MCLF: Season review

Weird - I just read that on the back of your Kai Kai blog a few minutes ago.

I don't know how you have written that mate. It's an exceptional piece and I was riveted to it.

I too nearly lost use of my eyes watching the YouTube Southport game that appeared to be filmed by someone stood at the epicentre of an earthquake. I don't know how you managed to remember the key moments from every game. I watched every IFollow game and already looking at season goal reviews had forgotten some of the goals.

Really looking forward to your Championship journey. Well done and thank you.
 
"Unlike last year, Critch knows what he's got already and he therefore knows what he needs to add."
Great write up but I just pick out this sentence from near the end.
For me this summer's transfer window will be a measure of Critch, the recruitment team and particularly John Stephenson.
We need (and I'm sure we will) to keep moving onwards and upwards.
UTMP.
 
Insider said:
"Unlike last year, Critch knows what he's got already and he therefore knows what he needs to add."
Great write up but I just pick out this sentence from near the end.
For me this summer's transfer window will be a measure of Critch, the recruitment team and particularly John Stephenson.
We need (and I'm sure we will) to keep moving onwards and upwards.
UTMP.
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Another fantastic, eloquent, erudite summary that brought back some great memories of what has been a delight to watch, albeit from a distance, give or take three games. Looking forward, for the first time in decades we're going into a season from a position of relative strength with a clear strategy, and not just grabbing whoever is cheap as the transfer deadline approaches.

Truly onwards and upwards.
 
Wizaard said:
Another fantastic, eloquent, erudite summary that brought back some great memories of what has been a delight to watch, albeit from a distance, give or take three games. Looking forward, for the first time in decades we're going into a season from a position of relative strength with a clear strategy, and not just grabbing whoever is cheap as the transfer deadline approaches.

Truly onwards and upwards.
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Actually when was the last time we went into a season in this manner? Even the 60s and 70s weren't brilliant. As far as I remember. It was all fading glory and dodgy chairmen, I think?
 
td53 said:
mclfoot.blogspot.com

Season review 20-21

ICYMI... All seasons are keenly anticipated but this one more so than many. It wasn't just that the previous season had been rudely truncate...
mclfoot.blogspot.com mclfoot.blogspot.com

What it says on the tin... Was quite interesting to go back over it tbh.
Click to expand...
Another good read cheers. I think I felt more optimistic throughout the season than you did. Maybe I just prefer to see the good things and am not too fussed about whether things ultimately work out in glory. I thought pre season showed that we had something good brewing. I thought out early defeats were frustrating but I was just enjoying the club being normal, and knew the owner was committed and that it would come good in due course, at some point. I was kinda chilled I guess, just appreciating the radically different club we now had. Life's too short to get worked up about some narrow defeats at the start of a season with a gang of strangers getting to know each other. 🤠
 
"Unless you're Jerry. In which case, you just keep going".

I'm glad that you too just kept on going TD, there we times in the dark period when it was just you that kept me going, and believing.

More next season I hope.
 
voyeur said:
Another good read cheers. I think I felt more optimistic throughout the season than you did. Maybe I just prefer to see the good things and am not too fussed about whether things ultimately work out in glory. I thought pre season showed that we had something good brewing. I thought out early defeats were frustrating but I was just enjoying the club being normal, and knew the owner was committed and that it would come good in due course, at some point. I was kinda chilled I guess, just appreciating the radically different club we now had. Life's too short to get worked up about some narrow defeats at the start of a season with a gang of strangers getting to know each other. 🤠
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I think I've used a bit of artistic license about the beginning of the year for the effect of contrast - but I was concerned. It wasn't losing, it was that by and large we looked averse to attacking. Possession and attacking aren't the same thing.

I think in retrospect, the foundation was clearly being laid but I think the players struggled to both do what they told and also use their own instinct and thus going to a simpler way of playing freed them up a bit.

I remember really enjoying the first Burton game as even though it wasn't great, we actually took some risks.

What we've seen eventually is that it all came together but I think the truth is, Critch also needed to get the balance right and learn how to take risks which he did, very, very well.

I know you don't think Gaz Maz was that important but I think his attitude was massive in turning us round. Getting some nous on the pitch who can play a situation (as opposed to just follow a plan) transformed us up front (once we shifted to 442 as Gaz at the middle of a 3 was absurd) and again, it's credit to Critchley for recognizing that when he could easily have stuck to his apparent principles. I think now Gaz Maz is an impact/game holding sub but then, I think he was such a huge influence in getting the players to think for themselves. (As of course were the likes of Garbutt, Dougall etc)

I also reflected on how pragmatic and quietly ruthless Critch has been. He gambled on Notts then he was gone. Woodburn was obviously supposed to be a big deal but gone in Jan. Dan Kemp, gone.. Sarkic barely played and shipped out. Bez didn't cut it and gone. Robson couldn't get back in for love nor money and finally Sullay who whatever people think about his manner, had a very productive year, gone...
 
braymarina said:
"Unless you're Jerry. In which case, you just keep going".

I'm glad that you too just kept on going TD, there we times in the dark period when it was just you that kept me going, and believing.

More next season I hope.
Click to expand...

Aye, but I'll go back to just doing games I go to, assuming season is more normal affair.
 
td53 said:
I think I've used a bit of artistic license about the beginning of the year for the effect of contrast - but I was concerned. It wasn't losing, it was that by and large we looked averse to attacking. Possession and attacking aren't the same thing.

I think in retrospect, the foundation was clearly being laid but I think the players struggled to both do what they told and also use their own instinct and thus going to a simpler way of playing freed them up a bit.

I remember really enjoying the first Burton game as even though it wasn't great, we actually took some risks.

What we've seen eventually is that it all came together but I think the truth is, Critch also needed to get the balance right and learn how to take risks which he did, very, very well.

I know you don't think Gaz Maz was that important but I think his attitude was massive in turning us round. Getting some nous on the pitch who can play a situation (as opposed to just follow a plan) transformed us up front (once we shifted to 442 as Gaz at the middle of a 3 was absurd) and again, it's credit to Critchley for recognizing that when he could easily have stuck to his apparent principles. I think now Gaz Maz is an impact/game holding sub but then, I think he was such a huge influence in getting the players to think for themselves. (As of course were the likes of Garbutt, Dougall etc)

I also reflected on how pragmatic and quietly ruthless Critch has been. He gambled on Notts then he was gone. Woodburn was obviously supposed to be a big deal but gone in Jan. Dan Kemp, gone.. Sarkic barely played and shipped out. Bez didn't cut it and gone. Robson couldn't get back in for love nor money and finally Sullay who whatever people think about his manner, had a very productive year, gone...
Click to expand...
Yes my concern too was our lack of attacking threat. I thought we might come up a bit short, until we started to turn that around. Madine did help us to attack better, it helped Jerry, I guess the younger players benefited from his leadership too. It didn't transform us goal wise though. It was really only at the end of the season when Simms and Yates clicked that I felt more confident that we could beat teams rather than draw, cos we would get the goals. We eventually became the sort of side that Critch wanted us to be, I think. But the Madine 442 thing was a key moment, because it was a reevaluation moment, and we stopped trying to be Liverpool, I think. And Critch from then on became pragmatic, and flexible, and used different formations and tactics. That doesn't necessarily mean he was dogmatic to begin with though. He had all new players and was just trying to get one thing working, flexibility was always going to take longer.
 
td53 said:
mclfoot.blogspot.com

Season review 20-21

ICYMI... All seasons are keenly anticipated but this one more so than many. It wasn't just that the previous season had been rudely truncate...
mclfoot.blogspot.com mclfoot.blogspot.com

What it says on the tin... Was quite interesting to go back over it tbh.
Click to expand...
Brilliantly written as usual td53 , I feel drained being reminded of all those ups and downs, it’s a bit like life as mark & lard used to say
 
Fab read as usual, almost seems like two seasons in one reading back, so much happened, resulting in a happy ending! Looking forward to the Championship blogs next season. 👍
 
Another great read, well done. It's the MCL Foot blog, the Blackpool FC pre-match show, the Seasider's Podcast that have been a joy to watch this season and I look forward to the weekends to watch them over here in Asia. Special mention to Lee Charles' TV as well, which has its moments. Thanks to all of you, well done!!!!
 
KhonKaenSeasider said:
Another great read, well done. It's the MCL Foot blog, the Blackpool FC pre-match show, the Seasider's Podcast that have been a joy to watch this season and I look forward to the weekends to watch them over here in Asia. Special mention to Lee Charles' TV as well, which has its moments. Thanks to all of you, well done!!!!
Click to expand...
That's ace.

I don't do it for any other reason than I enjoy it but one of the underlying motivations was that when I was an 'exile' (for various reasons from being skint, to working Saturdays to living on the other side of the country) then stuff people wrote kept me in touch with the goings on...
 
Brilliant piece which I've only just had time to read - weird how a season goes by so quickly and yet some of the things you talk about there seem so long ago!
 
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