Micky Mellon Sack Watch

[Bobledgersheart]

23 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

You can be sure it will re-emerge every time we don't win.

 

Only by the same strident voices !

[BP1960]

1 minute ago, Bobledgersheart said:

Only by the same strident voices !

 

Not me, I only post what I see.

[oafc1955]

8 hours ago, Monty Burns said:

yeah and we are 6pts off 2nd so 

Yeah and thats great but it’s been done without Walker & Dallas. The point I was making is the fact that because they weren’t fit we weren’t going to get very much, if any value from their loans in what’s left of the season.

[BP1960]

4 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

Yeah and thats great but it’s been done without Walker & Dallas. The point I was making is the fact that because they weren’t fit we weren’t going to get very much, if any value from their loans in what’s left of the season.

 

Why don't the club arrange B team friendlies like last season, or apply to join the Central League North?

Some very strong EFL teams in that league ensuing good tests for player seeking match fitness and promising youths.

[Boyyou]

14 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

Yeah and thats great but it’s been done without Walker & Dallas. The point I was making is the fact that because they weren’t fit we weren’t going to get very much, if any value from their loans in what’s left of the season.

Still a quarter of the season to go. Still chance to make an impact now we are at the business end. Still believe they could offer more than Nuttall or Willoughby. 

If Dallas or Walker pop up with a match winner in the next 11 games, or play-offs, that could be invaluable.

[Monty Burns]

29 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

Not me, I only post what l choose to see.

  

 

yeah, true. fair do's.

[Monty Burns]

20 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

Why don't the club arrange B team friendlies like last season, or apply to join the Central League North?

Some very strong EFL teams in that league ensuing good tests for player seeking match fitness and promising youths.

l think they have to next season

[hollandspies]

I can’t understand why we don’t start our home games with fire in our bellies, take the game to the opposition from the very first whistle, and set out our stall to score the first goal. 
 

Once that’s achieved, surely our opponents will then feel the need to ‘come out and play’ which should work in our favour as MM can then potentially deploy the same kind of tactics that work so well away. 
 

We currently start so slowly, which more often than not, affords the away side the initiative, leaving 65 travelling supporters singing loudly whilst our Atheticos bite their nails. 

Ultimately, we all get a bit / very restless and the team then struggle to raise their game. 

I think our game management at home would be so much better if we just went for the jugular from the off, set up to dominate the play, get the crowd fired up and go all out to get the first goal. 

We just don’t break sweat first 20 minutes. 
Perhaps if we did then the tone of the game might be set differently. 
Might be worth a try and see how it goes!? 

 

 

Edited February 28 by hollandspies

[TheBigDog]

9 hours ago, hollandspies said:

I can’t understand why we don’t start our home games with fire in our bellies, take the game to the opposition from the very first whistle, and set out our stall to score the first goal. 
 

Once that’s achieved, surely our opponents will then feel the need to ‘come out and play’ which should work in our favour as MM can then potentially deploy the same kind of tactics that work so well away. 
 

We currently start so slowly, which more often than not, affords the away side the initiative, leaving 65 travelling supporters singing loudly whilst our Atheticos bite their nails. 

Ultimately, we all get a bit / very restless and the team then struggle to raise their game. 

I think our game management at home would be so much better if we just went for the jugular from the off, set up to dominate the play, get the crowd fired up and go all out to get the first goal. 

We just don’t break sweat first 20 minutes. 
Perhaps if we did then the tone of the game might be set differently. 
Might be worth a try and see how it goes!? 

 

 

It’s a collective responsibility - management and players - but maybe we fans need to do more?

 

At away games the admittedly smaller number of fans often launch into “Mickey Melon’s Blue and White Army”  - the chant gradually builds and is sung for sustained periods - and I’m convinced that it does inspire the players.

 

[Dave_Og]

1 hour ago, TheBigDog said:

It’s a collective responsibility - management and players - but maybe we fans need to do more?

 

At away games the admittedly smaller number of fans often launch into “Mickey Melon’s Blue and White Army”  - the chant gradually builds and is sung for sustained periods - and I’m convinced that it does inspire the players.

 

 

Give them headphones with that on a loop at home games

[BP1960]

11 hours ago, hollandspies said:

I can’t understand why we don’t start our home games with fire in our bellies, take the game to the opposition from the very first whistle, and set out our stall to score the first goal. 
 

Once that’s achieved, surely our opponents will then feel the need to ‘come out and play’ which should work in our favour as MM can then potentially deploy the same kind of tactics that work so well away. 
 

We currently start so slowly, which more often than not, affords the away side the initiative, leaving 65 travelling supporters singing loudly whilst our Atheticos bite their nails. 

Ultimately, we all get a bit / very restless and the team then struggle to raise their game. 

I think our game management at home would be so much better if we just went for the jugular from the off, set up to dominate the play, get the crowd fired up and go all out to get the first goal. 

We just don’t break sweat first 20 minutes. 
Perhaps if we did then the tone of the game might be set differently. 
Might be worth a try and see how it goes!? 

 

 

 

I noticed from the off McGahay and Sheron played a much higher line and we dominated.

You are right this needs to happen in home games too.

Same applies to the wing backs and midfielders.

[nzlatic]

Just looking at Mellon's league results, if you remove our 3 home games against teams in or around the relegation zone (Ebbsfleet, Woking and Kidderminster) then our PPG is 1.8 over the other 6 games which would be fine. So we have 0 ppg against teams at the bottom at home and 1.8 ppg against everyone else. That's where I think the problem mainly is with home form rather than it being a more in depth problem. 

 

One factor could be that those teams would be looking at the fixture as a completely free hit. They can play with freedom and be very attacking knowing if they end up losing, it won't matter too much as they wouldn't expect anything from the game anyway.  We have the opposite mentality - the expectation of 6000 people in the crowd and from the players/management is for a comfortable win. Any mistakes are made worse by it feeling like a massive missed opportunity. 

[yarddog73]

Stat of the day.

 

If we had got the result at home to Kiddy we'd be top of the form table over the past 8 games and on the brink of the top 3, given I've had about three meltdowns in that spell that's not a bad return and it still has us 4th I think in that period of time with 14 points.

[disjointed]

16 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Stat of the day.

 

If we had got the result at home to Kiddy we'd be top of the form table over the past 8 games and on the brink of the top 3, given I've had about three meltdowns in that spell that's not a bad return and it still has us 4th I think in that period of time with 14 points.

The frustrating thing is since we have put ourselves in the play off positions we then conspire to lose against a weaker side at home, we could be 2nd or 3rd already. I know it's only a game and I've learnt to shrug my shoulders and say ah well but FFS. 

[spanishfly]

I think our 2 home games this Sat/Tues could well make or break our season. Woking/Kiddy type performances and it could be bye bye to any thoughts of promotion. Particularly as we have a tough game at Aldershot to follow. I pray what people have said is correct and we perform better against the better teams at home. Win the next 2 at home sets us up fantastically for Aldershot away, where we could maintain momentum. No pressure on them then but the next 2 are vital.

Edited February 29 by spanishfly

[Roger Ritchie]

Can't be arsed reading the rest of this but 6 points off second after a very mediocre start to the season under a previous manager ain't too bad. 

[L1onheartNew]

7 hours ago, nzlatic said:

Just looking at Mellon's league results, if you remove our 3 home games against teams in or around the relegation zone (Ebbsfleet, Woking and Kidderminster) then our PPG is 1.8 over the other 6 games which would be fine. So we have 0 ppg against teams at the bottom at home and 1.8 ppg against everyone else. That's where I think the problem mainly is with home form rather than it being a more in depth problem. 

 

One factor could be that those teams would be looking at the fixture as a completely free hit. They can play with freedom and be very attacking knowing if they end up losing, it won't matter too much as they wouldn't expect anything from the game anyway.  We have the opposite mentality - the expectation of 6000 people in the crowd and from the players/management is for a comfortable win. Any mistakes are made worse by it feeling like a massive missed opportunity. 

This. 100%. It's all about expectation.

 

Effectively, we have given the rest of the league a 12 game start. 9 games under Unsworth, of which, there was one win and 3 free hits.

 

Under the circumstances, what Mellon has achieved post Unsworth is nothing short of remarkable.

 

We were not a team of world beaters under performing where any manager could have walked in and turned them around. We were and still are a team of misfits, rejects and average Joe's.

 

The exception being Garner. 

Four in six is an excellent return. His positioning and finish at Maidenhead were superb and his close control and execution at Eastleigh were a joy to watch.

Reminds me of Roger Palmer at his best.

 

The expectation is that we perform at home as we did at Eastleigh, Maidenhead and Barnet. We don't.

We do not exactly batter the opposition away from home for the first 15-20 mins. Although it's a far cry from Southend!

We appear to work out their formation run a fast pressing game and then work the space it provides to our advantage. We then play a higher line which makes it difficult for the oppo to get back into it.

 

We do do similar at home. However, invariably, we find ourselves a goal down during this time as the opposition runs at us and we are always chasing.

 

Back to Southend. This weekend's opponents.

 

The expectation based on recent home performances, is that we will lose. However, MMs apparent ability to polish multiple turds with the same brush gives me hope.

 

We tend to play it out the back through Hobson, followed by a long diagonal ball for Kitching to run on to. Ordinarily, it amounts to nothing. 

At this point, our entire left side is exposed, the midfield get sucked in to cover leaving a huge hole behind. 

The opposition just strolls right through.

 

Hobson is then sucked in and they are round the back.

Simple and very effective plan.

 

Maybe we should play our 20 minute away plan at home from the off?

There was a lot of short, accurate crisp passing on Tuesday night; particularly for Garners second, so we are capable.

 

We should study Chesterfield. They have had a few years to get it right. Now that they have, they are reaping the reward.

 

Having said all of the above, I expect nothing less than 3 points and a convincing performance on Saturday.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 29 by L1onheartNew

[League one forever]

5 hours ago, yarddog73 said:

Stat of the day.

 

If we had got the result at home to Kiddy we'd be top of the form table over the past 8 games and on the brink of the top 3, given I've had about three meltdowns in that spell that's not a bad return and it still has us 4th I think in that period of time with 14 points.

[basilrobbie]

I've been on holiday for a week so this thread caught my eye. I assumed it must be someone bumping an old thread to make a point ...... but it seems it is actually serious.

 

I'd say it was incredible, when you consider your last thirty years of miserable under-achievement, but I have to tolerate the keyboard warriors at Blackpool, who behave in exactly the same way - irrational, volatile and unable to contextualise what they are seeing. And then there is the overwhelming sense of entitlement.....

 

I don't watch you at all, and am quite willing to believe that you are not easy on the eye. But so what? You are playing in a muck and nettles Division, and sometimes you have to adapt to what you are faced with. All I know is that after a worrying start and a change of manager, you are now in the thick of play-off contention, getting significantly more good results than bad ones and giving the impression that the club as a whole is getting to grips with what has been a  precipitous fall from grace. 

 

You seem to have done all that without waving a cheque book in the style of Wrexham or Stockport ; given how competitive the Division is I'd be inclined to give the manager a bit more credit for getting a tune out of this squad. And I wholly accept it is easy for me to look dispassionately at it. 

 

I think around 72 points will be good enough for 7th. That means going something like W4 D4 L3 from here in. If you managed to (say) go W6 D2 L3 you would have a shot at 4th and a home tie to start in the play-offs. Obviously, given the tone of the debate, that may not be the advantage it is usually is. But I would rather the board was tilted in my favour for any one off match. 

 

I don't think the main issue is whether you can make it. It's any six from eight, and they are normally decent odds. I think you have a tough run in, but so do others. The key issue for me is momentum - I know a lot about winning play-offs, and when we have done it we have almost always gone into them in really good form. 

 

So there seems to me to be an awful lot to play for. It's a good time for excitement, ad a very odd one for the panic-stricken OP and some of what has followed it. All in my opinion, which of course counts for bugger all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AndyB2]

10 minutes ago, basilrobbie said:

I've been on holiday for a week so this thread caught my eye. I assumed it must be someone bumping an old thread to make a point ...... but it seems it is actually serious.

 

I'd say it was incredible, when you consider your last thirty years of miserable under-achievement, but I have to tolerate the keyboard warriors at Blackpool, who behave in exactly the same way - irrational, volatile and unable to contextualise what they are seeing. And then there is the overwhelming sense of entitlement.....

 

I don't watch you at all, and am quite willing to believe that you are not easy on the eye. But so what? You are playing in a muck and nettles Division, and sometimes you have to adapt to what you are faced with. All I know is that after a worrying start and a change of manager, you are now in the thick of play-off contention, getting significantly more good results than bad ones and giving the impression that the club as a whole is getting to grips with what has been a  precipitous fall from grace. 

 

You seem to have done all that without waving a cheque book in the style of Wrexham or Stockport ; given how competitive the Division is I'd be inclined to give the manager a bit more credit for getting a tune out of this squad. And I wholly accept it is easy for me to look dispassionately at it. 

 

I think around 72 points will be good enough for 7th. That means going something like W4 D4 L3 from here in. If you managed to (say) go W6 D2 L3 you would have a shot at 4th and a home tie to start in the play-offs. Obviously, given the tone of the debate, that may not be the advantage it is usually is. But I would rather the board was tilted in my favour for any one off match. 

 

I don't think the main issue is whether you can make it. It's any six from eight, and they are normally decent odds. I think you have a tough run in, but so do others. The key issue for me is momentum - I know a lot about winning play-offs, and when we have done it we have almost always gone into them in really good form. 

 

So there seems to me to be an awful lot to play for. It's a good time for excitement, ad a very odd one for the panic-stricken OP and some of what has followed it. All in my opinion, which of course counts for bugger all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Too rational and grounded for most of our fans at present. The emotion - be it anger or joy - gets the better of them. 
 

I would be amazed if on a Friday lunchtime you would find a single Oldham fan who believes Mellon is anywhere near being at risk of losing his job (and rightly so). 

[disjointed]

14 minutes ago, basilrobbie said:

I've been on holiday for a week so this thread caught my eye. I assumed it must be someone bumping an old thread to make a point ...... but it seems it is actually serious.

 

I'd say it was incredible, when you consider your last thirty years of miserable under-achievement, but I have to tolerate the keyboard warriors at Blackpool, who behave in exactly the same way - irrational, volatile and unable to contextualise what they are seeing. And then there is the overwhelming sense of entitlement.....

 

I don't watch you at all, and am quite willing to believe that you are not easy on the eye. But so what? You are playing in a muck and nettles Division, and sometimes you have to adapt to what you are faced with. All I know is that after a worrying start and a change of manager, you are now in the thick of play-off contention, getting significantly more good results than bad ones and giving the impression that the club as a whole is getting to grips with what has been a  precipitous fall from grace. 

 

You seem to have done all that without waving a cheque book in the style of Wrexham or Stockport ; given how competitive the Division is I'd be inclined to give the manager a bit more credit for getting a tune out of this squad. And I wholly accept it is easy for me to look dispassionately at it. 

 

I think around 72 points will be good enough for 7th. That means going something like W4 D4 L3 from here in. If you managed to (say) go W6 D2 L3 you would have a shot at 4th and a home tie to start in the play-offs. Obviously, given the tone of the debate, that may not be the advantage it is usually is. But I would rather the board was tilted in my favour for any one off match. 

 

I don't think the main issue is whether you can make it. It's any six from eight, and they are normally decent odds. I think you have a tough run in, but so do others. The key issue for me is momentum - I know a lot about winning play-offs, and when we have done it we have almost always gone into them in really good form. 

 

So there seems to me to be an awful lot to play for. It's a good time for excitement, ad a very odd one for the panic-stricken OP and some of what has followed it. All in my opinion, which of course counts for bugger all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good to hear from you again Robbie, the OP did put in a later post that it was just frustration (he does have an air of negativity about him), after a bad result it's sometimes best to wait until the following day before posting anything. Good luck to Blackpool for the rest of the season a sneak into the play offs maybe. 

[basilrobbie]

2 hours ago, disjointed said:

Good to hear from you again Robbie, the OP did put in a later post that it was just frustration (he does have an air of negativity about him), after a bad result it's sometimes best to wait until the following day before posting anything. Good luck to Blackpool for the rest of the season a sneak into the play offs maybe. 

Cheers mate. We are too inconsistent I think, our current position of 9th feels about right. We''ll see - if we do make it it will because we have suddenly found something, and you know what we are like when we do.

 

Actually, we are, after five years or so under Mr. Sadler, pretty much exactly where we started in terms of League position. And he has put around £16m in so far. 

[Worcester Owl]

38 minutes ago, basilrobbie said:

Cheers mate. We are too inconsistent I think, our current position of 9th feels about right. We''ll see - if we do make it it will because we have suddenly found something, and you know what we are like when we do.

 

Actually, we are, after five years or so under Mr. Sadler, pretty much exactly where we started in terms of League position. And he has put around £16m in so far. 

A sobering thought.

 

Re your earlier post, your opinion counts for rather more than bugger all. It's a much needed objective view, especially as regards this particular thread!!!

[GKing521]

If we don't make the play offs he should be dismissed as soon as the final whistle blows after the Wealdstone match.
 

 

[LaticMark]

1 minute ago, GKing521 said:

If we don't make the play offs he should be dismissed as soon as the final whistle blows after the Wealdstone match.
 

 

 

FFS.