TheBigDog

Rochdale Away was Mellon’s first game in charge.

We sat in 12th place in the table following a six match unbeaten run (seven if you count Altrincham in the cup) by caretaker management since Unsworth was sacked.

Rochdale at Home will be Mellon’s 28th league game at the helm.

We now sit in 9th place in the table despite a mediocre March and start to April.

Our overall league record under MM is:

P27 W11 D8 L8 Points 41 

- playoff form? 

His win percentage is 40.74%

The chance of finishing in the top seven is highly unlikely but it would be nice to win on Saturday - let’s hope the players and manager believe.

Our recent slump in form has been hugely disappointing and has led to many (myself included) questioning the players and the manager’s ability to lead us out of this division. 

A win in Saturday please.

2 hours ago, Frankly Mr Shankly said:

MM is just rotating a fairly bad / inexperienced bunch of players to get through to the end of the season.

And by doing so, he’s not doing  himself any favours and more importantly he is disrupting the team

9 hours ago, old codger said:

His race has been run he is a yesterday man just as Rhino was a nowhere near man.  This season, next season, sometime actually never with this manager.

If we had not given Mellon such a long contract, I’m not sure he would be safe.

And if the rumours are true, he may well walk at the end of the season…

We are only 5 points off the playoffs….

1 hour ago, League one forever said:

Because we have a manager who does the following. 
 

Drops players inexplicably after a good game. 
 

Picks players who aren’t in form because they are ‘leaders’ 

 

Massively over rotates and doesn’t let partnership’s build. 
 

Is more concerned with not conceding than first rather than scoring the first goal. 
 

Plays players needlessly out of position when he has others who can play the position naturally. 
 

Wont play any youth players to bring some energy or zip. 
 

 

The players need take some responsibility- no question. But ultimately you can’t sack 25 players. . 

The manager has shown over the last ten games that he simply doesn’t have what’s needed to get the team to play - sure the players are to blame but I genuinely believe that Mellon is more to blame for the way we are ending the season

1 minute ago, AndyB2 said:

Casual, slow, weak, lazy and lethargic. Oafc 2024 

Once again we are playing with no conviction or belief going forward - slow and ponderous, lacking any creativity - it’s as if we are afraid to play

I hear that the team have decided to play with total energy and commitment for the whole game, passing the ball on the ground and defending as if their lives depended on it - total football…

Nah…April Fool

2 hours ago, Lee Sinnott said:

We weren't bad against Dagenham. Certainly weren't a horror show...

It fookin’ was

Hudson

McGahey, Raglan, Hogan, Kitching

Gardner, Conlon, Sheron, Lundstram

Dallas, Norwood, 

Norman, Hobson, Hammond, Garner, Sutton

4 hours ago, andy_b_100 said:

For the the first 7 mins Fylde didnt see any of the ball, Hogan slipped presenting them with a chance and they smelled the blood. Our performances seemed to be linked to individual players rather that 'the team' . I looked back at games that we had won (or drawn) and on every occaision both Hogan and Kitching were praised. If these two do not perform the team does not perform. They are both constants in the team, thats the problem we have noone to replace Kitching, we do have players to replace Hogan (but dont). We have 1 right back and dont play him we have one right winger and dont play him. There are 2-3 changes in first team players in almost every line up and never know why ( Raglan, Lundstrum this week). We are narrow and the only option at times is to hoof. On the occasions yesterday when we broke wide there was no player in the middle. 

I cant cope with the standard of refereeing, 3 seconds after Hobson was rugby tackled and conlon garotted, Fondop was sent off for playing the ball and having his leg studded. 

 

I really hate this goddamn league 

 

I hate watching my team in this goddam league.

We set up narrow on Friday with no width and yet their first goal was straight through the middle of our team - someone runs at us and we crumble.

The players have no balls, no backbone and no urgency. 
 

If they have anything about them, then we will see a reaction tomorrow - but if it starts poorly then it’s going to be more of the same

3 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

Maybe.  There seemed an air of resignation in the crowd yesterday before the players came on the pitch and hammered the theory home.

The home crowd is never as toxic as the away following - if we play like we have in our last two away games then it could get nasty 

5 minutes ago, BradKnowles1 said:

Won’t Fondop be on a 4 game ban anyway due to a second violent conduct red card? 

Not if an appeal is successful

11 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Just yesterday we had;

 

McGahey at RB there he just looks exposed

Hogan at left CB when his preffered position is on the right

Gardner LM when his strength is on the ball in the middle

Hammond RM where he's looked less effective every time he's played

Norwood shifted to RF which is criminal really, he should be in a two and preferably with Dallas

Dallas who came on as a LF and the same applies as did to Norwood

 

You could go on and on, add to that Mellon has a penchant for dropping his inform players, Dallas the latest yesterday yet he'd arguably been our best player before yesterday, Fondop is dropped on a whim regardless of what he does, Sachdev MOM - not seen since. Walker played well and frozen out, Sutton blamed for everything and the defensive scapegoat yet we have some absolute raffle winners keeping their places week after week despite conceding soft goal after soft goal, keeper keeps his place regardless of what he does, kills us in an attacking sense and plays with no hands some weeks, about eight strikers but one of the lowest scorers in the division over the past couple of months.

Agree with most of that - Walker has shown very little in the time he has been here and Hudson has obviously been instructed to slow things down I reckon.

Mellon has been failing for quite a while now and the doubts I had about him when he was appointed have not gone away.

14 hours ago, yarddog73 said:

That ref was as bad as you'll ever see, he was totally incompetent but what can we do about that? He was determined to make it about him. I can honestly say it's the first time I've seen a player getting sent off for being fouled and their keeper should of gone for a blatant handball 10 yards outside his area that prevented a goal scoring opportunity. He also missed so many decisions it was actually embarrassing and he looked genuinely out of his depth.

Do the club have the right to appeal the red card? If so, will they?

I have watched the incident several times and it is clearly the wrong decision.

13 hours ago, League one forever said:

I disagree. 
 

A lot of this is choice. 
 

Sav is Fit- plays Magehy. 
 

Plays biscuits legs as a left winger. 
 

Plays Ollie as a right winger. 
 

Plays two midgets up front- none of which are know for their aerial  prowess and they lose every duel against their 6foot plus defenders- not their fault but it rendered them both completely ineffective. 
 

Constant rotation of players even if they’ve played well. 
 

The tactics he says he doesn’t want or endorse (hoof) the players constantly revert to. . . 
 

Too many times- the whole team are awful. If the whole team are panicking in possession, passing to the opposition, lacking fight, not working hard enough- then it suggests something deeper. Not every player at the club is absolutely dire, and yet that’s what we are seeing. 

Sums it up for me.

A mate of mine posted this in our WhatsApp group:

”Just seen MM's post match interview and it illustrates one problem our players have ... he can't communicate or explain anything simply - he just rambles and strings clichés and meaningless phrases together.
Players are at fault in lots of ways but if his team talks are like this interview then they walk on the pitch confused and demotivated “

My view - he hasn’t got a clue has he?

1 hour ago, old codger said:

I read through looking to see if someone else had spotted the differential increase for old codgers like me.

 

Thanks LaticMark.  

 

There are so many of us and just as the Tories are moving the balance of taxation away from workers (broadly speaking NIC payers) to pensioners (who pay no NIC) the Latics want us old ones to pay a larger proportion of gate income.

3 minutes ago, Monty Burns said:

about time Boomers paid a decent price for sumat!!

It was pretty cheap last time around tbf - it’s still less than a tenner

Just now, oafcmetty said:

1-0 Fylde, 10/1

3-0 Latics 14-1

9 hours ago, Lee Sinnott said:

We are in good form, only 2 defeats in 11. We'll win by at least three goals...

I’ve gone for 3-0

1 hour ago, Lags said:

A good few factors contribute to what people spend, which everyone of us knows about. Necessity spending first. Then it's the amount of disposable income being the next biggest. A persons perceived wants/interests/leisure/time and the enjoyment gained from that activity being paid for.

 

Regarding ST's in particular then the level of disposable income available will be a big one. Matched with whether Latics and football in general being their go to interest/bag. Enjoyment/Entertainment is certainly up there as a main reason and that could purely be for the social side of it.

 

Then we have those with the disposable and the affiliation to the club who see it as helping out financially. I'd wager plenty of these have missed a good number of home games this season and the money wasted isn't a driver for them not renewing again next season. I've missed loads this season whether it be through work, family commitments or lethargy to the dross. I am certainly in this category these days.

 

The one thing and the biggest thing that increases sales is a winning, entertaining team. If the club shop is buzzing it means we are top of the league.

 

I hope for the Rothwell's sakes sales remain buoyant.

Top post

48 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 I've lost any interest in the next game - which I won't be attending.

Following the D&R performance, I too lost my enthusiasm for Latics… so much so that I cancelled my trip up for the Fylde game.

I presume it will be available to watch on National League TV so at least I’ll avoid a 400 mile round trip

48 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Things could get nasty at Halifax.

If the team cuts out the poor attitude and basic mistakes and just plays football then the fans will back them - that's all we ask.

23 minutes ago, Lee Sinnott said:

We'll make them. Lot more twist and turns to come. We don't need to win on Friday, but it would help...

@Lee Sinnott the antidote to @GKing521

I know it’s looking highly unlikely that we will be involved, but the Playoff Final has been moved to Sunday May 5 due to Aslef strikes on the 4th

2 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

Bet they wouldn’t be interested in any of ours!!

or would they?…

2 hours ago, deyres42 said:

The worry for me is that we seem to have given Mellon and Brabin the keys to the castle and moved away from what we were trying to do with a head coach and head of recruitment - you can question the quality of player and the staff brought in but the idea itself was the right one IMO

Brabin is also Sporting Director at TNS - I wonder if there are one or two gems he could entice to the heady heights of the National League?