The side just doesnt appear to have any structure.
We wasnt creating space and seemed far too often we would have far too many players in too small an area.
This doesnt look like it is going to get any better I am afraid.
We seem to have a few players missing, where are they?
Only naming 3 subs.

The club is in an embarrassing state (sits back and waits for the 'superfan' cries of 'get behind the team'). The simple facts are that we have 6 points from 9 games - 3 of those against a team with 1 point). We've lost 7 of 9 games and only Ramsgate who have played 1 more game have conceded more goals. Knowledgeable fans who I respect greatly were saying how abysmal our defence looked in preseason and here we are after 9 games locked in a relegation battle, conceding more than 2 a game on average. The managerial appointment is an absolute shocker - fans of other teams just laugh at the appointment. Again the 'superfans' will drag up Jamie Day comparisons, and I give you Jody Brown in return. Having no experience in itself isn't a crime, but not being made of managerial stock and not having the right attitude, man management skills and temperament is. People laugh about this guy from clubs who know what he's like. The Day comparisons are like a slur on Day - anyone who met the man and spoke to him will know his character, attitude and approach to man management are off the scale compared to this fella. Look at the appointments he's had since - a class act and a proper student of the game. A gentleman. Now ask yourself if you see Lee Martin going on and doing any of that?

How do you pick the players up after a defeat like that? Don't know
Calling out the refs week after week is a dangerous habit as the players start to believe its all true - just hard luck and carry on regardless

Standing there with his hands in his pockets some weeks barely able to look in the camera - does he even believe half the stuff he says 

If he isn't gone within a week or two, I'm afraid this continual slide continues and probably only Canvey Island's total crapness keeps us off the bottom of the table

Talk about budgets and resources - we all know the situation isn't pretty - but honestly, if this guy is the best on offer then you might as well start planning your visits to next season's grounds played out in front of one man and his dog as relegation will be a certainty

We were told to trust the process and that the board know what they were doing. Sorry, it needed experience or if experience wasn't available then somebody with Day type principles and character at least. We got neither and we are getting what many of us expected 

-- Edited by Treacle on Sunday 28th of September 2025 10:11:10 AM

Another case of what might have been yesterday but coulda/woulda/shoulda is all getting a bit tedious now.

Had the better of the first half without looking especially dangerous. Caught sleeping at a free kick and, hey presto, we're a goal behind. Second half we couldn't pass water but got back in the game and probably should have gone ahead and then shot ourselves in the foot for the umpteenth time already this season. It was a poor unnecessary challenge by an inexperienced player but I was taught not to make challenges like that when I was about six years old! Incredible that we never got a penalty at the other end and we may have salvaged a draw but that's really papering over the cracks. And please tell me how we've only got 14 players available for a league game at the end of September...?!

Kudos to the two young centre halves who continue to give their all and look like they actually care. Paxman is a class act but needs to play higher and influence the game more. He's playing too deep and trying too hard to rectify things on his own. We need a big ugly no nonsense holding midfielder to sit in front of the centre backs and get the captain higher up the pitch. We can score goals but we need to be more aggressive higher up the pitch. The less said about the red card the better but that's two in two games and you can't plead inexperience in his case.

I honestly don't know where we go from here. Kudos to the volume of away fans who continue to travel and support the team because it's a bloody hard watch just now. However the vitriol aimed at the officials needs to stop as it's counter productive and, whilst we definitely should have had a penalty yesterday, the officials are not the reason we've lost 7 league games out of 9.

-- Edited by Wingnut 2 on Sunday 28th of September 2025 11:26:32 AM

WingsFan625 wrote:

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Treacle wrote:

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The club is in an embarrassing state (sits back and waits for the 'superfan' cries of 'get behind the team'). The simple facts are that we have 6 points from 9 games - 3 of those against a team with 1 point). We've lost 7 of 9 games and only Ramsgate who have played 1 more game have conceded more goals. Knowledgeable fans who I respect greatly were saying how abysmal our defence looked in preseason and here we are after 9 games locked in a relegation battle, conceding more than 2 a game on average. The managerial appointment is an absolute shocker - fans of other teams just laugh at the appointment. Again the 'superfans' will drag up Jamie Day comparisons, and I give you Jody Brown in return. Having no experience in itself isn't a crime, but not being made of managerial stock and not having the right attitude, man management skills and temperament is. People laugh about this guy from clubs who know what he's like. The Day comparisons are like a slur on Day - anyone who met the man and spoke to him will know his character, attitude and approach to man management are off the scale compared to this fella. Look at the appointments he's had since - a class act and a proper student of the game. A gentleman. Now ask yourself if you see Lee Martin going on and doing any of that?

How do you pick the players up after a defeat like that? Don't know
Calling out the refs week after week is a dangerous habit as the players start to believe its all true - just hard luck and carry on regardless

Standing there with his hands in his pockets some weeks barely able to look in the camera - does he even believe half the stuff he says 

If he isn't gone within a week or two, I'm afraid this continual slide continues and probably only Canvey Island's total crapness keeps us off the bottom of the table

Talk about budgets and resources - we all know the situation isn't pretty - but honestly, if this guy is the best on offer then you might as well start planning your visits to next season's grounds played out in front of one man and his dog as relegation will be a certainty

 

We were told to trust the process and that the board know what they were doing. Sorry, it needed experience or if experience wasn't available then somebody with Day type principles and character at least. We got neither and we are getting what many of us expected 

-- Edited by Treacle on Sunday 28th of September 2025 10:11:10 AM

-- Edited by Treacle on Sunday 28th of September 2025 10:13:23 AM

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I know why people will be screaming from everywhere and anywhere saying Martin is not good enough, but the danger is who will come in and do any better.

 

You can't change the reality the club is cost-cutting on a low budget, and that the recruitment is simply not good enough every season. 

 

Why people think changing the manager will do a thing to change this fact is staggering. Bring in Craig Nelson, Steve King or anyone else and they would never work at a club where there is simply not enough to invest. Even Howard is not willing to pay for new padding around the ground after Vigar's tragic death, and instead is banking on WUSA bailing this out again.  How can anyone succeed at a club like that.

 

Yes, there are many reasons we struggle to make revenue, attendance, lack of sponsorships etc, but how people suddenly think Lee Martin, Rich and Shaun can produce miracles from that is simply beyond me. Same thing with Bloor, we thought with Rod we would get a long term grand rebuild of the club only for it to totally crumble come 2nd season. That is why panic appointments don't work in what we need.

 

Lee is young and so is his squad. They won't suddenly be in a promotion race after being assembled in the summer. They need time and patience to make things work. 

 

Change the managers all you want, but it will never mask the multitude of problems that need to be addressed at the club first before we realise what the actual reality is.

 

Get a grip people.

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 So in your opinion then, there isn't a single manager out there anywhere who could do a better job than Lee Martin currently?  We all know what you really think fella - and we all know a couple of people at the club have put the frighteners on you to stop you saying what you really think. Perhaps you should get a grip. If you think an unproven man manager who is visibly out of his depth is the only candidate to save the club, then you're truly dreaming. Nobody said it was easy - it isn't - but that's exactly why experience was needed. Its a very difficult job even for a proven manager but Martin is part of the problem trust me - not the whole problem, but definitely part of it