Lewes tonight

[Steph]

Why do people think that sacking the manager is going to solve problems. You sack the manager you have to recruit  a new manager who may be better but may be worse. He will certainly bring new players who may be better but may be worse.

 

We are where we are we have a management team that have not got us into trouble yet. As he wrote in the last programme 11 of our 15 fixtures, after Maidstone on Saturday, have been against top 12 clubs. Ok it can be said that they are top 12 because they got 3 points of us however we have only played Thamesmead who are a bottom 4 club and beat them, Met Police who are a place above us and beat them, Hendon who are 4 places above us and beat them. We got a point at Bury who are 8 places above us and were very lucky to get the draw we also drew with Lowestoft and beat them in the Trophy and they are 9 places above us.

 

I have to say that we have not had outstanding results against the top sides, perhaps we will get one on Saturday, but we are not relegation fodder yet. We will be if we do not have a good November and that is the time to look at the management structure not now when the ambition we set ourselves was mid-table and I believe that is where we will end up with this management team. In other words the manager is achieving what he said he would do and he was not criticised for lack of ambition by the board or the supporters when he said that.

 

Our current form is cause for  concern but no more. As a poster has said there are three points separating us from 13th place which is mid-table. If we can get a point or even three on Saturday there will be no winging on this forum. The town side to my mind is better than last season. (I was at Carshalton and saw the dross that was dished up then).

[the viewer]

Steph, i understand yr comments.

However i think Steve has had enough chances over the last 12 mths.

We were very lucky to stay up last yr. It was only bevsuse of Scott we managed it.

 

You say the team is better than last yr. Well i dont agree. Our defence is poor and our forwards not up to standard.

 

Of the games we won we were lucky to beat Met police and very lucky last Saturday.

 

It shows what the supporters are hapy to accept when they thought the team plsyed well against Bilericay.

 

As i said in my previous messsge if Steve stays its only papering over the cracks.

 

We need a new Manager now, someone who will take responsibility for the teams performances, someone who will motivate them instead of standing by the home team bench holding it up. Someone who shows some passion and someone who will drop players even if they playing badly.

 

Sometimes it seems the old favourities are in the team what ever they do. That is unacceptable to me and hopefully a lot of other supporters.

 

Please please lets have some changes or i will start to think we need changes at board level as well as they seem happy to watch our team underperform and support a manager who can no longer get the team playing to a high enough standard. Crowds are getting smaller which wil reduce our income stream.

[Barney]

Steph - very well said (as usual), we'll have a much better picture of how the side is faring this season after we have played Novembers league games. We have to be realistic (as a few people on here are doing to be fair), we're not going to play many sides off the park in this league, but there have been games this season where we've competed, but got nothing where in the corresponding fixture last season we were thrashed. To me that's progress - slow and steady progress, but with our budget, that's all that's realistic. Let's see how we get on playing some of the other sides at the wrong end of the table - they're the sides that we should be measuring ourselves against (and hopefully coming out on top).

 

It's also fascinating to see the number of posters, (some of them only recently joined/posting) that come on here after a bad run of form to put the boot in, but are conspicuous by their absence when we're on a good run and doing well. I'm not saying that people don't have the right to moan, and this forum is a good place to vent frustrations, but let's keep things constructive. In my view, it's one thing saying that if things don't improve by the start of December then we need to re-assess, but calling for immediate management changes and saying that Steve hasn't been good enough for 12 months is frankly embarrassing. He kept us in a difficult league last season, got us promoted the season before, and in my view deserves a lot more in the way of backing than he's getting on here from some people.

 

Just my two pence worth.

Edited October 24, 2013 by Barney

[CD Towner]

Agreed. Giving extra games against weaker opposition is pointless even if it brings wins and points because the cracks are there for all to see:

 

 

Weak and embarrassing at the back

 

Defenders and players constantly making mistakes and not being changed.

 

Baffling substitutions

 

Lack of tactical nouse or positive influence from the management

 

Players not playing in thier best positions i.e. Kirby, Hope, White (lol)

 

 

Any improvement is delaying the inevitable and a change is needed.

[OldTowner]

There are a few comments on here regarding the low budget.

My understanding from Steve's prog notes are that the budget has been increased over last season.

 

Well dear Supporter of a Supporters Club, if you want the Manager to have a bigger budget, support the club in every way you can, ie not just the Saturday fixture.

 

Support the Bar.

Support the Social side.

Support the Commercial side

Book Butler's for an event.

Get your work place to sponsor the Club, a match, the ball anything.

Spread the word that Town actually play football in ENFIELD.

Etc

Etc.

 

Supporters run Clubs like ours, need funding.

 

Yes, wins on the pitch and entertaining football will help, but to get that we need better players and that costs money.

 

All a bit chicken and egg really.

[the viewer]

Dear old towner if the budget is higher this year then i would have hoped we would have done better this year, which we have not despite what certain fans think.

 

If supporters want the team to go downhill then lets carry on as we are.

Steph says if we get a new manager and players doesnt mean we will get better.

What I say is we cant be much worse than we have been this season.

 

It seems that a lot of fans on here just want to stick their heads in the sand and hope for the best. I am not one of those.

 

As i said previously stated lets just get things dealt with asap and get a new manager in now. Hopefully he can bring in some better players who can actully defend or score goals and a manager who can show us all some real passion on the touchline.

 

I would thank Steve for what he has done for us over the years but let him know that unfortunately we think he has done as much as he can now and we need someone new to inspire us all.

[Barney]

I don't think we can say we've done better or worse this year compared to last until we've played at least one round of fixtures, or thereabouts. Hypothetical I know, but if we'd played 11 games against the bottom 15 teams, and were maybe sitting in upper mid table, we might argue that we were in a false position too. I'll say it again, cut the management some slack, get behind the team and we might be pleasantly surprised with how things go.

 

Here's hoping, anyway

[the viewer]

Lets hope u r right Barney. Lets give Steve the Maidstone game and the Trophy game and then look at the situation again.

 

All I can say lets not leave it too late.

[StoneCold]

Nothing like all pulling together as one and supporting OUR club!!

[Barney]

Lets hope u r right Barney. Lets give Steve the Maidstone game and the Trophy game and then look at the situation again.

 

All I can say lets not leave it too late.

Two tricky games to say the least. I'd be disappointed if we rolled over against Maidstone, but I suspect most sides in our division that come out of that game with anything would be pretty happy, so I think we need to be realistic. I'd like to see some fighting spirit and competitiveness, irrespective of the scoreline.

 

The games where we need to prove ourselves and turn things around come after Maidstone in my opinion - I accept that you (and others) probably don't share this opinion and would like wholesale changes before then, but I personally think that would be a massive mistake, and extremely premature.

[the viewer]

Barney, I feel personally that its will not be premture to release Steve after the Grays game as I think his position has become untenable. We should have gone down the route of getting a new manager last year as the teams performances for last year were very poor and i dont think he deserved to continue anyway.

[Steph]

Barney, I feel personally that its will not be premture to release Steve after the Grays game as I think his position has become untenable. We should have gone down the route of getting a new manager last year as the teams performances for last year were very poor and i dont think he deserved to continue anyway.

I agreed with you after the Carshalton debacle last year and even spoke to members of the board about a change of management but following that fixture the team bucked up, Scott came to the club (because of his friendship with Steve) and I had to admit that I was wrong. This season I have not seen a game, except perhaps Bognor, certainly not Wealdstone where one man made a difference, where I felt that we have been outplayed by a better side. It has always seemed to me that we were in with a chance of something in the games we have played. Even against Lewes we pulled a goal back at 2-0 down and the windy conditions made crosses difficult. Lewes were clearly used to the conditions and used them to the full. At half time the team pulled together and could have stolen a point - it was not impossible. Perhaps I have rose coloured glasses but rarely see in football that a change of manager makes an immediate difference in results. I repeat we are not in relegation trouble ....... yet and I see no threat of relegation this year but as I said I did last year after Carshalton.

 

Consider Sunderland - have their revolving door of managers made any difference to the success or otherwise of that club?

 

The subs against Lewes seemed to me to be a situation where the manager wanted to give some new blood and youngsters a go and they demonstrated that they have a lot to learn. I believe that when Gunz, Whitely and Elmes come into the side we will be a different team again. I do have doubts about a particular player in defence and would prefer to see Kirbs in that position but there you go to quote the Rolling Stones.

 

"You dont always get what you want"

[the viewer]

Steph, for us to just want to stave of relegation is too me not good enough.

I am not happy that all Steve seems happy with is to be a mid table side. Where is the ambition.

 

In relation to players my view is that we have more pribs than one individual in defence.

 

The goalkeeper is no longer good enough, the two full backs again not goid enough, Kirbs not good enough for midfield. Sorry to say Gunns not good eniugh in this lesgue and we are expecting to much from Hope who again has had a drop in his high standard.

 

I think we need in excess of 6 new players in this team which hopefully a new manager may bring in.

[townerboy]

welcome to the forum The Viewer. 

 

remember, the grass isn't always greener.  

[the viewer]

Townerboy, the grass may not be greener but if we carry on as we are the grass will be gone altogether and very difficult to regrow again.

[Chase Side Towner]

Anyway, tomorrow the defence definitely changes as Wild is suspended, but Joe Stevens has won his appeal. Will it be Kirby back in defence to partner our only keeper who has kept a clean sheet this season? Or will we see Dave K in with Chalky?

[Chase Side Towner]

Forgot to post the link but I'm sure most have seen it anyway

 

http://www.enfield-today.co.uk/sport.cfm?id=36790&headline=Newing%20remains%20confident%20that%20he%20can%20improve%20Town%E2%80%99s%20fortunes

[the viewer]

Well I see Steve making excuses again. He says no one would be looking at his position if the officials hadnt made bad errors. I for one dont agree as ive said before he should have gone last year. I think he was very lucky to get another year.

He says hes not going to quit but if the club have a different position well.

 

Lets hope the club do and have the guts to do the neccessary after the next two games whatever the results as if he stays on its papering over the cracks which have been present for over 12 mths now.

[Barney]

This is actually starting to get a bit boring now... New poster joins 12 days ago, and spends first 11 posts criticising the management. I think we get the point now (although possibly not the agenda/motives).

[Steph]

Barney

 

Good post