[MrMatt]

I was having a think and comparing this season with the our NLN play-off season and interested in people's opinions.

During the 22/23 season we allegedly had one of the biggest budgets in the league (from what I've heard), I'm assuming one of the highest paid managers when King joined, a full time team in a mainly part time league - dropping from 2nd (I think) down to mid-table with a terrible run of something like 3 wins in 16 games, players getting criticised for not clapping the fans after some games, fans unhappy with communication from the club.......scraping into the play-offs when we could've easily finished 12th.......but it is remembered as a huge success.

This season - again one of the biggest budgets, part time team in a part time league, performances have been inconsistent but we've been (until recently) in the top 3 all season - but fans seem unhappier than the 22/23 season.

Granted the NLN is a league above but when you compare the two squads against their opposition - the results this season don't seem any worse than the 22/23 season.
Is it the performances more than the results that people are unhappy with?

Would the mood seem better if we were in mid table for the first half of the season and finished the season strong going into the play-offs?

[Andrew R]

For ‘unhappiness’ read instead ‘frustrations’ and I think you’ll be closer to the mark. For many fans there’s a feeling that we should be doing better than we are and the inconsistency of performance and results adds to the frustration.

I also think there’s an underlying fear that if we don’t go up this season we’ll likely be stuck at Step 3 for some time. There’s no guarantee we’ll regroup and come back stronger next season in the way the Merthyr has.

[SHANDY LOVE MACHINE]

I'm nor unhappy with this season

[MeadowClark]

I wrote recently how I felt there was some similarities with the King season going on. Personally for me, although there’s been lots of new places to visit, new opponents and some old opponents we’ve not seen it’s felt a bit humdrum. It’s seemed like from very early on that we’d be in the playoffs, so unless a title tilt came along it was always going to feel like the seasons ticking along until April. The games against our promotion rivals have been very cagey (maybe a sign of things to come) so there doesn’t feel like there has been many statement performances. We’ve had the striker issue looming over us all season, and a few players we thought would tear it up at this level just haven’t been at their best. The away performances have been pretty uninspiring as well. 

I suspect it’ll be a season (like the King one) that’s remembered for its outcome rather than the journey. If we go up, which IMO we’ve got as good a chance as anyone with our experienced players and manager who can keep things tight in big games, then we’ll all enjoy the promotion and we’ll all look back dewy eyed over our glorious campaign.

[TP1]

Meadowclark hits it on the head for me with the “feels humdrum” observation.  I think it’s bizarrely similar to last season actually: just as relegation felt like a foregone conclusion from mid-Jan last year, playoffs have felt the same from mid-Jan this year.  It’s feeling hard to be excited - it feels a bit “wake me up at the end of the season”.

By contrast, despite the frustrations of the NLN playoff season (I remember the frustration of the mid-season slump), for me it was inherently miles more exciting given the uncertainty right up to the wire. We played more exciting football too. And of course we were playing at a higher level.

[bigdavethemaddog]

how often do relegated teams bounce straight back at first attempt? main thing was to avoid doing a FGR and dropping further as many other clubs have done (Blyth and Bradford PA to name 2). Hopefully win the play-offs, if not regroup and go again next year

[charlie]

I think this season feels a little meh because we've unspectacularly hit expectations. We've not won the league unbeaten, we've basically been third the whole time. The target was to get to the play-offs, which this squad is easily capable of at a minimum, and that's exactly what we've done. There also wasn't a cup run so we've not really had much excitement. In a way a boring season is very un Gloucester City so it's been quite nice.

I'd also say the Mansell and King season was exciting because the football was great. We'd get battered 5-0 one week but know we could go and do that to someone else as well. Plus with all the constant budget cuts being made that season it brought everyone together.

We were medium fish in a lake, and now we're a whale in the pond. Just to add, Mansell dropped us from being full-time to being hybrid (3 mornings) because we didn't have the off the field structure in place to support a full time playing squad.

[Neil]

Expectation vs Outcome!

[Gloucester Green]

This is the first season I've properly followed along, for me it's the sheer inconsistency away from home against anybody.

The 3G v grass debate seems completely unfathomable for players at this level, how many will have grown up and learnt their trade on that style of artificial surface? It won't be that many and as a result they should be equally as comfortable on grass as they are at home. I can understand it when away teams visit MP as they won't have the experience of the 'modern' surface but grass pitches are what football is built on.

Football is football, the tactics don't appear to change and the team just blindly follow the direction as opposed to playing to the conditions, the opposition tactics and/or the way the the referee is officiating the game.

The form against those around us doesn't fill me with confidence for the play offs, an away tie and we can basically kiss any promotion goodbye before the team sheets are exchanged.

Next seasons division will be tougher and the 'bouncebackability' will have been lost

[Darran]

This is the first season I've properly followed along, for me it's the sheer inconsistency away from home against anybody.

The 3G v grass debate seems completely unfathomable for players at this level, how many will have grown up and learnt their trade on that style of artificial surface? It won't be that many and as a result they should be equally as comfortable on grass as they are at home. I can understand it when away teams visit MP as they won't have the experience of the 'modern' surface but grass pitches are what football is built on.

Football is football, the tactics don't appear to change and the team just blindly follow the direction as opposed to playing to the conditions, the opposition tactics and/or the way the the referee is officiating the game.

The form against those around us doesn't fill me with confidence for the play offs, an away tie and we can basically kiss any promotion goodbye before the team sheets are exchanged.

Next seasons division will be tougher and the 'bouncebackability' will have been lost

Away from home we have drawn with Merthyr, drawn with Totton, drawn with Walton and we lost to Dorchester who we would be unlikely to face away from home anyway. So to say if we get an away tie we can kiss any promotion hopes goodbye is crap.