[bluepooch]

Very worrying .
Now I know Jack has only been in charge for one day but that today was truly awful.He says he has watched us numerous times so he must have an idea about the players ability.He has said he wants four key elements for success.Purpose,aggression,energy,winning mentality and unfortunately we achieved none today .Its clear it is a massive job to turn this around but even more worrying for me were the substitutions.Taking off our only goal threat in Dennis was baffling but even more baffling was that he didnt take off De Girolamo who was totally impotent .Instead when we were chasing the game he brought on Defensive midfielder Mcourt to play alongside another defensive midfielder Weir ,what was all that about ?.It made us even less of a threat going forward.
Jack has had enough impact to change the style of play ,it was neck achingly long ball up to O Grady who I cannot believe is the guy who has made a living out of playing in the second tier of football.
Lets hope Jack can instill his ethos on these players in training this week and beyond, otherwise we are in for a long season of pain .

[spireitematt]

It wasn't great was it.

I didn't think we were that bad till we conceded before half time and we had 2-3 opportunities to score but we didn't take them. Tommy pulled off a great save one on one. That first goal I think really dented the team's confidence just before half time. Second half was a weird one because I thought both sides were very similar. Also that free kick pissed me off because you don't piss about like that at 2-0 down I could understand it being 3 or 4 nil up but not 2-0 down.

I think he took Dennis off because he was being out jumped and outmuscled by there big burly centre backs, so that's why he put Ugwu upfront with O'Grady to add a bit of height and muscle and it did work but unfortunately the opportunities were wasted. Not sure why he took Reed off but Mitchell did alright when he came on for him. What also annoyed me is this not having a shot outside the area, instead they keep passing it around looking for a way through and it allows the defenders to get back and close us down, it happened under Cook and Sheridan era.

Another thing which pissed me off was the referee his performance was xxxx dreadful and probably one of the worst I've ever seen in football and the fact that Cheltenham players were diving, falling over without being touched and conning the referee into giving free kicks.

It's also bloody worrying that ourselves, Port Vale and Forest Green Rovers are all on 5 pts and the rest above us are starting to pull away. I will stay optimistic and back Jack and hope he can turn this around but I think relegation and going out the football league could become a possibility. It's like watching a car crash in slow motion you know what's coming but you have to keep watching. Maybe Devon is right maybe we need to start buying the non-league paper to get us prepared for what could happen.

Maybe I should have took your advice Dancing as Buxton won 2-1 after being 1-0 down with 7 minutes to go.

[Devongone]

Unfortunately I think what's happening to us has already happened. Oh I've said it so many times. We took on a manager who destroyed a poor and steadily declining side and turned it into the worst league team in England, and in the close season he seems to have done everything he can strengthen its grip on that title. We have a centre back combination which hasn't worked for two seasons.Though Pooch describes Weir and McCourt as defensive midfielders, because I suppose they aren't attacking, in fact they're just makeweight, buzz-about midfielders, who can't really defend at all, or even maintain a position particularly well. We don't have a goal-scoring attacking midfielder at all or a controlling midfielder and the centre forward messiah we signed doesn't seem to score or create much. If our keeper is fit and able to recover his form that is the only vertebrae in the spine of the team which might be functional! Jack Lester has taken over by far the worst team in the league. If he decided he wanted to go out wide to compensate for our weakness through the middle are our full backs capable and where are our wingers? Poor defence, very modest midfield and little capacity to make or score a goal. We are such a journey away from a team, I fear we need more than regular productive trips to the training ground. That's why I say supporters and the club need to take on board contingency planning for non-league football including re-building at the next transfer-window for a way to return to the league if that is what our owner decides. The alternative is continuing slowly and either accidentally or deliberately strangling the club.

If the loans we made are unwise I'm afraid we need to approach their clubs and say we can't afford to offer them experience in our perilous position. The last six games of last season we knew we were down and we should have been giving OUR youngsters league experience. Now Wakefield's nowhere, Ricky got 6 minutes and got cup-tied for Alfreton and must be going backwards, Joe Rowley I'm hoping might come into our absent midfield now, the boys at Sheffield have been thrown more chaos to deal with .......... Maguire, Dimaio are absent by accident or design? Youngsters can go backwards; look at Diego, Sheff Utd should have been playing him, then he does his cruciate and now this all-action scorer of crackerjack goals, sought by top Italian clubs, is anonymous for us. A couple of seasons back when I suggested getting him on loan, people on here said, "he won't consider Chesterfield......." now ditching him back to Bristol seems on the cards doesn't it?

Jack Lester is too smart not to realise that expecting Dennis to use size and muscle is pointless. If he is a league player at all, he is a goalscorer, the point has to be to get him clear of defenders and in on goal. The only point of O'Grady can be that he allows that to happen, that he creates space and time for Dennis. If we need Gozie's height and muscle when O'Grady's about, what is O'Grady for? And what is the point of height and muscle if you have no one to finish off in any case? And what is the point of height anyway when you have no wide men? You can only hit long balls.

I hate this and I hate even more that I could see it coming as Caldwell built this squad. I felt we were all waiting for him to fill in the gaps and he never did. And they were such glaring gaps. I feel Jack went with the players he knew best on Saturday. I hope in another week he can uncover something to give us hope. (As you can guess I'd cancel Ricky's loan NOW and start him in the hope that a promising career can be resurrected before it is too late and at least then we'd have tried - we can't score fewer than 0 after all, and of course Joe would be in midfield ....... and Dimaio, Maguire, Wakefield and Brewster would all be in the squad at the very least ....)

Oh I don't want to be out of the league. I bought the non-league paper again. I could give Jack a list of players he could sign from that level but ........ oh **** what's the point?

[bluepooch]

i really do hope Jack gives the likes of Wakefield , Rowley and Sinnott a chance on Tuesday .Not sure how many changes we are allowed to make but its an ideal game to bring in the players who havent had a chance and who i think should be given a chance

[themaclad]

It will take time look at Birmingham new manager in stands watching lose 6-1

[spireitematt]

It will take time look at Birmingham new manager in stands watching lose 6-1

We're not expecting Jack to come in and wave a magic wand to get us winning, no one expects that and if they do then they aren't being realistic. What the majority of us is worried about is the squad we've got and the fact that we are on 5pts 2nd from bottom and teams above us are in double figures.

[Dancingwilldoit]

Matt, told you to go to Buxton, its cheaper as well.
Get our own youngsters back and ship the crap out and quick including O'Grady. German 3 goals in 4 starts says it all. Gave my st's to my youngest and a mate. I miss another home game and doubt he will be going even with a free ticket !! God help us against Mansfield.
Finally Blue you have seen the writing on the wall, its taken a while.
Sat in the Auvergne in hotel after a day and a half driving with a nice beer or 2, watched Paris SG last night, 8 goals, how I long for something similar when I get back.

[themaclad]

Matt, told you to go to Buxton, its cheaper as well.
Get our own youngsters back and ship the crap out and quick including O'Grady. German 3 goals in 4 starts says it all. Gave my st's to my youngest and a mate. I miss another home game and doubt he will be going even with a free ticket !! God help us against Mansfield.
Finally Blue you have seen the writing on the wall, its taken a while.
Sat in the Auvergne in hotel after a day and a half driving with a nice beer or 2, watched Paris SG last night, 8 goals, how I long for something similar when I get back.

Hopefully not all in your nets

[spireitematt]

Matt, told you to go to Buxton, its cheaper as well.
Get our own youngsters back and ship the crap out and quick including O'Grady. German 3 goals in 4 starts says it all. Gave my st's to my youngest and a mate. I miss another home game and doubt he will be going even with a free ticket !! God help us against Mansfield.
Finally Blue you have seen the writing on the wall, its taken a while.
Sat in the Auvergne in hotel after a day and a half driving with a nice beer or 2, watched Paris SG last night, 8 goals, how I long for something similar when I get back.

It is cheaper. But you've got to stick with your team through thick and thin, good and bad. We could do with German coming back.

Problem a lot of fans have is there seems to be no passion in this side at the moment. If I got a chance to play I would be getting stuck in and running my legs off. Maybe the players are showing passion and its just that they're not fully fit I don't know.

[bluepooch]

How on earth can anyone switch allegiance its not possible if youre a true fan .I know Buxton arent rivals but I coulodnt contemplate going to watch anyone else on a regular basis,maybe thats just me .
Dancing I don't know what you mean by writing on the wall ,Im not a happy clapper and never have been ,i give praise where I think due and criticize where I think due ,Its easy in hindsight to say we should have sacked Caldwell earlier but I always said give him time and if it didnt work after 10 games we could still have time to save our season .As I always say its no good getting rid of a manager if you dont bring anyone in to improve and I'm keeping fingers crossed that Jack can at least improve our results in time .As for the squad I still think if we play the right players we can get a team good enough to be comfortable in this division.