Monday 25th

[Enfield United]

Originally Posted By: OldTowner

And by the way, I pay my money to watch ETFC and memberships as well and I take defeat personally too, I dont need a tattoo to get wound up though. However I will not resort to kicking guys with good intentions when they are down and expect them to work for me when the going gets good


We all pay our money / Membership / Season Ticket etc etc.
We all have different ways of showing our frustration.
I thought the outburst during the second half was just that - an outburst of frustration.

However, I found the chanting for JC etc pathetic, from guys that called for his head a few months ago.

Supporters will over time show their true feelings with their non attendence and therefore the Club will suffer with a lack of funds.
Lack of funds = lack of good Players = poor form = no points, etc.

The "quality" of the performances in pre-season and the first few games has been poor and many supporters have asked why certain players have been selected.
Why can the Club / Management not find a centre half ?
Why can the Club / Management not find a centre forward ?
Is it all about finance / lack of finance ?

I am the first to say that "something" needs to be done in terms of the quality of Players brought into the team OR the selection / appointment of the Management Team running that team, BUT no teams are relegated during August and September !!

I can not disagree with your views they are stable and constructive. However like you have said we are yet into September, the board who we elected have made the appointment on our behalf of Margonis/Lee/Smee, they need to be encouraged (I state again), but I feel that if we are dignified then we are giving them every opportunity, but if by the end of September results and performances have not improved then we need a plan B.

Our next league games are against Tilbury + Cheshunt who have had good starts and then against Hillingdon + Chatham who have had similar starts to us.

These four league games will give the management a chance to improve the performances against tilbury and cheshunt and pick up some points against hillingdon and chatham. If neither materialise then as calm and level headed as I am, I would be looking to make some drastic changes.

We are right to expect better and an improvement.

[Jim Cunneen]

In answer to an earlier question....

 

We have now gone 307 minutes without scoring - our worst ever 1s 358 in 2002 in all games and 374 in league games in 2005...

 

We have now gone 8 home league games without a win which is our worst and 6 league games (h/a)which equals our worst....

 

jim

[Steph]

Many posters have suggested that the problem lies in defence. I do not agree as it seems to me that there are bigger problems further up the pitch.

 

When we lose possession in midfield or in attack we are incapable of getting it back until the back four sort it out (or fail to sort it out). We need a stopper in the middle of the park and Rio does not fulfil that role.

 

Posters have suggested that we improved late on in the Leyton game as we did. So what happened. Rio came out of midfield and dropped into the back four. Max was able then to play the constructive stopping role that we lacked. People are wrong when they say that Max lacks the presence in order to pay regularly. He demonstrated on Monday his passion and tackling ability. Stuart should play him from the beginning next Saturday.

 

I also believe that the MOTM match on Monday was Simon Tickner. Dave Allen should have played the full 90 mins and Rio is not worth his place. I cannot understand why the management persist with this player as it seems to me that every time he is on the team sheet (He is an everpresent in competitive games this season so far) we are playing with ten men against 11.

[OldTowner]

Steph,

Agree with some of your comments, but not regarding the defence.

 

All good teams start to build from the back.

Keeper and back 3,4 or 5 whatever, must be a strong unit which builds confidence in the rest of the side.

 

Once you have that right you work on midfield ( agree about the ball winner / stopper etc ) then the forwards.

 

It is also a case of defending from the front - ie forwards closing down the opposition defence to assist the midfield.

 

So far this season ( pre and actual ) we do not appear to have the Players on the pitch to do any of the above.

[The Invisible Man]

Obviously I am not in a position to comment on team selection, tactics or performances, but equally obviously the first four games are deeply worrying. This is more than a 'poor start' that needs a bit of time for the team to gel, 2-2, 0-4, 0-3 and 0-4 is an appalling start! My spies report that we have been astonishingly inept in all departments.

 

I therefore agree that there must be signs of a change in the next few games, we cannot leave it to carry on like this for too long or we will indeed be relegated. The record of the management is not good, I understand.

 

I am also not happy that a spectator, a paying customer, appears to have been ejected for doing what football fans often do, that is give voice to his opinions and frustrations. Provided there was no foul or offensive language involved, it is intolerable for stewards or others to impose their own idea of censorship, however much some may wish everyone to blindly 'get behind the team' and so on. If that's what you think, just outshout and outsing those who you disagree with.

[Father Jack]

Originally Posted By: The Invisible Man

Provided there was no foul or offensive language involved,

There was

[big guy]

agreed with you invisible man its a free country freedom of speach i didnot hear any f ing or blinding but what a lot of people thought

[lovely stuff]

Its fairly obvious,even at this early stage,that some of the players brought in by the new management are 'duds'.Maybe it would be too harsh to say its fairly obvious that the new management team are duds as well.But that what it looks like at the moment.

 

we finished mid table last season.As that wasn't acceptable for a club with our ambition,we sacked the manager and got rid of a lot of the players..I think someone forgot the rule that you have to replace the management and players with BETTER management and players,IF you want to finish higher in the league the next season.

[OldTowner]

Originally Posted By: The Invisible Man

I therefore agree that there must be signs of a change in the next few games, we cannot leave it to carry on like this for too long or we will indeed be relegated. The record of the management is not good, I understand.

The recent track record of the NEW Management team is totally unacceptable.
The track record of these guys over recent seasons has been poor / relegation level.
So, dear Members of the Board, why did you appoint them ?

Perhaps the Board Members have lower "acceptance level" than the Supporters of this Club. Then again, who's Club is it ?

[Enfield United]

Originally Posted By: The Invisible Man

Obviously I am not in a position to comment on team selection, tactics or performances, but equally obviously the first four games are deeply worrying. This is more than a 'poor start' that needs a bit of time for the team to gel, 2-2, 0-4, 0-3 and 0-4 is an appalling start! My spies report that we have been astonishingly inept in all departments.

I therefore agree that there must be signs of a change in the next few games, we cannot leave it to carry on like this for too long or we will indeed be relegated. The record of the management is not good, I understand.

I am also not happy that a spectator, a paying customer, appears to have been ejected for doing what football fans often do, that is give voice to his opinions and frustrations. Provided there was no foul or offensive language involved, it is intolerable for stewards or others to impose their own idea of censorship, however much some may wish everyone to blindly 'get behind the team' and so on. If that's what you think, just outshout and outsing those who you disagree with.

I was at the game and sitting afar from the ONE guy shouting out anti ETFC comments. I was also with my 3 kids. Whether he is a paying punter/member of the board/or Royalty our club does not need to hear the sh1te he was coming out with and nor do my kids. I praise and congratulate the ejection whole heartedly and by doing so that gentleman my re-view his actions and try to come back into line to back whoever dons the ETFC shirt to do better.

Yes Max did very well when he came on and would seem to offer a lot more than Rio on his substitutes performance on Monday.

Ticnkner was ok on Monday but for some reason chooses to continuosly try to play a crossfield 40-50-60 yard ball from defence, this did wind me up somewhat, but hey if thats what he has been told to do then he'll just have to get on with it, however I think just 1-2 made it to his designated target man.

Gant or Allen should have been partnering Tinckner with Campbell in at Right back or R/Midfield, Crace up front with Hahn playing off him, Bastian on the left and Rudi (our best player in my view on Monday) in the usual role.

But lay off the managers, dont boo the players, everything must be positive to the hilt and if after a short period of time now nothing improves then even my calm self will challenge the board to take action, but I'm a footballing man and know that sometimes people need a good chance to show what they can do (or what they cant do) until then, YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU.

[Duke of York]

Originally Posted By: OldTowner

Perhaps the Board Members have lower "acceptance level" than the Supporters of this Club.

To quote a member of the board writing in Monday's programme "Our aim this season is a play-off place".

Aiming for a play-off position is negative for starters! Of course the board need to have realistic aspirations but they must insist that the target is the top spot at the end of the season and not the lottery of the play-offs.

[Enfield United]

Originally Posted By: Duke of York

Originally Posted By: OldTowner

Perhaps the Board Members have lower "acceptance level" than the Supporters of this Club.

To quote a member of the board writing in Monday's programme "Our aim this season is a play-off place".

Aiming for a play-off position is negative for starters! Of course the board need to have realistic aspirations but they must insist that the target is the top spot at the end of the season and not the lottery of the play-offs.

I think that 'targetting' a play-off place is fair enough, there are 20+ teams vying for top spot, its a battle and fight to get every point to better ourselves week after week, we should not have the god given right to think that this seasons league is a weak one (as some pre-seasoners forecasted)but need to get as many points as possible to be in touching distance of top spot with 6-7 games to go, things can go better or as at present worse, sorry if i'm stating the blatant obvious but i'm realistic as well.

[Duke of York]

In any of Town

[Enfield United]

Yes I agree with the Dartford, B'Wood and Hornchurch scenario's, however, all you need is one team to prepare very well and have some luck on the way and your/we are not gonna be top spotters, it's a shame that we don't seem to have ourselves well co-ordinated at present, to put it mildly. But like i've said in the other threads this is a very difficult period and a new experience that our young club needs to tackle, with dignity and constructive opinions time will sort it out one way or the other. I don't have a doubt that we'll stay up in this division, I do have a doubt that the current management will still be in charge at the end of the season, but I hope they can turn things round.

[lovely stuff]

we'll no doubt get out fingers out and improve enough thoughout the season to finish in mid-table..Unfortunately,that is nowhere near good enough for this club.

[OldTowner]

Originally Posted By: lovely stuff

we'll no doubt get out fingers out and improve enough thoughout the season to finish in mid-table..Unfortunately,that is nowhere near good enough for this club.

Perhaps, just perhaps.....
The expectations of all Town supporters ( including me ) is just a little too high for a Club that is just 7 years old. There are Clubs over 100 years old who play at a lower level than ETFC.

[Barney]

I think that there's a lot of truth in that, OldTowner. To have achieved what we have in such a short existance is a credit to the hard work of everyone involved in the club. Perhaps we've been a little spoiled in this respect, and subsequently we expect more than perhaps we should. Maybe we should be a bit more realistic in our goals for the season - there's nothing wrong with wanting to finish top, but it shouldn't be considered a complete disaster if we don't make the play-offs, especially after a change in management. That said, what we've seen so far is clearly way short of what we should be aiming for.

 

Every club goes through difficult times, and it's important that we continue to be supportive to help us through this sticky patch as quickly as possible. I understand people's frustration, and I appreciate that we all want to see us play better than we have been, but I think that we'd be better off trying to keep any criticism contructive than to call for the management team / board to go after just a handful of games.

 

Just my views, I'm sure that there will be plenty of people who don't agree...

[Enfield United]

LS, OT and Barney, I praise your most recent comments on this thread, which deserve a drink on me, as this is the tone of realistic, stable and constructive fans.

 

However the current form I accept is not good enough, yes, we've had a change of manager which SHOULD be taking us on and up to the next level, at presnt it does not look likely.

 

But as fans/members etc we certainly will not put up with the risk of going backwards whether 7yrs old or 100yrs old, we own our club and will make sure our standards go up and not down.

[waggamick]

"A rebuilding phase" is the term struggling clubs use over here.

Most of the top AFL clubs think of success in 7 year cycles...7years to build up a club to Premiership contenders...a couple of years at the top...then a reasonably rapid decline followed by "a rebuilding phase".

Admittedly we use a draft and transfer system rather than an Open Transfer System.