Londonboy

Ffs. Pathetic is an understatement.

31 minutes ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

It's not even miraculous its a solid run. Promotion is very much on the cards this season it won't take a massive improvement for us to go up. If you look at our results they have been that of a promotion chasing side for 12 months now. The first 9 games this season if anything was a blip.

 

We can allow ourselves to believe.

Beat Barnet and Bromley at home over the next few weeks and we can start to get a bit giddy.

Play like we did Saturday and we have no chance.

However another one or two with Conions pedigree through the door, even on loan and we should stand a decent chance of an exciting end to the season.

Yep have to agree. It would also help if he got some sort of support and cover from the midfielders in front of him....on Saturday I'm not even sure who that was meant to be...maybe Lundstrom but he got very little assistance.

2 hours ago, oafcmetty said:

Was their offside goal offside? Deflected off one of ours before reaching the "scorer". Or does that not matter if he was offside already anyway?

Cracking decision in my book

3 hours ago, Lee Sinnott said:

Doing alright at the moment, but will cost us in bigger games. We need an upgrade...

You usually talk some sense but more hot air is coming out of your mouth than was blowing out of McGaheys arse today!!

10 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

I'd still say there was more management behind it than anything Unsworth came up with..

Don't disagree. We are far better organised and Raglan has improved us at the back.

We just can't be playing McGahey behind Lundstrom and Sheron, and a back 5 if we want to try and dominate sides.

Acid tests will be Bromley and Barnet at home.

2 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

Probably, yes but the difference is we've got a manager who actually knows how to get results, rather than fluking them..

 

Something that seems to be getting overlooked - if "the best finisher in the league" finishes like the best finisher in the league and the game's finished after half an hour and the second-half is academic and it's seen as an easy away win.  We capitalise when we're on top and dig in when we're not.

Joe we fluked it today.

Yes Norwood should have scored a couple but they should have scored 4 or 5 if I'm honest.

What kept the ball out of our net at the end of the first half god only knows..... 

I was at the game today and we were lucky Dorking didn't have a decent striker.

If they could finish we would have lost 100%.

As some have already said Dorking were quicker than us, far more creative and worryingly looked much

fitter.

McGahey (who was dreadful today btw) was blowing out of his arse as was Sheron due to the fact that 2H Dorking ran rings around us in midfield. 

The only positives were the great traveling support, and the fact that we put bodies on the line and defended our goal well, to somehow keep a clean sheet and take 3 points.

If we play like we did in the 2H again we will get dicked most weeks.

If you were actually at the game today and and were not moaning I didn't spot you as all around me were pretty pissed at our complete lack of any quality 2H.

Norwood was also well off it, as in the first 30 mins or so when we were OK and he missed 2 absolute 1 on 1 sitters.

And I'd like to make a big shout out for Will Sutton today. He was bizarrely our most likely scorer, got forward well nunberous times and coped pretty well with some good left sided Dorking players with absolutely no help from Lundstrom or Gardner when he came on. 

Final verdict...a very fortunate 3 points and a massive improvement needed if we are to stay in the top 7. A million miles away from the performance at Woking a few weeks ago.

2 hours ago, BP1960 said:

 

Yes, Sutton is blocked from his best position by Hogan and Raglan so it would be no surprise to see him go to an EFL club, mature there and have a good career.

I think it would be a big surprise BP.

He's 21 now, been around for a while with lots of games under his belt yet there has been little interest in him. 

His assets and his deficiencies are clear, and it would take a brave punt from a club higher up the pyramid to pay good money for someone who it appears has not progressed particularly quickly for various reasons.

There is plenty of choice out there around the academys, of players with high potential who are 17/18 and who clubs are more likely to take a risk on as they can mould them.

Don't get me wrong, I quite like Will and think he's a versatile asset to us at the moment. Just can't see anyone coming in paying a fee for him currently that's all.

3 hours ago, Dave_Og said:

 

I have it as the primary one because:

 

We are way down the reasonably local pecking order for attracting talent

There is no pathway from youth to senior level - it's clearly a big jump from playing on what are essentially park pitches even to our first team level

Recent history of sales

Recent history of youth progression to first team

Standard of youth football (not that I'd really know!)

c. half a dozen current youths have been training with first team this season and the only one who has figured (even on the bench) was Moore - who looked spectacularly out of his depth (obviously not making that a firm conclusion after half an hour)

 

Best we can hope for I think is picking up a reject from other clubs' youth systems who may still be of youth age but are relatively close to our first team level

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't disagree with a lot of this.

However Rochdale seem to regularly unearth a few, and they currently have Nevett, a 17 year old centre half, who has played most games this year and is rumoured that Palace may sign him.

Begs the question how a club run as badly and in the mess they are in, can get these lads on contracts, yet we seem unable to do so??

Joined them July 2023 on a 3 year deal, probably on peanuts.

On 12/31/2023 at 2:18 PM, Handsy said:

Is it just me  I have never liked mouldy old dough anybody else feels the same about it 

It's just our song and I love it. Reminds me of the pinch me era when the likes of Arsenal and Villa would have walked out in the midweek cup games and thought what the fuck is this!!

May benefit from a bit of digitalisation though 

On 12/18/2023 at 8:10 AM, BPAS said:

After the previous two games, we needed a performance. It took until the second half and the introduction of loanee Josh Stone, but we finally got one...

 

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Is the POD back this week lads?

Missing my fix on the dog walk!!

1 hour ago, yarddog73 said:

What ever happened to James Carragher he looked a decent rightback last season.

Still at Wigan. 2 year deal. Not playing in first team squad....

On 12/30/2023 at 5:36 PM, Careca9 said:

really good return with a poor team. Full confidence in the manager atm. Still don’t think current squad have it in them to go up with this manager. mcgahey, freeman, Willoughby, Reid, Shelton, green, nuttall can all go. Think we need to make sure hogan, sheron, lundstrom, ward, Dickerson are squad players and not reg starters.

Ok wow. So who's playing in midfield Saturday.....

Barnet and Bromley at home coming up. This will tell us where we are. 

Hignett is Hartlepool biased and a bit of a Scouse knob but he's spot on about us not having any sort of plan or way we play at home appart from hoof it forward.

Mellon needs to take some accountability for this as he should be by now influencing at least some sort of style of play and identity.

Back on topic......I Norwood

9 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

The problem with loanees is if they do well the clubs soon want them back, if they do poorly they are soon sent back.

But that's why the system exists isn't it? 

Bromley for example have 8 loanees from higher up the pyramid of which about half regularly play.  

We need to plug some gaps and get some younger legs in the side, whilst improving in a number of areas so I have no problem trying some young fresh talent if mixed with experienced heads like Norwood and Raglan.

If not good enough we just send them back so nothing lost..   

10 minutes ago, Londonboy said:

We need to find a way 2H to do better at home there is no doubt if we want to get into the playoffs.

The sides with the best home form are unsurprisingly the top 3.

We are16th in the home form table with 3 wins which is dire and we have little chance of the top 7 unless we see a significant improvement.

If we matched Barnet and Bromley's home form we would be 2nd or 3rd.

Mellon needs to find a formula to win at home. I'm not bothered if we aren't in the front foot so much as long as we stop conceding soft goals.

Let's start tomorrow against a pretty poor Hartlepool side who are low on confidence and are leaking goals like a sieve....

 

 

And to give some context

We still have the top 3 to play at home

We have lost at home to the teams in 4,,5 and 7th

And drew with Alty in 6th....

We need to find a way 2H to do better at home there is no doubt if we want to get into the playoffs.

The sides with the best home form are unsurprisingly the top 3.

We are16th in the home form table with 3 wins which is dire and we have little chance of the top 7 unless we see a significant improvement.

If we matched Barnet and Bromley's home form we would be 2nd or 3rd.

Mellon needs to find a formula to win at home. I'm not bothered if we aren't in the front foot so much as long as we stop conceding soft goals.

Let's start tomorrow against a pretty poor Hartlepool side who are low on confidence and are leaking goals like a sieve....

17 hours ago, League one forever said:

 

 

So you do know what I’m on about. . . 
 

And he didn’t do things he usually does. That’s the point. When he does those things he’s our best player, when he doesn’t he’s petulant and ineffective. Stones embarrassed him with his first half performance. 

 

Ah, the old - it’s everyone else his fault that his first touch was garbage, and  he repeatedly laid it off to no one in the first half. 
 

Why can stones play well in a shit team performance  (first half) and Norwood can’t? Or do we absolve him of any personal responsibility for his own game and just blame the team for making him shit? 

 

 

Not sure what game you were watching. Stones wasnt particularly great in the 1H. Nobody was.

Plenty of poor touches and wayward passes from him, as there was from everyone. He was slightly better than Norwood was though and was probably the best of a bad bunch in the first 45 mins, and granted Norwood had a stinker.

And your term Stones embarrassed him in the 1H is just nonesence.

We were shit 1H end of...but we improved 2H won so that's OK I guess yes?t

Stones could be a real goodun based on what we saw Saturday....but let's wait until we have seen a few more games, before we start throwing around comments like he embarrasses our top scorer for 45 mins.

Norwood is the first name on the team sheet in my view. No debate.

On 12/18/2023 at 2:08 PM, League one forever said:

Only to you- because you have a bee in your bonnet about it. 
 

Everybody has said and can see that’s he’s the our best player. That’s why he starts every week, even after a poor game. 

 

So he can only play well when the team plays well. . . that’s alarming- and basically means he doesn’t have to take any responsibility for his own game. ‘I’m playing shit, because no one is helping me. . . ‘ By comparison Stones had no one helping him, but was still our only bright spark. So if he can play ok/well in a shit team performance, why can’t our best player? 
 

In the first half his first touch was shite, he laid it off to no one at least 3 times. Then the arms start, which as I said is fine, if you’re running the show- but not when your own form is off. Now, he’s allowed to play poorly. No one is amazing all the time- but all people are asking for, is when you’re not at it, don’t compound it by digging others out. Get your nut down and do your best to get us back in the game. Which as our best player he can really influence. We need him even more when we’re playing shit. 

 

See above, I’m not talking about workrate = just running. I’m talking showing for the ball, going past a man, first touch, link play. He was miles off it first half. 
 

Second half, his individual game was much improved and he played great 

Not sure what your on about here really.

Players can't be amazing for 90 mins of every game.

Stones has played 3/4 of a game which was decent. He's a head down runner who is not afraid of having a shot which I like. But let's not get carried away. Hopefully his development will continue and he will be good most weeks... Like Norwood.

Without Norwood this season we would be behind where we are now. 

He does and sees things others don't and I can take a bit of waving arms and moaning if he's doing other things well which he usually does.

1H at Solihull he hardly got a decent ball to do anything with and service to him was utter shite.

In fact just checked...

W 11

D 7

L 5

Pts 40

So we are now exactly halfway through the season with 23 games to go.

I think most would agree we are behind where we hoped we would be both pts and position wise, and our automatic promotion ambitions have long gone.

However still lots to play for.

Is top 3 realistic?

We probably need 80 ish points to get a home play off semi final (not sure if I'd rather be away if I'm honest) 

So a 2 points a game average for the 2H? 

Not sure what our points total was last year for the 2H of the season as we ammased a good number? 

Seems a bit too much of a stretch for me, but if we make some decent additions and get our home form sorted out I guess you never know. Maybe going into the playoffs on a great run is all we can hope for?

In MM we trust

Solihull yesterday almost played like an away team I thought.

They probably knew that we struggle to break down sides that sit back due our lack of width, and were quite happy for us to have the ball and pass it around without doing much with it .

Not sure how Gateshead will approach next Saturday. I'd be happy if they came at us a bit like Barnet did...