After the draw against Cray it is back to The Pilot Field against
Herne Bay are currently the number 12 in the table with 9 points out of 5 games. scored 10 and conceded 5 goals.
Last year we won at home 7-0 http://www.hastingsunited.com/results/first-team/2016-17
And we? Think the club must now give 100% direction and explanation about the near future.
It seems that there is on and beside the pitch a lot of rumor about unhappy players, some of them have left and
some of them start on the bench which is unbelievable. Do we want a proper and nice football club where with this squad promotion should be possible or is the club run with people with a different agenda?
Does anybody know what has happened to the twitter feed? No updates about the game? plenty of re-tweets about the academy the last few days but nothing about the game!!??
Others can report and comment on the game for a change, I'm just sick of it. 5 academy players in the starting line up again, no height at the back, our form defender this season on the bench, senior players looking disinterested, massive holes in the centre of the park and the most worrying thing of all......one of the most horrible and bitter atmospheres around the ground in many a year and supporters totally disheartened and fed up with what is going on at the club. Ill say no more.
United fell apart when the excellent Herne Bay 7 got them back into the game just before half time. Weird though - up till then the U's had looked in great nick and played really well. Rodari had broken his duck at last and the absence of Michael Aziayah wasn't too much of an issue. How he was missed in the 2nd half.
This is as depressing start to a season as I can recall. Herne Bay must have loved it after getting tonked 7-0 at The Pilot Field last season.
-- Edited by SS on Tuesday 19th of September 2017 09:24:33 PM
Well, without great enthusiasm, I'll take up John's invitation to offer some comment. There were, after all, some good points. The first half saw us playing some good football and our second goal was a well worked quality goal. Sam Adams put in a great deal of effort to good effect, but the fragility of the side seemed evident even when we were two goals up. Goals from Herne Bay either side of half time swung the initiative their way and although we continued to create chances few supporters would have doubted which way the game was going. Sam looked very tired in the second half and without his running we lost composure. We looked particularly vulnerable on our left side and HB were getting in good crosses at will. They could and should have scored more. Heads were very much down.
It was quite mystifying why our best defender was not playing, why anyone might think Billy Medlock is a target man, and whether Jack Dixon was actually on the field or not.
Yes, this might turn around, but I think you will need to look long and hard to find any among our regular following with any optimism about the immediate future.
My first game since moving to Hastings . Have watched some rubbish at the Emirates in recent times. Didn't know what to expect tonight and first half was ok although our first goal was a foul on the keeper which the ref just seamed to ignore but fair play to the Hastings guy for not stopping like the other players and putting Hastings ahead. Second half was embarrassing and every time Herne Bay attacked it was like they would score. We look clueless no midfield, no fight and Herne Bay were through Hastings like a hot knife through butter. Did not look like the players were bothered and maybe there are problems with manager and players especially with the fight at training. Supporters I were standing near were fuming and were questioning where to get their money back. Quite frankly I have better ways of spending a tenner too.
Liked the ground, quirky although dilapidated and uncared for but plenty of character especially that main stand and like the big shed type stand at front of ground. Food was good. Strange the bar shuts so early which I found out when I went to get a drink in the second half. Dont get that.
Might give it another go at some point maybe.....................
I hate being negative but I can't stand much more of this. I was going to go to Molesey on Saturday but not now. One of my mates left with 10 mins to go and he has never done that before. Not going to say any more.
Two or three seasons ago we dreaded the second halfs of games knowing that we would inevitably throw away any lead we had, well that was one out of the top draw. Perfectly decent first half that at least allowed Rodari to get off the mark and finally firing was tempered only by a good Herne Bay move that lead to them pulling one back before the break. However after the interval our ambition, confidence and decision making evaporated whilst they hit us for three without reply.
Truly did remind me of that Terry White / Nigel Kane season football where we nearly went down, we had a few decent youngsters in that team too but they struggled when starting in a team short of confidence and that looks like it may be happening again. Aside from Ollie Rowe our back line with two teenagers and Sam Cruttwell out of position is so fragile against older players with know how.
The atmosphere around the ground during the second half was more gallows humour as we wondered how bad it would get after they made it 3-2, it got worse than even we probably thought.
IMO a lot of the the kids need to be withdrawn from this fight for the moment as quickly as possible to save what's left of their current confidence. We need experienced older players in asap ( obviously the injuries haven't helped but we can't use that as a reason to rely on players who are getting more and more damaged by the game ) and then the youngsters can come back in from the bench in moderate numbers into winning teams as performances improve.
Our squad balance is just too weak for this current situation and we can't keep playing 5+ teenagers and expect to get out of this run of form anytime soon.
I think most has been said, but to see experienced players not give it a go is frankly disrespectful to the club and it’s fans if you don’t want to be there then f*** o** and don’t take the money. The younger players have no chance. Clearly the problem we all noticed back in July is not yet addressed (lack of height and bulk). Looks like we have 2nd bottom as our goal to make it a successful season.
I never go to weekday games as I start work at 4am ... with two goals i went to bed thinking I missed a turn around but was muttering about why micheal was still on the bench . What a disaster to wake up too !!
Honestly , is this is the answer why players and directors have left ? ... it's all a bit mysterious and I could see this building up over the last few weeks
Always positive , love my club ... but something needs to change ...
Is the manager choosing this team or is this a Ron Noades !!
4th goal summed it up for me. We didn't lay a glove on them in the build up.
Mr nessling has called for patience. I think a lot of people will patiently stay at home until things improve.
(Interestingly when you type Nessling, my auto correct tried to change it to " meddling")
And our 2 central defenders watched the goal scorer run past them to meet the ball, pathetic describes them and there efforts. Its obvious there is a problem come on management and players instead of not trying man up and publicly tell us what the problem is, we who pay to get in, deserve answers.
12 hours on from last nights debacle and a bit of time to think about what went on as I have to say, not sure I have seen quite a reaction on the forum and as I said earlier, the atmosphere in the ground was toxic on the night, with a lot of anger at the club in general and those that are supposedly running it or not.
Lets start with the positives as important to give a balanced and honest view. Firstly congratulations to Rodari for his first senior goals and the second was quite superb. I actually thought he was one of our better players first half. Sadly second half he was a peripheral figure and really should have been hauled off rather than playing him in a deeper role where he was completely ineffective but was that his fault?. And about time someone talked to him about this crazy rolling around on the floor, waving arms and wagging fingers....he is not Ronaldo!. Was also impressed with young Sonny. Full of pace and effort and looked dangerous going forward but defensively was very poor but no worse than the seniors in midfield. I thought out of all the senior players Billy put in a good shift without being at his best but always has that little bit of class that you think could turn a game. And finally, the first half performance was okay. We didn't rip up any trees but played some neat and tidy football against a very impressive Herne Bay team and lets not forget, Billy had a super chance when one on one with the keeper to put us 3-2 up early in the second. That is where it ends.
We were all shocked by the subbing and dropping of Billy and Sam and last night it was Michaels turn. Our best defender by a country mile this season and one of the few positives. Why throw young Tom in just when Michael and Ollie were building a relationship. Both Tom and Bradley had a torrid night, particularly with the quick no 11 (now that is the sort of player we need to sign) and I have never seen Ollie Rowe play so poorly. But in defence of these lads what support did they have from midfield? we continue to play this diamond formation which clearly isn't working and I felt sorry for young Bradley as he had no support whatsoever in front of him.
Herne Bay were full of pace all over the pitch, something we do not have (oh for a Stannard and Bodkin). Herne Bay were full of 6ft plus players and looked dangerous from every set piece, and us, like a scene from the Hobbit! we are tiny! Every single fan before the season started pointed this out as a major concern, why has it not been addressed? What we would do for a player like Jono Richardson, who was superb for Herne Bay. This problem will not go away and they won every single header at every single set piece.
Unlike a previous comment, I thought Sammy was poor last night and has been poor since he returned. I have no doubt with his character he will turn this round. Much has also been said about Jack. An absolute fantastic player but looks uncomfortable in the formation we are playing. And poor old Crutts, I am not sure what we are trying to do to this kid. Left back one week, left midfield the next, central the next, he does not look happy. Such a shame when this club should be built around the likes of him.
And then to the bench. We counted 11 people in the dug out first half. 4 subs, coach Lee Carey, Andrew Brown, Glyn White, 2 physios, Adam and Chris. Who is in charge? we all expected John Masters to pop his head out at some time.
Once again last night I looked at the bench and there was just nothing to turn a game. We cannot just blame this on injuries to 3 players. The squad depth looks poor and the signings have been average at best. Lee Carey and Gayler offer nothing. Even heard last night via our Lewes friends that new signing Dean Brown was a complete flop, we will see. And who did Herne Bay bring on last night as first sub? Danny Leonard. What a player he was for us at the end of last year.
So where do we go from here? Adam has had a full pre season with the team but looks like he does not have a clue of who he wants where, his best formation or best starting eleven. The squad looks threadbare, poor signings, no height, very little pace, players looking disinterested, too many academy players in the side and most important of all, a large and loyal fan base which he is losing quicker than any manager I can remember. I say again, last night was toxic, not just because of the result and second half performance but because of the stories and rumours circulating the club about who is running the show, the people that have left, the academy influence and a lot of stuff that cannot and will not be put on here. You know when things are bad when the most loyal and positive of all supporters says he will now not travel to Molesey on Saturday because he has had enough and a supporter visiting the Pilot Field for the first ever time said Hastings looked clueless and embarrassing. I find this all so sad and I would hope that the directors feel exactly the same reading these type of comments, it has to hurt surely?. The supporters are the most important part of a club, without them you have nothing. Me and my wife pay on average £40 to follow Hastings away from home, a lot of money to see poor performances and a squad full of academy players. Needs sorting now before the slide is irreversible and supporters leave In their droves but maybe new grounds and building houses is now a more important agenda. I dearly hope not.
And just finally, all on a day when Darren Hare is named first team coach at Maidstone. Fantastic achievement for a fantastic manager and how distant that 7-0 win over Herne Bay last season now seems.
Just seems that the stated aims of promotion this season and the current squad policy are somewhat misaligned. As we move towards hopefully getting planning permission next year for a major stadium that should both secure the clubs long term future and act as a catalyst for future growth you would want a encouraged positive healthy fanbase fully engaged and positive about the club but instead the atmosphere is very subdued and disconnected.
The introduction of the academy side in such numbers ( and the fairly unsurprising results that have occurred ) has really happened at the worst possible time when put in context of everything else going on around it.
We all want home grown youngsters to come through the ranks and thrive but this current situation is making it very hard for them to grow in a positive atmosphere around the club with full support from the fans and it’s just sad to see as we all want then to succeed.
Obviously any club at this level would miss Johnson, Vickers and Beale and the inclusion of those extra three senior players may well have changed the results of the last games but a club who are aiming for promotion in a season where three go up should surely be stronger in depth in terms of experienced semi-pros to fill those gaps.
Adams a properly great bloke and has a rep as a great coach and we all want him to succeed but something needs to change within the squad makeup to allow him to do so.
-- Edited by Dan on Wednesday 20th of September 2017 11:40:01 AM
Very impressed with the way Herne Bay started the game, taking the game to Hastings and using the full width of the pitch. Thought they were the better side in the first half despite being 2-1 down. I was interested to see how Hastings started the second half and whether anything had been done to stop the number of chances being created by their number 7. Unfortunately, the second half was a bit of a nightmare for Hastings and it made painful watching. Surely one of our best defenders could have been better employed rather than sitting on the bench?
Agreed Tim, it's a totally fair point that however disappointing we were, Herne Bay put on a good performance last night. They played entertaining and very effective football throughout. I like to watch teams that have pacey players, break quickly, use the full width of the pitch and bang in good crosses. HB ticked all of those boxes; sadly, Hastings not nearly enough.
Just like to add a word to what John has said about Jonno Richardson. When Jonno was with us some years back he looked an OK but quite limited player. On his recent visits to Pilot Field (I forget which team he was with last time), he looked good but last night he looked a very competent assured central defender playing in a well organised team. Well done him - and, of course, those who have helped him develop.
