Take it back to 1st Jan 2023, the date he could add players from. He had already got us up to 8th, 14 points from automatic promotion and 3 from 4th place. We actually finished 16 points off automatic promotion.And 2 of those on loan
To turn 21st into 4th with no Pre- season
It was a minor miracle what he did.
Its certainly going to be a spicer and tougher league next year. Teams like Sunderland, Leeds(poss) , Sheff Wed (poss), Leicester (poss) will bring 2,500 fans to the Riverside. Going to Ipswich will be tougher than Wigan or Blackpool. It will also make the Championship more attractive to the media and possibly to some players.I am feeling down about how it all ended, it was by far an easier chance than next season looks, but looking forward to see who we can recruit to add to the squad we have plus who we sell to oil the transfer wheels and deals.
I am sure Carrick will be a draw for loan players from the Prem, but there are some big teams (and Leeds) possibly coming down, 2 from Everton, Leeds and Leicester to go with Southampton will add spice to the league, Ipswich coming up with Plymouth and either Barnsley or Wednesdays make this coming season far tougher add to that some teams will likely be stronger, like Sunderland and Stoke and this makes recruitment far far harder me thinks.
UTB
So in the first half of the season we dropped 14 points against autos. In the second half we dropped only 2 points.Take it back to 1st Jan 2023, the date he could add players from. He had already got us up to 8th, 14 points from automatic promotion and 3 from 4th place. We actually finished 16 points off automatic promotion.
Does that prove allowing him to bring in his own players was a mistake or the old addage of Lies, damned lies, and statistics is proved once again?
How far off the automatics were we with three games to go when we mathematically couldn't finish top two anymore? Priorities changed.Take it back to 1st Jan 2023, the date he could add players from. He had already got us up to 8th, 14 points from automatic promotion and 3 from 4th place. We actually finished 16 points off automatic promotion.
I was (trying to) being facetious. I think Boro under Carrick have been superb. How much credit should Leo get though as he switched to back 4 and gave Hackney his chance.So in the first half of the season we dropped 14 points against autos. In the second half we dropped only 2 points.
Is that not a massive improvement?
Eh? Settling for a draw against Coventry to set up a tie against them was a mistake because we never look like beating them, and instead we should have gone to beat them? Maybe we didn't 'settle for a draw' then!The mistake we made was settling for a draw and Coventry in the playoffs. Never looked like beating them in the league game
I think this post sums up how much Coventry and Luton have been undervalued. They aren't weak opposition at all. It's a 46 game season. If you are in the playoffs you are a good championship team. The ones next year will be much the same.Yes it was a terrific turnaround that's for sure. Many people thought we had no chance of reaching the playoffs when he took over.
HOWEVER - having got to the play offs we blew it big style. At kick off on Wed night we were two games away from the Premier League. Not wishing to dismiss either Coventry or Luton because as the old adage goes 'there are no easy games' and they must be decent sides at least because they got into the play offs too. Are Carrick's Boro a better team than Coventry and Luton though? I believe they are and so did the Bookies. So with all due respect to those two sides there will never ever be a better or (relatively) easier opportunity to get Promotion. Perhaps we will get there next season or at some point with Carrick but there's no escaping it was a golden chance squandered. Last time we were in the play offs it didn't hurt so much as Aston Villa were clearly a better side so hopes and expectations were much more limited. This time it hurts like hell.
Eh? Settling for a draw against Coventry to set up a tie against them was a mistake because we never look like beating them, and instead we should have gone to beat them? Maybe we didn't 'settle for a draw' then!