Match Thread vs. Eastleigh 17.04.21 [NL]

[nw6pie]

Correct. I don't know what our pre-match lunch is, but performances suggest it consists of a couple of sleeping pills. For much of the game today it looked like Eastleigh had an extra man. When we had the ball they were snapping at our heels, when they had the ball they had time to pick a pass. They looked a moderate side at best, but they still had more than we could cope with. I can't offer any reasons as to why, but we seem to have a team of frightened players who are sh!t scared to try anything risky, and are consistently performing to 50% of their true ability. Is that down to them, the management team, or both?

Both, for me. We have become such a dream team to play against - sterile, passive football where we seem to forget that the aim is to score more goals than the opposition, preferably by a wide margin.

The most convincing home performance in recent months was the 2-0 win against Yeovil when the players did the basics, fought for every ball and tried to get the ball in the opposition half (including Slocombe kicking out from the back). Now, though, we’ve reverted to type against bang-average sides like Aldershot and Eastleigh and never get out of our own half. It’s genuinely agonising to watch - give me a gritty, no-frills performance like the one against Yeovil any day of the week.

If anyone wants to get really depressed, just remember the last time we played Eastleigh at Meadow Lane. Notts 4, Eastleigh 0, then compare it to today: Spitfires 1, Useless Fokkers 0.

[jacobncfc]

The performances have been consistently poor all year (since the Dagenham game), but clearly there’s not been a positive reaction since Ian Burchnall was installed and Neal Ardley ousted. The owners may have predicted that, since they always say changing the manager mid-season doesn’t improve things, but they must have hoped for better than this garbage.

There’s a lethargy about the team which suggests they’re weary from the Sat-Tue-Sat routine since January (though why would that affect us more than anyone else?), but the biggest problem is the lack of confidence that’s preventing them from doing the most basic things.

I heard Charlie Slater talk about players arguing among themselves on the pitch, and there definitely doesn’t seem to be any team spirit there, which is also concerning.

Part of the imbalance in the squad is how few players we seem to have aged 23-26 - it’s either inexperienced kids or journeymen professionals. I felt a bit sorry for Griffiths and Knight today as they were being asked to deliver so much more than their actual experience shows they’re qualified to do. That’s the result of poor recruitment.

The players arguing among themselves was Griffiths, the kid loanee, reasonably wondering whether anyone might try and move a bit so he could pass to them. There was one amazing bit in the first half as well where Kelly-Evans was trying to take a throw in and no one was offering themselves at all, so he just threw it to their bloke instead.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

The performances have been consistently poor all year (since the Dagenham game), but clearly there’s not been a positive reaction since Ian Burchnall was installed and Neal Ardley ousted. The owners may have predicted that, since they always say changing the manager mid-season doesn’t improve things, but they must have hoped for better than this garbage.

There’s a lethargy about the team which suggests they’re weary from the Sat-Tue-Sat routine since January (though why would that affect us more than anyone else?), but the biggest problem is the lack of confidence that’s preventing them from doing the most basic things.

I heard Charlie Slater talk about players arguing among themselves on the pitch, and there definitely doesn’t seem to be any team spirit there, which is also concerning.

Part of the imbalance in the squad is how few players we seem to have aged 23-26 - it’s either inexperienced kids or journeymen professionals. I felt a bit sorry for Griffiths and Knight today as they were being asked to deliver so much more than their actual experience shows they’re qualified to do. That’s the result of poor recruitment.

Today was the first league game of the season I have not watched and I've read every post on this thread and I think you have made a lot of valid points that are the fundamentals of what the problems are in this side and have been prevalent since the pre-season friendly game against York.

I can understand the Sat-Tue-Sat-Tue argument but we've not really looked like the real deal all season. I don't know what or why there is a problem with confidence in the squad and what the causes are for this but it's really causing major problems.

It's a very interesting point you make about the squad age. They are either young with potential or old experienced. Maybe that is a combination of the hybrid we have had between old philosophies and new philosophy? Next season we need 25-28 year old's who are proven at this level or have been promoted from this league. I'd go as far to say as trying to sign a couple of captains from clubs at this level in that age range, or at clubs who have been promoted who can't get in the first team who know what it takes to get out of this league.

The point about team spirit is interesting and that is so important and v.ital. I've contemplated this and I'd be more inclined to believe rightly or wrongly that it's not been there this season apart from when we had ten men against Dagenham. This is where the sum is less than it's parts as team spirit can help contribute to making the sum greater than the parts.

I wasn't expecting Ian Burchnall to come in and be like Steve Cotterill because I've never thought the team has shown that they could be challenging at the top as it's not been consistent. However the dip in results since the new manager was brought in is disappointing and worrying but probably more expected as performances since Christmas have gone downhill and did under Neal Ardley prior to his dismissal.

I just hope we are in a period of getting worse before it's gets better and we can end the season strongly and at least finish in the play-offs if only to take some of the pressure off for the start of next season. If we have indeed crashed and are now burning and we do slump to mid table then next season for Burchnall will be just be like Moniz and Ardley when we got relegated under them and Burchnall will not have much credit in the bank with some fans come the start of the new season.

We started our life at this level with a 1-0 defeat against Eastleigh and it's apt that nearly two season's later we lose 1-0 to Eastleigh to give us our worst run of defeats at this level. Have we made progress?

[laddo]

Just read that we'd lost six games all season, now lost five of the last seven. Just coincidence ?

Because we no longer respect the point(?) surely?

[Ayeayeskipper]

Because we no longer respect the point(?) surely?

Fcukin L Thicko, what is "point(?) surely?" all about? You are one thick fcuker.

[optipez]

Because we no longer respect the point(?) surely?

Is there a point to you laddo (?)

[Ayeayeskipper]

Is there a point to you laddo (?)

No

[countygump]

[countygump]

[laddo]

Fcukin L Thicko, what is "point(?) surely?" all about? You are one thick fcuker.

Lol, brilliant.

I'm guessing this is another case of "just visiting" but welcome back. Hope the break did you some good.

Let me just pop out and grab some popcorn for later. Should be good