Appleton to Lincoln

[Mad Dog]

Why didn’t our friends in the north get him in at Sunderland?

because they're the biggest basket case club of all!

 

[yellowbow]

I pointed this out on the Cowleys thread - but Sincil Bank has a capacity of just a shade over 10k.

In other words, they have good crowds now, but no room for them to grow. At all.

You can certainly make a case that they are a similar sized club to ours - slightly larger crowds now (although some of that is surely a double promotion bounce); slightly smaller stadium.

But you can't make the case that they're a club that's set up to compete in the Championship.
They're not - as we wouldn't be - without a new ground, or substantial redevelopment of their current digs.


In other words, Appleton has left an 8th place club in League One, who are playing at roughly the right level for their current infrastructure and attendances and are going to need a substantial, and highly ambitious cash infusion to sustainably go any higher......

…...pfaffed around for two and a half years...….

…..and now joined an 8th place club in League One, who are playing at roughly the right level for their current infrastructure and attendances and are going to need a substantial, and highly ambitious cash infusion to sustainably go any higher......


You're going to have go some to convince me that this was a sensible career trajectory for the man - given all the insanity he went through early in his career. I hope the money at Leicester was worth it.

Definitely this. Wait and see what sort of crowds they get if they have a couple of seasons like the ones we’ve just had..

 

[uptheus]

Presume that’s ironic arrogance following the previous posts?

Eh?

 

[Foley]

Why didn’t our friends in the north get him in at Sunderland?

My guess would be that they wanted to go straight up and thought that MAPP would take his time getting the basket case sorted.

 

[FalmouthOx]

My guess would be that they wanted to go straight up and thought that MAPP would take his time getting the basket case sorted.

"calm down, calm down" - a three year contract can indeed blinker any manager

 

[Foley]

"calm down, calm down" - a three year contract can indeed blinker any manager

??

 

[Shropshire U]

One way of looking at how clubs measure up to each other in terms of footballing weight is the all-time table of points gathered in each club's seasons in the top 4 divisions of the Football League (weighted to 3 points for a win back to the start of the FL).
Lincoln are currently 36th in that table.
Oxford are currently 89th.
BUT...this is Lincoln's 108th season in the FL.
It is Oxford's 54th season.
Which makes for a nice neat comparison, given that our stay has been exactly half that of the Red Imps.
Lincoln have amassed 4475 points in their seasons.
Oxford have amassed 2388 points.
So, if you double our tally to make an equivalent number of seasons, we would have 4776 points, nearly 300 points more than them!

 

[BigCrompy]

So, if you double our tally to make an equivalent number of seasons, we would have 4776 points, nearly 300 points more than them!

And....we've won a League Cup and Division 2 - and played three seasons in the top flight.

What an odd management career Michael Appleton has had... However upwardly mobile Lincoln are now, it is most unusual that he would have left Oxford (on the cusp of goodness if not greatness), ?rejected Hibs only to find himself scrapping around at an arguably lower standard only three years later.

At some point, in order to be taken seriously as a manager, he's really going to need to see a job through.

 

[LondonRoader]

I must say, I respect KR and support him fully (for now..)

But it does make me sad to think Mapp was obviously available, and we didn't make a move for him, as I'd have him back here in a heartbeat.

We were a serious, professional club who were going places when he was here, he'd already lined up Liam Lindsay who'd agreed to sign, and is now worth at least £6million, so was already clearly planning for another big season, and I'm still gutted that he left.

I think one of the reasons he did leave (among other things) was that after everything he'd been through at Blackburn, Blackpool and Portsmouth, he saw the potential shitstorm and uncertainty that was on the way with the new owners, and after working so hard to rebuild his reputation, decided to jump ship, can't blame him really.

I think if he's backed financially, the way he was here, then he'll be a success wherever he goes, and if it is Lincoln, then I back them to be in the championship within the next couple of years.

Such a shame Darryl Eales ran out of money, just imagine where we might be by now.

That said, we have to move on, he's gone, and he ain't coming back.

In Robbo we trust!

I wonder how DE ran out of money?

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Every time it was questioned on here if we could get him back people said ‘he’s not going to come back to this level’. What a shame it is to see him back in L1 but not with us. I like KR but I’d happily see him sacked tomorrow if it meant getting Appleton back in. Proper manager.

 

[Manorlounger]

I wonder how DE ran out of money?

Best ask his wife.

 

[iambungle]

I pointed this out on the Cowleys thread - but Sincil Bank has a capacity of just a shade over 10k.

In other words, they have good crowds now, but no room for them to grow. At all.

You can certainly make a case that they are a similar sized club to ours - slightly larger crowds now (although some of that is surely a double promotion bounce); slightly smaller stadium.

But you can't make the case that they're a club that's set up to compete in the Championship.
They're not - as we wouldn't be - without a new ground, or substantial redevelopment of their current digs.


In other words, Appleton has left an 8th place club in League One, who are playing at roughly the right level for their current infrastructure and attendances and are going to need a substantial, and highly ambitious cash infusion to sustainably go any higher......

…...pfaffed around for two and a half years...….

…..and now joined an 8th place club in League One, who are playing at roughly the right level for their current infrastructure and attendances and are going to need a substantial, and highly ambitious cash infusion to sustainably go any higher......


You're going to have go some to convince me that this was a sensible career trajectory for the man - given all the insanity he went through early in his career. I hope the money at Leicester was worth it.

Bournemouth seem to manage ok.

 

[Mad Dog]

I wonder how DE ran out of money?

He took us as far as he could afford to, and a costly divorce didn’t help, and meant he needed further investment, which started the whole Merry go round that Mapp wanted no part of.

 

[Scotchegg]

As much as I thought MApp was a great manager for us, and I was one of the few who were arguing to keep him during his indifferent start, we have to remember that his success was at a time when we had one of the highest budgets in league 2. Of course beating Swansea in the cup and 2 Wembley finals were great for the club, his league performances almost exactly matched our budget.

Lincoln have had a great run, and there is a buzz around the place with crowds high. But you'd imagine that they've peaked for now and a top 10 finish would be realistic. I think MApp would do ok there, but not sure he'll get the success he'd want to elevate his status and get another bite at a big club.

 

[Followtheox1]

Bournemouth seem to manage ok.

That is because of the bit you didn't highlight in their post: "highly ambitious cash infusion to sustainably go any higher".

 

[Big Ronaldo]

I wonder who would get the bigger cheer from Oxford fans, Robinson or Appleton?

Appleton achieved something with us, and Robinson? Well...?

 

[Mad Dog]

Appleton achieved something with us, and Robinson? Well...?

As much as we all respect and appreciate Mapp for he did for us when he was here, Robbo is our manager now, and although he has his faults, he’s a good bloke and I’d expect the whole OUFC crowd to show solidarity towards him, with a respectful and appreciative acknowledgment of Mapp, but once the whistle goes its down to business, and we’re 100% behind Robbo.

 

[LondonRoader]

He took us as far as he could afford to, and a costly divorce didn’t help, and meant he needed further investment, which started the whole Merry go round that Mapp wanted no part of.

Mmm I wonder what brought on the divorce, it had an impact on the future of OUFC

 

[ttg17]

As much as I thought MApp was a great manager for us, and I was one of the few who were arguing to keep him during his indifferent start, we have to remember that his success was at a time when we had one of the highest budgets in league 2. Of course beating Swansea in the cup and 2 Wembley finals were great for the club, his league performances almost exactly matched our budget.

Lincoln have had a great run, and there is a buzz around the place with crowds high. But you'd imagine that they've peaked for now and a top 10 finish would be realistic. I think MApp would do ok there, but not sure he'll get the success he'd want to elevate his status and get another bite at a big club.

We may have had one of the highest budgets in L2 in 15-16 but one of the hallmarks of MApp’s reign was cup runs, and convincingly beating teams in leagues above us. Didn’t we famously beat a team in each of the top 5 leagues in England in 15-16? And then trounced a Newcastle side that was running away with the Championship the season after? That shows to me that he wasn’t just ‘buying the league’ he had a real tactical acumen and stylish vision of how football should be played.

Which all makes his subsequent move so much more disappointing. I just can’t respect MApp’s career trajectory after leaving us. If he had gone to be a number 2 for a genuinely great manager, from whom he would learn a lot, I could have understood being a number 2. But to Ranieri? Really? He should at least have gone to a Championship club, or come back to a team in L1 that plays with the MApp style. Barnsley aren’t pulling up trees atm - if that job were to become available I’d have thought that would have been perfect for him. Can’t see Lincoln being the job he’s waited nearly two and a half years for.

 

[Sarge]

Mmm I wonder what brought on the divorce, it had an impact on the future of OUFC

.... wasnt that the subject of whispers overheard in North stand toilets?