Thoughts on form and the play offs

[NickDRFC]

The problem with that BFYP is that we will probably have to start again with a different group of loan players.
Ok, we might be lucky enough to sign one or two of them.

Totally agree with all that Hound. What people fail to grasp when they suggest we should be patient and go for it next season, is that every season we fail to achieve promotion we inevitably lose our better players, just as we did last year.

If we don't go up this year, we can almost certainly say goodbye to Anderson, Whiteman, and Sadlier. Can we replace them with better? I doubt it.

Agree to some extent, but if we have a strong finish to the year and end up just outside or losing in the playoffs we might be able to persuade Whiteman & Anderson to stay and have a tilt at a title challenge next year. The difficulty is more in replacing loan players who’ve had a significant impact (namely Dieng, Sheaf & Ennis so far).

[scawsby steve]

The problem with that BFYP is that we will probably have to start again with a different group of loan players.
Ok, we might be lucky enough to sign one or two of them.

Totally agree with all that Hound. What people fail to grasp when they suggest we should be patient and go for it next season, is that every season we fail to achieve promotion we inevitably lose our better players, just as we did last year.

If we don't go up this year, we can almost certainly say goodbye to Anderson, Whiteman, and Sadlier. Can we replace them with better? I doubt it.

Agree to some extent, but if we have a strong finish to the year and end up just outside or losing in the playoffs we might be able to persuade Whiteman & Anderson to stay and have a tilt at a title challenge next year. The difficulty is more in replacing loan players who’ve had a significant impact (namely Dieng, Sheaf & Ennis so far).

I take your point Nick, but in the end it's mainly about money. We reached the play-offs last year, but still couldn't persuade our better players to stay, simply because they were offered better elsewhere.

[Lesonthewest]

For us the form is decent. Performances not so I would say but we have dug in well which is not a bad trait.  Play offs will be a tough ask and we are probably still a bit off promotion imo. Building for next year is perhaps more.important.

I agree, we are work in progress & as the new players bed in & with a full pre-season maybe we can have a real go next season. Think we will fall short of the play-offs personally this season, would love to be wrong though. In the 1st half last night there were signs of us beginning to click as a team playing with real intent now we have brought in the players required. Mind you 2nd half we looked like we couldn't pass wind, should have really put them to the sword after the 2nd goal. That's why I think we won't make the top six, we look very fragile at times, & a better side than Bolton would have punished our second half display.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

We shouldn't look too far ahead and read things into what might or might not be.

DM will be acutely aware of the task in front of him. Yes, he hasn't got a crystal ball and therefore he's likely to have different targets for plan a and plan b etc.

We might think it's going to be a bigger problem to build a squad for next season, he might not.

Whichever division we find ourselves in, players will need to be replaced. DM has shown he is capable of that contrary to the belief of many on this and other forums.

[NickDRFC]

The problem with that BFYP is that we will probably have to start again with a different group of loan players.
Ok, we might be lucky enough to sign one or two of them.

Totally agree with all that Hound. What people fail to grasp when they suggest we should be patient and go for it next season, is that every season we fail to achieve promotion we inevitably lose our better players, just as we did last year.

If we don't go up this year, we can almost certainly say goodbye to Anderson, Whiteman, and Sadlier. Can we replace them with better? I doubt it.

Agree to some extent, but if we have a strong finish to the year and end up just outside or losing in the playoffs we might be able to persuade Whiteman & Anderson to stay and have a tilt at a title challenge next year. The difficulty is more in replacing loan players who’ve had a significant impact (namely Dieng, Sheaf & Ennis so far).

I take your point Nick, but in the end it's mainly about money. We reached the play-offs last year, but still couldn't persuade our better players to stay, simply because they were offered better elsewhere.

But last summer all the leavers were out of contract other than Marquis - with a year left on his contract our hand was played for us really. Whiteman & Abderson both agreed extended terms this winter so short of them going on strike they will struggle to force a move. Sadlier is on the same position as those leavers last summer, though, and to be honest I’d expect him to only stay if we at least make the play offs (and even then might be 50-50 unless we go up).

[silent majority]

The problem with that BFYP is that we will probably have to start again with a different group of loan players.
Ok, we might be lucky enough to sign one or two of them.

Totally agree with all that Hound. What people fail to grasp when they suggest we should be patient and go for it next season, is that every season we fail to achieve promotion we inevitably lose our better players, just as we did last year.

If we don't go up this year, we can almost certainly say goodbye to Anderson, Whiteman, and Sadlier. Can we replace them with better? I doubt it.

Agree to some extent, but if we have a strong finish to the year and end up just outside or losing in the playoffs we might be able to persuade Whiteman & Anderson to stay and have a tilt at a title challenge next year. The difficulty is more in replacing loan players who’ve had a significant impact (namely Dieng, Sheaf & Ennis so far).

I take your point Nick, but in the end it's mainly about money. We reached the play-offs last year, but still couldn't persuade our better players to stay, simply because they were offered better elsewhere.

I’m interested in which players we couldn’t persuade to stay last season. And I mean in particular our ‘better’ players as you mention.

[dickos1]

Home form

P18 W9 D5 L4

Away form
P12 W4 D4 L4.

I think I'd prefer to be playing more at home.

We had decent form earlier in the season at home and dreadful away form.
Since Christmas our away form has been very good,

[adamtherover]

The problem with that BFYP is that we will probably have to start again with a different group of loan players.
Ok, we might be lucky enough to sign one or two of them.

Totally agree with all that Hound. What people fail to grasp when they suggest we should be patient and go for it next season, is that every season we fail to achieve promotion we inevitably lose our better players, just as we did last year.

If we don't go up this year, we can almost certainly say goodbye to Anderson, Whiteman, and Sadlier. Can we replace them with better? I doubt it.

Agree to some extent, but if we have a strong finish to the year and end up just outside or losing in the playoffs we might be able to persuade Whiteman & Anderson to stay and have a tilt at a title challenge next year. The difficulty is more in replacing loan players who’ve had a significant impact (namely Dieng, Sheaf & Ennis so far).

I take your point Nick, but in the end it's mainly about money. We reached the play-offs last year, but still couldn't persuade our better players to stay, simply because they were offered better elsewhere.

I’m interested in which players we couldn’t persuade to stay last season. And I mean in particular our ‘better’ players as you mention.

that sounds like you are suggesting me didnt want to retain the services of the lads who had just got to the playoffs?

[RoversAlias]

I thought it was established fact (or as near as we'll get on the outside of the club) that most of the players we lost in the summer were because we didn't want to pay contracts over the odds for a lot of them?

Marquis was always going to be sold because of the season he had, Andrew and Marosi simply took good deals elsewhere, we offered Rowe and Butler reduced terms which in Rowe's case was justified based on his dimishing contribution and Butts because of his age (and we've seen him struggle in L2 this season, hindsight and all that). Kane and Wilks were loanees we were never expecting to keep. So what other key players did we fail to keep hold of?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Home form

P18 W9 D5 L4

Away form
P12 W4 D4 L4.

I think I'd prefer to be playing more at home.

We had decent form earlier in the season at home and dreadful away form.
Since Christmas our away form has been very good,

Yep. Accepted.

[scawsby steve]

The problem with that BFYP is that we will probably have to start again with a different group of loan players.
Ok, we might be lucky enough to sign one or two of them.

Totally agree with all that Hound. What people fail to grasp when they suggest we should be patient and go for it next season, is that every season we fail to achieve promotion we inevitably lose our better players, just as we did last year.

If we don't go up this year, we can almost certainly say goodbye to Anderson, Whiteman, and Sadlier. Can we replace them with better? I doubt it.

Agree to some extent, but if we have a strong finish to the year and end up just outside or losing in the playoffs we might be able to persuade Whiteman & Anderson to stay and have a tilt at a title challenge next year. The difficulty is more in replacing loan players who’ve had a significant impact (namely Dieng, Sheaf & Ennis so far).

I take your point Nick, but in the end it's mainly about money. We reached the play-offs last year, but still couldn't persuade our better players to stay, simply because they were offered better elsewhere.

I’m interested in which players we couldn’t persuade to stay last season. And I mean in particular our ‘better’ players as you mention.

Marquis, Rowe, Butler? By "persuade" Martin, I mean offer more money than they can get elsewhere.

[silent majority]

Steve, the Marquis situation was never clear cut so it’s unfair to say we couldn’t persuade him. Rowe was one of the ‘elders’ in the side who’d spent a lot of time on the injured list. I doubt very much that we’d want to push the boat out salary wise. Pretty much the same with Andy Butler, another senior player who’s better years were behind him.

Anyway, the man making those decisions wanted to build a younger squad, who then promptly buggered off once he’d dispensed with their services.

[essexrover]

I think the big unknown factor about the run-in is all those away games & what effect that will have on the team. Lots of travelling can be quite demoralising.

[drfchound]

It is never a problem if the results are good.

[essexrover]

It is never a problem if the results are good.

This is also true 👍