Where do we go from here?

[drillerpie]

Apart from the obvious answer of down to non league...

Manager: I'm always one of those who is slow to call for managers to go but Ardley's competence is seriously under question.

Realistically he's not going to walk, managers just don't do that anymore, or be sacked, we can't afford it. However much the idea of Mad Dog for 10 games does sound like a viable last throw of the dice for me now, the team is so unbalanced it probably wouldn't make any difference.

What Ardley absolutely must do though is change the plan for the next game. Do something. Anything. Whatever you do don't serve those tactics up again. Oh and I don't want to hear about the players smiling in training or what happened at Wimbledon, I want them to be angry, at the opposition, at the crowd, at you and anybody else who gets in between them and a win.

Tactics: we are physically inferior to almost every team we play in terms of height and body strength. We don't win high balls, we don't win 50 50s (the days of Doyle and O'Brien snapping into tackles seems like a mirage) but the one slight advantage we have is in terms of speed with our attacking players. Therefore it's suicide to play high balls upto Gomis / Enzio / CMS or even Stead. We need them to pack the midfield, stay compact and deep, then burst forward on the counter with the ball played IN FROM OF THEM to run on to. I don't think it's a surprise that we played well against the better teams doing EXACTLY THIS. Keeping them deep seems counter intuitive as we need goals but as we keep seeing, leaving them high just means they barely get the ball out of their feet before they come up against the massed ranks, before the inevitable sideways / backwards pass or loss of possession.

If we are going to insist on putting high balls into the box we either need to commit way more players into the box or put the centre backs forward or pick a centre back up front. The second half was poor today but at least we caused a few nanoseconds of panic in the Cheltenham box and got a cheap penalty.


Players: despite all the problems with the system, the off field problems and whatever else, these players are not playing to their full potential. Simple passes go astray way to often, 50 50s are regularly lost or not contested. Once again we've conceded four goals in ***** game and how many rousing tackles can you remember? How many bookings?

Today was an insult.

[countygump]

I told you we needed MadDog before we signed Ardley up?

You all scoffed at me.

[irishpete]

I told you we needed MadDog before we signed Ardley up?

You all scoffed at me.

Some thought Ardley was the bees knees.Wouldn't have even interviewed him.Had lost 10 of last 12 games @ wombles Power point presentation must have been good.

[ncfcog]

I honestly think it’s over for us now. If a squad with players like Doyle, O’Brien and CMS in the ranks can’t get themselves up for the fight then what chance have we got. We are quite literally just a couple of games away now from needing to start planning for the Conference. That’s not me being negative, just realistic.

I was out for a meal this week with a friend who is academy director at Aldershot. I spent most of the evening asking him about the average set up at that level.

Generally a squad of 20 players backed up with youth team players. Wages of £750 - £1250 a week and all this managed on crowds under 2000.

At one point this season Aldershot had 11 players out injured and had to field a first 11 and bench for a trophy cup game made up mostly of academy players.

Where we go from here depends completely on where the club ends up in terms of ownership. If we are in admin at the start of next season be ready for a long torturous journey back to the football league, if we survive.

It is not at all dramatic to suggest that these are now extremely desperate times for the club both on and off the pitch.

[drillerpie]

I honestly think it’s over for us now. If a squad with players like Doyle, O’Brien and CMS in the ranks can’t get themselves up for the fight then what chance have we got. We are quite literally just a couple of games away now from needing to start planning for the Conference. That’s not me being negative, just realistic.

I was out for a meal this week with a friend who is academy director at Aldershot. I spent most of the evening asking him about the average set up at that level.

Generally a squad of 20 players backed up with youth team players. Wages of £750 - £1250 a week and all this managed on crowds under 2000.

At one point this season Aldershot had 11 players out injured and had to field a first 11 and bench for a trophy cup game made up mostly of academy players.

Where we go from here depends completely on where the club ends up in terms of ownership. If we are in admin at the start of next season be ready for a long torturous journey back to the football league, if we survive.

It is not at all dramatic to suggest that these are now extremely desperate times for the club both on and off the pitch.

I think you're right. It's actually not the points difference that bothers me, it's the performances. I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't pick up another win all season.

[irishpete]

I honestly think it’s over for us now. If a squad with players like Doyle, O’Brien and CMS in the ranks can’t get themselves up for the fight then what chance have we got. We are quite literally just a couple of games away now from needing to start planning for the Conference. That’s not me being negative, just realistic.

I was out for a meal this week with a friend who is academy director at Aldershot. I spent most of the evening asking him about the average set up at that level.

Generally a squad of 20 players backed up with youth team players. Wages of £750 - £1250 a week and all this managed on crowds under 2000.

At one point this season Aldershot had 11 players out injured and had to field a first 11 and bench for a trophy cup game made up mostly of academy players.

Where we go from here depends completely on where the club ends up in terms of ownership. If we are in admin at the start of next season be ready for a long torturous journey back to the football league, if we survive.

It is not at all dramatic to suggest that these are now extremely desperate times for the club both on and off the pitch.

& it's not as easy as some seem to think, of getting out the Conference

[KintoreMagpie]

I did think that Ardley was a decent appointment but I was completely taken aback by our inept performance against PV. Our lack of creativity, our powder puff attack and no energy frightened me. I ridiculed a prediction that we would only get 4 points from our last 13 games but maybe whoever made it will be proven right. No harm in trying a few of the youngsters for the rest of the season as we prepare for life outside of the professional league although I am also concerned that results like today could finish the club altogether.

[LaughingMagpie]

Dover, Barrow and Ebbsfleet I'm afraid. I bet Carlisle can't wait until Tuesday.

[MagpieTony]

.............is it down to the lake I fear?

[Pie_Scribe]

I've a feeling that, despite lots of shouts of the opposite, the off field problems are getting to the players and coaching staff. It's the only reason I can think of for a squad that did so well against 3 of the top 4 of the division to suddenly become near carbon copies of the squad they replaced. I'm not sure changing anyone would make any difference at this point, apart from getting someone new in the Chairman's seat, with all of the bills settled, and a nice fat bonus on offer for retaining league status.