Was this season a success?

[manor15]

It's been a real rollercoaster of a season and certainly been entertaining enough. A shame that it came to an end in this way, but could certainly have been worse after the first month/6 weeks of the season.

Back in July, 18% said we'd make the play-offs, 32% were correct with top half and 21% said we'd be midtable. 2% thought we'd be relegated. http://www.shrimperzone.com/vb/show...e-will-we-finish-this-season&highlight=finish

So, has this season been a success?

For me, it's been a decent season. We started poorly and then went on a great run mid-season before collapsing again at the end. Can certainly be happy with how we've done and would have been delighted if offered this at the start of the season, although our form of 2 wins from the last 6 will be hugely frustrating after the position we got ourselves into.

 

[Kevin Hogg]

The only actual success is to be promoted.
However, the club has competed well and I believe this is the best squad in years.
#Champions17/18

 

[Forever A Shrimper]

Maybe this is frustration of the here and now but I don't see how we can regard this season as a success. A woeful start which has fans calling for the head of the manager, a mid-season run of positive results and then another collapse at the end that infers that this win a few then lose a few is now embedded in our mentality rather than an early season blip.

As a fanbase, we've been excellent and have been repaid by seeing our team capitulate time and time again in front of big crowds or pressure games. It's hard not to look back at at least 10 games where we should have got either 1 or 3 point but ended up with 0 or 1 respectively.

I hope we keep the spine of this team together. A good pre-season behind Cox, Ranger, Wordsworth, Ferdinand, Coker etc. will have us coming on leaps and bounds. Think we need a couple of shrewd purchases (a goalkeeper, a winger, a striker) and to see the back of some other players (Mooney and Nouble - how's that header at Charlton looking now? Enjoy your summer. ****).

Despite how this may read, I do still believe in our management, chairman and most of our players. However, I think with better preparation and contingency planning this season could have been a roaring success. As it is, it's a disappointment masquerading as a decent season due to the easy comparability of the finishing position to where we thought we would be post-Rochdale.

 

[* ORM *]

Ask anyone in October if they would take 7th pace finish. I would say we've exceeded expectations but should given post Christmas we should have at least made He play offs. I've no complaints only disappointed.

 

[thenobster]

my pre season expectations hav been surpassed, so by that virtue, its a success... especially how we begun the season. That said, looking at the squad, how many will be here next season be it through age, contract and being poached by others deemed to have more potential? Will PB stay? I thought this year was his 'make or break' and I wouldn't be surprised to see him try elsewhere.

 

[Shrimp and two veg]

All to play for again next season. Had we made the promised land, we aren't ready for it. Its definetly been a success this season in my eyes, especially when you look back at the last 40 years !

 

[Green Wizard]

We have to be realistic in that the way football is structured in favour of the big clubs it is very unlikely the club is going to get to the Premiership. We are a League 1 club with maybe a few years in the Championship at best and a good position in the table at the end of the season is a success. They have played great football at times and had some good results but not being able to beat the strugglers was their downfall, how different things would have been if they had managed a draw at Millwall. Just because they didn't get into the playoffs doesn't mean the season was a failure - they can't do it every year. Just be realistic and if we enjoyed the season then that is a success.

 

[Richard_Cadette]

100% it's been a success, yes. Who really wouldn't have taken 72 points before the season started? Yes, it's coloured slightly because we've hit a bit of a wall at the end of the season - we're not the only ones, and there were large mitigating circumstances for that, but make no mistake, we've finished 7th on 72 points, as opposed to 15th on 59 points last season.

Every single season under Brown, we've improved upon the season before, and if that trend continues, we will make the play offs next season - I know it's easier said than done, but given the extremely steady and consistent progress we're making, nothing to suggest that won't continue.

There are so many "if's and buts" - we only needed 1 point from those 4 defeats, but then again, Bristol Rover, Oxford, Rochdale and Co all have similar stories. The season isn't defined by today, and we did all we could today, but over the 46 game period, and to accumulate 72 points and finish 7th is in my opinion excellent progress from where we were when PB took over 4 years ago.

 

[bazzashrimper]

Probably a success. Aside from anything we have a core squad of good players now. When Bentley and Payne left in the summer, we only had a few

 

[Parold]

Improvement on the previous season equals a success in my opinion.

 

[RobM]

Improvement on the previous season equals a success in my opinion.

Simply put but totally correct.

 

[Blues 'n twos]

Would have taken this finish at the start of the season, success without a doubt.

 

[Shrimperforlife]

Any season we avoid relegation is a success, the expectation is the issue ...

 

[Chairman Trigg]

As a player I would class this as a huge failure not to make the play offs ,after such a bad start to be in the driving seat to throw it away like we did with 4 defeats in the last five games and miss out by one point.Half this squad will be gone soon and a number of them will probably never get closer to the championship. When you have a chance you have to take it ,a career can be very short due to injury or just not playing for the right manager or team.
As a supporter very disappointed but the club feels stronger playing wise and with Fossetts maybe we can hit the upward curve at the right time like Brighton

 

[Kevin Hogg]

One abiding improvement from day 1 of 2016/17 is - team spirit.
Never known a greater bond within the squad in over 45 years.

 

[leeblue]

It's an expectation level that changes. We should have made the play offs I'm afraid....one point!!
Given some of the outstanding displays this season disappointed

Can not wait for next season roller coaster ride

 

[Medway Blue]

It's a difficult one to answer without letting ultimate opinion be guided by fluctuating expectations. I'll just go back to my expectations just before the season started. I honestly thought we had the individual quality in the squad to make the playoffs at the least. So I expected a playoff push. In that respect it's as a suspected. Yes we may have small-ish budget at this level but pound-for-pound I think we've fairly consistently been able to have one of the strongest matchday squads in what has been to be honest, bar Sheff United, a poor quality division. I will always say that our position in October was false and brought on by Brown being out of his depth at that stage. So I can't be one of these people who turns around and says "I'd have taken this in October when we were relegation fodder" because a big part of me felt that if PB stopped overcomplicating things and made the changes that he did eventually make (and we can thank Adam Barrett for some of that), that we would break out of that false position.

We're now in a great position to really push on. A largely strong season and the new stadium plans going in could make us an attractive proposition for decent available players this summer. Make sure the shortlist is drawn up, start making moves ASAP, sell the club in the right way, add some quality and strength and make sure that everyone, especially some of our crocks from this season, are fit and raring to go to get a full pre-season behind them. Then we can hit the ground running next season, when I think playoffs really SHOULD be the aim.

 

[mrsblue]

Depends on Ron's point of view.

The interesting part for me is our average crowd is the same as Scunny and Fleet combined...funny old game.

 

[AndyT]

Definitely a successful season.

72 points and some quality football, at times.

Some great memories and the club is really on the up with a top quality team spirit, good crowds and, dare I say it, a new stadium. To top it all, a commitment to stay from our best players.

Onwards! :happy:

 

[Medway Blue]

Definitely a successful season.

72 points and some quality football, at times.

Some great memories and the club is really on the up with a top quality team spirit, good crowds and, dare I say it, a new stadium. To top it all, a commitment to stay from our best players.

Onwards! :happy:

Who has committed to stay?