yarddog73 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 1 hour ago, Worcester Owl said: The other thought I had during the game - at risk of stealing @BP1960's thunder ! - was how lightweight we seem, especially in midfield. The number of times we seemed to get brushed off the ball, or lose 50/50s, was really depressing. We don't compete for second balls as we should and show no urgency and that's from the keeper through to the midfield, only player who shows urgency or comes to life when he's amongst it is Norwood, I'd suggest the rest are just happy to let the game pass them by which is criminal really. They are about as passive a group of players that you'll see at this level. Hogan and Fondop are probably the only other players who has anything about them and fight to win their individual battles, which is a problem at our level where those attributes are needed in spades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc1955 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 (edited) 23 minutes ago, yarddog73 said: Hogan and Fondop are probably the only other players who has anything about them and fight to win their individual battles, Speaking of individual battles, I’m struggling to recall any of our players taking on and actually going past an opponent, it just doesn’t seem to happen too much anymore, if at all! Edited February 4 by oafc1955 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzlatic Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 2 hours ago, deyres42 said: He does. You get the impression that some seem think he did it all against the odds though... Who thinks that? Given those expectations and budgets he’s delivered on in the past, I’d say that makes him a great fit for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsEddie Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Understandable questions are being asked, but perspective is needed with this drop in form. Murmurings of Mellons head on the chopping block are insane. Poor performances the last two games but lets look at the facts. -We have just made 5 signings, none of which are 100% match fit. Conlon- Didnt break back into the Vale side after injury. Played 181 minutes before joining us, one being a full game. Not match fit. Sachdev- Never played mens football, will take time to adjust. Also not 100% Hammond- Bit part player for Cheltenham. 641 minutes played, 5 full games. Not match fit. Dallas- 561 minutes played for Kilmarnock, not a single full game. Not match fit. Garner- 1346 minutes but last substantial minutes were 78 minutes on 14/11/23. Not match fit. -2 signings are young lads, breaking into the game. Sachdev and Hammond got pelters for their performance against Woking. Not every young lad bursts into the team like Stones. Playing mens football for the first time is going to be a huge change naturally but players adjust. Hammond, given time, will impress im sure of it. A hard worker, great energy, presses well, loves a tackle and getting in oppos faces. Sachdev I know less about. Needs to be more positive but has certainly shown quality in glimpses. -Signing 5 new players takes time to gel. All 5 on the face of it look good enough for the EFL. I suspect we have managed to pull off coups like Garner, Conlon not just because they are the type to relish a challenge, see the potential in Oldham and can get a league comparable salary but also because league clubs dont want to take the risk on a 36 year old and a player coming back from long term injury neither of which are match fit. -Hogan has been suspended for the last 2 games, arguably our most in form CB. We have clearly felt his absence (or McGaheys presence, undecided on that). McGahey lack of pace pulls the backline too deep and he doesnt have the arial presence of Hogan. I think Hogans leadership qualities are also underrated on the pitch. I suspect we might be grinding out a few more games before we start to build form again but Rome wasn't built in a day, im still confident of a playoff finish. In Mellon I still trust. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deyres42 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 9 minutes ago, LaticsEddie said: Understandable questions are being asked, but perspective is needed with this drop in form. Murmurings of Mellons head on the chopping block are insane. Poor performances the last two games but lets look at the facts. -We have just made 5 signings, none of which are 100% match fit. Conlon- Didnt break back into the Vale side after injury. Played 181 minutes before joining us, one being a full game. Not match fit. Sachdev- Never played mens football, will take time to adjust. Also not 100% Hammond- Bit part player for Cheltenham. 641 minutes played, 5 full games. Not match fit. Dallas- 561 minutes played for Kilmarnock, not a single full game. Not match fit. Garner- 1346 minutes but last substantial minutes were 78 minutes on 14/11/23. Not match fit. -2 signings are young lads, breaking into the game. Sachdev and Hammond got pelters for their performance against Woking. Not every young lad bursts into the team like Stones. Playing mens football for the first time is going to be a huge change naturally but players adjust. Hammond, given time, will impress im sure of it. A hard worker, great energy, presses well, loves a tackle and getting in oppos faces. Sachdev I know less about. Needs to be more positive but has certainly shown quality in glimpses. -Signing 5 new players takes time to gel. All 5 on the face of it look good enough for the EFL. I suspect we have managed to pull off coups like Garner, Conlon not just because they are the type to relish a challenge, see the potential in Oldham and can get a league comparable salary but also because league clubs dont want to take the risk on a 36 year old and a player coming back from long term injury neither of which are match fit. -Hogan has been suspended for the last 2 games, arguably our most in form CB. We have clearly felt his absence (or McGaheys presence, undecided on that). McGahey lack of pace pulls the backline too deep and he doesnt have the arial presence of Hogan. I think Hogans leadership qualities are also underrated on the pitch. I suspect we might be grinding out a few more games before we start to build form again but Rome wasn't built in a day, im still confident of a playoff finish. In Mellon I still trust. Questions could maybe be asked over why they are signing players that aren't 'match fit' when we are hunting down a top 7 finish... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deyres42 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 10 minutes ago, nzlatic said: Who thinks that? Given those expectations and budgets he’s delivered on in the past, I’d say that makes him a great fit for us. Dour personality, long history of pragmatic playing style, penchant for collecting older players, all seem at odds against what we are supposedly trying to build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightDN123 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 (edited) 38 minutes ago, LaticsEddie said: Understandable questions are being asked, but perspective is needed with this drop in form. Murmurings of Mellons head on the chopping block are insane. Poor performances the last two games but lets look at the facts. -We have just made 5 signings, none of which are 100% match fit. Conlon- Didnt break back into the Vale side after injury. Played 181 minutes before joining us, one being a full game. Not match fit. Sachdev- Never played mens football, will take time to adjust. Also not 100% Hammond- Bit part player for Cheltenham. 641 minutes played, 5 full games. Not match fit. Dallas- 561 minutes played for Kilmarnock, not a single full game. Not match fit. Garner- 1346 minutes but last substantial minutes were 78 minutes on 14/11/23. Not match fit. -2 signings are young lads, breaking into the game. Sachdev and Hammond got pelters for their performance against Woking. Not every young lad bursts into the team like Stones. Playing mens football for the first time is going to be a huge change naturally but players adjust. Hammond, given time, will impress im sure of it. A hard worker, great energy, presses well, loves a tackle and getting in oppos faces. Sachdev I know less about. Needs to be more positive but has certainly shown quality in glimpses. -Signing 5 new players takes time to gel. All 5 on the face of it look good enough for the EFL. I suspect we have managed to pull off coups like Garner, Conlon not just because they are the type to relish a challenge, see the potential in Oldham and can get a league comparable salary but also because league clubs dont want to take the risk on a 36 year old and a player coming back from long term injury neither of which are match fit. -Hogan has been suspended for the last 2 games, arguably our most in form CB. We have clearly felt his absence (or McGaheys presence, undecided on that). McGahey lack of pace pulls the backline too deep and he doesnt have the arial presence of Hogan. I think Hogans leadership qualities are also underrated on the pitch. I suspect we might be grinding out a few more games before we start to build form again but Rome wasn't built in a day, im still confident of a playoff finish. In Mellon I still trust. I understand your post, but arnt you highlighting a shit transfer window ? We have 16 games to get into the play offs. We can’t afford 10 games of letting the team gel and get match fit. More so, the team we had prior to the window was showing top 3 form over 20 games… We needed a right back and a couple of centre mids to come in and make a difference from the off. Edited February 4 by LightDN123 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzlatic Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 3 minutes ago, LightDN123 said: We have 16 games to get into the play offs. We can’t afford 10 games of letting the team gel and get match fit. Not saying 10 games is the plan but technically we can. We will pick up enough points to remain in contention. If we gel and finish strongly then that will give us a very good chance of winning the play offs. I really think that the board and coaching staff will have discussed this as an 18 month project. If we go up this season that’d be a bonus rather than a given. The way some are acting is that we should 100% be going up this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzlatic Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 37 minutes ago, deyres42 said: Dour personality, long history of pragmatic playing style, penchant for collecting older players, all seem at odds against what we are supposedly trying to build. What are we supposedly trying to build? We need to get into the EFL asap by hook or by crook. Then we have time to build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc1955 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 I think what’s pissing people off is our inability to even manage the basics. It was hard to watch on the tv but just imagine going all the way down to Ebbsfleet yesterday to witness a performance like that! We have no divine right to win every match but we don’t appear to have the slightest clue about how to play this game and that display was totally unacceptable again. This is the 5th division and we have been consistently 2nd best against the majority of the strugglers in this league…..with the squad and resources we have we have to be so much better!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norewgian Gunnar Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Very disappointing again yesterday. We are struggling against teams with few resources. Ebbsfleet passed the ball well and are hoofing it forward practically all the time. It is a very hard watch. I feel sorry for the fans who travelled down to the match. Watching it on TV in the Fanzone Bar was frustrating but at least we got home in a half hour. At this rate we will struggle to make the play offs. We play Kidderminster in a few weeks who seem to be improving to get out of the relegation zone. Wil we struggle again? By the time we play again most teams will have had two more games with points on the board. Where will that leave us in the table? It was a positive feeling to see us in fifth just over a week ago. It is going to be a tough run in now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplythemostimportantkick Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 6 hours ago, Ritchierich said: Having slept on last nights debacle I’m still really deflated and frankly angry about the shambles that MM and our half arsed players served up again. The frustrating thing is the next games are Boreham Wood and Maidenhead and we’ll be back in mid table when we play them….they will be up for it, strong and aggressive like Ebbsfleet but with little quality and I fear we will have no answer but to play 7 at the back and lump the ball up to Mikey Fondop (if Norwood hamstring has gone then he is effectively done for the season) I’ve pretty much lost faith in MM that he can organise and motivate this set off players and I think this season is another write off and a shocking waste of the Rothwell money as once again we’ll be rebuilding the squad in the summer and paying off contracts. It is a mystery as to what is going on behind the scenes in terms of player recruitment and strategy Guinness have been on to see if you’re interested in entering a competition or summat. Season written off prematurely for the eighth time record I believe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyyou Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 1 hour ago, deyres42 said: Dour personality, long history of pragmatic playing style, penchant for collecting older players, all seem at odds against what we are supposedly trying to build. Fleetwood won Conference with 103 points, 102 goals, average squad age 25. Shrewsbury (Avg age 24) won L2 promotion with 67 goals, bettered only by champions Burton (69). Tranmere squad average age 25.5 for promotions from Conference and L2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deyres42 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 4 minutes ago, Boyyou said: Fleetwood won Conference with 103 points, 102 goals, average squad age 25. Shrewsbury (Avg age 24) won L2 promotion with 67 goals, bettered only by champions Burton (69). Tranmere squad average age 25.5 for promotions from Conference and L2. Lovely stuff, that's me told then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsEddie Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, deyres42 said: Questions could maybe be asked over why they are signing players that aren't 'match fit' when we are hunting down a top 7 finish... 1 hour ago, LightDN123 said: I understand your post, but arnt you highlighting a shit transfer window ? We have 16 games to get into the play offs. We can’t afford 10 games of letting the team gel and get match fit. More so, the team we had prior to the window was showing top 3 form over 20 games… We needed a right back and a couple of centre mids to come in and make a difference from the off. I touched on it in the original post. We want out of this league ASAP and clearly throwing our available resources at it, so were not looking to go up the County/Chesterfield route. We dont have the financial clout of Wrexham, were not going up by buying starters from League 1. If we dont want to have to spend 4, 5, 6 seasons in this division to build a squad and playing style to get out of this division or have a never ending pit of money to buy that squad then somethings got to give. We have brought in promotion winners, (hopefully) young and hungry players and proven quality. Im sure theres a lot of first team league players with those attributes out there who would come on board here but they will be commanding fee's and they dont want the National League on their CV. Players of that quality we can attract are ones with less to lose like Conlon who wasnt catching at vale after injury. League clubs dont want to take the risk or wont pay him enough to consider and so has less to lose coming here. The negative for us is that they will take an unspecified time to gain fitness and gel before we reap the rewards. The risks will have been calculated and im sure the board are happy with the investment with the view to see us win the playoffs with the realistic expectation that we wont but start the season with a formidable team from the off. Edited February 4 by LaticsEddie Grammar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlossopLatic Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 4 hours ago, Worcester Owl said: Er, no. That was 90+ minutes of my life I'll never get back. A totally embarrassing performance, apart from maybe the first 10 minutes. The ball spent so much time in the air I started to wonder if it was a balloon. Why we have this craze for hoofball is completely beyond me. To try it now and again in a game as a change of tactic, fine. When it becomes obvious that your front men are winning zilch in the air, surely even players slow on the uptake can see it's not working and should try passing the bloody ball on the deck. It must be a lack of confidence, or basic lack of ability, or both. Plus points? Well, I suppose the new players still need some time to gel. Oh, and the defence did ok, though we rode our luck at times. I'm not entitled and I'm not going to show Ebbsfleet (who deserved to win) disrespect by calling them a pub team. But they are 22nd in the table for a reason, yet passed the ball around and created chances much better than we did. I think their is a universal agreement that last night wasn't good enough and more performances like that will see any promotion hopes drift away. It was more to do with the fact that we are on tv comparatively regularly certainly more than we were at any time since we left what is now the championship. As someone who only ever does a handful of aways at best a season it does atleast give me a chance of watching more games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Branston Pickle Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 The new players will gel, we'll go on another winning run and make the playoffs with ease, and this place will implode on itself 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 1 hour ago, LightDN123 said: We have 16 games to get into the play offs. We can’t afford 10 games of letting the team gel and get match fit. MM has been in charge for 15 games. In that time we have gained 27 points from a possible 45. If we get a similar return from the remaining 16 games, we will end up on 73 points. Will that be enough to get us into the playoffs? Last season Borehamwood finished in 6th place with 72, Bromley one place below in 7th with 71. So it’s doable… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
League one forever Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 There are as many over reacting to people criticising as they’re people criticising. It’s much simpler than that. If we play at least ok and pick up results the noise goes away. If we are absolutely woeful and start losing games fans pipe up. It was ever thus. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardie Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 43 minutes ago, Norewgian Gunnar said: ..By the time we play again most teams will have had two more games with points on the board. Where will that leave us in the table? It was a positive feeling to see us in fifth just over a week ago. It is going to be a tough run in now. We will still be in eighth place, the three teams immediately below us are five and six points behind and do not play twice before we play again. Altrincham look certain to put more daylight between us. I agree, the hoof ball downturn is shocking and completely contradictory to Mellon's midfield recruitment. I just don't get it. He needs to sort it and ensure Boreham Wood are put to the sword in front of our own fans. My confidence in that happening is currently not high. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_Og Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 6 hours ago, Lee Sinnott said: He did. He came on and played right wing back... Hobson moved over, at least in part Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanishfly Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 16 minutes ago, TheBigDog said: MM has been in charge for 15 games. In that time we have gained 27 points from a possible 45. If we get a similar return from the remaining 16 games, we will end up on 73 points. Will that be enough to get us into the playoffs? Last season Borehamwood finished in 6th place with 72, Bromley one place below in 7th with 71. So it’s doable… You are all at a distinct advantage to me (cos I`ve only seen the last two games). Based purely on what I`ve seen there is not a snowball in hell's chance of going up because we have been dire. So, please can someone put their finger on why the last 2 games, we have looked like a mediocre amateur team? What's suddenly changed? People said to me after Woking at home that I simply had to wait and watch us stemroller Ebbsfleet away. I`m waiting... still waiting... I don't want to be negative but it's so damned hard after watching over 3 hours of utter dross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boroblue Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 1 hour ago, LightDN123 said: I understand your post, but arnt you highlighting a shit transfer window ? We have 16 games to get into the play offs. We can’t afford 10 games of letting the team gel and get match fit. More so, the team we had prior to the window was showing top 3 form over 20 games… We needed a right back and a couple of centre mids to come in and make a difference from the off. You can have as many better midfield players as you want, but if the defenders just hoof it over their heads it makes no difference. Sadly and also because the game was such an awful watch, I rewound from a hoofed clearance or two to see easy 10-15 yard passes on to the feet of a midfielder. Is that following instructions, a lack of awareness or panic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardie Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 2 minutes ago, Boroblue said: You can have as many better midfield players as you want, but if the defenders just hoof it over their heads it makes no difference. Sadly and also because the game was such an awful watch, I rewound from a hoofed clearance or two to see easy 10-15 yard passes on to the feet of a midfielder. Is that following instructions, a lack of awareness or panic? If it was following instructions then the season is well and truly done and also makes a mockery/waste of money of the recent midfield signings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ritchierich Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 1 hour ago, simplythemostimportantkick said: Guinness have been on to see if you’re interested in entering a competition or summat. Season written off prematurely for the eighth time record I believe. Cool thanks, you’re right though, why do I bother. Perhaps the best answer is to stop going to matches given that it is rarely enjoyable anymore and pretty expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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