 | Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 10:34 14 Apr 2025
That's exactly where i'm at. |
| Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 10:10 14 Apr 2025
I wouldn't say the home record is great when you put into context the level we are playing at and the fact some of the clubs are part time and operating on smaller budgets. It puts into context our failings though when you look how we perform away from home. The home record can't disguise some of the rubbish performances that we've been served up neither, the home attendance on Saturday puts that into context. Stats can disguise a multitude of things, posession stats being the best example of that. We have scored more goals this season at home though, thats true.
The reality is that McNulty will be manager next season and will have a increased budget. I might not rate him but I don't want us to lose games in order to see him sacked. Next season i want to see those first half displays that we saw against Spennymoor confined to the dustbin, we've seen the exact set up and display numerous times and it's terrible to watch. I want him to stop making excuses for everything and for him to stop feeling sorry for himself and the players because they are playing too many games, poor pitches, referees etc. I want him to set us up to go out and outscore and entertain from the start of every match. None of that is too difficult to do surely. I will support him next season until circumstances dictate otherwise, the fans base is a good indicator of that. If McNulty succeeds then so do the club so anybody hoping for him to fail is in effect wanting their club to lose football matches, that's ridiculous. I'm not enamoured with him but a play off place will show him has having succeded and I'll give him full credit for having done that. [Post edited 14 Apr 10:33]
|
| Forum
Reply | so how many points do we need and how do we get them?
at 09:48 14 Apr 2025
Yes probably 5 points from 15 available will be enough. Next Monday I'm hoping we will be more or less home and hosed and then we can target the last two or three fixtures to try to get home advantage in the play offs. On paper the fixtures look kind to us. We have the players to do this, they're good enough in one off matches. The manager and players will have succeeded in respect of expectancy when they claim a play off place. They can then attack the play off games in a pressure free frame of mind and give it a real good go. We can beat anybody, including York, the club with the most pressure when it comes to the play offs. [Post edited 14 Apr 9:57]
|
| Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 09:15 14 Apr 2025
You're right to mention context, some of the football we've have to watch under the current manager is bordering on unwatchable. You can try to use context to explain why this keeps happening, the sort of first half performance against Spennymoor is what I'm talking about. That's not a isolated example, just when you think a corner has been turned it rears it's ugly head again..walking football, foot on the ball, defenders constantly passing it around between themselves, first instinct to pass it backwards, eventually funnel it back to the keeper, long kick from keeper straight through to the opposition keeper or out of play. That's on rinse and repeat and it's a performance that invariably turns up when it's a game with something riding on it. It lacks courage and bravery and is absolute garbage to watch and kills the atmosphere in the ground. We saw it last weekend. Context can be used to explain historical managerial performances and styles of football but it also needs to be balanced alongside the budget which was available to the manager at the time and our standing in the pyramid. This what we are seeing under McNulty isn't acceptable, when you bear in mind the level we are now playing, some of these performances are the worst I've ever seen and I blame the manager because he's working with a decent budget and has a squad of players that don't need to be throwing in performances like that. They're playing under instruction from him, they must be because as he said in his last interview he's happy with the level of performance.
Irrespective of our league position, i still think he's failed to get the best out of the players this season and that's because of the negativity in how we've been set up in games and also how we've taken a step back and tried to manage game in the second half, in particular away from home. The amount of points we've thrown away, the poor teams in this league that we've dropped points against, the games against Ebsfleet, the cup game against Bromley, Spennymoor, Wealdstone etc etc...Putting everything in context i think this season is one of missed opportunities. We should have won the FA Trophy and been finishing in the top three of the league had the manager simplified our game and been more positive like we saw on Saturday. He can still retrieve it but we know what the manager does when there's a bit of pressure on a game. He won't change and that's what worries me about next season. It's not a football experiment this, give the players their head and let them play and express themselves, we can beat anybody in this league if that's what they are allowed to do. [Post edited 14 Apr 9:41]
|
| Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 09:20 13 Apr 2025
The most damaging defeat in the history of the club that i think. A chance to attract sponsorship, investment, enthuse the whole of the Town. A chance for the Ogden family to use Wembley as a platform to network with business partners. A chance to lift our first ever silverware at Wembley stadium. A chance to showcase the club and sell more seaon cards to kick start project 5000. What happened on the day was inexcusable, especially that first half performance, what a ridiculous way to approach a game of football at home to part time opponents and dont let the manager kid you that it was a one off poor 45 minutes because it wasn't, we all know that. Losing our league status against Stockport was bad but that was a culmination of previous results and performances. Last Saturday was worse than that, yet a week later McNulty has the audacity to publicly state that he's been pleased with performances. It's a insult to the supporters that.
All of the above is bad news but we do have a big opportunity to retrieve a lot of those losses in the remaining fixtures, a play off place and a Wembley final is still very achievable. Unfortunately though I'm not sure the manager has even recognised that, he'll view it as a unnecessary pressure and expectation that he and the players don't need. What happened against Spennymoor should be at the forefront of every team talk he conducts between now and the end of the season. The players should now use that feeling of disappointment as fuel every time they take to the pitch, it should become the mantra in the pre- match huddle..they're not going to feel it again. It's a chance now for redemption and a chance to go to Wembley and succeed. As i say, though i doubt it's even registered with him and probably those in the Boardroom. They'll instead pretend it never happened instead of turning the negative into a season defining positive. I hope i'm proved wrong and the manager and players can show that they can handle the big games for a change. We can only hope. [Post edited 13 Apr 10:01]
|
| Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 06:27 13 Apr 2025
Apologies then, i didn't know we've had 4 other league games with attendances between 1500 and 1800. I've been to nearly every game and didn't realise that. Yesterday was a beautiful day, the attendance was worrying, certainly for a Saturday fixture. It's worthy of mention and not an irrelevance. I have a family member who is a season card holder who didn't go because he's sick of the performances and it sounds like others are the same, in fact i know they are.
The manager stated yesterday that performances have been good enough, he's not concerned with them. That in itself should worry everybody, those in the Boardroom watch the games week in week out, what do they think? The manager is fannying the fans and disrespecting them also, his arrogance is off the scale. All he needs to say is performances and results haven't been good enough, we are all aware of that and are working hard to put things right. No away wins since Xmas in the league and he says that performances have been good enough? Try telling that to the fans that traipse all over the country watching them constantly throw points down the drain and spending a fortune in the process. Cameron Ogden watches the games, i think he was at Wealdstone and the Spennymoor game, did he think the performances were good enough? We surrendered the first half against Spennymoor and didn't lay a glove on a part time team, should have been a goal down at half time, did he think that was good enough in one of the biggest games in the clubs history? So no, the performance against Spennymoor wasn't good enough and we lost. It wasn't good enough to win at Woking onTuesday and we lost. So there are two examples just in one week where performances weren't good enough and we lost both games. Who is McNulty trying to kid? I struggle to believe that those who watch week in and week out in the Boardroom believe what the manager is saying, they watch the games like we do.
He never accepts responsibility for anything McNulty, there's always an excuse. He thinks the fans are stupid also, he must do when you listen to his interviews. If the Chairman, Directors, managers and players think the level of performance has been good enough then good luck selling season tickets and increasing attendances because as fans we are used to seeing as lot better than what we're seeing. He was happy with our performance against Spennymoor and everybody else is wrong obviously. We lost twice last week. We need a new manager, one that doesn't try to bullsh*t the supporters because that's what he's doing in these interviews. It sounds as though he's not accountable to anybody at the club and nobody even questions him. Yesterday was some sort of level of performance but we next play a Altrincham team who are on the floor form wise and Fylde who might be relegated by next Friday. Anything can happen though because there's no consistency in performance apart from the results away from home, we can't win games on our travels. One win in our last ten away league games, none in our last eight and the manager thinks performances are good enough. The fact he doesn't even mentiion our away form or is questioned about it is also ridiculous..another example of him shunning responsibility. How does the manager justify that Greg? Anyway, this week is a chance for a reset, a chance to win away from home and hit some winning form to take into the play offs. Missing fans need to return and together we need to attack the remaining fixtures head on, no messing about and no excuses. I still have faith in the players, they need to be unshackled from the stuff we've had to watch and given a licence to go out and express themselves. [Post edited 13 Apr 9:08]
|
| Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 22:39 12 Apr 2025
Yes, fingers crossed today wasn't a false dawn. We've seen what works and what doesn't. We can't manage games and try to turn the contest into some sort of tactical chess match played on grass. We give our opponents too much credence when we do that, they don't engage and the game stops, nobody wants to watch it. We have enough talented players to take the game to our opponents in the same way as we did today and beat them on a regular basis. McNulty doesnt seem to want to do that though, why take one pass when you can take five? That seems to be how he derives his pleasure. Anyway, let's see which team turns up next weekend. [Post edited 12 Apr 22:40]
|
| Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 22:08 12 Apr 2025
Exactly, credit to McNulty and the players today though, they put a shift in and played some football that you could support. They have a bit of rest now and im hopeful they'll steam into Altrincham next Friday from the start, i thought that would happen against Spennymoor though, so who knows? What Jim deems as good performances is obviously different to what the fans have been watching. As we've seen today though the fans will vote with their feet and it doesn't bode well with season card renewal on the horizon. We have another big home game on Easter Monday, one that we should be promoting again with a view to attracting a big crowd, its very difficult for the marketing team though when the players perform like they did in the first half last week, nobody wants to watch that rubbish and it's something we've seen regularly with this manager. It's obviously pre-planned and instilled in the players before they leave the dressing room. |
| Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 21:59 12 Apr 2025
Exactly, credit to McNulty and the players today though, they put a shift in and played some football that you could support. They have a bit of rest now and im hopeful they'll steam into Altrincham next Friday from the start, i thought that would happen against Spennymoor though, so who knows? What Jim deems as good performances is obviously different to what the fans have been watching. As we've seen today though the fans will vote with their feet and it doesn't bode well with season card renewal on the horizon. |
| Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 21:43 12 Apr 2025
Just listened to McNultys interview, he thinks our performances have been good enough. He wasn't asked about no away wins since last year, or the missing 500 season card holders who can't stomach watching it. It's like none of it really matters and if you just ignore it, nobody will mention it. He can't even admit that some of the performances have been unacceptable. [Post edited 12 Apr 21:45]
|
| Forum
Reply | so how many points do we need and how do we get them?
at 20:45 12 Apr 2025
None of those teams have the form to suddenly win their remaining games, that won't happen i dont think. With our superior goal difference i think six points out of the 15 available will be enough. So two wins or even one win and a few draws. One club might have a storming finish but that would still mean we would have to do worse than those clubs around us to miss out. The odds are well in our favour and if we pick three points up over the two Easter fixtures, we should be fine. Win both and we will have put it to bed against Fylde on Easter Monday. That should be everybodies mindset. Show some bravery and plenty of attacking intent, its a dead rubber for four out of our last five opponents, a bit like today. Fylde are more or less relegated and could be by the time we play them. [Post edited 12 Apr 20:56]
|
| Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 19:49 12 Apr 2025
Nearly 500 season card holders failed to turn up today. We know all about the walking football, constantly passing the ball between defenders, players standing still with their foot on the ball, throwing games away near the end of games and not winning away from home in the league since last year. It's still poor though when you deliberately choose to not support the club. The first half display against Spennymoor did it for me and McNulty, it made my mind up in respect of his suitability to manage our club. He sent his team out to start a game like that in one of the most important games in the clubs history and persevered with it for half of the game with no attempt to change it. We've seen that 'display' numerous times before, he thinks he's managing the game but he's not, he's ruining the afternoon for everybody. So he's cooked his goose with me. It hasn't crossed my mind to stop attending games though and i haven't considered not renewing my season cards in the summer. Managers come and go, so will McNulty. I'd urge everybody to return next week and support the club, sometimes we get a decent performance like today. [Post edited 12 Apr 21:06]
|
| Forum
Reply | Pearl St. Turnstile Debacle.
at 18:57 12 Apr 2025
It seems nearly 500 season card holders boycotted today's game also, today's attendance was 1,770. When supporters voice their concerns it's important that those in the Boardroom don't dismiss them as irrelevant, not when youre trying to increase attendances. We are in a play off spot and 500 season tickets didn't attend today, there has to be a reason for that. [Post edited 12 Apr 19:16]
|
| Forum
Reply | Quick comment!
at 18:41 12 Apr 2025
There was a moment in that first half were i witnessed something that i haven't seen all season, a Dale player riding two or three challenges and showing passion, fight and desire. Well done Aiden Barlow. To be honest everybody put a shift in today from the first whistle, challenged not only for the first ball but also the second and most importantly they kept the ball moving all the time. Henderson was class, his movement was great and so was his finish for the goal. Allarakhia also put a great shift in and Rowlands was involved in three of the goals. EEL didn't put a foot wrong and defended well. Credit to McNulty tonight also, thats only fair, he sent out a team that played with energy and kept it up all game. Being consistently inconsistent is what causes the frustration, the fans know that the players are a lot better than what we've been seeing, find some consistency now and we can still have a exciting end to the season. We go out to win all games starting at Altrincham next Friday and we play with high tempo and attack teams. We can't have more first half performances like we saw last week and we need to now start winning our away matches. So today was a good day and a play off place is now looking very achievable. [Post edited 12 Apr 18:45]
|
| Forum
Reply | Message from Cameron Ogden
at 12:08 12 Apr 2025
Serious question because i might have missed it. When it comes to hiring and firing managers is there anybody in the Boardroom with a background in football? Simon Gauge's track record is terrible but we can excuse him because he's never worked in football and he never had any desire to be Chairman of a football club. This is going in the same direction as Stockdales tenure at the club, he was given another season when results told us we were going backwards. Then he blew the following seasons budget and was sacked before christmas. Crippled the club that. I'll still buy two season cards and support Jim and the team but I wouldn't be doing it with much confidence. Anyway, it's down to the Ogden family and it's their money i suppose. |
| Forum
Reply | Message from Cameron Ogden
at 05:43 12 Apr 2025
I thought yesterday's interview from Ian Henderson was poor and almost like listening to Jim McNulty. He was pleased with our performance at Woking on Tuesday. In the second half we didn't create one chance to win the game and didn't test the goalkeeper, a repeat of numerous other away performances we've seen this season. We lost the game. He's happy with it though which reflects the mentality of the squad. What we deem as not good enough, they think the opposite and that must come from the manager. The environment doesn't sound like a challenging one to me. Even more so when he states that he and Jim had a chat before the season started and the plan was not to play much.
So basically we went into the season with Mitchell and Rodney as forwards, knowing that Rodney is also prone to missing plenty of games. Not being able to get the second goal away from home has killed our season, it's all self inflicted and poor management. I've no doubt they will persevere with McNulty though but it's putting next season and the budget in hugh jeopardy i think. On reflection i think Camerons interview was that of a man who isn't in a rush, maybe he knows the club isn't set up properly to cope with a return to the EFL next season, it's still too early yet. We don't know properly what's going on behind the scenes.
Anyway the fans have now had their say, if those in the Boardroom think what they are seeing is good enough and will increase attendances then thats their call. Today i will be at the game supporting both the team and the manager, expecting them to win. Five of the six teams we now play have very little to play for, we should be able to do this shouldn't we? The players have nearly a full weeks rest after today, one big effort today please and let's get three points. [Post edited 12 Apr 5:52]
|
| Forum
Reply | so how many points do we need and how do we get them?
at 07:41 11 Apr 2025
It's very worrying, even more so when you bear in mind that we have a lot of these players contracted for next season. The form has gone backwards since Christmas so its not a blip. I'm now left questioning the credentials of not only the manager but also the players,. They're obviously mentally weak and lacking in character, that's the only explanation i can come up with to explain how the second half of the season has imploded. It's either that or the players were never good enough in the first place, the odd good display doesn't disguise the overall regression.
McNulty will point to the postponements and disruption caused by the pitch and the cup run, thats how he will try to explain this last few months away. It will have contributed to injuries and tiredness but he has still been able to put a decent team on the pitch and fixture congestion isn't unusual, especially if you are winning cup games. He also has a healthy squad to work with compared to many clubs in this league, some are part time clubs, Spennymoor being one of them. So the excuse is a weak one in reality.
We should still get in the play offs, the league table tells us that. If we do then McNulty stays. If we bottle it ( that's what it will be) and miss out, then that can sit alongside the Spennymoor debacle and at that point we need a new manager. I think thats fair. It would also be the first test when it comes to the credentials of the people we have in the Boardroom. Are they there just to make up the numbers or are they nodding dogs to Simon Gauge? It's been suggested that is no longer the case, let's hope so because if things haven't changed then footballing decisions will continue to be poor ones and the Ogden family will be wasting money.The last few years have proved that. Somebody suggested a experienced Director of football is required. That wouldn't be cheap but his salary could prove to be very cost effective if we could get the right person in and save the club a lot of money. I hope they explore that idea. [Post edited 11 Apr 8:06]
|
| Forum
Reply | so how many points do we need and how do we get them?
at 19:32 10 Apr 2025
Exactly, with still a game in hand there shouldn't be a need to sneak, even now we should still easily finish in a play off place when you look at the fixtures. Altrincham away is a ideal fixture depending on the mindset of the manager and players, its a great opportunity to put a nail in the coffin of a rival for a play off place. They won't look at it like that though will they, they'll have the opposite approach to the game. We've beat Altrincham twice recently. Win the next two games and we're nearly there. Would Jim consider mentioning that in his team talk on Saturday? I don't think he will. [Post edited 10 Apr 19:37]
|
| Forum
Reply | Time to go Jim. The turning point
at 16:40 10 Apr 2025
I wouldn't imagine that's the case anymore, different owners and directors. Why would the Ogdens leave Simon Gauge in sole control of footballing matters when they can see what's happened prior to them taking over the club? They would be daft to do that. He will be part of a think tank, they aren't just going to let him make decisions on his own and neither are the other Directors. I would imagine Simon has done some self analysis himself and wouldnt want that scenario anymore. If that is still the case then the Boardroom is a weak one and isn't fit for purpose. I've heard great things about Jamie Willoughby already, he's not going to put up with that situation surely? There's unrest in respect of McNulty, the Boardroom isn't going to be made up of nodding dogs who will just do as they're told by the person who appointed him. I think Cameron Ogden and his fellow Directors are a bit more savvy than that, well you would hope they are. [Post edited 10 Apr 16:49]
|
| | TalkingSutty
|
Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 1840 | | Comment Votes: | 0 | | Prediction League: | 0 | | TOTAL: | 1840 |
|
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
