it now seems that barring a miracle we will not be challenging for the promotion places this season. It is so frustrating as we have little problem in scoring goals but equally neither do Our opponents of late. Defending any sort of lead seems to be beyond us. I can see a mid table position is all we are likely to achieve this season, I would loved to be proved wrong though.
What a defensive shambles today and the wheels appear to have well and truly come off, and even the play offs are looking a million miles off. So many things wrong today, and I have tried to defend Darren of late but he had a really poor game today from the touchline. Defensively we are an absolute shambles at the moment and I include the keeper in that. I thought Jaydon did well but the new right back was average at best, Ollie Rowe appears to be going backwards, probably because he has a different partner each week and I am sorry, but Davies is not good enough and apart from a couple of games this season I think he's been poor all year. As for Pidge, he really is not filling me with confidence at the moment and for those behind the goal in the first half, what the hell was he doing with the wall? my old dear could have slotted that in, the gap was so big. Its not all the defenders though, we have just too many offensive players on the pitch and no holding midfielder and the gaps at times in the centre of the park reminded me of school boy football. When will we learn?, you cannot play the same offensive and expansive game against Dorking and Corinthian that you can against Chatham or Godalming. Dare I use Chrisb comment clueless? We again tried to walk the ball in at times, our set pieces are abysmal, when will Crutts or Frannie beat the first man and what about the subs? Was Jack harris injured because he was far and away our best attacker? Does Frannie Collin have a clause in his contract that he can never be subbed? why, why, why is Stannard on the bench and why give him just 10mins?
So lets end on the positives for once. Though Bodkin was excellent, big improvement from Kiernan but still want to walk the ball in, and offensively, particularly first hour, we did play some lovely stuff, but we clearly have some big issues to sort out. Jaydon and Ollie apart, we need 2 or 3 new defenders and a holding midfielder. We have known this for months and I keep reading in the Observer that Darren knows this so what are we doing with these average loan players we keep picking up. I honestly believe that all the changes at the back and poor signings are now affecting Ollies form, and he has been fantastic this season.
Really disappointing today and for the first time this season, Darren looked like he had no answer or a plan b, but in him I still trust. Others may well start to be feeling different though now as 8 wins in 18 games is just not good enough with the players we have.
-- Edited by johnw on Saturday 10th of December 2016 05:34:32 PM
This really was hugely disappointing. To concede eight goals in successive home games is bad enough; when, with a modicum of defensive composure, we might have won both it is inexcusable. We need to start from scratch to re-build the defence and correct the basic - really basic - errors we are making. Corinthian Casuals were a well organised side with a couple of useful players (I liked their number 9); but they were nothing special and they didn't have to be to score against us today. Even at schoolboy level teams will have it drummed into them that the right back just has to make a tackle, that the wall doesn't just melt away, and that you don't lose possession with nine players the wrong side of the ball. All a great shame after Jack Harris' excellent early goal. Quite why he was taken off when to my mind he was having his best game is another mystery.
I can't really add anything as John has already covered it!! Looks like one big mess at the moment!! Is Darren in fantasy land thinking we can still win this league??
10 point gap already just between us in 11th and Lewes in 10th, even with 4 games in hand that's not easy to pull back even before we start to think about playoff places. The Boxing Day game vs them is a genuine must win to even get us back in with a chance of the playoffs.
Sadly after today i am even more convinced Darren doesnt have a clue about ryman south and what it takes to win games at this level. If things have not improved soon, i think he has to consider if he is up to the job. You build a successful team from the back and Darren hasnt. You look at ways to cut out errors Darren hasnt. If the players we have keep making mistakes then were they watched properly before they signed. From where i see it over the last 6 years it doesnt matter who owns manages or plays for the club the result is the same abject failure. WHY? I have no idea
We just don't seem to be learning anything.We constantly give away free kicks on the edge of the box( 3 today ) and concede goals like today and last week against Dorking.We were ahead 3 times today and not once,but 3 times we played into Corinthians hands straight away.
I would not be surprised if some of our more successful players are now seriously thinking of moving on if things don't improve quickly, as it looks very unlikely we will be in the frame for playoffs this season. The top clubs are now looking to strengthen to secure their promotion bids and maybe players like Stannard and Bodkin will fancy their chances elsewhere. I hope this is not the case but unless we are able to strengthen ourselves, with known decent players we will end up mid table with nothing to play for. We still manage a decent crowd who deserve better, it's been a very long wait to reach a higher league and we are no nearer this goal. It is quite obvious to all that the defence is crucial to achieve success, and we are certainly lacking a strong back line. Before it is definitely too late, let's all hope and pray that Darren has now seen the light and makes every effort to get in players that WILL be making a difference.
-- Edited by Grasshopper on Saturday 10th of December 2016 07:25:39 PM
Well summed up by John and Geoff. Three supporters came over from Holland today and tonight will be consoling themselves in the pubs down the Old Town. Safe trip home.
Well we have rapidly gone from being the most entertaining team in the league to the most bleedin' FRUSTRATING ! One point from three games which should have produced at least seven, maybe nine, has left us totally stranded in mid table and we're going to have to do something extraordinary to make the top five now. So frustrating because we APPEARED to be better than both Horsham and Corinthian and as good as Dorking but ended up with one point. To respond to some of the comments made......I disagree about Richard Davies, John. He was definitely at fault today for their first but I would like to see a defence built around him and Ollie. I definitely think he is good enough. Jaydon did OK today but really worries me in the air. He doesn't appear to be able to head a ball, let alone win a heading duel. I put our defensive frailties down to a) too many changes b) The goalkeeper ! Apart from a couple of excellent recent 'shot stopping' games, Lenny has been distinctly average and, given his history, I feel has been a disappointment. Can't understand taking Jack off or Harry not starting, both bad decisions and Kiernan remains an enigma, good at times but often careless and clumsy. I would agree that Darren did get it tactically wrong today and we lost a game we should have won. Clueless ? No, that's unfair. Naive ? Maybe. As others have said we have to approach different opponents differently. This season the gulf between top and bottom of this league is greater than ever before and I think we have been given a false sense of invincibility by simply destroying the weaker teams. Time to toughen up and win games like today 1 - 0 if we are going to get anywhere.
What a disappointing result for everyone apart of course for the Corinthian Casuals players and supporters. We looked a bit desperate every time they came close to our penalty area and there was the feeling they could score whenever they wanted. CCFC looked a good side but its becoming clear that quite a few sides look good playing against Hastings. A good pitch and a side committed to playing an open attacking style brings out the best in too many of our opponents.
I "watched" from 45 miles away at work on Twitter - well done to both concerned for updates. My thoughts were the defence is seemingly different week in and week out - no chance to settle round Richard and Ollie. 8 goals conceded in two games is appalling - two from the virtually same edge of the box set pieces not too excusable and some of the decisions re who starts and finishes baffle me. Jack Harris is at his very best this season now he is fit and injury free - but he doesn't get 90 minutes. Harry Stannard runs rings round anyone he cares to and doesn't get 90 minutes. Two players who should destroy opposing defences.
But it's our defence that is the problem. Sounds like we played well going forward today, we definitely did against Dorking Wanderers and we were all over Horsham in that 2nd half a fortnight ago - yet just one lousy point from those 3 games. The Horsham equaliser - hard to take, to be fair I thought our boys didn't get anything like the rub of the green against Dorking - but to lead three times, be pegged back within minutes each time and then concede a decider today - tsk tsk. A settled defence is what we need - and Jack doing a full shift, surely.
So frustrating. Reminiscent of years back before Peter Sillett got it right in 91-92 and then George Wakeling, 10 years later.
Difficult to comment from afar but I sense disappointment that another season which offered so much promise is showing signs of petering out already. Mick says we need to grind out a couple of 1-0s which is spot on. To do that you need to have strong characters with the right mentality - the sort of mentality that says I am going to go with the runner, stop the cross, pick up my man, and do everything I possibly can to stop the opposition from scoring. Particularly at home, I am going to make the experience really horrible for the opposition. We seem to be a nice team that plays lovely football but can't or won't defend. With respect, how can you let Corinthian Casuals stroll into town, score 4 times on our patch, and disappear with 3 points. I really thought that this would be the year when we finally got out of this awful Division, but that looks a bit of a remote possibility with every poor defensive showing. Mick, what's the answer?
I have seen no change to Darrens approach to the way we play despite our awful defending. What will it take to make him take a step back and think i need a different approach as it isnt working. We probably have 4 games to turn this season around less than 9 pts and we are finished for the season.
I think the answer is in these replies, OTH. We're not defending well enough and maybe still haven't got the required quality(or tactics) to get it right yet.
An alternative thought though is this. In the last three games I reckon we have created upwards of 30 decent goal scoring opportunities. However we have only scored 6 goals. Our opponents have created, I guess, half as many and have scored 9......so a much, much higher conversion rate. So we could blame this poor run on our profligacy in front of goal and our opponents ruthlessness. Of course it would help if Lenny stopped a few more.
On a more serious note, that needs addressing at the highest level within the club, if the food bar is going to do cheesy chips they simply MUST use a strong cheddar. My disappointment at yesterday's result was compounded by MILD cheddar.
I think the answer is in these replies, OTH. We're not defending well enough and maybe still haven't got the required quality(or tactics) to get it right yet. An alternative thought though is this. In the last three games I reckon we have created upwards of 30 decent goal scoring opportunities. However we have only scored 6 goals. Our opponents have created, I guess, half as many and have scored 9......so a much, much higher conversion rate. So we could blame this poor run on our profligacy in front of goal and our opponents ruthlessness. Of course it would help if Lenny stopped a few more.
On a more serious note, that needs addressing at the highest level within the club, if the food bar is going to do cheesy chips they simply MUST use a strong cheddar. My disappointment at yesterday's result was compounded by MILD cheddar.
Come on, sort it out, Directors !
Mick, you have our sympathy. The food was excellent at Welling and it does not bear thinking about that you guys had to put up with anything less than Extra mature.
I would tread caerphilly if your taking on the directors, there will be an abondance of compliants about it,
they will just make a saga about it, and the air will turn blue. CamemBert you can have a leyden then join in.
Before I get my coat, just red leicester beat man city last night.
After recent games against Carshalton, Greenwich, Dorking and Corinthians can now update a post from a month ago. Does not get any better reading with now only 7 wins in 30 games against the top 6 over the past 3 seasons. Against the top 3 over the same period we have won just 4 in 17 with only 2 home wins.
Says it all. Nothing changes just makes me question the people selecting our managers are the right questions asked, are we looking for the wrong thing, we need a winner at this level.
Don't think it matters what you have as a manager these days in our league, there is just so much money around at the top end of our league it is always going to make it difficult getting out. Dorking want a midfielder, they sign Guiseppe Sole. They want a defender, they go out and sign the Whyteleafe skipper. Greenwich Borough want a striker, they sign the leagues top goal scorer from T&M, Billy Dunn. The same could have been said with our failure to sign Medlock and May. Yes we have a big budget but I am guessing a few other clubs have a lot more than us and can almost buy the league. I think it may take a few years still to get out of this league and we just may have to be patient and do it the Folkestone way, with a sensible budget and a manager at the helm for many years. Sadly, we have always been an impatient lot down at the Pilot Field and with the new ground on the horizon and the need for more numbers through the gate, I am not sure we have the supporters or owners willing to wait years for this to happen.
Our last promotion team had Lee Worgan, Jimmy Elford, Sean Ray, Sam Adams, Ade and Tim Olerunda,Lee Carey and others-most of whom were players who hadn't played at a higher level. A young team, many local players and probably not on big money. The composition of this year's squad is very different. Hope it has the motivation and stamina to push on in the second half of the season.
