squad on paper is a fallacy, we have struggled most seasons for the last 12 years, and for all of those years I've read about our supposedly superior squad. The reality is we aren't very good, and we haven't been for well over a decade, so keep convincing yourselves our squad is good on paper, I'll go with what I see on the pitch.

 

[Paxman II]

Otis makes a good point but the season is so young still. We have played most of the top teams already and during our 'transition' period. When we get it right week in week out I still think we will storm up the league. I think promotion is very likely through the playoffs.
We do have a large and useful squad that many in this league simply can't have and when the season and winter drags on many teams will start to fade from early good starts. We can only get better unless you are of the opinion that MR is rubbish?

So keep the faith for now let him sort it and the results will come thick and fast. Unlike Otis though I do still think the majority of teams in this league are woeful. I think as I predicted last year Sheff Utd will win it and we will be in the chasing pack.

 

[valiant15]

Keep the faith? I'm sick and tired of hearing that crap. We keep the faith and season after season we get rewarded with more shite!

 

[stupot07]

Otis makes a good point but the season is so young still. We have played most of the top teams already and during our 'transition' period. When we get it right week in week out I still think we will storm up the league. I think promotion is very likely through the playoffs.
We do have a large and useful squad that many in this league simply can't have and when the season and winter drags on many teams will start to fade from early good starts. We can only get better unless you are of the opinion that MR is rubbish?

So keep the faith for now let him sort it and the results will come thick and fast. Unlike Otis though I do still think the majority of teams in this league are woeful. I think as I predicted last year Sheff Utd will win it and we will be in the chasing pack.

So suggesting that promotion/top 6 is unlikely given that we're already nearly 30% through the season means that we believe that Mark Robins is rubbish?

Does that mean that those who believe we can easily or should still finish top 6 will view Robins as rubbish or a failure if we don't finish in the top 6?

 

[kg82]

It's not going to happen overnight with a new manager. I think keep the faith means have patience. That applies now more than ever, we can't just keep chopping and changing managers and so far Robins has impressed me. He needs time though.

 

[valiant15]

We must have the most patient fans in the country. Its a totally alienated and pissed off fan base,the club are lucky that they still get 10k through the turnstiles. How many are going to go up next season when were still in league 1?

 

[kg82]

Most patient fans in the country? 11 managers in 11 years would suggest otherwise.

 

[valiant15]

The fans didn't get 11 managers sacked.

 

[kg82]

The fans didn't get 11 managers sacked.

The fans called for most of their heads. I'm not saying rightly or wrongly. It doesn't exactly promote this "we are the most patient fans ever" thing though.

 

[Paxman II]

Stupot...

I said we can only get better unless we think MR is rubbish? Clearly a generalisation.
I never said that had anything to do with my opinion that we may reach the playoffs? You must not be so selective in your critique with only what you want to see.

 

[kevinleftpeg]

I have posted before on this, as have others, but my slant is slightly different.
League 1 is a sack of shite - period. Once you have got over the new away day's to be had.........
You need a team equipped for it & we are not.
I genuinely think unless the personnel changes we could be in the poo even further. A good number of games gone & we look like any young 'unknown' mob could beat us or at best make it very very hard to get anything from games.
Changing the personnel is nigh on impossible as funds are not there.

As others have suggested we need width, pace & strength. Poor old Carl Baker, a decent lad but I bet every fullback in this league would scare him to death & it's Halloween next week too so a double whammy for him.

MR is right, a complete overhaul / restructure, call it what you will, is required.
You cannot turn a pigs ear into a silk purse!

Our current best 11 will struggle to survive in this frantic, horrible to watch division.
Some of the players need to get off their high horses & finally realise that they are not very good at Football at this level.

 

[wingy]

We're soft,I thought although we may have dominated first half it was turgid,playing at walking pace ,then slow out of the blocks again second half ,I was waiting for Moussa /Bailey /Baker to really put in a hard challenge of the illegal nature just to wake the crowd up,rather than abuse Lee Hughes.Is Lee Bowyer signed to any body yet iknow he was free in the summer

 

[Paxman II]

Wingy I think you are alluding to the fact we are still looking for our 'Denis Wise' guy right? Well we still have not found one and Bowyer I don't think has anything left in his tank.

 

[valiant15]

So its the fans fault then kg? Nothing to do with the dunce's running the show then?

 

[wingy]

Wingy I think you are alluding to the fact we are still looking for our 'Denis Wise' guy right? Well we still have not found one and Bowyer I don't think has anything left in his tank.

He's the type though is'nt he Paxman,wonder if we can create our own ?

 

[kg82]

So its the fans fault then kg? Nothing to do with the dunce's running the show then?

Where has anything been said about it being the fans fault or the board here? You're going on about patience and then completely gone off on a tangent about something else.

 

[stupot07]

We need more than a "Dennis Wise" type player, we need a complete squad overhaul.

 

[Norman Binns]

CCFC fans in thinking the team is better than it is shocker. I recall being told to go and support Villa/Leicester when I said we'd struggle to win promotion back to the Premiership. One guy in particular was very vocal, wasn't you Supermac? All this nonsense about having a good squad on paper is a fallacy, we have struggled most seasons for the last 12 years, and for all of those years I've read about our supposedly superior squad. The reality is we aren't very good, and we haven't been for well over a decade, so keep convincing yourselves our squad is good on paper, I'll go with what I see on the pitch.

It all went pear shaped after Richard Shaw hung up his boots, you know that Rigsby. A consistent performer winning accolades for both “Player of the Year” and “Players’ Player of the Year”, quality like that is irreplaceable without spending large and we haven't got 2 ha'pennies to rub together. Couple that with the loss of our shirt waving and badge kissing players and it was always going to be an uphill struggle eh Rigsby?

 

[Skybluebrummie]

OK. I am deluded as I think we still have a chance of going up. Clubs have had a worse start than us and gone up. Not saying it will be easy, but the season isn't over yet.

So we lost the last game. We had enough chances to win. If we were not getting chances I would look at it differently.

I definetley agree that we still have a chance of play offs at least Astute, although we do need to start picking up the points as from now.
The thing for me is that we arent lacking in chances, the day that those dry up then we are in trouble.
Im sure we are gonna go on a bit of a run and hammer a few teams soon, so i try n be optimistic.

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