Keith Hill (Bolton)
Member
- Joined
- 2 May 2021
- Messages
- 853
- Player
- Ged Brennan, Big Steve McNulty,
- Manager
- Mickey Mellon, Johnny King.
Since 2015, every season has been very similar in the face of it.
We start bad but grow into the season and build momentum in the last few weeks of the season.
But the numbers of players since then have been far too many, too many clear outs, too many different managerial appointments, the recruitment and at times the football has been ugly and disheartening.
This goes along with the success we have had in the playoffs, how I'm still uncertain?
The underlying cause of all this is in my opinion, the uncertainty about the clubs future and consequences of going down in two seasons and three hard seasons to get back. That first season back then the second promotion. And being dumped back into league two because of covid and the PPG decision.
Not being a wealthy club, and this rollercoaster ride has had an impact on how the club has had to be careful of how the budgets of the business is used. Some decisions and issues have been part of the cause, but it does seem to be deja vu, in many ways, to 1981, 2014, 2015 and other than the first season in the national league, we have not been able to sustain a promotion challenge, having to get into the playoffs, to get promoted.
The prospect of most fans and we are no different, we expect to be entertained playing at the highest level possible and surviving and competing. Progressive attacking football and a resilience to deliver the points. We expect too much! But for many years gone, bar a few, the value in watching Rovers is overpriced and only the experience going to the games, is now the reason for going, it can't be for the shocking performances on the pitch.
One of the reasons for this is it takes a few months into the season for the players to gel and be a team, but we still get a result that because we are so bad, that you have to wonder why we bother?
The biggest incident of this was Bolton away two seasons ago, when if we had won there and got out of the relegation zone, I do wonder if we could have stayed in league one? We got stuffed, and the performance levels that night were shocking. Too many games in that shortened season, we were less than average, and not good enough to stay in league one, for the simple reason, the squad was not good enough and the performances were just as bad!
You may think I'm too critical, but for far too long in our history if we haven't played conservatively, we have played kick and chase or hoofing it to no one! Survival football. We, as a club have a long past of managers, who fit this description. (Johnny King exempted)
The club needs a plan for the future, it is unsustainable relying on a new squad every season to be competitive. It is not in the best interest of our club that we are not building the football side of the club up.
Money is the ultimate culprit, as in football for the past fifty years, it is those clubs that have been successful because they are the richest clubs in that division. The relationship between money and success is known to most people in football.
As I said, the coincidence of bad start, poor recruitment, boring football and struggling to understand where will be in the future, which may not be Prenton Park, I'm sure that is a recurring theme. It just seems like the same story every season. The video of seasons previous, are the same ones we have been watching for years.
As supporters, we have had some great days but the bad games and performances outweigh those great days.
Deja vu, explains so much. If we didn't get our hit of football, like, covid, is really depressing and not advised.
But I'm sure I have said all this before!
We start bad but grow into the season and build momentum in the last few weeks of the season.
But the numbers of players since then have been far too many, too many clear outs, too many different managerial appointments, the recruitment and at times the football has been ugly and disheartening.
This goes along with the success we have had in the playoffs, how I'm still uncertain?
The underlying cause of all this is in my opinion, the uncertainty about the clubs future and consequences of going down in two seasons and three hard seasons to get back. That first season back then the second promotion. And being dumped back into league two because of covid and the PPG decision.
Not being a wealthy club, and this rollercoaster ride has had an impact on how the club has had to be careful of how the budgets of the business is used. Some decisions and issues have been part of the cause, but it does seem to be deja vu, in many ways, to 1981, 2014, 2015 and other than the first season in the national league, we have not been able to sustain a promotion challenge, having to get into the playoffs, to get promoted.
The prospect of most fans and we are no different, we expect to be entertained playing at the highest level possible and surviving and competing. Progressive attacking football and a resilience to deliver the points. We expect too much! But for many years gone, bar a few, the value in watching Rovers is overpriced and only the experience going to the games, is now the reason for going, it can't be for the shocking performances on the pitch.
One of the reasons for this is it takes a few months into the season for the players to gel and be a team, but we still get a result that because we are so bad, that you have to wonder why we bother?
The biggest incident of this was Bolton away two seasons ago, when if we had won there and got out of the relegation zone, I do wonder if we could have stayed in league one? We got stuffed, and the performance levels that night were shocking. Too many games in that shortened season, we were less than average, and not good enough to stay in league one, for the simple reason, the squad was not good enough and the performances were just as bad!
You may think I'm too critical, but for far too long in our history if we haven't played conservatively, we have played kick and chase or hoofing it to no one! Survival football. We, as a club have a long past of managers, who fit this description. (Johnny King exempted)
The club needs a plan for the future, it is unsustainable relying on a new squad every season to be competitive. It is not in the best interest of our club that we are not building the football side of the club up.
Money is the ultimate culprit, as in football for the past fifty years, it is those clubs that have been successful because they are the richest clubs in that division. The relationship between money and success is known to most people in football.
As I said, the coincidence of bad start, poor recruitment, boring football and struggling to understand where will be in the future, which may not be Prenton Park, I'm sure that is a recurring theme. It just seems like the same story every season. The video of seasons previous, are the same ones we have been watching for years.
As supporters, we have had some great days but the bad games and performances outweigh those great days.
Deja vu, explains so much. If we didn't get our hit of football, like, covid, is really depressing and not advised.
But I'm sure I have said all this before!