Boxing Day Borehamwood

[djwilf]

Going for a 2 1 home win.    Theyve lost 3 away games....here s hoping we can make it 4.

[No bull Towner]

I'm going for 1-0

[ETFC2001]

I’ll stay optimistic and hope us fans can be the 12th man to win today. By all means, I’d take another point also.

Adam Thompson out again for the third time. Seems like a nagging hamstring injury. 

[andyetfc]

0-2 down after 45 minutes. 

[ETFC2001]

The gap is now 10 points if all scores stay the same. It’s too far gone to even be thinking about staying up at the moment.

[Nobster180]

Not looking great is it, think we’re now half way through the season and it’s looking bleak for all four teams at the bottom because of the gap, doesn’t look likely any of us are going to go on a 3-4 game winning streak realistically does it.

If we lose at St Albans that is the end of the road for me, we’ve had it certain relegation! I’d go there two up front and see what happens and have a proper go but I reckon it will be safety first and try not to lose.

[Albury_Walker]

Never mind Townies . You still have your cup final V Amber's to look forward to next season.  You are 4 wins away from safety and that's assuming everyone else loses.  Can't see you have 4 wins in you to be honest  . Failure to beat saints will mean it's dig your grave time  .

[Towningaround]

It was a tough ask several weeks ago and we needed more than draws. It is now impossible. Which is why the managers insistence on playing one forward was only ever excusable all the time he only actually had one forward.

But he needs to be congratulated now. I mean he’s managed to take a forward….get him into some sort of shape fitness and then confidence wise and then knock the f~ing b0llocks out of him…..by replacing him…shortly after starting to score…..TWICE…(first soon after Chesham and now immediately after saving him his job at Tonbridge)....by signing another forward TWICE (first Shakloke and now Chukwu) who look like they have nothing to offer in front of goal to the point where the in form one now looks and feels out of form!

Genius that. 👏👏👏

[andyetfc]

Shame to say it but there was a big, big gulf between the two clubs today and it really shows what money can do. What I can’t understand is the club takes on a proven goal scorer who plays around the middle of the park and then gets substituted. He probably felt he wasn’t getting any service so needed to go and find the ball.

[No bull Towner]

The class difference was quite evident today but it was expected so I'm not disappointed. We looked better in second half but Wood didn't look like they were trying much then either, so not so much an improvement from us but more they knew we would never score so just let have the ball a bit more and flattered us. Likelihood is we are going straight back down (miracles aside) but did we really, really think we had a team that could be mid table? Seriously? It's a good learning curve for the club and instead of moaning non stop about it we should view it as we now know what is required to compete at this level....so in the coming few seasons, if we seriously want to try and bounce back up, then we need to invest in players whilst in the Isthmian that could play at step 2 (like Hornchurch did and walked the Isthmian and are holding their own in NLS). We know we will need a bigger budget so how can we achieve and maintain that? We need to look at increasing revenue first and build from there.

[ETFC2001]

We’re going to find life in Isthmian very difficult. 

[The Crowing Cockerel]

6 minutes ago, ETFC2001 said:

We’re going to find life in Isthmian very difficult. 

Damn right we are. I was pleasantly surprised when we made the play-offs. That was all down to one player - who, of course, wasn't recruited by Gavin - granted Gavin moved him into his best position. Take Marcus out of last year's side and we finish mid-table. And that is precisely the best we can hope for next season. Can you honestly see Gavin recruiting a 30-goal Step 3 striker? His recruitment has been nothing short of woeful since he brought in a handful of his ex Met Police players. I have very little hope that he can assemble a side to challenge the likes of Billericay, Cray Valley, Horsham, Dulwich again.

Everything has been so negative this season - the style of play, the post-match apologies, the whinges about the difficulties recruiting. Why why why why why WHY won't he play 2 strikers up front at home (at the very least)?! Give the opposition something to think about/someone to mark - rather than just worrying about how many we will concede? Do I expect us to beat Boreham Wood? No. But I do expect us to recruit players who will get bums off seats - think Johnny Bailey, Martin St Hillaire. I expect to walk away from the ground thinking that we have given it our best shot - win, lose or draw. Instead I've repeatedly come away thinking that both the manager and the players are out of their depth. 

Here's what I believe will happen: we'll be relegated. Gavin won't get the sack. He'll have to assemble a new squad next season (barring Sam Youngs and Micky P who would have to be surgically removed). We'll be somewhere around mid-table this time next year and will finish not too far above the relegation zone, at which point the clamour for a new manager will finally force the board to make a change - about 18 months too late.

[ETFC2001]

No doubt, crowds will take a hit also. 

We’ll always have a safe 500 people, but quite frankly I can see that figure getting lower if we haven’t improved from this year to next year.

Said it before, the difference from this season to last is we simply don’t have any chemistry to the fans bar a few like Sam and a couple others like RBR. Obviously the playoff final and the cup run helped but because we have had such a big clear out, we’ve lost the ‘vibes’ from last season and replaced them with players who are good, but don’t have any idea of what the club means to some people. They are there to collect a wage and it doesn’t really matter to them if we stay up or not because they will get opportunities elsewhere. 

No doubt in my mind Gavin will be here next season also. I’ve defended him at times about not trying Chukwu/Hutchinson up top but when your chasing a game etc at 2-0 down to arguably the best side in the league, what is there to lose? Our goal difference is already in the mud, just show a bit of fight and effort and switch a thing or two up. 

It was a season to build on but essentially the season is over and we’re not even past New Years. What a nightmare season from everyone involved. It’s going to be a long way back to get up here again.