Post by Dave on Oct 9, 2009 20:37:03 GMT
Maybe it’s just me who feels this way, but I really do get a very flat feeling about our club at this time. Maybe it’s the same old chestnut I have gone on about before; you know the secret seven who say so little to the fans.
The team being 23rd in the league only adds to the already flat feeling I have and when you add in what those who hope to win the next election have been saying how we will have to pay even more than we the real workers of this country are already getting screwed for, we might be forgiven for thinking Berry Head looks far more appealing.
I do wonder if others are feeling like me at this time, the forum has had the odd quite moment and as the person who only really wants to make this a very active and great forum, I could be forgiven again for wishing we had a Bateson or dare I say Roberts running the club at this time.
Not that I would really want that as we all know it all would just end in tears again, but at least it would give us some really great threads and posts. I would not be me if I did not get a bit disappointed on days when the forum has not had the sort of posts it is well known for, but it never lasts for long, as someone will make a post that has had work and thought put into it and then I once again believe that my efforts to provide a good forum really is worth it.
This week we have a tie, two really great members and both so deserving of winning this week.
Our first winner is such a regular poster and his posts are always spot on and so well written and he brings so much into the TFF.
Our second winner is another top member and the post that won the award for him was written in the middle of the night, just so we all had a match report to read form the Southampton game when we woke up, so many that’s for doing that.
Our joint winners are ohtobeatplainmoor and jmgull
Posts made by ohtobeatplainmoor
Just got back from an encouraging display of endeavor and industry against a team that was not only technically superior in many areas of the pitch but on a decent run of form. Another good performance with encourages me that we can pull-away from the relegation zone over the next week or two.
In the first half we struggled to match Bury at times and they had three very clear cut chances beforehand that they should have scored with - I would be very disappointed if our strikers were so profligate if such chances came there way.
I felt that Poke was left a bit exposed when they finally sccored, but Bury broke very well at times and the excellent Ryan Lowe provided their winger with a goal that looked a more difficult proposition than the earlier missed chances. I was concerned that this excitement might have caused some of the morbidly obese supporters (god help the NHS in the North West!) in the away end to expire to test our emergency services like the other neanderthals that were ejected not long before had done. Thankfully they all seemed to be OK.
The way we came-out in the second half was a credit to all of the players and coaching staff. We looked more purposeful, we never gave-up and matched an impressive (but depleted) Bury side everywhere and I felt that it would be a matter of time beffore we would equalise, rather than the feeling of that the game was over as soon as Barnet and Grimsby scored in the a couple of the games at home this season.
Whilst we struggled to create the clear-cut chances that Bury did in the first half against the likes of Sodje and Cresswell at the back we ramped-up the pressure and the finish from Benyon was just reward for his efforts - with Rendell's intelligent play and awareness giving the assist.
MOTM was given to Benyon, but whilst his intelligent runs dragged Sodje all over the place and most of the time matched him physically and scored a quality goal (and hit the sidenetting with a fantastic shot a little earlier) I would say that either Robertson or Ellis shaded it for me today.
I couldn't really say that there was a player on the pitch that I would have said played below what we would expect - even Wroe played OK much of the game.
Having Carlisle and Mansell back on the right hand side gives the team so much more balance and it was great to see us shore-up that part of the pitch again. I'm not sure what was missing on the pitch that would have been the difference between one and three points but I feel that over the next week or two there will be some movement inwards.
All in all it was a decent game played in the right spirit and we were the team that I felt likely to snatch the win, even if Bury finished with a couple of corners and seem to have a habit of robbing us with about 5 minutes injury time already having been played! Good entertainment today and good to see the team get the reception that they deserved at the end, but more important the encouragement as they went-off at half time.
Post 2
What absolute s***e that is.
There is absolutely nothing like the cheap approach to investment that we endured over the years of the batesons with the way that the consortium have run this club. Critisise Buckle, the supporters, the players or the stayaway public if you like but to aim such a suggestion at the board is just laughable.
I love hearing people say "what happend to the Wembley money". THe obvious answer is that there was very, very little - there is hardly anything to be made out of the BSP play-offs.
The board are expected to reveal six figures losses from the 2008/09 season. There has been significant infrastructure investments and efforts to maximise commercial revenue.
The club backed Buckle every step of the way to where we are - and the result of getting proven BSP level players to move from the midlands, North or the South East was to secure them on contracts that have taken us past the summer of 2009. If you were a player would you be happy to tear-up the final year of your contract? That is why we have players at the club that might have been good enough for the BSP but not League 2. Only a few players had their contracts expire over the summer and perhaps Rice was the only obvious one that stood no chance of making it in the football league at this stage of his career.
We got little over 3,000 home fans for the first home game of the season after getting promotion. Hardly a reward for the board after the huge amounts of their own personal money they have pumped-in to buy the club, rebuild the infrastructure, back the manager to bring-in the signings that returned us to the football league is it?
It's stating the obvious (again) that every single club in this division would have been looking to bring-in quality up front and all over the pitch- to bring that quality to Plainmoor would be outside our (I assume to be) fairly meagre budget. Hence when a club pays-up the contract of a player, the player is able to accept a lower evel of pay at a new club (as Williams has received a lump-sum severance from Brentford).
We are desperate to get a win, there has been two improved home performances but they have yielded only two points. The Aldershot and Bury games suggest there are some green shoots of recovery, but I think that things could go either way and we do need to see at least two players that can come-in and press for regular starting places.
jmgulls post
....Strange feeling for me tonight, i went to the game.......enjoyed it and was never really worried whether we ended up winning or not......such is the lure of the Johnstone paint trophy.
I was supposed to have a meeting in Southampton last week, a couple of the directors of the business i was seeing are Soton ST holders, they knew i was TUFC mad......so the meeting was put off till today, we had a very pleasant meal by the Docklands and strolled to the stadium.......i got in my excuses for the upcoming hammering, we were about to receive on the way;).
It has to be said that St.marys is a superb stadium......and Southampton looked a strong and quick side, the atmosphere in the ground was good considering the (non) importance of the game, they only opened up one side and one end for the game so gauging the crowd was tricky.....i'd guess it must have been 8-10k with about 300 noisy travelling fans in the corner who were a credit to us and sang their hearts out all night.
Onto the game.......and the new formation! 3 centre halves, 2 wing backs and Sills up top flanked by Rendell on the right and Benyon on the left.........it was supposed to be 3-4-2-1, after 20 mins of being torn to shreds it was definitely 5-4-1.
Nicho and Mansell certainly had problems adjusting positionally to the new system and Southampton attacked with pace at will down either flank, the quality of their crosses and final balls was generally poor and our centre halves (Ellis and Robbo were v.good again) dealt with everything well enough and we survived....just......then completely and utterly against the run of play we scored!
We forced a throw near the corner flag down the left and Nicholson hurled the throw to the 6 yard box, The saints keeper Davis completely lost his bearings and didnt get anywhere near the ball and Sills headed (i think) into an empty net.....it was a dreadful bit of goalkeeping.
With the goal we started to get a bit of a foothold into the match and definitely looked far more solid........then we got the ball in their half again and scored again!
Mansell threaded a lovely ball through to Thompson who was in 1 on 1, Thompson looked like he was unsure of what to do but the hapless saints keeper rushed out and clattered him before he could make up his mind........penalty, in a league match it was a red card for sure, perhaps refs are more lenient in this comp or perhaps he didn't want to upset the locals.......he was very lucky to just get a yellow. Wroe steps up and bangs it down the middle.......0-2 and i was apologising to my Saints mates .......sort of!
Second half we were actually much much better despite ultimately losing it 2-0, we looked confident, committed, passed the ball well and you could see that only poor defending would cost us the victory......sadly this is what happened, Southampton scored two very scrappy, very defendable goals. This was a shame because we had defended well generally.
At 2-2 bucks changed the system back to 4-4-2 bringing on Carlisle and Stevens for Rendell and Charnock....with Soton pushing men forward, the game got stretched and we started to look lively on the break.
Wroe nearly scored goal of the season........it was so so close. wide and the right and from inside his own half he spotted davis well of his line.......the shot/lob was brilliant, you could see davis look more and more panic stricken as the ball started to dip over his desperate attempt to claw the ball away.........he was completely beaten as he collided in to the post (rec'd lengthy treatment after)....agonisingly depite looking like a goal all the way it drifted just a few inches wide.
We had 2 other good chances to win the game late on.......benyon was put through after a great run and pass by Thompson......it was a golden chance but Benyons weak shot went wide of the target, it was a bad miss.
With just a couple of minutes left a perfect corner by Nicholson was met by Ellis who had escaped his marker and from six yards he headed over......another bad miss i'm afraid.
So onto pens......Soton had the advantage of going 1st and made the most of it.....Bevan didnt smell any of them, we hung in until Nicho (who tbh didn't look confident) drove his too close to the keeper.
So we're out........should have won but confidence has been enhanced with this performance i reckon.
Bevan - dealt with crosses well, a good game.
Mansell - had a v.good 2nd half and looks fit and sharp now.
Nicho - against quick wingers on a big pitch he was always going to struggle defensively....and he did. Doesn't hide though and was better 2nd half, delivery was good as ever.
Ellis - kept up his good form with another commanding display.
Robbo - did well against Lambert who is big and tough.
Charnock - not fit yet, struggled a bit.
Thompson - got better as the game went on and was a spark in an attacking sence for a change.......i think him and wroe ended up winning the battle against Wotton and co in the engine room.
Wroe - his confidence and swagger is coming back for sure, he was better against Bury last sat and was better again tonight looked skilful and tackled well.......we are a different side when he turns up!
Rendell - had a good 70 mins and worked his socks off in a different role for him, some nice touches.
Benyon - typical of elliott of late minus the goal, worked hard but
was no threat and not strong or quick enough to worry a solid Saints defence.
Sills - MOM for me, led the line tirelessly, won his share in the air and is crying out for a nippy striker with some modicum of anticipation to play alongside him.....we will only see his real worth then.
Subs
Carlise - had a good 20 mins when he came on.
Stevens - anonymous.
The team being 23rd in the league only adds to the already flat feeling I have and when you add in what those who hope to win the next election have been saying how we will have to pay even more than we the real workers of this country are already getting screwed for, we might be forgiven for thinking Berry Head looks far more appealing.
I do wonder if others are feeling like me at this time, the forum has had the odd quite moment and as the person who only really wants to make this a very active and great forum, I could be forgiven again for wishing we had a Bateson or dare I say Roberts running the club at this time.
Not that I would really want that as we all know it all would just end in tears again, but at least it would give us some really great threads and posts. I would not be me if I did not get a bit disappointed on days when the forum has not had the sort of posts it is well known for, but it never lasts for long, as someone will make a post that has had work and thought put into it and then I once again believe that my efforts to provide a good forum really is worth it.
This week we have a tie, two really great members and both so deserving of winning this week.
Our first winner is such a regular poster and his posts are always spot on and so well written and he brings so much into the TFF.
Our second winner is another top member and the post that won the award for him was written in the middle of the night, just so we all had a match report to read form the Southampton game when we woke up, so many that’s for doing that.
Our joint winners are ohtobeatplainmoor and jmgull
Posts made by ohtobeatplainmoor
Just got back from an encouraging display of endeavor and industry against a team that was not only technically superior in many areas of the pitch but on a decent run of form. Another good performance with encourages me that we can pull-away from the relegation zone over the next week or two.
In the first half we struggled to match Bury at times and they had three very clear cut chances beforehand that they should have scored with - I would be very disappointed if our strikers were so profligate if such chances came there way.
I felt that Poke was left a bit exposed when they finally sccored, but Bury broke very well at times and the excellent Ryan Lowe provided their winger with a goal that looked a more difficult proposition than the earlier missed chances. I was concerned that this excitement might have caused some of the morbidly obese supporters (god help the NHS in the North West!) in the away end to expire to test our emergency services like the other neanderthals that were ejected not long before had done. Thankfully they all seemed to be OK.
The way we came-out in the second half was a credit to all of the players and coaching staff. We looked more purposeful, we never gave-up and matched an impressive (but depleted) Bury side everywhere and I felt that it would be a matter of time beffore we would equalise, rather than the feeling of that the game was over as soon as Barnet and Grimsby scored in the a couple of the games at home this season.
Whilst we struggled to create the clear-cut chances that Bury did in the first half against the likes of Sodje and Cresswell at the back we ramped-up the pressure and the finish from Benyon was just reward for his efforts - with Rendell's intelligent play and awareness giving the assist.
MOTM was given to Benyon, but whilst his intelligent runs dragged Sodje all over the place and most of the time matched him physically and scored a quality goal (and hit the sidenetting with a fantastic shot a little earlier) I would say that either Robertson or Ellis shaded it for me today.
I couldn't really say that there was a player on the pitch that I would have said played below what we would expect - even Wroe played OK much of the game.
Having Carlisle and Mansell back on the right hand side gives the team so much more balance and it was great to see us shore-up that part of the pitch again. I'm not sure what was missing on the pitch that would have been the difference between one and three points but I feel that over the next week or two there will be some movement inwards.
All in all it was a decent game played in the right spirit and we were the team that I felt likely to snatch the win, even if Bury finished with a couple of corners and seem to have a habit of robbing us with about 5 minutes injury time already having been played! Good entertainment today and good to see the team get the reception that they deserved at the end, but more important the encouragement as they went-off at half time.
Post 2
Re the lack of quality. I do believe it is down to the board and their `do it on the cheap Bateson style` approach.
What absolute s***e that is.
There is absolutely nothing like the cheap approach to investment that we endured over the years of the batesons with the way that the consortium have run this club. Critisise Buckle, the supporters, the players or the stayaway public if you like but to aim such a suggestion at the board is just laughable.
I love hearing people say "what happend to the Wembley money". THe obvious answer is that there was very, very little - there is hardly anything to be made out of the BSP play-offs.
The board are expected to reveal six figures losses from the 2008/09 season. There has been significant infrastructure investments and efforts to maximise commercial revenue.
The club backed Buckle every step of the way to where we are - and the result of getting proven BSP level players to move from the midlands, North or the South East was to secure them on contracts that have taken us past the summer of 2009. If you were a player would you be happy to tear-up the final year of your contract? That is why we have players at the club that might have been good enough for the BSP but not League 2. Only a few players had their contracts expire over the summer and perhaps Rice was the only obvious one that stood no chance of making it in the football league at this stage of his career.
We got little over 3,000 home fans for the first home game of the season after getting promotion. Hardly a reward for the board after the huge amounts of their own personal money they have pumped-in to buy the club, rebuild the infrastructure, back the manager to bring-in the signings that returned us to the football league is it?
It's stating the obvious (again) that every single club in this division would have been looking to bring-in quality up front and all over the pitch- to bring that quality to Plainmoor would be outside our (I assume to be) fairly meagre budget. Hence when a club pays-up the contract of a player, the player is able to accept a lower evel of pay at a new club (as Williams has received a lump-sum severance from Brentford).
We are desperate to get a win, there has been two improved home performances but they have yielded only two points. The Aldershot and Bury games suggest there are some green shoots of recovery, but I think that things could go either way and we do need to see at least two players that can come-in and press for regular starting places.
jmgulls post
....Strange feeling for me tonight, i went to the game.......enjoyed it and was never really worried whether we ended up winning or not......such is the lure of the Johnstone paint trophy.
I was supposed to have a meeting in Southampton last week, a couple of the directors of the business i was seeing are Soton ST holders, they knew i was TUFC mad......so the meeting was put off till today, we had a very pleasant meal by the Docklands and strolled to the stadium.......i got in my excuses for the upcoming hammering, we were about to receive on the way;).
It has to be said that St.marys is a superb stadium......and Southampton looked a strong and quick side, the atmosphere in the ground was good considering the (non) importance of the game, they only opened up one side and one end for the game so gauging the crowd was tricky.....i'd guess it must have been 8-10k with about 300 noisy travelling fans in the corner who were a credit to us and sang their hearts out all night.
Onto the game.......and the new formation! 3 centre halves, 2 wing backs and Sills up top flanked by Rendell on the right and Benyon on the left.........it was supposed to be 3-4-2-1, after 20 mins of being torn to shreds it was definitely 5-4-1.
Nicho and Mansell certainly had problems adjusting positionally to the new system and Southampton attacked with pace at will down either flank, the quality of their crosses and final balls was generally poor and our centre halves (Ellis and Robbo were v.good again) dealt with everything well enough and we survived....just......then completely and utterly against the run of play we scored!
We forced a throw near the corner flag down the left and Nicholson hurled the throw to the 6 yard box, The saints keeper Davis completely lost his bearings and didnt get anywhere near the ball and Sills headed (i think) into an empty net.....it was a dreadful bit of goalkeeping.
With the goal we started to get a bit of a foothold into the match and definitely looked far more solid........then we got the ball in their half again and scored again!
Mansell threaded a lovely ball through to Thompson who was in 1 on 1, Thompson looked like he was unsure of what to do but the hapless saints keeper rushed out and clattered him before he could make up his mind........penalty, in a league match it was a red card for sure, perhaps refs are more lenient in this comp or perhaps he didn't want to upset the locals.......he was very lucky to just get a yellow. Wroe steps up and bangs it down the middle.......0-2 and i was apologising to my Saints mates .......sort of!
Second half we were actually much much better despite ultimately losing it 2-0, we looked confident, committed, passed the ball well and you could see that only poor defending would cost us the victory......sadly this is what happened, Southampton scored two very scrappy, very defendable goals. This was a shame because we had defended well generally.
At 2-2 bucks changed the system back to 4-4-2 bringing on Carlisle and Stevens for Rendell and Charnock....with Soton pushing men forward, the game got stretched and we started to look lively on the break.
Wroe nearly scored goal of the season........it was so so close. wide and the right and from inside his own half he spotted davis well of his line.......the shot/lob was brilliant, you could see davis look more and more panic stricken as the ball started to dip over his desperate attempt to claw the ball away.........he was completely beaten as he collided in to the post (rec'd lengthy treatment after)....agonisingly depite looking like a goal all the way it drifted just a few inches wide.
We had 2 other good chances to win the game late on.......benyon was put through after a great run and pass by Thompson......it was a golden chance but Benyons weak shot went wide of the target, it was a bad miss.
With just a couple of minutes left a perfect corner by Nicholson was met by Ellis who had escaped his marker and from six yards he headed over......another bad miss i'm afraid.
So onto pens......Soton had the advantage of going 1st and made the most of it.....Bevan didnt smell any of them, we hung in until Nicho (who tbh didn't look confident) drove his too close to the keeper.
So we're out........should have won but confidence has been enhanced with this performance i reckon.
Bevan - dealt with crosses well, a good game.
Mansell - had a v.good 2nd half and looks fit and sharp now.
Nicho - against quick wingers on a big pitch he was always going to struggle defensively....and he did. Doesn't hide though and was better 2nd half, delivery was good as ever.
Ellis - kept up his good form with another commanding display.
Robbo - did well against Lambert who is big and tough.
Charnock - not fit yet, struggled a bit.
Thompson - got better as the game went on and was a spark in an attacking sence for a change.......i think him and wroe ended up winning the battle against Wotton and co in the engine room.
Wroe - his confidence and swagger is coming back for sure, he was better against Bury last sat and was better again tonight looked skilful and tackled well.......we are a different side when he turns up!
Rendell - had a good 70 mins and worked his socks off in a different role for him, some nice touches.
Benyon - typical of elliott of late minus the goal, worked hard but
was no threat and not strong or quick enough to worry a solid Saints defence.
Sills - MOM for me, led the line tirelessly, won his share in the air and is crying out for a nippy striker with some modicum of anticipation to play alongside him.....we will only see his real worth then.
Subs
Carlise - had a good 20 mins when he came on.
Stevens - anonymous.
