Season 22/23 - What went wrong, and how do you fix it?

[thewwfc]

Appreciate the dust hasn't fully settled yet and the playoffs are yet to be determined, but still...

for those for whom the season either hasn't panned out the way you wanted, or could at worst have gone a bit better, what are you missing in your team? (FGR fans are not allowed to submit a full dissertation here, keep it simple).

For us:

Could have hoped for:

A playoff spot

What went wrong:

Change of manager really sapped our momentum. Don't blame Ainsworth at all as he'd more than served his time with us, but if you go for a rookie manager as replacement you have to take into account that they're still learning the ropes, and our record since Matt Bloomfield took over has been poor to say the least. He needs time, and will get it, but the manager change did kind of kibosh this season, even though we're realistically at least a notch poorer (and in some cases more) than most of the playoff teams.

What might fix it:

Manager - as said above, he needs time to work with the players and decide how he wants them to play. He will also have some leeway to bring his own players in to achieve that. Early indications are that he wants to be more "on the deck" based than Ainsworth (easily done).

Whilst even I get a bit sick of our shithousery, I don't want us to become an FGR or Oxford-style merchant of pretty but ineffectual football where you don't actually win any games - so there's got to be a balance.

Players - we really need to sort out our attack. We lost Anis Mehmeti in the January window, and surprise surprise, his (loan) replacement wasn't as good. Plus we've only got one quality striker in Vokes, and when he's crocked, our backup options are poor to non-existent. So a decent winger and striker are a must, but surprise surprise, those are the most expensive options.

In the midfield, I suspect we may be about to lose 2 veteran defensive midfielders, both of whom are good players but have the injury record from hell. It's a vital area for any team as it relieves pressure on your back line.

Defence-wise, we could do with some competition at left-back, plus I'm not sure if we'll keep Tafazolli, who is a decent player but again the injury record is poor.

Where do you think you might finish next season? (prior to any players being signed)

So this is obviously going to be the mother of all speculative bullshit, but what are forums for if it's not pointless speculation?

I feel like we'll actually be slightly worse next season, and it'll be transition time for us, as the new manager continues to bed in and try to find his own identity and playing style.

10th-12th.

 

[kieran_vale]

Could have hoped for:

Consolidation / survival whatever you want to call it so in that sense we got what we aimed for.

What went wrong:

Corrupt referees obviously

I think we basically went into the season with a group of players who were very good for the league below but not good enough for this one quite frankly. We benefitted from an element of surprise before Christmas but then since the new year once teams had a look and figured us out found it a lot easier to play us. The fact we've not doubled anyone tells a story there. Would also add in terms of recruitment our failure in the loan market compared to many other clubs at this level has been a massive drag. It's never an exact science but the most successful one was Danny Butterworth and I'm not sure he was all that great outside of flashes.

What might fix it:

First things first is a manager. It will likely be Andy Crosby but if so then make the announcement now and get to work improving the squad as it needs it.

Get a proper keeper. Aiden Stone is simply nowhere near good enough and it was utterly ridiculous we had left ourselves in the position of needing to loan Oxfords third choice keeper.

More leadership in defence. We really lacked a wise old head back there and it was unfair to expect the likes of a 19 year old in his first loan and Will Forrester who is still early in his career to carry the load with Nathan Smith. We simply don't have the money to go out and buy the expensive goalscorers the top teams at this level have so what you need to do instead is work on improving the defence. 71 goals conceded is not good enough.

Not carry so many injuries. All season I've heard about how we've now got a first rate medical staff. I can only presume it's due to the amount of practise they've got on some of our squad. That needs improving and no expense should be spared whether it's the pitch contributing to it or whatever.

Where do you think you might finish next season? (prior to any players being signed)

Honestly right now have to say a dogfight towards the bottom. The good news is the teams coming down are not exactly a murderers row and if Wednesday go up I don't think the gap between top and bottom will be as much of a chasm next season so it can be overcome. Right now it's hard for me to predict higher than where we finished this time.

 

[valefan16]

Could have hoped for:

Staying in the division/mid table.

What went wrong:

Over 46 games not a lot but over the last half of the season plenty... if we had trundled along all season in 15-20th we'd be happy but being 9th then winning 3 in the last 22 games makes it feel a poor season.

Injuries - We have had another season of injuries, the main issue being they always seemed to be the same position, we had 5 weeks with no fit striker, followed by 2 months with only 3 fit centre halves so no scope to change things.

Poor January Window - We pretty much admitted we would not go for the Play Off's in January and sold Connor Hall, Harry Charsley and Brad Walker, replacing with a couple of loans as we felt it pointless and wrongly that we were comfortably safe.

What might fix it:

Manager - Sorting that position is key, personally happy with Crosby as Head coach but some fans are split, an early appointment is key so we can get on with sorting things out.

DOF/Carol - Need to make wiser decisions and learn lessons from errors this season.

Players -

Goalkeeper - Critical we sort out a number 1, Ripley is my choice but need a solid keeper.

Defender - Need a commanding powerful centre half as we have been too soft

Midfielder - Pace and play makers, bit of box to box power.

Forward - Clinical regularly fit striker, bit of pace.

Where do you think you might finish next season? (prior to any players being signed)

I think we will learn some lessons so 15th-18th

 

[91SPP]

What we could've hoped for? The obvious answer was promotion, albeit perhaps a long-shot at best considering how the team was assembled and the state the club was in almost right up until the season started. Nevertheless, we were able to get some good players into the club and gave ourselves a chance but we really struggled with the depth of the team - 22 players used was the fewest in the league and because our academy was decimated by administration we just didn't have people to turn too. In the past the likes of Plange, Ebowei, Ebosele, Whittaker, Stretton, Buchanan, Hutchinson and others have all played their part from the academy when we were short of players. The players left in the academy, unfortunately, were just miles off it.

What went wrong? As above, a small squad which consisted of a high number of (very) experienced pros simply struggled with consistency. When we were good, we were good and those provided some good moments and memories. Unfortunately, we were also susceptible to mistakes and flat second half performances - no team in the lead threw away first half leads as often as we did. 7 in total. I'm also disappointed that the likes of Sibley, Bird and Knight weren't able to have a greater impact over the course of the season - all three were good Championship players yet struggled to look any better, really, in the division below. Knight, in particular, who is a regular starter for Ireland looked no better or worse than Korey Smith who we picked up off the scrap heap.

What will fix it? It's usually a difficult question to answer, but for us I just feel like we need to replenish the academy and the first team with quality options. We need younger players, we need options. We've got a full pre-season to essentially rebuild so hopefully we can recruit well and look like a more put together, complete and professional side next season.

Where do you think you will finish next season? It all depends on the recruitment and what kind of side we can put together, who leaves and who stays, etc. The expectation from the supporters, however, will be promotion - I think anything else would be considered a failure.

 

[Chris FGR]

What went right?

Nothing.

 

[Laker]

What went right?

Nothing.

Haha in fairness we wouldn’t be too far different from this if you just take September to March.

 

[Luke Imp]

Could have hoped for:

Mid-table at best - and got it.

What went wrong:

Lack of goals, or even chance creation. It wasn't that we were missing chances, we just didn't create enough over the season full stop and was down to a combination of things - playing to our strength i.e. we had an excellent defence, we were set-up to be risk averse after starting the season trying to be an attacking, high press, front foot side and that turned us into a chaotic side for the opening games and I think also Kennedy getting to grips with the squad and the league. We also sold Scully in the summer transfer window, which knocked 10-15 goals out of the side and didn't replace him. The squad is unbalanced as well - we played with wingbacks for most of it and the only wingback we signed was Boyes on loan in January. We've played CB's and CM's in wing back positions at times this season.

What might fix it:

Unfortunately most of our defence are either leaving or could leave, so it won't be as simple as keep the defence and just sign better in forward areas but we definitely do need an overhaul at the top end of the pitch to help House out. Mandroiu is a good player but outside of that it's short on quality.

Where do you think you might finish next season? (prior to any players being signed):

Obviously difficult to say! Our season was basically in two parts - the first half we'd be on for 54 points if extrapolated out but the second half we'd be on for around 71 so there's quite a difference there - survival form, then roughly PO form!

 

[K-Win]

Could have hoped for
play-offs, even autos looked possible

what went wrong
We got off to a great start and were top by mid September. Then came the Fall (pun intended). Initially it was injuries to key players. They were minor injuries that then turned into major ones after players were rushed back too early. Opinion is divided as to who's fault this was. Cowley blames the medical team and they subsequently blamed him after his sacking.

Ultimately though, our play was too predictable and once teams knew to force us to play through the middle we had no creativity to break through. Our loan signings were a very mixed bag and Cowley prioritised them over permanent signings when it came to creativity. They generally disappointed.

Draws. Nothing but draws. We lost fewer games than playoff teams Barnsley and Bolton, and 7 fewer than Peterborough. On the flip side we only won 4 more games than Cambridge who survived by the skin of their teeth.

what might fix it
move earlier in the transfer market. This is our first close-season with a sporting director in place. Hopefully he has already identified the right targets and wheels are in motion. Last year we had zero strikers on our books with one week to go before the season started. Madness. That's no way to prepare for a long season.

Increased budget. That sounds simplistic but we shouldn't be in a position where we are constantly out-muscled by our peers in this league. Make a genuine effort before the fans lose interest, particularly the younger ones.

Where do you think you might finish next season? (prior to any players being signed)
Somewhere between 7-11 again. It's up to the club to convince me otherwise.

 

[thewwfc]

Increased budget. That sounds simplistic but we shouldn't be in a position where we are constantly out-muscled by our peers in this league. Make a genuine effort before the fans lose interest, particularly the younger ones.

yeah, I was stunned when I saw some article saying that you'd been in for Lewis Wing as well back when we signed him, but couldn't compete with us financially - given your average gates are 3-4 times ours, that seems crazy. We do have *something* of a sugar daddy, and I'd expect our budget to be top half perhaps, but at the bottom end of the top half if that makes sense.

 

[DippyDon]

Could have hoped for:

Promotion. Ha.

What went wrong:

Pretty much everything. Poor recruitment, the match day being dumbed down to less than basics frustrating the fans, the players being woeful, bringing in a youth team coach for a manager when we were right in the relegation mix in December, recruiting for a 4 at the back and just abandoning that after the transfer window had shut because it wasn't working... everything that could have gone wrong did.

What might fix it:

Relegation might be a necessary kick up the arse, but we had that 5 years ago and should never be in this position again. With any luck we'll get a manager in that will actually have experience in the job and know what they're doing.
I hope the recruitment team have learned a valuable lesson too. We got cocky I reckon thinking that we could work the same magic on a lot of youngsters that we did with Darling, Twine, O'Riley etc.

Where do you think you might finish next season? (prior to any players being signed)

We need to aim for top 7 so we can hopefully darken this league with our presence again. We have the basics of a good team, but for some reason they just flopped this season.

 

[Bartonyellow]

Could have hoped for:

Lower Mid-table at best - which we got in the end.

What went wrong:

Three words. Jimmy Floyd hasselbank.
Scattergun approach in the summer concerned the fans. Signing player after player. Half not for any particular position. It was Barry fry at Birmingham signing 54 players and not even knowing who was who.
No tactics, shipping goals for fun. No formation no idea. It was conference north standard out that. Ben backed him which was a mistake. He should have gone before the vale game. Clueless. Gave us a mountain to climb. So glad he went. He ruined his legacy.

What might fix it

new defenders. Brayford is a legend but getting older. We need a consistent forward line. Not loan signings. Our defence improved at the end with only 3 goals against in 5 games. So we can plug the leaks but we need some new faces in the summer.

Where do you think you might finish next season? (prior to any players being signed):

Under Dino we finished 9th from when he took over. So we have potential.
I think realistically we will finish 12-15th with perhaps a cup run.

 

[AmberRich]

Could have hoped for:
Well think many people were hoping for mid table again after the previous season to help further establish ourselves in the league. Think most of our supporters would have been content with staying up and beating Pish.

What went wrong:
We did both but we cut it too fine if we are being honest, definitely a regression from the previous season.

Since the promotion we had lost some key players (Wes, Iredale, even Boateng to some degree). None were replaced and it finally took its toll. Going into the season the midfield was identified by some as a weakness. Too much reliance on Digby and May. One got injured very quickly and the other was asked to do too much. Lacked creativity there completely. The weak/imbalanced midfield affected the attack and defence, causing their form to dip too.

We suffered lots of injuries and Ironside's form evaporated and Smith's form was very streaky. That said we should have freshened up the squad in the summer and that didn't happen.

What might fix it?
January signings (Ryan Bennett, Conor McGrandles) helped fix some of the issues short term, however Bennett is out of contract now and McGrandles goes back to Charlton. The freshen up we needed last summer has been forced upon us as majority of the squad are out of contract (18 players). Great chance to get rid of "deadwood" and find some new heroes, ideally we'd also keep Smith, Digby, Lloyd Jones, or Ryan Bennett but think only Digby is likely to stay.

Hopefully Bonner and the club can learn from this season and build a new successful squad.

Where do you think you might finish next season? (prior to any players being signed):
With the teams that are coming up I'd like to think we can compete more, also it's big rebuild job so literally anything can happen to us. Maybe 18th. Would be a slight improvement.

 

[LeonTheGreen]

Could have hoped for:
Well think many people were hoping for mid table again after the previous season to help further establish ourselves in the league. Think most of our supporters would have been content with staying up and beating Pish.

What went wrong:
We did both but we cut it too fine if we are being honest, definitely a regression from the previous season.

Since the promotion we had lost some key players (Wes, Iredale, even Boateng to some degree). None were replaced and it finally took its toll. Going into the season the midfield was identified by some as a weakness. Too much reliance on Digby and May. One got injured very quickly and the other was asked to do too much. Lacked creativity there completely. The weak/imbalanced midfield affected the attack and defence, causing their form to dip too.

We suffered lots of injuries and Ironside's form evaporated and Smith's form was very streaky. That said we should have freshened up the squad in the summer and that didn't happen.

What might fix it?
January signings (Ryan Bennett, Conor McGrandles) helped fix some of the issues short term, however Bennett is out of contract now and McGrandles goes back to Charlton. The freshen up we needed last summer has been forced upon us as majority of the squad are out of contract (18 players). Great chance to get rid of "deadwood" and find some new heroes, ideally we'd also keep Smith, Digby, Lloyd Jones, or Ryan Bennett but think only Digby is likely to stay.

Hopefully Bonner and the club can learn from this season and build a new successful squad.

Where do you think you might finish next season? (prior to any players being signed):
With the teams that are coming up I'd like to think we can compete more, also it's big rebuild job so literally anything can happen to us. Maybe 18th. Would be a slight improvement.

Don’t know if Lloyd Jones is staying, I was out the Saturday after we played you and had a chat with him in a club and then the week after when we got promoted he was down on the Barbican having a few beers again.

 

[huddsmoose]

Yeah, Jones will definitely be off. I suspect our retained list will be pretty small when it's released later today. The only guarantee will be Liam O'Neil getting a new contract.

 

[EricSabin]

Will do this for us but alter a few of the questions.

Hoped for: Autos

What went wrong: Injuries. Injuries, injuries and more injuries. I have never known an injury situation like it in all my years following the Cobblers. From January onwards we had at least 6 or 7 players out with injury, and from March onwards that number reached a minimum of 10. Every week it was someone else, we’d rush a player back because there was no one else and they’d then subsequently break down a couple of games later.

It was a real team effort over the last couple of months, and it felt like we’d run out of steam but the team really stepped up. Top scorer Hoskins regularly filled in at RB/RWB, and at one point we had 6 centre halves out. Just before a vital game at Sutton we lost our captain for the season, but two other centre halves who were injured and hadn’t kicked a ball in training for weeks stick their hands up to play and we battled to an important win. We were so patched up over that final stretch it’s unbelievable, and I’m so surprised we got over the line. Fair fucks to Brady and the squad.

What do we need for League 1:

Despite 75% of our first choice defence being unavailable for a couple of months, we actually had a really good defensive record, conceding 1 or fewer in 35/46 games.
Burge in goal will make the step up, and the defence and central midfielders I think will manage too.

Going forward we do need some more quality, Pinnock has great delivery and Hoskins obviously scored a load this year but we do need more help and others chipping in.
An attacking midfielder who can unlock defences is needed (linked with Michael Jacobs currently) and an out and out striker.

Where do I think we’ll finish:

Usually we go straight back down, but this time we’re coming up with a settled squad and settled management team which never happens when we usually appear in League 1. I think we’ll finish 17th next year providing we make decent enough additions going forward.

 

[Don Tonberry]

Could have hoped for
play-offs, even autos looked possible

what went wrong
We got off to a great start and were top by mid September. Then came the Fall (pun intended). Initially it was injuries to key players. They were minor injuries that then turned into major ones after players were rushed back too early. Opinion is divided as to who's fault this was. Cowley blames the medical team and they subsequently blamed him after his sacking.

Ultimately though, our play was too predictable and once teams knew to force us to play through the middle we had no creativity to break through. Our loan signings were a very mixed bag and Cowley prioritised them over permanent signings when it came to creativity. They generally disappointed.

Draws. Nothing but draws. We lost fewer games than playoff teams Barnsley and Bolton, and 7 fewer than Peterborough. On the flip side we only won 4 more games than Cambridge who survived by the skin of their teeth.

what might fix it
move earlier in the transfer market. This is our first close-season with a sporting director in place. Hopefully he has already identified the right targets and wheels are in motion. Last year we had zero strikers on our books with one week to go before the season started. Madness. That's no way to prepare for a long season.

Increased budget. That sounds simplistic but we shouldn't be in a position where we are constantly out-muscled by our peers in this league. Make a genuine effort before the fans lose interest, particularly the younger ones.

Where do you think you might finish next season? (prior to any players being signed)
Somewhere between 7-11 again. It's up to the club to convince me otherwise.

Those draws were against some of the shittest teams in the league, too. Speaks volumes that we failed to beat Morecambe, MK Dons and Oxford this season and took a meagre two points away from home against the teams that finished above us.

I dread to think how our fans would react if we sold Bishop and/or got off to a poor start next season. Fan interest has dwindled over the course of the season and I think we're all fed up with the excuses coming from the owners/CEO. If Plymouth can win this division then we've really got no excuses!