Squad was never good enough

[Shiggy]

We were 3 points off. Fine margins. Rhodes getting sent off for example.

Fine margins of course but ultimately that’s football.

There’s lots of cliches in football but one of the only ones that holds true is that the league table never lies. We were 8th virtually all season.

 

[Shiggy]

This squad is probably one of the best we've had, there were decent players all over the pitch, and one or two exceptional ones. The problem is Critchley, hes too conservative in general, he plays to a rigid formula, which is overly dependent on keeping defensive shape even when we are attacking. He has little tactical awareness, and his in game awareness / tactics / strategy is both completely random and completely dictated by the rigid formula he sticks to. This division was there for the taking and he blew it.

Do you think that squad was better than the one that got promoted in the Covid season?

 

[Shiggy]

If we finished exactly where we should have based on the quality of the squad, then what did Critchley do wrong exactly?

Made strange decisions regarding team selection and subs. That starting lineup at Fleetwood away was a joke.

Sticking with the same system religiously for 46 games.

Like I said, he’s not blameless.

When I say we finished where we’re expected to, I mean around 6th-8th. Ultimately we just missed out and that’s due to a combination of manager and squad quality.

I don’t think any other manager would’ve got this team to finish in the top 4 because, in my opinion, it wasn’t capable, particularly the one we had for the first half of the season.

 

[Costero Poderoso]

Do you think that squad was better than the one that got promoted in the Covid season?

Across the whole squad yes. There were a couple of weak links player wise and one of the big differences was Critchley in the Covid season tended to use players in their best positions, or in positions or roles suited to their best ability. This season he's been very insistent on forcing players into roles they are not suited to.

 

[hills98]

Made strange decisions regarding team selection and subs. That starting lineup at Fleetwood away was a joke.

Sticking with the same system religiously for 46 games.

Like I said, he’s not blameless.

When I say we finished where we’re expected to, I mean around 6th-8th. Ultimately we just missed out and that’s due to a combination of manager and squad quality.

I don’t think any other manager would’ve got this team to finish in the top 4 because, in my opinion, it wasn’t capable, particularly the one we had for the first half of the season.

Fair enough. I agree he made strange decisions and team selections, I agree his rigidity to a failing approach away from home cost us lots of points. I think his trying to make L1 players play premier league style football in a formation that doesn't suit the personnel we had was a glaring error - no way should we have lost to all of Cambridge, Burton, Port Vale, Stevenage, Wigan, Reading; draws against Charlton, Exeter, Fleetwood. Not great at all. And I'm someone not necessarily in favour of sacking him!

My point is, win any of those defeats and we make the playoffs. Win 2 and we make the playoffs with a week to spare. I don't think the squad has a divine right to promotion, but guess what, that's always the case, there are other clubs like Portsmouth Derby and Bolton in the division, so any squad we can assemble needs to punch above it's weight. I think this squad punched well below it's weight for reasons we seem to agree on, but they were definitely good enough to do better than they did and I firmly believe several managers would have got a much better and more entertaining tune out of them.