On current form we deserve to go down

[Ned]

Worrying times for shrimp’s followers as current form and a difficult run in are going to require a combination of improved form, luck and reliance on other teams if we are to avoid dropping into the abyss.
Understandably, many people hold the manager responsible, after all the buck stops with him especially after his contentious early season statement about the best squad ever and predictions about taking the team onwards and upwards. His managerial tenure is now obviously under review and I suspect as a result of his close friendship with PM they have agreed a way forward (whatever that is).
Throughout the season Sammy has deflected criticism about tactics, formations and substitutions stating that the problems are all to down to the players he has signed making mistakes etc. To some extent he is correct but the player’s lack of consistency is surely one of the reasons they have been released by their previous clubs. His desperation to sign some of these recycled surplus players with a belief that he and Lillis can iron out any deficiencies has not worked. A classic example is Charnock who could not hold down a place in Torquay’s team and continues to give away needless and costly free kicks and penalties despite the benefit of daily training under Sammy and Mark. Sammy constantly tells us the training goes well but then on match day for example you see the opposition firing passes into their forwards who immediately put the ball under control. However when our forwards attempt to do it the success rate is very poor and the ball invariably bounces loose making it easy for the defender to clear. Obviously not something Mr. Lillis will want on his cv.
In my opinion the importance of pre season cannot be understated as it invariably provides an indicator of things to come. Sammy got this wrong by conveniently dismissing the defeats against non league Barrow and York with the standard cop out that the matches are all about fitness, without looking closer. No longer can managers hide behind the myth that good players don’t become bad overnight. Perhaps not overnight but a combination of age, injury, timing, reflexes and luck can quickly and permanently deteriorate a player’s edge over the close season. On paper the player then gets by with his record and is easy for a complacent manager to persevere with him too long i.e. Michael Twiss, now Phil Jevons?
A critical assessment of yesterday’s team would be that only the keeper, one/two of the back four and possibly one midfielder have enough quality to make an impact in league 2. The others plus all of the forwards i.e. Jevons, Spencer, Hendrie, Mullen and Danny are now surely more suited for the non league scene.
What now? If we are good enough we will stay up, if not we will go down - fact. Obviously Shrimpers recent demeaning text message to Sammy and Mark congratulating them on taking a point off a poor Northampton side did not provide the impetus for the team to start a winning run.
One other concern to look out for; if as the season draws to a close and the survival situation looks bleak, expect to hear an Ockers type rallying call about bouncing back from the BSQ at the first attempt. Does this modern day reincarnation of Neville Chamberlain believe that anyone with half a brain would believe that with the retention of the bulk of this squad that we would even finish in the top 10 of the Blue Square.

[outsider]

and reliance on other teams if we are to avoid dropping into the abyss.

Well thats bollux to start with, looking at the league table we have more points from less games played than the bottom 2 so just matching there results will see us safe with a couple of games to spare

[George Dawes]

cant argue with your post.... although i will with this bit here Ned

A critical assessment of yesterday’s team would be that only the keeper, one/two of the back four and possibly one midfielder have enough quality to make an impact in league 2. The others plus all of the forwards i.e. Jevons, Spencer, Hendrie, Mullen and Danny are now surely more suited for the non league scene.

Roche
Parrish
McCready
Haining
Wilson
Capaldi
Brown
Stanley
Scot
Holdsworth

and the jury is still out for whether these as follow can make a impact in L2

Rundle
Fleming
Carlton


now that's the basis for a good team for any new potential manger to work with.

[Morecambe Jack]

Form guides can be misleading. If you take our form over the last 6 games we took the same points as Barnet and Stockport so would be safe, but if you take the form of our last 8 games we took 4 points less than Barnet so would not be safe (and 1 point less than Stockport).

The top and bottom of it is that its over the full season, and so far we are averaging enough to secure safety over the course of the season but need to find those last 16 points sharpish.

[Pandashrimp]

and reliance on other teams if we are to avoid dropping into the abyss.

Well thats bollux to start with, looking at the league table we have more points from less games played than the bottom 2 so just matching there results will see us safe with a couple of games to spare

If anyone but Ned had written that i don't think you'd have bitten. I agree with most of what Ned has written, and lets face facts if the teams below win one or two of their games in hand, we really are in deep regardless. I have been telling mates all year that say we are in trouble that we aint, and although it has been a poor year, we will drag ourselves out with the quality we have in our team. At the moment though i just cant see us stringing two wins together that would give us breathing space. I am now accepting that we are in a dogfight. Plus we can't just rely on our squad (quoted often on here as the most talented bunch we've ever had) to get us out of it, as it seems the better players are either loaned out or left on the bench every week! Sammy needs crisis talks or he needs to walk as things have spiralled downwards too far now.

[marky No.1]

but need to find those last 16 points sharpish.

Pick them out from this:

Macclesfield Away
Chesterfield Away
Southend Home
Bury Away
Barnet Away
Macclesfield Home
Wycombe Home
Rotherham Away
Burton Home
Gillingham Away
Crewe Away
Hereford Home
Port Vale Away
Northampton Home

Some very, very tough away games there and it is our home performances and results which are our major concern I.M.O.

Barnet Away, Macclesfield and Burton at home are the key games that stick out for me. Can't afford to lose one unless we win the other two!

If we ain't got most of those points before we take a trip to Gillingham then the fingernails are definately in for some stick over Easter!

[outsider]

Macclesfield Away Draw 1
Chesterfield Away lose 1
Southend Home win 4
Bury Away lose 4
Barnet Away win 7
Macclesfield Home win 10
Wycombe Home lose 10
Rotherham Away lose 10
Burton Home draw 11
Gillingham Away lose 11
Crewe Away draw 12
Hereford Home win 15
Port Vale Away lose 15
Northampton Home draw 16

could be exciting end to season

[marky No.1]

And Barnet is Away!! I changed it at the last minute!

Still a win Paul? Couldn't beat 'em at home

Did you realise 12 of our 34 points have come from 2 teams

[outsider]

Yep, my glass is still half full

[Sammy h]

And Barnet is Away!! I changed it at the last minute!

Still a win Paul? Couldn't beat 'em at home

Did you realise 12 of our 34 points have come from 2 teams

Shrewsbury and ....

[marky]

Stockport

[Sammy h]

Stockport

Thanks Marky! Got me thinking then

[marky]

It's not like there's a bucketful of wins to remember

[james456]

Ned does talk some sense in this particular episode but I'm not sure I agree with him on transfers.

Yes, we sign a lot of players who have been released by their last clubs - but what is the alternative? From reading your posts Ned, I get the impression that you think the board should be bidding for Adam Le Fondre or trying to bring in some other contracted player who is in his prime and scoring for fun.
Or am I getting the wrong end of the stick?

[marky]

On that front, I still prefer the Dagenham approach of scouring the lower leagues for players at the younger end of the football spectrum and snapping them up. We've paid lip service to it with the two Southport gems and Hendrie but it's a resource we don't utilise anywhere near enough. That's one of the reasons we need to get more serious with youth development (which to my mind includes players in their early 20s). The vast majority of Sammy's signings in the last 3 seasons have been lower league journeymen and, whilst some have worked in the short term, others have not been successes and, in Darren Moss' case, a downright costly disaster...

[George Dawes]

On that front, I still prefer the Dagenham approach of scouring the lower leagues for players at the younger end of the football spectrum and snapping them up. We've paid lip service to it with the two Southport gems and Hendrie but it's a resource we don't utilise anywhere near enough. That's one of the reasons we need to get more serious with youth development (which to my mind includes players in their early 20s). The vast majority of Sammy's signings in the last 3 seasons have been lower league journeymen and, whilst some have worked in the short term, others have not been successes and, in Darren Moss' case, a downright costly disaster...

good shout and adding to that you only have to look at Crewe and there success for a good number of years with bringing younger players through

[RedRedWine1]

Chris Shuker and Adam Rundle should hang their heads in shame. They have been crap. Two players from the league above recruited to push us forward that have delivered zilch. Despite the departure of Duffy, Rundle is still nowhere near the starting 11. Shuker has shown a skerrick of ability, a crumb of good play, amongst a host of displays that have been wank. Two costly errors that have forced Sammy's hand to patch the team up with whatever loan deals he could find. Both are on two year deals, and I'd guess that both will be paid off in the summer. I don't think Sammy is alone in feeling let down by these two acquisitions; the majority were excited about their arrivals.

Quite a few people were crowing on here how we couldn't afford to not sell Duffy, and must learn from the mistake of not selling Thommo when money came knocking. I trust they awoke this morning to the stark realisation of what could potentially be the true cost of selling Duffy; relegation. We have yet to win since the ginger gypsy genius departed for car parks new, where he has started every game I believe.

[shrimpnsave]

Chris Shuker and Adam Rundle should hang their heads in shame. They have been crap. Two players from the league above recruited to push us forward that have delivered zilch. Despite the departure of Duffy, Rundle is still nowhere near the starting 11. Shuker has shown a skerrick of ability, a crumb of good play, amongst a host of displays that have been wank. Two costly errors that have forced Sammy's hand to patch the team up with whatever loan deals he could find. Both are on two year deals, and I'd guess that both will be paid off in the summer. I don't think Sammy is alone in feeling let down by these two acquisitions; the majority were excited about their arrivals.

Quite a few people were crowing on here how we couldn't afford to not sell Duffy, and must learn from the mistake of not selling Thommo when money came knocking. I trust they awoke this morning to the stark realisation of what could potentially be the true cost of selling Duffy; relegation. We have yet to win since the ginger gypsy genius departed for car parks new, where he has started every game I believe.

What did we get fur duffy

[marky No.1]

What did we get fur duffy

Kevan Hurst

[Morecambe Jack]

Agree with you RRW, except luckily Shuker is only a one year contract from memory. Both of these signings have been majorly disappointing when we have seen them play well at their previous clubs.

[Christies Child]

Agree with you RRW, except luckily Shuker is only a one year contract from memory. Both of these signings have been majorly disappointing when we have seen them play well at their previous clubs.

I agree with you on this, BUT why have they played well for other clubs but come to us and they underperform? Could it possibly be that we are not playing them in similar roles as to what they did elsewhere and they are out of their comfort zones?

[shrimpnsave]

Agree with you RRW, except luckily Shuker is only a one year contract from memory. Both of these signings have been majorly disappointing when we have seen them play well at their previous clubs.

I agree with you on this, BUT why have they played well for other clubs but come to us and they underperform? Could it possibly be that we are not playing them in similar roles as to what they did elsewhere and they are out of their comfort zones?

Hit the nail there cc

its a trademark of sammy mac

[steve mfc]

Agree with you RRW, except luckily Shuker is only a one year contract from memory. Both of these signings have been majorly disappointing when we have seen them play well at their previous clubs.

I agree with you on this, BUT why have they played well for other clubs but come to us and they underperform? Could it possibly be that we are not playing them in similar roles as to what they did elsewhere and they are out of their comfort zones?

Hit the nail there cc

its a trademark of sammy mac

Of course its always Sammy's fault , how have they been played out of position. Nobody complained about the players that were brought in during the summer in fact it was almost universal praise, most predictions were that we would be in or around the playoffs.

Its disappointing that so many haven't met our expectations but that's football.

[Pandashrimp]

Yes Shuker and Rundle have been disappointing, but i can't recollect them having more than 3/4 games in a row in the team. They should have been allowed to gel, and find their feet. It's not surprising they can't find their best form when if they don't perform one game, they don't play again for a month!

[Heysham_Shrimp]

but need to find those last 16 points sharpish.

Pick them out from this:

Macclesfield Away
Chesterfield Away
Southend Home
Bury Away
Barnet Away
Macclesfield Home
Wycombe Home
Rotherham Away
Burton Home
Gillingham Away
Crewe Away
Hereford Home
Port Vale Away
Northampton Home

Some very, very tough away games there and it is our home performances and results which are our major concern I.M.O.

Barnet Away, Macclesfield and Burton at home are the key games that stick out for me. Can't afford to lose one unless we win the other two!

If we ain't got most of those points before we take a trip to Gillingham then the fingernails are definately in for some stick over Easter!

out of those fixtures we really need to beat Macclesfiled twice , Barnet, Hereford and a tired Burton. that would be 15 points and probably safety.