Hastings Supporters Forum - 100% Unofficial!

My programme notes tomorrow hints at us requiring a small miracle, it certainly is looking like that may have some hope.

Desperately disappointing. It was all the negatives of the season served up in one helping. Yes, we had chances, a dubious off-side decision against us to rule out an early goal, a bad injury (to Jack McLean) which unsettled us, some questionable refereeing (how did their defenders get away with what they did throughout the game without sanction?), etc etc. But the hard fact is we were not good enough, we didn't at any point control the game, our defending down the left particularly was very poor and we were outplayed by a side with nothing to play for who wanted to win more than we did. Yes some players - Sean, Simon and Sam Cruttwell in particular - played their hearts out but we simply were not worth a point never mind the win we needed.

-- Edited by GeoffM on Sunday 24th of April 2016 07:57:13 AM

For me, that was totally unacceptable and does rather make you revaluate whether we do indeed have the right people in charge. No motivation was required today but despite this we looked clueless and lethargic with no clear game plan and sadly a return to the long ball rubbish. That 90mins encapsulated the whole season for me. Herne Bay, who themselves have gone through a terrible run of results and looked very average pretty much made us look second best all day and thoroughly deserved their win.

Yet again, defensively we were poor and another goal conceded from set pieces. Obviously the hard work the management team have put in to defending set pieces at training has paid off!! And I am sorry if I upset people, but at least I have the balls to say it unlike certain people who say one thing at the game, every week,  and then something else on here, but Liam Wilson is so far off Ryman standard I actually feel for him and I think he has been hung out to dry by the management team. Hopefully his time will come.

In midfield we huffed and puffed and to be fair I don't think anyone can question the guys work rate today, they just lacked a little quality and there was very little creativity. Maclean did look our most dangerous player until what looked like a bad injury but why oh why was Bright put on? He has barely kicked a ball for the firsts all season and he looked badly of the pace. Tyrell or Cumming Bart had to be a better option. And those bloody long throws!!! must of seen 100 of them this season and just one goal at Whyteleafe. its just schoolboy football again, change the plan!!!

And up top we once again showed we have no bite and no creativity without Billy. He has carried this team since Xmas and if it was not for him we would never have been in this situation today. I think it has been proved that we made a huge mistake in releasing Jack Harris (add Alfie Hall and Stephen Okoh to that), and perhaps one or two others should have gone instead. Sadly we have been carrying to much mediocrity for way too long.

So the end of another very disappointing season for me, and yes, the happy brigade will say its a huge improvement on last season, but for me, and I know an awful lot of others, it has just been very average in a very average league with very few performances against top sides that really wet the appetite. We are, as has been mentioned many times, "flat track bullies". We will beat the teams at the bottom all day long but just don't have the guile, quality or know how to compete, outplay or even out think the better sides and top managers. A major clear out is now required and I would be looking at retaining just 5 or 6 current squad members for next year and getting Billy Medlock the best medical treatment money can buy.

We need better coaching, we need better signings, we need to be fitter, we need more creativity in the side, we need a left back (for the third season in a row), centre back, maybe two, we need a big tough ball winning midfielder and we need one possibly two new strikers, depending on Billy's recovery. We need Josh Pelling back quick and we need to improve the strength of our bench which has looked weak all season and very one dimensional. Apart from that, everything else looks great! What an incredible chance for this club wasted and looking at the teams coming into this league next season things will only get tougher next season.

Too start appalling today. No structure to our game and a complete disaster. Only 2 people to blame they must go immediately as Bloor and Wilson have been clueless clowns all season, they let the wrong players leave, and Zac Astwood what's the point totally useless. Put out the advert for a new manager and one of the conditions should be he has never been involved with United in any capacity. It's time for a complete overhaul. Hopefully only 2/3 of the current squad with remain, as though Wilson and bloor are the main culprits a lot of the players only performed occasionally.

Thank goodness for that,

Saturday, April 23, 2016



It is with regret that the Club must announce that Garry Wilson and Danny Bloor tendered their resignations from their roles as First Team Manager and Assistant Manager immediately after the U's last league game of the season this afternoon, a 2-1 home defeat to Herne Bay that saw them miss out on a place in the Ryman League Division One South play-offs.

The former Lewes managerial duo took charge at the Pilot Field last summer, with the Club targeting a promotion challenge after a torrid 2014/15 campaign had seen them flirt with relegation to the County League and get through three permanent managers in the process.

Wilson and Bloor assembled a squad with plenty of experience that enjoyed good runs in the FA Cup, the FA Trophy and the League Cup, while also achieving a memorable Sussex Senior Cup victory away to League Two side Crawley Town in November, but truly consistent league form proved elusive and a backlog of fixtures further hampered progress in recent months.

Even so, the U's still went into today's final game knowing that a win would secure a fifth place finish and a play-off semi-final berth, but despite Sam Cole giving them a first half lead, Herne Bay fought back to claim the three points, leaving United in seventh place.

Wilson and Bloor cited a combination of personal and footballing reasons for their decisions to step down, and everyone at the Club would like to thank them both for their hard work throughout the 2015/16 season and wish them all the very best for the future.

So much for the two year plan.How long will the next plan last?

Really can't be arsed to talk about today's match...that's all history now anyway. Good luck to Faversham...you stuffed us twice so we have nothing to moan about.
Glad some people are pleased with this latest news, personally I think it's a negative outcome for the club.
I guess I may be one of the 'happy brigade' referred to earlier but generally I think I am a realist. I fully appreciate that our impressive goals tally was due to our ability to murder the league's dross and we regularly came up short against anyone decent. Today illustrated our shortcomings perfectly.
However it is unquestionable that Garry had built the core of a very good side and for him to go now rather than see through the second year when, we hoped, he would have developed a side to "do a Folkestone" is very disappointing.
Why do some think we have a God given right to storm this league ? A year ago we narrowly avoided relegation, this year we missed a play off place on the last day. Is that not progress ?

So what happens next ?
Well, the board have to try to find the next poor sod who will be on a hiding to nothing to get us promoted in his first season.
Will this change over happen quickly enough for the services of people like Medlock, Rowe, Johnson, Cruttwell to be secured ?
Other clubs will know who our 'cherries' are and will shortly be sniffing around.
Sadly I feel this may be another case of the ball of string that has slowly been wound this season (as Folkestone have done over three seasons) being dropped after one season and quickly unwinding. So the new manager has to secure the services of our better players (probably having never seen them play if he's from outside the area) and then add perfectly complimentary new players that will allow us the win the league at a canter. Failure to do this of course will lead to the inevitable calls for him to go and for the board to find someone else.

Emotions are running high tonight (as can be seen from this thread) which is why I am sorry Garry didn't sleep on the events of the last day/week/month before making any announcement.

I often didn't agree with tactics or team selections but Garry has brought some exciting players to the club and for that I say 'Thank-you for the entertainment'. I guess that's praise that some feel he doesn't deserve.

I'm pretty sure Garry wll be gutted that the team didn't deliver a play-off spot this season - he's a proud man who loves the club, and came back to complete unfinished business. We can debate team selections, tactics and outcomes for ever and a day, and a mix of very good and very poor performances. Like it or not, we have moved forward, albeit with an extraordinary playing budget. I sincerely hope that Dean considers further the option to take it on, because he has the experience, contacts and no bulls**t approach that is required to build from here. I am sorry to see Garry go, and wish him every success in the future.

Well - you have to feel for Corinthian C because it was their encounter with the Ryman desk bound rules enforcer that gave us a chance to make the play off lottery at all. Faversham have - instead of us - grabbed 5th place by default from Corinthian C.

United have blown hot and cold all season. Beaten Guernsey twice, lost to 3 Bridges twice, lost to Carshalton twice, lost to Faversham twice, lost to Herne Bay twice, murdered South Park and Molesey here, unfortunate to lose at Folkestone, superb at Hythe with 9 men etc etc - stats which show just how hot and cold they've been. And it's all happened before but the managers at the time - Peter Sillett and George Wakeling eventually got that proper blend - consistency. I think Garry would've done the same.

I didnt understand some of the managerial decisions - and following yesterday's game on Twitter in a bar in hotter climes many miles away, I couldn't get my head round Bright Temba replacing Jack Maclean. I know options have been short up front but that seemed a weird decision. But then there were times when we questioned some of Messrs Sillett and Wakeling's decisions!

We used all our luck up on the pitch when Corinthian (today's real losers) had their bad luck off it. We go again next season. And the aim has to be consistency on and off the pitch.

Just hope we can keep Simon Johnson and Billy Medlock and get Josh Pelling fit again. Can't see Johnno staying though.

This is going to be one hell of a league to get out of next season. Amazingly, after sitting mid table nearly all season, Burgess Hill were yesterday relegated with a record haul of points, after not appearing in the bottom 4 once all season. Remember they did a Folkestone last year and went nearly the entire season unbeaten and recorded 109 points. They then retained all of last years squad and added the likes of Chris Smith. We are light years away from Ryman premier and just maybe yesterday was a wake up call and blessing in disguise at the same time.

Hastings goal and chances 

Dead right Chris. Yet another off pitch decision is very likely to save Burgess Hill. Farnborough have had all kinds of money related problems but their outstanding on pitch (where everything should count) achievement to stay up looks like it will be to no avail once the Ryman desk jockeys get to work with the rule book.

The Hillbillies have had an appalling second half of the season and finishing in the relegation zone on the very last day sums their camoaign up perfectly. They deserve to be where they are - Ryman South bound - because they failed to perform on the pitch. But someone sitting at a desk at Ryman Towers will quite likely save their bacon. Thus destroying the natural progression of football.

As for today's game, I think the biggest mistake was the linesman's decision to rule out Jack's goal, his subsequent injury also had a massive effect on us. That said our defending was poor for both goals and whoever replaces Gary has to find a goalkeeper as their first priority.

Is it true that Gary told the players that he was resigning before the game?

I see one of the Hastings players on Saturday and he said he knew Gary was going weeks ago so if he knew surly rest of the team did aswell

This may not be the last we hear of this. Of course, all rumours and Chinese whispers at the moment but if this was announced to certain players weeks ago that is very poor indeed and may be the reason why we finished the season so poorly with just four wins in twelve. Never heard anything like this in my life and I really hope for the sake of the club this was not the case.