Have purposely kept away from the forum as was so fed up after the Shoreham game and just didn't see it benefited anyone coming on here and blasting all and sundry. All I want is for this club to be successful. So six games on and seven games unbeaten here is my honest take on how I think we are progressing. There are many supporters who think we are showing no improvement whatsoever and some who think we are progressing ahead of schedule. I like too think my take on things is an honest and balanced view somewhere between the two.
Seven league games unbeaten is a fantastic achievement at any level of football and Chris and the management team must be commended for this. What I will say is we have had a super run of games to build some confidence. Shoreham are the worst team I think I have seen at Ryman level and either side of our late, late draw they have lost seven in a row conceding 26 goals. Not far behind in quality were a Ross Allen less Guernsey, who very nearly snatched a point. Chipstead (population 6900) were also pretty average and despite a best 45 minutes of the season against another average team in VCD, we barely got out of our half in the second period. In between these was a scrappy win at Ashford and two very commendable draws against both Horsham and Cray. So three wins and 13 points from a possible 21. A pretty good return but I would say the absolute minimum requirement that should be expected from these fixtures.
Performance wise there has been a common factor in everyone of these games. Strong, energetic first half performance with lots of chances, and a laboured, very defensive, backs against the wall second half performance. Why is this? some say we are not fit enough, I'm not so sure. is it possible to be over trained? Why are 18-21 year olds running out of gas every game around the hour mark? Chris will be totally aware of this and I am sure he is working hard to put this right. Yesterday he sent the team out a good 5 minutes early in the second half and Browny had them sprinting up and down the touchline, something I have never seen at Hastings before. It didn't work but tells me they are trying to address the poor second half's.
We are also slowly but surely trying to play a bit more football, the passing is improving and there is a bit more pace in the team but we do go very direct in the second half for some reason. The effort is certainly spot on and Chris does have the lads working their socks off for him so again a big plus point for the team but amongst all that running and effort we still lack a little bit of quality, particularly in the centre of the park.
On to players and defensively we look pretty decent. Charlie Horlock is just a magnificent keeper, and not seen one single error all season. Bradley had his best game of the season yesterday. Ollie Rowe is back to his old self and Beale is certainly a better option than Black. And I wont please the player, his old man or most supporters, but Chris has it spot on with Crutts. After watching him in last years play off semi and his battle against Dorking's Matt Briggs, he is the best left back in the league by a country mile and just as good at centre back. Just look at his pass for the second goal yesterday. And finally Tom Climpson has been superb. Not sure yet he has either the height or strength to make it as a top quality centre back, although look at Cannavaro at 5ft 9, but could be a magnificent full back. Either way the young lad has been faultless.
Midfield is okay, and the excellent signing off Dajon has certainly added a different dimension to the way we play. A little bit greedy but the sort of player we love at the Pilot Field and very Bodkin esque. Sammy is just Sammy, Adam Lovatt coming on nicely and really like Ansu. He appears to be marmite amongst most supporters but I like him and I would continue playing him. He does tend to ball watch at times and completely runs out of steam around the hour mark but looks a great prospect.
Up top, Callum looks another super signing. Last two games his form has dropped away but to be honest he started like a house on fire and he will be just fine. Apart from that not a lot else and Kenny now looks to be that last 10 minute battering ram which I think is his best role.
We then come on to the biggest issue of all and that is Rodari. I think 14 games without a goal and not really looking like he is going to score one. His form is average at best and against Chipstead in the second half we counted eight times in ten minutes he gave the ball away. He does also seem to argue with a lot of players and gets it full on each game from Dajon. He tweeted yesterday that another two assists but lets be honest, the first goal was from his flick but there were three shots at goal and a scramble after that so not really, and the second for Sam was an assist but only after a heavy touch took him wide when one on one with the keeper. I get the feeling that he is the golden boy of the academy, and everyone wants him, more than any other academy player, to succeed and show what a success the academy is and I get that, I honestly do. He clearly has the ability but surely we need to do what we did with Bradley. Get him out to Little Common on loan and build some confidence. Can that be done? someone said he lives with the manager? is that true? if so it makes life very very difficult indeed.
Finally I just want to add about the quite ridiculous statements in the Observer this week and about keeping supporters expectations in check. Not sure if Chris is being poorly advised, misunderstood, misinterpreted or just getting a little carried away but just needs to calm down on some of the comments, and I think he will have more supporters on side.
"Hastings are due to give someone an absolute hammering" - can even his staunchest supporter honestly say that Hastings are playing well enough, for longer than 45 minutes to do this?
"If we had beaten Chipstead 7-0 they couldn't have complained"....come on, yes we were the better team but not by a lot....7-0?
"How good we have been in front of goal" 12 goals in 7 games and a heap of missed chances in each of the first half's when we should have finished games off. Have we been that good?
"The tempo and quality of play we are showing is outstanding" "The passing and expansiveness will get a lot of plaudits". They are big comments to be making with the way we are scraping results against very average sides.
"Because of the quality we have all the players need to do is run their socks off". Well they are clearly doing that but running out of steam on the hour mark and we just don't have the strength on the bench to change the game.
So that is my rather long winded report on where I think we are six games on from Shoreham. In a nut shell, he has made very good signings, has the team working very hard for him, the quality for at least 45 minutes is improving, entertainment levels are getting better and at least three of the youngsters are developing nicely. I think we are a defender, central midfielder and striker short. I think Rodari is an issue but I am guessing Chris will persist for most of the season whether his own decision or under orders from others. And of course, we must address these second half performances, but yes there is progress, not as much as some make out but also more than others are suggesting. We are slowly moving in the right direction and Hythe next week will be a huge marker, after a run of poor teams, to see where we really are.
PS - How sad to hear Simon Johnson training on his own until 11pm after Tuesday's game. So sad for club, player and most of all us supporters. Is this really beyond repair? is this really going to continue until the season finishes in 5 months times? Surely we can get around a table and get him playing again, can't we?
Blimey John, War and Peace is shorter than your post. However it is spot on.Find it very difficult to disagree with any of it. Sad about Jonno ,if he is not wanted ,cannot we just cancel his contract and let him go.There must come a point where the wages the club are paying him exceed the fee we hope to get.Or doesn’t it work like that.
A couple of other points I noticed in the NLP. See Huk is back in goal for Dorking, Josh not even on the bench, and Harry Stannard playing for Faversham, wouldn’t mind him back.
I agree with almost everthing John has said. I think Davide needs to play through the middle to show if he can make the grade. He is a natural striker and I think that is where he would flourish. I still think the team would benefit from having Crutts in centre midfield and hope that Rhys returns soon to allow that to happen. Sam Cole is on the brink of a return to playing, lets hope all his hard word plays off and he is back and at his best soon.
There's little substantive in what John has had to say with which I would disagree either. I certainly agree totally his comments on Sam Cruttwell, Tom Climpson, Ollie Rowe, Callum, Kenny, Charlie Horlock, Adam Lovatt and Sam Adams.
I'm probably even more positive than John about Dayshonne. Yes, he is greedy but he has talent, pace and balance on the ball. I also see it as a positive that he appeared irritated at being substituted on Tuesday. That shows a competitive attitude. He had a good game yesterday and kept going until the end. He's well worth his place. When Sam Cole comes back I think we will have very exciting wide options with both of them on the field together.
Ansu is a more difficult matter. He has the best touch in a young player I have seen at our level in a very long time. When he's on song he can glide past players. He has had a succession of excellent first halves. But, oh dear, when he turns off he does so totally. He and Chris have got to sort this out if he is to fulfill his really exceptional potential.
As for Rodari, I just don't know how matters will go longer term. He certainly has talent and ability. But I too would put him out on loan. He needs confidence, he needs to score goals - whether from midfield or as an out and out striker - and the team just can't do with the persistent loss of possession; which, sadly, is currently the most noticeable aspect of his game.
Overall, I'm definitely on the positive side of break even. I think there has been real progress and I am much more confident for the future.
Of course, there are the negatives in our team play which John has mentioned and I'm sure there will be further set backs. I'm not particularly confident we will reach the play-offs. I didn't welcome Adam's appointment as manager at the start of the season and the strategy which went with it. Chris is the inheritor of those decisions. But that is water under the bridge. The absolute imperative now is that we support Chris and do all we can to ensure he is with us for next season and beyond. That, quite simply, is our best chance of playing at a higher level.
Why does putting rodari out on loan to county league help him. He needs to get experience at our low level not go to park football which is all County league is these days.
Agree with John and I have been banging on about both Davide all
Season ... I don’t fancy him , he needs to score at this level and become more confident ... he must have the skills but at this level he is bossef by harder , experienced players .. this isn’t the development squad
And ... Bradley , yes I am known to be his fan .. I actually sponsor him... remember seeing him at east grinstead last season ... his ability was great to see .. he is a thinker, a natural
Crosser and passer of the ball with intelligence ... I think a fantastic young man and I hope chtis looks after him after his Loan period
Great post John , the team feels more stable now ... come on the U’s
Agree with John that we have played some very ordinary sides lately and our unbeaten run might be a bit flattering. Guernsey looked very poor and I thought we were not much better for much of the game. It resembled a friendly match in the first half with nearly all of our passing and possession in the first half being totally pointless. 8 or 9 passes deep in our own half with player after player taking the ball up to the half way line and then turning to pass the ball back again. Not one pass hurting or worrying the Guernsey side who were not even being made to work hard. The few times we went at Guernsey with pace we gave them problems. Sam Cruttwell's passing was in a different class- having the ability to play the ball forward and take opposition players out of the game. Guernsey must have gone in at half time thinking we could hardly have played any worse yet we are still in the game. Second half was just dreadful. I'm not sure why Jack Dixon wasn't in the starting team but once again our starting team wasn't our strongest. So,are we making progress? Not if we continue to play like that. Hythe aren't a bad side so a win and a good performance there will give everyone a huge boost.
Why does putting rodari out on loan to county league help him. He needs to get experience at our low level not go to park football which is all County league is these days.
The point Chris is that it is difficult, for me at least, to justify Davide's place in the starting line up on the basis of his current form. So, if he doesn't go out on loan, either we are not putting out our best starting eleven, or he gets less game time by coming from the bench.
But young players need learn and get to grips with new challenges. He will benefit from playing at this level and I think he was involved in the 1st! 2 goals. Playing county league won't help.
interesting reading, are Hastings Utd heading in the right direction football result wise? looking at recent results then the answer is yes, will they win the league or get promoted probably not, the club have tried every option available to gain promotion, non local players on good money, local players on good money, old experienced players, young inexperienced players over the years, like most clubs finding the right blend of youth and experience is difficult, it takes time patience and man managment is the key to any successful side.
-- Edited by Hammer on Monday 27th of November 2017 03:06:53 PM
The Rodari situation was inflicted on him weeks ago when just as he was looking the part with a couple of decent goals and good performances, he found himself warming the bench. A bizzare reward if ever there was. And then he was expected to turn out on Monday night for the Academy side with bench warming duties 24 hours later for the 1st team. 18 year olds want to play every day but that was weird. As for Crutts, top top player and his best performances have been where he apparently doesn't want to be at left back.
