Fan scorecard: Unsung hero? Overriding emotion?
Season rating: 4/10. After a significant summer investment and coming into the season with serious momentum, to be so far adrift of the 'big 17' is a pretty major disappointment. We had a few positive moments, though, and unlike those around us stuck together despite the adversity. We'll be stronger for it.
Happy with your manager? Yes. There are things I'm sure in hindsight he could have done differently at points in the season, but Kieran McKenna is always learning and finding ways to improve. Hopefully he stays with Town and that improvement journey continues together.
Unsung hero: There will be a few of our double promotion heroes who depart this summer. One already confirmed is Massimo Luongo. The Australian joined on a free transfer in January 2023 having not made an appearance at previous club Middlesbrough. Despite this, Luongo immediately became a vital part of Town's midfield that dominated almost everyone in the EFL. Thanks Mass!
Player you would most like to sign: As noted above, our midfield department will be depleted this summer. Plus we need to address our lack of physical stature compared with the sides in the big 17. Players like that aren't typically found in our usual market in the EFL so we need to expand our scouting network to find the next Pape Sarr or Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Right now, my overriding emotion from the season is: I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed - in part at our inability to keep ourselves on the right side of the line, or at least to sustain a survival fight until the final day. Equal disappointment at what the Premier League has become in our 22 years away. Yes, it is the pinnacle, but it is also a brutal landscape which has all but left behind clubs of a modest stature now. I'm not sure that's something to be proud about.
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