v Chippenham

[kirk]

Shame about disappointing another big home crowd, said many times should pick best team to start every game ( barring injuries ), also I feel that when we were top we should have concentrated on not losing rather than be too attack minded.You cannot be defeated if the opposition don't score.

[redwine rebel]

Clive do we really need those sort of comments, makes you sound not very nice, when really you are quite nice.

 

Don't let us forget their keeper piled off a brilliant save at the end, damn him !!!

[Reading Rebel]

Shame about disappointing another big home crowd, said many times should pick best team to start every game ( barring injuries ), also I feel that when we were top we should have concentrated on not losing rather than be too attack minded.You cannot be defeated if the opposition don't score.

 

 

So what team would you have started yesterday's game with?  

[nonleagueman]

I think with moving to a new gound and a new pitch,the early season form was as much due to us knowing our  new surroundings better than the teams we were playing rather than being a top Southern Premier team. However we do need to all stick together and see where the remaining half of the season takes us. Not a question of keep replacing players as all of them are Neil and Jon signings and we do by all accounts have a decent budget which is supposedly one of teh best in the league. Let's hope for a positive response at St Neots. COYR

[Stuntman Mark]

I do agree with a lot of the comments on the match, especially about the second half which was a shocker from our perspective. However, lets not throw the towel in just yet, there are plenty of points still on offer if we all pull together. 

[Reading Rebel]

Obviously disappointed with the result but lets not forget that it was a very even game against a very good Chippenham team and if we had taken one or two of our first half chances we would now be saying something very different.

[Mr Rebel]

Obviously disappointed with the result but lets not forget that it was a very even game against a very good Chippenham team and if we had taken one or two of our first half chances we would now be saying something very different.

 

Totally agree but unfortunately it was the exact same story vs Hitchin and Chesham at home. Makes yesterday sting even more 

[Sir Rebel1965]

Clive do we really need those sort of comments, makes you sound not very nice, when really you are quite nice.

 

Don't let us forget their keeper piled off a brilliant save at the end, damn him !!!

The only save of that half!

 

Pay my money, have my say.

[HEAVY TRUCKER]

dobsons substitution at half time seemed to be the changing point, we seemed to lose the belief in the last third, perhaps a few more shots from further out might have been the way, instead of always trying to walk the ball in close before loosing off a shot , can't really put my finger on what is happening but we really need to sort it out.

[redwine rebel]

Yes Clive I didn't say you couldn't just asking you to give constructive, helpful comments rather than ones that arnt nice.

[rebelbrewer]

The only save of that half!

 

Pay my money, have my say.

One of 2 saves to be fair - one from Charlie's deflected shot onto the bar, one from Floodie's effort down to the keeper's left.

 

I missed the first 20 mins so am going on reports from my son and Horsham Rebel's magnificent photos (I have camera envy!)

 

By all accounts our domination of the first 20 mins was the strongest period of domination of the whole match. The rest of the 2nd half was even and they shaded the second half but it was scrappy (to be fair to them because that was their game plan - I have rarely seen a teaam work so hard as they did second half - any Slough player with the ball was immediately surrounded by 3 or 4 Chippenham players) so overall perhaps a draw would have been a fair result but they did score and a man was free in the box which we never were in theirs.

 

As others have said, if you had offered me the new ground opening and challenging for a play-off place at this stage I'd have taken it - it's just the recent form that's worrying.

 

We all pay and can have our say, I have a somewhat old fashioned view that support primarily means encouragement though. The team are going through a tough patch and I'd rather cheer them on extra hard than be over critical...from what I see they're all trying really hard - and part of the issue on Saturday was that literally nothing was dropping for them (compare Chesham's second goal rebounding straight from Mark's save into the Chesham forward and Chippenham's clearance off the line into the goalie's hands..) so I for one will step up my encouragement.

 

My criticism will try to be constructive. I do want to see more resilience at the back, I'd like to encourage the central defenders to return to their early season form - particularly as they are likely to be a man down for 3 games. I'd like to see the forwards be as incisive as they were against Bogner and Maidenhead - so I'll say come on, you can do it, because you did it then.

 

I coach in another sport - athletics - and I know how tough it is to pick a team up after they've not given off their best.I suspect several of the current squad are their own worst critics, so I'll start by encouraging Neil and Jon..."you've built a team that has taken us from successive failures to get promoted to the Premier Division to one that is within sight of National League football for the first time since 1998...keep going. Your determination to empower the players to deliver, your openness and honesty in appraising your own and the team's performance, your willingness to engage with supporters on here and via social media is all to be applauded...keep going!"

 

An athlete I was team managing recently was under the weather and after 2 laps of a hard cross country course was ready to pull out as he drifted back through the field...to have shouted "what the hell are you doing back here?" as some coaches do would have been counter productive so we just asked him for "one more big effort" he responded and picked up 10 places in the last 3 km - a major part of the reason that we finished 2nd on the day and lead our division with one fixture to go. I kinda feel that's where we are now...in need of one more big effort, from the managers to pick the team up and devise strategies for the tough games to come, from the players in finding the form they showed as recently as last Tuesday (and pretty much all the way to Christmas) and from the supporters by supporting - not in unquestioning, blind allegiance but being predominantly encouraging and constructive.)

[Reading Rebel]

Excellent post rebelbrewer!!

[redwine rebel]

Rebelbrewer you could become one of my favourites ! Xxx

[3spirit]

I know I'm a bit late posting, and I'm not looking to stir up old wounds but one thing I think has been over looked on this discussion is that Chippenham were a very good, well organised side.

Their number 5 and Captain in particular, marshalled their defence well. I thought he was the Man Of The Match.

 

To be honest, they outbattled us on the day and deserved the win. They certainly wasn't an easy side to break down, regardless of the personnel we had on the pitch.

With Dobbo staying on or Gurkhan playing, we still might not have got anything from that game, as Chippenham showed they are no mugs, and protected their slender lead well.

 

Their game plan worked out a treat but it was only 0-1 defeat. There's no need to panic because we're down to 6th place. Our squad or managers haven't turned into bad ones on the back of this result.

[redwine rebel]

Bloody hell Stuart have to agree with you !

[3spirit]

Bloody hell Stuart have to agree with you !

 

Miracles can happen, Sue ! ha ha !

[Reading Rebel]

I know I'm a bit late posting, and I'm not looking to stir up old wounds but one thing I think has been over looked on this discussion is that Chippenham were a very good, well organised side.

Their number 5 and Captain in particular, marshalled their defence well. I thought he was the Man Of The Match.

 

To be honest, they outbattled us on the day and deserved the win. They certainly wasn't an easy side to break down, regardless of the personnel we had on the pitch.

With Dobbo staying on or Gurkhan playing, we still might not have got anything from that game, as Chippenham showed they are no mugs, and protected their slender lead well.

 

Their game plan worked out a treat but it was only 0-1 defeat. There's no need to panic because we're down to 6th place. Our squad or managers haven't turned into bad ones on the back of this result.

 

 

You must have missed it 3spirit but it has been mentioned on this thread that Chippenham were a very good side.