Most disappointing season?

[WAZZOCK]

All things considered, has this season become the most disappointing in RFC history?

The amount of money we spent on good Championship additions (on paper), in conjunction with our blistering early season form has really left me feeling deflated at our current poor form. We clearly had a very good game plan that was working wonders, but once this was found out by our opposition there has been a clear inability to find a plan B.

Had we been floating around mid table all season, I don't think I'd have been nearly as disappointed as I am now. We have demonstrated we can compete with the best, but have drawn a complete blank the last two and a half months.

By way of comparison, I remember collapses in the second half of the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons, which saw us go from automatic promotion contenders to falling shy of the playoffs completely. 2001/02 had the hallmarks of a horrendous collapse with all the draws, but we just about managed to cross the line that time. I'm sure older nobbers than me will have other examples.

Thoughts everyone? Call it group therapy if you want, because I am completed depressed at the way this season has regressed.

[Victor Meldrew]

Over the years I have learnt to curb over-optimism so much so that I now ever expect us to do well.
It goes back to the many years when we felt that just a couple of new signings would make all the difference.
After the Ipswich game I thought we looked a team ready to make a promotion push and backed us heavily (along with Wigan and Oxford) to finish in the top 6 but it's all gone wrong.

Unlike in the good (?) old days of Div 3 and 4 when we never expected to do well we have, in recent years, partly because of the two big promotions,had our expectations raised and IMHO it is because of the expectations that we feel so much more disappointed than we ever used to feel.
Also there are so few of this current squad that I actually like and wouldn't worry if they left apart from Norwood, Tish,Mc Cleary and Quinn.

Brian has a big job on his hands and this season is almost a write-off after our latest run of results but I hope Brian was given promises that in the Summer he will have enough money to do some decent transfer business because once again (following the efforts of Adkins and Clarke) it looks as though a further overhaul of the squad is needed-our best hope is for Kanu and Gunter to shine at the Europeans enough for other clubs to be conned out of a few million which could go towards the rebuild spend.

[Lower West]

The amount of money we spent on good Championship additions (on paper),

End of the season the loanees may well be gone. What was the master plan? If we won promotion..........

[Ian Royal]

No. Last season was horrendous. Both seasons following relegation too. Plus the full season under Burns, the first relegation from the PL after finishing 8th the previous year and getting relegated the season before we moved from Elm Park.

It's barely halfway but it wouldn't even make my top 5 most disappointing from the last (great) 20 years.

[AthleticoSpizz]

yep, even our inability to defend The Simod Cup due to relegation surpasses this one.

[Gunny Fishcake]

[quote="WAZZOCK"]All things considered, has this season become the most disappointing in RFC history?

quote]

Ludicrous statement, if you were at Wembley in 1995 for the Bolton nightmare and remember that season when we finished second and missed out on promotion to the top division for the first time in our history due to the league being reorganised do you know what disappointment means

[Victor Meldrew]

But that wasn't a disappointing season-it was a disappointing final 75 minutes.
The season was terrific with some great results.

[Elm Park Kid]

Given how absolutely awful we were towards the end of last season I'm not surprised at all that we struggled. Especially given that we failed to sign a decent left back or proven striker. Like everyone else my head was turned by the Ipswich result and I thought we had a reasonable chance of competing if all our new players gelled well and Blackman continued on his form. The Fulham result brought us crashing down though and the Clarke thing just destroyed moral.

So i'm looking on the positives:

1. So so happy to have McDermott back. Would have taken him returning and finishing midtable over us finishing top 6 under Clarke.
2. Nick Blackman looks like he may genuinely be a quality forward at this level.
3. Danny Williams is showing signs that he may be real deal.
4. McShane and Quinn have settled well.
5. Owners are afraid to spend a bit of money.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Most disappointing seasons have to be when you've been relegated (although Bolton PO did ruin my summer)

The relegation under Terry the taxi was hard to take - it was a weak league with at least 10 poor sides and we contrived to go down loosing last 10 out of 11 or something - and it was the last season at EP.

We also got relegated to 4th tier early 1980's in the last few mins of the season as some team (Exeter I think) kicked off 315 and scored a late goal to relegate us when we were on the pitch and thought we were safe...

[WAZZOCK]

All things considered, has this season become the most disappointing in RFC history?

quote]

Ludicrous statement, if you were at Wembley in 1995 for the Bolton nightmare and remember that season when we finished second and missed out on promotion to the top division for the first time in our history due to the league being reorganised do you know what disappointment means

It was a question, not a statement.

[WAZZOCK]

The amount of money we spent on good Championship additions (on paper),

End of the season the loanees may well be gone. What was the master plan? If we won promotion..........

My good signings suggestion was aimed more at the likes of Quinn and McShane. I didn't know much about Bond in the summer, but on paper we saw a goalkeeper with a handful of England U21 appearances who may be looking to really press on with his career.

No. Last season was horrendous.

Whilst I agree that last year was dreadful, it was so bad that I didn't have any expectations. With this, any minor disappointment was just shrugged off. My problem with this season is that for the first 2 and a half months of the season we were promotion contenders. What's followed has been relegation form.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Given how absolutely awful we were towards the end of last season I'm not surprised at all that we struggled. Especially given that we failed to sign a decent left back or proven striker. Like everyone else my head was turned by the Ipswich result and I thought we had a reasonable chance of competing if all our new players gelled well and Blackman continued on his form. The Fulham result brought us crashing down though and the Clarke thing just destroyed moral.

So i'm looking on the positives:

1. So so happy to have McDermott back. Would have taken him returning and finishing midtable over us finishing top 6 under Clarke.
2. Nick Blackman looks like he may genuinely be a quality forward at this level.
3. Danny Williams is showing signs that he may be real deal.
4. McShane and Quinn have settled well.
5. Owners are afraid to spend a bit of money.

What a terrible, terrible post.

Decent Left back = Taylor
Proven Striker = Vydra


How can you say you'd rather come mid table with McDermott than a possible promotion candidates with Clarke? pathetic.


Nick Blackman has been disgraceful in the last 10 games.

The owners have already come in and spent a fair deal of money. They never said they'd be splashing millions upon millions but have spent an awful lot in loan fees/wages, contract with staff and managers, the whole new royal elm park project.

[AthleticoSpizz]

"disgraceful"

Lost me there

[CountryRoyal]

"disgraceful"

Lost me there

Yeah tbh pissing on a homeless person is disgraceful. Scratching a cock into your ex's car is disgraceful. Veganism is disgraceful.

Blackman's just been a bit shit.

[Winchester Royal]

08/09 was a great chance to get straight back into the top flight, which we oxf*rd up by not winning at home after January, including blowing a chance to finish second when we lost to Birmingham in the final game of the season, and then failing to challenge in the playoffs. That was disappointing. This season is just underwhelming.

[Coppelled_Streets]

Most disappointing season was the season after finishing 8th in the Premier League, and SJM's penny pinching getting us relegated the next season! That was our chance to establish ourselves at the top table, and he threw it away!

[Vision]

Most disappointing season was the season after finishing 8th in the Premier League, and SJM's penny pinching getting us relegated the next season! That was our chance to establish ourselves at the top table, and he threw it away!

Would you care to enlighten as to why you think one man was responsible for the side that finished 8th one season getting relegated the next. Did he sell half the team or something?

[Kitsondinho]

Our first season at the Mad Stad was one of the most gut wrenchingly awful I can remember. The team was awful, Burns was awful....the area around the stadium was half finished.....Bristol Rovers......

[paultheroyal]

Didn't realise that the season finished at the end of 2015. Silly me.

County cricket started yet?

[Coppelled_Streets]

Most disappointing season was the season after finishing 8th in the Premier League, and SJM's penny pinching getting us relegated the next season! That was our chance to establish ourselves at the top table, and he threw it away!

Would you care to enlighten as to why you think one man was responsible for the side that finished 8th one season getting relegated the next. Did he sell half the team or something?

The cost of competiting at that level sent the shitters up him, our wage bill was the lowest in the league, give or take a club or two, and we barely spent anything in replacing Steve Sidwell. There was also a shit-storm behind the scenes about player bonuses, which lead to the players losing faith in their captain, who didn't speak up for them, and then relegation followed. SJM simply wouldn't up the wage bill or transfer kitty enough to give us a chance to compete at that level, let alone keep the existing squad happy!