Bloomfield's 2023 v 2024
A friend of mine was crunching some stats and came up with the following:
Wycombe under Bloomfield in 2023:
Played: 38
Points: 40
PPG: 1.05
Wycombe under Bloomfield in 2024:
Played: 33
Points: 60
PPG: 1.82
What an absolutely incredible improvement! It really does show that the transition to the new era appears to be complete.
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I looked up goals for and against too:
2023:
Goals for and against: 40-54
Goals for per game: 1.05
Goals against per game: 1.42
2024:
Goals for and against: 51-37
Goals for per game: 1.54
Goals against per game: 1.12
It’s almost like we were taken over by a billionaire. Of course, money alone isn’t sufficient but it must be a substantial part of the reason for this improvement.
The transfer windows have definitely helped, though I think the end of last season was driven by the January acquisitions of Kone, Lonwijk and Butcher, none of whom would have broken the bank.
Blooms has clearly evolved as a manager too. There are still many holdovers from the Couhig era who are all playing better than ever.
Not only that, but Blooms has risen to a major challenge that riches can bring - namely, keeping a large squad unified, happy and rotated wisely.
Brian Jeeves on co-comms once with Phil made a really interesting point about the change of style and that turgid period we went through along the lines of: all players can take on new instructions and go out there fully intending to implement them, but when things aren't going their way they'll often revert to what they've been doing previously. It takes time, even for a seasoned pro, for the new ways to become second-nature to them, and once they do, that's what they'll do even when things aren't going well.
I've probably butchered his point somewhat, but I think six months of the old players learning new ways, combined with a couple of transfer windows where we've signed players specifically for this new system, means we're now reaping the benefits.
We really paid the price last season for not getting sufficient quality in during the off-season, and perhaps also for Bloomfield's possible naivity about being able to coach any player to play his preferred style of football that I got the impression he had. I think it's fair to say that Bloomfield learned the lessons he needed to and made signings that completely turned our season around in January, as well as decisively casting off the loan signings that didn't work out.
Just like we reaped the benefits of Ainsworth being given space to learn from his errors, we could be getting a very healthy dividend for keeping our faith in Bloomfield when the situation looked to be spiraling out of control at the turn of the year.
Edit - no idea why @drcongohas appeared in my post, but my phone won't let me delete the tag...
I'm haunting you.
I think one of the key reasons for the improvement is that we now have quality cover for every position on the field. Consequently we are not affected so seriously with injuries, suspensions, bad form etc. For example Taff and Hanlan have not been really missed
drcongo watching over the forum. Yesterday.
And Kone hasn’t bitten anyone so really he’s the best
The obvious error he was making was having his preferred system and not getting the players to play it. He had huge self-belief in 5 at the back and it didn't work with the players - over and over again. This led to a lack of confidence and a shambolic run of games where the inevitable kept on happening. It was also strange to see a squad so low on self-belief when Bloomfield is Mr Positive. But performances such as Sutton, Morecambe and Fleetwood were car crashes from the moment the game kicked off and the results were a forgone conclusion (we saved Fleetwood thanks to Fleetwood). Roll forward a months and we a team transformed mentally.
The inevitable disruption in January will be a challenge for Matt. I think we are all preparing to lose Humphreys (to a higher level) and Morley (back to his club) but this upward momentum is far more enjoyable than the falling off a cliff we had last season.
what a film.
bet you were chomping at the bit to say that
That's assuming either have a recall option. Both were announced as season long loans.
Assuming it's viable, we should be doing all we can to sign Morley on permanent basis come January. He and Scowen compliment each other perfectly.
Morley is the most important player in the team. Utterly unique.
Not like me to introduce a note of caution but we do need to bear in mind that seven of our ten league matches this season have been against bottom half clubs. That fact also has a bearing on the extremely impressive calendar year comparisons set out in the opening post, especially as the January to May results were such a big step up from those of the earlier part of the season.
Ironically, our results from the next three matches - against lower League 1 opponents (Burton and Orient) and top National League opponents (York City) - could be unusually telling. Followed by our historical bogey team (Stockport County), continuing like phoenix to rise impressively from the ashes of a decade or so in non-league.
Humphreys definitely has a recall option. Ipswich highlighted it when announcing his loan deal.
I've never seen us play Stockport (first Wycombe game was in 2011). But having checked, I can see that we've never beaten them away in 12 attempts:
https://www.11v11.com/teams/wycombe-wanderers/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Stockport%20County/
Still not as bad as our record v Coventry though:
https://www.11v11.com/teams/wycombe-wanderers/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Coventry%20City/
We have played Birmingham, Wrexham, Peterborough, Barnsley, Blackpool and Rotherham who I suspect will all finish in the Top 12, maybe even Top 10.
We have also played Bristol Rovers, Crawley, Cambridge and Northampton who could all finish in the Bottom 10 or I suspect Bottom 8.
If you look at the position of each team in the League before our game against them it’s only Barnsley (6th) and Peterborough (12th) that were Top 12.
I think that's a very fair point. Change doesn't happen overnight.
Although I'd also argue it's exactly why we should never have tried to pivot styles completely when Blooms took over in Feb 2023. We had a good shot at the play offs that season and totally blew it. Seems to me that a more pragmatic move would have been continuity of tactics till season end. And then treat 2023/24 as a season of transition (which we did very successfully).
We'll never know how that season might have played out of course. Maybe the loss of Gaz and Dobbo at such a key time meant the momentum would always have faded away.
In the end Matt and his team managed to achieve a fantastic first full season. But the relentless insistence on implementing his own tactics in the first 10 months or so of his tenure cost us a lot of results. Perhaps he felt that over the long term that was the least painful way to transition to his style of play. And he may have had assurances from Rob C that his job was secure enough to allow him to take that approach.
I suppose normally managers take over failing teams so he probably won't ever inherit a winning side again.
It's far better to write off season 23/24 and use that to embed his new ideas than it is to continue with tactics he didn't believe in, probably still not go up, and delay the transition to this season. Not least because if we were struggling now his job would be far more on the line than it was a year back.
so does Aaron Morley, Ian Evatt has said as much.
The Gasroom’s 2023 v 2024 stats would make interesting reading too.
Would be great to see a ‘Ye of Little Faith’ league table. Just for the purposes of the next time we have a wobble and people need reminding about how ridiculous they’re being.
Of course, those who slipped from the righteous path late on would be spared table-topping shame!
For some Gasroomers GA's tactically naive, no Plan B, whole period in charge was always only one game away from the disaster they had long predicted.
I think most of us were willing Matt to do well and were alarmed when he struggled. I am one of the optimists, who thought things would come good, but found themselves in a terrible position during the appalling first half against Fleetwood.
I have no idea why we fell away so badly at the end of the GA era, or that start of last season but I like the fact we seem to be building a good side scattered with some astute loans, rather than just buying a load of expensive 'experienced at this level' players to try and ensure promotion at all costs.
it is always the Gasroom way that any player any good will be 'gone in January' and any decent loanee will be recalled.
I think McKenna and Evatt have enough to worry about, so if their lads are happy and playing, I cannot see them demanding their return from a winning Wycombe side.
Famous last words.
I agree about McKenna - I think we have Hunphreys for the season. He is playing well, happy, and developing.
As for Morley, I am not a fan of Ian Evatt, and I could see him taking the lad back just to try and derail us, if we are both fighting at the top end come January! Bolton probably did not expect us to be "up there" when they agreed to the loan!
At least we have a few midfielders who could slot in there if Morley goes...but I reckon he would resist a return as much as he can if we are still challenging. I know he's one of the shareholders in Bolton, but surely it's promotion or the hook for Evatt this season?
You have to love Bolton fans!
If they are recalled, I'm sure we can get another couple of good loanees to replace them. No need to panic.