Only Blue

I am sure previous posters have covered all our frailties and errors of tonight's match but one thing no-one can say is that the team lacked commitment.

They battled hard and just fell short of winning a very tight game.

2 hours ago, Lee Sinnott said:

I thought he was poor against York, poor against Kidderminster and the worst of our midfield on Tuesday. Don't think I've seen him in any other matches...

So you think he is consistent? Oh a positive spin here, he was the worst of our midfield.... so if all the midfield played brilliantly, he was the least brilliant!!!

17 hours ago, League one forever said:

 

Cracking post.
 

Lots to agree on with Sheron.

 

A prime example of what you’re describing was Solihul away. In the first half- he sat in front of the back line and looked really limited, he was slow in possession (kept losing it) and couldn’t dictate the play. 

In the second half- it was like watching a completely different player. 
He linked the attacking play, scored two great goals, and looked a player. 

 

After the game Mellon said- First half we were rubbish.  I told the midfield at halftime to start playing further up and ask their defenders some questions. 
 

So is it Sheron dropping deep when he shouldn’t, or is it Mellon asking him to sit in? Either way he’s not good enough in possession to receive the ball off the back line and dictate play. But how many games have we seen him play there?? How many fans opinions are formed on him when we’re not getting the best out of him position wise. He plays his best games further up, and has chipped in with goals. I’ve never claimed he’s amazing, and as you rightly say he has his faults. But he also some good attributes and he contributes- guess who has played the most games this season in an ever revolving squad. . Sheron & Kitching. 
 

On the home form- I’m not burying my head in the sand and saying, ‘ah well we win away so never mind.’ It’s shite. We look a completely different side at home. Even Mellon seems perplexed by it. So if he doesn’t know, then I’ve got no chance understanding why it is.  IF we can sort it, very few sides will live with us. But. If it continues being shite, I won’t let it overly bother me if the away form keeps us where we want to be. 
 

No manager was going to come in this season after 1 win in 9 and make us a beast home and away. Otherwise that’s like saying- give us champions form inside 6 months. MM has made us playoff contenders in a short space of time, and however it comes this season- if we finish in the playoffs he’s done a good job. 

You and Yarddog have made great points, especially about Sheron you have summed him up perfectly.

When I watched him at Rochdale, being on the side you can see his positional play and he seemed to play just behind the strikers and he had a great game.

8 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

There’s also a lack of this sort of thing too. There’s nothing wrong with having opinions and being wrong about them but not many are willing to accept that. They’d rather look for ways they can still be right. 
 

I felt the same as you about Fondop but likewise have been proved wrong. I also didn’t think Green was up to it but in his last 2 starts he’s had a big impact. 

You are both summing up exactly why they are in the fifth division, because they cannot produce this form consistently.

What they are doing though is trying their hardest to improve that and they have improved, that is good enough for me and I assume the silent majority.

32 minutes ago, Guy Branston Pickle said:

There's an expectation now that players are going to come into the team and immediately hit the ground running, and if they don't then they're shit. It's completely unfair, especially with young players. I used the example of McAlmont above, the first few games for us he wasn't great as he'd never played proper mens football, then I think he ended up scoring double figures. There doesn't seem to be any patience at the club at the moment

Absolutely spot on.

Even if our decent established players have a poor game they are labelled "shit" and shouldn't pull our shirt on again.

It's mind boggling crazy. No player, absolutely no player plays well all the time.

4 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

Aggressively put, but spot on. 

Spot on in the fact that is what has happened in the past. Who is to say it will happen in the future? Give him a break . He has just played very well for us just focus on that. Stop predicting (negatively) the future.

1 hour ago, Lee Sinnott said:

Nothing new from McGahey. He'll play well for two games and revert back to the usual fat shit that he usually is...

Let's just bask in the warm glow of victory for a little while longer and say nice things.

We can start the negativity and personal abuse on Friday in the build up to Saturday. On second thoughts just stay positive and see where it takes you  It really does make you feel better.

One thing none of us have picked up on is that for the original fixture Eastleigh didn't put much effort into getting the game on in the hope that dragging us down on a Tuesday night would weaken us.

Karma!!

58 minutes ago, League one forever said:

Time check. 
 

It’s roughly 50 minutes since the game ended. A game in which we extended our away record to 9 unbeaten - which must be a record or close to it. . 
 

. . . aaaand hardly any replies. Hardly anyone coming on saying well done without adding a but. 
 

If we lost tonight - (for the first time in 9 away games)  we would have had 20/30/40 posts already. 
 

I can only assume that many are much happier moaning about defeat than being happy with winning. 
 

That's the way of the world that it is easier to moan than praise.

I really enjoyed the game tonight. When you see the way they put in the effort you know you have a good chance to win a game. Little moments can go against you, but you can take that if overall you show a desire to go forward and win.

Even our hoofing seemed to be hoofed up to one of our players for a change

This is all we ask of them, effort and desire. Results come because of it.

3 hours ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

Well if it was as simple as telling someone to do things and they would just do it then this whole Football Manager thing would be a really easy gig.

 

For all we know he could well have prepared them right said all the right things before the game and told them to start fast get the crowd on side and to do it for Frank but footballs not that simple if it was I'd be making a living in it.

Yes that's true but the point I was trying to make is that they have time to work on their weaknesses and should improve but our players are getting worse if anything. 

MM will have told them what to do, so when for the umpteenth time they don't I just wonder what the player says as an excuse.

Are they arguing back to MM saying the tactics are wrong or do they accept their own responsibility?

11 hours ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

I think bringing them in for a meeting to go through Saturday this morning wouldn't have been a bad thing tbh to clear the air and to remind them of the standards required then start a fresh tomorrow.

 

I'd have hoped and expected no doubt that Mellon let them know how he felt about that performance yesterday and a few bollocking have been dealt out. While he chose to be fairly reserved in his reaction to the defeat on the website privately I think he was fuming. But that stays in the dressing room. That's between him and the players and I don't need to know the details.

 

We can't dwell on it too much but the players can't complain if they got a rocket after that on Saturday. 

They must watch the game at some point and MM must ask the players why they do certain things like why they keep slowing the pace down, pass sideways etc.

He must be telling them to stop doing it.

Under Unsworth they were afraid to make a mistake, but MM has constantly said he keeps telling the players to be brave so why isn't it sinking in? 

9 minutes ago, League one forever said:

I think quite a few have mind their mind up on MM- which is obviously their prerogative, but it never ends well when the fans turn. And I think that’s a great shame- all feels very Ronnie Moore this. 

Have the fans turned?

The sack the manager brigade are saying sack the manager, but they always say that.

The moaners are moaning, but they always moan.

Everyone else is just feeling depressed and frustrated about it, especially as Saturday had that first game in the NL Dorking game feel about it and we were  badly let down and it just feels worse than most other games.

We have all had a grumble , got it off our chests and will forgive the players (slightly) if we win on Tuesday.

No way have we turned on MM!!!

46 minutes ago, Lukers1 said:

I was just saying that Joe had some shockers just like Mickey has.

 

it’s not fair that the old timers on here try and preach that everything was rosy under Big Joe when it actually wasn’t…..

I am an old timer and everything wasn't rosy under big Joe. I remember being in the Chaddy when some people in front of me were shouting for him to be sacked, giving him the v's when he looked over.

Although when the team did lose badly they tended to have had a few shots at their goal, made a forward pass, generally tried to get a goal back and looked as though it did bother them as they left the pitch... oh and followed it up with winning loads of games after it!!!

It's the total lack of entertainment that is getting at people. It's either a gritty win (which I will take all day long) or an abject disaster of a game. You more or less know how the game is going to go after we go 1-0 down. 

It's this inevitable lack of urgency to win happening over and over again that has drained everyone.

What is totally frustrating is that the players show some fight away from home, so they can do it.

I wish they would just say what is going through their minds at home, the manager must be asking the players and they must be saying something. Surely whatever it is they answer they are working on it. There is no evidence of it so far.

The sheer fact we hardly ever have any sort of shots at their goal is so soul destroying. 

15 minutes ago, maximus1267 said:

Lets be honest here, if we make the play offs this season, that has to be seen as progress, especially after our start and the DU dibacle.

Like it or not we have to trust MM to move this club forward, his past record and experience shows that.

Yes his football is direct and as it stands we dont look great playing that way. When we had Norwood and Stones up top you could see it starting to work but without those two we look like we can't play that way. Fondop and Garner are no replacement, they are back up really.

Perhaps in the window the players that suit MMs play were not available or we will wait for the summer with the hope we can get in the play offs and then it really is a lottery, they dont always go to form.

Yesterday was a missed opportunity to excite a few new and old fans to come back but they just couldn't.

And imo Sutton is better playing on the right than anyone I've seen replace him.

Get Norwood back fit and that gives us some class up top. 

No way we even consider a new manager.

If we had won yesterday fans would have said they dont mind winning ugly. 

We have to trust this manager and believe he will make us better with a summer window.

Just my opinion.

I agree and I think it's the opinion of most Latics fans .

We can't keep changing the manager every time we play badly.

Just sobered up enough to read the comments.

All the failures regarding how badly we play seemed to be covered apart that we can't even hoof it properly.

Why are we hoofing it right into the corners? It means one of our players has to win the ball wide to flick it into centre for another player needed to win their battle. We have added an extra layer when hoof ball should be direct, only Latics could do that!!!

I always try and find something positive to cling on to, but no , not this time, I can only add to the comments of woe.

As it is scarf day, are we going to hold them up on the 64th minute and sing Frank's name, like supporters used to do in 70s and 80s.

Cringy I know before anyone says it,  but who cares, and if done right it would look really good.

On 2/22/2024 at 10:17 AM, oafcmetty said:

Took 2,404 last time. On a Saturday, and on tv.

I sat down for this and there were loads of empty seats so if we took 2,404 then there is definitely scope for more tickets to be sold if needed.

A lot of clubs have done this before where they release an initial allocation and then give us more. I don't know if it is to make us scramble for the first few tickets so they get money early or they just don't want to print all tickets out to save on trees

I have not looked but does the official Latics message say "initial allocation" or just that we have been given 2,400?

14 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

I know, but the ground holds over 13,000 so surely they can find a few more.

Just where are these missing 1,500 seats?

It says due to segregation and ongoing maintenance in some areas, so it sounds as though the capacity wouldn't have been 13,000 even without any segregation. 

I actually think the club has been surprised by the uptake, so hopefully any future incentives like this they will learn from this and ensure they can sell tickets up to the full capacity.

15 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

He doesn't have to explain anything but the question will continue to rear its head after every non victory.

Alas that is true, so stop rearing the question then it wouldn't

Also my answer will also rear then "he probably wouldn't have made a difference"

2 hours ago, deyres42 said:

People love to point out Mellon's P2G ratio, Reid I believe has one of if not the best M2G ratio in the squad, seems odd that you wouldn't want to utilise that asset.

 

But if all of what you say is true then it shouldn't be too difficult for Mellon to come out and explain that the player is no longer being considered for selection.

Other factors have come into play off the pitch that stop him being utilised.

The fact he is not being selected confirms he is (at the moment) not being considered for selection. This has happened since Christmas so we all more or less know why, so what is there to explain?

2 hours ago, yarddog73 said:

I'm not advocating a Reid return that's Mellons call, your post just misses the point though on what Reid offers, he is a goal a game man on minutes played so if he was to maintain that then that alone would be impressive and that's without him taking the penalties so all goals from open play.

 

He also offers something different, I know Mellon prefers the graft and battering ram approach but Green has proven that pace is key at our level, these big pudding defenders hate it, Reid gets in behind and plays off the last man so he would of been perfect last night in the last 20 against tiring legs. He turns defences and causes a different type of problem.

 

All that said I'm not really bothered if he plays for us again after what went on at Christmas, same goes for McGahey for that matter but there is no denying he'd add something to the 16 we are currently naming, particularly late in games. He'll probably end up somewhere like Macclesfield in the summer, they'll love all the nonsense that surrounds him there.

Perhaps my point didn't come across right.

Believe it or not I would have him in the squad for the football reasons you stated but it's just that rose tinted view of him that he is better than he actually is and some are trying to use him to have a go at MM.

I don't think he has knuckled down and tried to make amends like McGahey has and so I trust MM to make the call on him whether to play him.

Looking at last night I really don't think he would have touched the ball if he came on as sub and that is a reflection of the team behind him and not him but a lot of people are clamouring that he would have single-handedly changed the game and that is just fanciful thinking.

3 hours ago, JoeP said:

On a lighter note, we're almost certainly not going to go down...

Damn I was going to say that !!!