So what constitutes success?

[Simster]

Dean Wilkins had the job for nearly 2 years and rebuilt the side so that we finished seventh in division 3.

Some of the football was shit, other times we looked a good side, and we finally looked a reasonably consistent side in 2008. I'm not convinced he would have taken us to the next level because he'd have needed to bring in some good players to replace the ten released players and he simply doesn't have the contacts (apart from Ipswich).

It's a new era, I'd expect any new manager to replace those ten players with one or two duds but 4 or 5 players representing an improvement on the squad. Whatever happens, the rebuilt side is going to take time to gel and we can't expect immediate success, especially as the division looks like it'll be more competitive next season.

I'd settle for a top half finish next season, with Albion finishing strongly - but a serious promotion challenge ought to be mounted in the 2009/10 season. i.e. top 4 all season.

What would you consider a success?

 

[steward 433]

Got to be promotion at the end of next season of Mickey Adams will have failed

 

[the right footed denilson]

HAS to be promotion.

 

[Simster]

Without a massive increase in player budget, we aint going up this season.

 

[BensGrandad]

I would suggest promtion in 2008/09 season consolidation in 2009/10 challenging for play offs 2010/11 at Falmer, that is my dream.

It would appear after DK said promotion was our aim this year reaching 7th, just outside the play offs is deemed failure.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

Promotion or DK will be seen to have made a mistake.

 

[the right footed denilson]

It has to be. We came 7th this year and have sacked/demoted Wilkins because (presumably) the board do not trust him to take us to the next level. By doing this they are saying Adams can do this. He has been managing teams at a higher level, has vast contacts and should be hungry for success. Therefore 7th or lower HAS to be a failure and even non-promotion will be deemed very disappointing.

 

[Simster]

Teams in this division next season with better resources than us:

Leicester (big support, pocketless owner, new ground)
Huddersfield (ground, and support to attract above average lower league players)
Millwall (see Huddersfield)
MK Dons (good manager with contacts, smart new stadium, decent crowds)
Peterborough (bags of cash)
and four of the teams who finished above us this season, probably including Leeds

We have about 11 players on our books and a manager who hasn't done anything whatsoever for six years.

I'm not saying he won't be a success, but surely you need to have lower expectations than promotion?

 

[Icy Gull]

Quality attacking football is what I would consider success, but I reckon the board will take nothing less than the playoffs.

The football under Adams has not been repeated by any of the managers since, including Coppell even when we were 6 points clear.

Sure I want success but the quality of football is more important to me, it has been mostly dire since Adams left, even when we have been winning.

 

[the right footed denilson]

Ha, the football was good because we had Zamora and Brooker who liked up superbly. Don't fool yourselves about the style of play. Technically our young players now are vastly superior than the players Adams bought in.

 

[Icy Gull]

Ha, the football was good because we had Zamora and Brooker who liked up superbly. Don't fool yourselves about the style of play. Technically our young players now are vastly superior than the players Adams bought in.

We just need a hard man in midfield and a few more experienced players and once again we will play attacking football imo. As you say we already have better quality footballers than the last time round, although that's to be expected as we are a division higher than when he took over last time.

 

[the right footed denilson]

Well, it's also down to Wilkins philosophy and skill as a coach.

It's funny, if that is all we need, and i agree, why couldn't Wilkins do that? He has bought in Forster, Murray, Westlake, Racoon- all very good players. Why can't HE bring in the 3 or 4 quality players we need to push on?!

 

[itszamora]

Promotion. Wilkins was fired/demoted/whatever because Dick said he didn't have the experience to get us up. So if Micky doesn't get promotion, he'll have failed and DK will have made a mistake.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

Teams in this division next season with better resources than us:

Leicester (big support, pocketless owner, new ground)
Huddersfield (ground, and support to attract above average lower league players)
Millwall (see Huddersfield)
MK Dons (good manager with contacts, smart new stadium, decent crowds)
Peterborough (bags of cash)
and four of the teams who finished above us this season, probably including Leeds

We have about 11 players on our books and a manager who hasn't done anything whatsoever for six years.

I'm not saying he won't be a success, but surely you need to have lower expectations than promotion?

Normally yes, but if you do, why have we changed mangers when that manger took us to the brink of the play-offs?

 

[Icy Gull]

Well, it's also down to Wilkins philosophy and skill as a coach.

It's funny, if that is all we need, and i agree, why couldn't Wilkins do that? He has bought in Forster, Murray, Westlake, Racoon- all very good players. Why can't HE bring in the 3 or 4 quality players we need to push on?!

I totally agree with you but the board are obviously far closer to what's going on so although I'm personally disappointed that DW won't see the job through I do understand that he was perhaps lacking in some of the more important aspects of being a successful manager. Handling of the media, motivation from the dugout and use of substitutes being the weaker aspects from what I saw. The players he brought in however have been the best, potentially, to have come here for decades

 

[the right footed denilson]

Yes, i can see that too. But young mangers need to learn these things. Anyway, lets see how things go.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

The football under Adams was both crap & unsuccessful until Brooker & Zamora arrived. FACT

 

[Knotty]

Teams in this division next season with better resources than us:

Leicester (big support, pocketless owner, new ground)
Huddersfield (ground, and support to attract above average lower league players)
Millwall (see Huddersfield)
MK Dons (good manager with contacts, smart new stadium, decent crowds)
Peterborough (bags of cash)
and four of the teams who finished above us this season, probably including Leeds

We have about 11 players on our books and a manager who hasn't done anything whatsoever for six years.

I'm not saying he won't be a success, but surely you need to have lower expectations than promotion?

I agree with your objective view on this. There will be at least 6 clubs with greater resources than us and that will have a huge part to play regardless of who is the manager.

To EXPECT promotion is ridiculous, in my opinion, and shows no regard whatsover for other clubs.

 

[Silent Bob]

Haven't we scored more than all but three teams at home this season? I don't get this supposed boring football we've been playing, last season maybe. But that was more awful than boring. This season we've largely played ok (and I don't remember this mercurial football we played under Adams, in fact I remember us being fairly basic a lot of the time).

Anyway, next season Wilkins probably would've had us between 10th and 4th. His record in the transfer market is good and I was looking forward to seeing how he would re shape the squad around a pretty strong core of players. So 10th to 4th = job done, imo. Anything higher will be brilliant. Anything lower will be failure.

 

[Icy Gull]

The football under Adams was both crap & unsuccessful until Brooker & Zamora arrived. FACT

Nowhere near as unsuccesful or crap as it had been for the previous 3 seasons though, apart from a brief respite under Horton. FACT