"Champions" Form to "Bottom 4" Form

[Sandy Pate Best Stag]

Evidence for those that need it, that this downturn in form does not coincide with the change of manager.

Mr Dempster did not inherit a team that was likely to smash the league under Mr Flitcroft had he not been sacked and he actually has to turn a losing team around.

Flitcroft May have made improvement in the close season ,so that defeats that argument .

The operative word being MAY.

I can't see it that he would have achieved something that had been evading him for at least three months. His team was getting worse the longer it went on.

[bobbystagsfan]

Once we get Bobby back in goal it will all change

It might help a bit but the defence as a whole needs to improve. Sweeney Pearce and Preston have not been as good as they were last season and they have no fear of being dropped because there's no one to replace them when we play a back 3.

[Sedgwick]

But, what's changed so drastically that Stags have gone from Champions form to Bottom 4 form?

Personally, i feel something went off during January (whether it be transfer related or youth or whatever), and whatever toxic seed was sown is sprouting into this poisonous sapling. Whatever it is still persists, because imo this team is easily playoff material. I suspect the Radford's absence may mean this problem is being left unchecked

I have no basis for my theory other than scurrilous assumption, but that's often more than i usually have!

What went off was White getting injured. Folk say it is only one man, but people don't realise how much effect he has on this team.

True but around the same time we also upset the balance of the team during the winter transfer window by signing Grant and Ajose on loan.
At the time it seemed to be progressive, exciting and the catalyst for automatic promotion but in hindsight this gamble did not work.
We turned the numerous draws from the first half of the season (just one loss) into a few wins but we had too many losses as the balance of the team was upset and we were weaker in the ugly side of the game (when out of possession) that we excelled during the last half of 2018.
We were winning most at home but away form disintegrated and we ended up losing 9 more games with mid table form.
Did we panic after the defeats at Carlisle and Newport? Maybe or maybe not but this shows up the perils and fine margins of managing a team?
It shows that team spirit and a settled team are worth more than most appreciate.

I think Flitcroft strengthened in January when he didn't need to... I know grant was highlighy rated but we really didn't need that kind of player and it led to Timi going back.
Ajose also wasn't right, he had hardly played a minute of football.
Jones was an extremely poor replacement for white
And Bobby being out was a massive blow....
we've also lost Walker and time will tell if Maynard can fill that gap.

That all upset the squad and there was probably one man to be able to put it right (if he could see what went wrong) and we sacked him. JD thought all that was wrong was a plan B... signed cook and not much else.