JoeP

Whoever we get, we need to do a proper recruitment process. Invite applications, then interview. In spite of what anyone may think of Lee Johnson, he was bloody find at the time and came from nowhere..

And played when we were actually decent and got to fifth. "Our fans just love someone who runs around", though...

There are good players there - there must be. They've played well at other clubs. They just need to have the right players around them to compliment them. Release everyone out of contract, apart from Big Mike and try and move out the bad apples that are bringing the others down. With those still in contract, try and bring in people who will bring the best out of them.

100% got to keep Fondop. Effort, scores, holds the ball up well, even defends.

Same last season. Wealdstone have become our nemesis. Fucking Wealdstone.

Can we just play Big Mike on his own next season?

We have no defence as well as no midfield! We're getting worse!

Same here - sorry, I was being sarcastic in my last post. I'd genuinely rather have Reid than Norwood!

Picked something up on the stream. Did our James give it back?

Norwood. Love that guy...

Worst striker we've got.

Big Mike being shit AGAIN!!

It's so bad it's funny...

He's better than a lot of people give him credit for - he gets ridicule because he hasn't had the relatively impressive career that that other fella has had. Scores when we were crap last season. Scores when we've been crap this season. Offers something different - something that's probably more suitable for this level than the other strikers do. He stays for next season, for me..

There's Big Mike being shit again...

It is disappointing. Give some of the kids a go who might be out of work because of our failure/potentially within a shout of a pro contract next season. Hmmm....

It is a strange statement. I don't think you need to be "the most experienced person here" to know what it looks like. Real Madrid look alright, Arsenal, Bayen Munich.. It sure as fuck ain't this...

Didn't realise these can actually still go down if we beat them today. It's live on National League TV, if anyone gives a fook...

Failure has never turned out to be a blessing for us. Many have predicted our last four (FFS!) relegations would be a chance to rebuild and come back stronger. It's yet to happen...

Get up at the first opportunity. Build our charge through the leagues in the division above. It's a hell of a lot easier surviving in League Two than trying to get promotion out of the National League.

Yes, agreed. It also probably needs to be tailored for this level, if York are also using it in the same way. It is a problem, if we're using it in the way I suspect. It should be an extra tool for recruitment, rather than the main tool. As I say, the fact that we have a collection of individuals, rather than a team suggests to me that our recruitment has been heavily stats/attributes based and it hasn't worked. I don't mind them trying it and it not working, but they don't seem to have gone back to the drawing board at any point. They seem to be persevering with the way they use it at great cost.

But this is the most potential we've had off the pitch for 30 years! You can't compare where we are now with the last 30 years of decline. "Something else to moan about" is another man's leaving no stone unturned. How can the stats recruitment model be completely discounted as an issue? We've got an imbalanced squad, who don't really seem to have much team spirit and don't seem to gel on the pitch. That sounds to me like we've just looked at a players attributes rather than the person too. From the outside, it looks like someone's been playing too much Football Manager, even without knowing the ins and outs of Statbomb, etc. Yes, it works at a higher level, but they're teams that can afford to throw 100 darts with the hope one hits the bullseye. We can't.

I mean I agree. Just because "that's not how recruitment is done anymore" in the game in general isn't a good enough reason not to do it like that, I don't think. I'm all for embracing modern ways of doing things, but it does feel we've gone balls deep into something that works for the top teams with lots of resources without really thinking about how it would work at our level..

Similarly there's no evidence we don't use them too heavily. Why would we have a stats department if it wasn't fairly central to our recruitment?

Given the approach was in place before and after his arrival, he's probably had no choice!