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Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 853
I think with all of the discontent going on right now and the back and forth over Revell it's maybe worth having a frank conversation about where we should be and if we have finally hit our ceiling, at least for the next 10 years or so.
Even with how narrow the bottleneck is at the top of the Conference/National League it took us forever to get out of there.
League One is an even tougher proposition despite a slight wider exit upwards.
Maybe this really is it. Maybe we're destined, for a while at least, to be the dull lower mid-table team that every now and then has a burst of form but never quite makes the playoffs.
Is that enough for people?
Given the start we had I'd say no.
Given our size and resources we have, I'd say absolutely.
So where do people think we honestly should be and is this slump merely bringing us back down to earth and putting us into our natural place (for the moment) in the FL?
Lower half of League One for a club of our size is still something to be absolutely proud of.
Edited by StirlingBoro91 at 15:46:09 on 8th February 2026
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 420
I agree, with most of what’s said on here, honestly think we are where we are, but just an old chestnut again, as regards to support, how many who reside in the Stevenage area are Arsenal and Spurs fans?
I have no idea, and recall Phil trying a number of initiatives in the past to grow the support, all of which fell flat.
I recall an article back in the Conference days, where we were playing Luton, and a sentence that stuck in my mind was along the lines of…
……” I decided to see the league leaders take on fellow contenders Luton, I arrived at Stevenage Station to be surrounded by a sea of Red, unfortunately they were all heading in the opposite direction to go and watch Arsenal, and therin lays a problem for Stevenage as they get closer to promotion…..”
Has anything changed?
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 342
People being able to afford a train and seat at the Arsenal has changed.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 264
Probably to see extent so they just sit at home he watching instead on dodgy fire sticks.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 406
We need to be a looking to emulate clubs like Brentford & Boirnemouth who are not much bigger than us.
No reason we can't do the same, but it won't happen if we're happy to accept mediocrity.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 409
Clubs with billionaire owners?
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 373
That obviosly helps. Wasn't aware.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 387
I was going to say, I'm sure Bournemouth had Russian money
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 475
If I live to see us have just one season in the Championship I’ll die a happy man but I wouldn’t want to risk it all and go bust trying.
League one is probably currently our premier league and we’re only really here because Phil is a great business man (of course he’s made some massive mistakes along the way)
Things that could move our ceiling higher include the football regulator clamping down on losses and the increased population of the town, giving us a bigger potential fanbase. 6-8k averages are not impossible in the next 30 years.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 442
Wycombe went in Championship for a season ,went straight back down but did not ruin them..But the fear is sometimes you then start spiralling down leagues.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 369
Yeovil did as well and ended up with 3 relegations to the National League.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 688
I don't think anyone is suggesting we should be a Championship team. Yes, I think realistically League 1 is the best we can do (Without huge investment & a new ground - So highly unlikely). However, people are frustrated that the team isn't being utilised to its best. This is without doubt the best squad we have ever had, yet 3 wins in 19 is unnaceptable. This squad is a top 10 squad, but we are playing like a relagation team right now. No real direction, players out of form, and a missed opportunity in January (Albeit very difficult to buy good quality during that month). We need to finish the seasom, and take stock across the board, players and staff. We have no identity at the moment, we are neither one thing, or another. I'm sure several players will leave, hopefully briniging in some decent money, but any money has to be spent wisely. A 'real' no. 9 is a must. Some more creativity in midfield, and a revamp of the CB's.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 639
What exactly was the 'missed opportunity in January'? Saleh? Bringing Kane home from Germany? There is evidence, I think, that we tried very hard indeed to sign as least one striker, but were blown out of the water by clubs with deeper pockets (or prepared to spend money they didn't really have).
I didn't judge us on our first ten games, so I don't judge us on our last ten. We won more games than we truly deserved to early (eg gifted goals at Blackpool, opposition missing chances); more recently we got less than we deserved at Luton and, arguably, at Cardiff too. Suddenly every defensive error seems to get punished; every questionable penalty goes against us; goals are disallowed when perhaps they shouldn't be. We were pony at Exeter and at Barnsley but at Northampton we didn't deserve to lose. Unfortunately we aren't the first club to find that losing is a hard habit to break.
Like the team, Revs isn't as good as early season results made him look; but he is nowhere near as bad as people like you are suggesting. Judge him at the end of the season if you will...but do tell us more about the missed opportunity. I can't wait to hear who we should have signed.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 655
I’d argue GW’s first League One squad was better. The core starting 11 undoubtedly.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 437
That's probably true and we didn't have an out-and-out striker back then either! I also agree with Sludgy's comment about L1 being our realistic limit for the time being, but also that the current players should be doing better than 3 wins in 18.
Our first choice back five, four centre midfielder options and four attacking midfielders are all good players at this level, but we are massively lacking a reliable striker. As others have said they are very hard to find, and unlikely to come here - not just because of our size and money but also because we don't create many chances in the way we play.
I'd argue that's the biggest problem we have. Keeping it tight might lead to being safe and steady, but it won't get people through the door and grow the club, which is clearly PW's and the board's goal. If we grow the attendances, it then means we could look at the Championship, a bigger stadium etc in the future.
Whether it's worth taking the chance and playing higher-risk football to score more goals and then potentially losing more games is a question for Revs and co to answer.
I don't have endless faith in Revs and do worry he can't coach a more attacking style, but equally I've never wanted a manager to do so well for us before, so would be tempted to hang onto him for as long as possible. That's unless we can somehow pick out a Skubala/Brian Barry-Murphy type who fancies coming to Boro, and they would be even harder to find than a good striker
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 393
The GW squad that Gary Smith inherited was equal if not slightly better than our current squad...always up for debate though! Gary Smith did get Boro into the playoffs, losing out to Sheffield Utd, the highest position this club has ever achieved.
Have we hit our ceiling? Well, you never hit your ceiling especially if it's a glass one. With a glass ceiling you can see where you ultimately want to go. With work, the right mindset and a following wind of positive support, you can manoeuvre around the glass ceiling. That positive approach will give our club the best chance of reaching the promised land. Anything is possible with the right attitude.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 640
No. That would suggest we will never, ever get higher than we are now. It might take time but the ceiling can always go upwards. It could also be the case of someone with a pot of gold coming in, buying us out and in a decade we’re in the Premier League (I hope this doesn’t happen btw).
For most of our time as a league club we’ve punched above our weight. I’d say we are an established league side now though. In that time the fan base has grown and it can continue to do so. That will have a big bearing on how high we can reach, as will the financial backing we get be it from PW and/or elsewhere.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 652
Our ceiling is winning the premier league and champions league because that’s a far as any team in the football pyramid can go.
I don’t subscribe to the notion that there’s a ceiling for any club. And that kind of mindset makes the players and especially the manager comfortable with mediocrity.
It’s probably not a coincidence that straight after signing his huge 5 year contract our performances tanked. Less pressure for the manager and players to win games and you become complacent.
Any team can beat anyone on their day. Do that 46 times a season. You’re onto a winner.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 669
Our fanbase/attendance is more like League Two, but I'd say given our infrastructure and backing we should be able to sustain League One football and once every 5 years or so either flirt with the playoffs or relegation. As is natural in the football lifecycle.
There are teams bigger than us in League Two. There are teams as small as us who have achieved better things. So whilst we can always hope for more, League One is pretty much our natural ceiling.
If you want more excitement then you'll have to suffer a relegation to then be looking at promotion in League Two. Then we become one of those yo yo clubs. Perhaps that is preferable to some than just finishing 14th in League One for 10 years, if they want more entertainment.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 671
Pretty much, bouncing between L1 and L2, I'd take that as we'd have some good times and some shit times but that's football at our level.
Pushing for championship is tough as we don't have the resources to compete whether we like it or not and Phil won't risk his money or the club on a dream that would cause more damage than good long term.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 682
The problem is that we’ve got horrible 1970s artex on our ceiling and we’re just waiting for it to become fashionable again.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 688
Along with the asbestos, underrated.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 665
Gary Smith was your asbestos: harmful and unnecessary.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 629
That was Sheringham
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 605
Sheringham was the coving: hiding a multitude of imperfections whilst being aesthetically ugly.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 602
Sheringham was a chandelier let down by poor workmanship when redecorating the dressing room.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 682
Give it time, trust the process...
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 725
Bouncing between League 1 and League 2 for the next 10 years is my prediction.
Very occassional good L1 season flirting with the promotion spots, but also in reality a relegation to L2 and a couple of years back there rebuilding is equally likely.
As long as we stay out of the National League and bankruptcy.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 529
Stevenage is around the 74th biggest population centre, so yo-yoing between L1 and L2 is realistic on that scientific measurement.
By my method any London club failing to win the Premier League in a given season has fucked it (looking at you, Daggers).
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 680
I miss the non-league days.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 681
Same. Rose coloured specs maybe? I only saw the 3 good years before we went into L2.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 720
Totally agreed. I think these little charges we have up to the top of League One are good morale boosters but nothing more at least for a while.
The money from flirting between these league though, and the growing crowds, should help us build for a proper push maybe in 10 years or so.
With that in mind I feel like I'm starting to, begrudgingly, accept maybe Revell is what we need. He'll give us these bursts and then bury is in average.
It will exciting flashes and absolute boredom but it will keep us in League One.
If we go down to League Two though we'd need a change as I just can't see him leading a promotion charge.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 539
I think with him in charge there's a real possibility of relegation next season. Can't see him having the fight needed for a relegation battle.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 550
People said that about last season. And this.
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Re: Have we hit our ceiling? An honest conversation about where we should be.
Views: 337
With an inherited squad that should never of been in danger of going down. How did it go last time he was involved in one?
Edited by RockyBottom at 23:44:48 on 9th February 2026
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