Looking ahead

[JFK-1 1,674]

Following some contrary results including as examples the Kilamrnock game and the away draw to Mothwerwell which though it included a spirited fight back was still somewhat of a letdown I have been giving some thought to the immediate future. And by immediate future I mean the end of season fixtures but more so next season.

 

After all the events of the past 6 years then the journey through the lower tiers culminating in a return to the SPL I would guess we all thought at the time it may take half a decade minimum after returning to the SPL to be anywhere near where we should be. I know I did.

 

It may be the case that we were then distracted from such blunt realities due to an unexpected Scottish cup win over the yahoos then the signing of Joey Barton which proceeded to go pear shaped in every possible manner.

 

Before the Barton disaster played out I feel that signing such a high profile player in our first season back in the SPL encouraged us to believe that we had somehow skipped all the steps required for a full return to former glories and were now at least almost back where we should be.

 

But reality stepped in and reminded us that the 'journey' is not yet fully over and it may still take at least a few more years before we truly are back at the pinnacle.  Positives to be considered are that we now have Ashley more or less out of our pockets and despite disappointments we actually are improving season upon season and maybe in the near to immediate future window upon window.

 

The team this season is the highest scoring outfit in the league by a comfortable margin over most but have a goals against record which though pretty much on a par with those directly below isn't good enough to take us to the title. That along with a bizarrely poor record at what should be fortress Ibrox has left us struggling to get second spot.

 

But again, the overall trend is still far better than last season and I confidently expect that trend to continue into next season.  We will continue to strengthen and improve while all those currently below us will effectively be more or less standing still or even sliding back some.

 

You would imagine that we can continue into next season as a high scoring team and think where that could put us if we can resolve the defensive frailties in the next window. On the face of it that's all that's required to make us strong contenders and all we're talking about here is perhaps a few players.

 

Before that we still have the post split games to come and the end result of it is at this time very difficult to predict given our erratic form. In fact so erratic it can feature two entirely different performances in the same game such as at Motherwell.

 

That being said we still have the possibility to end the season with a bang followed by continued strenghtening in the Summer window and the prospect of Euro football in little more than a few months from now. But we have to temper our expectations on all fronts with the memory of what we have been through. An ordeal many if not most clubs may never fully recover from or may not even survive at all.

 

We have come through it.  We are progressing and will continue to do so.  There is light at the end of the tunnel. We must simply keep in mind that we are indeed still in a tunnel so to speak but gradually emerging into the light ahead.

 

All this isn't to say that 55 isn't a possibility even as soon as next season.  It is but shouldn't be seen as abject failure if it doesn't come next season.  It will come and when it does we will at last be able to put this nightmare decade behind us. A footnote in our history so to speak.

 

And how sweet that day will be. So sweet it may even eclipse memories of past glories for many of us. Need I say it?

 

Onwards and upwards.

[Frankie 8,150]

A nice positive post mate.

 

I think this season has been a disappointment in that it feels like an opportunity missed.  Yes, in the grand scheme of things, we've made tentative progress but we're still very inconsistent and could easily finish 4th despite our budget.

 

Yes, teams like Aberdeen, Hibs and, latterly, Killie deserve praise but the very fact we've scored so many goals shows just how we've struggled defensively at times given we're still in a dog-fight for second.

 

Generally we are moving forward but it's debatable as to what speed we're doing so and/or how many steps backward we're still to take as well.

[buster. 4,808]

1 minute ago, Frankie said:

A nice positive post mate.

 

I think this season has been a disappointment in that it feels like an opportunity missed.  Yes, in the grand scheme of things, we've made tentative progress but we're still very inconsistent and could easily finish 4th despite our budget.

 

Yes, teams like Aberdeen, Hibs and, latterly, Killie deserve praise but the very fact we've scored so many goals shows just how we've struggled defensively at times given we're still in a dog-fight for second.

 

Generally we are moving forward but it's debatable as to what speed we're doing so and/or how many steps backward we're still to take as well.

Football wise, we should be further down the road than we are.

The board managed to find/provide finance but we've had some awful transfer windows and managerial 'issues'. 

 

From May 2016 up until the backend of 2017, it was close to omnishambolic at times and we'll still be paying for it further down the line.

 

A good managerial appointment and functional football operation are desperately required.

[rbr 1,247]

The bottom line is , we are where we are due to the boards failings to, 1. Appoint the D of F role that they desperately wante , and 2. Appointing Pedro .

They take the praise for getting us out of the grasp of Green and Ashley , so they nee to take the stick for getting their managerial appointments so badly wrong .

 

I also hold my hands up as I was a massive Warburton fan .

[Tannochsidebear 2,314]

RBR is spot on and I would add a point 3, sticking with the youth coach when they got rid of Pedro instead of getting a proper manager in.

 

I cannot praise the board enough for getting us away from those awful deals and the clutches of people with their own interests not aligned with the club's best interests, and also I believe the money they have invested in the squad window by window has been a really positive step forward for us. 

 

However we will not win the domestic title without the right man in charge, and that above all else is what should be all-consuming for our DoF and the football board. Under no circumstances (even winning the next 7 games) should we be considering Murty to be our new permanent manager to take us into the Euro qualifiers in the middle of the World Cup and into next season. The evidence of this being far too big, too soon for him is overwhelming and must already be decided by those involved that a change is a must. That's the easiest decision they have to make over the next month. The hardest decision, ie who to bring in, is the one they really must get right. Good luck to them as I dont fancy having the decision to make myself!

[MacK1950 2,231]

Certainly at the very least Murty should be able to return to his previous post if he wishes but the question remains on the position of Manager.

I personally would not like to see someone from Europe being appointed after the failures of Le Guen and Caxinho and even Advocat who only got success due to his spending allowance.

No one at the moment excites me leaving a big "wonder" who we will get.

[MrGaryValentine 85]

I genuinely don’t believe we are that far away. While Celtic have a much bigger income than us, which must be closed to compete more consistantly, I think even since last summer we have closed the gap. 

 

Since Caixinha was appointed we now have a DoF who is actually being allowed to do his job, it looks like we now know the type of player which suits us and our Academy is going from strength to strength. 

 

If you were just to look at the wages which we are wasting at the moment which off the top of my head are - 

 

Hererra, Pena, Cardoso, Dodoo, O’Halloran possibly add Alves to that list, not to mention Niko being released and Miller soon being off the wage bill that is alot of money to bring in two or three players of a greater quality. 

 

That is before we consider increased budget through a share issue, possible player sales and a new shirt deal. 

 

As I said yesteday on another thread the next managerial appointment in crucial, hopefully Murty will go back to the 20s to continue the great work he was doing before and we can hit the ground running next year. 

 

I am hopeful.