Bread & butter L1 fixture against minnows currently 15th in the table. Having been to their stadium before, the home club’s main concern must be how many balls they lose sailing over their tiny Stands, given the type of football we play. Nice quick easy train journey on Saturday from King X.
If we don't win this one there is something properly wrong. To Hell with enjoying the journey. We want out of this league.
Stevenage had a good season with Evans, he is now gone so normal service should remain for them, floundering between mid table and the relegation places. We need to be winning games like this if we have any designs on going up.
After the awfulness of the Blackpool game we really need a good performance. Another defensive setup with a back 5 hoofing the ball forward won't do. It might get a result against Stevenage but it won't get us promoted. A lot is being made of Leaburn's impending return but unless we improve our style of play he'll flounder. In fact in the first half against Blackpool we didn't even play hoofball, we were just a total shambles. So as a pointer to the rest of the season I'd say the performance is more important than the result, because otherwise we aren't going to compete against the better footballing sides.
I see a defeat. Don’t know why but I hope I’m wrong. We need a ton of luck in front of goal because we create nowhere near enough chances.
Stevenage have taken 8 points from their opening 7 games. With around 8 clubs playing for runners up spot behind Birmingham, I’d say this is a game we have to win.
This season will be similar to when we were in the third with Southampton and Leeds, POSSIBLY one team will finish in the top two easily but I can see the top six being very tight. It is criminal that we are stagnating into a third division club, we are too big for this division, lessons are not learnt whilst it is glaringly obvious money has to be spent to get promoted out of a league.
Alfie May - sold for £750,000 Dobson, Fraser, Isted, Hector, Terrell & Jaiyesimi etc removed from the wage bill. Seven players brought in, plus the two free agents from Luton on short term deals. We know that Edwards cost £150,000 from Dunfermline. We also know - because the club denied it via Rich Cawley - that the Ahadme fee was “nothing like” what was being quoted by Ronnie “More Whoppers Than Burger King” Moore. So where was the spend ?
The main spend would have been on the manager, I imagine Jones will be on something near 10k a week. With this the club are hoping he can wave a magic wand and get the team promoted on peanuts. Ahadme is on a four year contract, this is going to be another one we cannot get off the wage bill when it's realised he is s***.
The squad is still a bit never mind the quality feel the width. 6 CB's- REG, Jones, A. Mitchell, Z Mitchell, Potts amd Gillesphey. 6 strikers- Ahadme, Godden, TC, Aneke, Kanu and Leaburn; 7 if you count Dixon, 8 if you count Hylton. Our wage bill must be top 6, and it's an old problem, maybe something to do with changing managers so often.
Every season we have a big clear out with new players being brought in. This cannot continue it doesn’t breed success. We need to get rid of all the deadwood and spend some significant money on new permanent players who will give us a chance of promotion. Otherwise it is just rinse and repeat. It is very obvious to anyone who has seen us play this season is that we are not going up with our current squad.
Recruitment has been (with only a couple of exceptions) abysmal for years. That's why we are forced to clear out so much dross every Summer. If our recruitment was even bang average, we could probably get by with maybe six in / six out and still make progress (if slow). But we don't seem to end up with any 'good' players - not superstars, but guys who might be brought on to build a better team. We just get lumbered with crocks and flops who aren't fit to wear the shirt. And when we do get a gem of a player? Two / three gaffers in a season and spivvery by our slippery SMT mean they are sold.
We have sold out the away end tomorrow. Remember that, when certain fans from Bexley etc regularly label our fans as “morons”.
