Quote Originally Posted by City123 View Post
Because of the sides that went up last season. Take a look at Wrexham's squad and its full of players who are either past it or were never good enough for the Championship. Steven Fletcher for instance was done at Championship level about 4 years ago, he played 40 games last season, James McClean likewise. Creatively they've relied on Elliott Lee who consistently failed at Championship level. Their squad is littered with those types and they'll be looking to improve it massively (seen them linked with a Ł5m move for Lewis O'Brien today). Charlton are similar, their top appearance maker couldn't get on the bench at Plymouth. The gap between the divisions is big.

If we keep the squad together we'll be fine. We may not run over teams like Birmingham did and we may not even get promoted, but it certainly isn't a lower half League 1 squad, anyone who's saying it is is catastrophising
So far this summer, we’ve behaved as if those running the club fully agree with you. I think they’ve got the managerial appointment right, but we’re still run in a “Tan knows best” manner because nothing has been done to tackle the widespread structural problems at the club, indeed we’re weaker when it comes to coaching numbers and placing too much faith in BBM and the two people he’s been allowed to bring in performing miracles on the training pitch.

I look at that squad going to Spain and think it’s weak. It won’t be if something like five of the youngsters step into the first team squad seamlessly, but can they also become the leaders that we lacked last season? BBM is generally regarded to have done a decent job at Rochdale because they were minnows by League One standards - I’m not saying we’re there yet, far from it, but, based on what we’ve seen so far, the plan seems to be to turn us into something resembling Rochdale circa 2020.