Think were buying into ,flitcroft

[marker_mtfc95]

At the end of the day, can only judge a manager on his own team and at the end of the season. At the minute signs are looking good, but still long way to go yet.

[Tippy Tappy Football]

We've probably had the best pre-season in our history based on results. Let's hope we make a great start to our League 2 campaign. It should be an exciting season to watch. I went to 37 of the 46 league games last season which is the best I've ever done. Hopefully I can beat that this season.

[Rob]

I'm still of the view that fat boy bailed because he wasn't confident he could get us promoted.

Whilst we were in a decent position when he left, we should have been top given his track record and the money he spent on players, our form over the first part of the season left a lot to be desired, particularly failing to kill teams off - it hasn't gone un-noticed by me that Swindon (Flitcroft) inflicted 2 defeats on fat boy.

No doubt Flitcroft will have reflected on those last few games ad wished he had done things differently but one thing is for sure, he got us playing better football but that failing of not killing teams off lagged over from fat boys reign and remained deep rooted in our games, all of our strikers were guilty of missing 'sitters' during those remaining games. Like many others I was, still am, hugely disappointed we didn't achieve promotion but I don't put all the blame at Flitcrofts door, our league position reflected how inconsistent we had been up to him arriving.

I get all the 'pre-season doesn't matter and all that' but comparing like for like between this pre-season and last there is a massive difference, we struggled last season against non-league opposition, I was still in shock after the Matlock game just how poor we were and that never really improved. The recent Derby and two Sheffield games are light years away in all departments and you can clearly define a style of play and a team playing as a team.

No doubt L2 is going to be different and we won't get the space like we had against DC, SU & SW but the work ethic will take us a long way, more pleasing is the fact he has gone with some youngsters who didn't look out of place, they'll do well in L2 from what I've seen aka Lawrence, Hassell, Disley and co.

Well said, I would imagine this is the view of most fair minded supporters.

[cassellswasmagic]

Lawrence and Co didn’t do well in league two though!!! They all cocked it up in a play off final. That team and Keith Curle should’ve got promoted easy and blew it.

[Conker]

The notion that he bailed because he thought he could not get Mansfield promoted is ridiculous. A bigger club in a higher division from the town he lives in wanted him, that’s why he left. Yes I understand his last game in charge we struggled but we were the form team in the league.

Anyway regarding Flitcroft, he’s probably not been able to make as many signings due to struggling to offload some on the transfer list but he’s still made some expensive signings and we have a budget and squad that should be competing for the top three. I’ll admit I don’t have much faith in Flitcroft and who can blame me considering last season but I’m praying he succeeds.

Anything less than that and it’s underachieving, I’m sure JR would agree with that.

Rob, when Steve Evans is involved in the conversation you are uncharacteristically not fair minded unfortunately.

[stags4eva]

Lawrence and Co didn’t do well in league two though!!! They all cocked it up in a play off final. That team and Keith Curle should’ve got promoted easy and blew it.

Pretty sure they finished 3rd and got promoted 2 seasons before....

[Forever Optimistic]

I'm still of the view that fat boy bailed because he wasn't confident he could get us promoted.

Whilst we were in a decent position when he left, we should have been top given his track record and the money he spent on players, our form over the first part of the season left a lot to be desired, particularly failing to kill teams off - it hasn't gone un-noticed by me that Swindon (Flitcroft) inflicted 2 defeats on fat boy.

No doubt Flitcroft will have reflected on those last few games ad wished he had done things differently but one thing is for sure, he got us playing better football but that failing of not killing teams off lagged over from fat boys reign and remained deep rooted in our games, all of our strikers were guilty of missing 'sitters' during those remaining games. Like many others I was, still am, hugely disappointed we didn't achieve promotion but I don't put all the blame at Flitcrofts door, our league position reflected how inconsistent we had been up to him arriving.

I get all the 'pre-season doesn't matter and all that' but comparing like for like between this pre-season and last there is a massive difference, we struggled last season against non-league opposition, I was still in shock after the Matlock game just how poor we were and that never really improved. The recent Derby and two Sheffield games are light years away in all departments and you can clearly define a style of play and a team playing as a team.

No doubt L2 is going to be different and we won't get the space like we had against DC, SU & SW but the work ethic will take us a long way, more pleasing is the fact he has gone with some youngsters who didn't look out of place, they'll do well in L2 from what I've seen aka Lawrence, Hassell, Disley and co.

I'm inclined to agree with Pemill and to the second point of Spiro's post. I've always thought Evans knew the squad he'd assembled wasn't good enough, so after the two? rejected approaches for the fat controllers services, I believe he took matters into his own hands for the posh job. Underhand yes, Judas to the Radford's yes, beyond SE no. He knew we weren't good enough and wanted out to protect his record which he's always telling people about.

I liked the football played under DF last season, it was better than SEs, unfortunately it didn't get results, which is what it's all about after all.

I was happy after JR backed him after last season, very optimistic about this season which has been backed up with the PSFs, yes they're only PSFs but we now played 3 sides supposedly far superior to us and held our own, probably shaved at least 2 of these, hence the results.

I also much prefer the way we've gone about our business closed season, quietly, no bluster and hardly noticed.

My only worry is injuries, it was said we'd suffer injuries due to his hard training principles, and we're already dropping them after 3 games. As we all know it's a long hard season in L2. If we can regularly play a consistent starting XI, with an option B which is what I think we've got, we'll do well. If a lot of injuries strike, we may struggle. This will determine whether DF succeeds or fails for me.

I've always brought into DF, but that's my biggest concern

[cassellswasmagic]

Lawrence and Co didn’t do well in league two though!!! They all cocked it up in a play off final. That team and Keith Curle should’ve got promoted easy and blew it.

Pretty sure they finished 3rd and got promoted 2 seasons before....

My old brain ain’t what it used to be lol. I’m thinking 04-05 I think.

[EdwinstoweStag]

I'm still of the view that fat boy bailed because he wasn't confident he could get us promoted.

Whilst we were in a decent position when he left, we should have been top given his track record and the money he spent on players, our form over the first part of the season left a lot to be desired, particularly failing to kill teams off - it hasn't gone un-noticed by me that Swindon (Flitcroft) inflicted 2 defeats on fat boy.

No doubt Flitcroft will have reflected on those last few games ad wished he had done things differently but one thing is for sure, he got us playing better football but that failing of not killing teams off lagged over from fat boys reign and remained deep rooted in our games, all of our strikers were guilty of missing 'sitters' during those remaining games. Like many others I was, still am, hugely disappointed we didn't achieve promotion but I don't put all the blame at Flitcrofts door, our league position reflected how inconsistent we had been up to him arriving.

I get all the 'pre-season doesn't matter and all that' but comparing like for like between this pre-season and last there is a massive difference, we struggled last season against non-league opposition, I was still in shock after the Matlock game just how poor we were and that never really improved. The recent Derby and two Sheffield games are light years away in all departments and you can clearly define a style of play and a team playing as a team.

No doubt L2 is going to be different and we won't get the space like we had against DC, SU & SW but the work ethic will take us a long way, more pleasing is the fact he has gone with some youngsters who didn't look out of place, they'll do well in L2 from what I've seen aka Lawrence, Hassell, Disley and co.

I'm inclined to agree with Pemill and to the second point of Spiro's post. I've always thought Evans knew the squad he'd assembled wasn't good enough, so after the two? rejected approaches for the fat controllers services, I believe he took matters into his own hands for the posh job. Underhand yes, Judas to the Radford's yes, beyond SE no. He knew we weren't good enough and wanted out to protect his record which he's always telling people about.

I liked the football played under DF last season, it was better than SEs, unfortunately it didn't get results, which is what it's all about after all.

I was happy after JR backed him after last season, very optimistic about this season which has been backed up with the PSFs, yes they're only PSFs but we now played 3 sides supposedly far superior to us and held our own, probably shaved at least 2 of these, hence the results.

I also much prefer the way we've gone about our business closed season, quietly, no bluster and hardly noticed.

My only worry is injuries, it was said we'd suffer injuries due to his hard training principles, and we're already dropping them after 3 games. As we all know it's a long hard season in L2. If we can regularly play a consistent starting XI, with an option B which is what I think we've got, we'll do well. If a lot of injuries strike, we may struggle. This will determine whether DF succeeds or fails for me.

I've always brought into DF, but that's my biggest concern

Good post.

[MutinyOnTheCounty]

Lawrence and Co didn’t do well in league two though!!! They all cocked it up in a play off final. That team and Keith Curle should’ve got promoted easy and blew it.

Pretty sure they finished 3rd and got promoted 2 seasons before....

My old brain ain’t what it used to be lol. I’m thinking 04-05 I think.

Yip yip, think you're right about that bud.

Tbf that promotion winning squad also had the like of Muzza, Greenacre, Sellers, Kelly, Piper, Barrett and Sir Les.

We still had a squad worth of going up, but it wasn't owt like a couple of seasons before

[MutinyOnTheCounty]

This is all a bit premature.


Just remember spanishstag, we could be here in 10 games time with only a handful of points and every one will rightly be calling you a clown for backing such a poor manager. Saying how we told you this last year. It works got ways...

That's the whole point bud, it's way too early to say if DF can get us promoted, but wasn't too early to write him off last season apparently. Evans record for ending a season was as bad as DF, yet he can get a team 3rd and DF allegedly can't

I can't see how we can be either for or against until we give him a proper chance, but it doesn't stop the blinkered views of a few

Could any critic argue that with that logic? Time for a head in sand or head up a**e moment for some

[Tippy Tappy Football]

There are not many fans who are against giving David Flitcroft another chance Mutiny although 81 fans (35%) would have sacked him at the end of the season according to the Stagsnet poll. However there are quite a few who do have serious doubts about whether he will deliver mainly based on the twelve games last season. The pressure will be on from the start and he needs to deliver. It's unrealistic to pretend otherwise. His target is to finish in the top 3 and I'm really looking forward to celebrating three points next Saturday.

[MutinyOnTheCounty]

Correction Tippy, YOUR expectation is we must finish top 3 next season!

Just looking at the end result without considering the reasons why (if we don't finish 3rd) seems like gross oversimplification of last season and the next one, imo.

Perhaps I give DF too much slack, but I think he deserves as much time and patience as we gave Evans in his first 40+ games?

[bellwhiff]

David Flitcroft needs to step up to the plate and start picking up three bags of coal on a regular basis for the Promotion Express. He got shunted into the sidings last season with his relegation form despite having a very good and expensive train set to play with. Wins over Championship sides mean nothing if we cannot beat Newport and Yeovil. He needs to improve his win rate and improve it fast.

We get your hatred. Let it go man. Save your invective.

[cassellswasmagic]

As some have said before only fat man to blame for the capitulation of three clubs last season!!!

[abc]

As some have said before only fat man to blame for the capitulation of three clubs last season!!!

You don't blame Flipflop at all then ?

[bobbystagsfan]

As some have said before only fat man to blame for the capitulation of three clubs last season!!!

You don't blame Flipflop at all then ?

can we not stop talking about who's fault it was? I feel like we'll still be arguing whether it was SE or DFs fault in 5 years time

fresh start, new season, clean slate. get behind him, forget about last season and that cheating waster. the club need positivity from us this season if we're gonna have a crack at promotion again

[bellwhiff]

As some have said before only fat man to blame for the capitulation of three clubs last season!!!

You don't blame Flipflop at all then ?

No, I don’t. I blame Bat Fastard.

[adamstag]

A line had to be drawn after last season, and the pre season results have been highly promising, but a win against Newport next week needs to be what we’re aiming for.

I don’t expect a slow start from what I’ve seen, and I’m impressed with what we’ve played and how we’ve played it, just do it when it counts

[cassellswasmagic]

As some have said before only fat man to blame for the capitulation of three clubs last season!!!

You don't blame Flipflop at all then ?

No, I don’t. I blame Bat Fastard.

I don’t either.

[EdwinstoweStag]

In Flitcroft we trust ....

[adamstag]

Flitcroft made mistakes, he knows that as do we after Evans raspberried us off.

Long as he’s learned and keeps us on the track we’ve been on in pre-season then fair enough.

[m1cksut]

on reflection, i think that when DF got here, he realised that we weren't good enough to go up automatically, and would be soundly thrashed in the play offs, so used the last 12 games as a sounding board, to see who could do what, and what he needed to do for the next season.

[abc]

on reflection, i think that when DF got here, he realised that we weren't good enough to go up automatically, and would be soundly thrashed in the play offs, so used the last 12 games as a sounding board, to see who could do what, and what he needed to do for the next season.

Are you for real ?

[Tippy Tappy Football]

Correction Tippy, YOUR expectation is we must finish top 3 next season!

The expectation of JR is top 3 but he's playing it down this season having learnt from last year.