[Devongone]

I think Saturday's 0-3 proved it can't JUST be you SGB.

I think it is perfectly possible for good managers to be doing their job badly. They can come up with the wrong diagnosis, or hit on the wrong solution. Sometimes when you are getting stuff wrong in life, you don't think clearly, you don't see how to get back to a point where you can do something about it. The start of the Vanarama is a helter-skelter thing, you've hardly played one game before the next one is on its way. We hardly had time to savour having won three before we'd lost the next two.

That seems to be happening to the players too from the sound of it. You only hoof it when you've run out of ideas, when you can't see anything better. What player actually wants to get booed by the crowd?

I'm sure MA and even the current players can do a better job. Half the complaints on Bobs Board go on to moan that the other sides are so bad too ........ The fact is we are letting players go who rival clubs actually want, so someone thinks there's potential somewhere. But if we ditch MA, or make his life so miserable he just goes, we know how quickly our administration moves. By the time a new man is in post we'll really be bottom, the players will be thoroughly demoralised, and if he's available now his CV will be empty of previous managerial success. Matt Smith or Damian Lewis for me, shame one of the Chuckle Brothers died, they'd have kept possession (to me to you to me to you ...)

And maybe Paul Fairclough's England C squad of young players is a reminder of who we should be starting at centre back. Laurence Maguire and Jerome Binnom-Williams make the squad of 16, disappointingly to me Alex Brown of Buxton doesn't despite his apparently excellent form.

[bluepooch]

You're right Salty .12 games is nowhere near enough time to judge MA but when they have been so dire to watch in the vast majority of them I'm afraid my patience is running thin very quickly.
Its also a good point that he won the league 2 years ago so it makes me wonder why the heed fans were shouting the 'dinosaur' comments.Maybe he got lucky,he had a dire time in his most recent full time job at Eastleigh where he won 2 out of 14 before parting company .Now I don't know the circumstances to that period but a lot of managers do tend to lose the plot the more time they spend doing the job.I guess we just have to hope his short spell at Barnet last season means he still has what it takes and yes I will put up with hoofball if we win games.
Maybe there can be such a thing as a winning dinosaur.
The club had the biggest crowd in the National league on Saturday by 2k on the back of a 9 game winless run .Amazing and they deserve better .
Oh and another annoying thing ,why does he keep referring to the Wigan game as an example of what the team is capable of ? It was a chuffing pre season friendly !

[Devongone]

And we got thrashed by Maidenhead. Who were struggling for a team .....

Obviously the manager's at fault, but what do we do? How many contracts are we paying off?

I don't believe in individual errors as an explanation for defeats. It is a team game. The team scores goals, the team lets them in. The team makes mistakes. And when mistakes happen regularly it points to something wrong in the whole team.

[bluepooch]

It was actually an ok performance and we hardly hoofed it but attempted to pass.Now he either recruited players for a certain style or he hasn't got any idea what pattern to adopt.He was also correct in saying that the goals were down to individual errors,the most glaring one committed by Jalal who Allen brought back for some reason after the young kid on loan did absolutely nothing wrong .Another mistake on Allen's part.
So thats 10 winless games including 8 defeats and 6 without scoring also a total of 6 goals scored.Its not very good is it, but strangely enough I can't see him getting the sack as it would mean that DA has failed, as MA is his choice.
Its a depressing situation knowing that even if the winless run continues he will still have a job .I really really hope I am wrong .

[Dancingwilldoit]

Watching the highlights Nelson and Jalal between them were at blame. What's the guessing as to who the sacrificial lamb will be for letting 3 in? Maguire back to the bench?
For whatever reason MA thinks Nelson is a good central defender. For me he is good in the air but useless when run at with a ball on the floor, he's like a juggernaut.

[Devongone]

Maguire does always seem to pay the price, but Nelson is so unpopular on Bob's even MA must eventually cotton on. But Bob's now don't seem capable of liking anyone for a few moments.

I am afraid I did warn everyone that Jalal is just an ordinary keeper and that last season he'd played behind a very, good and very well-drilled defence. I know he was supposedly best in the league ...... but precious few believed he was anywhere near Grant Smith of Boreham Wood who've replaced him with another good young keeper.

[Dancingwilldoit]

Thing is Dev, the only keeper on our books was Anyon. He makes anybody look good and Jalal is definitely a far better keeper than Anyon. In fact if you put your gloves back on even at your age you would be a better bet. In your case the problem would be getting back up off the floor again after a diving save.

[bluepooch]

....and just when you think Anyon is riding off into the sunset to Doncaster, MA announces he is travelling with the team tomorrow.You just could not make this up .

[Dancingwilldoit]

Doncaster have been watching youtube

[Devongone]

Jalal was just part of one MA's mistakes. Alan Hansen half-killed youth development when he said you couldn't win anything with kids. MA clearly took that thesis to extremes when recruting. Jalal 35, Nelson 38, Fortune 37 and several 30 and over. Too many old men. Not enough fresh-faced enthusiasm, not enough optimism IMO. Anyon never had that much ability and he has been round every block and made every mistake. Deep inside he has to know what he is. In many walks of life self-knowledge is a good thing, but too much of it destroys a goalkeeper. You can't come out for a ball even half-believing you won't get it and succeed very often despite yourself. Your greatest fear always happens eventually.

Whilst I'm on about younger players I noticed Hendon wanted a friendly this week. The side they should have played in the FA Cup got kicked out after a no-game on saturday. Hendon couldn't get anyone to play them so they arranged Hendon v Hendon U-23 with seven subs each side. Hendon could do that for chrissakes, whilst when we get a promising 17 year old we have to send him out on loans because we don't know what to do with him. (Ricky only came on as second half sub by the way, but he did score!)

We are travelling Anyon, whilst Hendon had an U-23 keeper and a trialist keeper amongst their subs. I don't know if their first team also had a keeper on their bench. And some of our idiot fans think we are playing clubs who are miles worse than us ....... just because we can get a gate of four or five thousand.