This Season?

[maidstone_hoop]

With two games to go I don't see why this can't be asked now, plus i'm bored as f*** at work. So has this season been a success or not? Simple Yes or No and why?

From my own personal view i'm just about going to tick the yes box. I think considering the mess we were in coming down from the prem and the changing of managers yet again then we haven't done to bad. It could of quite easily been back to back relegation's.

Mid table, few decent young signings for the future, whilst moving on some of the wasters who didn't want to be here has left me pretty happy and optimistic for next season.

[Brian Wilson]

No for me. Ramsey was an appointment that should never have been made so it was always gonna be a struggle from then on. Happy with JFH and looking forward to next season.

[nasser95]

The first original aim of the season was consolidation. That was a success. What happened after with moving the goalposts was not something we wanted or controlled in truth so I put those to the side. The high earners left the wage bill and will all be gone permanently this summer I hope. We have a young spine in Hall, Robinson, Kpekawa, Luongo and we've not only brought them into the consistent first team picture finally, but we've bedded in all the new signings who needed to adapt such as Chery, Polter, Luongo, Nasser and hopefully Gladwin (who looked like he could be a very good player at this level soon). We've signed two great keepers and finally gotten rid of the big issue we had in conceding like crazy and that's after only half a season of work on defensive stuff. So yea, for me, considering this as a transition season, it's an absolute success.

[Shepherds Mush]

No but we've laid down a decent platform to build on.

[CroydonCaptainJack]

A bit simplistic I think. May need some middle ground option.

[TimPR78]

Could have been better could have been worse, with Croydon on this, somewhere down the middle

[Ramsey is god]

No for me. Ramsey was an appointment that should never have been made so it was always gonna be a struggle from then on. Happy with JFH and looking forward to next season.

In hindsight absolutely agree with this. Think its been a positive season though with transfers and getting JFH in though.

[Stanley]

The stated aim of the board was promotion, which was the reason they sacked Ramsey due to poor results and brought in a manager whom they believed could achieve their goal. So in that sense the season has clearly not been a success.

[Hubble]

Could have been better could have been worse, with Croydon on this, somewhere down the middle

Agreed. I don't think you can give a yes or no answer to this question.

If you think of the state this club was in, much of this season has been simply about stopping the rot. If I have to use an analogy, I'd say it's like clearing out the basement, sorting out the damp and doing the basic prep work before doing up a house. When I was a decorator, clients on a large job would often complain several weeks in that they couldn't see anything happening. It was only in the very last couple of weeks that it all came together. I think this season is the same. It will be next season that we start to see things coming together. So on that level, I'd call it a modest success.

[Stanley]

Agreed. I don't think you can give a yes or no answer to this question.

If you think of the state this club was in, much of this season has been simply about stopping the rot. If I have to use an analogy, I'd say it's like clearing out the basement, sorting out the damp and doing the basic prep work before doing up a house. When I was a decorator, clients on a large job would often complain several weeks in that they couldn't see anything happening. It was only in the very last couple of weeks that it all came together. I think this season is the same. It will be next season that we start to see things coming together. So on that level, I'd call it a modest success.

Much depends on what happens in the summer though. We still have a lot high-earners on the books that need to be shifted eg Sandro, Fer, Caulker. And futures to be decided eg Phillips, Hoillet, Onuoha, Mackie, Faurlin, Hill etc... We're also lacking in key positions like CB, RB, CM. So new signings are needed that are within our budget, which will also be very dependant on who we sell and how much we get for them. So it's all still very much a transitional phase and work in progress.

[Garyd73]

Not a success, to be successful you need to achieve something.

Was it pretty much what I was expecting then yes, not under or over achieved.

[Olly]

Could go well next season, but still some high earners to shift, probably before new players come and bed in which will take most of next season, so I'm prepared to wait for a serious challenge the season after

[Hubble]

Much depends on what happens in the summer though. We still have a lot high-earners on the books that need to be shifted eg Sandro, Fer, Caulker. And futures to be decided eg Phillips, Hoillet, Onuoha, Mackie, Faurlin, Hill etc... We're also lacking in key positions like CB, RB, CM. So new signings are needed that are within our budget, which will also be very dependant on who we sell and how much we get for them. So it's all still very much a transitional phase and work in progress.

Yes, of course it's still dependent on that, so work in progress is probably best way to describe it.

[nasser95]

The stated aim of the board was promotion, which was the reason they sacked Ramsey due to poor results and brought in a manager whom they believed could achieve their goal. So in that sense the season has clearly not been a success.

I recall the initial stated aim of the board being consolidation, hence the signings of Chery, Luongo and Polter et al with a view to develop them at this level this year and watch them thrive at it next year. That's what Les said when JFH was signed up. What then happened changed things, with players like Austin, Sandro, Fer all staying. Consider then that JFH made the decision to get rid of them, therefore the goalposts moved back to consolidation. Now, had he stuck with playing Fer, Austin and Sandro until the end of the season, then we would consider this current position a bad season, but we didn't. That's my view of it at least.

[brightonr]

Some positive things have happened without a doubt.

But I think to call this season a success is stretching it a bit really.