End Of Season Party - May 3rd

[HelenC]

I agree

 

[Laz]

Good.

[Colin Zeal EFM]

Pleased? You serious??

 

Having seen us pre-season, and in the early games, we were genuine title contenders. We had quality all over the field, yet the team's been ripped apart, and the results have suffered subsequently.

 

I am far from pleased.

 

 

[Rob_the_Saint]

We almost went bust last year, 5th place would be a tremendous achievement. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

 

[Colin Zeal EFM]

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

 

 

[Laz]

I thought we peeked at Lowestoft pre-season. That was our best game. I really thought we would do something after that.

[Colin Zeal EFM]

Wasn't that the season before??

 

 

[Laz]

I've no idea and I can't be bothered to look at the website.

[ESG]

the promise was never delivered..

thats realism

 

as for next season...

 

i see we've got an arsenal XI friendly

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

Shut up whining

 

3rd in the league and FA Cup 1st round represents a great season - apart from cup games can you really think of any great league games any season.

 

And I'm working so I won't be at the party, why would I want to celebrate such a awful season anyway?

[AFF]

Rob beat me to that, CZ! I'm sure that he posted in the same spirit that I would have done.

 

Understandable comments from everyone who has posted, apart from one by CZ and Laz's reference to the promise shown on the tour of the Far East. Promise that we could be out of business by Christmas!

 

C.Z. The team was ripped apart? Do you mean by injury? Or are you referring to Townley, Hollenbach, Gould, Sippetts, Barr? The squad on Saturday [including the injured] was not too different from that at the start of the season.

 

So for this season it's 'unfulfilled promise', is it?

 

Are we 'building for the future'? Do we have a '5 year plan'? Apart from the obvious, outline the differences between The Club today and, say, when we went to Lowestoft? What else can/should be done?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Laz]

Maybe we need a change of manager. It's not really working with Cookie.

 

Hamid Barr scored for Tonbridge Angels on Saturday, by the way.

 

 

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

Theres a fellow at Cambridge City, he took over them in December when they were in the relegation zone and now they are mid-table.

 

Whereas we were top and now heading for Top 5 (maybe).

[Colin Zeal EFM]

AFF,

 

Yeah, I was referring to Townley, Hollenbach, Barr etc. Couldn't understand the decision to offload Sippetts either, but that's history, I guess.

 

I don't know the answer AFF, but then again, it's not my job to. It's Gibson's and Cookie's.

 

What I do know is that with the talent on display, this side has under-achieved. Some of the results this season have been shocking. By that, I'm referring to the likes of Ford away, losing a 3-goal lead at Heybridge (ok, I know I wasn't there, but you don't have to be a genius to work out that was shocking), failing to beat Enfield at home. That's before I even mention the defeats. The list goes on.

 

Just out of interest, which was the one message of mine you didn't find understandable?

 

 

[AFF]

Hi CZ.

 

The one concerning the team being ripped apart.

 

Gould, Townley, Moran, Brown and Campbell is 5 centre backs, and we surely can't afford that. I would have the current 3 although Townley did run them close. Hollenbach shone in his first few games and was adopted on the terraces but I felt that he didn't deliver after the trial period. Barr and Oakes were quality players but it was clear that they were looking for better things.

 

It's interesting that Gould, Sippetts and Hollenbach were on contracts, signed early in the pre-season amid fanfares, and then along came some real quality, presumably with us on Ryman League forms.

 

There is no doubt that we have seen one of the best squads, on paper, in recent years. 3rd or 4th is hardly 'under-achieving', but what might have been? This was a season when all the other teams stood back and said "O.K. Saints. Off you go" and, in the end, we didn't. A number of the results perhaps, but, certainly, some of the performances have been shocking.

 

We have lost 12 games this season and I don't think that we wuz robbed in more than 1.

 

The departrure of Roberts? He clearly err... err... blotted his copybook and the immediate effect was a win over Aldershot. Since then, I can't work out what 's going on with Cookie, Shrek and Castle. Steve Castle is dominating the white square bit outside the dug-out thing during matches and on that basis, I don't believe that he sits and says nothing in the changing room before the game and at half-time. That's been the case for the last 8 games.

 

It's a bit like my view of the situation in Iraq, CZ. Thank goodness those in charge know exactly what they are doing and have it all under control.

[MK James]

 

I'm sure your team is much better than the one I saw draw 0-0 with us in February, though I've got to say Bedford(they were excellent going forward) and Hayes have been the best I've seen this season.

 

Sutton weren't anything special, I'd say the quality of this league has dropped a lot from 3-4 years ago.

[Colin Zeal EFM]

So... any word on this End Of Season Party??

 

Who's doing the disco??

 

 

[AFF]

Typical CZ, typical.

 

No "Great, I'll make sure that the entire Firm is there". Nor " A great night to demonstrate support for t'lads of the Mighty Saints". Not even "Let's get behind the club to make it a great 03/04".

 

No. None of that. Rather "Who's doing the disco?".

 

I've heard that it's either Fat Boy Slim or Boy George but it's yet to be confirmed. Who cares. Ibiza and The Ministry of Sound it isn't.

 

 

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

I feel this club still has a degree of professionalism to embrace - If Aldershot or Canvey lost their 1st choice keeper they'd get someone good in on loan, not a mate who'd spent a year in Australia not goalkeeping. Would Aldershot and Canvey allow their midfield general (Castle) to vanish for 2 months to a phantom job (did anyone actually find out what was going on there).

 

To be honest I think we should of kept Townley, it was strange to ditch Hollenbeach a week after Smith was injured for the season (left winger and all that) and Sippetts. Hamid Barr was only on trail, but now he's at Tonbridge Angels surely he'd come back.

 

I think 3rd will be alright this season - Lets see if we can go through next season with the same manager for only the 4th time in a decade.

As for other teams - Canvey and Maidenhead were the two teams that impressed me this season, I wonder if we'll see the real Aldershot on Saturday. Bedford we're good away but we out-played them at home with 10 men, Hayes we outplayed by us away until they had 2 quick goals then were all over us, and we dominated the home game.

[Laz]

No word on the disco yet, Zealster!