The quarter pints

[gazan]

or Gills, if you like. I don't like Gillingham. I still have memories of their crashing giants of past encounters. They don't provide great encounters (except I seem to remember an occasion when we beat them 4-3 with a last minute winner) and I always expect a boring game. At this stage of the season, I'm less bothered about the quality, just the points. It is about time we scored more than one in a game. I know, that's being greedy. I just would like us to finish a game without me biting my nails.
In the end, I can't imagine us keeping another clean sheet so I'm going for a really mind-numbingly boring 1-1.

[gazan]

I understand that the site has become clunky and is occasionally difficult to access. I've had problems as well. However, it does seem nobody wants to analyse/predict/comment before the match anymore. So unless a change becomes apparent, I'm giving up after this season.
I've enjoyed having 'chats' over our common bond: the Alex, however exasperating some 'conversations' can be.
I still refuse to subsidise the likes of Musk and Zuckerberg and the other tech fascists who have thrown in their lot with the regime in the USA. So as the boards were the only alternative I had to actively engage, it means I'll have to passively follow the podcast, blog and railwaymen website. Ah c'est la vie!
Hopefully we'll have some positive developments to chat about in the coming weeks.

[Harlzed]

Unfortunately I see quite a convincing loss for us tomorrow. If we look at the last few games of each team, Gills have beaten the poor teams we couldn?t. Their losses being to notts and Bromley (Brom we did get something against). If they have any sense they will just adopt a similar approach to the weak teams that have beaten us. They?re not good enough to out play us by playing nice stuff, so I just expect them to be difficult, mildly dirty and generally bully their way through it. We simply have too many good players out and as Gazan says, that is not changing soon. I was optimistic a week or two ago but the injury situation (of a volume that no team can cope with) leads me to think that the season will now fall away.

[lukcour]

We so not overhave often struggled to compete with Gills aggressive tactics so not optimistice . Have to say that IMO this seasons displays have been so frustrating to see after our first 4 excellent displays. When is the last time we managed to play and build an attackin move out of defence. It happens very rarely. When have players made themselves available to play constructive footnall out of defence. Hardly ever. Even at home we nearly always have the lowest possession rate. Most of the potential attacks from defence seem to come from Hutchinson. Overall our most constructive player is O`Reilly by a mile.

Where does the blame lie for our dreadfully poor tactics? Without doubt LB and RD.

[gazan]

A solid win today. Not pretty but effective. Pleased for Thibaut.

[Harlzed]

I called that one wrong. I thought we did well against a side that low level cheated their way through it, which the referee did nothing about. Thibaut getting a goal was a real plus but I think we limited them largely to long range weak shots. Pleased for the team, there were a number of good performances around the pitch today. The change to formation at 55 mins made a huge difference so the management team called that one well.

[Timmy58]

We so not overhave often struggled to compete with Gills aggressive tactics so not optimistice . Have to say that IMO this seasons displays have been so frustrating to see after our first 4 excellent displays. When is the last time we managed to play and build an attackin move out of defence. It happens very rarely. When have players made themselves available to play constructive footnall out of defence. Hardly ever. Even at home we nearly always have the lowest possession rate. Most of the potential attacks from defence seem to come from Hutchinson. Overall our most constructive player is O`Reilly by a mile.

Where does the blame lie for our dreadfully poor tactics? Without doubt LB and RD.

I know you would be delighted if we changed manager and have probably felt that way for probably a couple of years.
But at the risk of criticism from anywhere really, I think Bell and the rest of the management team have done pretty well to keep us in the general region of the top 10 in the circumstances. Having been at the game today I can say in all honesty that they all (subs included) had good games today. Keeper was named MOTM and I couldn't really argue with that although Holicek would have been in with a shout as would Tommy. People criticise the Academy, but today we had Holicek, Lunt, Agius, Billington and Moore on the pitch and none looked out of place. All in all, a very good, battling performance which earned us a win.

[Timmy58]

We so not overhave often struggled to compete with Gills aggressive tactics so not optimistice . Have to say that IMO this seasons displays have been so frustrating to see after our first 4 excellent displays. When is the last time we managed to play and build an attackin move out of defence. It happens very rarely. When have players made themselves available to play constructive footnall out of defence. Hardly ever. Even at home we nearly always have the lowest possession rate. Most of the potential attacks from defence seem to come from Hutchinson. Overall our most constructive player is O`Reilly by a mile.

Where does the blame lie for our dreadfully poor tactics? Without doubt LB and RD.

I know you would be delighted if we changed manager and have probably felt that way for probably a couple of years.
But at the risk of criticism from anywhere really, I think Bell and the rest of the management team have done pretty well to keep us in the general region of the top 10 in the circumstances. Having been at the game today I can say in all honesty that they all (subs included) had good games today. Keeper was named MOTM and I couldn't really argue with that although Holicek would have been in with a shout as would Tommy. People criticise the Academy, but today we had Holicek, Lunt, Agius, Billington and Moore on the pitch and none looked out of place. All in all, a very good, battling performance which earned us a win.

[gazan]

I have to go along with the general view that the management have started to pull it together in the last few games. I gravitated towards a 'Lee Bell must go' position from December and am still there as I am not convinced he has enough nous to get us promotion. However, the last few games have started to impact that position. There has been clear evidence of tactical progress. Whether this is an overall growth or just an ability to manage difficult circumstances, I don't know. I suppose time and the return of the key players (if that happens!) will tell.
Anyway we are 7th. We are beating the mid-table teams just behind us. Next week have to beat those just above and below us if we are to get anywhere.
The fact that we are playing and gaining momentum with a few players carrying injuries while having 3 key players missing long term is a tribute to someone, whether this being Lee Bell himself, the management team as a whole, the players or all of these.
We go again on Tuesday with a chance of the double over Fleetwood. Fingers crossed.

[gazan]

I also have to shout out Billington's name. He doesn't play MOTM games but he rarely, if ever, plays badly. He is also so versatile, being able to play across the back and now a holding midfielder. He clearly has brains as he seems to be the one the management trust to get ideas across to the rest of the team during a match.
I also have to say that I thought Connolly had a good game. I have to say that as I've singled him out for a lot of criticism in recent months.

[Timmy58]

I also have to shout out Billington's name. He doesn't play MOTM games but he rarely, if ever, plays badly. He is also so versatile, being able to play across the back and now a holding midfielder. He clearly has brains as he seems to be the one the management trust to get ideas across to the rest of the team during a match.
I also have to say that I thought Connolly had a good game. I have to say that as I've singled him out for a lot of criticism in recent months.

Spot on with your comment about Billington. Something of an unsung hero. It is interesting that he wears the armband when Mickey doesn't play. Connolly has also looked decent recently too. In fact he pretty much always does but like most of the team (including Mickey) he does have a mistake in him.