Ramsgate 1 Billericay 0

[Adam.S]

Originally Posted By: The Town Crier

Who was it that said:

No team in our division can out football us. Our players are more than happy to be playing the likes of Dover and Staines. The same last season when we played Chelmsford and AFC Wimbledon. Give us a bit of space and time and we will show you slick passing, tricks and flicks. But put us in-front of a hard working, good spirited, physical side and we struggle.

Oh yeah, it was me about 6 weeks ago...Horsham, Dover Ramsgate?

Thats the thing TC, the team/supporters as a club are not going to get anywhere if we can't compete against hard working and physical sides. Chelmsford/Wimbledon are 2 teams, likewise Staines and Dover are 2 teams out of 22.

More and more teams in this league are becoming physical because it is a physical sport, it's not just about the Neat tricks and nice passing and our team just cannot compete with these physical teams because we are not a physical side..

There are times where we always look afraid to go in and challenge for the ball, or win the headers.

[Bluetone]

It's being able to adapt to the oppostion put in front of you, we clearly aren't able to do that. Chelmsford, Wombles, Staines, Dover all play a passing game, but all are successful because they can mix it with the so called more physical teams. That I'm afraid comes down to tactics which in turn comes from the Management Team and there getting it wrong and my personal opionion (which will probably be deleted) is that I think they've had there time now and should go before we are staring relegation in the face. We've got most of the injured players back now (I don't count Game and Cole as both were always gambles on being fit this season) and they've run out of excuses.

[Patriot]

Awful game watching our awful team struggle against an equally awful team peppered by awful player decisions across the pitch resulting in an awful result for our now 'R' threatened team!

 

Why the hell are we going to places like Ramsgate and settling for a point? We should have made changes earlier as the performance was going nowhere, yet we wait until they score to finally bring on Bradley. Has anyone told the management team that 1 point earnt away when we can't win at home will not stop us being sucked into relegation??

 

The only saving grace for the team is that at least the fans still have a bit of fight left inside them. The whole turgid afternoon of football was still not enough to dampen the spirits of our travelling fans with outbreak of hostilities amongst them. I would like to think that some of this red bloodied fighting spirit could be transferred to the team on match day but I wont hold my breath!!!

 

 

[GazzaBTFC]

That is a nice way to put it Patriot.

 

My take on the afternoon (and this is my opinion) is that we didn't play that badly...we just couldn't find the net. Our forwards again, didn't score. How many times did we have a shot in the box and we skied it? Too many times...and there is where the frustration lies. Does the management have to teach 'em to take their chances? IMO, no. But we appear to lack confiedence in front of goal (something that I thought wouldn't be a problem after the Dover cup game).

 

As for Bluetone...you have your opinion and are right to post it but the matter stands that it isn't just a matter of "they should go", more that, what happens if they do? Things could improve or things may not. If the latter, you're all calling for the new lot to be replaced. Like I said before, Alex Ferguson nearly took Manchester United into relegation in his first full season...

 

[GazzaBTFC]

Can I just clarify my point of "not playing badly". I thought we played better than Ramsgate...

[Adam.S]

But then you could argue with the question of things could improve and the might not improve by saying... Can a new manager do any worse?

 

Obviously that is going to be a question which no-one has the answer to.

 

However what i did notice whilst we were leaving the ground.. Is that as all the players stayed on the pitch to do their stretches, Joe Flack walked back to the dressing room by himself..

 

Could there be a split in the dressing room?

 

Again I guess no-one will ever know that except for players and managers.

 

Anyways, I suppose it's off to Ruislip tomorrow. See what happens there.

[Bluetone]

I didn't think we had that many more shots than them, Tucker had to make a couple of good saves where as I mentioned earlier their keeper only had to deal with a gentle pass back from Wayne, shots on target are what matters. As for the comparisons with a certain knight of the relm, how long do you give them to turn it around? Wait to get relegated then give them next season to sort it out? I missed the Dover game so the last handful of performances I've seen have been the worst since I started watching the club over 5 years ago and would love to be proved wrong by the current set up but won't hold my breath.

[The Town Crier]

 

 

Can I also clarify that we didn't go there for a point, it was the same starting 11 and shape that played Dover.

And to be honest, if Joe, Billy, Fergie, or Wareham had been taken off, and the result was the same 0-1. Questions would have been asked as to why, so'n'so was taken off.

 

The result on it's own is not so bad, but when you group it with, Harrow, Horsham, Tooting, Clacton, Canvey, Hastings, Ashford, it's just another in a long line of poor performances.

[The Town Crier]

Originally Posted By: Bluetone

I didn't think we had that many more shots than them, Tucker had to make a couple of good saves where as I mentioned earlier their keeper only had to deal with a gentle pass back from Wayne, shots on target are what matters. As for the comparisons with a certain knight of the relm, how long do you give them to turn it around? Wait to get relegated then give them next season to sort it out? I missed the Dover game so the last handful of performances I've seen have been the worst since I started watching the club over 5 years ago and would love to be proved wrong by the current set up but won't hold my breath.

Had you seen the Dover game you wouldn

[Adam.S]

We have played worse and still won... Remembering back to the Clacton game..

 

But why are we putting on many poor performances?

 

On paper we have a very good/strong squad, yet out on the field... we give poor performances?!?!?

 

Why does this happen?

 

Ok, maybe our expectations were too high, but with the squad we have, I don't think anyone would have been expecting that we will be in a relegation battle... Or nearing it.

[Rick the Dick]

I don't think the majority of supporters have expectations that are too far removed from what the current squad should be capable of.

 

The role of management is to ensure the team performance is "greater than the sum of the parts".

 

Really good managers are capable of creating a team performance that is outstandingly greater than the sum of the individual talents.

[Patriot]

I travelled back with Flacks dad and he called Jo on way back and Jo said he had hurt his calf so was told to go straight back to changing rooms for treatment rather than warm down, nothing more sinister.

 

Acknowledge TCs comments as we did set out with the same team as Tuesday but the attitude, set up and desire was totally different. The passing flowing football of Tuesday was replaced with long hopeful balls down the wings and to the forwards with the hope that someone would be able to add a spark of genius to the afternoons entertainment. The fact the managers didn't make a change until we were one down, in my simple mind means one of two things. Either we were happy with the point or the managers don't know how to change things on the pitch to get the desired result. Not sure whats more depressing to a travelling fan??

 

I will still be travelling on Tuesday with the hope that Tuesday night fever catches on!

[Simon BTFC]

I take some (small) encouragement from hearing that Wayne had our best chance. Goals from midfield, centre mid in particular, have been conspicuous by their absence this season (Shave 2, Smith and Deane 1 each and none from Dormer and Hunter).

 

We were talking about the goal contribution of Dormer and Hunter at the Dover game and it's been in decline for a few seasons now.

 

If you go back to the 2005/06 season, Dormer, Hunter and Game contributed 19 goals (including half a dozen pens from Leon).

 

It's easy to see why our midfielders are not contributing goals, they never get in the box. I think Horsham was the best example of this - time and again balls were getting played into the box and Flack was the only one within 20 metres.

 

So what do we need to do to address this? Well I've long been of the opinion that we need to employ a specialist holding midfield player to allow the attacking players to get forward without having to worry too much about leaving the back 4 exposed. Heffer has played in that role twice since Christmas (AFC Hornchurch and Sutton) and we won both times. If he plays in front of the back 4, we can then tell the other centre mid player to get in the box as much as possible.

[brucie]

sounds like you should send in your CV!

[PAUL B]

Wise words indeed from the Gazza & co - BTFC are just one of many of 'life's great mysteries' & we'll probably never find the answer.

Goin back to the 'physical' sides comment I believe that MAYBE (& I know he's not flavour of the month !) Shavey will help on that front - I'd go as far to say that we could possibly do with a couple of 'Shavey-type' players.

As you say, we've got the skilful players & can play nice football (when we don't hoof the high ball forward !) but the BEST/ SUCCESSFUL teams mostly have a compliment 'physical' players (lights blue touch-paper).

Now pass the Hamlet cigar & ponder the future..............

[The Town Crier]

When we began this season we thought Macca, Game'O and Dormer would be ever present, What a miss they

[Localfan]

"As frustrated and disappointed as I am (can you tell ) I don't for one second believe our players don't try, It's just that if we are missing key players in certain games then we're going to struggle, and due to the current financial climate we aren