Londonboy

11 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

We know all this, I already said he’s being honest.

I should imagine a fair chunk of ST holders are still mulling over renewing.

That interview will have a massive bearing on the outcome.

He could have been a little more positive in outlining his plans for next season given the timing.

He’s as good as written it off FFS!!……I really can’t imagine the board being too happy either!

 

 

You are spot on. There will deffo be some who were unsure about renewing who now will bail, which will not help us improve the squad.

Some may say it's an honest assesment from Mellon, I say it was a self preservation speech already making excuses for failure next season. 

And when you strip everything back, ignoring the noise and excuses, the fact is Mellon has resided over a team that has not won for 11 games.

Not sure when ANY manager over recent years has managed a run this bad and fuck me we've had some shockers

And they were playing sides who were considerably better than the likes of fucking Oxford City, Fylde, D&R and Wealdstone.

Any manager in any league with this run of results and an apparent dubious relationship with both players and fans, particularly from where we were at the end of Feb would be gone 99% of the time. 

Not sure why we should be any different.

9 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

Lost respect for the guy when he challenged the interviewer on the the suggestion our season had collapsed. If he is willing to be so honest about the quality of the team, why would he try and put a positive spin on the last 10/12 games when there is simply nothing positive to take from them.

 

Don't often agree with your posts but I do in this case.

He tries to justify the season didn't collapse as we played some top teams....we failed to fucking win in the last 11 games, played some of the worst football I've seen, and screwed up what was a solid play off spot at the end of February......to me that's a pretty spectacular collapse!!!

Oh and did he conveniently forget in this winless run, we managed to lose at home to the "top teams" Fylde and Wealdstone, who could have been relegated yesterday btw, and failed to beat or even score against the mighty Oxford City and D&R!!

Cut our losses....again unfortunately....and start again with someone who actually seems to want to be here.

56 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

We’ve had him here 7 months now and he is over 30 games in.

You would expect to see what a Mellon team might look like by now….if it’s this then fuck me!!!

 

He keeps saying he knows what a good player looks like yet his signings have been truly horrendous….

Conlon is totally disinterested, Sachdev doesn’t know if he’s on his arse or his elbow, Hammond looks like he’s never played football before, Dallas couldn’t trap a bag of cement and Walker…well what about Walker?

 

He new what he was inheriting here and took the job on knowing that….I cannot think of a single positive he has brought to the table!

 

Have you seen anything…and I mean anything at all, to suggest Mellon is the man to take us forward?

Absolutely nothing!!

However much we feel we don't want to start again, I'd bin him now as he has lost the players and many of the supporters.

Not sure who we would get but a dour sour Scotsman clearly isn't the answer...

3 hours ago, JoeP said:

 

Yes, agreed. It also probably needs to be tailored for this level, if York are also using it in the same way. 

 

It is a problem, if we're using it in the way I suspect. It should be an extra tool for recruitment, rather than the main tool. As I say, the fact that we have a collection of individuals, rather than a team suggests to me that our recruitment has been heavily stats/attributes based and it hasn't worked. 

 

I don't mind them trying it and it not working, but they don't seem to have gone back to the drawing board at any point. They seem to be persevering with the way they use it at great cost. 

York spent the most on agents in our league by a mile....£130k this year ,and nearly got relegated, so yes the evidence suggests it needs modification for the Ntaional League!!

3 hours ago, BP1960 said:

Can anyone send me the stat bombs attributes of our youth team player Alfie Atherton?

I bet they don't tick the required boxes, yet my own eyes tell me he's going to be a  great player. Who will be right in the future I wonder?

You may be right but if he's a hot prospect why has he not been picked up by a bigger club? They could get him for peanuts if they saw any potential in him?

3 minutes ago, Glossop Shrimper said:

Gateshead win tomorrow.

You win on Thursday.

 

And ... 

 

It's 4 Cup finals on Saturday.

 

I know we're very late to the party, but after this season, just staying up was our hope, anything else is the icing on the cake

Btw not sure how you lot spent £60k+ on agents wages if you had an embargo and were skint. ...figures are from Feb 23 to Feb 24??

This seasons agents fees were released today! (Feb 23- Feb 24)

Just over £600k was paid out by NL clubs.

We spent the 2nd highest figure and paid over £82k to agents...

Chesterfield spent £52k....

Gateshaed spent nothing....

The teams currently in 2nd to 7th spent £85k COMBINED!

Someone needs to fucking sort our recruitment policy out! £82k to agents bringing us these wasters.

Top spenders by a mile were York who somehow spent £129k and may still go down!!!

On 4/14/2024 at 1:00 PM, League one forever said:

No, not at all. 
 

This squad is more than good enough to finish at least 7th.
 

We’ve won 2 in 13.

 

If we had won 3 or 4 in 13 we’d still be in with a shout. 
 

In my view- the squad has underachieved but Mellon is putting it all on the players (despite saying he’s not above criticism) he needs to look in the mirror over the summer and ask why they’re not interested in anymore- because quite simply we can’t sack 20 players. 
 

 

They haven't been though have they.....??

Over a season the table doesn't lie!

We are 12 points off 4th top and 12 off 4th bottom. 

Yes MM needs to take some accountability on tactics, selection etc but at the end of the day based on what's been put out on the field we are fucking average on this tinpot league and unless he changes some personnel and his tactics it will be the same next season.

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.

We are 12 points above 4th bottom Boreham.Wood and 12 points behind 4th top Alty. 

Tells us exactly where our squad is in terms of quality which is bang average.

I genuinely don't know where we go from here??

Stick with a manager who clearly sounds like he thinks we have another painful journey ahead next season, and has been lost over the last 10.games 

Twist and go again with someone new who will still inherit our bunch of frauds who arn't good enough.... but may have a different view on how we play 

Bloody depressing init.

5 minutes ago, 100milesaway said:

And gaining ground, and going like a train come Southend. 

Southend set up and play to win football matches....we play to try and not lose them....

FFS it's 0-0 and we are playing bottom of the league....who are already relegated.....who have only 32 points....who have a -37 GD....who have won 2/17 since Xmas....and who have conceded 40 goals in these 17 games.

What the fuck are the management team doing with these wasters in training!!

More pressure on Mellon if the score stays like this.....or gets worse. Not doing himself any favours at all at the moment and he seems like he's about as bothered as the players are based on recent pre and post match pressers

4 hours ago, Worcester Owl said:

If we're going to quote win % the only one that matters is league wins.

 

DU in his first season was 35.14% as you say, 13 from 37. By the time he left it was 14 from 46, or 30.43%. 

 

MM has 11 wins from 28 or 39.29%. Until the current poor run of 8 without a win he was consistently > 50%, which is a high threshold.

 

He is demonstrably a better manager than DU. I hope he is still up for the challenge - if so, he should be given a summer transfer window and the whole of next season (barring catastrophe, obviously) to show what he can do.

I'm not saying in managerial terms he's no better than Rhino...which is a pretty low bar.

He should fucking be based on his experience at lower league level. 

I'm also not suggesting we should have stayed with Rhino...I've always said he should have gone way before he did.

However I'm just being realistic.

His overall record in on par with Unsworth which is unacceptable....as Unsworths was. 

All this bollocks about him having a good run before imploding is irrelevant. Rhinos record somehow was brilliant after Xmas last year which doesn't mean hes a brilliant manager!!

Mellon got us into a great position to extend the season TICK.... but couldnt get us over the line FAIL.

Also the inept performances in the FA Trophy, something we could have won, cannot be ignored.

A trip to Wembley is a nice distraction and a good revenue stream. It's not done Solihul ot Gateshead any harm has it, as they are both comfortable in the top 7 and their supporters have at least one big day out at Wembley to look forward to. 

I can't be arsed to drive 30 mins to Oxford on Saterday such is our implosion.

Mellon will get the summer and beyond to turn things around...unless we lose our last 3 games which would really put the pressure on the board. 

He needs to make the right decisions on signings and how we play though otherwise he will be gone by Xmas and we start again

4 hours ago, Worcester Owl said:

If we're going to quote win % the only one that matters is league wins.

 

DU in his first season was 35.14% as you say, 13 from 37. By the time he left it was 14 from 46, or 30.43%. 

 

MM has 11 wins from 28 or 39.29%. Until the current poor run of 8 without a win he was consistently > 50%, which is a high threshold.

 

He is demonstrably a better manager than DU. I hope he is still up for the challenge - if so, he should be given a summer transfer window and the whole of next season (barring catastrophe, obviously) to show what he can do.

I'm not saying in managerial terms he's no better than Rhino...which is a pretty low bar.

He should fucking be based on his experience at lower league level. 

I'm also not suggesting we should have stayed with Rhino...I've always said he should have gone way before he did.

However I'm just being realistic.

His overall record in on par with Unsworth which is unacceptable....as Unsworths was. 

All this bollocks about him having a good run before imploding is irrelevant. Rhinos record somehow was brilliant after Xmas last year which doesn't mean hes a brilliant manager!!

Mellon got us into a great position to extend the season TICK.... but couldnt get us over the line FAIL.

Also the inept performances in the FA Trophy, something we could have won, cannot be ignored.

A trip to Wembley is a nice distraction and a good revenue stream. It's not done Solihul ot Gateshead any harm has it, as they are both comfortable in the top 7 and their supporters have at least one big day out at Wembley to look forward to. 

I can't be arsed to drive 30 mins to Oxford on Saterday such is our implosion.

Mellon will get the summer and beyond to turn things around...unless we lose our last 3 games which would really put the pressure on the board. 

He needs to make the right decisions on signings and how we play though otherwise he will be gone by Xmas and we start again

7 hours ago, yarddog73 said:

I'm struggling to see how we are better off, after dismissing Unsworth early on his tenure I'd given him the benefit of the doubt this time last year given the post Christmas run, that seemed far more effective than the one we've just had to endure under Mellon. Unsworth only needed 5 or 6 if we are using that logic but he and Mellon have since double and trebled down on players who play the same positions.

 

What's been put in place to avoid this happening again?, what's the actual plan?, it's all guess work at the minute and on the back of that there is probably and expectation from the club that fans will buy in to the mess.

I didn't like Unsworth one bit, and thought he was completely out of his depth and was really glad when he was sacked..

However in his first season his win rate was about 35%....shit I know.

Mellons so far as about 33%

Whatever anyone says both  Mellons win rate and the teams performances have been no better than Rhinos.

He's been a massive disappointment so far, and started 10 of Unsworths squad on Saturday. 

Progress eh.....

45 minutes ago, TheBigDog said:

 

 

 

 

SIX years ago - the league has changed hugely in that time.

 

He really has shown that he knows the National League hasn’t he?

 

This. 

NL now is a different animal than then.

Pretty much all teams are now full time, with money and ambition.

To me he has shown no evidence that he knows  how to get out of this league unless someone can tell me differently.

He's won 10/30 games in charge which is a piss poor win rate in this league.

1 hour ago, League one forever said:

 

I agree with you- no manager can ask for time if results aren’t good enough against the agreed expectation. However, I still think he gets the summer and then we look at it again after ten games. 
 

Are you saying- sack him now? 

I've been supporting Latics for close on 50 years now and I know changing the manager every 12 months is not the answer. The 2 most successful managers in my era were Frizzel and Big Joe and both were given the time to make their mark and they did.

However what's most important is we have the right manager in place to give time...and resources too, and I'm not convinced yet this is Mellon even with his track record. 

Are his tactics outdated in the modern game? Is he prepared to take more risks? 

His previous success' were a bit turgid by all accounts, and as can be seen in recent seasons, the teams that succeed like Stockport, Wrexham, Notts County, Chesterfield all score goals by the hateful with an attractive, pacey brand of football, and with a nice mixture of experience and youth. It's questionable I think if this is something Mellon can deliver.

We missed out on Williamson which was a big mistake, and opted for Mellon so he deserves the chance I guess to put things right next season, however I have a horrible feeling that it may be a similar story and we are saying the same things again next April

3 hours ago, the_mighty_bosh said:

 

I've only just checked our home record this season.  Boreham Wood (our last home win back in February) have a better home record than us and they're in the relegation zone.

 

No wonder we're not getting in the playoffs with that home record.  

It's abysmal Bosh and has got embarrassingly worse under Mellon unfortunately.

3 wins in 16 games and this includes trophy games against tin pot teams.

Some on here think this is progress....not sure what drugs they are on but I'll have some please!

He picks the team, he dictates the tactics so the book stops with him.

It's just not good enough.

8 hours ago, Sloshed Joe said:

You can see why people feel like this though, given the huge expectation to be one of the favourites to win the league, and all the attacking talent we were purring over before the season started.

 

The majority of the fanbase only see the home games. If you’d told me that we’d only win 6 league games out of 22 at Boundary Park (and get embarrassed at home in the FA Trophy by Hendon and Mickleover) then I’d be worried that this WAS a relegation season.

I think Mellon has won 3/16 at home since his appointment which in most circumstances would mean a manager loses his job.

Before his appointment under the 2 previous regime's we had 

P9. W3. D4. L2. Not great but circa 1.5 pts a game.

Maybe the reason we have been so crap at home isn't so much the players can't perform under the pressure, but the negative tactics applied by the manager?

He needs to show he can make 4 or 5 additions in the areas we need before August, which we can all see, manage the players we have better and get more out of them, and coach them to play a system that wins more games with positive and aggressive football.

Personally I'm not confident he can do this but he will be given the opportunity so

1 hour ago, BP1960 said:

 

4 match ban.

He's a target for ruthless defenders, but hope he will learn from that.

 

Do they transfer over to the NL BP?? I'd be surprised if they did?

5 hours ago, Sloshed Joe said:

You can see why people feel like this though, given the huge expectation to be one of the favourites to win the league, and all the attacking talent we were purring over before the season started.

 

The majority of the fanbase only see the home games. If you’d told me that we’d only win 6 league games out of 22 at Boundary Park (and get embarrassed at home in the FA Trophy by Hendon and Mickleover) then I’d be worried that this WAS a relegation season.

Fair point well made 

14 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

This sums it up for me, it is possible to admire him but have reservations about some parts of his game and that's where I'm at.

 

He stands out for me because his weakness kills us but on the flip side he's the strongest runner, fiercest tackler and is as game as they come but in that area of the pitch I'd rather be looking after the football than looking for it. 

 

He can play almost any position on the pitch in a defensive role so on that basis you'd keep him but if he's playing centrally in midfield he needs ballers around him who he can do the donkey work for.

 

There's better out there though, we need a Matty Palmer or Alfie McCalmont type who we can play through and that for me has to be the priority as well as wide men to complement Green and I'm talking about players like Kanu and Sinclair at Dale, solid consistent wide men are a must in NL and you probably need 3 or 4 in the squad.

 

Defensive frailties are obvious and you could argue the defence needs a complete overhaul, by my reckoning we probably need eight new players to push on up.

At last you've mentioned the real problem.....

Don't care who you have in midfield if you have no width you have no options. 

Get some pace out wide and 2 decent overlapping full backs and Sheron will do just fine winning the ball and/or moving it on to a Conlon or Lundy or passing a simple ball out wide himself.

Our only decent option out wide is Green.

Fact is we've won 2 out of our last 12......Green started in both these games.

We've not won in 8 which corresponds with Green getting injured against Southend and not playing since..

It's not rocket science where the bigger problem lies and why we have fucked up was a good position after winning at Eastleigh....no width or pace and we are too narrow and predictable.

16 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

And until they scored Halifax were poor.

That's any tiny chink of light extinguished 

5 minutes ago, spanishfly said:

That's a good turnout in the circumstances, if it reflects those truly attending on the day.

Wesldstone last home game will be lucky to get 6k.....should have been a full house