Reality check

[Christies Child]

Sorry evertbody, but it's time for a reality check.

Take away the points deducted from the 3, and we'd be really in the poo!

It's all well and good saying 'thank goodness for Luton' etc, but the 'real' table shows just what a poor season we've had, with little prospect of it getting any better over the coming weeks / months.

I still think that the Board have been premature in awarding the Management team with new contracts. Far better to have waited until the end of March and then revue the situation. It may well be that at that time the Board would have re-newed the contracts of Sammy and Mark but it could also have been a time for reflection and to ask some very serious questions about the future direction on the field.

With no prospect of an extra cash injection to rid ourselves of the embargo (this is where the Luton position is actually working in the Boards favour) the remainder of this season should be used to develop a positive attacking policy on the field utilising the players at our disposal, rather than continuing with the negativity that seems to have been a hallmark of our play this season.

I live in hope!

[OvertheBar]

Remind me not to have any sharp objects around the next time I log onto here, you lot are seriously depressing!

It was poor yesterday, but so was the weather, and it will all improve.

Positives to take from the game.

Twiss played and despite not being sensational showed one or two nice touches.
Blinks came on and galloped around purposefully, something we haven't seen for some time in a forward.
Diarmuid did likewise but had less impact than Blinks.
Hunter came on and got his toe in the door again to inject some ENERGY.
Stanners and Yates had strong games in miserable conditions.
Amongst a very creditable 2,000 crowd the North Stand chortled along quite nicely in the second half.
The Shrimpettes were good.
Christie the Cat seems to have shrunk again, but was lively enough.
Fish, chips and peas were brilliant.

Finally, and listening to you optimists I expect this to happen in no more than 3 seasons, when we are relegated to the Unibond North we will get a few proper derby games, like Lancaster and Kendal, probably Barrow too as they are also dropping like a stone.

Yippeeeeee!

[parkyboy]

Ever the pessimist CC things are not that bad we could easily have got a point out of yesterday if Stanners had got the reward his top corner drive deserved , plus one or two other shots yhe goalie had to scramble for. The biggest mistake was the defending for there goal too standoffish as though they were waiting for each other to do something

[George Dawes]

Reality check

no offense, but i could say that back to you , in a way our season is over now, and it's only half way

with the massive points being deducted to clubs. in my book had a effect with our season, knowing where going to be extremely unlucky & poor to be relegated, nor are we good enough to get promoted

hence poor gate attendance's due lack of intrest intrest, we would have been better off in a relegation battle, with 6-pointers! what i believe we would have survived

[bill ding]

Reality check

no offense, but i could say that back to you , in a way our season is over now, and it's only half way

with the massive points being deducted to clubs. in my book had a effect with our season, knowing where going to be extremely unlucky & poor to be relegated, nor are we good enough to get promoted
hence poor gate attendance's due lack of intrest intrest, we would have been better off in a relegation battle, with 6-pointers! what i believe we would have survived

Don't loose sight of the fact there is still 22 games remaining which equates to 66 points and we are only 18 points clear of the drop zone . Don't think we have to be that unlucky or for that matter poor!.

[PUNKISDEAD]

The management were given no money to spend, hence all the loans and freebies, and by the look of it, not much of a wages bill, that we still managed to go over budget on, they appear to me to be doing their best, cc s assessment seems a bit harsh in my view and i think the current financial climate is affecting attendances at football all over the lower leagues!!

[Christies Child]

The management were given no money to spend, hence all the loans and freebies, and by the look of it, not much of a wages bill, that we still managed to go over budget on, they appear to me to be doing their best, cc s assessment seems a bit harsh in my view and i think the current financial climate is affecting attendances at football all over the lower leagues!!

How do you know that the management had not much of a wage bill?

I seem to recall the Board agreeing to take Rene Howe on a season long loan that is probably costing us a few bob!

I seem to recall making an offer to Thommo that would have made him the highest paid player ever.

I seem to recall awarding both Jimbo and Mr T new improved deals...

Need I go on?

In my opinion, the Board have done everything they could to support Sammy without putting the future of our club in financial trouble.

The PNE Chairman interviewed prior to yesterdays game v Burnley was spot on when he said that the long term future of the club depended on sound financial management. If that meant no monies being available for speculative transfers BUT guaranteed the clubs survival going forward....so be it.

I'd love to see an influx of new players but not at the risk the clubs survival as a League club. We've waited too long to achieve it for it to be taken away.

[Keith]

Sorry evertbody, but it's time for a reality check.

Ok

Take away the points deducted from the 3, and we'd be really in the poo!

It's all well and good saying 'thank goodness for Luton' etc, but the 'real' table shows just what a poor season we've had, with little prospect of it getting any better over the coming weeks / months.

But the "reality" is that they have been deducted points, therefore we're not in the poo. The "real table" doesn't show just what a poor season we've had, the "real table" is the one that shows the teams with huge deductions. It's the imaginary table that you are referring to now.

I still think that the Board have been premature in awarding the Management team with new contracts. Far better to have waited until the end of March and then revue the situation. It may well be that at that time the Board would have re-newed the contracts of Sammy and Mark but it could also have been a time for reflection and to ask some very serious questions about the future direction on the field.

And I'm sure that no one would then have been calling the board in to question when Cork came knocking and with only a few months remaining on their contract, the management team decided that was a better place to be, leaving us manager-less and with a transfer embargo? That would have had quality management beating their way to Christie Park!

With no prospect of an extra cash injection to rid ourselves of the embargo (this is where the Luton position is actually working in the Boards favour)

I thought I read somewhere on here that a board member has said they expect this to be sorted in time to bring in a new player? So the reality would appear to be that the board know what they are doing and this isn't something to worry about. Perhaps if the Luton position wasn't there, the board would have used a different approach to the embargo? We'll never know because they are facing the 'reality' table rather than the imaginary one, where we are in the poo and something needed to be done.

the remainder of this season should be used to develop a positive attacking policy on the field utilising the players at our disposal, rather than continuing with the negativity that seems to have been a hallmark of our play this season.

I live in hope!

I'll agree with that one! The rest of the season should now be used to see who is staying and to get us playing how we will start next season. I'd like to see Taylor start the majority of the rest of the games. I want to see Carr having a prolonged run in the team, ditto O'Carrol and yes, playing attacking football that will entertain the punters as well as seeing if it is successful.

[Mark S]

I love threads like this.

Its great to bookmark them and bring them back to rub noses in.

Like this one (just for Keith ) http://www.gnasher.co.uk/shrimpsvoices/viewtopic.php?t=4968&highlight=&sid=4af9ef5b89aa5f438d95336c5f8a3a43 From the October before we had the most glorious footballing day of our lives.

Or this one http://www.gnasher.co.uk/shrimpsvoices/viewtopic.php?t=6210&highlight=&sid=4af9ef5b89aa5f438d95336c5f8a3a43from the February before we got promoted to League football

Or this one http://www.gnasher.co.uk/shrimpsvoices/viewtopic.php?t=8157&highlight=&sid=4af9ef5b89aa5f438d95336c5f8a3a43from the month after we got promoted (just before we beat Preston and Wolves and then went on to ensure safety by Christmas)

There are loads out there. I could post up another 20 of these. If it wasnt so predictible it would be half amusing.

[RedRedWine1]

What was it Tony Livesey said Mark? Get a life you anorak???

Can't believe you're bookmarking shrimpsvoices threads. Is that worse than having every copy of the Beano stacked in the bath tub? I'm not sure, it's close.

I'm just relieved that I'm not on any of those selected threads ranting away under a different alias.

In terms of this thread I agree with Keith and Dawzi, the reality is that clubs have been deducted points which have effected their seasons in terms of player recruitment. If not for the points deductions I think you would've seen more transfer activity (and a sudden donation to rid the club of the transfer embargo) from us.

I think we're taking a calculated gamble hat we won't be caught. After half a season Luton have gained 5 points back (25 to go) and Bournemouth have lost a point (now 18 behind). I regardless of points these two sides have done much worse than I expected, and I can't see past these two sides going down at the moment. On the evidence over the festive fixtures (where we got a good result against Macc, and also played some good football) we should have more than enough to be safe.

[Mark S]

How did you know about my Beanos in the bath?

It was 'Statto' not anorak if you dont mind!

I dont really bookmark them. More remember them and use the search facility with key words and rough dates. Great fun! Having said that the first one I can remember where to look as it is a particular favourite of mine for many reasons.

With you I would only have to look at the early hours of a Monday morning after you have had a few on a Sunday