League one forever

1 minute ago, LightDN123 said:

The booing has gone past being ridiculous. Fans boo when it’s 0-0 at half time these days, it’s cringeworthy

Yeah defo, as is ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’ when we conceded in the first ten minutes. 

40 minutes ago, BradKnowles1 said:

The more I listen to Mellon the more I think he’s looking for a way out before he resigns.

Aye, said the same myself- I think he wants out, but won’t walk with two years left. 

7 hours ago, JoeP said:

 

Do you not want to give our heroes a rousing send-off on Saturday??

Things I’d rather I do than see any of them for a good few months. . 
 

Cheese grate my knees. 
 

Go shopping with the Mrs. 
 

Go to a family gathering with uncle nobhead. 
 

Watch fishing - live. 

5 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

But on that last point, we have plenty of time to just give up and be angry. For me, whilst we can still get into the playoffs, which is the aim. We should be supporting the team but us fans gave up on that about a month ago. 

I just think that’s self protection against getting your hopes up. It’s easier to say- ‘we’re fucked’ than it is to say ‘I know we keep losing, but you never know’ 
 

Also- It’s very very difficult to clap and encourage shite. Or to keep your belief when the players looked lost or half arsed. Fans tend to reflect the players. When they’re at it, the crowd is up. When they’re miles off (again) the booing starts. 
 

2 hours ago, nzlatic said:

I agree. It often gets said that we're no different than other clubs in this regard but I don't believe that. We have had a far worse time of it than pretty much any other club over the last 30 years (unless you want to count ones going bust).

 

So that makes it understandable that there's a more toxic element among our fans than others. What I think the club needs to do is understand that and look at ways it can try to help things. It's too passive just to say it'll be fine once results pick up. What could the club be doing over the summer to try and improve the relationship between club, players, management and fans for example?

 

This isn't a 'fans fault' post. It's trying to acknowledge what we've been through as a fan base and understand the anger on the terraces over things not being better than they are yet. And everyone (eg club/fans/oasf) trying to proactively do something about it rather than just wait for us to win.

Yeah, I agree it would help in an ideal world. As I think they’re genuine questions to he asked and understood. It would soften the blow slightly if people at the club took accountability and explained the mistakes made, and what was in place to rectify it. 
 

Having said that, I can understand why they don’t do it - because it just turns into an opportunity for fans to vent. Be a bit like turkeys voting for Christmas. 

3 hours ago, LightDN123 said:

It is strange how early we kind of accepted defeat in all honesty, and I do think us as fans have to take some form of responsibility for that. 
 

Going into Easter weekend it was all to play for with a lot of games left. But even before that weekend it felt like we had accepted defeat. In reality, we needed a couple of wins.
 

Appreciate the first 30mins of the Fylde game killed a lot of hope. But going into the Alti game, a win would have gone a long way. But the crowd was absolutely dead and it felt like we accepted the inevitable. 
 

Mellon has a role to play in all this as he was giving off the impression he didn’t really believe it was achievable, he did this way to soon. 
 

It is a bizzare end to the season. We are to far off and to many variables out of our control at this point to make it into the playoffs, imo. But the reality is, we were a win and a draw away from going into the last game with a very strong chance of playoffs. 
 

Weird. 

Double post 

3 hours ago, LightDN123 said:

It is strange how early we kind of accepted defeat in all honesty, and I do think us as fans have to take some form of responsibility for that. 
 

Going into Easter weekend it was all to play for with a lot of games left. But even before that weekend it felt like we had accepted defeat. In reality, we needed a couple of wins.
 

Appreciate the first 30mins of the Fylde game killed a lot of hope. But going into the Alti game, a win would have gone a long way. But the crowd was absolutely dead and it felt like we accepted the inevitable. 
 

Mellon has a role to play in all this as he was giving off the impression he didn’t really believe it was achievable, he did this way to soon. 
 

It is a bizzare end to the season. We are to far off and to many variables out of our control at this point to make it into the playoffs, imo. But the reality is, we were a win and a draw away from going into the last game with a very strong chance of playoffs. 
 

Weird. 

Tell you what was weird. 
 

The apathy of being in the playoffs in Jan and Feb. 
 

The apathy or non acknowledgment of brilliant away form as a way to judge how we were doing overall at that time. 
 

What isn’t weird is fans becoming disillusioned, angry, apathetic when we look a mile off it game after game, and go on a run of one win in 9.  

I wish we could forfeit this game and Saturday and just get on with the exodus. 

2 minutes ago, Frankly Mr Shankly said:

 

Think I called it with 6 matches remaining we'd need to win four of them. We could've just won one!

 

Really shows the poor level of quality underneath the top 4 or so, doesn't it? An overhaul in midfield and a right back and I can't see us being any less than 4th next season. 

It was ever thus. 
 

Unsworth had us bottom four at new year, we won a few in the second half of the season and finished top half, I think we were something like 3/4 wins short of making the playoffs. 
 

This season we were 5th in Feb, and only needed to win 3/4 of our final 11 games. . . to finish in the playoffs. Just another reminder of how unbelievably shit you can be and finish 7th. 
 

Unless you are worse than unbelievably shit. 
 

Night. 
 

1 minute ago, Frankly Mr Shankly said:

 

There isn't enough words in the internet to describe it.

 

Aye, I thought about replying and then realised playing on the motorway is more fun than explaining our shite. 

2 hours ago, kowenicki said:

The season just won’t die will it… 

1 hour ago, yarddog73 said:

You could make a case for Green and Fondop, anyone whose voted for anyone else just doesn't want us to do well or doesn't like football.

Mikey has contributed and I agree is the only one worth a deal, but as Light says you can’t offer him a deal and then ask the board to pay up others. 
 

I’ll drive Green wherever he wants to go. 10 minute spells every 3/4 games is nowhere near enough. 

1 hour ago, LightDN123 said:

Mellon would look pretty silly offering anyone an extension in my opinion. He’s just said in his interview that the board need to support him getting players out the door. To then offer certain players a deal would be the complete opposite of what he’s requested. 
 

Everyone out of contract should be released, no extensions required. 

Aye, that’s a fair point. 

12 minutes ago, disjointed said:

Can't see Green being on 1k a week. We got him from the dog and duck reserves didn't we. 

Telford in NLN. 
 

I think that’s very feasible especially coming up a division. 

35 minutes ago, Frankly Mr Shankly said:

I’m going. I want the chance to willy wave about it in 20 years when we’re hoovering up the Championship title.

Wave? I’ll be windmilling in that instance. 

33 minutes ago, welshgaz said:

Harrison is on 800 a week as he signed during the Abdallah embargo days. same for Hope.

Well, if that’s true- I’d guess at the others as, 
 

Langley £500

Couto £500

Harrison £800

Bren 1K

Dan £1500

Green 1k

Tollit £800

Windass £500

Mikey 1k

Hope £800

If I’m anywhere in the ball park - that’s 8.4K a week off the wage bill. 
 

What does that get us? 
 

8 ok players on 1k

5 good players on 1.5k 

Even with this fag packet guessing it’s not difficult to see how difficult it’s going to be in the summer. 

12 minutes ago, Londonboy said:

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 think we’re agreed? 
 

The players who have nearly all played higher or won promotion have been bang average over the course of season, and have underachieved. However, they haven’t been helped by poor tactics, and also a complete imbalance with players regularly playing out of position or playing multiple positions- because we don’t have a balanced squad. 
 

Be nice next season if right back isn’t a centre half. 
 

If left back cover isn’t a centre half. 
 

If defensive midfielder isn’t a centre half. 
 

If centre mid don’t play RWB. 
 

If our only winger doesn’t LWB.

If forwards don’t play midfield. 

If our star striker doesn’t play out wide. 

2 hours ago, Lee Sinnott said:

Every time I listen to one of his interviews, I become more convinced that he's going to resign after the Wealdstone game...

There is absolutely zero chance he’s walking away from a contract with two years to run. 
 

I could however see him and the club falling out about the direction of the club  (as he did at Tranmere) and leaving by mutual consent. 

4 hours ago, TheBigDog said:

I've had a season ticket for 35 years and will be renewing but its fair to say that it is more in hope than expectation. I have no faith that Mellon will become the manager who leads us back to the EFL. There needs to be a lot of manoeuvering and a number of shrewd acquisitions to start with a squad that meets Mellon's "I know what good looks like" mantra.

 

My fear is that the financial restrictions for next season will not allow Mellon to start with the players he wants and he has shown that he cannot sufficiently motivate the standard of footballer he will have to work with.

 

 

I hope you’re wrong, but I suspect you’re not. 

The big worry with that is- I don’t see many high earners. . possibly Gardner and Maghey? 
 

Don’t see massive savings. (They still need to go though) 

21 minutes ago, South West Blue said:

Green & Fondop are the only 2 for me and that is because we know on their day, they can be unplayable in this league. 

I’ve never seen Green play well for 90 minutes, let’s alone unplayable. Mikey I agree- he’s had a quite few good days.  
 

I released everybody - bar Mikey. But if he has to go to bring in better then so be it. 

24 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

If that’s true, never use stats bomb again to lead recruitment and let Mellon have control. It can’t get any worse.. the man is absolutely raging. 

I’ve no idea who it was or wasn’t used for. 
 

But the facts speak themselves on the squad make up and the fact Mellon is clearly pissed off. 
 

Whatever they decide I just want Mellon and board singing off the same hymn sheet. We can’t any more muddled decision making. 

DR told us how it works- I think it was on the pod. 
 

It’s a vast database that allows you to quickly identify a position without needing to rely on scouting in the first instance. 
 

The club use it to generate a pool of possibilities and then the manager decides from that pool. (I’m presuming they then scout before the final decision) 

Mellon has said umpteen times- I know what a good player looks like. He keeps repeating it. He specifically said on Saturday-  I know what a good player looks like, and I know where they are. The inference is he doesn’t want to choose from a pool. He wants his picks only. 
 

If we look at the last 18 months, it’s unbelievable how we’ve ended up here.  
 

Stats bomb can’t identify a right back. 
 

It only generates centre halves and strikers. 
 

Or 

It’s only been used for some players and not others- (could explain the tension between ST and Unsy) and that’s why we’re left with multiple players in some positions and the bare bones or none in others. 
 

The biggest learning lesson in the summer is this- Mellon and the board have to agree on the recruitment. Either back him to get who he wants, or get a head coach that will work within what the club wants to do. Because at the minute it looks like everyone is pulling in different directions. 

4 minutes ago, spanishfly said:

It's the mystery of football, I suppose. Nothing I`ve seen comes anywhere near my definition of "doing really well".

 

We must have been a completely different side to watch prior to the end of January, when I started watching, because all I`ve seen is an average to poor non-league side. Several maintain the likes of Conlon, Lundstram and Hogan are okay for next season. Opinions again but I think we can expect a lengthy non-league stay if players like that are still around. I think Mellon would have rid in a heartbeat if he could (and I think he signed Conlon too didn't he?).

He wasn’t talking Latics, he talking about the ratio of me and him agreeing or not over this season.

37 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Most managers never far away from the sack these days, makes sense to stick around and see if the next one likes you rather than going somewhere you don't really want to.

Makes sense if you’re on a good  contract and other clubs won’t match it. Doesn’t make sense if you can play football elsewhere for the same money (loan club and Latics paying your wage) but would rather just train. That’s a very poor reflection on a player.