Bigglesfade

[kevchenko]

A very entertaining 1st half with Ashford having the edge and Mark Bitmead particularly impressive with several driving runs from midfield...

The visitors missed two golden chances with a mis-hit shot straight at Macca and another clipping the outside of the post......Kofi hit a powerful volley which the keeper did brilliantly to palm away and a long range effort from out wide on the right from Ashley was very well kept out with a full length dive at the near post........

We had a good few corners but delivery let us down...

 

We were still stuck in the dressing room it seemed when Biggleswade scored on 46 mins, poor defending saw the ball arrive to a player with his back to goal on the edge of the six yard box, it bounced up and he turned and struck it past Macca at the near post...........

We could have equalised within a couple of mins the ball sat up nicely for Kofi 10 yards out and he should really have hit the target but blazed over........

 

After that we never got going and were 2-0 down on 69mins when the number 8 went unchallenged through 3 or 4 players in the middle, played a lovely ball out to the left wing and an inch perfect cross was headed home..........

 

We never got going at all in the second 45mins and looked a different team, the only other glimmer being a lovely left foot strike from just outside the box from Alex Duffy which the keeper tipped over the bar at full stretch.........

 

Dan worked his socks of usual but they were too well organised and strong for us and we never looked like getting back into it after the second goal........

[Swifty]

Any idea if Pitbull served the visitors his special recipe chili con carne after the game?

[SlimBoyFat]

No chilli, we rose above thing's and tried to make them welcome. I must say from my viewpoint the players and management staff were a credit to their club. Don't frequent the boardroom these days but am assured all was fine. Hope they go up for a few reasons but mainly because we can't seem to beat them.

 

SBF

[manurgrate]

In your earlier post you said it was make or break time, Kevchenko, well sadly it is the latter after today's performance. It is looking like a very disappointing season in ,lets be honest, is a falirly average standard of football. I thought that the atmosphere at Short Lane today was as flat as I can ever remember, the players, management and supporters have got so used to us losing that nobody seems that bothered anymore.

 

At the end of the match, Dan and I were talking about the weather and the state of the England- Wales rugby match, the conversation in the bar was about Staines, Hampton, Chelsea but not about yet another defeat by our own team.

 

I thought that we were totally outplayed today and the score flattered us, if the Biggleswade forwards had packed their shooting boots we would have lost or 4 or 5 nil.

 

Yes, I know we have a young side but they have shown that they have the ability to play well against the teams such as Woking, St Neots and St Albans and so there is no excuse for the under-par performances in other games this season. At the end of the day, this is semi pro football and some of us do pay £8 to watch it, we deserve better from our team. If Jamie Lawrence was the manager, lets be fair, all hell would have broken loose on this forum after today's performance.

 

Is it worth me spending another £8 + petrol to go to Uxbridge on Tuesday or a night in at Holby City? UMMMMMM.

[fatboyatmfc]

_.

_{Well, you are of course entitled to your opinion and thats what forums are for. Escpecially as this one if unofficial. But i would like to point out a few things about this season.}

 

_{With 4 weeks to go before the first game of the new campaign Jamie Lawrence walked out on us, leaving us with 3 players. Paul Burgess was asked to take control and i think, at the time, most people thought we would struggle to get a team together, in the time remaining, that would be able to compete at this level. The lads were thrown together and in my veiw have done us proud. Knocking St Albans out of the trophy at their place being the highlight for me. Also giving Woking a real scare and getting something at high flying St neots. Remember the total commitment shown at Woking? I accept it was in defeat, but i have never come away from a loss feeling as proud of my team as i did that night.}

 

_{What you have to realise is Jamie Lawrence had THREE times the budget as Burgo has to work with. This was money we could ill afford and as a result we are having to tighten our belts even more this year. Jamie finished 16th last season with that budget, so the fact that we are mid table is fine by me. Yes, i would love us to be up the table splashing the cash like Biggleswade, Slough or St Neots but then the club would die as a result. I think we are a couple of decent players short of a play off quality team, but we simply cant afford them.}

 

_{The people who pay their 8 quid at the gate deserve nothing more than 100% effort from the players and management. This season thats whan they have got in my opinion. Commitment to the shirt? Dan Brown or Isiah Rankin? Ashley Lodge or Luke Hickey? Jim Mann or Alain Behi.}

 

_{I am delighted with the progress made this season and if we can somehow keep these lads together(which will be success in itself) i feel we will be pushing for the play off places next season.}

_{There, thats my tuppence worth.}

Edited February 26, 2012 by fatboyatmfc

[ExCalibur]

I don't mind spending £8 to watch my team but I would appreciate the players trying to compete. We didn't tackle enough or close people down. The management need to drop players who don't perform and bring in players from the reserves or under 18's. I watched the reserves on Wednesday for 90 minutes with Samad and Josh playing right back and right midfield respectively, both these players should be given starts in the first team. Samad for his defending and passing, and Josh for his running and attacking crosses. If the first team has no competition for places they become complacent. Perry Luckins is another player I have been impressed with and he could be the next Ricky Wellard as he has good distribution. Ashley Lodge is a very good wide player but sometimes seems lost in the middle of the park. His teasing runs can open up defenses! Also another possibility is to try 3-5-2

Anyway let's hope we stay up as there aren't that many good teams in this league just average ones.

[Swifty]

Is it worth me spending another £8 + petrol to go to Uxbridge on Tuesday or a night in at Holby City? UMMMMMM.

 

Thanks to the offer of a lift by ExCaliber, I'll be there. I haven't been around due to some bad news which has knocked me sideways, but maybe I need to get back into the saddle.

 

By the way, Dan, could you turn your font setting up please, son? It's a little on the teeny side!

[fatboyatmfc]

Yeah, not sure what i did there!

Edited February 26, 2012 by fatboyatmfc
messing about

[lazarus]

Firstly I have never previously associated the word "tiny" in any sense with Fatboy!

 

I rather agree with his comments though although I don't think every player from the previous era should be tarred with the same brush. I believe that we do have the makings of a decent side on a very small budget and that even though results like yesterday are disppointing, we have generally steadied the ship and I don't agree in any way that there was any lack of effort either yesterday or in any other match. The match was very even up to half-time but it is always goals that change games and we are committing too many unforced defensive errors at the moment which is costing us. Once Biggleswade went ahead, we never really looked like pulling it back against a strong organised defence and a superb keeper who thwarted us when we did get through.

 

I don't always agree with the team selection, who does, but Paul B and his team, have my full support as they attempt to forge a squad that will be all the better for a year's experience next season.

 

Finally it was genuinely good, without anything having to be said, to return to normal friendly relations with Biggleswade, after one or two off field stormy moments in the past and we enjoyed their company in the boardroom yesterday, both before and after the match.

 

Clarky - you make sure you get off that not inconsiderable a***e and get to Uxbridge on Tuesday. I'm sure Fatboy will be willing to buy you a pint to help offset the entrance money.

[Keith B]

I had intended to get to the match yesterday for a somewhat rare visit this season and even had my tripple wrapped carrier bags ready with books for the shop to be duly transported. Sadly, the "domestics" that have pre-occupied me of late (no big deal, just an important consideration - 'terrible teens') made me decide to watch Gillette Soccer Saturday instead.

 

Sad to hear the result, but pleased that diplomacy appears to have prevailed with Biggleswade. For what it's worth (as a relative outsider), I also think that Paul B and his team have provided a very decent team at very short notice. If, as suggested, Jamie had still been in charge there would have been all hell letting loose, then IMHO quite rightly so.

 

More budget than Burgo and considerably fewer interpersonal and communication skills. I'll leave it there so I don't really say what I think of that era and the other people previously involved, who are thankfully now history. For the avoidance of doubt, I do not include Alan Cox, whose involvement is sadly missed, I am sure. True Gent.

[fatboyatmfc]

Oh! i see its me who has to buy Clarky a pint! Still anything to cheer the old bugger up!

[kevchenko]

_.

_{so the fact that we are mid table is fine by me.}

 

This it what concerns me at the moment, While we seem to have this "cozy" feel about the place this season and any criticism seems to get swept under the carpet as the lads are trying their best and we don't have the budget that the club had under Jamie we are heading perilously towards the relegation zone as the table clearly shows....

 

 

With tough away matches upcoming at Uxbridge and AFC Hayes the reality is that 2 defeats will see us in real trouble and to drop down another level would be unthinkable....

We have to adjust the mindset and fast before we end up in late season dog fight for survival.....

 

The players seem to have trouble concentrating for 90 minutes at the moment and some of general play and goals conceded recently have been very sloppy.........

 

To be honest we were all saying how bored we were in the last 15 minutes on Saturday and it was obvious we were never getting back from 2-0 down...... We walked around the ground and took the flag down from behind the goal before the final whistle, which I cant recall happening before.

 

It is time for a reality check and a wakeup call before it's too late and more fans start to drift away,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Edited February 26, 2012 by kevchenko

[Beano]

For what it's worth, my "proper" match report is online:

 

http://www.ashfordto...t/view/1805/35/

 

I'm not going to pretend I enjoyed yesterday's match because I didn't - that's part of the reason there's no post-match interview. By the time I'd filed the NLP report and updated the website (we were the first site anywhere to have the updated league table yesterday), I just wanted to chill out with a pint.

 

I'm not entirely happy with being 15th in the table, but I think given all of the circumstances surrounding the club that it is an acceptable position at this time. The team at the bottom of the table have 18 points from 30 games - that is, half the number we have. Two teams go down, but given Marlow's current defecit of nine points on the team immediately above them, never mind anyone else, it looks like one spot is already filled.

 

So, that leaves one relegation place to be taken up by someone. We have a nine point advantage over and a home game to come against Fleet, who occupy that place presently and there are a group of clubs around us with similar points tallies. With that in mind, I would say that we're probably nine points from safety.

 

When that is added to the commendable cup performances - we still have a Semi-Final and a Quarter-Final to look forward to remember - maybe we just need to accept what has been achieved to date and keep battling through together to the end of the season. Relegation might be irrelevant anyway if Bedfont Town fold!

 

That's not to say I'm complacent, but I'd rather we were 15th and "cozy" than what we had last season - on and off the park. The culture of the game has changed and it's all about instant success rather than building for the long term - look at the situation at Chelsea for an extreme example of that... Ian Holloway said in the Independent on Sunday that if Roman Abramovich had been in charge of Manchester United 20 years ago, he would have sacked Alex Ferguson. I think he's got a point, you know...

 

This is Burgo's first season, in his first job. Let's take that into account and give him some time to develop what is a really good group of players this season, then reassess further down the line.

 

If we finish say 12th in the League and the First Team win one or both cups, it's a good season, regardless of what the Reserves and Youth bring in and they're both challenging for honours.

 

In summary: it's not time to panic yet, at least not for me.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Beano