It has been quite a time since I posted on this forum but after a lengthy run of dreadful results, Barrie and Barry need to pull the plug on Smith and Nethercott regime. I still believe with a new manager at the helm we will have enough time to gain the points to stay in this league.
Please never go down the route of a player manager role, I watch Smith try so hard to get a result on his own it can't be done and all he acheives in his own game is a much poorer quality. One thing that has stood out for me is that Smith really does give his all, but this simply is not good enough, what he should have done was to bring in a very strong coach similar to Handford but no like most people in this game he went down the mates route with Nethercott, with his inexperience and both their decision making this has ultimately caused their downful!
No real leadership No motivation from his players No decent quantity of quality players No goals No luck No points
Time to do the right thing now and make way and thankyou for your efforts, I sincerley mean that especially with the pressures that come with managing a poor side!
On another note, one thing that baffles me is the financial card that gets wheeled out, everytime we have a run of bad results, it wasn't the budget that let in the last minute equaliser at Bedford or that did not enable us to beat a poor Thurrock side, these results would have seen us in the playoffs not a extra £1000 per week on the budget (look at Braintree this season). If there were a league table of budgets we would not be bottom, this comes down to getting the right man for the job!
we've got such a fragmented team - no one seems to want to play with each other or just do the simple things in football. The amount of loan players we've had hasn't helped but this team is making players like Ryan, Moore, Chippy and Leon all seem poor - this is the backbone of the side. I saw how frustrated Ryan got during the second half and nearly got himself red carded as well - he is better than this.
This season isn't anything to do with budgets - this is simply poor coaching, management, loan signings and motivation.
Feel a bit sorry for Blackman, he tries his best (which isn't good enough at the moment) unlike some players who didn't seem to care on boxing day.
The only good thing out of that game - which is the worst match i've seen us play in 22 years - was Turner. He pulled off some great saves and was alert to most things coming his way. Shame his performance has been lost amongst the dross served up by the others.
Reading the above posts, its clear that if a decent manager is brought in he has a backbone to add to. That is only the case if Neil walks as barrie will leave it way to late (and its way to late already!)
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Alexander O'Neal 1987 "I'm fed up cos all you wanna do is criticize "
"This season isn't anything to do with budgets - this is simply poor coaching, management, loan signings and motivation."
If the Club's ambition is limited to remainining in the BS Conference South (which I believe it is and as Stafford has frequently said there is nothing inherently wrong with this provided we all know that) then I agree. There was also the contributory factor of there being no retained list which meant that appointing a manager with no experience or reputation signalled doom from day 1.
"The only good thing out of that game - which is the worst match i've seen us play in 22 years - was Turner. He pulled off some great saves and was alert to most things coming his way. Shame his performance has been lost amongst the dross served up by the others."
I wasn't there but as regulars will know I believe that JT is a decent keeper at this level. He has his faults, particularly his penchant to wander, but what player doesn't. Although it wasn't apparent at the time I now believe that JT was made the scapegoat for the poor start to the season (you only have to look at the stats for Clark Masters to see where the real problem was/is) and bringing Masters in had a dramatic affect on his confidence. He looked more confident when I last saw him and I'm really pleased to hear that the JT everybody has appreciated for the last 2 seasons seems to have re-emerged.
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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
I don't think it is to late - luckily for us there are other teams having a dreadful season as well and that could save us. Sutton, Dorchester and St Albans are all in big trouble.The right man could still get us enough points to stay up and then hopefully build.
Boxing Day was awful. I couldn't believe the amount of space that the Fisher players had. When they had the ball they passed it quickly and put us under pressure. We couldn't string a series of passes together the whole game. We were second to the ball and I was shocked at the lack of committment in tackling. I felt sorry for the lad who went of injured (apologies for forgetting his name - difficult to keep up) but that was a classic example. It was his ball but when he saw the defender coming he bottled it and ended up hurt. I know people were angry about the challenge but it was front of me and was a fair tackle. They then scored from a situation where we should have had the ball. If we weren't bottling it we were going in late and over the ball. Blackman could have gone for his tackle, Smith could have gone and Robbie was also lucky. We could have three sent off easily. We want players to fight for the shirt but this was way over the top.
This has been a poor side all season but is now going backwards. I hope that Smith has two games left and then will leave.
I agree Boxing day was woeful . But for me it just confirmed my fears that it all stems from the dugout . For the Fisher game I sat behind the dugout and to be honest I was embarrassed . Nethercott seems to bellow a wall a noise with very little or no substance at all , he wants everything done at 100 mph. Our players would struggle to be creative with all the time and space in the world let alone doing everything at the break neck speed Nethercott insists on . ' tempo tempo tempo ' he was shouting from the very first whistle which is all very well but he went mad because someone didnt take a lightning fast throw in in the FIRST minute . From the very beginning it was 'stay tight ' , 'smash them' and ' get f****ing stuck in ' . When one of our players duly obliged he was substituted and I heard Smudge telling him he couldnt afford to have him sent off, I think he replied something like Im only doing what Im told. Like someone else posted I felt a bit sorry for Blackman in this situation . Then ironically the player who replaces him bottles a tackle and gets injured , he seemed so slow he couldnt even bottle out in time to avoid the tackle . I read a report somewhere that said Ellis Remy put in a decent performance, that I find astonishing as apart from winning a couple of flick ons early on ( which lets be honest anyone of his height should ) he was awful, certainly not the answer to our goalscoring problems. As for Adameno, he's started about 8 games now without scoring but in my opinion we could wait 28 games before he scores. In midfield Chippy was slow and had a bad game in general , Boyce didnt look fit and was constantly giving the ball away and Ellis Green well Ive posted my thoughts on him before and he done absolutely nothing to change my opinion, he's just not interested (like we didnt already know this) . Add to that Leon strolling round like he's Franco Baresi ignoring everything someone tries to tell him , then when he woefully misplaces a pass he goes down with a sudden injury to cover his mstake , he came over to the dugout saying ' its gone , its gone' 2 minutes later he's as right as rain ,a complete joke and in my opinion not the attitude we need in a relegation battle . It was the worst I have seen welling play for as long as I can remember . Right thats my rant over . Oh by the way I thought JT was our best player with Robbie Ryan a close second . SJ
Spot on SJ - except I don't feel sorry for Blackman - he got booked for an unpleasant challenge. A minute later he is at it again and could have booked. He is an expereinced player and should not get wound up so much. I feel he is very frustrated with his form and takes it out on opponents. Getting sent off will not help the cause.
I accept your opinion , what I meant was after hearing a constant barrage of 'get stuckin ' etc from the management when a player finally did he gets taken off, in that context I felt a bit sorry for him . I agree he hasnt been our best player but he has been played out of position most of the time and he is actually our joint 3rd topscorer in all competitions. What does wind me up is Ademeno starting every game , it must be part of the loan deal because to me he offers very little . Right that should come back to haunt me now and he should score a hat trick today . SJ
