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The scenario I suspect has many turns left in what undoubtedly will be a bumpy and twisted road.
I’m not sure what to make of this. My cynical brain suggests that this is the beginning of a new future of sustained lower league football, where investment is minimal as the club adjusts to cutting its cloth to support a NLN team and where cooperation with Ilkeston is deemed to be our saviour. Perhaps they become a feeder club to Scunthorpe and this is where our loanees start their recovery from the humiliation of been dropped from Premier League 2 to NLN or perhaps even Tier 4 of Non-League football. Neither club moves forward to any great degree, perhaps Ilkeston do due to the pulling power of Scunthorpe attracting loanees that Ilkeston cannot. Scunthorpe effectively become a mothballed version of what they once were, attendances dwindle until a merger with Ilkeston becomes the only realistic way forward. Franchise established…
The happy, clappy optimist that lies within sees how we move some facilities to get better opportunities. We mothball costly functions for a season or two until the books balance and the provision is better. Scunthorpe swallow their portion of humble pie, accept their plight but move forward proudly. Hilton invests over time, facilities improve in Scunthorpe and the club eventually rolls forward, with a realistic financial proposition in its own ground with its own academy returning upon our return to EFL football.
The reality…likely to be neither of these.
I just hope we survive, thrive and retain some identity that makes SUFC the proud club we know and love.
Up the Iron.
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Swann, Turnbull, Hill… It doesn’t really matter who they churn out. It wouldn’t sound any sweeter, even if they could get someone to write a script with words like sorry, gutted, embarrassed, hurting…
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Iron away at St James, losing 3-0 and the away support singing about how Shearer had took them down…the Cliff leap v Tranmere, Sparrow goal that kept us up in the Championship, Sheldon supersub v Swansea… The whole Nigel Adkins rollercoaster ride of positivity.
Today feels horrible, but those memories and others live strong.
UTI!!
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Capt, thanks for the kind words. The truth for us now is that we are in the most uncertain of times. The only certainty is the relegation. We don’t know where the future of the club will be. Are there actually buyers who wish to take onboard a club with no real assets and a debt that is likely beyond the means of most to repay? Will we have a ground to play in? There is nothing to stop Swann seeking the land as commercial, I’m sure there would be takers for that. Then what…?
The glory days, like those of Grimsby, were fantastic memories and mean at least as much to me as another trophy for Liverpool or one of the other big clubs. Flounders, Daws, Calvo-Garcia, Gayle… Mean nothing to most people outside of Scunthorpe but each of those lads brought something to the club and I’m grateful! This was before the Millennium bug was a thing!
Now, a squad bereft of quality, a youth policy that bears precious little fruit, a number of players who seem to compete… to spend time with the medical team and a senior leadership team that is offering precious little actual leadership. Many similarities to Town, but unfortunately I think we are scraping the barrel harder than your club did.
We will move on. Next year always brings hope, our hope is to stabilise and begin the journey of putting together a competitive team for our new level. The current squad would struggle to survive for sure.
All the best. UTI!!
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Ultimately, do we have the players to deliver on any system effectively? I see a bucket load of effort on the whole, which I appreciate, but also a chasm in terms of football league class. How many of our side would get into a top half National League side? I don’t think we’d lose too many to those clubs if we made the squad available for free transfer (sadly…)
I do wonder about the recruitment too. I just don’t think many managers would get a fine tune out of this group of players. I will be delighted to be proven wrong and I hope I have a massive portion of humble pie to eat soon!
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Lincoln provided us with what we needed-a proper test. They knew what to do with the ball and when they lost it and were generally that little bit more clinical in all areas. Their defence mainly kept us to half chances, the midfield moved the ball far better than we did and their front line, led well by Hopper, gave the back line a challenge.
Positives for me were the attitude from the players, always trying to do the right things. Perry looked effective in midfield, just wish he had the other trialist from Saturday next to him. Pugh looked very good at the back and Beestin did enough to persuade me he should start. From the bench, Taft looked effective without really threatening ⅝6 and Wilson did enough to suggest he could win free kicks in good positions and his energy was contagious.
On the flip side, we look poor up front, there is a serious lack of punch there. No player suggested they’d be clinical in front of goal, not did we create too much for those forwards to be able to prove me wrong. If we are able to bring in an finisher, this team has potential to do significantly better than we have seen for a few years.
6 out of 10 tonight, but definitely moving in the right direction!
I thought today’s encounter was a good one. No-one was bad, trialist B (no 8) looked a class apart at times. I’d sign him up. No 4, trialist A, also looked very useful and is worthy of another game at the very least.
My only real criticism is that we still look at little toothless up front. Sort that out and we will do nicely this season.
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