This is my first time writing on the forum. I think it is safe to say we are all disappointed at the start we have had to this season. The squad Terry built in pre season I think we all thought we would sail through the season. However all too often when teams put together high profile players there is a lack of motivation amongst the group which has been seen at clubs around us over the years.
I think a change in manager is imminent although probably not entirely necessary, but I do think a fresh voice is needed and a new approach to the team has to be taken.
In recent months I have watched much smaller clubs than ours, with a team of unknown players put us to the wire and in some cases beat us. Burgess Hill aside as I think they could win the league, I witnessed Redhill out battle us, out run us, and out manoeuvre us. I can only claim to know the names of 2 of their match day squad. With the small crowds they get they must have a much smaller budget than ours and they certainly have a manager with a lot less years than ours. So what is different? Two words in my opinion;
Motivation and Application. They didn't stop working and motivation from their dugout was crazy. Even our board of directors commented on the difference between the two dugouts
If a change is going to be made to the management I think we have to go for a different approach and appoint a younger manager who is hungry for success and will work for our great club with enthusiasm and pride. Gary Charman at Horsham or Mike Maher at Redhill would be my two candidates. Give someone a chance who has done their work at a smaller club and give them the platform we can provide them to produce the goods at a bigger club.
I am fully behind Terry until a change is made but I don't see a change in our performances so far and as a club we deserve better.
Open to criticism and conversation on this topic. They are just my views and as I said we should all be behind Terry for as long as possible.
Very good post Jason, but just one point. Didn't we have a young and hungry manager who worked with enthusiasm and pride? His name was Sean Ray but he was driven out after taking us to the 3rd round of the FA Cup. I know some we're pleased to see him go but I think we have gone backwards since he left his managerial role. Should have stuck with him and given him the opportunity to get us back up at the first time of asking.
We need a manager the players respect, the players are good enough, but the management team isn't. No point in paying players big money if they are to be managed by a group they obviously don't respect.
Seems to me every time we have a new manager, the majority of people just criticise him. Yet could they do any better??
I thought the squad looked pretty strong pre-season with a lot of good signings and no one can fault terry for doing his best.
You cannot say in every match played so far that every single player has let the side down. From what I've heard there are certain players who give their best every time, so if they can then why cant the rest.
I supported razor when he was manager and was disgusted to see the abuse he got and terry sure doesnt deserve the same treatment so get behind him & the squad!!
None of us saw the start we had coming, that's as plain as the nose on your face. I think that we have to take a look at the last 4 games before we start calling for Terry to step down. Terry was through personal reasons, not available for the 3 previous games which coincidently is when we started going wrong.Ok yesterday we started with the wrong formation and that was spotted within 10 - 15 minutes and changed, from that moment we looked more solid until the break. I agree that Frankie despite being full of running and enthusiasm cannot play alone up front and I would of started Ade, when he came on he showed the physical presence we lacked.
Isn't it ironic that as soon as the poor performances start a certain few come back on here after months of being quiet saying that the manager should be changed when not all that long ago we were supposedly the laughing stock of the league for the amount of managers we go through? This is a marathon not a sprint, I agree things aren't good before I get accused of being blinkered, I'm as frustrated as anyone and believe with the squad we have we should be sitting at the other end of the table. All I'm saying is before we go calling for heads let's just see if Terry can turn this back around now he's back at the helm,there's still over 100 points to play for and who was it who put us on a winning streak this time last season?
Hythe is a massive game for the simple reason that they have had as bad a start as we have so can not be considered a 'tougher than expected' side like Whitstable & Burgess Hill were ( although BH were always going to be pretty hard )
If we fail to beat a side in as poor form as we are at the Pilot Field then there really would be a problem, until then we need to get fully behind Terry and all of the players although I think that in 2 positions in particular we need strengthening, one position needs a new starter and one needs a good squad option mainly. Hopefully this has been seen and is being worked on.
I think we are all in agreement that Terry has amassed one of our best squads for many years and he should be commended for that although still think we have missed a trick in the full back and striker positions. Not sure Masters is good enough and young Crutwell is being played out of position, whilst upfront many supporters had already raised their concerns before the season had even started of our depth of cover. Can you just imagine the problems we would have if Frankie got a bad one? I also cannot believe that certain players are not trying just 5 games in to the new season and I'm not sure about certain players not respecting the management. The money is not that good so not sure they would have come here in the first place if respect was going to be a problem. So where else can the problem lie?
I don't think Terry knows his best team at the moment for a start and we have seen too many positional changes already. Rose has been brought in as a right back but is now being moved to accommodate Masters and cover the troublesome left back position. Timmy was arguably MOM against Chipstead but is taken off midway through the half and then dropped for Burgess Hill. Perhaps he is carrying an injury but if not a strange move, particularly when you look at the early season form of Dave Cook. And what has happened to Taser? One of the shining lights at the end of last season but can't get a start this season. As mentioned on another thread I'm not sure about this 'taking time to gel' theory. The team looked like they had gelled just fine in some stirring pre season performances and other teams seem to be coping just fine. On Saturday Whitstable, along with a completely new management team played 7 new players and sit unbeaten in 5th place. Redhill have also brought in a whole new team this season but still managed to gel together well enough to give us a good beating. So everyway I look at this it unfortunately looks like a managerial problem and a coaching team unable to work out what their best team is, what formation to play and who to play where. As others have mentioned, I do think there are too many people in the dug out and if we stick with Terry lets see him taking control. Are Ben and Nigel needed? Didn't Terry do just fine at the beginning of last season when he had just Stapley by his side? I've already said that we let Razor go too early, the same could be said about Maggs, so perhaps Terry should be given longer, but defeat on Monday and in the FA Cup on Saturday, which by the way is now looking a right banana skin, then I really cannot see DW having any other option but to make a change. I wish nothing more than Terry to prove me wrong and if so I will be the first to congratulate him on this forum.
Like ChrisB, I've had a break - but I'm not going to criticize the manager. It's all about managing expectations. Let's face it, the club was a mess on the pitch last season and the fact we made the playoffs shows how bad everybody else was. A major rebuild was necessary. It does look like we have better individual players now but that means nothing on paper. I read some of the preseason posts/boasts and felt that once again, supporters have confused optimism with realism. If the players we have signed are so good, why are they not playing at a higher level? Have we seen any evidence so far that this group are indeed capable of playing in the next league up? I don't think so. The reality is that we are at best a mid-table team in a rubbish league and the sooner we get used to that, the better. It takes time to completely rebuild and develop a squad. We have no divine right to win the league, so we need to stop some of this BillyBigtime stuff, support the team, and given time, we can make progress. I just don't see it happening quickly. And as regards replacing Terry, which is silly, I'm not sure who would be attracted to a club that may once again show that it has ideas way beyond it's station but has no real plan on how to get from A to B. Conference South - how,when............it's wake up time.
I notice on the moaners forum that badguy1 is saying that I've given up.....please if you must post about me then get your facts straight I've not given up, just because I've not posted straight away, unlike some who have not posted anything in months until we go through a bad patch and also seem to take a great deal of enjoyment when things go wrong, it doesn't mean a thing. I do have a life outside of football and this forum.
Another good post Overthehill . I accept your point about if players are that good why are they not playing at a higher level but how can you explain how a player like Dave Cook can be the leagues top goal scorer, playing in midfield for a mid table Hythe and yet suddenly look so poor for us. You could say the same about Ronnie Dolan. How can Jamahl King look like a 'wall on legs' for a poor Horsham side but then struggle to settle with us. Frankie scored more goals per game for a struggling Tooting & Mitcham than he has for us. There are plenty more examples. And the same goes the other way. look at the players that have been here over the past few seasons, struggled in some cases and moved on, and looked fantastic elsewhere. Zac Attwood, Aaron Rhule, Medlock, Dixon, the list goes on. i don't know why, but over recent years we have really struggled to develop, improve and bring on players At the club. Struggling to think of one name who has come to us, really developed and improved and moved on to a higher grade of football Without leaving on their own accord. Oh for a Goldburg, Pell or Beautyman at the moment.
-- Edited by johnw on Sunday 24th of August 2014 05:20:59 PM
Well Lenny you were one of the reasons I stopped posting as you gave me a warning that I would be banned for expressing my views, due to other commitments yesterday was the 1st loss I had seen, and was only getting reports from others about how bad we were, I had the decency to wait until I saw it with my own eyes. Something is seriously wrong we are almost certainly forking out more in wages than any other club in the division, though the performance is awful. We need a manager who has won things and one the players respect. I would love Terry to turn it around and take us to the top of the league, but from what I have seen, and the results from his tenure I just cant see it happening.
You were warned about consistent negative posts that doesn't stop you posting anything positive. it's very ironic how myself and others have said and you've proved us right, that as soon as things go wrong you'd be back posting your usual negativity. So predictable.
