Londonboy

1 hour ago, Hemel latic said:

I'm not getting too excited or upset about the defeat. I don't think there's much between teams in this division and @nzlatic has highlighted a couple of other occasions where we've disappointed after a big result - we get up for the big games and perhaps underestimate opposition lower down the league.

 

Add in that we played Barnet away on Wednesday rather than Tuesday. Players will have got home in the early hours of Thursday morning so Thursday would have been a write off. Where there isn't much between teams that sort of thing can make a big difference, not surprising if our lot looked leggy after two big away performances.

 

December looks like a big month, aren't they all? Four home games out of six, no midweek fixtures until the end of the month. This month could see us really make a move on the play offs, no excuses for inconsistency.   

Doesn't that make it all the more frustrating though?

You say there isn't much between teams in this division, however bar Chesterfield our investment over the past 12 months and what we pay our squad is probably light years ahead of most, so we absolutely SHOULD be better than the likes of Ebbsfleet, and not roll over like we did.

Not blaming MM for any of this, but questions must be asked of Darrens judgement both on the Unsworth and co appointment, and the sanctioning of the signing players that can't do what we need them too and just are not up to it.

I've said earlier our squad is too old and slow and some pace and enthusiastic youth is urgently required.

Surely between the board and our manager some decent loans should be available. We are now a better bet than most for Prem/Championship clubs to give some of their young stars some valuable game time.

We need to utilise the loan system far better than we do in my view. Just don't get our reluctantly to do so....

2 hours ago, Summerdeep said:

^ Interesting perspective, but I still think that leaving an end completely empty gives an impression of dereliction, which can associate itself with the ground as a whole and not just one section.

 

I believe that the demise of the Chaddy probably started with the installation of seating in 1992-93 or whenever, though I suppose this was inevitable for legal reasons. Pretty much destroyed the atmosphere there though. They made the Lever End at Bolton all-seater in 1978-79: was it entirely a coincidence that Wanderers were heading for relegation less than a year later? I remember attending a couple of matches at Burnden Park in 1979-80, and much of the atmosphere in the ground was gone. The experience of watching a home side attacking an end packed with thousands of standing spectators was unbeatable in my view.

 

Perhaps you could make an appearance Summerdeep? Think you have previously said there's no way you would pay 20 quid to do in there??

5 hours ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

It's the same group of players that spanked Barnet on Wednesday. It's not a lost cause. Going into the last 3 fixtures I would have seen 6 points as a satisfactory return. The last 10 minutes yesterday does no doubt put a sour taste to what overall was a good week and if they got a rocket from Mellon and Brabin they will have no excuse.

 

Yes Chesterfield are a far better side all round they will win the league by atleast 10 points, that leaves 1 place left for us to compete for. Our aim is to fight for that spot with a few tweeks we might just get there. 

 

Stockport Wrexham and Notts Countys promotions came off the back of missing out in the play offs in the previous season, Chesterfields likely return will have come from being a penalty shooutout away from promotion. While the opportunity to get in the play offs is there we should aim for it. If we fail to go up this season then I would rather the summer rebuild be done from missing out in play offs than finishing mid table.

Don't disagree with anything you say Glossop.

Let's see how far MM can take us with this crop of players over the next 10 games or so andbtakebot from there

3 hours ago, Dave_Og said:

Fylde were lower ranked 

On 11/21/2023 at 7:55 PM, TheBigDog said:

It’s more than just a game - it’s my team. There is no way that I can look at it objectively.

 

Surely - If the team being successful can lift you up then by the same reasoning, the team being unsuccessful can bring you down?

Deffo some truth in this.... 

2 hours ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

The majority of them are good enough to make up a squad that challenges for promotion.

 

We don't need wholesale changes we just need a few tweeks.

I really don't think they are and we need more than a few tweeks.

Compare us to recently promoted sides, Stockport, Wrexham, Notts County and Chesterfield this season, and we are way off them. They rarely get beaten by bottom 4 sides and had/had exceptional home records.

How many of our stating 11 today would get in theirs the season they got promoted?

Maybe Norwood and Hobson on current form and that's it!!

We are an aging squad with an average age of 28/29.

We have no quick and hungry wide players like we see at most NL sides and are still woeful creatively in midfield.

We may yet squeeze into the playoffs if MM can add a few bodies where it's glaringly obvious we need them, but I'm almost resigned to another season in the NL, and a proper tilt at winning it next year.

3 hours ago, Dave_Og said:

Fylde were lower ranked 

True but we weren't at home....

12 hours ago, oafc1955 said:

How you can possibly come to that conclusion God only knows.

I think they deserve a lot of credit for what I thought was an excellent all round performance and in my opinion their win was fully deserved!!

I think he's implying they were in the bottom 4, hadn't won in 10 and were in the NLS last season...and apart from the previously quoted loss in 1969 it must be the lowest ranked club we have ever lost a home game against. 

They deserved it because we didn't and judging by their season and results so far are a pretty poor outfit. 

3 minutes ago, Worcester Owl said:

You and Captain Doom & Gloom spectacularly miss the point. Had we lost 4-1 at home to an Ebbsfleet when we were in L1 or higher, you just might have a point. In case you haven’t noticed, we are in the same league as Ebbsfleet and it’s for a reason. There are some unbelievably hysterical posts on here (even by OWTB standards) following what is of course a bad result. They scored 3 in the last 10 minutes, we were chasing the game. Shouldn’t happen, but it does. MM learns a bit more about his squad and we move on.

 

Solihull, 4th in the table, were  thrashed 6-1 at Altrincham today - are they suddenly a bad team/relegation candidates? Of course not - it’s the nature of this league. Any team can beat any other and the overall standard is haphazard. Let’s all calm down, get a grip, and trust MM.

No I didn't miss the point at all.

Irrespective of what league we are now in, in nearly 50 years watching us through thick and thin, this result it way up there with the worst....fact.

Couldn't give a toss they scored 3 in the last 10 mins or that Solihull got dicked.

And I'm fully supportive of MM, and he will I believe get us out of this league given some time, but you can't ignore the RESULT today.

It's embarrassing end of.

7 hours ago, Longlostfan said:

Bet you didn't feel as bad as the 20K Southampton fans who feel they got robbed in the 93rd minute- oh happy days

 

 

Just another brilliant night out wasn't it.

We were lucky to be around for those magnificent few years.

And to think we have just been dicked 4-1 at home by Ebbsfleet today.

How times have changed....

3 minutes ago, simplythemostimportantkick said:

Cos of dickheads like you maybe.. the pressure of being booed if we concede an indirect free kick 

We crumbled at Fylde and at Southend...so nothing to do with home fan pressure and booing.

Don't usually agree with GKing but I do today. Desperately disappointing.

5 minutes ago, Wardie said:

I can't dig up the stats but I'm pretty sure it isn't. The manager does have to figure it out and he will need the time and resources to make the team ready to challenge. They are some way off just yet but he will get there.

4-1 loss at home to Ebbsfleet United....I'd love to hear of a worse result you can remember....

It's a fucking hugely embarrassing result whichever way you dress it up.

Ebbsfleet havnt won a game since September, and they have come to BP and dicked us 4-1.

Possibly one of the worst results in our history which is saying something.

Mellon has 7 days to sort out and decipher what the fuck went wrong before Boreham Wood and Mickelover come to town.

I expect a tough week on the training ground and a couple of changes before next weekend...

I just don't get how we can go from 2 excellent away performances to this dross, against a team of part timers, who conceded 6 at Alty, 5 at Eastleigh and who lost 4-0 at home last week to Oxford City

Just realised the average age of our starting 11 last night was 28.5.

We must have one of the oldest squads in the league?

Fine if they can keep playing like they have in the last 2 games.

Just hope they can all keep the pace of what will be a long, hard season and could be 50 plus games, and not pick up injuries to key oldies like Norwood, Gardiner etc

Brilliant times indeed

I slept in the Clayton playing fields car park in a tiny Vauxhall Nova after that game, as I decided to enjoy the local hospitality with about 15000 others!!

Set off back to London at 4am and was at work in Hayes by 730 feeling a bit worse for wear

Ended up doing the same thing after beating West Ham in the Semi Final....however I didn't leave Oldham until 9am the next morning and bailed out of work. My boss was a big Spurs fan and knew exactly what was going on... but took so much pleasure in us hammering the hammers he turned a blind eye and wished us luck in the final!....some night that!

1 minute ago, Londonboy said:

One of the most one sided 1-0's you will ever see

 

Passed it too a blue shirt well, switched the play well, defended well, worked as a team well, and just seemed comfortable in a 4 4 2 formation.

 

Only slight negatives were we need to be more clinical in front of goal, and we need some pace on the right side.

 

Everyone got an at least 7/10 for me today which is what we need if we are to get up the table.

 

Best away performance for a long time so very encouraging

 

Btw Raglan looked class today and don't understand why he has been utilised so little.

 

This was before Green came on btw.....

14 minutes ago, True Tic said:

I didn’t see the game but it did sound pretty resounding albeit only by a goal. It seemed we completely controlled the game and Norwood received high praise today . 

One of the most one sided 1-0's you will ever see

Passed it too a blue shirt well, switched the play well, defended well, worked as a team well, and just seemed comfortable in a 4 4 2 formation.

Only slight negatives were we need to be more clinical in front of goal, and we need some pace on the right side.

Everyone got an at least 7/10 for me today which is what we need if we are to get up the table.

Best away performance for a long time so very encouraging

Btw Raglan looked class today and don't understand why he has been utilised so little.

40 minutes ago, Hemel latic said:

Our next opponents, Woking, have sacked their manager Darren Sarll.

Done a decent job there since his appointment, but results have been crap over the past 6 weeks so I guess no surprise. 

They still go above us if they beat us Saturday

Didn't go or listen today, but come on lads....it's fucking Eastleigh at home!

1-1 is not good enough even if we improved from recent games.

That's our 4th home draw on the spin so 8 points dropped, and we have failed to win or keep a clean sheet against Maidenhead, D&R,  Alty and Eastleigh.

We've won 1 in our last 7 league games which I'm sorry just doesn't cut it.

Need nothing but 3 points at Woking next Saturday as now 5 pts off Gateshead in 7th who have a game in hand, and we go to Barnet after Woking.

I'm not blaming MM yet,

but some of these players need to get their heads out of their arses and start to win some football games.

5 wins from 19 is just piss poor.

32 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

Not every youth player is good BP . You seen to think every youth player is better than what we have in the squad. 
 

Anyhow, it’s Murray’s assessment whether the youth players are ready to step up. Have you questioned him or you just pinning it on MM ? 

Yep agree it should be Muzza recommending to MM if he thinks any are coming close to being ready for first team opportunities. 

You can't properly assess them by simply bringing them back and watching them trian.

They are better off out on loan and playing.

25 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Top 3 budget dictates that you don't get time to build though? Someone with his experience should be able to hit the ground running.

Possibly, but personally even if we get into the top 7 I don't think we are good enough to win the playoffs. The games at Woking and Barnet next week will give us a decent idea. Hope I'm wrong. 

34 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

5 subs were available at Newport he used 4, no reason not to use them all, especially when losing 2-0 -and I don't mean a few minutes from the end of the game.

Chesterfield used all available subs, even bringing on attackers when in the lead.

I will criticise any manager if I think they've got it wrong no matter who it is and give praise when it's due, as in the case of drafting McGahey into midfield at Altrincham.

He has also said the team lacked runners yet played the slowest I've ever seen. After that he then says they were flat. 

It was an FA cup tie for goodness sake, what more motivation do they need?

It's strange Unsworh and Thompson said 3 or 4 new players were coming in and now it appears the budget won't allow that and he has to make do with the players no manager can improve.

If he can't sign players it begs the question why was he appointed?

 

 

 

I think you know BP it's not really the ideal time to be trying to sign players..not many move in early November if they are any good...my guess and hope would be that we are investigating plenty and will be bringing in a couple of quality additions in January, whilst moving a couple out once Mellon has had the time to fully assess all players. 

My stance is MM needs 12/18 months minimum to show if he can make us into a side that can seriously challenge to get out of this league.

My only criticism to date is he seems to already have his favourites, and I'd like to see him give the likes of Raglan, Reid and Kurt some game time, as so far there are not many he has started who have pulled up any trees.

A fit Ward, Gardiner and Dickenson will give us more options in midfield, and a couple of smart additions should give him even more.

Also having a bloated squad isn't such a bad thing in this league. We showed last season after Christmas that we can pick up plenty of points, and I think a big reason for this was our squad depth compared to most clubs, bar County and Wrexham.

It wasnt Unsworths management for sure that influenced this, so lets not be too hasty about shipping the likes of Nuttall, Kurt etc out unless we are sure what we have is better.

Top 7 is still a good possibility in my view with an experienced manager at the head, even though at the moment it doesn't always look like it!

We are 6 points off 6th and 7 off 21st with 28 games to play....Long way to go....

28 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

So our top scorer last season is rubbish, but our top scorer this season is beyond question?

 

I'm not particularly pro-Fondop, just think it would be interesting to give something else a go.  I'd like Willoughby to be given a fair go up front at some point too.

 

 

We are saving Big Mike for Dorking away

4 hours ago, LaticsLegend said:

We don't have anyone who can dictate a game from the middle, nor do we have anyone who can run at a full back or anyone who can cross a ball.

 

Without at least two of those, we're always going to make hard work of games.

 

I think he needs to dip into the loan market.

Let's be honest we had the likes of Banks and Garrity, who most on here thought were shit and couldn't wait to get rid of.

We would be pissing it in this league with those 2 in the middle.

My personal view was we should never have let Banks go as I always saw him as player who could create , but I slagged Garrity off with the rest when he was here and I'd imagine he will end up in the Championship at some point!

....And Vaughan is another story!!