Match Thread

Someone on the GO has made a great point: on bank holiday monday last August we beat Mansfield 4-1. Who would've thought that shabby looking team would go on to be champions? They looked terrible that day.

If we keep improving, the new players settle in and we all get comfortable playing in this system, there's no reason why we can't mount a title challenge.

Quoted from Tommy

Someone on the GO has made a great point: on bank holiday monday last August we beat Mansfield 4-1. Who would've thought that shabby looking team would go on to be champions? They looked terrible that day.

If we keep improving, the new players settle in and we all get comfortable playing in this system, there's no reason why we can't mount a title challenge.

Why thank you Tommy!  

It's true though...Mansfield on that performance were never going to do anything but then look at how they played from Christmas on

As Scott is keen on saying it's a marathon and not a sprint so there's a long way to go but 10 points already in the bag is going to help us out in the scheme of things

My worry is what I alluded to early on in the thread.

Mansfield knew there were issues to be addressed and they did just that, if anything a shocking start helped them. With us I fear we still have similar shortcomings to last season yet S&H aren't acknowledging them because they see 3 points as enough. Which is fine up to the point your luck runs out somewhat and you get into the habit of losing games. Which is why we played Hyde & Alfreton this weekend and not Portsmouth. I'm not saying we won't click but what I'm saying is adjustments need to be made and I seriously can't see them being put into place because they want the points and not a performance.

The managers make some very strange decisions sometimes and I seriously think the odd 3 points helps them get away with it. I'm convinced had we not scraped a goal (at a point when we arguably looked at our worst yesterday) more would had been made of it, which is the point I'm trying to make. Personally i'd like to see Nielson get on the pitch and that current situation is barmy imo.

Quoted from pontoonlew

Personally i'd like to see Nielson get on the pitch and that current situation is barmy imo.

Think he needs to lose weight get fit before getting in to the team.

Have you seen Neilson recently?. He makes me look like a stick insect! (Well not quite but he is terribly out of condition).

Quoted from psgmariner

Think he needs to lose weight get fit before getting in to the team.

Agreed. Have heard the 'How can he get match fit without playing?' argument but from what I've seen he needs to get fit before we worry about getting him match fit.

Quoted from pontoonlew

My worry is what I alluded to early on in the thread.

Mansfield knew there were issues to be addressed and they did just that, if anything a shocking start helped them. With us I fear we still have similar shortcomings to last season yet S&H aren't acknowledging them because they see 3 points as enough. Which is fine up to the point your luck runs out somewhat and you get into the habit of losing games. Which is why we played Hyde & Alfreton this weekend and not Portsmouth. I'm not saying we won't click but what I'm saying is adjustments need to be made and I seriously can't see them being put into place because they want the points and not a performance.

The managers make some very strange decisions sometimes and I seriously think the odd 3 points helps them get away with it. I'm convinced had we not scraped a goal (at a point when we arguably looked at our worst yesterday) more would had been made of it, which is the point I'm trying to make. Personally i'd like to see Nielson get on the pitch and that current situation is barmy imo.

I agree with that summary.

Promotion winning teams (at least 99% of the time) look just that - and I dont think ever in the 2 and a half years have we really looked like a promotion winning team and still dont as things stand at the moment.

It might all click but on current evidence I think we will fall short again but I desperately hope Im wrong and we suddenly start playing and winning convincingly.

Quoted from BIGChris

Towns best start for 10 years but to read some of the comments you would think we were pointless.
I am not suggesting we are firing on all cylinders but if we do we will be very well placed!!!

UTM

Yes Chris, that's true but you know as well as anyone that we have been lucky to get the points, especially yesterday. I can't believe that Scott was serious in saying we always looked like winning and we were in charge and so on. The game I watched wasn't like that at all. We should be creating far more chances against teams like Hyde who hadn't much to offer except effort. We scraped a goal. All it will take is for a couple of other teams to scrape similar wins against us and the wheels will come off.

Quoted from psgmariner

Think he needs to lose weight get fit before getting in to the team.

How on earth is he meant to get fit sat in the stands? They seem clueless on how to deal with players fitness. Not once have I seen anybody elsewhere respond to players needing match fitness by not playing them, it just defies all logic. Last season they played weakened teams because 'the players weren't fit' and in my mind it cost us a potential promotion. Why was it every other club in the league (inc part time sides) could go out and play full strength teams (and beat us in the process) but we couldn't?

We went top last season without really getting out of first gear and when we stumbled after Christmas it took us to long to get some sort of form going.  This is what concerns me, I don't see enough zip in our current team, you don't just need a midfield general you need the whole team to be up for it.  We should be putting teams under pressure from the off and fighting for every blade of grass.  Hyde were the better team overall and a fair result would have been a draw.

I know it's a long haul from now until the end of the season but if you want to go up automatically you have to be up for every game.  Our home support which is vital for our playing budget should be 3,500 to 4,000+.  The only way we will draw that sort of crowd in is being in the top 3 and the team fighting for every blade of grass, especially at BP.

If H&S want a roaring partisan BP then the players have to deliver the sort of performances we use to expect before the decade of crap.