Guy

It could well be an uneven podium scenario!

Whoops!

Despite the collective underwhelming vibe on here then I for one am hoping RM's time here is to prove a point and that he was judged too early at Southampton re second season (at a higher level) syndrome and obviously having then been thrown in at the deep end at Rangers in an unknown quantity (to him) capacity of the entire SPL set up/scene/expectation levels - plus with not the best tools at disposal either ay Ibrox - but the squad's uncertainty at present isn't likely to help going forward in the immediate tense re who's on board for now until next May and who's leaving before October, players wise! Especially with it all being underpinned by the fact that we're somehow back in League One after everything - and so at our equal lowest ebb in our history versus 2008-09 - albeit the next 10 years turned out more than ok after that last low ebb but history may not necessarily repeat!!

I agree with a lot of what you say but there'll be nothing 'poor' about Russell Martin by the time he leaves the club - well - not financially speaking anyway!!

Indeed, the bare mimimum for Nigel Pearson in his very first season with us was to achieve immediate promotion which he did with a great aplomb, the same can only apply to Russell Martin now too, anything less will be deemed as a massive failure. Howveer I fear we don't have anywhere near the quality of squad now in L1 as we did last time in 2008-09 when we romped to the title!

Yes, it was a bit uncanny that he was also at Southampton before he came to us! Also strange that Puel had Saints in a league cup final the season before he came to us (which I think they lost to Man. U.) and got them to 8th in the Prem. only to be sacked in the summer to follow! A bit like how he was treated here to be honest...!

I think his appointment smacks of Claude Puel's in 2017 a bit!

Positives are that we haven't re-hired Steve Cooper, Van Nistelrooy or Cifuentes!

Martin O'Neill at 75 went back to Celtic and that worked out well so why not Nige?!

Rhetorical question?! If not then it was because the rules now in place about 'spying' on opposition in training weren't when Leeds under Bielsa were found guilty of the same thing seven years ago, albeit just the one time apparently as opposed to multiple times like Saints!

As others have said on here already we need another fortuitous appointment like Nigel Pearson (and his awesome backroom staff!) in 2008 this time around for League One! I don't know what the general consensus was on Big Nige at the time 18 years ago when he was first appointed (having kept Saints up at our Championship expense of course) but I think many at the time were so beleaguered at being in the third tier for the first time in our history after the mess of a season that had gone before it that there wasn't all that much opinion/ at the time IIRC. We struck gold, looking back but the pessimist inside me says I doubt it will be second time lucky this time around with whoever else! The Challinor or Schumacher shouts are justified, given the logic but as others have also said, it all depends on the play offs outcome.

Same as a year ago really, it's just that the Championship finishes a lot earlier than the Prem. Ruud's "sacking" wasn't even official until the end of June!

Another example perhaps as to how Covid really screwed things up, esp. us/King Power in 2020, with it's legacy arguably still being felt now, 6 years on!

Void comment

They were definitely a classic case of the season after syndrome of missing out on the play offs promotion the season before - much like Walsall in the league below Leyton O. this season!