MATCH: AFC Fylde (H) 29/03/24

[oafcmetty]

2 hours ago, AndyB2 said:

Common theme in examples of ‘improved’ performances - we are the under dog. A free hit as they say. See wrexham at home last season, chesterfield 2 weeks ago, even second half against Fylde (free hit as we were 3-1 down and the pressure was off).

1 point. Great.

[Punce]

32 minutes ago, League one forever said:

 

If you want everyone to agree with you- just say so. I countered your question with my own, because I don’t agree with you.  That’s the nature of debate. 

 

If you believe several individual title winning/promotion winning/played higher players are all now shit, and can only play against chesterfield and the like then that’s fine. But their careers clearly demonstrate otherwise. Maybe they played in teams that suited their game, maybe they didn’t get rotated after playing well, maybe they played in their proper position consistently. Maybe they built consistent little partnership’s with their teammates.  You complete dismiss players without looking at the many nuances that contribute to their form.
 

Players reflect their manager and at the minute every player looks lost, and half arsed. That isn’t form or they’re suddenly shit.
 

Yeaterday is perfect example. The midfield was awful for the first 30 minutes, why? Because the tactics completed bypassed them- they got no foothold in the game, and gave the impetus to Flyde. That has nothing to do with them being shit- that’s tactics. The strikers looked completely ineffective- why? Because the only service was high balls to two midgets. That’s not them being shit or not being able to jump. It’s tactics. We go 3 down and fighting for a bit pride they stop lumping it- played a bit and got a goal back. That’s proves they can play. They then go down to ten men and still look the better side. 
 

There is a reason why they all come with a reputation and don’t do it, and it’s not because they were good, and they’re now shit. 

 

Yep, we come back to this:

 

Alex Reid said Unsworth was always at them to get the ball down and play. 

Mellon says he is always calling for more football.....and yet, at our worst, our fallback tactic is kick and head it.

 

Mystery.

 

.

[oafcmetty]

13 minutes ago, Punce said:

 

Yep, we come back to this:

 

Alex Reid said Unsworth was always at them to get the ball down and play. 

Mellon says he is always calling for more football.....and yet, at our worst, our fallback tactic is kick and head it.

 

Mystery.

 

.

Almost as if the players are......a bit dim?

[100milesaway]

A big mystery to me is the way certain players have been discarded . Dickenson  seen off to pools, even though he had scored a few, including some spectacular long range efforts.

 

Tollitt suffered the same fate, even though he to had found the net with long range shots. And could actually run at people, which is an alien concept to our present lot.

 

None of the players who replaced them have so far even had a shot on target and look like goals are just not part of their game.

 

Latest player to disappear is Lundstrom, is he injured, disciplined , or has the manager fallen out with him too. although he probably had his best game for us against Chesterfield.

 

Furthermore the managers insistence on playing two players, who are both so one footed, that they have to run round in a circle just to address the ball. That will be Conlon and Kitching.

 

All in all, it's all turned into a bit of a mess, with piss poor results, lack of endeavour from the players, crap tactics, all adding up to us being bloody awful to watch which seems to go worse as time passes.

 

My biggest gripe however, is the fact that neither the management nore players don't seem to understand that all our opponents, except Chesterfield look on a visit to BP as their cup final, they come here determined to run their balls off and cause an upset. And it's shocking how many of them manage it. Everyone, except Chesterfield( who didn't want to win at BP) and Aldershot, have passed us to death, and simply run rings round us. And it just keeps on happening time and time again.

 

Why Mellon keeps us playing the same week in week out is a major mystery to me. Surely if you keep doing the same thing, you will just keep getting the same results.

 

This season has been my least enjoyable one that I can remember, with very little to get excited about all season long. The season that started with so much promise, looks to be drawing to its conclusion with lots of very unhappy fans.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 30 by 100milesaway

[League one forever]

10 minutes ago, Punce said:

 

Yep, we come back to this:

 

Alex Reid said Unsworth was always at them to get the ball down and play. 

Mellon says he is always calling for more football.....and yet, at our worst, our fallback tactic is kick and head it.

 

Mystery.

 

.

If Mellon or Unsy were known for a passing style, I’d be inclined to believe them, but in each case they made their name playing attritional all that matters is the result football- that’s fine if it’s successful. 
 

But again in each case- when the heat has turned up on them, they’ve denied their known style, and how the team is playing and claimed they want us to play. 
 

So- they are caving to pressure and trying to appease by saying the opposite in the media to what they tell the players. 
 

Or

 

They are asking them to play and the players are completely ignoring him. 
 

I’m going with the former. 

[nzlatic]

3 minutes ago, League one forever said:

If Mellon or Unsy were known for a passing style, I’d be inclined to believe them, but in each case they made their name playing attritional all that matters is the result football- that’s fine if it’s successful. 
 

But again in each case- when the heat has turned up on them, they’ve denied their known style, and how the team is playing and claimed they want us to play. 
 

So- they are caving to pressure and trying to appease by saying the opposite in the media to what they tell the players. 
 

Or

 

They are asking them to play and the players are completely ignoring him. 
 

I’m going with the former. 

But we have had games where we’ve played decent football. Are you saying they ignore him in those games but listen to him the rest of the time? Or he tells them to play in those games, they do it and win so he then says don’t do that again, what I want you to do is aimless punts forward out of defence? And even though doing that is killing our play off chances he persists in telling them to do that each game?

 

Unless he’s an agent sent by Rochdale fans then that would make no logical sense at all. 

[League one forever]

8 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

But we have had games where we’ve played decent football. Are you saying they ignore him in those games but listen to him the rest of the time? Or he tells them to play in those games, they do it and win so he then says don’t do that again, what I want you to do is aimless punts forward out of defence? And even though doing that is killing our play off chances he persists in telling them to do that each game?

 

Unless he’s an agent sent by Rochdale fans then that would make no logical sense at all. 

I am saying that what he tells the media and what I watch are two very different things. I’m theorising why that could be, and I didn’t say they were ignoring him,  I said I think Mellon is caving to pressure in the media when he says he wants them to play- and we hardly ever see it. He’s giving very mixed messages. . . 
 

I’ve constantly defended Mellon because up until the last couple of months he got enough results, and that is the ultimate currency. However I’ve been consistently told by other posters that while he is getting results the football isn’t sustainable. That view has now come to fruition. We have played well in patches, with one 90 minute performance- (chesterfield).
 

Teams reflect their manager, and I would argue we have good players that on their day can play in patches. But it’s down to the manager why there is zero consistency to that. What partnerships has he developed? Why do players have good games and are then dropped? Why do we play play players out of position needlessly? It’s combination of a lot things as to why we play some games and don’t the others. But it’s also the result of blatant tactics sometimes.
 

When every ball is played back to Hudson, and every out ball is played high to two small front men. Do not say in the media- I ask them all the time to play. 

[BradKnowles1]

Had a bit of time to think we weren’t going the season without another horror show. Hopefully that is now out of the system and we now go 5 wins in a row.

 

feeling positive after seeing former Oldham player Jacob Blyth at Heaton park. It brought back the dark days of Keith Curle 

[Dave_Og]

1 hour ago, oafcmetty said:

Almost as if the players are......a bit dim?

All 50 odd (guess, how many is it?) that we've used over the last twenty months?

[JoeP]

41 minutes ago, League one forever said:

I am saying that what he tells the media and what I watch are two very different things. I’m theorising why that could be, and I didn’t say they were ignoring him,  I said I think Mellon is caving to pressure in the media when he says he wants them to play- and we hardly ever see it. He’s giving very mixed messages. . . 
 

I’ve constantly defended Mellon because up until the last couple of months he got enough results, and that is the ultimate currency. However I’ve been consistently told by other posters that while he is getting results the football isn’t sustainable. That view has now come to fruition. We have played well in patches, with one 90 minute performance- (chesterfield).
 

Teams reflect their manager, and I would argue we have good players that on their day can play in patches. But it’s down to the manager why there is zero consistency to that. What partnerships has he developed? Why do players have good games and are then dropped? Why do we play play players out of position needlessly? It’s combination of a lot things as to why we play some games and don’t the others. But it’s also the result of blatant tactics sometimes.
 

When every ball is played back to Hudson, and every out ball is played high to two small front men. Do not say in the media- I ask them all the time to play. 

 

Putting optimistic hat on, I'm hoping this is because he needs to sort out who's worth keeping and who's not after the recruitment calamity - possibly at the expense of going up this season, but with the idea of having a good go next year with a settled squad.

 

You don't have to have vast football knowledge to know you should play your best team every week.

 

That said, at Newport in the cup, he made a double sub with virtually the last kick of the game with us 2-0 down for no obvious reason at all..

[nzlatic]

44 minutes ago, League one forever said:

I am saying that what he tells the media and what I watch are two very different things. I’m theorising why that could be, and I didn’t say they were ignoring him,  I said I think Mellon is caving to pressure in the media when he says he wants them to play- and we hardly ever see it. He’s giving very mixed messages. . . 
 

I’ve constantly defended Mellon because up until the last couple of months he got enough results, and that is the ultimate currency. However I’ve been consistently told by other posters that while he is getting results the football isn’t sustainable. That view has now come to fruition. We have played well in patches, with one 90 minute performance- (chesterfield).
 

Teams reflect their manager, and I would argue we have good players that on their day can play in patches. But it’s down to the manager why there is zero consistency to that. What partnerships has he developed? Why do players have good games and are then dropped? Why do we play play players out of position needlessly? It’s combination of a lot things as to why we play some games and don’t the others. But it’s also the result of blatant tactics sometimes.
 

When every ball is played back to Hudson, and every out ball is played high to two small front men. Do not say in the media- I ask them all the time to play. 

When they play like they did first half yesterday, or away at Aldershot or any of the other games where they’ve had a total nightmare I don’t believe that is intentional tactics. That isn’t direct football or long ball football. It’s total disorganised, panicked chaos where they look like they haven’t trained together let alone played together. I do not believe that Mellon and Brabin stand on the training pitch working through patterns of play that involve them passing slowly backwards then just hoofing aimlessly into the middle of nowhere while the strikers chase after it having no idea where it was meant to go. If that was the plan then why don’t they start Fondop every game? 
 

It’s not pragmatic football that just isn’t bringing results. I wouldn’t even know how to describe it. It’s non football. So what is the reason for them doing that? I don’t believe that’s the plan. I think they take it upon themselves to do it under certain circumstances. 
 

Mellon isn’t absolved of any blame of course, he is the boss and he needs to work out how to get them to not do it. But I don’t believe that just bringing in someone who plays it on the deck will suddenly have us climbing the table. I think we’d still be seeing the same pant shitting spells this group churns out regularly. 

[AndyB2]

2 hours ago, League one forever said:

 

If you want everyone to agree with you- just say so. I countered your question with my own, because I don’t agree with you.  That’s the nature of debate. 

 

If you believe several individual title winning/promotion winning/played higher players are all now shit, and can only play against chesterfield and the like then that’s fine. But their careers clearly demonstrate otherwise. Maybe they played in teams that suited their game, maybe they didn’t get rotated after playing well, maybe they played in their proper position consistently. Maybe they built consistent little partnership’s with their teammates.  You complete dismiss players without looking at the many nuances that contribute to their form.
 

Players reflect their manager and at the minute every player looks lost, and half arsed. That isn’t form or they’re suddenly shit.
 

Yeaterday is perfect example. The midfield was awful for the first 30 minutes, why? Because the tactics completed bypassed them- they got no foothold in the game, and gave the impetus to Flyde. That has nothing to do with them being shit- that’s tactics. The strikers looked completely ineffective- why? Because the only service was high balls to two midgets. That’s not them being shit or not being able to jump. It’s tactics. We go 3 down and fighting for a bit pride they stop lumping it- played a bit and got a goal back. That’s proves they can play. They then go down to ten men and still look the better side. 
 

There is a reason why they all come with a reputation and don’t do it, and it’s not because they were good, and they’re now shit. 

Ok. Yeah they are great.
 

They don’t work hard cos of the set up, they can’t pass cos of the set up, they have the first touch of my grandma cos of the set up. 
 

l am not asking you to agree with me. I am expressing a view. Is that ok?

 

what I see is an 11 players who, as a collective, don’t work. It shouldn’t be this hard to build a team capable of getting into the play offs in non league football. 
 

I don’t give a shit about their past achievements. Neither should you. 
 

John Rooney was lauded as a great signing cos of his past. So was Shelton. The current crop are no better.

 

I am at pains to say, this is my opinion. I could not give a flying fuck if it isn’t yours or not. My views are not fact.

 

however, I doubt that we will show any level of progress with this team regardless of set up and manager. I am rarely wrong, unfortunately 

Edited March 30 by AndyB2

[League one forever]

12 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

l am not asking you to agree with me

 

 

13 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

 

I don’t give a shit about their past achievements. Neither should you.

 

13 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

I could not give a flying fuck if it isn’t yours or not

Why ask me a question then?

[League one forever]

47 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

When they play like they did first half yesterday, or away at Aldershot or any of the other games where they’ve had a total nightmare I don’t believe that is intentional tactics.

If it’s not tactics then by definition they are definitely ignoring him. Otherwise there is no way to explain their complete and utter non football. 
 

 

50 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

That isn’t direct football or long ball football. It’s total disorganised, panicked chaos where they look like they haven’t trained together let alone played together.

Agreed. Direct football is fine if you can see our runners when we get possession and we hit long diagonals or we play our best target man (Fondop) but our direct play is all high through the middle to players who aren’t target men, it has no pattern- it’s literally just smack it. So if Mellon isn’t a passing style manager and his direct style is descending into chaos- what are we? 

 

57 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

So what is the reason for them doing that? I don’t believe that’s the plan. I think they take it upon themselves to do it under certain circumstances. 

You keep mentioning a plan- but for me that’s the whole point, we don’t have an identity. For a manager of his calibre I was expecting to see a Micky Mellon side by now- instead we’re seeing non football. 

[nzlatic]

5 minutes ago, League one forever said:

If it’s not tactics then by definition they are definitely ignoring him. Otherwise there is no way to explain their complete and utter non football. 
 

 

Agreed. Direct football is fine if you can see our runners when we get possession and we hit long diagonals or we play our best target man (Fondop) but our direct play is all high through the middle to players who aren’t target men, it has no pattern- it’s literally just smack it. So if Mellon isn’t a passing style manager and his direct style is descending into chaos- what are we? 

 

You keep mentioning a plan- but for me that’s the whole point, we don’t have an identity. For a manager of his calibre I was expecting to see a Micky Mellon side by now- instead we’re seeing non football. 

I don’t think they’re ignoring him, I think they’re just panicking in certain circumstances. We either have no plan, so Mellon is just not actively doing anything at all in terms of coaching or tactics. Or there is a plan but they aren’t carrying it out on a consistent basis. Which is the most likely?

 

Personally I think the second. In our best performances we’ve employed a mixture of direct and short passing. Eg Garner goal at Maidenhead (direct) and the second goal at Eastleigh (passing move). To me that makes sense as the sort of football you’d expect from a manager like Mellon. But when it goes to shit it is just aimless hoofs. Why do they do it? Who knows but I don’t believe it’s part of a deliberately set out plan. In my opinion it’s the pressure and weight of expectation that they’re struggling to deal with. I owe an apology of sorts to @GKing521 here because I now do think it is an element of mental fragility. I don’t agree with him that the club has a losing mentality permeating through it, but I think some players are struggling with pressure. 
 

That might actually only take a few squad changes to fix. So we might not be as far off success as it currently looks. 

[BP1960]

4 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

I don’t think they’re ignoring him, I think they’re just panicking in certain circumstances. We either have no plan, so Mellon is just not actively doing anything at all in terms of coaching or tactics. Or there is a plan but they aren’t carrying it out on a consistent basis. Which is the most likely?

 

Personally I think the second. In our best performances we’ve employed a mixture of direct and short passing. Eg Garner goal at Maidenhead (direct) and the second goal at Eastleigh (passing move). To me that makes sense as the sort of football you’d expect from a manager like Mellon. But when it goes to shit it is just aimless hoofs. Why do they do it? Who knows but I don’t believe it’s part of a deliberately set out plan. In my opinion it’s the pressure and weight of expectation that they’re struggling to deal with. I owe an apology of sorts to @GKing521 here because I now do think it is an element of mental fragility. I don’t agree with him that the club has a losing mentality permeating through it, but I think some players are struggling with pressure. 
 

That might actually only take a few squad changes to fix. So we might not be as far off success as it currently looks. 

 

I think you're right the players are clearing their lines and in their own minds it prevents conceding a goal or if latched onto can lead to scoring a goal. A safer option that misplacing a pass or being dispossessed and the crowd on their backs.

Maybe next season confidence can come from winning home games with passing the ball without fear.

I guess this is what MM will be working on.

 

[AndyB2]

2 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

I think you're right the players are clearing their lines and in their own minds it prevents conceding a goal or if latched onto can lead to scoring a goal. A safer option that misplacing a pass or being dispossessed and the crowd on their backs.

Maybe next season confidence can come from winning home games with passing the ball without fear.

I guess this is what MM will be working on.

 

Otherwise known as… the players are shite 

[deyres42]

Think Unsworth and now Mellon have built up the idea that BP is some seething cauldron of hate, fans foaming at the mouth ready to turn on the players at any moment and that's why they can't perform.

 

It is complete nonsense.

[nzlatic]

3 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Think Unsworth and now Mellon have built up the idea that BP is some seething cauldron of hate, fans foaming at the mouth ready to turn on the players at any moment and that's why they can't perform.

 

It is complete nonsense.

I think the fear of making a mistake is a thing, but that fear doesn’t come from the possibility of the crowd groaning. It’s bigger than that. 
 

Put it this way, a player could have a great game for Brentford against Man United. But put them in the other team and the expectation that comes from playing for a club like that could mean they don’t perform as well. 
 

And I shall now resign from this board for comparing us to Man United. 

Edited March 30 by nzlatic
Shameful analogy

[League one forever]

1 minute ago, deyres42 said:

Think Unsworth and now Mellon have built up the idea that BP is some seething cauldron of hate, fans foaming at the mouth ready to turn on the players at any moment and that's why they can't perform.

 

It is complete nonsense.

Agreed. 
 

Any crowd at any football club reflect what they see. 
 

Start well- crowd is up. 
 

Start badly- crowd is on their back. 
 

I think a lot of managers do it, particularly when they’re struggling- which is why it’s never a good sign. 
 

 

[AndyB2]

1 hour ago, League one forever said:

Agreed. 
 

Any crowd at any football club reflect what they see. 
 

Start well- crowd is up. 
 

Start badly- crowd is on their back. 
 

I think a lot of managers do it, particularly when they’re struggling- which is why it’s never a good sign. 
 

 

Every time some knob on here comes up with some crap like this, I will, without hestitation, draw attention to the fact that we have shit players. It starts and ends there 

Edited March 30 by AndyB2

[AndyB2]

3 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

Every time some knob on here comes up with some crap like this, I will, without hestitation, drawn attention to the fact that we have shit players. It starts and ends there 

Love to be proven wrong. I won’t be 

[League one forever]

3 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

Every time some knob on here

 

For someone who loves to claim they get bullied, you’re very aggressive.

[AndyB2]

10 minutes ago, League one forever said:

 

For someone who loves to claim they get bullied, you’re very aggressive.

Can’t help but being right and not my fault people on here are mainly a bit simple. What am i to do? It’s a real dilemma.

 

Come back when I am wrong about all these players who have such a glorious past. I won’t hold my breath. 

[AndyB2]

3 minutes ago, AndyB2 said:

Can’t help but being right and not my fault people on here are mainly a bit simple. What am i to do? It’s a real dilemma.

 

Come back when I am wrong about all these players who have such a glorious past. I won’t hold my breath. 

It’s crazy that you are vilified on here for saying what you see.