I haven't read all the posts below but my opinion on the weekend game is as follows.
The manager can't legislate for his striker missing a penalty and his other striker missing two sitters which could and should have given us a 3-0 half time lead. Then we wwin the game, get a bit of confidence in the squad and things (hopefully) are on the up.
However there seems to be a desperate lack of organisation throughout the squad, We started the game with two centre halves and two central midfield players who, I believe are all over 35 and simply do not have the legs to play at this level (together)
Our regular centre back got injured on 10th November 2007. This has forced our injury prone assistant manager into action who, up to Saturday had done reasonably well. Then he gets crocked and what happens.............a sub comes on and we have to make three positional changes - right back to centre back, central midfield to right back and right midfield to central midfield ?!?! We needed central defensive cover before Sinclair was injured and we still do despite the heroic efforts of Chris Moore to hold things together.
I've no doubt that Smith is working his wotsits off to get it right but his squad changes of late seem to suggest panic rather than anything else. If we don't score then the most we can get from a game is a point. At the moment if the other team scores then it is game over.
Whoever had the idea to switch this game was, at best, ill advised. Our form is poor and the gate was always going to be poor as well with our current form and the proximity to Christmas
Having seen the video of the penalty it was a good save from the keeper and you can't legislate for that but for supposed strikers to miss the opportunities they had proves that they don't have the necessary instinct.
The bottom line for Neil is that the buck stops with him in terms of performance or lack of it on the pitch. I don't think anyone has criticised the amount of effort and time he has put into the side but ultimately he has failed and unless we can bring in a new manager with experience, knowledge of the Kent non league scene, and the right contacts then relegation and all that that will bring with it is our destiny.
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YOUTH are the future
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"The worst thing you can do is make a committment and not meet it and I understand that." Barrie Hobbins 14 August 2010
