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Post by maw on Apr 19, 2011 16:10:38 GMT
We sometimes hear that a relegation can make a club stronger by forcing a turn-around in attitudes and planning.....
So, have the three seasons in the Ryman Premier League made Sutton United stronger?
Are our players better now than if we had struggled to stay in the bottom half of the Conference South these past three seasons?
Mark
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jr
1st team skipper
Posts: 2,166
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Post by jr on Apr 19, 2011 16:21:15 GMT
We'll find out next season I guess!
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Post by sdavison on Apr 19, 2011 16:23:11 GMT
I'll be intrigued to see what Dos thinks and what players he will keep and which will move on.
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jr
1st team skipper
Posts: 2,166
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Post by jr on Apr 19, 2011 16:27:06 GMT
I think he's already mentioned that there will inly be a couple of additions initially. It makes sense. Give the guys that have won the Championship a chance. If they prove not to be good enough he will replace them I'm sure.
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Post by exiledinandover on Apr 19, 2011 16:33:25 GMT
i remember the first time in the conf.Barry williams said he will use the players that got us there,as they deserve it.he was right to do that as we finished,i think it was 6th.
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Post by sdavison on Apr 19, 2011 16:37:11 GMT
Don't get me wrong we've got a great bunch of players here and I would love for them to stay, but we don't have much strength in depth if we had say 3/4 players injured.
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taz
Top Performer
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Post by taz on Apr 19, 2011 16:41:43 GMT
We sometimes hear that a relegation can make a club stronger by forcing a turn-around in attitudes and planning..... So, have the three seasons in the Ryman Premier League made Sutton United stronger? Undoubtedly. Dos has always said that when he joined, we were in decline. And I agree. We'd been struggling since joining Conf South and that last season was just the beginning of the end. If we'd not got our next appointment right, we could well have been talking about Ryman 1 South football on here now. Dos is a demanding fellow. And we needed someone like that with a bit of life about them and a real desire to be successful. Fortunately Bruce & the rest of the board bought into that. Are our players better now than if we had struggled to stay in the bottom half of the Conference South these past three seasons? This is the strongest side we've had since the 2003 runners-up IMO. Without a doubt had we clung on for 3 more years in Conf South we wouldn't be attracting players like Leroy, Bradley, Si Downer, Scrivs etc.
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jr
1st team skipper
Posts: 2,166
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Post by jr on Apr 19, 2011 17:05:08 GMT
Yep I agree with you Taz. We were going in the wrong direction and Dos has turned it around. I know he will say it's a team effort and of course it is and the board have to take great credit in appointing the right man but at the end of the day it's down to the gaffer to get the right players and to be able to work with them. It's taken 2 and a bit years for him to do that which I actually think is rather quick.
In my mind he's a Sutton legend already and I hope he stays for a long time. It's rather easy to understand why Eastleigh thought so highly of him.
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Post by Andy K on Apr 19, 2011 17:18:26 GMT
You need to think back to the John Rains era - 10 years as manager, good players coming through the system, winning trophies, but Rains realised that he couldn't take the club any further (through no fault of his own). So he stepped down, and the board had the task to replacing a successful manager. They could have gone for a Rains MkII but they took a risk and got Ian Hazel.There was no doubt he was a good coach, and with Paul harford it worked, but we went into freefall when Harford left. Hazel had not the contacts to get us out of the situation, and followed by Ernie Howe, a more old school manager who did no better. So Dos was right, we really were in decline.
Roll forward 3 years - 2 decent FA cup runs (our first for 14 years), a bit of a Trophy run this season, our first ever taste of play offs (albeit not a great experience), crowds are up, development plan in place, Sutton getting more local and national press than in recent years, and success. Suffering that relegation season was horrible, but having the 3 years we have had, I wouldn't swap it for anything. And without that disaster we wouldn't have Dos, and I don't think there is any sane supporter in the club who want another one!
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Post by os on Apr 19, 2011 18:09:19 GMT
I told Dos that not only has he restored our place in the BSS but he has also restored pride in the club, and I meant it.
We never recovered from the decimation of our 03/04 side and struggled for those few seasons in the BSS and our relegation was only a matter of time. It has to be remembered that Jimmy Dack walked away because he felt it could not be done on the budget the club offered him. Our chairman has to take a massive amount of credit for his capture and the way he sold the club to Dos. Dos for his part has turned our club around and has made us look up instead of down.
The players we have are BSS standard because that's where Dos got em :-)
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Post by manchesteru on Apr 19, 2011 21:19:28 GMT
IMHO relegation from the Conference South into the Ryman League in 2008 was one of the best things that could of happened to the club. We entered the Conference South in the summer of 2004 after experiencing quite possibly one of the hardest summers in the history of SUFC. Losing 6 players, including players of the quality of Jon Nurse and Nick Bailey, turned us from a club on the up to a club on a downward spiral. We kept our head above water for 3 seasons in the Conference South, but it was a struggle for the most part. And then of course came the living hell that was 2007/2008, 4 managers, countless players and only 5 wins in the league all season. The club was at best moribund. And there needed to be a big changes. Of course the board made the genius decision to appoint Dos as the new manager. From the offset he changed the attitude of this Football club. Whilst we're still a fantastically friendly club, there is a focus which perhaps wasn't here in 5 years ago. The fact that Dos knows who he wants to sign over the summer as the season has finished rather than waiting to see who turned up at the beginning of pre-season. And we can attract some really good players.
Of course the test will be next season. But if we keep the core of our current team, I see no reason why we can't at least exceed our previous best Conference South finish of 13th
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Post by Amber Aleman on Apr 19, 2011 21:49:10 GMT
There are by my reckoning seven clubs that have been continuous members of the Conference South since it was formed seven years ago, and I wonder if they're starting to stagnate at that level. Only one of them (Welling) is pushing for promotion, and five are in the bottom half of the table.
Sutton now have the momentum of promotion as RL champions, and Conference South football will be a bit of a novelty again. But remember that both Dartford and Boreham Wood struggled at first to adjust to the higher level. Next season should be like a breath of fresh air after three years in the Ryman - but it will also be a big test.
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Post by Andy K on Apr 19, 2011 22:57:57 GMT
Historically having that momentum can be a good thing - look at the 5 promoted teams this season - Bury, Lowestoft and Concord are all up for a play off spot. Of course there are teams where the step is too much (Folkstone this year, Waltham last year).
I feel that Borehamwood are punching above their weight, but looking at other promoted teams, Staines and Dover from 2 years ago are probably around where they should be. Dartford on the other hand probably under performed.
There no reason why Sutton can't achieve above at least half of the teams in that division - certainly the teams currently sitting in 12th and below are all teams with possibly smaller budgets, crowds and resources
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oohaah
Top Performer
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Post by oohaah on Apr 20, 2011 9:22:50 GMT
Whilst Bruce is to be applauded for giving Dos the budget to do what he has done, I'm not sure how much 'selling' he had to do. I remember Paul's explaination at his first 'talk-in'. When he quit as manager of Eastleigh he did so to concentrate on the 'off field' aspects of running the football club as he was spending lots of time running raffles and painting their ground. It didn't take him long to realise that what he really wanted to do was manage a football team. After making this decision he looked around at the managerless clubs at the time a picked one where he knew that the everyday stuff was taken care of by a dedicated team of supporters both at board and 'terrace' level - Our club was probably at the top of a short list of one. So boys and girls of the forum, many of YOU are the reason that Paul came here. Although I can't count myself as one of those helpers I'm proud to stand with you.
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Post by The Editor on Apr 20, 2011 13:43:23 GMT
Nice Ohhahh - have to admit, every year when the Clubman award for services to the club comes up at the annual awards' night, I immediately think of at least half-a-dozen genuine candidates. Does make you proud to be at such a great club.
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