JoeP

11 minutes ago, doctor evil said:

In a better league position in the NLN maybe....

Meh, you think about that Dorking home game that we won 3-2 with "terrible" players like Cooper, Tolitt and Hope playing a leading role.  Pisses on most of what we've seen this season.  Give him the budget Unsworth and Mellon have had and who knows?

Wouldn't have him back now, but he certainly wouldn't have done any worse..

I honestly think we'd be in a better position if we'd have stuck with Shez..

First doubts of Mellon creeping in today. How were Fylde more up for it than we were? 

That keeper handball non-decision is one of the worst pieces of refereeing I've ever seen, but let's have it right - we deserved nothing. 

There isn't one player I'd keep. 

The worse thing is - what hope is there for next season??

10 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

He’s being carried now in this team. Well off the pace 

As culpable as any of them...

Nothing smacked of "can't be arsed" more than their second goal..

23 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Some interview though, I'm actually staggered he's been allowed anywhere near one before given the tripe he's spouted.

 

"We've got ourselves in a position where we can turn the season in to a successful one".

 

Really? Did he do this interview 5 games ago?.

 

"I think we are going in the right direction".

 

He doesn't seem convinced.

 

"We strive for consistency in performance and results".

 

Spectacular fail on that front then, infact I'd go as far to claim the thing he strives for most is our achilles heel.

 

"Squad which on paper should be competing but was struggling at the bottom".

 

Not entirely true, we were seven unbeaten in between Rhino going and Mellon coming in, 4 wins and 3 draws including a win away at Altrincham in the Cup so the suggestion we were a lost cause is frankly bollocks.

 

"We've been saying for weeks now that we don't want to be relying on results that other teams get".

 

That's exactly were we are at now though isn't it and reaching the playoffs is no longer in our own hands.

 

"Obviously it's nice when you look at results and your competitors drop points ".

 

Nobodies dropping more than us at the minute.

 

"I believe fitness and consistency are getting closer together each week"

 

Nice to know the fitness is coming along - nearly six months in to their tenure, as for consistency the only thing we are consistent at is being inconsistent. 

 

I know pre match interviews are something nobody wants to do but that one there is about as car crash as it gets.

 

I mean you could interpret most of it positively - the first line about "getting us into a position to be successful" is a good message, as he's saying we've not given up.

It is in our hands, but we'd have to beat Alty and Halifax.

Mystified by the "fitness is coming along" one.  It's nearly the end of the season!  Then they'll lose fitness over the summer.  Then they'll have to build it up again!

1 hour ago, deckyd said:

If we get a performance resembling anything like that of last Sat, think its going to turn very very negative, (even more so than some fans are feeling currently).  We need to pull a performance out of somewhere, which can happen with this team and hopefully today is one of those days.  

 

Graeme Souness (podcast) used to tell one of his players back in the day, if they were under the cosh, losing or game was dead, that one of them put in a massive tackle (fair or otherwise) or to start a ruckus to get the fans involved and galvanise the team, anything to gee them up.  Not a bad idea, within reason of todays standards,  so many home games this season there has been nothing to shout about, a bit of commitment or passion from the players may at least keep the fans motivated to stay with them so to speak.  

We need something to hang onto today.

If they don't have a right good go, I'd honestly play the kids for the rest of the season.

1 hour ago, Frankly Mr Shankly said:

What would be seen as the biggest surprise in our history? Promotion at Wembley this season or saying we'll stay up in 1993 a fortnight before the season ended? Surely the odds were longer on that?

Promotion at Wembley this season.

There were signs of life before the last week of the Great Escape in '93.  Beating United, Spurs and fighting to the end against Everton away and QPR.

This lot have none of that fire in their bellies...and they've got to win more games.

34 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

 

I know he's a model pro, represents the club impeccably and puts most of the squad to shame with his fitness and application but we need better players if we are going to progress. He's out of contract and his wage would be better used elsewhere. 

Has he not argued with the fans a couple of times this season?

If he thinks we're pricks now, he'll have seen nothing if he becomes manager!

21 minutes ago, GlossopLatic said:

We need to remember that all the teams around us are fallable it's not entirely beyond the realms of possibility that we could be back in the race this time next week.

There's still enough games left for it to turn around as quickly as it went south. 

No silly bollocks on Friday, though. I'd say we've got to view it as a must win..

2/3 ain't going our way..

1 minute ago, daniel said:

Would you say the same if we finished 7th with Southend less than 10 points behind us?

I certainly wouldn't be advocating they get the points back. 

I want to go up, even if it's undeserved, unjustified and needs a dollop of shithousery...

7 minutes ago, daniel said:

Gateshead fielding an ineligible player according to their fans. Player given straight red at Ebbsfleet has started, but according to some of their fans it should be a 3 game ban. Unsure if they are right or not.

Come on! Let's get into the play-offs on a points deduction! 

31 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Whoever the manager is needs to fit into our framework and way of playing, not just given carte blanche to do what they want, sign who they want.

Why not? Surely it's the manager who should dictate how we play, rather than a "stats department" and "recruitment department" tossing the manager a load of players he might not want and expecting him to turn the team into 70s Brazil...

19 minutes 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

 

So when the inevitable sacking happens we are going to be left with a load of players on the wrong side of 30 who the next manager probably isn't going to like the look of.

Nah, the manager's got to be the one choosing which players to sign. 

The post-sacking load of players that a new manager might not want is just a problem that's occurred since the dawn of time. Well, football. 

7 minutes ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

No it's not a shambles we are in a rebuilding phase on and off the pitch the off the pitch rebuilding has included alot of easy wins, opening the fans bar, opening the North Stand, a prayer room new benches in the dug out and just an attempt to engage with the fans and treat them like adults rather than talk down to them like the failed policeman did. The wins on the pitch imparticularly the goal of promotion is significantly harder. 

 

Some of the hyperbolic language used on here such as us being "a shambles" or "an embarrassment" is just pathetic petty and juvenile.

Spot on. 

I see both sides. With the money spent, should at be playing better? Yes, probably. Is the fact we're not a reason for James Norwood to get the hump or abuse be directed from the fans at a team in the play-off shake-up after a disappointing performance? No.

10 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

I’m sure he would have liked to enjoy his twilight years in professional football.

Would you enjoy playing in this shambles of a set up? I certainly wouldn’t!

TBH…..If we don’t start playing to his strengths it’s pointless him being here!

I actually think he would take a pay cut given the chance to join the right club!

No one held a gun to his head to come here..

Is the club a shambles or just in a rebuilding phase? 

14 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

And who could blame him, we are a fucking embarrassment!

Sounds like he thinks he's bigger than the club...

20 minutes ago, Boyyou said:

Chesterfield have previously tried to sign Dallas and will be well aware of Norwood's ability. Doubt they would rely solely on what I agree was an indifferent day for them at BP.

Do you not think they could play L2? That was my point.

I'm not entirely convinced they can play in the National League, let alone L2!

Can't be arsed getting into the Norwood debate again and I don't have the time or inclination to research what players have been like elsewhere, but Dallas hasn't even scored yet!  And Chesterfield aside he hasn't exactly shined particularly brightly... 

11 minutes ago, Boyyou said:

Chesterfield assistant boss heaped praise on him and Dallas. Wouldn't mind betting they would fancy the pair of them in L2, even with Grigg still on their books.

Come on...

We really are letting that draw against on-the-beach Chesterfield cloud our judgement on the rest of the season...

12 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Hopefully someone like a Macclesfield might be daft enough to take Norwood, get two strikers in with those wages.

Or a good midfielder...

I think it's a lot about personalities, rather just than talent.

We obviously need a balanced squad, but they've all got to buy into what Mellon wants to do.  Then - you'd expect - they'd be battling every week. 

No Billy Big Bollocks. Talented youngsters, with older pros, who's drag them through matches in a positive way.

I dunno if the wage structure needs looking at too. Think it needs spreading more evenly throughout the squad, rather than just having the strikers on the comparatively big bucks...

17 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

I don't disagree with you Joe on the evidence of hope on the pitch when it comes to performances. But as a season as a whole, purely on results, there has been evidence of hope. If I was defending the on pitch stuff I'd probably point to having 4 different match day managers this season (I'm stretching by including Murray in that I admit). And that Mellon is the only one who comes with any pedigree. 28 games is not long enough to declare whether someone has been or is going to be a success or not.

 

When it comes to turning the club around, if we do happen to be a fixture in the top 3 over the course of next season, would that not be seen as good progress within the timeframe? Is it realistic or fair to expect that to have happened during the 2nd season and be so furious as some are that we aren't at that point now? I'd argue not. Yes Frank has made immediate changes, but you could say that about a lot of businesses. Buy a restaurant, bring in a michelin star chef and give them a shiny new kitchen but would or should that guarantee that the food is consistently great and you have a great and profitable restaurant within a few months? I don't think things are that simple.

Well, yes I think it would! To stretch the metaphor slightly, a Michelin star chef isn't going to start producing shit food if everything is in place - but our footballers seem to be doing that!

I dunno, I don't get the anger when we're still in with a shout now and I don't blame Mellon at the moment and certainly don't blame Frank. There's just something not working when it should be. I'm not sure we've seen enough this season to be excited for next season. I can see a clear out and it taking another year to build for the following year..

1 hour ago, nzlatic said:

 

Unfortunately, turning around a business is not as easy as just injecting some cash, or playing 442, or putting a youth player in the team.

This line gets wheeled out a lot, but Frank changed a lot almost instantly. He cleared debt, bought the ground, there's nothing that remains of the Lemsagam era (apart from maybe not acknowledging disappearing players!), improved the match day experience with the fan bar and signed players that should be the best in the league considering the money they're on. 

It's football. It's a business, yes, but it's a simple one. 

The league table suggests there has been progress as you say and it's the wrong time for the fans to be angry as we can still go up and want everyone to be pulling together. However, I would argue there still isn't perhaps much evidence of hope on the pitch. I'm not sure anyone seriously believes we're going up this season. It would be miraculous. 

28 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

This is just not true though, only the week before we lost a 2-0 lead, got a point but could of ended up with none yet the team were applauded off like heroes, not because they'd won a point but because they'd left it all out on the pitch, performance wise you'd say they all played their part.

 

Fast forward to the following Saturday and you couldn't single one player out who did the same, not one. Now to me there is something fundamentally wrong with a group of players that weak. I really am getting fucked off with every man and his dog blaming the fans, it's weak and divisive for a start. What happened at home to Kidderminster then when I didn't hear a boo or grown all game despite feeling embarrassed for Mr Rothwell?. Yet we didn't even get going, have a go or show an ounce of Oldham pride?.

 

This group of players and the manager now are becoming an embarrassment, they are weak and he is weaker for allowing it, he's reaffirmed this behaviour by unconditionally selecting players who continuously let him down, I don't give a fuck if he plays a kid on the wing who fights and gives his all instead of some player who swans about going through the motion.

 

He keeps telling us he's got a group he trusts and one that represents the people of Oldham, well that's a load of shite as well.

 

We've had players fall off the face of the earth still being paid wages - but apparantly we are all in this together.

 

Back end of last season Unsworth somehow got a tune out of a far inferior squad and Mellon is doing the opposite when it counts, our home record under him is a huge worry going forward and he's been unable to find any answers so far despite being able to bring six players in to the fold, only two of them started Saturday and they were arguably our worst players in Walker and Conlon. Nothing that was wrong within the squad has been addressed and we are spluttering our way through to the end of the season with a lot of these weak players already signed up for next season.

 

It's a mess that needs sorting out, recruitment has been abysmal and I put that at Darren Royles door, there doesn't seem to be any conceivable plan other than someone at the club being pally with a number of agents which is no way to do business, whose identifying what we need because we finished with four strikers on the pitch Saturday and a midfield that couldn't pass piss, not a wide player at the club, four strikers who I'd beat over 50 yards with little pace and our standard bunch of right footed centrehalfs. It's criminal really the mess that squads in.

 

Anyway good luck with the season ticket sales which are likely to dictate the budget but I guess that will be the fans fault again.

Good post. 

Without wanting to pick holes, Unsworth didn't have us playing any better than we are now. He had an unbelievable run of luck by winning games where the opposition missed chances and we won games we really should have drawn and lost. 

The players disappearing off the face of the earth thing is weird. It started in the Lemsegam era and bizarrely seems to have continued into Frank's.

14 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

I was castrated for saying his signings have been shite last week.

No one deserves that.  Jesus.