Injury news in St Albans thread was in an article (written before the match at Thurrock) on the back page of this weeks Bexley Extra.
More significantly in the same article Ade is quoted as follows
"I'm 110% committed to the club"
"I want us to push on and see where it gets us now"
"This season is big for us - we've done well so far and if we can do as well in the second half then we know where that will get us."
"I want to do well as an individual and I want to help move the club on because I know that means I've done my job."
"After the first year we are further ahead than we thought we would be, the players have been fantastic."
"I'm fortunate to have Phil Handford as my assistant and a great backroom team and this season the players have earned their wages - whatever happens from now on won't be due to a lack of effort."
Ambition. Greater success than anticipated. Prediction of much better season than the target. Acknowledgement of the part played by others in the achievement so far.
As I posted earlier Ade is a man on a mission and implicit in what he has said is that he has the support of the Hobbins brothers. He is realistic enough to know that it can go 'tits up' but all the while he is managing the team you can be certain that it won't be through lack of ambition or effort.
Don't forget that we supporters have a role to play too and that is to get behind the team from the terraces and the stands. This role is particularly important when things aren't going for us and the players need picking up. I would venture to suggest that shouts of 'This is ****' and similar, borne no doubt from sheer frustration, are not helpful to either the team (or the manager) but do encourage the opposition. If you were a player who was out on the park would such negative comments from your own supporters during a match spur you on? We want the team to know that we are behind them through thick and thin and our by and large continued hardcore support would seem to confirm that we are. There's plenty of time after the match and between matches to engage in the age old tradition of the football pundit with a pint in his hand or you could post constructive criticism/honest opinion on a forum such as this.
Lets put the past (and any baggage we may be carrying) behind us where it belongs, recognise what the Club has achieved in the last 12 months, and get 110% (we can match Ade can't we?) behind the Club in it's push for promotion to the National Conference.
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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
Thanks and good post Bruno, im willing to put my criticsms of the Owners on the back burner, i sadly believe the continued abuse and snideyness from certain supporters will continue.
One point why didnt Ade say he wanted the play offs BEFORE the slip down the league, as i said we have slipped BECAUSE he said top half is great.
Lets hope the lads bring home the 3 points today and give Blyth a good dicking in the Trophy to get everyone positive again. GO FOR IT!
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Alexander O'Neal 1987 "I'm fed up cos all you wanna do is criticize "
The problem with setting a realistic target for the season is that if your signings justify your belief in what they can bring to the Club the target is made to look silly and expectations grow. You have to keep your feet on the ground though and appreciate just how much improvement the target represented when it was set and resist the temptation to change it.
Ade has always said that we play every game to win and with one exception, Croydon Athletic in the LSC, I think that is true. In the League we have proved to be the most difficult side to beat but poor refereeing decisions and players carrying minor injuries (reportedly the case with Keds and someone else I can't recall recently) have in my opinion without doubt contributed to our tally of drawn matches or if you like lost points.
Pure speculation but in my bones I'm pretty certain that both the Hobbins brothers and the players have been fully aware of Ade's personal ambition/target to reach the play offs or better for some time, if not from the start of the season. I have been aware of his ambition since hearing him speak at the Meet the Manager night. The team he has built from scratch and his positive, even if on several occasions somewhat cautious, approach to matches is there for all to see.
Lets hope Ade's target for next season's is to take Welling United to mid table National Conference status.
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YOUTH are the future
****
"The worst thing you can do is make a committment and not meet it and I understand that." Barrie Hobbins 14 August 2010
