yarddog73

57 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

Any update on how many have been sold  so far and in comparison with the same time last season?

Be lucky if we've shifted a thousand.

51 minutes ago, Glossop Shrimper said:

Agree.

 

Ebbsfleet tonight, whom I think will give them a game and a half. Their last game is against Boreham Wood who are just below them in the relegation zone so tonight is crucial.

 

We played Ebbsfleet away last month (1-1). At the time they were top of the form table, and were a good solid team. On that performance hard to fathom their league position. If Dominic Poleon can play like he did against us, they're in with a chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I fancy you to sneak it for what it's worth, ourselves and Aldershot are piss poor and Halifax will be running on empty come Thursday, Dale won't offer much on Saturday and if you play anywhere near the level when we visited first game this season you'll put 5 or 6 past them. If it goes down to Saturday then fair play to your lads given what they've been up against. 

30 minutes ago, daniel said:

Both clubs? I get the criticism for Latics for many things, but this is nothing to do with us! 

So we haven't agreed to it? Surely we can object to the decision then?.

Surely with the better weather Halifax pitch will be just fine on Thursday?.

It's almost as if both clubs dont want any fans there which is shocking really.

Is anyone that bothered anymore? Even Southend are likely to finish above us now even if Halifax and Aldershot bottle it.

I'm going to neither game, it's pointless.

I think Grimes at Chesterfield is a cart horse and looked worse than our centrehalfs at our place but he got the job done, he'll struggle in League 2 though. Chesterfield went up because they went for it week after week and just outscored everyone regardless of how weak they were at the back.

19 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

Weaker than the midfield…are you sure?

I'd keep Conlon, Lundstrum, Hammond and Sheron rest can go so it's a close call, obviously those four wouldn't start but I'd be happy if they were in a 22 man squad.

I'll judge Conlon when he's in a midfield three with two other footballers, Lundstrum has shown glimpses and Hammond is a project really who should develop.

I honestly think our defence is poor, for a start they've scored about one goal between them all season which is shocking really. Piss poor footballers most of them, seen better pub players.

1 minute ago, Frankly Mr Shankly said:

That we conceded less than all but two in the top six, including Chesterfield rather tellingly, suggests the problems are more at the other end of the pitch. Every team bar one has outscored us by considerable margins.

We played between 5 and 7 at the back most weeks, we even travelled to Oxford yesterday and played McGahey on the toes of the defence because they need help and are shite, add to that we have a keeper whose fucking clueless about what's going on around the pitch and that's where I'd start the rebuild. You could make a case for Kitching and either Raglan or Hobson and that would be about it for me.

5 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

I dunno - I don't think he can really win in interviews. Say everything's fine and he's blowing smoke up our arses. Says - accurately - that things aren't well and it's a bad move and demotivating. I don't think there's anything wrong with what he's said and the timing, which is when we're almost certainly not going to make the play-offs. 

 

Something needed to be said about these players. The changing room is not harmonious. The other option was to pretend everything's fine and nothing will change moving forward. 

 

As I say, we've signed a group of individuals, rather than a team. We need to address that. We need good characters, along side talent. I think Gardner is a good character to have around, Fondop is and Conlon is supposedly too. It it'll be a surprise to no one who I think is bottom of the list on that front!

I don't want lads who are good to have around I want winners who are solid footballers and good at their jobs, when the mindset changes we might get somewhere, we're not some sort of charity paying players wages who clog up treatment rooms or who looked fucked after 70 minutes as several did yesterday.

Nobody in that squad has deserved a new deal and I mean nobody, those who've got another year are lucky because there are few you'd keep if starting from scratch, honestly if the likes of Hope, Gardner, McGahey, etc.. are offered new deals I'll give up.

He said yesterday what he told the players ten games ago, it's not rocket science. 

I personally feel he wasn't arsed too much about going up because of who we had on the books next season before a ball was kicked and that group barring a few would have us relegated back out of League 2 in no time.

49 minutes ago, Frankly Mr Shankly said:

 

Isn't building a team about getting a blend right? Not having too many rhomboids in star shapes, as @lookersstandandy likes to say. We've elements of it right. I'd say the defence is fairly sound in the centre for this division. The forward line has plenty of talent running through it in it that are starved of service. Much of which boils down to the midfield being woefully underequipped to control matches and deliver ammunition. It's fairly evident to me where immediate improvements can be made ove rthe summer.

Defence is the weakest aspect for me, it really needs an overhaul and I'd only keep a couple of them.

30 minutes ago, League one forever said:

Didn’t he say Wingers have gone out of the game? 

Chesterfield, County, Wrexham all did quite well with them or playing with width.

35 minutes ago, Londonboy said:

I've said it loads of times 

We need more width and pace, and if we get this we will be a different side. I don't 100% agree with our whole squad is shit, we just need some players in specific positions, ie full backs and wingers. We are so fucking slow and narrow it's embarrassing.

Our best form and run was when Green and/or Stones were playing who gave us this.

Invest in 2 or 3 younger pacey wide men and the likes of Conlan and Lundy will look better players.

It will also stop the opposition pushing us back at the first opportunity.

Mellons biggest mistake was not addressing this when he came in.

And don't forget there was no transfer window in the National League....HE chose to bring in Dallas and Garner etc when he could have spent the money on what we actually needed.

If this is not addressed as a priority in July then he will fail and he will be gone by Xmas.

Been saying the same myself, Kanu and Sinclair would be two straight away who'd make us better, try the young lad Atherton out wide it makes us a different beast with wide men and this is an area that's been completely neglected.

1 minute ago, deyres42 said:

Mellon's plan seems to be turn over 20 players and a big dollop of Trust me bro, hardly inspiring stuff.

It's probably worked before, after his post match interview it is clear he knows both what he wants and more importantly what's required, I suspect he has four or five players lined up to come in but has given the board the ultimatum back me or sack me. As has been pointed out he's tipped it all out of the bag now and there will be no return from that, it's now the clubs choice but I suspect he fears he'll have to work with largely the same squad and that's why he's so despondent. 

For me it's important we replace Hogan both as a player and Captain, he's failed miserably during the run in both as a player and as a leader and for us to improve we need to move him on as he offers little.

7 hours ago, Can Neil Redfearn Do It said:

 

Good post. You have to wonder if there's something self-fulfilling about Mellon apparently telling the board early doors that many players on long & expensive contracts lack quality and character. These same players had enough to turn around a bad start and 'cement' their place in the play offs. They had enough to be 2nd in the away results table. They had turned a corner under Thompson, Mellon picked up the baton and we were picking up points and looking up the table for weeks and months. The subsequent capitulation and its manner is a disgrace and there's something more to the story than bad players.

 

I was well on board with Mellon and can see how his CV warrants a summer, but the players seemingly downing tools is a huge worry. Halifax and Aldershot both getting beat today is added kick in the balls. 

 

I don't think I've seen mention of the play off windfall that's been passed up which could have been anything from modest to significant. The Rothwells must be absolutely spewing on every level and you expect a manager of Mellon's profile and credentials to not let such surrenders happen on his watch - especially on the back of letting him add a few not inexpensive signings.

Great post and well articulated, particularly on the back of some very strange team selections, Norwood coming back in and offering very little in comparison to the Garner/Fondop partnership which had seen us climb well in to the playoffs, I think that's 11 games winless with Norwood in the side after he scored 12 in Mellons first 15 games he's bagged one goal against Chesterfield in the only game you could arguably say he was up for, this on the back of Mellon claiming these are the games that your big players stand up and be counted, Norwood for me has been the biggest disappointment in his last 11 games and frankly not good enough, it does feel a bit fishy to me for sure.

8 hours ago, daniel said:

It’s still highly unlikely, but we could do with Southend going up if they sneak those play offs, which would be remarkable in itself. I’d fancy them next season if they stay down and their takeover finally gets done. A few clubs could look at Maher though, as he’s done a phenomenal job. 

Yes but it takes 5 years to get everything back on an even footing.......

If you've not seen Mellon post match he's effectively agreeing with 90% of what fans on here have been suggesting the past six months and that is 'YOU CAN'T POLISH A TURD".

Just now, BP1960 said:

 

He's not happy in the job though is he? and it looks to me neither are the players. That's a major problem.

In his post match interview he's pretty much saying what we are, he's got 17 contracted players already which means he's got about 7 places to fill if he releases anyone not under contract which he really has to do. 

I'd imagine anyone who wants a move will be able to move on and that might provide a bit of room for bringing more in but as we know from previous seasons many of those deemed surplus will probably just be happy to sit on the money for another twelve months. 

The more you look at the damage Royle and Unsworth made it makes you wonder why only Unsworth lost his job because it's a huge mess that's probably going to take another season to sort out.

I'll see how the summer goes before committing anything towards next season, it is truly is soul destroying watching that week in week out at the minute and I fear next season will be much the same.

12 minutes ago, Guy Branston Pickle said:

Tells you more about our dreadful entitled fans that. Best "support" in the league

Entitled??? This season is the first in 15 that we've won more than we've lost and we are likely to finish around 10th in the fifth division.

Entitled is your West Ham fans wanting Moyes out less than a season after winning a European Trophy not fans who've seen absolutely fuck all for 30 years and are the least successful professional club in the land.

12 minutes ago, Guy Branston Pickle said:

Tells you more about our dreadful entitled fans that. Best "support" in the league

Entitled??? This season is the first in 15 that we've won more than we've lost and we are likely to finish around 10th in the fifth division.

Entitled is your West Ham fans wanting Moyes out less than a season after winning a European Trophy not fans who've seen absolutely fuck all for 30 years and are the least successful professional club in the land.

Has he gone yet?

18 minutes ago, Hurtman said:

Fuck Mellon off tonight. Give a young hungry manager the gig. Would promote Murray and his staff. It’s a shame we can’t cancel all the players contracts, I don’t want to see any of them play for us again

Your putting forward a man who thinks McGahey is the answer

1100 crowd, over 700 Latics and they just couldn't be arsed.

1100 crowd, over 700 Latics and they just couldn't be arsed.