Time for Change?

[AccyMad]

Think the players are knackered .. its been a long season and ok they had an unforseen break in january when the weather was bad but now having to make up for it.

If you compare to rochdale .. Accrington have played 56 games so far this season - Rochdale have played 46. Accrington have 22 players signed up to the 1st team .. Rochdale have 33 .. plus with everything that went on earlier in the season think thats whats happened .. everybodys knackered and the end of the season probably cant come soon enough .. then they can have a break and rest ..and get rid of any niggling injuries .. etc .. and come back next season ..

Well said Shillelagh - you've hit the nail right on the head, at the start of the season if anyone had said we'd get to the 4th round of the FA cup & play a premier league side at home & get as far as we did in the JPT & go out to Leeds at Elland Road but that the season may peter out a little towards the end - who wouldn't have taken that?
For goodness sake, in October it looked like we may not even have a club to support - so let's look back on the positives & look forward to next season

 

[huncoatred]

Admittedly, a return of 12 points from a possible 51 is poor. That said, I'd agree with some posters on here with a modicum of common sense, who cite the small squad, financial constraints and the number of games we've had to play.

However the doubters, who again start banding " it's time for a change of leadership" make me want to reach for a large bucket. Oh so quiet when things are going great, but at the first sign of adversity, they suddenly start harping on about getting somebody else in to replace the men who have worked a minor miracle to get Stanley where they are now.

Reality check for the dreamboats. Stanley have a very small and (in the majority ) loyal fanbase. That equates to a limited income, equating to a smaller budget than most. That means a smaller squad and in a season like we've had off the field, it's an achievement that, for the first time since the return to the league, we were effectively safe from relegation at the start of March !!!

Yes, this season has fizzled out with all the promise of a damp firework, but the positives for me way, way outweigh the negatives. Yes, today it looked like a few of the players were "going through the motions" so to speak.

But I'd probably hasten to add, if you read Coley's notes in the programme today, he probably has a good idea of who stays and who will go in the summer and I'm sure this recent drop in form has probably made his mind up in a few cases. He probably has players in mind who he wants to bring to the Crown and with a more financially stable footing to work on, I for one am confident that he'll improve on this season.

And for all those who have somebody in mind (ala the earlier poster with his mention of Simon Davies at Darlo, who I suspect will probably have a larger budget than Coley to work with next season in the B.S.P. / Conference) How can you speculate who, or for that point, who would not do a better job than Coley with the limited resources we have ???

To the doubters i'd personally say, Get a grip and get behind Coley. If you want Glory every season follow the rest of the lemmings up the M66 to Manchester.

I'm all for constructive debate, but to cite such b******t without having the substance to back up the arguement smacks of somebody who has little better to do than gripe or whinge at the first sign of adversity.

excellent post. i agree 100%
another improved season from Coley and Jimmy.
already looking forward to next season. hoping for play-offs.
on stanley on

 

[theresonlyoneaccy]

However the doubters, who again start banding " it's time for a change of leadership" make me want to reach for a large bucket. Oh so quiet when things are going great, but at the first sign of adversity, they suddenly start harping on about getting somebody else in to replace the men who have worked a minor miracle to get Stanley where they are now.

If you had asked me on a non-matchday because whatever I feel about the management goes out the window whilst I support the team. I still would've said it was time for change. 11 years is a long to be in a job and whilst stability does bring success e.g. United and Arsenal change always stops people from hanging on to the past. Anyway if I had written this the day before the Fulham game you would have sent an ambulance to my house as you would've thought I was going insane...

Personally I think Coleman is a great non-league manager but surely if we want to get promoted we need someone with that experience which unfortunately he lacks.

 

[Pendle Red]

If you had asked me on a non-matchday because whatever I feel about the management goes out the window whilst I support the team. I still would've said it was time for change. 11 years is a long to be in a job and whilst stability does bring success e.g. United and Arsenal change always stops people from hanging on to the past. Anyway if I had written this the day before the Fulham game you would have sent an ambulance to my house as you would've thought I was going insane...

Personally I think Coleman is a great non-league manager but surely if we want to get promoted we need someone with that experience which unfortunately he lacks.

The only way you gain experience is by being in the job

JC & JB do have their limitations and achilles heels but don't we all?

 

[huncoatred]

Personally I think Coleman is a great non-league manager but surely if we want to get promoted we need someone with that experience which unfortunately he lacks.

Coley and Jimmy continue to learn and grow. to put things in perspective, Stanley are comparatively beginners in this league. We`re doing ok. improving year on year works for me. they call it progress. We`ve had our expectations raised this season, so now we`re left disappointed. every team, every season has a bad run. ours,unfortunately, is at the end. we will get better under Coley. patience and support is the key.

 

[SamF]

Personally I think Coleman is a great non-league manager but surely if we want to get promoted we need someone with that experience which unfortunately he lacks.

We are naturally a non-league team. We are living the god damn dream here in the league. Every season we stay up is a success, demanding promotion is madness, the next step is another season where we aren't in the relegation battle, not league 1. Constant improvement, season in, season out what more could you ask for ?

Carpon, excellent post.

 

[carpon]

The point I am trying to make is that no two better men are suited to move Stanley onwards from the present position than the two at the helm now. They have had no money to work with since we got back to the league, gates have dropped from the Conference winning season and we have consistently improved.

The same two men who are invariably linked with jobs at other clubs at bigger clubs. Testament to what they have achieved during their tenure at Stanley.

The doubters may point to the old adage that a " fresh broom sweeps clean" or an arguement to that effect.

The point I, and I'm sure is echoed by the majority of sane minded Stanley fans is, that our broom handle (i.e. the finances) is considerably shorter than most competing at our level.

Talk of promotion is nice, I too would want to see the Reds move up another rung on the ladder, as I'm sure Coley and Bell would like to manage our club at the next level.

Simple facts state, that unless the fans start pouring back through the turnstiles, our lot as Stanley fans will always be one of struggle. Unless of course our illustrious neighbours suddenly either flounder or fold. That of course will not happen; and as a club, geographically we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I'd be quite happy to watch League One at the Crown with nice regular gates of about 3-4000. Compared with watching Marine at the Crown in front of 3-400 we are light years away from that now, with only 10 years passed.

Simple fact, we probably, with resources, facilities and current crowds could not support League One Football. That is not stopping Coley and Bell trying to give us that level of football.

I am sure that Coley & Bell are despairing, and I'm sure that the majority of the players are gutted, that this season is petering out in the way that it is doing.

If you're going to come out with ridiculous statements that somebody else can do a better job, then all I will say is substantiate it with and back it up with a supporting arguement.

Our main priorities are:

Secure the services of our main performers and get rid of the dead wood(and for that I'll post in the other thread )

Ensure that Coley and Bell sign the deals offered. At least if they decide to go to a bigger and better club we will get compensated.

Get the facilities (i.e ground improvements ) sorted and

Sort out the pitch / playing surface.

If we get all that sorted then I'm confident that we'll be licking Barcelona in the Nou Camp in the Champions League inside ten years

Short of that I'll settle for League One inside the next five!!!!

All i'll say is that........

 

[Kiwi John]

No way should Coleman and Bell be shown the door. I agree with the posters who say they should stay. To achieve what they have on half a shoestring is truely remarkable. However, I will comment on how people would 'jump' at the chance to manage Accy- I asked Bobby Gould (he lives here in Havelock Nth) and he said, (in a nutshell), "YES".

 

[theresonlyoneaccy]

We are naturally a non-league team. We are living the god damn dream here in the league. Every season we stay up is a success, demanding promotion is madness, the next step is another season where we aren't in the relegation battle, not league 1. Constant improvement, season in, season out what more could you ask for ?

Carpon, excellent post.

We weren't involved in a relegation battle this season, in fact for a little while we were involved in a play-off place chase. Surely next seasons target is to get closer to the play-offs i.e. top half finish at the very least.

 

[Christies Child]

...and don't forget who engineered the local bragging rights.

Given a decent budget and a playing surface to match then maybe JC could also be up there...with us

 

[Revived Red]

Survival is a good achievement in Accrington Stanleys limited circumstance. I say limited because of
1. ground quality and size
2. location (small town alongside 2 premiership clubs who are big ticket discounters)
3. finances which ultimatly means lower wage scales
4. atractiveness to player - lets be honest, we are no bradford city or notts county

I would disagree with at least 2 of these points.

Location could/should be used to our advantage. We are at the centre of football's heartland, not some remote outpost (Lincoln, Hereford, Grimsby). We are not the only small club to have Premiership neighbours nearby (Tranmere, Stockport, Barnet, Brentford) and we should take advantage of that. Our Tuesday night games should be marketed far more effectively in Blackburn and Burnley (and Preston). We should also make a bigger effort to attract fans on Saturdays when there are no Premiership matches.

Attractiveness to player. I'm not sure what this means, unless it is linked to No. 3 (wage scales). We are a Football League team so we will be attractive to ambitious young players. If we keep presenting ourselves as a small-town club with a small-town mentality, that will become self-justifying and we will be viewed by others as.....well, a small-town team.

Finances. To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of our financial situation. Ilyas Khan and Peter Marsden have done an unbelievable job this season and have at least stabilised a sinking ship. But what of the future? What of another high-profile individual at the club? Is there a business plan that places importance on improved player wages?

Ground quality. Again, I'm not sure what you mean. If you are referring to the playing surface, I agree. That needs a huge investment. But I cannot see what relevance the ground size and infrastructure have on our league position.

On the general question of the suitability of the management team, I retain an open mind. There can be no doubting what they have achieved so far.

 

[lancsdave]

2. location (small town alongside 2 premiership clubs who are big ticket discounters)

One of them won't be a premiership club next season and definately not ticket discounters, in fact the prices for next season have gone up.

One of the reasons they do well though is exactly what Stanley need, they are effectively a community club. One of the biggest successes is the links with local businesses. They haven't spent years alienating them

 

[Pendle Red]

One of them won't be a premiership club next season and definately not ticket discounters, in fact the prices for next season have gone up.

One of the reasons they do well though is exactly what Stanley need, they are effectively a community club. One of the biggest successes is the links with local businesses. They haven't spent years alienating them

That is so very true you don't have to go to far to see the link whether that is the kids playing football run by Burnley Community Team, or people who use the Gym facilities at the Club or walk past a shop in the village with a "By Appointment" sticker in their window or the local Building Society offering some sort of Clarets Account.

It's in your face everywhere you go I think there would be very few places in Accy or Hynburn where the links are straight back to the Club, The Community Lads do a great job of taking it to the youngsters and maybe there are link ups with the Local College in Accy?

It is another area that perhaps dosn't need massive resources chucking at it but something that needs time & patience for somebody to be out there knocking on the doors of local employers & shops building up relationships even if it is only a poster for the next game

It has to start somewhere

 

[maccawozzagod]

you've started talking a lot of sense again recently Neil! good to have you back after a few quiet months