Iron Bru › Forums › Blast Furnace › Underachieved
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March 30, 2024 at 9:35 am #283421
I think all but the most blinkered of supporters would agree that we have underachieved this season. The squad is arguably the best squad in the division, the club are full-time, and are backed by a largest fanbase in the division. With all that in our favour, we find ourselves limping our way into the play-offs, and are now reliant on results to go our way to remain in second place.
At one point this season we looked like Champions elect; we were free scoring, playing a brand of football that was pleasing to the eye, and even when teams attempted to park the bus we were still able to find a way through. Just a few months later, we are now struggling to find the back of the net, are inconsistent in performances, and if we continue our current level of performances into the play-offs, will be doomed to spend another season in the NLN.
Since the arrival of JD I have never been convinced he was the man to take us forward. His appointment by the previous owner came just as the Michael Nelson was starting to get a tune out of the squad and, we were looking like we had a outside chance of staying up. Then in came JD, and relegation was a forgone conclusion. I stated back when Jimmy Dean arrived that like his namesake this would all end in a car crash and here we are, 13 points behind a set of part-timers, and just 2 points ahead of another part-time team who look like they’re about to leap frog us into second place. We will soon be watching the Iron play in the NLN play-offs, and even if by some miracle we achieve promotion, who really thinks that Jimmy Dean has what it takes to keep us up in the NL, never mind push towards the top half of the NL?
This has been a very difficult season for the club both on and off the field, and I am hugely grateful to the work put in by Michelle and the board in securing the immediate future of the club, getting the ground issue sorted, and putting the club back on the pathway towards sustainability, thus securing our long-term future. I can forgive the board for sticking with Jimmy Dean this season, after all at one point we weren’t even sure we’d have a club to support. That said, no matter what happens during the play-offs, Scunthorpe United must not go into the 2024/25 season with Jimmy Dean at the helm. They need to start the process of searching for Jimmy’s replacement soon, so the new manager can build the squad for next season, and have a full pre-season to work with the team. Regardless of the division, I strongly believe that another season of Jimmy Dean will lead to another season of underachieving, and will start to undermine the great work that Michelle and the board have put in this season.
In short – with the squad and backing the manager has had, we should have been winning the league with ease and I strongly feel that just about any other manager would have achieved that this season!
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March 30, 2024 at 9:49 am #283424They had to stick with Dean once they took over from Hilton. It’s worked on and off, and we should have won this league, I don’t think sacking him when we first started slipping back would have been right and I understand why the board stuck with him, they don’t want to be another Swann sacking managers every 5 minutes. Yes a different manager 3 months ago could have done better, but if they didn’t then the club would be criticised for binning Dean.
Now as we limp into the playoffs (and I think mathematically we could still limp out of them !?) I think Dean needs to get promotion for his own sake or he will have being the manager that couldn’t do it with this squad on his managerial cv.1 user thanked author for this post.
March 30, 2024 at 12:39 pm #283452I don’t think any of the other 23 clubs expected Tamworth to over achieve.
We’ve had some appalling luck and some poor refereeing decisions to add to lacklustre performances. So I’m not sure that it is solely down to underachievement.
But, yes! Jimmy has been found out at this level. Would we have won the league with a more experienced manager at the helm?
We’ll never know!
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March 30, 2024 at 12:48 pm #283454I see Spennymoor paid for their efforts against The Iron losing 2-0 to South Shields. If memory serves this has happened plenty this season, Rene has time on his hands so maybe he can be bothered to check.
March 30, 2024 at 1:33 pm #283464I see Spennymoor paid for their efforts against The Iron losing 2-0 to South Shields. If memory serves this has happened plenty this season, Rene has time on his hands so maybe he can be bothered to check.
I’ll have a check later.
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March 30, 2024 at 1:43 pm #283467It’s been a frustrating watch since the New Year and this squad has massively underachieved in the last three months, clearly the manager has to take a lot of the responsibility but the players have been way off it aswell, a joint failure IMO.
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March 30, 2024 at 3:38 pm #283476JD was at his level of competence. Not his fault for that, I think he achieved what was wanted – relegation to NLN !
If this squad was his choice then he should resign because the style was also his choice. Far too much over elaboration with passing that was mediocre and sideways or backwards.
March 30, 2024 at 3:44 pm #283477I watched several times the KL players walking back into position whilst we fannied around at the back. I think Butterfield gets so pissed off that he just doesn’t want to pass to anybody anymore / Pugh – lose the ball, Denton – lose the ball, Whitehall – fall over, Cluinan – back we go, Ogle penetrating run, poor end product out of position, Boyce – whoosh, repeat
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March 30, 2024 at 5:27 pm #283487They had to stick with Dean once they took over from Hilton. It’s worked on and off, and we should have won this league, I don’t think sacking him when we first started slipping back would have been right and I understand why the board stuck with him, they don’t want to be another Swann sacking managers every 5 minutes. Yes a different manager 3 months ago could have done better, but if they didn’t then the club would be criticised for binning Dean.
Now as we limp into the playoffs (and I think mathematically we could still limp out of them !?) I think Dean needs to get promotion for his own sake or he will have being the manager that couldn’t do it with this squad on his managerial cv.Spot on, the wrong decision made for all the right reasons
April 1, 2024 at 10:08 am #283539We’ve got a crap manager who has gradually been found out as the season has progressed, not least because of his completely predictable tactics & formation. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that our form has gradually deteriorated as the season has gone on – teams have worked us out and we haven’t offered anything new.
That being said, I also think it can’t be ignored that Hilton persuaded a bunch of players to drop down a division or two presumably in return for a hefty wage, so you wonder what that says about some of those players?
April 1, 2024 at 10:45 am #283545When you think about it JD must be the worst manager the club has had.We are playing two divisions lower than the football league and he is struggling to get us into second place with,perhaps the best squad.I have been a season ticket holder for many years,now I don’t care whether I go or not.I just don’t enjoy watching a team selected play so poorly because of the tactics JD insists are the best
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April 1, 2024 at 11:01 am #283547Its alright having the best squad what you really want is the best team.
Im not a Jimmy Dean fan but he’s far from being the worst manager now the previous 2 maybe.April 1, 2024 at 11:38 am #283549‘That being said, I also think it can’t be ignored that Hilton persuaded a bunch of players to drop down a division or two presumably in return for a hefty wage, so you wonder what that says about some of those players?’
Doesn’t say any more to me other than that it’s a short career and they took an opportunity to get paid a very good wage while they could. Not like they’re mercenaries moving to Saudi. They were also presumably sold Hilton’s BS, as many were.
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April 1, 2024 at 12:02 pm #283550Doesn’t say any more to me other than that it’s a short career and they took an opportunity to get paid a very good wage while they could. Not like they’re mercenaries moving to Saudi. They were also presumably sold Hilton’s BS, as many were.
Maybe, but equally you could say that the biggest offer is not always the best offer. I’m always astonished by how little due diligence footballers seem to do before a move – they jump at some club offering huge wages and then seem surprised when the “project” goes up in smoke a few months later. The old maxim about “if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is” doesn’t seem to occur to footballers.
April 1, 2024 at 12:10 pm #283551That’s true. Not limited to footballers either. I did wonder who was advising some of them at the time but shelved it.
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April 1, 2024 at 12:28 pm #283553Coincidental but interesting thread on this theme. Certainly some interesting comments, particularly the ones about money laundering…
https://twitter.com/gbutler0385/status/1774474719506350242?t=QApXsKX1rEu_rnStKFjnbg&s=19
April 1, 2024 at 12:48 pm #283557Working fine for Wrexham.
April 1, 2024 at 12:54 pm #283558Not sure if anyone else noticed this but Stockport announced losses of £4.5 million for last season IN LEAGUE TWO! Absolute madness. Clearly Paddy Madden still doesn’t come cheap! I don’t know how this sort of thing is allowed, both for the competitiveness of the league and the viability of clubs. It’s completely ridiculous that clubs can run at this sort of debt at any level, let alone the fourth tier. I hope their fans enjoy buying the title this season but you would have thought that after all they have been through in the last decade they would be a bit more prudent these days.
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April 1, 2024 at 1:10 pm #283559Stockport County lost £4.5m in League Two in 22/23. Losses were funded by loans from owner company. These loans of almost £6m were subsequently written off by being converted into shares pic.twitter.com/0yuOlKEVLn
— Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) March 29, 2024
April 1, 2024 at 1:17 pm #283561I won’t pretend to fully understand but I believe numbers in brackets are bad ?
Looks very similar to Scunthorpe Uniteds accounts.1 user thanked author for this post.
April 1, 2024 at 1:33 pm #283563Big difference being County’s owner really does have deep pockets and isn’t a fraudster. Problem will be if and when he decides to stop bankrolling them and what financial state the club may be left in. Swann anyone?
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April 1, 2024 at 1:47 pm #283564“In April 2009, Stockport County was placed into administration due to a loan to a creditor of around £300,000, and a tax debt of £250,000 to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.”
If I supported a club that had been through that, I’d be deeply sceptical of a new owner who came in and was spending money like it’s going out of fashion.
April 1, 2024 at 2:00 pm #283567The old “other teams have sussed out how we play” has been around awhile at our club, recall Graham Alexander saying the same thing back when he was manager and fans were moaning about how our early season form had vanished.
April 1, 2024 at 2:14 pm #283570there will,no doubt ,be county fans pointing out that it’s unsustainable ,they will get abused as “it’s his money” sounds familiar?
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April 1, 2024 at 2:21 pm #283571The old “other teams have sussed out how we play” has been around awhile at our club, recall Graham Alexander saying the same thing back when he was manager and fans were moaning about how our early season form had vanished.
Aye! Funny how we never suss out how other teams play.
April 1, 2024 at 2:50 pm #283573Owners only have deep pockets till the day they say no more funding.
The supposedly best run club in the country Accrington their owner wants out they’ve gone into debt, Cods under big bad Fenty make profit 3 years running, under Stockdale first season a promotion one at that make a near £1 million pound loss and there into him with £1.5 million of loans “we’ve got or club back” really. Lets not get away from the fact mostlower league clubs are hanging on a knife edge2 users thanked author for this post.
April 1, 2024 at 2:51 pm #283574But if they always play better against us then what can Jimmy do?
April 1, 2024 at 7:40 pm #283605I see Spennymoor paid for their efforts against The Iron losing 2-0 to South Shields. If memory serves this has happened plenty this season, Rene has time on his hands so maybe he can be bothered to check.
This week it’s Kings Lynn. Come on Rene, let’s have the facts.
April 1, 2024 at 9:09 pm #283610There’s a couple of good accounts on Twitter with a focus on lower league finances. Ben Pearson- a darlo fan- is one I’ve recently followed.
Some of the accounts are frightening- nearly every one is posting losses in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions with fan bases smaller than ours.
For example, South Shields lost 1.1m last year in the Northern Premier League. Subsequently their main investor is now looking to sell.
As Awayswego said, it’s all well and good until the plug is pulled out as we found out.
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April 1, 2024 at 10:28 pm #283613Absolutely. Which makes it all the more baffling why awaywego previously and often advocates that club owners need to spend beyond the club’s means to get on. Or have I missed something awaywego?
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