[Devongone]

Some good posts on BB Dev. Bit above them as most are still convinced we wont go down. I wonder how many would actually still support the team if we did go down by going to games? Maybe it will be the straw that breaks the camels back for a lot of them but they will still be posting away.

I'm trying to get BB's to realise that relegation is more likely than not and that there some good teams with good players down there. It could be a disaster for us, it could be a bright new day. A lot depends on how you go down, your attitude, knowing what you want and having a plan how to get back there. I don't think our fans will desert in droves, but I do think they might just expect success and it really won't just happen. The rest of the National League will LOVE playing at the Proact. They won't regard our team as anything special unless they can prove it on the pitch. They'll enjoy beating us, especially if we can get 4-5,000 to turn up to watch.

We could be Bristol Rovers, but we might be Southport.

[Devongone]

I've had two or three more goes to get them on BB's to see relegation for what it is. Course it's bad, but staying up might be shit if we continue like this.

We have sixth months to be ready for next season. If that were an ordinary business it would be a short lead time. So we need to be clued-up.

I've decided they will be my last forays onto Bob's. From here on in, if we go down I could only say I told you so, I warned you we needed to prepare. And you can only really say that sort of stuff to people you regard as friends ........... and they aren't. In fact about 40% are deliberately obtuse.

[Dancingwilldoit]

Only 40% ? Think that's pretty generous Dev. There are some good posters on there making sensible posts but there is a clique that don't like newcomers particularly ones that have differing viewpoints.

[spireitematt]

Only 40% ? Think that's pretty generous Dev. There are some good posters on there making sensible posts but there is a clique that don't like newcomers particularly ones that have differing viewpoints.

I noticed that reading Bob's Board they don't like newcomers.

[bluepooch]

I've also noticed from my ventures on there that as soon as anyone disagrees with the self appointed fans champion MCBVXiii or whatever his name is ,they set about that person like a pack of wolves .

[Devongone]

I quite like the Roman Numerals man, and I tend to agree with him a lot. Don't really mind if people have a go at me, but I do find some of them are just deliberately obtuse. Everyone gets the wrong end of the stick sometimes, but they find ends to sticks that weren't there in the first place.

And they are so judgemental on players. Young Dylan on the wing for instance ........ it's fine saying he was poor on Saturday, even contrasting him as a loan signing with Ahearne-Grant playing for Crawley makes a point. Ahearne-Grant was a youth international at three levels and played 50-odd games at Charlton. Dylan's experience was a couple of months at Tranmere. No wonder Ahearne-Grant hit the floor running and young Dylan didn't. He was a better and higher-level of loan signing and that's a fair point. Suggesting our lad will never be a player as Bob's queues up to do, is something no one can, or should do so quickly. I've seen Messi be completely anonymous for Argentina. But maybe he'd be worth a second look ...

One week they were ditching Ramsdale on BB's the next he was a future England player. One week B-W was going to save us, two weeks down the line he simply wasn't a left back despite his youth international appearances and his entire Crystal Palace career having been geared to that position .......... They're batty. (If he isn't a defender of some kind where else is he going to play, he looks ill-at-ease receiving the ball with his back to a player and has a turning circle which won't frighten anyone?)

I've been wasting too much time on there arguing with the deliberately deaf. I like being on here with friends whose opinion I can question, who can tell me when I'm wrong (which is mostly). The atmosphere is nicer and kinder and more respectful across the board, not just on our part of it, but with the other clubs too.

This could be a turning point in our club's history. If we go down we don't want to follow the lead of Hartlepool and Orient, who have both been struggling to come to terms with where they are. We have to be aware of both the strengths and weaknesses in the National League. If we stay up we can't do to Jack what we did to Danny and expect him to re-build on fresh air ....... and frankly he also has to do more than rely on Tommy Wright bringing in nearly-men from Barnsley, a club full of them. I can't see why we can't be both critical of Jack and go with his judgement and offer him our support - he's allowed to get things wrong sometimes, we can't make him feel he can't chance his arm, try an off-piste idea, start thinking outside the proverbial box. And of course as fans we are going to evaluate players, but character assassinations and the regular implication that a player is failing because that is his fondest wish ..... well I'm not keen on that. Look at Matt Briggs, a man who was teetering on the edge of a full England cap in his teens, now in his mid-twenties even we've dropped him from our RADAR. No one sees the tragedy in that, everyone is keen to load him down with blame and guilt ........ maybe they're right but I'd think a lot more of them if they were capable of a little kindness.

I've wiped Bob's off my favourites so I won't even be tempted back to read their opinions. I'll miss their insights, but it won't half save me some time.

[bluepooch]

Well done Dev I would imagine its bad for your health on there long term .I find my blood boiling at some of the messages and I'm just glad I'm not registered as I'd be arranging to meet some of them for a fight .My brother posts on there occasionally, I think hes thicker skinned than me.
On the subject of our form I've been looking at some of the highlights from the pre-Christmas good run and a big factor is that we had two attacking full backs then in Barry and JBW where as now we have two makeshift defensively minded full backs combined with ineffective wingers and that must have an effect .

[Devongone]

Two brothers from Holmewood .........? Dunno how you avoided both being in a fight so far.

It sounds as though Whitmore is doing a good job at left back BUT I do think this might be the time to drive Dancing mental, try GC's three at the back when it has a chance of working with Nelson on the right, Maguire in the centre and Whitmore on the left. Then whilst Talbot is unfit we have Barry/Weir at right wing back and Binnom-Williams/Smith/Kellett at left wing back.

The big trouble with the whole system, as no doubt Dancing will point out, is that when it works the wing backs strengthen both defence and attack, when it doesn't work both defence and attack struggle - as Chelsea have found. And you end up with two players not really knowing where they should be playing.

When I read criticism of JBW, some of which maybe he even deserves, I can't help wondering how much more of a left back he'd have looked with Sam Clucas in front of him.

[spireitematt]

I like going on Bob's Board after we've lost to read posters overact and sort of say. "I told you so". I'm not a member of Bob's Board like I've said before but read what they've got to say. I think if I was a member a lot of them would not like what I've got to say and would probably think I was talking bunkum. It's also like an echo chamber on there as well and if anyone disagrees or states a different opinion or viewpoint they get shouted down.

Find it weird also when we sign new players that fans are very quick to judge players and state that their rubbish before they've even played a game.

[Dancingwilldoit]

Dev, you know as well as I do that 3 at the back is fine if you have the players to do it and I still don't think we have them.
I find it strange that most of his time with us JL played in a 4-4-2 and yet he doesn't play it. We have got the players to do that so at least give it a try. I am worried that JL is following in GC steps and seems reluctant to change things when its obvious they don't work. We don't have a striker that can play the role of 1 up front so why keep doing it?
Most people learn from their mistakes but football managers seem immune to common sense. When things go wrong they just dig in and become entrenched.

By the way, I think Mr Roman Numerals is an arrogant very opinionated individual with his little band of followers. Just yesterday he posted "Hi Toby (Perkins) its me Chris Snell........". Now call me whatever you like but I am not a prick and somebody who lives on social media making sure everybody knows who I am. There's a word for people like him and I'm not thinking egotist I don't thing Sports Babble would let me get away with the word I'm thinking of.....