If we fail to get a play off place?

PARKLIFE

FFS how many 'new' members spouting the same old shite in a matter of days!

Cal's got a further two years on his contract, so any 'Boost the Budget' or 'Crowd Funder' would need to go towards paying him off, before we consider whether the likes of Klopp or Arteta fancy the challenge.

Rather than asking Cal to manage within your expectations, maybe look at managing your own expectations if you think this league should be a walk in the park. There's plenty of Scunthorpe fans can vouch otherwise.

For me if we don’t make the playoffs or we make them and lose we should go again next season with Cal in charge, but lessons have got to be learnt and would hope to see a different more positive system when it comes to home games and we way we set up.

Agreed.

IF we fail to make the play-offs, then IMHO Cal would have had one season where he's over achieved, one where he's under achieved. For a young manager, I think there's a lot more to be learned from the latter. I'd 100% rather back Cal to learn from a disappointing season, than somehow try to find the money to pay off his 2-year contract and search for somebody else to do the job on any money left over.

FWIW - Even if Cal's contract was up this summer and the pay-off wasn't an issue, I'd still back him to take us into next season.

Agree that we need to stick with Cal. He is now in his 3rd full season of management and he will look back over that time I’m sure. He is Chester through and through and if he believes he can keep improving us then I’m sure he would stay. If he loses that belief then I could see him resigning. For me and probably most fans we want him to stay but he does need to look at the style of football we play as entertainment brings and keeps fans on board. The past season has not been great in terms of entertainment.

If we'd have finished 7th-9th last season and then finished 3rd-7th this season most people would feel we've done OK. Unfortunately we've probably done it the other way round. Bit like Eddie Howe at Newcastle.  Their supporters seem to be questioning him now too.

Last season we could have easily struggled in this league. We had a young manager inheriting a team that had finished in the bottom half of the division and looked at one point in danger of relegation.  The fact we romped into a 3rd place finish was a big achievement. A lot of that was down to Cal and his mid-season recruitment. 

This seasons re-recruitment was good. Caton, Whitehouse and the decision to use Stanway. Its the new recruitment that went wrong. None of them have been good enough to get into the team, never mind improve it. With the exception of Woodthorpe. We've tried 10 strikers if you include preseason and most have left without doing anything.  We all know this has been the main problem. The other main problem has been the imbalance in the squad restrictioning our options. I think it's unlikely that Cal hasn't learned a big lesson. He's not stupid. 

Whatever happens in the next few weeks we go again next season. There's no way we change the manager or even discuss changing the manager.

However, we need to consider the crowd numbers here. A more attacking style would help maintain the crowd numbers. I'm not sure we would do this over another season of scoring 47 goals in 41 games and allowing games to be dull passing game against low block sides.  To put together a competitive squad we need the backing of the fans through boost the budget and gate receipts. If crowds drop that could really impact a fans owned club. This would limit any managers options in putting a squad together, and keeping it together.

When we appointed Bern & Jono I thought we he had the Holly grail and they would carry us back to the National league or even League two, but as it turned out the lads style of football was too open and we were just as likely to lose by 3 or 4 as win, now under Cal we are really solid at the back but look disjointed going forward. We need to trust that he can find the missing link and get us firing again.

We go again with Cal in the hope that some lessons have been learned this season and recruitment is decent over the summer.
It’s been a dent though and as a fan base we’re not the most patient when it comes to managers, and whilst we’re in a regional league we arguably can’t afford to be.

Doubt Scunthorpe would have loaned us Bennett when until recently we seemed like a potential challenger to their top-two position. It was arguably in their best interests to send him to a side down near the bottom, where there was no danger of him biting them on the arse if he did well and he could also potentially help take points off some of the sides around Scunny in the table. A bit similar really to when we loaned Matty Taylor from FGR.

Bennett initially went there on loan in November anyway, around the point when we’d brought in Tom Peers.

We go again with him no doubt and I 100% know he’d a learnt so much from this season so far. About himself, tactics and players he recruits.

Of course if we started next season with 1 win in 8 or something he’d probably face the chop but he’s got credit in the bank for 3rd time lucky.

Won’t come to this as we win 8 games straight to go up

If he can show a different approach tactically over the next 5 games then definitely. If he can’t then repurchasing a season ticket won’t be something I’ll be looking forward to (although I’ll still do it). Need to see a new approach starting on Friday. UTS.

We have to stick with Cal. He has turned us around from the Bern and Jonno days. Yes has made mistakes, but he is an intelligent bloke and a blue through and through so we back him. We all make mistakes but the key is to learn and dont give up at the first hurdle. He is one of our own so what does that make us if we kick him out after one poor run of results. Back him

For me, Cal has always been an underdog until this season. He’s always been in a position to overachieve and has done so year-on-year. This season, he has expectation and pressure and it’s been a different dynamic to manage. He has struggled at times and hasn’t coped well with the criticism. Failure to make the play-offs would be a massive underachievement. My issue with Cal is he seems too stubborn to change, and to progress in management he needs to adapt. He cannot be digging at fans every week, getting into verbal spats and mocking those that criticise. There will always be some that go over the top, but if he can’t cope with a small amount of criticism at Chester, how does he expect to cope at a club where he doesn’t have the background of having been ‘one of us’?

Fair point. At the time it did appear to be a very good signing. However, for some reason it wasn't worked out and I'd agree he's been a disappointment.