Taxi on the way (3 Viewers)

[Nick]

Experience tells us if anything Fisher overplays his hand not underplays. Common sense based on this fact alone would tell that you should probably admit that you’re assumptions are wrong. You won’t though because you are you.

Common sense tells me to look at the players we have brought in and the squad to get an idea rather than something Fisher said months before the season started.

 

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[Hobo]

We have a top 5 budget, there’s no doubt about that in my mind.

1) We have one of the biggest playing squads in the league, top 5 possibly top 3 size of squad easily.
2) Not relying on loans like a lot of the other big clubs like....Exeter and Notts C
3) We have also heard from opposing managers Steve Evans and Sarll (Stevenage) that Coventry blew them out the water with some targets.
4) A lot of of MR signings were from League 1, Doyle, McNulty, Davies, Obrian, Vincenti, McDonald, Andreu/Hyam/Grimmer - championship,
Biamou and Kelly (technically)only ones from Non league.

Most of the clubs at this level do business from lower leagues or rely on loans.

Regardless of budget it is hard to sign eleven players and for them all to be a success, gel and hit the ground running from the off.

Throw in some serious injuries to contend with.

Winning Leagues and getting promoted isn't always pretty or entertaining.

We are doing okay, not fantastic, but okay. We need a couple of good players in who can create and score goals. Stay in touch and the time to really kick on is Easter to the finish.

 

[Hobo]

People keep moaning about lack of goals, but only the top two are smashing us on goal difference.

 

[Nick]

People keep moaning about lack of goals, but only the top two are smashing us on goal difference.

I noticed that when I looked at the table after the game yesterday. It's a bit misleading though as some of that is down to us not conceding many.

 

[oucho]

I guess you could not get on wiki quick enough to check but yes I made a mistake it was forest , my bad , it’s not a history lesson but more of an example of how pressure can help

However it proves if it was forest Norwich or who ever else it put the pressure on him to get things moving

I have given him a B+ as yes we in the autos , so the pressure should be kept up on him to achieve , he knows it . He might not walk out on us next time like before .

The apathy displayed by some CCFC supporters is remarkable , we need to get out of the league first time round and then not come back

I see nothing wrong applying pressure , especially now , he should be doing it to the players and we should expect that he can do his best

For the sake of the fans and no other reason .

If we fail to get the playoffs then you will see lots of fans wanting his head immeadiatly , then he will know all about pressure.

We are in a tight pack of teams and the time to get it right is now not next year.

He has got us here hence B+ but it’s also in his hands to cock it up with bad choices , a bit of pressure to remind him won’t hurt

I didn't use Wikipedia, the fact it was Forest in round 3 of the 1990 FA cup, after 3 trophyless years, is common knowledge. 3 years - not one season. You're using that example to argue that MR shouldn't be given three years but should be under pressure for his job after half a season at this level.

To be clear, should he be sacked if we're not promoted this season? What if we don't make the play-offs?

 

[Grendel]

Do you have a link to the 8th best budget comment? Not doubting you, just haven't heard that one before.
I remember him making a comment about our budget being mid range league 1, before we were relegated. Can't recall any comments about league 2 though.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Fisher said in the top 8 and as I have repeatedly said budgets are no indication of actual spend whatsoever. It’s pretty clear to anyone from squad depth that in reality it’s higher than that.

 

[Nick]

I didn't use Wikipedia, the fact it was Forest in round 3 of the 1990 FA cup, after 3 trophyless years, is common knowledge. 3 years - not one season. You're using that example to argue that MR shouldn't be given three years but should be under pressure for his job after half a season at this level.

To be clear, should he be sacked if we're not promoted this season? What if we don't make the play-offs?

If we don't make the playoffs he has clearly failed.

 

[BackRoomRummermill]

I didn't use Wikipedia, the fact it was Forest in round 3 of the 1990 FA cup, after 3 trophyless years, is common knowledge. 3 years - not one season. You're using that example to argue that MR shouldn't be given three years but should be under pressure for his job after half a season at this level.

To be clear, should he be sacked if we're not promoted this season? What if we don't make the play-offs?

Without a doubt, he has even more pressure now as he is in auto play spot , its his to cock up .

 

[Skyblueweeman]

I noticed that when I looked at the table after the game yesterday. It's a bit misleading though as some of that is down to us not conceding many.

Agreed. The 'not scoring goals' has been an issue but to be fair, the reason why we're near the top is because of our defensive work and grinding out low scoring victories. I've not had the chance to go this season but I'd think that mentally, the squad we have this season is mentally stronger than previous season. Overcoming the amount of injuries we've had, not getting too concerned about lack of goals and everything going on off the pitch, the team (and Robins) have done well.

My only concern is that with the injuries we've had, we're already down to 2nd or 3rd replacements. If they get injured, things get a little tastier. We need to wrap McNulty up in cotton wool as well for the remainder of the season. We've now got our 20 goals a season striker.

 

[Esoterica]

Is it critical for us to get out of this division at the first time of asking?
Is this squad good enough for the top 7?
It's the only two questions that need to be asked and I believe the answer is yes to both. With that in mind, for me:

Promotion gets him a chance to build long term, even if we ended up relegated from L1 again.
A loss in the play offs then I'd be disappointed but let him have a 2nd crack as most of the squad are on 2 year contracts, so it makes sense to have some continuity.
Outside the play offs then bye bye - it will be our first half negativity away from home that has cost us and that would be on MR.

 

[Nick]

Is it critical for us to get out of this division at the first time of asking?
Is this squad good enough for the top 7?
It's the only two questions that need to be asked and I believe the answer is yes to both. With that in mind, for me:

Promotion gets him a chance to build long term, even if we ended up relegated from L1 again.
A loss in the play offs then I'd be disappointed but let him have a 2nd crack as most of the squad are on 2 year contracts, so it makes sense to have some continuity.
Outside the play offs then bye bye - it will be our first half negativity away from home that has cost us and that would be on MR.

Would agree with that, if we finish 4th for example and lose in the playoffs then let him have another go at it. We would then have players who were injured to come back in.

If we finished outside the playoffs then he has clearly failed, even then though I wouldn't be 100% on sacking him straight away but would want to see what he was going to do to change it.

 

[oucho]

If we don't make the playoffs he has clearly failed.

I don't disagree, but nor do I think that failure after one season should be a sackable offence. Do you? - Edit - just saw your post above where you give your view on that question.

IMO I'd give him three seasons minimum and judge him then.

 

[Nick]

I don't disagree, but nor do I think that failure after one season should be a sackable offence. Do you?

IMO I'd give him three seasons minimum and judge him then.

It depends on how it happens and how he reacts to things.

 

[oucho]

Without a doubt, he has even more pressure now as he is in auto play spot , its his to cock up .

Disagree. I do not see why a manager's job has to hang on performance over a single season. Judge him after 3 years; if we're not in League One by then, yes it's time to get rid.

 

[BackRoomRummermill]

I think all of us want him to succeed!

 

[skybluetony176]

Common sense tells me to look at the players we have brought in and the squad to get an idea rather than something Fisher said months before the season started.

Called it

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

Robin’s was very clear in what he said with regards to fees. I am sure others there heard him say the same. There was also a video I think.

 

[Nick]

Called it

So we are going to ignore everything else and just focus on something Fisher said months before the season, completely ignoring the squad, comments from other teams etc?

Like I said, it's using common sense. Robins doesn't have a hands tied excuse.

 

[Nick]

Robin’s was very clear in what he said with regards to fees. I am sure others there heard him say the same. There was also a video I think.

Yep I watched it but couldn't remember it, I would have thought CJ and others would have picked up on it and gone to town if they had picked up on it too.

 

[ccfcway]

So we are going to ignore everything else and just focus on something Fisher said months before the season, completely ignoring the squad, comments from other teams etc?.

to be fair, if we had a chairman who we believed in, that's exactly what we should be doing...

 

[Grendel]

I don't disagree, but nor do I think that failure after one season should be a sackable offence. Do you? - Edit - just saw your post above where you give your view on that question.

IMO I'd give him three seasons minimum and judge him then.

You’d have given thorn 3 seasons

 

[Nick]

to be fair, if we had a chairman who we believed in, that's exactly what we should be doing...

Even if he was the most truthful person on earth, him saying the expected budget months before the season started doesn't mean that is what it is after the season does it?

For example Robins bought Davies late on for defensive cover which didn't seem expected at the time when McDonald got injured.

Again, even at the time I said it wasn't a case of SISU becoming fantastic and changing their ways as nothing from their side had changed. It was that our revenue etc is more on par with League 2 so it isn't giving them credit. I gave Robins / Widdrington credit for the recruitment.

 

[skybluebeduff]

Fisher said in the top 8 and as I have repeatedly said budgets are no indication of actual spend whatsoever. It’s pretty clear to anyone from squad depth that in reality it’s higher than that.

If that's the case, then every team is this league has the same squad depth, because our consists of players taken from our youth team...

 

[Nick]

If that's the case, then every team is this league has the same squad depth, because our consists of players taken from our youth team...

Again, The U23 players are only included due to injuries aren't they?

Shipley, Maycock, Bayliss and DKE would probably not even have made the bench if we didn't have any injuries.

So the moan is that we use players from the academy now?

 

[Earlsdon-Loyal-Blue]

There is still time to cancel it but unless things improve before the end of December it has to be arriving for Mr Robins soon.

Hello Allen’s Taxis, just letting you know Grendel your taxi is waiting for you at your collection point. Thank you!

 

[skybluebeduff]

Again, The U23 players are only included due to injuries aren't they?

Shipley, Maycock, Bayliss and DKE would probably not even have made the bench if we didn't have any injuries.

So the moan is that we use players from the academy now?

No the U23's have been included and blended into our squad for years, they make up most the numbers. I see your point, but having to bring in youth and then saying we still have squad depth is daft in my opinion, our squad is thin.

 

[Grendel]

No the U23's have been included and blended into our squad for years, they make up most the numbers. I see your point, but having to bring in youth and then saying we still have squad depth is daft in my opinion, our squad is thin.

Not compared to others in this league it isn’t.

 

[skybluetony176]

So we are going to ignore everything else and just focus on something Fisher said months before the season, completely ignoring the squad, comments from other teams etc?

Like I said, it's using common sense. Robins doesn't have a hands tied excuse.

Common sense? Aren’t you one of the posters who insisted last season that we had a top half or top six budget? How did that work out? Is that the common sense that you’re using here? You think it’s common sense to base something Fisher said as underplaying his hand? What are you basing that on exactly? It’s not history, historically he’s always overplayed his hand. How many teams exactly have said they can’t compete with us? What’s their gate receipts historically and how does that compare to ours?

Robbins isn’t using any excuse that I can see. He’s doing a good job all things considered but to assume he doesn’t have his hands tied is completely ignorant to SISU’s tenure. Their mere presence is enough to do that. Not that you would notice.

 

[Nick]

No the U23's have been included and blended into our squad for years, they make up most the numbers. I see your point, but having to bring in youth and then saying we still have squad depth is daft in my opinion, our squad is thin.

It probably is when you ignore injured players and youth players.

What would Lincoln do with their squad size if they had our injuries?

 

[Nick]

Common sense? Aren’t you one of the posters who insisted last season that we had a top half or top six budget? How did that work out? Is that the common sense that you’re using here? You think it’s common sense to base something Fisher said as underplaying his hand? What are you basing that on exactly? It’s not history, historically he’s always overplayed his hand. How many teams exactly have said they can’t compete with us? What’s their gate receipts historically and how does that compare to ours?

Robbins isn’t using any excuse that I can see. He’s doing a good job all things considered but to assume he doesn’t have his hands tied is completely ignorant to SISU’s tenure. Their mere presence is enough to do that. Not that you would notice.

I am basing on our squad now compared to others in the league, not that you would notice. That's why it is using common sense.

I must be missing out on every other team splashing their millions, massive squads and no restraints on budget compared to ours. I like how we should ignore other managers saying things about our team because it is just them saying it, but we should listen to Robins when he says it.

This season he doesn't have his hands tied, he has been unlucky with injuries though which will be a bigger factor.

 

[PVA]

If we had Jones and Andreu fit all season I think we'd definitely be top 2 and probably top of the league.

They are huge losses and probably 2 of the best players in the league.

 

[NorthernWisdom]

Fisher said in the top 8 and as I have repeatedly said budgets are no indication of actual spend whatsoever. It’s pretty clear to anyone from squad depth that in reality it’s higher than that.

Squad depth is the only thing that does point to maybe being more. The quality argument's a red herring... and one that pops up every season!

Really Robins has brought in a bunch of reserves and has-beens.

Oh, or regulars in failing or non league teams.

The recruitment was hardly of those with a top notch reputation at this level, or the one above, so nothing there to suggest it's a large budget really. That doesn't mean it *isn't*, however, but the squad's been either Robins backing himself to get players to capture spurts of past form, to develop with regular football, to get over past injuries, or in Doyle's case, to keep going and put off the advance of time.

After all, for a squad with Ryan Haynes featuring to be top 3 must point to Robins doing something right in getting players playing, eh?

 

[Nick]

Squad depth is the only thing that does point to maybe being more. The quality argument's a red herring... and one that pops up every season!

Really Robins has brought in a bunch of reserves and has-beens.

Oh, or regulars in failing or non league teams.

The recruitment was hardly of those with a top notch reputation at this level, or the one above, so nothing there to suggest it's a large budget really. That doesn't mean it *isn't*, however, but the squad's been either Robins backing himself to get players to capture spurts of past form, to develop with regular football, to get over past injuries, or in Doyle's case, to keep going and put off the advance of time.

After all, for a squad with Ryan Haynes featuring to be top 3 must point to Robins doing something right in getting players playing, eh?

People bang on about Mansfield throwing money about and really investing, who did they bring in? Other than Luton, who has gone out and done a job in the transfer window with big name players?

Robins first signing was the captain of the team who won League 2 last season wasn't it? McNulty had a decent reputation in League 2, Andreu had a decent reputation, Grimmer had a great reputation at Shrewsbury in League 1. Vincenti even had a decent reputation as a player above League 2.

Going on Reputations for League 2 when we did business, we would have been right up there just on paper.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

No the U23's have been included and blended into our squad for years, they make up most the numbers. I see your point, but having to bring in youth and then saying we still have squad depth is daft in my opinion, our squad is thin.

Come off it! The squad is not thin at all. We've got multiple options in each position and our young players are adding to that, and clearly they're good enough as they have worked their way into the team. Ponticelli, to take an example, has worked his way into the matcday squad and we have 5 senior strikers... With the arrival of Barrett from Reading, we have 22 senior players (from the CCFC website). Then add to that list; Bayliss, Shipley, Maycock and Ponticelli.

A testament to our squad depth is that we find ourselves 3rd despite long-term injuries to the following; Kelly, Jones, Andreu, Vincenti (all starters) and over the Xmas period, McDonald, Beavon and Nazon.

 

[skybluebeduff]

It probably is when you ignore injured players and youth players.

What would Lincoln do with their squad size if they had our injuries?

Probably the same as us, draft in youth players. Our only advantage is that our youth team is better than everyone's in this league.