Managing expectations

[PeteBlade]

First of all, I don't want to cover old ground so won't get embroiled in the same arguments I've had before, but....

Does anyone think the mood of our fans this season would have been helped by a bit of expectation management by those in charge?

I think we (and Adkins) may have been hindered by the sometimes ballsy comments by Phipps and co, as well as Adkins himself.

There was no real mention of rebuilding, no mention of shedding the wage will before we made significant signings and until recently, certainly no talk of waiting until the summer to do the rebuild.

Would we have been more forgiving had the rebuild been mentioned when Adkins first arrived?

Rather than Phipps's talk of promotion and Adkins's talk of promotion being 'essential'?

Should the talk have been of managing the large squad, consolidating this season and having our squad sorted for next?

Yes there would have been initial grumbling and talk of lack of ambition but would us as fans, understand this season's performance a bit better?

Rather than the talk have been of going up and then this happening anyway?

 

[alcoblade]

I wonder if they thought despite our shortcomings, we'd be good enough under new management. If that was the case, there was no need to create uproar.

As it happens, we weren't good enough, and they would've been better off following your path. I suppose that's hindsight, to a degree.

UTB

 

[Gee]

I don't usually get involved in posts but. I think myself there was more to Cloughie leaving than the board let on. I think he was going to get another season hence letting him sort out the retain list etc. I think the board said no cash for strengthening in key areas etc and he's told them to shove it, as it all happened pretty quick after the meeting with the board. I think he or the board spat the dummy out and had to change their plans sharpish in loosing Cloughie and appointing Adkins.
This is why I don't think there were any mentions like you mentioned in your post and I don't think there will be until they have decided where to go from here. I think they were hoping the squad was strong enough to bimble their way to promotion. That has turned around and bit them in the arse so it's now panic stations. Are they going to throw some cash at the problems January, probably not.

 

[wizadry]

Good post. I think what irretates some fans is that even if we are rebuilding, which i have personally resigned myself for, we should still have bigger resources to cope with a rebuild in one season over most teams in this league, and that isn't being disrespectful to the sides in this league, it's just being realistic, which makes it even more frustrating that we look like having to put up with another season in this league unless we can win the playoffs. We can dream

 

[PeteBlade]

I don't usually get involved in posts but. I think myself there was more to Cloughie leaving than the board let on. I think he was going to get another season hence letting him sort out the retain list etc. I think the board said no cash for strengthening in key areas etc and he's told them to shove it, as it all happened pretty quick after the meeting with the board. I think he or the board spat the dummy out and had to change their plans sharpish in loosing Cloughie and appointing Adkins.
This is why I don't think there were any mentions like you mentioned in your post and I don't think there will be until they have decided where to go from here. I think they were hoping the squad was strong enough to bimble their way to promotion. That has turned around and bit them in the arse so it's now panic stations. Are they going to throw some cash at the problems January, probably not.

I agree regarding Clough.
It was very odd to let him take control of the retained list and then get rid of him, if as you say, that's what happened.

 

[Pollingtonblade]

First of all, I don't want to cover old ground so won't get embroiled in the same arguments I've had before, but....

Does anyone think the mood of our fans this season would have been helped by a bit of expectation management by those in charge?

I think we (and Adkins) may have been hindered by the sometimes ballsy comments by Phipps and co, as well as Adkins himself.

There was no real mention of rebuilding, no mention of shedding the wage will before we made significant signings and until recently, certainly no talk of waiting until the summer to do the rebuild.

Would we have been more forgiving had the rebuild been mentioned when Adkins first arrived?

Rather than Phipps's talk of promotion and Adkins's talk of promotion being 'essential'?

Should the talk have been of managing the large squad, consolidating this season and having our squad sorted for next?

Yes there would have been initial grumbling and talk of lack of ambition but would us as fans, understand this season's performance a bit better?

Rather than the talk have been of going up and then this happening anyway?

Is this the past we are talking about or the future?

If it's the past it doesn't count unless it's something we did well.

If it was something that was negative it doesn't count. It was the past.

If it's the future we don't know but we could win all our remaining games - other teams in history have and that does count but teams that fuck up don't count cos everyone has bad runs. :-/

 

[Harry's Game]

I don't usually get involved in posts but. I think myself there was more to Cloughie leaving than the board let on. I think he was going to get another season hence letting him sort out the retain list etc. I think the board said no cash for strengthening in key areas etc and he's told them to shove it, as it all happened pretty quick after the meeting with the board. I think he or the board spat the dummy out and had to change their plans sharpish in loosing Cloughie and appointing Adkins.

It was pretty clear at the time removing Clough was a change of mind, they had already released the promo video for the following season with Clough featuring heavily. However I don't think Clough told them to shove it, more they saw his shopping list, didn't like the the look of a couple of more players with dubious injury records, asked him to rethink his plans, he refused and that was the beginning of the end for him.

Whether the board, In particular Phipps with his eye on social media, manipulated this situation is another matter, I suspect they probably did. I also get the impression it wasn't a unanimous decision to appoint Adkins which could leave him vulnerable if the Prince was to lose interest and Phipps to lose influence

 

[yorkshirecoast]

Managing expectations? As long as we are in this awful division our expectation should be top 2. The fact that we are now facing the longest spell outside the top 2 divisions in our entire history is a disgrace. Rather than managing expectations the Board should stop pissing about, talking shite and making excuses - and put in some serious investment to get us out of this mess.

 

[Sirius]

I don't usually get involved in posts but. I think myself there was more to Cloughie leaving than the board let on. I think he was going to get another season hence letting him sort out the retain list etc. I think the board said no cash for strengthening in key areas etc and he's told them to shove it, as it all happened pretty quick after the meeting with the board. I think he or the board spat the dummy out and had to change their plans sharpish in loosing Cloughie and appointing Adkins.
This is why I don't think there were any mentions like you mentioned in your post and I don't think there will be until they have decided where to go from here. I think they were hoping the squad was strong enough to bimble their way to promotion. That has turned around and bit them in the arse so it's now panic stations. Are they going to throw some cash at the problems January, probably not.

Adkins took his time looking at what was available within the club and gave everyone a chance to impress. Clearly ,he found he had inherited a large squad lacking quality in key areas. I believe that at one point he publicly admitted that the players he had were not good enough to challenge for promotion. IMO., that was the time for the board to address the problems raised and come up with the investment required

Instead we were told the transfer window together with loans would solve the problem, then the goal posts were moved to take in the next transfer window, and then a major revamp was promised for the summer.

This same owd same owd United way is one of the reasons why we are stuck down among the dead men with little chance of getting out of this league at the right end How many points have been squandered so far.? Come January, we are , likely as not,to be a mid table team without a chance of catching up with the likes of the mighty Gills and other teams with an ounce of ambition.
UTB FTP

 

[Jehovah]

The day I stop expecting us to get promotion from league one is the day I start believing barnyblade had a season ticket.

 

[Barney]

For me it all comes back to Adkins' arrogance.

I can just picture him in the interview room - "5th last season was you? Let me and my coaching genius get on the case, we'll have you automatic promotion in no time. We'll only need money for players on the cheap and a couple of fan sweeteners. We won't even need to sign any centre backs, unless we're practically forced into it on the back of a 4 nil thumping that is"

McCabe - "Great stuff, you mean we can spend next to nothing?"

All the while Phipps is sat in the corner of the room stroking his beard and retweeting blades in Italy.

Absolute shambles from start to finish.

 

[Sean Thornton]

For me it all comes back to Adkins' arrogance.

I can just picture him in the interview room - "5th last season was you? Let me and my coaching genius get on the case, we'll have you automatic promotion in no time. We'll only need money for players on the cheap and a couple of fan sweeteners. We won't even need to sign any centre backs, unless we're practically forced into it on the back of a 4 nil thumping that is"

McCabe - "Great stuff, you mean we can spend next to nothing?"

All the while Phipps is sat in the corner of the room stroking his beard and retweeting blades in Italy.

Absolute shambles from start to finish.

Get help.

 

[Harry's Game]

For me it all comes back to Adkins' arrogance.

Really? Well don't worry about it no one cares.

 

[Keef Chedwyn]

It also shows that despite being a tad divisive, Clough had poor players overachieving.

 

[JohnDenver]

As long as the club is failing to punch its weight (by a distance) it'll be easy to pour scorn on the board and management But whilst Adkins and Phipps may have thought the squad was a bit ropey, to admit that would be to demoralise the players and fans at a stroke. Not to mention cost the club a fortune in season ticket sales and merchandise.

In reality the squad we have was always flawed but is still under performing even when judged with bitter realism. Given our firepower we should still be around the playoff places. And as such, Phipps et al would have been wrong to hype us up, and wrong to publicly write us off. They should let the fans make their own minds up.

For what it's worth, my pre-season optimism was popped horribly the moment I saw the XI we put our at Gillingham. But I still maintain our front men should see us in a play-off place, even if it requires some tactical crudity in the short term.

 

[PeteBlade]

As long as the club is failing to punch its weight (by a distance) it'll be easy to pour scorn on the board and management But whilst Adkins and Phipps may have thought the squad was a bit ropey, to admit that would be to demoralise the players and fans at a stroke. Not to mention cost the club a fortune in season ticket sales and merchandise.

In reality the squad we have was always flawed but is still under performing even when judged with bitter realism. Given our firepower we should still be around the playoff places. And as such, Phipps et al would have been wrong to hype us up, and wrong to publicly write us off. They should let the fans make their own minds up.

For what it's worth, my pre-season optimism was popped horribly the moment I saw the XI we put our at Gillingham. But I still maintain our front men should see us in a play-off place, even if it requires some tactical crudity in the short term.

Yes, I certainly don't disagree with you. Season ticket sales would have been hard if we'd done as I outlined in my OP and we were all caught up in the europhia of Adkin's arriving.

I don't buy into the fact that he's turned into an awful manager overnight, that his previous achievements were overplayed or that he's just arrogant, which is why I really hope he's not forced out due to our probable underachievement this season.

 

[Bladesince59]

Clough was a mardy, negative sod with a brother to keep.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

One of the things that pissed pretty much everyone off last season (even Cloughy afficionados) was Clough's "managing our expectations" & modestly, even coyly, keeping a lid on things, effectively telling us not to get ahead of ourselves.

Soz, but we ought to be aiming for top two in this division, no ifs, no buts - Phipps (& McCabe) ought to be clear about this, Nigel ought to be clear about it. Thankfully, they are. It's performance that's the problem, not expectations.

Anyway, regardless, you know what we're like. Are a stroppy bunch of twats like Blades (like we always have been & always will be) seriously gonna have our expectations "managed" for us?? Lol.

 

[Godbeblade]

I think this thread is bang on the money for right now (after the Shrewsbury loss), we're not going up or down in my opinion and Adkins can have 2 transfer windows to get his players in and others shipped out, go again in 16/17 season

 

[Grappler]

I don't usually get involved in posts but. I think myself there was more to Cloughie leaving than the board let on. I think he was going to get another season hence letting him sort out the retain list etc. I think the board said no cash for strengthening in key areas etc and he's told them to shove it, as it all happened pretty quick after the meeting with the board. I think he or the board spat the dummy out and had to change their plans sharpish in loosing Cloughie and appointing Adkins.
This is why I don't think there were any mentions like you mentioned in your post and I don't think there will be until they have decided where to go from here. I think they were hoping the squad was strong enough to bimble their way to promotion. That has turned around and bit them in the arse so it's now panic stations. Are they going to throw some cash at the problems January, probably not.

I have said before that I was told by someone who used to work at BDTBL that Clough walked out, he actually texted me with that very phrase, "Clough has walked out", some big bust up in a meeting on a Sunday night. We all thought it was odd he did the retained list and then went?

 

[breeny]

Said this before - the board build up the hype and we have expectations that aren't met. I would say this though, regardless of expectations we are showing no sign of progressing in any area of the pitch.

 

[robbiez666]

First of all, I don't want to cover old ground so won't get embroiled in the same arguments I've had before, but....

Does anyone think the mood of our fans this season would have been helped by a bit of expectation management by those in charge?

I think we (and Adkins) may have been hindered by the sometimes ballsy comments by Phipps and co, as well as Adkins himself.

There was no real mention of rebuilding, no mention of shedding the wage will before we made significant signings and until recently, certainly no talk of waiting until the summer to do the rebuild.

Would we have been more forgiving had the rebuild been mentioned when Adkins first arrived?

Rather than Phipps's talk of promotion and Adkins's talk of promotion being 'essential'?

Should the talk have been of managing the large squad, consolidating this season and having our squad sorted for next?

Yes there would have been initial grumbling and talk of lack of ambition but would us as fans, understand this season's performance a bit better?

Rather than the talk have been of going up and then this happening anyway?

It shows how idiotic the people running our club are.

When Adkins took over they should have said:

• Squad too big. need to trim it and this process will take until next season
• Some money to spend but until we get rid of players we're limited
• If we go up this season it's a bonus but not something we're expecting

oh no, instead we get lies, excuses and hot air with a board and manager telling us we're aiming for promotion when we'll be lucky with mid table at this juncture.