[Dancingwilldoit]

Much against my better judgment I decided to go today rather than cut the grass. Why? First thing I noticed Hird on the bench. Why? Second thing I noticed, no Dan Jones. Why? Third thing, no German. Why?
We started with a back 3 again. Why? We went 3 down PDQ and it could have been a lot worse and this time I can tell you why - because we were total absolute.....
sh!te.
Second half hey presto we lined up with a back 4 and we actually started to compete. Rochdale took there foot off the gass a bit but they were still comfortable against our lightweights. They even played a rolly polly keeper who wasn't troubled much.
Rumour is that Caldwell has fallen out with quite a few senior pros and it looks like several on the pitch today just weren't having any of it.
Sorry Blue but I really do wish the guy would do a Scotch Eggxit and f**k of back to Scotland.

[bluepooch]

Well i was there too as youd expect and the first half was definitely the worst i have seen in years .worse than any wilson or saunders display .i was expecting 6 or 7 by full time but we did rally second half but it can be argued the game was over by then.
Dancing i have given Caldwell every chance and it is still early days you have to agree but his record of 1 in 13 is undefendable or is it indefensible ?.i cannot see anything other than a defeat next week and im getting impatient waiting for Garys philosophy to kick in .Uncle Dave says if hes around we should have a budget in the top 6 in league two but do we trust GC with it ?.

[Lord Snooty]

I feel for you guys. Being in your position is horrible, turning up each week knowing you're gonna lose. Hope you can turn it around next season, obviously this one's gone, and get back up again.

[spireitematt]

I feel for you guys. Being in your position is horrible, turning up each week knowing you're gonna lose. Hope you can turn it around next season, obviously this one's gone, and get back up again.

Worrying thing is we could go down again.

---

Much against my better judgment I decided to go today rather than cut the grass. Why? First thing I noticed Hird on the bench. Why? Second thing I noticed, no Dan Jones. Why? Third thing, no German. Why?
We started with a back 3 again. Why? We went 3 down PDQ and it could have been a lot worse and  this time I can tell you why - because we were total absolute.....
sh!te.
Second half hey presto we lined up with a back 4 and we actually started to compete. Rochdale took there foot off the gass a bit but  they were still comfortable against our lightweights. They even played a rolly polly keeper who wasn't troubled much.
Rumour is that Caldwell has fallen out with quite a few senior pros and it looks like several on the pitch today just weren't having any of it.
Sorry Blue but I really do wish the guy would do a Scotch Eggxit and f**k of back to Scotland.

I'm in two minds if I will go to Bolton or not. I did say when the fixtures were released I would go but the way we're playing at the minute we could end up getting beat badly.

[Devongone]

Positives? Whatever the reason, Caldwell did at least start Maguire and Rowley. I can't see how a month of Evo-Stick and then being thrown into a failing league team a few tiers up, playing a system he hasn't much experience of would make it easy for Laurence, but we have six more games and he should play all of them. It would have helped if Caldwell had swallowed his pride and played Hird either in front (positionally) of Maguire, or alongside him. (Youth welcomes experience, and an older player is re-invigorated by the enthusiasm of youth.) Rowley, I know nothing about, the clips I've seen he has never shone, but if he is one of our best juniors now is the time to let him play.

I was delighted to read you went to the game Dancing, but when I saw the team I too was asking why. Chelsea play three at the back successfully. Their back three is two natural centre backs and a full back capable of playing in the centre. We've got that. Dan Jones would be a competitor for one of those three places. Chelsea play two wing backs, one of whom is a full back who likes to get forward, the other a winger who has been converted into a part-defender. Now Jones also seems to fit the bill perfectly as the first of those, the second we lack except that Mitchell sounded as though he played the role well at Millwall and now just sits and watches. Chelsea have also got Kante, whereas we have only Hird, Dimaio and Martinez up for the role. My only conclusion from this is the one player we have who would always be in the side if we played three at the back would be Jones ............. Whether we are capable of playing three at the back anywhere outside GC's brain is another matter.

Unless Ricky German has been injured in training I cannot imagine how he does not rate a run in that terrible team. We had four shots in the game - last week he scored four goals. I don't know how much clearer it needs to be. Perhaps we intend to release him or sell him and keep the beloved SEB.

As to the football philosophy - we regularly struggle for even 45% possession, most teams we play have at least triple the number of shots we manage in a game, we concede goals easily and we commit a lot of fouls.

As to our signings:-

We got an old German keeper we don't need, except he saves the penalties one of our loanees habitually concedes.
We found a Libyan defender and immediately disappeared him.
We loaned a Birmingham failure, who sat on the bench nicely and was sent home.
We loaned a promising young Frenchman who is having difficulties both getting on the pitch and staying there.
We loaned a boy from QPR who didn't get beyond half-time yesterday.
And we got a lad from Preston we've now stopped putting on the pitch.

Does this inspire confidence in recruitment?

Portsmouth are apparently in talks with Disney. We on the other hand appear to have recruited Donald Duck as our manager and worst of all he put his nephews in the team!

[spireitematt]

Positives? Whatever the reason, Caldwell did at least start Maguire and Rowley. I can't see how a month of Evo-Stick and then being thrown into a failing league team a few tiers up, playing a system he hasn't much experience of would make it easy for Laurence, but we have six more games and he should play all of them. It would have helped if Caldwell had swallowed his pride and played Hird either in front (positionally) of Maguire, or alongside him. (Youth welcomes experience, and an older player is re-invigorated by the enthusiasm of youth.) Rowley, I know nothing about, the clips I've seen he has never shone, but if he is one of our best juniors now is the time to let him play.

I was delighted to read you went to the game Dancing, but when I saw the team I too was asking why. Chelsea play three at the back successfully. Their back three is two natural centre backs and a full back capable of playing in the centre. We've got that. Dan Jones would be a competitor for one of those three places. Chelsea play two wing backs, one of whom is a full back who likes to get forward, the other a winger who has been converted into a part-defender. Now Jones also seems to fit the bill perfectly as the first of those, the second we lack except that Mitchell sounded as though he played the role well at Millwall and now just sits and watches. Chelsea have also got Kante, whereas we have only Hird, Dimaio and Martinez up for the role. My only conclusion from this is the one player we have who would always be in the side if we played three at the back would be Jones ............. Whether we are capable of playing three at the back anywhere outside GC's brain is another matter.

Unless Ricky German has been injured in training I cannot imagine how he does not rate a run in that terrible team. We had four shots in the game - last week he scored four goals. I don't know how much clearer it needs to be. Perhaps we intend to release him or sell him and keep the beloved SEB.

As to the football philosophy - we regularly struggle for even 45% possession, most teams we play have at least triple the number of shots we manage in a game, we concede goals easily and we commit a lot of fouls.

As to our signings:-

We got an old German keeper we don't need, except he saves the penalties one of our loanees habitually concedes.
We found a Libyan defender and immediately disappeared him.
We loaned a Birmingham failure, who sat on the bench nicely and was sent home.
We loaned a promising young Frenchman who is having difficulties both getting on the pitch and staying there.
We loaned a boy from QPR who didn't get beyond half-time yesterday.
And we got a lad from Preston we've now stopped putting on the pitch.

Does this inspire confidence in recruitment?

Portsmouth are apparently in talks with Disney. We on the other hand appear to have recruited Donald Duck as our manager and worst of all he put his nephews in the team!

German isn't injured because he scored twice yesterday for the youth team.

[bluepooch]

I'm sorry but if he is pinning his hopes on Troy Donohue and Colleen Nolan then we are in big trouble ,both are decent enough technically but have big weaknesses in their game.Either one or the other makes a mistake that leads to a goal every game .
I thought young Rowley was very good considering he was thrown in at the deep and Id like to think he has a future with us .Mcginn was our best player by far
SEB struggled all game and at least Impala added some life up front until he kicked that guy in the balls .
I thought Rochdale were quite thuggish was also shocked at that lanky streak of piss Vincente and Im sure Hill gave him instuctions to come on and get stuck into us ,he was annoying along with the ref .

[Devongone]

Is that nine goals in three games from Ricky German? I wonder why, if he wasn't in the squad for Saturday, he didn't lead the attack for the reserves against Mansfield? Surely that would have been good experience? Can't imagine the Hump didn't want him.

Now, of course, we come to the crunch. Saturday we play Bolton. For weeks I've wanted Ricky to lead our attack to see how he would fare. I wonder if our genius manager will now, in desperation, pitch him into the team. Bolton have the best old-fashioned centre half in the division in Wheater who has played Premier League and alongside him are Dervite and Beevers, who are both experienced at a higher level........

So what could happen to young Ricky if he plays? Most likely he'll get eaten alive, because they know so much more than him, he'll lack support and he'll just have to deal with that knock to his confidence (and Donald Duck will probably say, "See, that's why he's in the reserves!" and sub him after 60 minutes torture) OR youth, ability and enthusiasm will miraculously pull him through; maybe he'll get a goal. Yeah, we'll have found a real centre forward AND so will every Championship team that can read the results. Young lad notches against that defence; big, strong, scoring for fun at junior level ......... He wouldn't be starting next season for us that's for sure and we'd get something for him because of his age, but would it compensate when we are away at Solihull Moors another year on?

Now exactly how daft is our manager?

By the way I bought the Football League paper on Sunday to see what they thought of us. You don't really want to know; you'd have to marry Dancing. Krystian Dennis was our best player with 6 out of 10. SEB got 3. Poor old Maguire got a 4 after his Evo-Stick exile. Rowley got 5. Interesting that however Laurence Maguire played for us, Fylde missed him big-time losing 4-1 at Nuneaton.

MATT - if you can afford it, GO to Bolton, it might be a dreadful game, you might be embarrassed to be a Spire, but it might also be pivotal. You'll be able to say I was there when we let in 8 at Bolton. Sam Hird hit the manager on the team coach. SEB was appointed manager on the way home. OR maybe it'll be that glorious win. McGinn, Maguire and Raglan demonstrate how to play three at the back, Jones is a terror down the left, Mitchell drives them crazy on the right, German and Dennis are ripping 'em to bits up front. Lifelong Spires are collapsing from an overdose of JOY in the stands. The Smiths and Adele combine to release a happy album. Dancing outstreaks Pooch. Joy Division numbers dominate the half-time break. It's that good.

[spireitematt]

"Graham Smyth‏ @GrahamSmyth #Spireites director Ashley Carson has told fans on Facebook that Gary Caldwell will still be the manager next season."

"Graham Smyth‏ @GrahamSmyth Carson reveals owner Dave Allen wants Caldwell to 'build his own team and stand or fall by this next season' #Spireites"

"Graham Smyth‏ @GrahamSmyth AC goes on to say it would be 'mad' for the club to sack another manager when already paying off Danny Wilson and Chris Morgan #Spireites"


In the words of D Ream "Things can only get better".

---

MATT - if you can afford it, GO to Bolton, it might be a dreadful game, you might be embarrassed to be a Spire, but it might also be pivotal. You'll be able to say I was there when we let in 8 at Bolton. Sam Hird hit the manager on the team coach. SEB was appointed manager on the way home. OR maybe it'll be that glorious win. McGinn, Maguire and Raglan demonstrate how to play three at the back, Jones is a terror down the left, Mitchell drives them crazy on the right, German and Dennis are ripping 'em to bits up front. Lifelong Spires are collapsing from an overdose of JOY in the stands. The Smiths and Adele combine to release a happy album. Dancing outstreaks Pooch. Joy Division numbers dominate the half-time break. It's that good.

I might go depends how I feel. Bolton have been putting 4 goals a game against teams higher than us in the table so it could end up in double figures. They've scored 21 goals in there last 10 games.

[Dancingwilldoit]

Go in the home end Matt its only £5. I might go myself and just see how bad we can actually get.

Great to read that Caldwell has had a vote of confidence from the owner and his pet. That should mean he will be gone within a week. Here's hoping.