Good points Pass.
All I was thinking was that I've read too many times that Clarke is a top man just because when we are crap he says we are crap. That is fine but it never seems to move to the next sentence on the lines of. "What I will work on/ change is X and Y given the limited options I have".
So as a club, where do we go from here?
We all agree it’s Shyte, the owners only communicate when they want to sell stuff, the ceo is like lord lucan, awol.
They keep telling us they have a plan for the future but they continue to erode the quality in the playing personnel.
So what action do we need to see?
New owners?
To be fair SB, all Clarke can say is the truth and that we will work on things which he has done. Recently it's been working on individual errors and better ball retention. Unfortunately both haven't improved as yet. With ball retention you need a good shape about the side, willing runners off the ball, confidence and a bit of quality and lets be honest, we are lacking in all those departments. Herbie Kane hasn't been replaced in midfield and it shows big time. That's why I'd play Russell who is our best ball retainer available in our squad in my opinion.
Watching the last 4 league games, we have too fewer options for our players who are on the ball. It's incredible the amount of times we have just conceded possession with an over the top nothing ball, yet it is understandable because there's too fewer options. Opposition find it too easy to nullify us.
The individual errors is a psychological thing in my opinion. Learn from them and try not to keep repeating them.
We have lost our identity,
The train is off the tracks.
This as a result of two poor transfer windows.
Last season we recruited a HC who implemented tactics totally against the grain.
This season we didn’t get enough quality players through the door.
My view is this - if you take away the Conway Season - in recent years we have successfully brought to the club good HCs and players.
Suddenly over this last 2 seasons that hasn’t happened.
The question is - why ???
What changed since Duff left ???
Well for a start the powers that be thought they could replace Mads , Kitching and Thomas with players from non league last season .
This season they've decided to replace Cole , Macatee and Kane with let's say inferior quality .
Whilst we've always sold our best players at least we were recruiting them from a better place in the market which whilst not always working out and in some cases a certain amount of time was needed for them to deliver at least made us capable of staying in the championship a couple of seasons and very competitive in league one .
We've seen very little of the Mads and Kitching money reinvested back in to the squad if any at all .
That money instead of reinvestment back in to the squad clearly went to sustain the club and settling the debts , the £3.5m Covid Loan from the EFL for example .
The new shares that were created were really a ploy to get rid of Conway and Lee , a high stakes game of poker played out by people in suits .
None of that money has seen it reinvested in the squad either .
The fans have had to watch the club they love sink lower and lower and never asked for any of this , destroyed by people with no affiliation to this town and only here to make money .
The real sting in the tail for me was when a supporter named Luke Goddard tried to organise resistance to what was going on and was vilified by the same supporters on bbs who are now calling the owners everything from a pig to a dog .
Oh the irony .
Animal - the club hasn’t sunk lower and lower.
Since Conway left the building - we have been to Wembley - and although we should have finished higher last season with the squad we had, we still managed 6th.
And BTW - Luke Goddard didn’t organise resistance against the present leadership of the club.
Again you are confusing Lee / Conway with the present leaders.
Why do you keep doing that ?
What’s the point ?
It’s easy enough to understand.
Believe me - it’s the majority share holder that makes the decisions.
What we are seeing is a totally baffling HC appointment last season.
Along with players that didn’t make the grade such as Shepherd, Lopata, Shaw, Dallas.
Followed by a totally baffling player recruitment this season.
Something seems to have changed within recruitment.