Stevenage Away.

Obviously not there tonight so I don't know but I suspect the lads may well have had this one in their heads.

9 times out of 10 we'll be beaten easily. However it's that 1 time that keeps us going back for more. As far as I see it I don't think we're good enough defensively to contain them. The only way we'll have a chance is by attacking them. I hope we don't go defensive. Part of me would rather lose 5-2 than 2-0.

As far as I'm concerned all the pressure is on them.

We are the lowest team left in the competition, everyone is expecting Stevenage to win and we've really got nothing to lose. All we can do is go there and give it our best shot, and whatever the result we will still be proud of the team.

Am not sure if the players are going down on Friday and staying overnight down there, but it would make sense as all the recent long journeys seem to be having a detrimental effect on our away matches. This was proven last Saturday when we won 7-0, which was our first league game at home since the beginning of October. The team have had a lot of away games over the last 2 months and it is obviously going to wear them down, especially as they have to do a full days work as well (none of those over-priced, over-paid & over-rated premier league prima-donnas here thank you!).

All we can do is go there, support the team and make as much noise as possible. After all we've proved before that we can out sing the opposition, so we have to make sure we do that at Stevenage  

After last night's debacle at Burnham i'm extremely concerned about the visit to Stevenage.

We were outfought,out-muscled and out-tackled by a limited Burnham side and second best all over the pitch in every position apart from goalkeeper,it didn't help their keeper's cause in making a comparison with Dean Coleman due to the fact we didn't give him a single shot or header on target to save.

Coleman actually played very well,he was the only member of the side who could be pleased with his evening's work.

By the way,ALL Burnham's player's are playing for free,they can no longer afford to play any player,this makes their commitment all the more commendable.

Stevenage will look to win all their personal battles on Saturday and it's difficult to see us winning many,if any,of our individual battles based on what i've witnessed recently.

Last night it was obvious that certain player's were pulling out of tackles,this was noticed by all fan's and commented upon,the same happened on Saturday v Weymouth but we got away with it then.

Player's like Nathan,Jamie and Leon are exempt from this comment but some of our more "creative" player's shirked challenges.

If they do this on Saturday we will quite rightly get "Mullered".

I want to see nothing less than 100% on Saturday.

I can accept being "out-footballed" by any side on any given day but work rate,commitment and a desire to get back behind the ball,chase lost causes and fight every inch is the minimum requirement in any game but against professional opposition anything less is a recipe for a right "hammering" and the player's should be read the riot act after last night's anaemic effort.

They'll turn up Saturday. That I'm certain of.

Jack wrote:They'll turn up Saturday. That I'm certain of.

That's not the point Jack,i want to see Stour promoted to the next level but the points we are throwing away at present against mediocre ( at best ) opposition is just crazy.

It's time to invest in some added squad quality rather than saving all the money for a day that'll never arrive if we don't find the right blend.

There's a happy medium to be found between keeping some cash saved and spending some and now is the time to do it otherwise promotion is going to be missed out on again.

I think everyone wants us promoted Devil. It was in regards to the wanting 100% Saturday.

Jack wrote:I think everyone wants us promoted Devil. It was in regards to the wanting 100% Saturday.

Burnham's lad's are playing for nothing yet gave everything,we are not going to even make play offs unless we start giving everything in every game regardless of opposition and lack of atmosphere with only 77 paying spectators.

Half of that crowd was from Stour,people spending good money to travel and investing half a day of their lives……..the team have got to be better than that,they got very good backing from us last night yet couldn't create one single chance.

It was as poor a performance as i've seen from one of my sides ( Albion or Stour ) in many a year.

I, too, am worried.

However, all we can do is hope that we have a full squad (or as close as possible) to choose from and go and give it our best shot. The players will be up for it, and so must we.

Jack you say we are 100% up for promotion think you ought to look at previous posts that some say they are happy to stop in southern league as they like that league.

Too them if we dont get promoted this club will gradually dwindle into the club that some want.

To Gary and the board those that made the journey to Burnham last night and the previous two tuesday's want promotion and spend their hard earned cash getting there dont you think the club should at least equal this commitment.

Crackers isn't it?.....I came away from the Weymouth game full of hope and optimism for the game against Stevenage and now a couple of days down the line I'm dreading it.
Due to severe financial restraints I couldn't make last nights game but Devil and Ulster kindly kept me up to date.....The messages Devil relayed back to me has really got me fearing the worst and reading his and other match reports it does make me wonder what on earth is going on away from home.
Unless we get our act together for the game on Saturday I can see us receiving a severe beating.
Come on Stour stop pi**ing about and get it sorted one way or another.

Nothing to lose going there, whilst Tuesday night was awful and a very poor display. Saturday is a new game. Geds and Will i assume will be back which will strenghten the spine of our team. Playing without your best player (Geddes) is always going to be difficult, bu tthe replacement didnt show enough. I am fearing the worst on Saturday but hoping for the best. We go there under no pressure and no expectation. Opposed to Tuesday where we were expected to win convincingly. The pressure is well and truly on Stevenage, at home to the lowest ranked team left. Think the 1st 20 minutes are crucial if we can still be in the game at this point, then maybe they will start getting restless, they are not in the best of form. I dont think we will win there and hoping for damage limitation, but its stevenage not Wolves/ Brentford/ Orient.
As long as every player comes off the pitch on a Saturday knowing they gave their all, there is no more we can ask from them.
COYG

Firstly, let's try to do away with negativity and questions over past results, performances and whether we "want" promotion. We are two days away from a huge game and we should all be pulling in one direction right now. Anything else can be saved for another day and another thread.

As Nick says, we have nothing to lose. Nothing is expected and we can play with a bit of freedom. Hopefully we will have a full squad available and with an overnight stay before the game the preparation should be right.

I agree that it is important not to concede an early goal, but on the other hand that's exactly what happened at Plymouth and if anything I think it probably helped us as it lulled them into thinking it was going to be easy and easing off a bit, thereby allowing us a bit of breathing space to get ourselves into the game. I'm not saying we should whack one into our own net straight from the kick off, just that it wouldn't necessarily be game over if we did go behind early on.

I think at our best we have players who can cause them problems. I'm equally sure they have players who can cause us bigger problems! But I don't think it's a hopeless cause and we've all got to get down there and get behind the team from beginning to end, whatever happens.

COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TRM

Think the fans who comment on here know it is the biggest game in the club's history.

Everybody has opinions whether its in connection with negativity, previous results or promotion of the club.

But one thing for sure those fans will be 100% behind the players once the game kicks off.

I don't think the last two games will have much bearing on this tie. I expect us to be disposed off fairly comfortably, but in the FA cup anything can happen, wonder how much support they will have? with it being £20 quid to watch a step 3 non league club.

I'm more confident we can score this time as they are not as good defensively as before, although neither are we. Good luck to the players and management in their efforts to pull it off, sure there will be plenty of noise form the away end.

Stone me, it's quiet here!!!

Where's the mounting tension? The excitement? The anticipation?

Come on, people, let's be having you, as a famous, non-coke snorting (allegedly) TV cook once bellowed.

From the Express & Star website...

http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/2013/12/05/gary-hackett-fires-fa-cup-warning-to-rivals-stevenage/

Not the most flattering photo of Gary. A touch of the Frank Spencers about it somehow...

TRM wrote:From the Express & Star website...

http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/2013/12/05/gary-hackett-fires-fa-cup-warning-to-rivals-stevenage/

Not the most flattering photo of Gary. A touch of the Frank Spencers about it somehow...

Looks more like mass murderer Dennis Neilsen in that photo!

At the moment i'm feeling rather subdued about tomorrow after recent away performances but i'm sure my bottom will be twitching like a rubber tea towel holder by 3pm on Saturday.

I`ll settle for a 1-1. 

If Stevenage still adopt their previous `style`of football then we need to keep the ball on the floor,particularly to feed our front line.

If we can`t win the first ball then keep our shape & show a hunger for the 2nd ball.

We need to be constantly closing them down,pestering them,frustrate them as much as possible.

Keep in the game as long as possible,first 20 are always crucial-we have no expectations,no pressure.

For the players-mouths shut,discipline,quick ball & movement,patience and most importantly to support your teammate on the ball at all times.

For the supporters-enjoy the day,i`m personally taking great delight in thinking of all the jealousy that must be eating up our fellow non-league opposition supporters.

Up the Glassboys!

Gary's not a big fan of Mr Westley, it would seem...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25236524

Fully fit squad to choose from, apparently...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25163404

Interview with Rowey in the E&S...

http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/other-football/2013/12/06/fa-cup-preview-stourbridge-in-mood-to-upset-stevenage/

Rocky might be on the bench (though there's nothing in the report to substantiate the headline!)...

http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/2013/12/06/sam-rock-set-for-stourbridge-return-ahead-of-fa-cup-tie/

TRM wrote:Gary's not a big fan of Mr Westley, it would seem...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25236524

Westley suffers from "Small man syndrome",it's likely that any woman he drop's his trouser's for is likely to remark…."Oh Graham……it's just like a p£nis but a lot smaller!"

Arrogance permeates every pore of the bloke,quite why though is beyond me.

He promotes a hideous brand of "hoof-ball",most of his player's are like identikit robots and he failed as soon as he went to a bigger club,Preston's fan's absolutely hated him and his style of football.

People like this little pipsqueak get delusion's of grandeur based on nothing very much to substantiate such a stance.

It was funny at the Cambridge City away match when 20 of us behind the goal were chanting…"Graham Westley,you're a w@nker,you're a w@nker" because so sparse was the crowd that it echoed around brilliantly,Westley was there scouting us and he couldn't fail to hear it.

With 800+ singing it tomorrow it will be a real highlight of the day.

For Gary alone,i hope we give Westley a real kick in the nuts!!

As it is a new game I do not see that recent results really matter, after all we were rubbish at Biggleswade and lucky to get a draw yet we then won our next game 7-0. As many people have said in the past, the FA Cup can produce shocks and there's no reason why we can't make one of them.

I remember people writing us off in the past when we were drawn away to Plymouth, and we all know what happened there. So yes we should just go there and enjoy ourselves, and if that includes taking the p**s out of Westley then yippee...

I predict that I will get the score wrong, so no prediction from me  

Sod it,I'll be first to predict......6-1 to Stevenage.
Come on Stour shove my prediction where the sun don't shine.