Post by A38 on Nov 22, 2015 21:28:49 GMT
I've been thinking today about how I'll look back on JFH's reign if (as is now at least a reasonable possibility) it ends imminently:
Positive Legacies
1. He brought about a marked increase in the level of belief in the squad. Without his influence I don't think we'd have won the league last season - we may still have gone up automatically but when things were tight around April time, his presence was vital. It's also played an important part in our successful start in League 1.
2. He had a very positive effect on the club's profile. The PR impact of things like the Sky Sports documentary was well timed and has helped cement the general consensus of Burton as a bona fide Football League club. It's not had the impact we might have hoped for locally in terms of attendances but that's a different matter.
3. His network led us to Abdenasser El Khayati, who is the player I'll associate most directly with his reign. Nass has been unique, and good value for the admission price through most of 2015. He's also produced one or two dramatic match-winning moments of magic that I'll remember fondly for years to come.
Disappointments/Regrets
1. I know it's a well-trodden discussion path but it is ironic that in the time we've had a world class striker as manager, our team's firepower has been its weakest aspect. I'd like to have seen how he might have influenced some of the brighter striking talents we've seen over the last few seasons (Zola and Kee spring to mind).
2. I (maybe naively) expected his network of former clubs/managers to lead to one or two exciting loanees at the Pirelli during his tenure.
3. He won't actually have owned a full season in our history, which seems a shame given the impact he's had. If he goes now we might find ourselves wondering what might have been this season after the start we've had, especially if the speculation and/or interim period between managers leads to some disappointing results on the pitch.
All in all he's undoubtedly been a major success but I just wanted to get my thoughts out there for discussion.
Positive Legacies
1. He brought about a marked increase in the level of belief in the squad. Without his influence I don't think we'd have won the league last season - we may still have gone up automatically but when things were tight around April time, his presence was vital. It's also played an important part in our successful start in League 1.
2. He had a very positive effect on the club's profile. The PR impact of things like the Sky Sports documentary was well timed and has helped cement the general consensus of Burton as a bona fide Football League club. It's not had the impact we might have hoped for locally in terms of attendances but that's a different matter.
3. His network led us to Abdenasser El Khayati, who is the player I'll associate most directly with his reign. Nass has been unique, and good value for the admission price through most of 2015. He's also produced one or two dramatic match-winning moments of magic that I'll remember fondly for years to come.
Disappointments/Regrets
1. I know it's a well-trodden discussion path but it is ironic that in the time we've had a world class striker as manager, our team's firepower has been its weakest aspect. I'd like to have seen how he might have influenced some of the brighter striking talents we've seen over the last few seasons (Zola and Kee spring to mind).
2. I (maybe naively) expected his network of former clubs/managers to lead to one or two exciting loanees at the Pirelli during his tenure.
3. He won't actually have owned a full season in our history, which seems a shame given the impact he's had. If he goes now we might find ourselves wondering what might have been this season after the start we've had, especially if the speculation and/or interim period between managers leads to some disappointing results on the pitch.
All in all he's undoubtedly been a major success but I just wanted to get my thoughts out there for discussion.
