“Having stopped up last season, SUFC could have built a new stand in the summer and shown some intent, retained Sparrow/Hayes/Maccan/Williams and replaced Hooper. A decent friendlies list and intelligent/aggressive marketing of value season tickets and return to the 2D Iron fist....pushing on (and on) with the momentumn would have made us a better choice for Adkins to stay another year instead of dropping down a division.

Instead we did NOTHING - what is it that the board at United are so great at giving us? I dont see it myself but I suppose if you compare everything to 1976 we do look to have improved (on the pitch, I'll give you that)

The reason that you JOKERS bleat on about 5,000 crowds is because the club fails to capitalise on success.

Up the Iron!”

“Who are these clubs that 'envy' us? They know full well that we have winged it by taking the money and running - a PROPER chairman would have used three years at this level (the equivilent of CL for West Ham) to build the clubs support and ground....Grimsby had 18 of 21 years at this level but failed by not moving grounds in 2000-ish. Our lack of direction/investment/vision will see us on a similar path.

When we kick off against Acc Stanley next year, in front of 3,345 you can come on here thanking Mr Wharton for giving us a club to support but in reality the msan you want to be thanking is Adkins...Wharton demoted him back to the sponge in 2004 to get Laws back - Hammmond, Baraclough etc deary me he has had a torrid season...add to that the lies about new stands, Hoopers money, sell ons etc and I fail to see where you over 60's get your excitement over? Is he some sort of pin up for you lads?

Knill seems a decent appointment and I reckon we'll be in contention seventh place next season - pointless going up if we dont expand/improve/push on offf the pitch so I can empathise with the 1000 fans who wont be sharing the 'SAGA LOVE IN' .... give us a ground to be proud of, an atmosphere beyond a bunny, a bit of passion, a proper youth set up, the clubs own training facility and maybe Mr Wharton will then worthy of some credit but he has never bailed us out or bank rolled us.

Ask yourselves this - WHO WAS THE CHAIRMAN WHEN BRIAN CLOUGH WAS AT FOREST?

Exactly.”

“At last some sensible letters with praise for Steve Wharton.Yeah,ok,could have spent a bit more at the start of the season,but with our gate of around 5,000 were never going to be able to sign players to stay at this level.We have had some good recent years,and who's to say we wont get back to championship next year.Just one question..without Steve Wharton,were would we be...probably with the mariners.... UP THE IRON”

“You can't blame Wharton, we are the envy of many clubs larger than ours.
You only have to look eastwards along the M180 to see what can happen when a football club spends money it does not have.
Do we really want to play non-league?
I say blame the fans, as someone mentioned 5000 fans in the Championship is abysmal!
When we were last promoted we were the 17th best supported club in Lge 1.
If only we could attract some plastic Mancs or Leeds fans! (you know the one's, them that wouldn't recognise Old Trafford or Elland Road if they ran into them)
With an extra 2000 on the gate we could probably have bought a few better players and stayed in the Championship punching well above our weight.
Anyway onto League 1 where hopefully we can at least consolidate.”

“Bootsy Collins, On the One.
The over 60's have lived in the real world without credit cards and overdrafts and experienced a weeks wages lasting a week.

We don't tell people how to or how they should have managed or spent their own money or money under their control.

Why don't you or the other spenders put your money where your mouths are and see if you are cabable of making us a result successful club in the Championship and triple or quadruple our attendances?

The IRON is one of four clubs that are currently in the black. we survive on less than 6,000 average gates.

At least we have a club to support and not at risk of going bust with small hard working business owed money they,ll never get. Think of Portsmouth, Leeds etc.

I was at Coventry last Friday with a 16,000 crowd and 10,000 empty seats in a stadium not owned by the club. A club that has just had a £8 million put in by directors to help them survive. You can guarantee that one way or another they'll want that money back.

We doddering over 60's go to matches to see the IRON and not to watch the directors.

Prudent survival in football with hiccups and problems is better than a rash and reckless death.

From the 50's until now I've seen the good times for the IRON and even now I reckon I will again.”

“Compare us to other clubs of a similar size and what we have achieved is tremendous.
And with a decent manager again in Alan Knill the good times may not be over yet.”

“Yes well done Mr Wharton.

Time to close down now for the annual three month summer break, a few free transfers on transfer deadline day and a fiver off season tickets should surfice.

Here is a man, who has done very well out of SUFC without investing any of his own money - in an ideal World Laws would never have left but it was Adkins alone who achieved success - no bankrolling, no enthusiasm and certainly nothing off the pitch to capture the supporters imagination...we wont ever reach these heights again because it wasn't Whartons 'magic' that took us up.

Look at the ground, look at the season ticket sales, look at the squad, look at Hammond, look at Baraclough, look at Pressman, look at Parkin...Wharton has done some good at SUFC, like actually getting involved at last but beyond that his ideal is the reason we have failed to ccapitalise on the greatest opportunity this club will ever have.

Mid table for a few years then relegation - the only people whos imagination Wharton captures are the returning 60 somethings who stayed for years and now 'cannot believe we returned to the second teir'...no one under that age has this comparison and so views the club through balanced competition with other clubs our size.

Up the Iron!”

“Got to agree with you there John, Wharton has made this club what it is today.
I just wish more of the town folk would support the club.
5000 or so gates at Championship level was pathetic to say the least.
The club really need to do something to get the locals into the Shed next season.”

“If it wasnt for Steve Wharton we would not have a football team in such an enviable position.Lets see the TOWN get behind them for a BIG season coming up. WELL DONE STEVE PLEASE KEEP THE GOOD WORK GOING”

“The one who should be looking in the mirror is Wharton. How does the criminal, penny pinching way you dismantled the squad last summer compared to the £3.7m loss of TV money look now Steve ?”