[Iron414]

Good move for him going to NL with a shout at promotion to EFL. Hope it works out for him.

[Iron414]

MK Iron wrote:

The way I see it we lost an OK right back and have a replacement arguably more suited to the league we are in
(stronger in the air in both boxes).

OK we have lost the best footballing midfielder in the division but he did struggle when man marked and pretty much stopped us playing with a high intensity in midfield.

Otherwise all other first choices are here.

We were no fitter last season than the part time teams. Butler seems determined to change that which will help greatly.

We also had a manager with little tactical nous. If Butler and Schofield have any idea then surely that will help. If a couple of our signings work out well my glass is half full.

MK I think Ogle was a little bit more than an ‘OK’ right back at this level. He was fantastic for us in both seasons, an absolute workhorse and his bursting runs will be massively missed.

Butterfield is irreplaceable at this level which is why we haven’t even attempted to recruit anyone to fill his role. Did you watch any of the few games he didn’t start last season? I don’t recall us looking high energy or intensity. How about those games where Dean subbed him off and we subsequently lost all control in midfield? Butterfield was the man that got us playing football.

We’ve lost our two best players. Our ‘players of the seasons’ for the last two years. We’ve also lost two really excellent players in Elliot and DSF. Yes Barrows can do a job at right back but 2/3 outfield players we’ve brought in are squad players at best and the trialists we’ve got are from the bottom of bargain bin.

It hurts seeing our team lose its star men and if your a glass half full man that’s fair enough, but let’s not rewrite history to make the loss of our best players seem like a positive.

[Iron414]

ironfromafar wrote:

after a few sherberts and a roll in the hay downtown i have woken uoto the fact that mu beloved SUFC is pretty much fooked n will be in NKL at least another 3 to 5 yrs ..
IMO the squad will be way lighter on quality the last term , others teams a lot stronger than last term.. its mid table DEEREY at best ..sorry.. oh and these so called trialts WGs refers to do look like bin dippers

not doomed but NO way promotion ..

I share your sentiment IFA. Not pessimistic… just realistic.

WonderGoals you’re right everyone has a choice and the gates will reflect that over the course of the season if we don’t recruit some quality. It’s a fine balance between cost saving on wages and loss of income if the football is poor. The die hards will turn up rain or shine but we need our ‘fair weather fans’ more than ever in our financial predicament.

I personally brought 3 different friends to various games last season because we were playing good football that was, for the most part, enjoyable to watch. Even when we weren’t playing well there was always the possibility of Butterfield scoring a 30 yard screamer. Direct, physical and ugly football is fine IF we’re winning every game. But if we’re losing whilst playing unattractive football the gates will inevitably take a hit wiping out any benefit of cost cutting.

As said previously I’ll count this season as a success if we manage to maintain the gate numbers and feel good factor throughout the season.

[Iron414]

I think his specified targets are the ones already signed? According to Lee Turnbull’s interview last week we were announcing a keeper imminently (hello Maison) and then would be looking at trialists and a couple of loans. No mention of any more targets. The level of quality of some of the identified trialists really highlights the market we are now shopping in. I’d personally rather see us bring in one player with some quality, that we can get excited about, than 2-3 bargain bucket players. Even if that means relying more heavily on the loan market to cover injury’s.

[Iron414]

Good detective work SST. Any idea who the short lad with his face covered by Whitehall’s hand is?
Hopefully we don’t touch Ravenhill with a barge pole. With a squad of 21 and 7 spots on the bench this season we can’t afford to carry injury prone players, particularly when Robert’s and Law’s already have treatment beds with their names on.

[Iron414]

That depends on what you class as a write off Deerey. For me this season would be a reasonable success if we play entertaining football, finish in the top 10 and most importantly, maintain the current feel good factor around the club.

[Iron414]

ironfromafar wrote:

Back to Scunny .. whilst all around seem mega positive re next season i will refrain from adding this optimism as quite frankly we will be at best a mid upper half table as best, biggest budget bullshit or not , sorry to piss on everyones chips.

UTI

Watch out IFA, Deerey will be coming for you for ‘sowing seeds of doubt’

The majority of the positivity I have seen is around the club ownership, reduction of debt and the community spirit that has been build since the departure of WHAM. All excellent work from the board and our fans, especially those volunteering down at GP.

On the footballing side of things I haven’t seen too much blind optimism from our fans. Most people realise we’ve lost our two best players, 2/3 of our signings are squad players at best, we’ve got a manager with no proven track record and we’re competing in a league that’s significantly tougher than it was last season, with a thin squad, despite having a fair few players that have consistent injury problems. The consensus of comments place us in mid-top half of table, scraping play offs if we are lucky.

I listened to Lee Turnbull’s interview yesterday whilst waiting on the England game to KO and he stressed how important it is that we go up this season. I think the club needs to revise their expectations somewhat, unless they have an ace up their sleeve.

[Iron414]

England where woeful, very lucky to come back. Southgate so defensive. It’s what you get when you have an ex-defender as manager. Oh wait…

[Iron414]

England just got away with murder there.

[Iron414]

Awaywego wrote:

2 of the 3 were signed before the Butler interview Iron 414.

Incorrect awaywego. Only Carlton long name was signed before (announced on 3rd) Fishburn and Brogan were announced 13th and 14th respectively.

England so far total sh*te. Southgate needs to turn this around in the second half.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Awaywego

[Iron414]

I think the ones being referred to by Butler on the 4th of June are probably the three we’ve already announced. Find it hard to believe we would still be negotiating with the same players a month down the line.

Agree we need a winger or two given the amount of time Robert’s and Law spend on the treatment beds. That is assuming Butler intends to play with wingers. The lack of any signings in that area along with us having 3 very good central defenders, had me wondering if he might go with a 5-3-2 formation. Time will tell.

[Iron414]

The lad from Kidderminster is a very good player at this level and their fans seem excited enough by him. A relegation on the CV doesn’t define a player. Ogle and Butterfield where part of the team that got us relegated the season before last but where still our best players last season and in Butterfield’s case, probably the best player in the league.

Agree the Yeovil lad seems a bit of a punt, nice for them to be in a position to make speculative signings!

The other being their midfielder Bates, technically a resigning but had announced he was leaving at the end of the season and has now signed back citing a ‘change of heart’ another very good player. But more importantly they’ve managed to keep hold of almost all of their key players from last season, where we have lost our 2 best players and another 2 in DSF and Elliott that are excellent at this level. If I where a betting man I’d be lumping on Brackley. Out of interest when do bookies usually release their odds? Be interesting to see where they rank us.

As I said Deerey… managing expectations. That way it hurts less… you should try it!

Cassidy where are you hearing that? I thought we were looking at trialists from here on? I hope you are right.

[Iron414]

Campbell would make sense. We still need 2 or 3 decent signings to have a chance this season. Brackley have made a couple of excellent signings and I think they will be the ones to beat this year. Looking at the teams coming into the league I’m managing my expectations and don’t expect us to make the play offs unless we add some quality, which we know we don’t have the budget for.

[Iron414]

Deereyme66 wrote:

Not bought a replica shirt since 98. From the many images I saw of them on flabby flesh, the crewnecks seemed to be out of shape / wide as the season progressed.

Are you suggesting many of us fans have been consuming a few too many GOAT burgers Deerey?

[Iron414]

Dire performance tonight. Southgate making no changes after a very average performance from many of his players on Sunday was very Jimmy Dean-esq.

[Iron414]

Of course not Deerey… hence me saying ‘as we are rightly told’. If I disagreed I’d say ‘as we are wrongly told’ wouldn’t I? But that doesn’t change that the disparity in quality between our outgoings and incomings is disappointing, albeit a reflection of our circumstances.

[Iron414]

If Elliott had been given the game time he’d have been a top player for us. I was sorry to see him go as I was hoping under a new manager and played in his natural position he would have scored a bag full this coming season. On this occasion Macclesfield are the beneficiaries of our curbed spending.

Butterfield will be the bigger miss though. WonderGoals you must not have been at the bumper-crowd game against Chester, only a month before the season end, where we came back from behind twice. Also where Butterfield dictated the midfield and scored one of his trademark, edge of the box ‘worldies’, 5 minutes before full time. He was excellent for 90+ minutes and certainly didn’t look to be ‘ineffective’. I have reluctantly accepted that we can no longer afford players of his quality and are lucky to have had him for the time we did, but let’s not rewrite history to make it feel like less of a loss. He had at least one if not two more years of good football in him. But money prevails.

Our last two signings really highlight our financial position and the budget constraints Butler is working in. But as we are rightly told, we still have our football club and sustainability is the most important thing now.

4 users thanked author for this post.

inspector, another fed up fan, doris, cassidystash

[Iron414]

ironking wrote:

I knew it would attract some negative comments by posting an alternative view but I have never been afraid to hold my own opinion even if it does ebb against the tide.

Unfortunately an alternative opinion usually results in being accused of having an ‘agenda’ or being WHAM! Or in your case IronKing… being Simon Elliott. It can’t possibly be that you just have an opinion different to others!

1 user thanked author for this post.

Awaywego

[Iron414]

WG’s biggest mistake was coming off the valium.

[/quote]

Haha! Reading some of WG’s comments I think he’s been hitting the hard stuff… he’s away with the fairies!

1 user thanked author for this post.

Awaywego

[Iron414]

Correct MK – We are shopping in the bargain bin!
Last two signings underwhelming but agree that they are likely to be squad players.

[Iron414]

cassidystash wrote:

Don’t know Simon, never met him, never spoken to him but there is substance in ironking’s post above IMO.

Tend to agree with this. He did add value in terms of sponsorships he brought in and events like the Kevin Keegan evening he organised. Was it enough to warrant a seat on the board? Well that’s Michelle’s decision but I personally don’t see why he gets so much stick. He’s contributed with his money and his time, to the survival of our club, let’s not forget that!

2 users thanked author for this post.

inspector, Just Iron

[Iron414]

Awaywego wrote:

Darlo fans helped out big time they’ve raised £190.000 to”Raise the Budget”

Thanks an incredible amount for a club with an average home attendance of approx. 1200.

[Iron414]

Missed the announcement on the increased bench, so assuming that means we will be able to make 5 subs?

1 user thanked author for this post.

Awaywego

[Iron414]

My money is on Schofield too. Worked with Andy previously and will bring some experience.

[Iron414]

I’d prefer 3-5-2 myself, at least for home games, but that could well be what Butler has in mind.

[Iron414]

Not at all Iron-Awe, as I said in my previous post… we move on!

[Iron414]

I’m basing it on the claim made by his wife, that at least one of the offers was only a touch above minimum wage. In light of the amount of attention this topic has received I’m sure Andy would have refuted this if it wasn’t true and I don’t see any reason that Butterfield (or his Mrs) would need to lie?

[Iron414]

It’s all well and good making 3 offers but if those offers are all below 50% of his contract it would still be insulting? It was interesting that the club didn’t refute any part of the statement which has been widely seen and speculated about, so I’m taking that to mean the figures must be broadly accurate and hence the offence caused. But as Andy says… we move on!

[Iron414]

Agree. Had to rewind several times due to mumbling. Jury’s still out on Butler for me, but he’s set out his stall that promotion is the aim and anything less will be a failure just like it was for Jimmy. Let’s hope he can deliver.

[Iron414]

Seems we will be getting the 442 many were crying out for last season.

[Author]

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