The Transition of Gareth Ainsworth.
This season has been fabulous. We didn't hover around mid table and then make a last minute surge to scrape into the play offs - we have been with the front runners all season and that's why this season (albeit disappointing in the end) has been so fulfilling.
For me the real difference has been with the Gaffer. I have watched his media coverage before and after the game on Saturday and he has had a real class about him. Last season he was still "one of the lads" with the remanence of the squad Waddock left behind and looking retrospectively this just a bit was too much. He was over emotionally attached to the players, the fans and the club plus having to work with the administrative side too would have been a huge strain on him as a person. That said staying up was an amazing achievement especially as large swathes of the support were turning against him - the Bristol Rovers defeat and the abuse he received at that point hurt him but he carried on and succeeded where a lot of people thought we wouldn't.
This season he hung up the boots, changed his perceptive image (wearing a suit), brought in his players and became "the boss". This was not a fluke and I admire what he did for the club. If you remember GA is in a band of players that just LOVES playing football. Of course he has played in the highest league but when you see players dropping down the pyramid and yet still striving to carry on that shows you its not about ££££ but its about drive and passion and love of the game.
Putting a suit on and hanging up the boots must have been a hard decision to make but that created the clear divide that he needed. He isn't "pretending" to be the manager plus a player and one of the lads - he now IS the manager and psychologically that has helped not only him but also the players too. I'm sure his ability to connect with the players has been so important but look at what he has achieved. The smallest squad in the FL but with a tight never say die mentality. Players such as Saunders that have come in have mentioned that the camaraderie and "all together" attitude is really strong here and this is something that the manager has nurtured and built upon - again its not just a fluke.
Gareth Ainsworth has brought back a little bit of the magic that we had been missing, Not since the MON years have I felt this connected to the club and the players (although the cup run under Sir Lawrie was a nod to that).
For me, I think that having the resilience to carry on through the adversity last year has built the character of GA and the relationship is repairing between himself and the fans. For what he has achieved in a year has giving Wycombe Wanderers a footing for the next 20 years as a FL club.
I haven't had a season ticket for a quite few years now but will definitely be buying one on Tuesday. Quoting "field of dreams" - build it and they will come. Mr Ainsworth you have built it and I am investing more in the club because of what you have done and the team you put together.
Comments
That is a great write up and I couldn't agree with you more @JockyMcsporran, I was one of those that as ashamed to admit as I am, wanted Ainsworth out during that difficult period. But after listening to him in the media I now see the error of my ways. Even if we have a bad season next season which we probably won't I will still want him to stay here, the relationship with his chairman is unique and I have strong belief in those two to make us a success. I haven't been a season ticket holder since the dark Alan Smith days due to my own footballing career in my twenties and now more recently work commitments but I too will be heading down there on Tuesday to buy my first season ticket in almost 18 years. I will also be joining up with the investment package and have decided to give it my all, Saturday was a remarkable day that will live long in the memory and we must all get behind this new era as these periods only come around once every twenty years or so. COYB's
Not many are able to claim they wanted Ainsworth to stay after the previous season, myself included.
For me you've hit the nail on the head, and I still wouldn't want the 'Gaz' of that season as our manager.
He's recognised not only where we needed to change on the pitch but also what he needed to change about himself. I have huge respect for the guy and I really hope only bigger and better things are to come from his time here.
He's shown what he can do in his first proper pre-season, who's to say he can't do it again. The difference being this time that we have the spine of a winning team, not a losing one.