Its not just on the manager this

I think it’s the Sadler way or no way. He has all these recruitment teams and experts in this and that, something that is important in modern football and something the stains would never do, but somehow he seems to ignore them.

Apart from the loans and getting Pennington and Morgan in the rest of the players we got are either hopeless or inexperienced. We seem to be all over the place. Recruitment of players isn’t Sadler’s fault it is either the recruitment teams or Critchley’s, ora bit of both. Once the loans leave we will have the worst squad since Sadler took over. We are playing awful football using a terrible tactic with a manager who is not good enough. But the buck stops with Sadler and his recruitment of manager and staff is down to him and as I keep saying, his arrogance and phuck ups are costing us and he sticks his heels in if he’s the slightest bit criticised. He needs to carry on doing what he’s doing with improving the club, get rid of Critchley and let the football people do their Jobs.
Well that's come as a bit of a surprise, I must say! I hadn't realised Rita Ora had decided to take a temporary break from her singing career in order to get involved behind the scenes at Bloomfield Road - and at such a key time, of course.

Just goes to show, whatever walk of life you're involved in, it's never too late to think about adding another string to your bow... I wonder if Critch has ever entertained the thought?
 
Whilst I've never really rated Critchley I don't think this seasons failure is just down to him

Our best 3 players are loans and the rest of our squad is completely average, I remember the idiots on this site taking the pish out of Oxford at the start of the season but they have done what we should have done

They signed Mark Harris from Cardiff who has scored 17 goals this season and they signed Ruben Rodrigues from Notts County 11 goal contributions from midfield, they also gave their top Academy player Tyler Goodrham a proper chance again and they have kept their best player in Cameron Brannagan after giving him a massive contract the season before

They have done everything I wanted my club to do and i hope they get promoted for actually showing some ambition, they even lost their manager and instead of going back to some washed up ex they went and got someone who was doing a good job somewhere else

Sadler has failed us again this season, last season he tried to complete the Championship on the cheap this season he's underestimated League one whilst sticking all his eggs in the Critchley basket

I get it Sadler puts his own money in, but sorry its not enough and he's wasted what he has put in, we look a million miles away from being a Championship team
The inference from this post is that Oxford have a bigger budget than the Pool which is utter nonsense. Our wage bill and expenditure comfortably exceeds Oxfords. You just can’t question SS commitment to the club, you can question the team management and recruitment but at the end of the day he doesn’t choose the players or coach and pick the team. He has bankrolled it but been let down by Critchley and his staff.
 
This is how I see it, unfortunately.

Critchley will be here next season.

There’ll be a huge overhaul of the players.

Then he will need time to develop them and integrate them into his philosophy.

That gets him until at least Christmas and then he’ll have to have the January window to tweak the squad.

He might get binned at the end of March.
 
Look at all those chances in the first half yesterday. Some better decision making and it should have been 4/5-0 by half time. That’s happened a fair few times this season too.

It’s certainly not tactics or even the team selection that’s been the problem but individual decision making.

I’ve every confidence a better team will be assembled next season and we‘ll see less mistakes.

We‘re really not far off being a Play-Off team.
 
Whilst I've never really rated Critchley I don't think this seasons failure is just down to him

Our best 3 players are loans and the rest of our squad is completely average, I remember the idiots on this site taking the pish out of Oxford at the start of the season but they have done what we should have done

They signed Mark Harris from Cardiff who has scored 17 goals this season and they signed Ruben Rodrigues from Notts County 11 goal contributions from midfield, they also gave their top Academy player Tyler Goodrham a proper chance again and they have kept their best player in Cameron Brannagan after giving him a massive contract the season before

They have done everything I wanted my club to do and i hope they get promoted for actually showing some ambition, they even lost their manager and instead of going back to some washed up ex they went and got someone who was doing a good job somewhere else

Sadler has failed us again this season, last season he tried to complete the Championship on the cheap this season he's underestimated League one whilst sticking all his eggs in the Critchley basket

I get it Sadler puts his own money in, but sorry its not enough and he's wasted what he has put in, we look a million miles away from being a Championship team
Sadler is not to blame for any of this and it is down to the manager . Sadler brought in someone who has been successful in the past and there is no choice ,you support the man in the hot seat as much as possible . We then brought in Rhodes ,Dembele and Byers who I would rate better then any of those Oxford players .
What happens next is completely Critchleys doing , with his tactics ,his formations ,his late substitutions and the players he puts out . Its ridiculous to blame Sadler
 
I think it’s the Sadler way or no way. He has all these recruitment teams and experts in this and that, something that is important in modern football and something the stains would never do, but somehow he seems to ignore them.

Apart from the loans and getting Pennington and Morgan in the rest of the players we got are either hopeless or inexperienced. We seem to be all over the place. Recruitment of players isn’t Sadler’s fault it is either the recruitment teams or Critchley’s, ora bit of both. Once the loans leave we will have the worst squad since Sadler took over. We are playing awful football using a terrible tactic with a manager who is not good enough. But the buck stops with Sadler and his recruitment of manager and staff is down to him and as I keep saying, his arrogance and phuck ups are costing us and he sticks his heels in if he’s the slightest bit criticised. He needs to carry on doing what he’s doing with improving the club, get rid of Critchley and let the football people do their Jobs.
Sadler is an analyst, he runs a hedge fund. I'm not sure he makes decisions based on anything but stats and data and thats how we ended up with Mr 3-5-2 back at the helm.
 
Don't talk s...., everyone of us would have have left if that offer had come our way, the management we put in place was the reason we got relegated not Critchley.
I wouldn't and neither would many others. I actually believed that Critchley was embarking on something completely new with Sadler; a project from the academy upwards that didn't rely on sky-high wages to retain loyalty. It felt like I'd been taken for a mug when Critchley walked out.

Now that he's returned I look at him more objectively - as a straightforward football manager. I don't see any benefit to the 1st team squad from having an academy. Neither (at this early stage), do I see any income from academy sales. As for the first team, I think we've got some talented players but the strangulating away tactics have robbed us of, at least, a play-off place.
 
This is where I’ve had enough of NC.

If you just look at Dembele. Straight away he looked magic. Everyone’s saying play him infront of two midfielders and behind two strikers if we’re sticking with 3-5-2. We get fed that he hasn’t played a full-game professionally etc.

He gives him his 1st start v Derby but he shits himself and starts him behind a lone Rhodes making both ineffective. In that game, he actually turns on a sixpence and sets up Dougall’s goal but NC and the two coaches already have the subs ready as it’s just gone 70 mins and he hooks him. He couldn’t think, nah let’s wait on that now he’s getting lively. Both subs were stripped and we couldn’t ever think outside the box. We end up losing impetus with the subs.

He bags at Charlton off the bench and changes the game at Oxford to get us a point so at home to Cheltenham he starts and finally it’s with Rhodes & another striker. We dominate 1st half with him starring and scoring again but end up hanging on, but we all know where he needs to play and who with and this is it now here we go with him.

So next up it’s Peterborough & NC shits himself and he’s back on the bench. We get pumped but he’s off the bench to get us two goals back.

So you think right, he surely knows now. Nope. It’s Cods away he’s on the bench, just to add whilst our most creative player isn’t starting we’re watching Tashan Oakley-Boothe look like he’s won a competition and got to play in a pro-game. Anyway, having been sat at the side for once it was obvious where we were missing a link and I still say the fan reaction caused the half-time changes. That 2nd half we were untouchable for about 35 mins and Dembele was as good as anything you’ll see at this level. Unplayable almost. He also made CJ look good.

So this is it now, he must fuckin know now where to play him. Bolton away. He starts him, he can’t not, but he shits himself and plays him off a lone striker in Rhodes which means they both aren’t as effective, we go a goal down and he takes him off for Owen Dale.

Since that, we’ve swapped to a 3-4-3 to accommodate him but it also explains why Rhodes hasn’t been as effective and we weirdly have a forward operating in a left channel. I think since Carey has come back we’ve almost gone to a 3-1-4-2 but Dembele has always operated from our right touchline to the middle of the penalty box and no wider left than that.

It’s a long post but that sub yesterday where he leaves him upfront off Beesley summed up what a pussy NC is and brought it all back to me how much he shit himself with him for the 1st quarter / half of the season.

It’s been screaming out when Rhodes was fit to go 4-1-2-1-2 diamond formation or 4-3-1-2

Norburn could have done the CDM and Dembele in that 10 behind Rhodes and Joseph/Beesley/Kouassi

Husband and Gabriel at FB. Pennington (decent enough ball playing CB) and Marv in the CB. Options in Casey, Lyons, (Coulson after Xmas)

Central Midfield would have been a rotation of Morgan and A n other (sorted now by Byers). If you wanted 4-2-1-3 you could use CJ (better with a FB behind him and asked to stay up front) and Joseph on the Left forward position (he looks more like an 11 than a 9).

The 3 centre half’s has been the limiter for me.
 
I wouldn't and neither would many others. I actually believed that Critchley was embarking on something completely new with Sadler; a project from the academy upwards that didn't rely on sky-high wages to retain loyalty. It felt like I'd been taken for a mug when Critchley walked out.

Now that he's returned I look at him more objectively - as a straightforward football manager. I don't see any benefit to the 1st team squad from having an academy. Neither (at this early stage), do I see any income from academy sales. As for the first team, I think we've got some talented players but the strangulating away tactics have robbed us of, at least, a play-off place.
But you’re looking at it as a fan of BFC and I think a more objective view needs to be taken regarding Critchleys role at BFC and what SS‘s perspective likely is.

There’s no way a non-BFC fan turns down the Aston Villa job. Critchley didn’t earn millions from a playing career and that move will have set his family up for life.

If SS is looking at it he sees a manager with a good win %. A decent points total and a satisfactory performance towards the objectives of promotion.
He also sees a manager who’s already proven to turn some modest signings into decent profits (Bowler and Yates) and someone qualified and capable of delivering the long term ambition of an academy and elite performance facility linked and tied up with the first team (bare in mind Critchley literally did that for Crewe and Liverpool).
SS view on Critchley is based on all sorts of factors that we as fans can only imagine. His personal relationship is likely very good. When you start considering the cluster fuck of Appleton and McCarthy, the guy from Coventry and then Mansford departing for Macabi Tel Aviv after being here to supposedly help build something Critchleys going to get far more support from SS than he will the average fan as Critchley brings stability across the board and you would imagine has a shared perspective.

When we brought Critchley back every club in League 1 would have been desperate to bring him in given the chance.

I think as fans were expecting far too much far too soon and are guilty of not looking at the bigger picture.
 
I don't blame Sadler at all . He re employed a manager who was successful last time and that seemed sensible . He gave quite a long contract to him, which shows his support and faith for the man who has already proved himself here . Also he probably felt that a long contract would also re assure the fans that he was taking the club seriously after the failure of the previous two managers . I see nothing wrong with any of that.
Since the start of the season things have not gone as well as expected , but is there any point in blaming him for what Critchley has done .
I am not going to list all the faults with Critchley because we have all seen it time and time again , but be prepared to have Critchley for at least 1 more season . If not, all well and good ,but if he is here lets hope we get some decent players in and he has actually learned from this season. Sadly ,if I was Sadler ,I would probably give him another season. [hope I am wrong]
 
It’s been screaming out when Rhodes was fit to go 4-1-2-1-2 diamond formation or 4-3-1-2

Norburn could have done the CDM and Dembele in that 10 behind Rhodes and Joseph/Beesley/Kouassi

Husband and Gabriel at FB. Pennington (decent enough ball playing CB) and Marv in the CB. Options in Casey, Lyons, (Coulson after Xmas)

Central Midfield would have been a rotation of Morgan and A n other (sorted now by Byers). If you wanted 4-2-1-3 you could use CJ (better with a FB behind him and asked to stay up front) and Joseph on the Left forward position (he looks more like an 11 than a 9).

The 3 centre half’s has been the limiter for me.
100% spot-on analysis - BFC coaching team .... wake up and smell the coffee FFS.
 
It’s been screaming out when Rhodes was fit to go 4-1-2-1-2 diamond formation or 4-3-1-2

Norburn could have done the CDM and Dembele in that 10 behind Rhodes and Joseph/Beesley/Kouassi

Husband and Gabriel at FB. Pennington (decent enough ball playing CB) and Marv in the CB. Options in Casey, Lyons, (Coulson after Xmas)

Central Midfield would have been a rotation of Morgan and A n other (sorted now by Byers). If you wanted 4-2-1-3 you could use CJ (better with a FB behind him and asked to stay up front) and Joseph on the Left forward position (he looks more like an 11 than a 9).

The 3 centre half’s has been the limiter for me.
I think the 3 centre backs is deffo a limiter but also the wing-backs. We’re 44 games in and there’s probably 10-12 games tops that it’s functioned right and they’ve worked properly. We just haven’t had the right players to play there. We had Connolly at one point, Dale who’s never played there… a joke to be fair. Gabriel would be one of the top 3 right backs at this level easy but at RWB he looks a bit lost with nobody ahead of him to overlap or support.

The centre backs annoys me cos we’ve had Marv trying to act like John Stones and the other two being spare and having to step out and create… Husband was our best and most creative player early on in season especially in them 2 home bore draws early doors. But that’s not something to brag about. Pennington was at Wigan and Wycombe and with the wing-backs we’ve often being laying the ball back for him to like he’s David Beckham to whip a cross in. It’s never worked, can’t think why you would think it would either.

It’s fine having a system you want to play but if it doesn’t work in some games or you don’t have the players to play it it’s bizarre to never ever change it.
 
It’s been screaming out when Rhodes was fit to go 4-1-2-1-2 diamond formation or 4-3-1-2

Norburn could have done the CDM and Dembele in that 10 behind Rhodes and Joseph/Beesley/Kouassi

Husband and Gabriel at FB. Pennington (decent enough ball playing CB) and Marv in the CB. Options in Casey, Lyons, (Coulson after Xmas)

Central Midfield would have been a rotation of Morgan and A n other (sorted now by Byers). If you wanted 4-2-1-3 you could use CJ (better with a FB behind him and asked to stay up front) and Joseph on the Left forward position (he looks more like an 11 than a 9).

The 3 centre half’s has been the limiter for me.
I like that a lot, if we're not going to play with wingers, fine, but at least create a formation and system that suits the players.

4-1-2-1-2 diamond would be effective I think.
 
Well that's come as a bit of a surprise, I must say! I hadn't realised Rita Ora had decided to take a temporary break from her singing career in order to get involved behind the scenes at Bloomfield Road - and at such a key time, of course.

Just goes to show, whatever walk of life you're involved in, it's never too late to think about adding another string to your bow... I wonder if Critch has ever entertained the thought?
Damn that space bar!!
 
I'm sure after Portsmouth, Derby and Bolton we have probably the highest playing budget. So Critch and the scouting team have failed. I know when we signed Connolly the Cod's wanted him but couldn't match pools wages.
 
Whilst I've never really rated Critchley I don't think this seasons failure is just down to him

Our best 3 players are loans and the rest of our squad is completely average, I remember the idiots on this site taking the pish out of Oxford at the start of the season but they have done what we should have done

They signed Mark Harris from Cardiff who has scored 17 goals this season and they signed Ruben Rodrigues from Notts County 11 goal contributions from midfield, they also gave their top Academy player Tyler Goodrham a proper chance again and they have kept their best player in Cameron Brannagan after giving him a massive contract the season before

They have done everything I wanted my club to do and i hope they get promoted for actually showing some ambition, they even lost their manager and instead of going back to some washed up ex they went and got someone who was doing a good job somewhere else

Sadler has failed us again this season, last season he tried to complete the Championship on the cheap this season he's underestimated League one whilst sticking all his eggs in the Critchley basket

I get it Sadler puts his own money in, but sorry its not enough and he's wasted what he has put in, we look a million miles away from being a Championship team
You're right it's not entirely down to Critchley, Sadler deserves some blame for appointing him (as you've correctly pointed out).

But don't think it's fair at all to say Sadler hasn't backed Critch; Norburn, Pennington, and Joseph were big permanent signings for this division.

As were Byers, Dembele, Weir and Rhodes on loan.

I don't think he's underestimated League 1, if he had made a better appointment I would bet my life we'd be 7/8 points better off and be looking at being outside candidates for Autos instead of outside candidates for Playoffs.

I think with the level of backing the manager has had Playoffs should have been the floor not the ceiling.
 
Who do you put the recruitment down to?

I guess Sadler will say the recruitment team - they will say the manager identifies the targets - and you can't say loans don't count because they do (and how well did we do to get Dembele) and then they will both say that SS sets the budget. SS will say the budget is set by him propping up paying customers?

The customers will say they sold loads of season tickets before a ball was kicked after the worst season in a long time; and the walk on extra income didn't materialise because of the dirge being played in the pitch.

Beyond that; our home form, for all it's dullness is good enough - or away form hasn't been.

The fact that after an entire season of playing pretty much the same way we haven't tried to do something different is beyond me.

Anyway, I tend to agree that something needs to change; so that's either new players, new manager, new owner (not my preferred choice unless it was Red Bull, Disney or some oil rich nation) or a combination of the three.

I don't think it will happen to the depth which is required; but we will see.
Simon Sadler has the last word on all transfers and obviously has a limit on what he his prepared to pay. He cannot be blamed for that, because after all it is his own money. That is why we have lost out on a number of signings including Bishop and Brannagan.
On a totally different theme Steve Ayre on BBC Radio Blackburn said that as a team we lacked physicality, something a lot on here have been banging on about all season, hence our defeats away at Burton, Port Vale, Cheltenham etc!
 
Yeah it's a great post the wing back situation has been truly ridiculous even playing wingers there in Dale and CJ as inverted and Rhodes thing as well

Its obvious to anyone who watches football that Rhodes needs a partner hence why i think Critchley has stuck to this 352 to get the best out of Rhodes and it kinda worked for a bit at home but not away and for the life of me I can't understand why we didn't keep both Apter and Dale and played them in positions to suit them

Doesn't look to me like much planning on recruitment more a case of just getting who's available and then just forcing them into a ridged system

Lets be honest we got lucky with Dembele as the manager didn't have a clue what to do with him at first and it took fcuking ages to bring in a left football wing back

Get rid of Critchley and build again with a proper plan for what the new manager wants
Lyons is a perfect proven wingback as is Gabriel. Obviously clown shoes knows better
 
I'm sure after Portsmouth, Derby and Bolton we have probably the highest playing budget. So Critch and the scouting team have failed. I know when we signed Connolly the Cod's wanted him but couldn't match pools wages.
Charlton, Oxford, Peterborough will possibly be the same if not nigher. Barnsley and Wigan too. Reading likely not far off and these clubs aren’t lumbered with players like Thompson on Championship wages and offering Leage 2 (at best) performances. We’ve a lot of players eating up good wages and not contributing at all. Most of the clubs with similar or larger budgets will have had chance to get rid of much of the deadwood so their budget is likely being used more efficiently. We‘ll hopefully get more of a handle on that this summer.
 
One big concern is if Critch gets to sign a new squad specifically for his new formation, what if he doesn’t improve and we’re stuck with a group of unbalanced players who can only really play 352?
 
You're right it's not entirely down to Critchley, Sadler deserves some blame for appointing him (as you've correctly pointed out).

But don't think it's fair at all to say Sadler hasn't backed Critch; Norburn, Pennington, and Joseph were big permanent signings for this division.

As were Byers, Dembele, Weir and Rhodes on loan.

I don't think he's underestimated League 1, if he had made a better appointment I would bet my life we'd be 7/8 points better off and be looking at being outside candidates for Autos instead of outside candidates for Playoffs.

I think with the level of backing the manager has had Playoffs should have been the floor not the ceiling.
I'm saying the transfer policy and lack of planning is the issue, that's down to SS, as is selling our best players every time a club comes in for them hence my point on Oxford keeping Brannagan by giving him a bit pay rise and contract

Our best players are loans ffs, that's no way to build a squad and have continuity

Who appointed Critchley and the other clueless managers over the last couple of seasons, that was also SS and you have to question the way the club is being run

Relegation with a whimper and now it looks like we are missing out on the play offs that should have been a minimum this season
 
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Who do you put the recruitment down to?

I guess Sadler will say the recruitment team - they will say the manager identifies the targets - and you can't say loans don't count because they do (and how well did we do to get Dembele) and then they will both say that SS sets the budget. SS will say the budget is set by him propping up paying customers?

The customers will say they sold loads of season tickets before a ball was kicked after the worst season in a long time; and the walk on extra income didn't materialise because of the dirge being played in the pitch.

Beyond that; our home form, for all it's dullness is good enough - or away form hasn't been.

The fact that after an entire season of playing pretty much the same way we haven't tried to do something different is beyond me.

Anyway, I tend to agree that something needs to change; so that's either new players, new manager, new owner (not my preferred choice unless it was Red Bull, Disney or some oil rich nation) or a combination of the three.

I don't think it will happen to the depth which is required; but we will see.
Sorry only just seen this

I put it down to the owner as he ultimately signs the checks, appoints the managers and will also sit in meetings with the managers, directors and staff to talk about club policy and objectives for the season

However you dress it up this season has been a failure, a team that gets relegated should be aiming to get promotion, we've been miles away all season
 
Sorry only just seen this

I put it down to the owner as he ultimately signs the checks, appoints the managers and will also sit in meetings with the managers, directors and staff to talk about club policy and objectives for the season

However you dress it up this season has been a failure, a team that gets relegated should be aiming to get promotion, we've been miles away all season
Not that easy Phil just taking the last 5 season as a snapshot Rotherham twice(one was the Covid stitch up) and Hull have gone straight back up after relegation from the Championship and we're miles ahead of the two sides who came down with us.
2019 Rotherham(2020 promoted) Bolton Ipswich (23)
2020 Hull(21) Wigan(22) Charlton
2021 Wycombe Rotherham(22) Sheff W(23)
2022 Barnsley Derby Peterborough
2023 Reading Blackpool Wigan
 
Not that easy Phil just taking the last 5 season as a snapshot Rotherham twice(one was the Covid stitch up) and Hull have gone straight back up after relegation from the Championship and we're miles ahead of the two sides who came down with us.
2019 Rotherham(2020 promoted) Bolton Ipswich (23)
2020 Hull(21) Wigan(22) Charlton
2021 Wycombe Rotherham(22) Sheff W(23)
2022 Barnsley Derby Peterborough
2023 Reading Blackpool Wigan
Yeah i get that

The aim this season was promotion, we were told that in the summer and we have failed, we are 20 points from top
 
Is the aim every season to get promotion?
Doubt it, i very much doubt Fleetwood, Cambridge and Burton were aiming for promotion this season and I'm pretty confident we weren't aiming for it from the championship last season

This season however in the 3rd tier i would like to think that the ambition for our club was promotion
 
Doubt it, i very much doubt Fleetwood, Cambridge and Burton were aiming for promotion this season and I'm pretty confident we weren't aiming for it from the championship last season

This season however in the 3rd tier i would like to think that the ambition for our club was promotion
I think every club starts the season hoping for promotion because you never know, who would of thought we would of got to the premiership, with regards this season i get what your saying but for me it was always a project and i think we will be up there next season, that's if we don't do it this season unlikely but stranger things have happened.
 
I think every club starts the season hoping for promotion because you never know, who would of thought we would of got to the premiership, with regards this season i get what your saying but for me it was always a project and i think we will be up there next season, that's if we don't do it this season unlikely but stranger things have happened.
I backed us to get promoted to the Prem as we signed some good players and had a new fresh manager at the time in Holloway and backing from VB, it wouldn't have thought the current owners had the same ambition though

This season the target was promotion and we have failed, last season the target was to avoid relegation and we failed that also
 
I backed us to get promoted to the Prem as we signed some good players and had a new fresh manager at the time in Holloway and backing from VB, it wouldn't have thought the current owners had the same ambition though

This season the target was promotion and we have failed, last season the target was to avoid relegation and we failed that also
Not a lot more i can say really, hope you won a good few quid, as i said i am very optimistic for next season so hopefully this time next season we will all be smiling
 
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