League one forever

3 minutes ago, Londonboy said:

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.

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? 

19 minutes ago, lookersstandandy said:

I realised that after I’d said it (I’ve done it before) but couldn’t be arsed going back and correcting myself. Thanks.

You said it with conviction - which as anyone knows- is all that matters. The actual meaning is irrelevant.

4 minutes ago, oafcmetty said:

That huge expectation was foolish though. We ended last season with DU fluking his way to a decent run of results, but at no stage did we look like real contenders, and that continued at the start of this season, even with a few decent (on paper) signings. The longer we don't play over the summer, the better we get on paper. But reality is a harsh mistress.

 

It's the same with any player who's out of the side for a while - the calls grow and grow to get them back in the side as they must be better than the crap currently playing. Conveniently forgetting that the likely reason they're out of the side in the first place is they were crap themselves previously.

 

People need to reset their expectations. We're in non-league. We're able to attract better talent than most others in non-league, but the players are never going to be world beaters. We're up against sides who've played together for longer than we have, who normally do one thing really well. We're still building that, and repairing the damage done by the AL years. It's going to take time - we're not going to win every match. It's foolish to judge MM based on what we've seen so far - most of the players aren't his, and he hasn't had a pre-season to properly bed in what he wants to do.

Good post- very balanced. 

I don’t think expecting playoffs with our budget is unrealistic though. The standard to finish 7th isn’t great, Unsworth took us from bottom four to top half after 3 wins in 17. We’ve had two awful runs this season and can still mathematically get in the playoffs. 
 

As you say- reality is a harsh mistress. No manager gets time if they don’t get results or you see progress. 
 

He has 1 win in 11. If we start poorly next season, he’s rightly under massive pressure. 

24 minutes ago, Londonboy said:

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

 

My feeling is- even with the new players we’ll carry on being inconsistent, that’s ok if the performances are good. If we start throwing in horror shows early doors I can’t see him lasting long. 

1 hour ago, deyres42 said:

Norwood fanboys can scream and shout all they want, the guy hasn't performed, hasn't lived up to expectations and is probably exhausting to be around.

It’s a bit of both. 
 

He’s come in to an inconsistent side with no width or pace and we don’t create for him. 

And 

He hasn’t helped the situation with his attitude. 
 

The net result is- the move hasn’t worked out as we all hoped it would. 

On 4/4/2024 at 7:47 PM, disjointed said:

The booers (is that a proper word), are a minority, I'm like you, applaud them off when we win or play well, other than that it's a head down hasty exit. 

. . while muttering expletives to myself. 

2 minutes ago, longtimeblue said:

Possibly an unpopular opinion but Sheron, for me, gets a bit of a pass from some as we're pretty shit overall.

 

Reminds me of Garnett, Thom and Reid in the sense he's a 100%er but the benchmark is really low.

 

I think you’re spot on. 
 

In the Pantheon of footballers - is Sheron class? No. 

Do you need better - yes. 
 

In this team over the last two years has he been the best of bad bunch- definitely. 

1 minute ago, yarddog73 said:

he's not the problem but part of the problem in games where we can't control the football. Our midfield and particularly wide areas is weak and I honestly think it needs a complete overhaul, Sheron included.

That’s a lot more fair. 
 

1 hour ago, LightDN123 said:

Gardner, Lundy, Conlon and McGahey all better than Sheron. So he’s not the best of a bad bunch. 

. . and yet he’s contributed more than all of them put together.

Just now, mcfluff1985 said:

Of course he is. Make that make sense

Yeah. . I’m struggling. .

14 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

Without his goals. 
 

as in with him in the team, we would be 12th if he hadn’t scored as many goals. 
 

yes I accept that. 
 

but we are 9th, not 4th partly because he is in the team.

 

I don’t expect you to understand that but have a go chap. 

Are you seriously suggesting that our third top goal scorer is the reason we aren’t in the playoffs? 

11 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

He has contributed more than any other. But he opitimises this team and is at the very heart of it. That’s why we are not good enough 

No problem with that, he has his limitations and we need better, but he’s the best of a bad bunch and by no means shit. 

22 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

He’s shit. 
 

Don’t you criticise Norwood? He’s contributed more than any other player on the pitch all season. 
 

Nathan Sheron is an absolutely shit central midfielder. He can run, but he can’t pass or look after a football. 
 

We have struggled in midfield ever since he’s been ever present, open your eyes. 

Think like meeeee!

We’re talking about the midfield. . not the squad, but to answer your completely irrelevant point about your fan boy- I don’t criticise Norwoods ability, I criticise his attitude. 
 

On Sheron. 
 

Players player of the year last season. 
 

Most appearances of any player this season. 

3rd highest goal scorer. 
 

Contributed more goals and assists than other MIDFIELDER -  bar none. 

But yeah, he’s shit. 
 

Laughable comment. 
 

I get rid of every single midfielder before Sheron- and only then I’d replace him for better. 

4 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

Sheron isn’t shit. He gives his all. It’s just that if we want to have a proper crack at the title next season we need an upgrade on him. 

Which is fine and understandable- saying he’s shit as some have or singling him out when he’s contributed more than than any other midfielder is nonsense. 

1 minute ago, BradKnowles1 said:

And with your mentality we will never go up. Just runs around but zero footballing ability 

Apart from scoring goals, and playing 60 yard pass assists - yeah he’s shit. 

4 minutes ago, mcfluff1985 said:

Has it?

No, it’s largely the same no matter who plays in there. Why anybody would want rid of our 3rd top goal scorer is beyond me.
 

He’s contributed more than any other midfielder all season. 

8 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Cannot afford to give him one as 60 minute players in this League with only four outfield subs kill you. If we fell for it and handed him another 12 month I bet we wouldn't get 20 games out of him,

Agreed, I don’t want any of out of contact getting a new one. 
 

They probably will. 

2 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

Why would this be the case. We will go into next season with 15/17 players. Obviously we will be able to recruit. 

Nuttal

Reid

Kurt

Shelton

Ward 

All signings made by Unsy and nowhere near the Starting 11- all contracted on good wages and difficult to shift. 
 

Contracted Players who have made little or no contribution. 

Hammond 

Conlon

Kitchen -post Christmas. 

Contracted Players who have at least done ok. 
 

Hudson. 
Hogan

Rags

Hobson

Sutton 

Lundy

Sheron

Garner 

Nors. 
 

So we have 8 players who might as well not be here, and of the other 9 who would get universal approval from us???? 

We are as far away as the shez squad when the owners came in and that’s an awful indictment. 
 

3 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

Right back/wing back and at least 2 or 3 creative forward players are an absolute must for the summer. 

Think we’re in for a nasty shock in the summer. Don’t think the players we all want will materialise- bloated contracted squad with too many on big wages, who are nowhere near the squad and difficult to shift. 

Just now, stargazer said:

Eight (8) games without a win , February 27th the last win. This manager and the majority of these players still here in August .....what a depressing thought.

Agreed, there will be changes in the summer yes- but I struggle to see us turning it around under Mellon with a large group carried over from this season. I’m not going into the summer with any hope and that’s depressing. 
 

1 win in 11.
 

On the plus side - we’ve beaten last seasons points tally with 3 games to go- if that isn’t a sign of progress I don’t know what is. 

23 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

Ah, it’s a being a bully to demand high standards these days. My bad. 
 

He and the clubs he has played for have done fine with this bullying. 

He accepted a contract that his league one club wouldn’t match. He was happy to drop two divisions to take the money. . and then spends a lot of time seemingly surprised and frustrated that players two divisions below aren’t as good. 
 

Just now, LightDN123 said:

Cool. 
 

Bet you have the lube out praying for another Mellon loss today don’t you. 

41 minutes ago, kowenicki said:

Dreading this. 

Aye. First game for ages I’m not bothering with. 

8 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

He might be right for the moment. 

 

He must've known what he was taking on and the contacts that had been handed out, but mustn't have known much about the players and be disappointed with what he's got. 

 

Again, it comes back to players. They've failed under two managers. I don't think the dressing room's right. 

 

I hope we don't do anything rash with Mellon. Barring a few signings, he's been at the club the least time than the players and board, yet seems to be target number one for responsibility..

Aye, fair point. But Irrespective of the football, I don’t want any manager who is just picking up his money.