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I have us down currently as a good team that knows how to win, rather than a great team. In terms of squad depth, we don't have a lot and two key injuries would affect us significantly - pick any two from keeper, Ellis, Mansell, O'Kane and Howe

SO - the perennial TUFC question - IF we managed to go up (which clearly would be a miraculous achievement) would we realistically come straight back down again, and would that cause the death spiral we usually go through? ie loss of form and confidence, poor results, sack the manager and struggle to avoid the Conference in the following year?

or have i just been a TUFC supporter for too long!

Yes !

Unless ...

If by some miraculous achievement we were promoted. I for one would heartly aplaud the efforts of the team and management, But the sour note already sounding in previous posts is. Would we sack the managment.
I have seen this soo often around the country. Do we ever learn. It hardly ever brings about the desired result and we could easily find our selves out of pocket, Out of position and out of the league for doing it.
Granted we could get relegated again but where is our sense of loyalty. We spend a lot of time preaching it yet spend so little time practicing it.
If Lingy gets us up (And I sincerely hope he does now). I for one would see him in his contract even if we did get relegated. Partly as recognition of thanks for the previous season. And partly as a vote of confidence that if he did it once agains't all odds then we could do it again. Just look at earlier in the season. We have an 8 game streak with no hope. How many were calling for his head, how many doubted his credentials. Yet here we are only a few weeks later and sitting pretty in the playoff positions.
Let's say to him. We will see you as manager right through your contract. we won't look to sack you at a dip in form. we won't be calling for your head as soon as things don't go our way. we will show the same faith in you as you have shown in the team and supporters.
Lingy has laid down the gauntlet. Let's take it up and be the no.12 (just like Rovers have their no.12 shirt dedicated to the fans.) let us dedicate our no.12 shirt to the fans and lift our voices like never before. Rally to the cry and show some of the braveheart spirit. (although the sight of Trojan with bagpipes and skirt on really scares me). Lets lift the sound at least 2 notches at Plainmoor and bring back some of the old Plainmoor roar. We can show the league what true support is about.

Glostergull wrote:If by some miraculous achievement we were promoted. I for one would heartly aplaud the efforts of the team and management, But the sour note already sounding in previous posts is. Would we sack the managment.
I have seen this soo often around the country. Do we ever learn. It hardly ever brings about the desired result and we could easily find our selves out of pocket, Out of position and out of the league for doing it.
Granted we could get relegated again but where is our sense of loyalty. We spend a lot of time preaching it yet spend so little time practicing it.
If Lingy gets us up (And I sincerely hope he does now). I for one would see him in his contract even if we did get relegated. Partly as recognition of thanks for the previous season. And partly as a vote of confidence that if he did it once agains't all odds then we could do it again. Just look at earlier in the season. We have an 8 game streak with no hope. How many were calling for his head, how many doubted his credentials. Yet here we are only a few weeks later and sitting pretty in the playoff positions.
Let's say to him. We will see you as manager right through your contract. we won't look to sack you at a dip in form. we won't be calling for your head as soon as things don't go our way. we will show the same faith in you as you have shown in the team and supporters.
Lingy has laid down the gauntlet. Let's take it up and be the no.12 (just like Rovers have their no.12 shirt dedicated to the fans.) let us dedicate our no.12 shirt to the fans and lift our voices like never before. Rally to the cry and show some of the braveheart spirit. (although the sight of Trojan with bagpipes and skirt on really scares me). Lets lift the sound at least 2 notches at Plainmoor and bring back some of the old Plainmoor roar. We can show the league what true support is about.

Well said. This is just what I meant to say but was too tired to articulate..

Completely and utterly agree Glostergull. I hope Mr Ling has won us all over and got all our trust and support now.

That said, Daniel Leadbitter currently occupies the number 12 shirt so perhaps you should take your issue up with him.

i'd completely forgotten about him, has he even had as much as a second on the pitch for us since he signed?

Statto here, 45 disappointing minutes at Bradford, and a 5 minute cameo against AFC Wimbledon is all I can recall. But the lad has been injured and Joe Oastler's form has been nothing short of outstanding recently.

I've seen a few games this season in league 1 and mid to lower half the only difference i can see between us and them is the pace of the games. They just seem that bit quicker and sharper. Obviously the teams at the top such as Wednesday, United, Huddersfield, MK Dons and Charlton are much better and much bigger than us and you are always going to have teams like that who drop down from the Championship and will be difficult to play against. Generally though i don't think we will have a problem if we are properly managed and add to the squad. You only have to look at Stevenage to see what can be achieved with a club like ours if everything clicks. The only problem would be replacing key current squad members like Bobby, Eunan and any others that mightleave in the summer. I don't think Stevenage lost any/many of their players when they went up thus keeping the unit intact for league 1.

Too early to say whether we'd cope in L1 or not but I feel we'll be much better equipped this time. We'll have Bristows Bench, so we can have a full capacity again for when big clubs come down. We're better run off the field now, regarding ticket sales and such (still a bit of a farce at times but the new dedicated ticket window is better than it all being in the club shop!).

We gave it a mighty good go last time around, I still remember the gutting feeling when MK Dons scored their 95th minute winner, so I see no reason why we can't give it a go as good as that, if not better, should it be next season.

With the new stand built by next season I truly believe that this club is ready to make the leap to becoming a league 1 club. I really hope we make it, it could be the making of this club.