Some home truths for the delusional supporters amongst us, management, and the board.
May I say in advance that I am well aware we are a low budget, low attendance, low staffed part-time club in a division full of bigger and better. So bloody what, are Leicester the best Premiership club? Should a club no matter how big or small not be wanting to do its best, to do a little more, to improve, to have some ambition, to want to rectify its faults, to repeat its positives, etc etc. A were a small club, lets survive each year attitude on and off the pitch will only mean we survive so long, and is the reason why some of the s**t dished up today happens.
So, a case study of Welling United 2015/16. Consider it a mid-term report.
The Management Team.
Every club in our division, hell, the country, has a manager. We have three! How lucky! Perhaps as a result of Faz being expected to be a player for most of the season, but if so, then the brains of the operation" as he often quotes, are clearly not him. If he can't play then bin him and have Macca as manager. We now have one, and sometimes three, numpties making notes on notepads during play, and preaching in interviews about giving players information and they didnt follow instructions etc etc. I havent heard one tactical, motivational or sensible comment other than the party line for over a month. What's more, I haven't heard one comment from any of the management team admitting liability for a poor formation, poor selection, poor sub, nothing.
Compare our management trios post match interviews with those of the Southport manager when they beat us at PVR, Braintree when playing us at PVR, Daisy, Pennock, even Garry the **** Hill. Pathetic. "Information" and "instructions" only get you so far when dished out to players of insufficient quality, commitment and desire, or players sick of hearing the same old.
On field recent results
League
Last ten games W2 D3 L5 Pts 9/30
Wins versus the previously hopeless Kiddy, and at home to Lincoln who we only scored the winner against when they were down to 10 men and they still managed more shots and possession than us.
Defeats, when resting players for big cup games, versus main relegation rivals Guiseley and Southport.
Negative approach versus Boreham Wood, and a ridiculous substitution at home to Forest Green the moment we went in front, to turn a good potential win into a hanging on for the draw point that on paper looked good but looked anything from it for anyone there.
In general, name one game we've won where we were the better side?
Name one game we've lost where we were the better side and were unlucky to lose?
Cup
A great achievement to reach the Second Round of the FA Cup for only the 4th time in the club history or a lucky draw against two sides two tiers below us, which we struggled through in both games. Only to then work so hard to get there and collapse on our big day.
Playing Squad
Personnel
Keepers Who is number one? Because Im ****ed if I know. One was deemed only good enough to be signed on a one month loan initially, to assess if he was up to grade, to then be extended into January and instantly dropped for poor performances, to be replaced by the assistant managers brother who kicks continuously into touch.
Defenders How many centre backs does one club need? Five it seems.
Midfielders Russian roulette
Strikers No comment, cant comment on what we dont have
System
We were teased with 3-5-2 pre-season, 4-3-3, 4-5-1 and all sorts of other random numbers that combine to XI. Fact remains, no matter what the system, bloody pick one and stick to it for a period of time. A team is better than XI individuals, and the constant movements of players, between different systems, helps no-one.
Wasted talents
Vidal The man must have a bloody headache the amount information he is meant to be absorbing from the bench whilst being pulled from, what I count so far, five positions, often 3/4 in one game, whilst playing with differing teammates beside him in a changing system. Right mid, left mid, quarter back, centre mid, and off the striker. Play him where he does damage or so the decent thing and let him go like he no doubt wants to now you have killed his morale and motivation.
Our top scorer despite all that, from midfield, and when rarely used correctly. A non-league to Premier league star were told by the Nation press, yet our dugout dont even use him today.
One addition question, why rest a player to save a 5th booking and a ban so he is available for today and then not use him.
Bakare - Not superb, but the best of a bad bunch by a mile, and yet dropped after good performances.
Not wasted talents
KSA This man is a criminal, a crook, a bull****ter and a faker. A player that does what he wants when he wants, and player that has pissed off and left more clubs in the past, all below our level I might add, than I have had cooked dinners. Hes been badly managed in the past we were told what, by all 14 clubs/managers? Well congrats, hes been badly managed again by bad managers.
He doesnt jump, he doesnt run, he doesnt care, he refuses to play for the reserves, he doesnt turn up to support the team when not selected, etc.
Tash A rugby player chasing, and missing, the wrong shaped ball. Bad signings get made, but the current management trio saw him for a good 8-10 games last season, and therefore over 20 training sessions, to see if he was up to it or not, decided he was, and then signed him on again for this year. He was deemed good enough to start the opening game of the season, yet only 3 weeks later wasnt deemed good enough to get off the bench, and has now been, rightly, cast to one side, other than a brief cameo when snatching a draw from the jaws of victory versus Forest Green.
Kabba A football match is 90 minutes long. Other than pace, and even then for 60 minutes tops, what does this man offer? I refer you to previous comments re: Tash.
Wellard A manager makes a complete fool of himself when signing a **** player on the second highest wage in the squad, even more so when naming him captain. When the captain of the side is rubbish, what does it say about the managements decision making? A player who went from being offered out on loan and refusing to go, to suddenly being verbally tugged off twice in two successive games, and being bullet-proof and other more appropriate players who would slot into his position being sacrificed to accommodate him.
Obafemi A player not deemed worthy of a contract, or a wage, and perhaps rightly, and yet with more goals to his name that some of the players that are on contract.
Off-field
We were expecting a big crowd, we sold tickets in advance so knew half of what to expect, we had time to plan, the camera and radio were there, lots of neutrals and floaters to impress, and what did we deliver;
A bar that sold out apparently,
A bar that, if not selling out, was staffed by unmotivated idiots unable to perform basic bar tasks like change a barrel,
A bar full of massive tables meaning no-one could get in there at half-time,
A bar with staff texting and chatting whilst customers went waiting,
It also seemed the non-standing area for sparsely populated games is ok to stand in when the ground is packed to bursting point.
Today to one side, the inability of the club to take payments by card, over the bar or otherwise for tickets sales etc.
Loyal hardcore supporters
Having been told many times in the past, recent and otherwise, the club needs to attract more home support and investment, it was great to see so many floating supporters and local people turn up. No lack of effort was put into attracting them there, although execution wasnt ideal.
What do we deliver? A **** performance, a **** team selection, and most bizarre of all, regular hardcore home fans criticising the floating fans for daring to show up and jump "on the bandwagon.
At least three of the people making comments of this nature to my friend and others in close surrounds were members of WUSA known to me.
Fans can motivate players, but if the management cant motivate them before they enter the field then were already at a loss. And no amount of management or fan motivation will work if players dont give a ****.
Common sense
I dont know a manager in world football who doesnt want one more player. Chairman are famous for moaning about it.
Loan deadline day, we are the only club in the league that arent trying to do any business, in or out, and the management trio are happy with their squad. Interviewers are even telling management at Friday training sessions were not saying they arent good enough in reference to the clubs striking options. We are the second lowest scorers in the division and arent even looking to make a change.
Freebie players
If you must sign players like Nortei who are playing for free, then at least have the decency to play them, otherwise let them go and ply their trade elsewhere. Hed offer you more trying to win a deal than some of the mugs youve put on deals.
Social media
If you must talk bollox on social media to a supporter of 30 years who hasnt missed a home game in 12 years, then have the decency to stand by your comments not delete them shortly afterwards, therefore making yourself look either stupid, indecisive or wrong or all of them.
It is time for changes in the dugout, on the field, and in other areas of the club.
Ground improvements have not happened.
Playing squad is not good enough.
Management team are not up to it.
Bar and off-field facilities are still lacking.
WUSA can't get enough people together to hold a meeting.
A lot must change, and today was the day to try and impress new customers, and it failed, badly. Who is accountable?
Interesting interview with Paul Barnes on Kentish Football website.
Paul sounds deluded to me. To say that we have come along way in their 9 months in charge is the biggest joke.
If we have come a long way in nine months that only goes to show just how bloody far off the pace we were because we still have a huge distance to go in relation to how far we have come to reach competent
Regarding the off field issues, block D of the Graham Hobbins stand was not safe. Five of the seats in row D came away when people tried to move. Another person was also given the same seat number as me.
