Hungerford

Jack wrote:Devil expanding on my point. You sign Mackey you sign goals. We didn't do that and in those 1 0 defeats back in the Autumn time, he could have made the difference.

I totally agree Jack,i'm a Mackey fan.

We need a centre forward who can hold the ball up and Mackey does this well OR he can play off a good centre forward who does the hold up play.

Too late now,that horse has bolted.

Devil's Advocate wrote:

stoursi wrote:Read what's been said so far and the main thing is to me is this that the whole of the forum support the team and want the club to go forward.

Jack makes the point about Mackey but for me he didn't do anything for the club apart from cost us loads of money. Apart from his first game he didn't contribute that much.

As with Berwick travelling to far might have been a problem.

As for Ryan we remember him when he was fully fit and playing every game. His last game for us against Truro he was at his best and miles  better than Mackey and Berwick.

Think DA points makes loads of sense and the club must address these points.

I just hope we slip in to the play offs and give us a few extra games.

One thing the board and gary should realise is that the fans are right behind them and wanting this promotion into conference north.

I remember the glory days and I want them again with directors and management in charge.

I think you give Mackey a bit of a poor write up Stoursi,yes he disappointed v Gosport but i travelled to a lot of the way matches at the end of last season and Ben was absolute quality in a lot of those games and his finishing was amongst the best i've witnessed at this level.

I think he scored 11/12 goals in his short time with us and that was in less than a third of a season!

I've heard Tricky has been offered a contract by Gary and is on his treadmill as we speak :-}}

Got the dubbing on my boots, just waiting for the nod.

Whether what Ben is saying is correct or not, he simply shouldn't be blurting it out over Social Media. He's an influential and senior member of the squad and taking pot shots at his team mates not passing is all very Under 11 Sunday League. At a time when we're going through a rough patch the last thing we need is divides in the squad. Ben is a major player for us, however this isn't for me the wisest thing to do.

Picking up one of DA's many valid points, I would think our directors are fully aware of supporters' concerns - they are after all supporters themselves !!! There are always Thursday nights when Andy, Ian etc can be approached.

We can still make the play-offs but, if we are still at step 3 next season, then THE big question will have to be faced. Even though Gary has been successful over the last few years with the club achieving steady improvement during our 6 years in the Southern League, can he continue to take the club forward or do we look for a manager with a good track record at a higher level ?

Jack wrote:Whether what Ben is saying is correct or not, he simply shouldn't be blurting it out over Social Media. He's an influential and senior member of the squad and taking pot shots at his team mates not passing is all very Under 11 Sunday League. At a time when we're going through a rough patch the last thing we need is divides in the squad. Ben is a major player for us, however this isn't for me the wisest thing to do.

Ben's Tweet didn't say that player's weren't "passing to him",Ben stated that it's a "team game",and that "i don't think a few of my team mates understand that",i do not construe that to think it's him bitching about not being passed to!

My personal view is that he's reminding people who play with him that attributes such as getting back behind the ball once we've lost it rather than standing there with hand's on hips or waving your arm's around in frustration whilst your chin is on your chest is not acceptable.


The lack of ferocity in the tackle might also be peeing him off,a certain player who seem's to find it impossible to be dropped was waving the white flag like an Italian who's heard a car backfire the other night,the white flag was up before the opposing player got within a yard of him,this happens with a certain player game after game yet you've got other's like Leon and Andre who grit their teeth for every challenge no matter who the opponent is.

Ben's frustration could also be with someone else who the team work extremely hard for who insist's on taking on shot after shot from the most ridiculous of angles and positions and who fail's to appreciate the run's other's are making into the gaps and then hardly ever tries to pass to better placed team mates.

There is no "I" in team but i agree with Ben,a few don't seem to realise this.

To be honest i'd take a couple of battling 0-0 or 1-0 games now against whoever and a feeling that the team collective is being adhered to.

Time for Gary to read the riot act i think.

That's just way I interpreted it. Readkng between the lines and all that. If I'm wrong I'll accept that but for me that's how I saw it.

And to be honest, irrespective of what it means I still don't think he should be having digs at team mates on Social Media.

Jack wrote:And to be honest, irrespective of what it means I still don't think he should be having digs at team mates on Social Media.

I do in the main agree with you on that point Jack but on this occasion it might be just what's needed to wake people up from this malaise we find ourselves in.

I remember seeing Jamie Carragher grab a Spanish team mate around the throat in a match at West Brom two seasons ago because he felt his team mate wasn't putting his body on the line in challenges,some would say that was out of order but in did in fact galvanise the troops.

If our lot are training tonight Gary should sit them down,bring Ben's Tweet quote out and then lay into the squad.

If people aren't willing to toe the line they should be shown the door pronto.

Jordan Murphy scored 4 for the youth team again last night,just how long does the lad have to wait to get a decent first team outing?

If you're good enough you're old enough,the lad should be given a few games to see how he does,he's more of a natural scorer than any other player we have on our book's at present.

Whats the point of all these age group teams and a good youth team if the players don't end up getting a decent chance in our side,i don't see the point in spending money on all these junior sides to then see all these kids going off to Lye,Dudley and Gornal when they reach 18 because we don't give them at least a try.

I hear the constant comment about the first team being "too much of a step up in class",for some this maybe true but it begs the question,

Why are we not running a reserve side at a decent level in the Combination that would allow us to keep our first team squad fit with games when out of form or coming back from injury and allow to progress these kids into full adult football?

If the financial card is going to be waved at this point then i'm sorry but i have to say that Conference North and Premier should be scrubbed from our thought's,if we can't instigate a reserve side AND improve our training regime and add a fitness room then we need to stick at our present level.

For those that haven't seen it:



As Jack says, not ideal, but it shows that at least some of the players care!

It's been a strange season in a lot of ways. A lot more player comings and goings than usual, especially ones we expected to stick around a while longer. A raft of suspensions at a crucial time, etc.

In previous seasons, we've had patches of bad and very good form, like when we finished 2nd a season ago, we had patchy Autumn time form that ultimately cost us, then a tremendous run in the league right at the end up until the final day.

This season has never got going, we've had poor performances at the start (Chesham, Chippenham), in the middle (Burnham amongst others) and in recent games.

Someone mentioned to me recently, that the difference is that the four sides above us all have money at their disposal that we don't have. That may be true (especially for Hemel) but I think we all know that almost all of our players can play much much better than they have in recent games, we know because we've seen them play better both individually and as a team over the seasons. So it's not just a question necessarily of buying in more players but why the current crop aren't performing as we know they can.

If we can get a run going now that would be brilliant - if we do, I'm sure we'll make 5th, but it has to start now. It would be a terrible shame if there were only two or three standout performances over the whole season. I'm 100% behind Gary to work out the reasons why things are going wrong. The reason I'm behind him is, at the AGM the day after we lost 1-0 in Hungerford, he said he would turn things around, and then we went on a 10/11 game unbeaten run. Now lets go and do that again until the end of the season.

Dave the Glassboy wrote:(Some of the players already seem to be thinking of their summer holidays judging by how uninterested they appeared to be last night).

If some of the players are already thinking of their summer holidays, then maybe this advert might make them return to thinking about the football instead.

MotM was Will with 11 votes, Sean received 8, Leon & Kristian 2, Drew, Andre & Lennie (in the tea bar) 1 vote each.

Wine was won by Andy Pountney.

Not been on for a while but da not often I agree with some of your comments, but I am able to eat humble pie and say that I think you have got it spot on. As a very old ex pro if ben Billingham comment had been made on an age where there was none of the current technology o fear in my experience he would have to answer to his team mates thats if he has got any left after reading pn this forum his TWIT comment. Keep the faith.

Brian Handy wrote:MotM was Will with 11 votes, Sean received 8, Leon & Kristian 2, Drew, Andre & Lennie (in the tea bar) 1 vote each.

Wine was won by Andy Pountney.

Lennie in the tea bar was by far the star turn of the night.

Personally i think TCP ran him close ( literally! )

It was the nearest thing i've ever witnessed to the Benny Hill chase scene sketch!

Younger members need to watch the YouTube link.

Drew got a vote?????
Do people watch the same game as myself??

Maybe Gary voted for him.

I'm only commenting n what Ben said.
I have no problem with what he said. He's expressing he's opinion and displeasure. He hasn't singled out an individual, he has only said how he feels. When he tweets things saying "great performance by the lads" people are happy enough to say all the positives.
Having not been to the game, then I can't say who it was directed at. However having watched enough of games the previous 8 seasons, I can have a blind stab in the dark and guess who it was directed at.....
Either way I can't see any problems with what he has tweeted. Maybe the culprits will realise its a team game, and individual glory means nothing without teamwork.....