http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15709037.stm Errrrm hello Fletcher they are a non-league team, what planet are you on ?
Three divisions lower than Argyle..............but of course they have an advantage over us..............they have an experienced manager..............who can organize part timers.
I'm not going to criticise anyone, manager or players, as we are in a very very tight spot and I don't doubt everyone's doing their best under difficult circumstances. Fletcher's trying to put the best gloss he can on things - what else could he do - but the fact of the matter is that he's working with a very limited squad. The players are extremely young in the main and whilst some of them may have real potential and are trying their best as individuals, there isn't the right balance between the various types of player required. Nevertheless, failing to put away Stourbridge at home, no disrespect to them, and getting 2 sent-off in the attempt, plus our league form, shows truthfully where we stand. I don't fancy our chances of staying up unless rabbits are pulled out of hats in loan transfers and the transfer window.
Time for Ridsdale to earn his keep. Why else is he still at the club? We don't need this untried striker arriving next week, we need experienced players who want to play for us. If Ridsdale has sooooooooo many contacts, get ****ing using them you plank. Said all along Fletchers appointment was wrong and I haven't seen anything to make me change my mind. We can't wait until January, it will probably be too late. And if it was always going to be difficult to recruit players mid season then we don't need a director of football right now. Darren Purse is on his way soon which should bolster the defence, but we're 5 or 6 key players short right now.
How do you know that we have some players en-route Jock? - I only ask as I have not seen any articles. I think we need to give the team a break, the performance was poor but Stourbridge were unable to hold us off when Baz scored the equalizer so we will just have to see what happens when we go to their place. IMO Fletcher should have stayed on the bench for this one. Hourihane is a CM and looked uneasy on the right flank. Atkinson would have been my choice to start.
Although I'm not a Fletcher fan........on or off the pitch............He was necessary for his goal alone............we are so devoid of goalscorers at present........and we need a presence in defence........... to stop a seventh tier team from scoring three times against us.
Carl Fletcher talking to the BBC..........defends Argyle's disciplinary record..........with two red cards and his own fifth booking (bringing a ban ).......he comments that you don't want to take their enthusiasm away..........stating that it was very slippery come the end of the match. There had been a number of comments why the sprinklers had been used before the match and again at half-time............seeing the amount of rain that had fallen on Friday..........this being mid-November.
It is hardly a wrong comment saying showed fighting spirit to have come back twice and the last one with a man short. I don't think he is saying they played well but just that they showed spirit in not rolling over this time. What do you expect a manager to say. We were absolutely crap and this lot are not worth paying? He has to work with these players and to totally rip them up will not get them playing any better will it. Everyone knows we are not a good side right now due mainly to a load of kids in the side with very limited experience. Everyone knows we need at least 2 or 3 more players and until we get them then life is going to be a stuggle.
And he does have a point in that the standards of refereeing are abysmally low these days, owing to the non-contact cliques who want to convert the game into something to rival flower arranging. It drives me nuts to see the divers and the writhers prosper whilst genuine attempts to play the ball attract cards galore.
The deal to bring Darren Purse on loan is all over PASOTI, and a guy who seems to know a lot and was teasing with the identity of our last loanee, Bignot, a few days before it was concrete. He kept saying it was a defender and nicknamed him Biggles. He has been pretty confident in announcing Darren Purse would be joining us on November 22nd. The others mentioned on here are also mentioned a lot, and the young keeper has been tweeting about his trial. I believe Boli was sat in the granstand on Saturday and was telling fans he was signing this week.
Ideal Jock. I have read some of the threads on PASOTI now which as you say sound promising. Mr Webb has been on there to confirm that we should have a new addition before Torquay. Hopefully with a few new faces we can get off the bottom rung. COYG!!
Theres a raging debate on PASOTI about Fletcher, after someone pointed out Garry Johnson had left Northampton. I never thought Fletcher was the correct appointment at the time, and I still don't think he is the way forward, but I was just wondering if when he speaks to Brent and Brent asks him what we need to stay up, he's obviously going to ask for some new players, but if Fletcher feels that he needs some help, how easy would it be for him to admit that and tell Brent that an additional coach or experienced manager brought in as a father figure? It would almost be an admission that he's not up to the job, so if Brent assured him that he could have anyone in, experienced coach or a director of football and it wouldn't be on reflection on him, in fact it was a vote of confidence in Fletch, do you think he would ask for help and who would you like to see brought in? Personally I don't think you get could any better than Sturrock as director of football, with Fletcher responsible for the transfer decisions, but would have Sturrock's experience to pick out a few gems and to be there when he needs advice. Other than that, maybe a John Carver type figure, I know he won't leave Newcastle for us this is hypothetical, who isn't a manager and would really help on the training pitch.
Fletcher has a problem convincing people partly in my view because Argyle went down the route previously of promoting from within when those people had been part of the team that let the club down so badly. We see Fletcher as having been part of that in the playing sense with successive relegations and us being bottom now. It didn't work before so the fear is due to lack on experience it isn't going to work now. I would prefer to have players and a manager and have little faith in somebody being both. You cannot possibly find time to be both and especially with out club just out of administration and needing new faces brought in. Clearly something has to give and in this case it will be Fletcher's fitness and ability to train to play. You cannot lead training and take part in it fully. I am not questioning Fletcher's ability as a manager as that is yet to be proved one way or another and nor am I doubting his worth as a player. It is the combination that is the worry. I cannot see how you could bring in anyone else unless they are here purely in a coaching capacity. Taking Sturrock as an example it would look to Fletcher as if the Board have little faith in him which is after all undermining. How could you have a Sturrock and him not get involved in training and player searches. He would invariably take over one or both of those rolls which in everything but name would make him the manager. The same would apply to any other director of something invented brought in. Argyle have sort of dug a hole for themselves by appointing Fletcher in the first place and one which it will be hard to climb out of without firing Fletcher. Fire him and we lose the player also along with a bucket of cash. I wish they had thought about it a little more before acting in the first place but we have what we have and I intend to back Fletcher as much as is possible with fingers firmly crossed.
