Harrow Borough v Enfield Town

[3spirit]

I really did not see that coming after our first half performance which was bright and positive. We just lacked the finishing touch (again). The second half was atrocious. A rare mistake from Joe Wright for the first goal but after that the team folded completely.

 

I fail to see what Bradley Wadkins is offering the team currently? He missed 2 guilt edged chances along with Ryan Blake who should also have scored.

 

Towards the end it appeared that we were so disjointed it was far too easy for HB. Another 10 minutes and I have no doubt it would have gone on to become 6 or 7.

 

Positives? Not many although Aaron Greene again looked assured at left back.

 

It's funny you mention Brad Wadkins and Ryan Blake.  When they were both playing for Chesham under Andy Leese, they were both recognised as quality players, and were very much sought after by other clubs.

The trouble is, players get injuries and get older and lose their edge, and time catches up with them.

 

I was hoping for big things from Brad for Slough this season. He started the season well but seemed to lose focus and enthusiasm, with what our managers wanted him to do.

He has been carrying an injury but I wonder if he's got a mental issue about it, thus affecting his game and holding him back from being the class footballer he can be.

 

I think Andy Leese will change players, if he cannot get them back to their former glories.

I think Enfield fans will need to be patient on this, this season.  

 

Although a 5-0 drubbing to any side is galling, because of Enfield's indifferent form, it's hardly shocking.

What will be more worrying, is the lack of fight, consdering Harrow are hardly the best team in town.

Ryan Blake will score goals and create opportunities. Is he really the player to blame for this defeat?

 

I would be looking at other areas in your team, to see why goals came to Harrow so readily.

[4wembleyfinals]

Oh dear MbB,  your quite right but many of us still have a nostalgia for the past and do not shy away from the fact that we also supported the "E's"from which ETFC blossomed. However, you obviously have a acute dislike for owner financed clubs. May I remind you that ETFC was reorganised in the main by Board members who served their apprenticeship within such a system. Should we hold that against them.

 

I sympathise with your general view CD but can't comment on what went on, as again I could not be there. As MbB says we have stayed (just) within this league and had another cup run. Although I understand from what has been said that our budget commitments ate up any financial benefit. I was also under the impression we were told that the managers ambition was to be at least mid-table and that by the end of the season we should have the nucleus of a squad going forward to next year. With a fair proportion of the team still in place since the beginning does that mean they will form part of the nucleus of next years team. If so who is throwing money away.

 

IT was interesting to read 3Spirits comments especially his remarks about AL making changes. I hope he is proved right but the manager will have to widen his horizons for new players beyond the "Old Southern League". There are plenty of good young players out there but he must be willing to give them a try. I say this as a very OAP. There is an age limit when a player's ability begins to leaves him quickly, mine came in 1967 at age 30 and I retired to watch Enfield FC on a more regularly. 

Edited April 3, 2018 by 4wembleyfinals

[CD Towner]

I’m not blaming the management for players performance necessarily and I don’t dispute that at the time certain signings may have been regarded as a positive signing (and may still yet become so). My issue with the management is the apparent acceptance and tolerance of poor performances by those players by then picking the same players week after week. It appears to be a stubbornness to address it. Would Mark Kirby had been so easily released had he been with Chesham the past few seasons? Would lacklustre performances in attack have been accepted so regularly earlier in the season if they were from players AL didn’t trust so well?

 

We may well be creeping back in to the Southern vs Bostik argument again but I think it is a valid one. I’m unable to make Thursdays match but I expect there to be changes in the team, we shall see if there are though.

[4wembleyfinals]

Again I agree CD. Nor am I blaming the players because if picked one must accept they play as best they can. But it does appear that management has a blind spot when comes to recognising whether certain players still have the ability to play at this level. It seems they continue to be judged on what they were able to do in the past.

 

Of course a loyalty to some previous working relationships is hard to disregard, but that is regrettably part of being a manager, in any form of life. 

 

However, I don't think that it is purely a matter of Southern v Bostic but rather than an apparent inability to accept that the Non-League has a much wider horizon than those two leagues. There are plenty of good players, with ability, playing at lower levels, at little or no cost, if you are willing to find them instead of ex 3/4 div. players who never made the grade and are now past their prime.

 

The next few games will prove tough but no doubt interesting.  As I said several months ago "it's going to be a bumpy ride."!!!

Edited April 3, 2018 by 4wembleyfinals

[Theodopolous]

Funny how the recent signings ... Mitchell king .. Johnson... Wadkins... Campbell ...and more ...were all described as good additions by the club and a number of forum members are now not good enough... maybe our judgement is not that good either or maybe these players are good enough but the manager is not getting the best out of them through tactics and motivation....

[CD Towner]

Just to be clear, I am not necessarily saying that these additions are not good enough but I am saying that if any player is not performing, they should not have a divine right to play every week regardless of performance levels and perhaps other squad members should be given an opportunity.

[Theodopolous]

I heard AL saying he had eight players unavailable for the Brightlingsea game I take it that Jack was one of them.... I look at our team and think there is not much wrong with the players and we certainly should not be losing 5-0 Ito a team like HB...I was pleased to see Tyler return but he just seems lost on the pitch ....I would love to have an inside the dressing room view of team spirit and tactics etc .... to me the playing staff has improved but not the results so something is seriously wrong...

[4wembleyfinals]

I think you have got something there Theo. Regarding your comment on the number of missing players, I wondered months ago about what happened on the training ground and the apparent lack of many player's fitness. I still believe that this,together with player's above a certain age, is a well known contributing factor to recurrent injuries. Hence I cry out for a younger better trained squad. This may mean finding a new coach with more modern ideas. 

 

We can only hope that by next season some of our concerns are dealt with. However, it still will not guarantee success but I think it would be in the right direction. Other clubs will be trying to improve at the same time especially with the advent of the new league system.

 

But it good that we tend to agree a lot more now, especially after the spats we use to have earlier. Once of us must be mellowing!!!!

Edited April 3, 2018 by 4wembleyfinals

[Theodopolous]

4wembleyfinals said

But it good that we tend to agree a lot more now, especially after the spats we use to have earlier. Once of us must be mellowing!!!!

 

 

You were very quick to voice your dissatisfaction on our managers appointment whereas I was willing to give him a season to prove himself but now as the season is concluding I find myself thinking along your lines and worried that next season is going to be much the same as this one... where as a lot of your early season comments have proved to be correct I do think giving them time considering the dire starting point they had was the right thing to do....

The most surprising thing I find is we have a top defender coaching us yet the defence seems all over the place ...

[andyetfc]

Oh dear MbB,  your quite right but many of us still have a nostalgia for the past and do not shy away from the fact that we also supported the "E's"from which ETFC blossomed. However, you obviously have a acute dislike for owner financed clubs. May I remind you that ETFC was reorganised in the main by Board members who served their apprenticeship within such a system. Should we hold that against them.

 

I sympathise with your general view CD but can't comment on what went on, as again I could not be there. As MbB says we have stayed (just) within this league and had another cup run. Although I understand from what has been said that our budget commitments ate up any financial benefit. I was also under the impression we were told that the managers ambition was to be at least mid-table and that by the end of the season we should have the nucleus of a squad going forward to next year. With a fair proportion of the team still in place since the beginning does that mean they will form part of the nucleus of next years team. If so who is throwing money away.

 

IT was interesting to read 3Spirits comments especially his remarks about AL making changes. I hope he is proved right but the manager will have to widen his horizons for new players beyond the "Old Southern League". There are plenty of good young players out there but he must be willing to give them a try. I say this as a very OAP. There is an age limit when a player's ability begins to leaves him quickly, mine came in 1967 at age 30 and I retired to watch Enfield FC on a more regularly.

 

Your comment about board members serving their apprenticeship within a system is not strictly true so I don't know where you got that information from.

[4wembleyfinals]

Andy, I got my information by knowing those who go back to Tommy Unwin and Lazar.... days. If you were around then you would know them too.

 

You not only have miss quoted me out of context, which almost suggests a journalistic background, but you seem to have missed my point as I also wrote " should we hold that against them."  My meaning being that because some of them had a background within a club which were financed by a single owners doesn't exclude them. I said that to MbB because he seems to always have particular bias against such clubs  

 

 

Also to quote your phrase " it is not strictly true" doesn't help your case as it's use infers that some of what I said is true.

 

Again Theo makes another interesting point about the coaching of the defence. Young players need to taught new methods.

 

Unfortunately the newly adopted coaching methods have left many current coaches in this country out of date. An EUFA "B" badge is like a degree in sporting science and and "A" Badge like a Masters. That is why so many ex-professional in this country find them hard to achieve.

 

( Please AndyE don't challenge me on this too. Best if you do your own research, because you will find this true as well) Sorry to sound such a bore.

Edited April 3, 2018 by 4wembleyfinals

[andyetfc]

Andy, I got my information by knowing those who go back to Tommy Unwin and Lazar.... days. If you were around then you would know them too.

 

You not only have miss quoted me out of context, which almost suggests a journalistic background, but you seem to have missed my point as I also wrote " should we hold that against them."  My meaning being that because some of them had a background within a club which were financed by a single owners doesn't exclude them. I said that to MbB because he seems to always have particular bias against such clubs  

 

 

Also to also to quote your phrase " it is not strictly true" doesn't help your case as it's use infers that some of what I said is true.

 

Again Theo makes another interesting point about the coaching of the defence. Young players need to taught new methods.

 

Unfortunately the newly adopted coaching methods have left many current coaches in this country out of date. An EUFA "B" badge is like a degree in sporting science and and "A" Badge like a Masters. That is why so many ex-professional in this country find them hard to achieve.

 

( Please AndyE don't challenge me on this too. Best if you do your own research, because you will find this true as well) Sorry to sound such a bore.

I was a board member from the start for some five years and had nothing to do with the EFC business. Neither did quite a few board members at the time.

[4wembleyfinals]

Andy, I don't know what you are trying to prove because you obviously are reading my original submission completely out of context. Who mentioned business? I qualified my remarks by saying " in the main by Board members" etc. If you get hold of a 1990's Season ticket in it you will see at least 4 if not more members names who you should recognise as being in at you beginning. Now please lets stop being pedantic and concentrate on the football.  

 

I'm glad that you have done your bit for the club let's leave it at that.

[Castorman]

So...who’s looking forward to the game Thursday?

[littlehampton]

So...who’s looking forward to the game Thursday?

I certainly am Castorman, and the Billericay match on Saturday.

See you there?

[4wembleyfinals]

I am going to try hard to get there on Saturday. My wife will glad to get me out of the house after such a long time she has even offered to drive my over. With such enthusiasm and encouragement by her, who knows we might even bounce back with a win. From what I've read over the past few months anythings possible. Hope weather holds.

 

Nice to read Liam's apology for the performance last Saturday considering he only played for about 20 mins. Showed a bit of class but then from him 

that appears to come naturally. Well done Liam.

Edited April 4, 2018 by 4wembleyfinals

[lovely stuff]

As other clubs were throwing away money we couldn't afford and we had a new manager and a quickly built new squad for the season our aim was to stay in this league plus a cup run. Job done and next season we can move on which we need to.

So as long as the manager avoided coming rock bottom in the league,then it was job done? Really?

[Steph1]

Well you and I LS have our sights on higher things if no one else has.

[4wembleyfinals]

I too share your view on LS's exclamation.

 

However, I have not been in any position to truly comment on games considering I have had to miss most this season. But reading the reports and observations on forum has brought me to an obvious conclusion, which I believe may be in accord with your own. That is the current situation is far from acceptable and that changes will have to be made before next season if the club has any intention to try to move forward. 

Edited April 4, 2018 by 4wembleyfinals

[lovely stuff]

I fear that next season is going to be the same as the current one.

 

Some signs of progress but ultimately inconsistent,fairly unappealing to watch and resulting in a mid to bottom half finish again.Hope i am wrong.