today's game

[Bloodnock]

Just like to wish the lads every bit of luck going for today,iv'e a feeling there going to need it.

Wish (like all the games) I could be thereshouting out encouragement,go on boys and upset the form book............ <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/orange.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/pineapple.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/orange.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/pineapple.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/orange.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/pineapple.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/yay.gif" alt="" />

[Harry J Allstars]

After the game I had to get to Northfleet station just as I got there the train was just pulling away and I was never going to make it so I had to wait for half an hour. As the time passed more and more Barnet fans came in and went to the other platform eventually there must have been about 200 of them on there side, singing on your own on your own, with only me on my side.

 

Eventually two young mothers came in and they received stick but I was thonly one with a Fleet shirt. I suppose the "TRUE" Fleet fans left early and caught the service that I, Mr Stay unitl the final whistle, just about missed.

[FleetFanatic]

I made the earlier train - it was late.

 

Try doing a Kate Bush next time.....

[Stu M]

Quote:

After the game I had to get to Northfleet station just as I got there the train was just pulling away and I was never going to make it so I had to wait for half an hour. As the time passed more and more Barnet fans came in and went to the other platform eventually there must have been about 200 of them on there side, singing on your own on your own, with only me on my side.

I was late getting out and heard them as I retrieved my car. If I'd known you were on your own, Harry... I'd still've run a mile!!!

[Robbo]

I'll post my thoughts on the game today in this post as its called 'todays game.'

 

First half we were brilliant imo. Everyone on the pitch looked determined and really up for it. Maccas and Saunders were especially brilliant in the centre of midfield. Great bit of dribbling by Manny before his shot hit their player and went in.

 

Mannys sub which I presume was because of an injury played a key part in reducing our attacking strength. We began to rely on long balls again and let Barnet run onto us. And then came their equaliser. Poor defending or good attacking (or offside?)? Not sure which but most probably a combination of both.

 

After they'd got that equaliser we lost all confidence and that started a Barnet domination of the game. If only we could be a little more headstrong sometimes rather than seemingly giving up. I also think that we tired in the 2nd half after all the effort we put in the 1st. A difference between full time and part time teams.

 

But if anything, the biggest annoyance of todays game must of been the criticising of players by certain individuals. After one of Barnets goals for instance when someone shouted out something along the lines of 'Your too slow McCarthy **** off'. Thats gonna be great for his confidence now isn't it? Although I might slightly agree with this statement and am bemused at how on earth he won the mom award, shouting this at the player is just gonna ruin his confidence. By all means come on this forum and raise the subject, but don't tell him to **** off in the middle of a game!

[Robbo]

And on the subject of being more headstrong when going a goal down, a few Barnet fans seem to have made a point of this too.

 

http://www.confguide.com/cboard.mpl?action=View+Thread&thread=34437

[Slartibartfast]

Was Ryan Peters injured?

I was surprised that He was brought on when we were 1:0 up against the league leaders but I was amazed that he was taken off when the match was already lost.

Moussa was superb in the first half and given that Barnet have probably got the best midfield in the Conference I think the first hour today puts paid to the idea that we have to play three negative players in our midfield.

It was good to have Roy back, just a shame we couldn't convert more of the chances we made in the first half.

Fair play to Barnet though its easy to see why they are top of the table.

[Harry J Allstars]

Fleet babe was that you today in the programme? She said her fav player was Drury, long shot I know but it could well be. If so happy birthday.

[Hempstead Gaz]

It is becoming clear that although we haven't got a bad side, and can complete with most for an hour, we are getting caught by the full time teams on fitness/stamina, interpassing and set plays. This only comes from being on the training ground 5 days a week.

This league is MUCH stronger than last year - more full time teams, and it is to Andy's credit that we are still puncing above our weight by being clear of the relegation zone.

Andy spoke on RK tonite about extra training on Monday mornings, that can only be a good thing and a start in the right direction.

Our target is to be the top of the part - timers, as there is clearly a league within the league!!

[Guest]

Was it just me or did Hatch look twice the player he was for us

[Matt (GNFC)]

As one of Andys famous quotes went when we sold him, it was something like we've taken this lad as far as we can. Well i think we all can see that 23k looks like a good deal for Barnet, i hope we put a decent sell on clause in as he's going to go a long way in football. He's got pace, his got aerial ability and what it seems he's improved on is his finishing. Roy is great in the air but he seems very much a one trick pony to me in that he's pretty poor with his feet. Its pretty clear when teams play us how we're going to play and it seems we've been sussed. Agree with earlier comments we really hussled them in the first half but as we all know in football class tells and it did in the end. Mccarthy seems to have a great reading of the game and i like him but he cant play with Moore as we have two very very slow center halves. I like Gledhill in place of Protheroe as he's defensively better and i thought Pullen was commanding and blameless for the three goals. I hope we dont do a Southport of a few years ago but we still need a striker, shame we didnt get Alan Tait last yr. By the way i drove alongside Victor Gladwish today in his car, he has a few Crawley stickers in his car windows but i couldnt see a fleet one...!

[Alan W (GNFC)]

In his interview on ConferenceFootball.tv, Ade Pennock said that Manny had a tight hamstring, and Ryan picked up a calf strain - hence the substitutions.

 

As far Matt's query on offside for the 1st goal, the video doesnt confirm one way or the other - it certainly must have been very tight though, just based on where Hatch was when he received the ball. Equally, whoever was at right back at the time (Macca?), immediately had his arm up appealing for offside as soon as the lay off was played - whether it was desperation or he's definitely offside, though, is anyones guess.

I see FleetFanatic suggests Grazioli was offside before laying the ball off to Hatch - again the video coverage doesnt confirm one way or the other, but again it must have been very tight. Still, when your on the sort of run we are, these marginal calls seem to go against you more often than not.

 

The video coverage didnt include either the save by Pullen from Hatch in the first half - thought it was a great save as the ball obviously swerved in the air - or Roy's header that the keeper made a good save from in the first half.

 

For all that Barnet were a decent side, they only made Pullen make 2 saves in the first half, and only had 1 other shot on goal in the second half (until that last couple of minutes, when Macarthy made that great stop on the line) apart from the goals. Had we got a second goal in the first half, I think we would have won though. Just need a clinical finisher.

[meldrew]

It`s a shame Chris Moore isn`t showing the form of last season.His distribution has been dire this season,and I feel his poor clearance led to the Barnet equaliser.Skins has got to stop diving in sideways,he gets turned nine times out of ten by the wingman.Having said that,we matched Barnet for an hour and if we can convert the chances we create and stop the individual errors we`ll get our confidence back and start picking up points again.A clean sheet at Hereford next week,and four points from the Christmas games,will put us back on track!

[KShep]

Gledhill is a better defender than Prothers, but the one thing he lacks is height, and I think we lose out a little bit when he comes up against the likes of Hatchy in the air (but not on the ground). It doesn't help when we haves the tw*ts behind the goal screaming abuse at Paul McCarthy for a goal that, imo, wasnt even his fault, and if this continues he may well lose his confidence aand turn out like Chris Moore; a great defender who isnt playing to his potential cause of mindless idiots in the plough end. Manny was brill today and his goal was excelent, and ryan peeters looked very much up for it when he came on, very much like a fleet player!! Pullen is just class, he does everything a keper should do to a good standard, and has kept us in two games in one week with great saves. the win wil come, its just when

[jc]

Clearly Manny's injury was a huge blow after his strong first half display and excellent run which made the goal, but what was particularly frustrating for me was the fact that Barnet really created nothing in the second half until their equalizer - and then the floodgates opened. We seemed to have the game under control, and then it just slipped through our grasp - hugely annoying after being just about on top in the first half.

 

By the end of the game, there was almost a deathly silence as people left early. We had a couple of dangerous attacks which required Tynan to make some good claims, but there was no obvious excitement from the crowd - obviously the three quick goals had shocked us.

 

Credit goes to Barnet for fighting back - their third goal was particularly well-worked, and emphasized the gap in class.

 

Also, I was a little bemused to hear Paul McCarthy given man of the match - bearing in mind, in particular, that his best moment of the game (his clearance off the line) was after the award was read out. Perhaps the match sponsors heard about his league experience and full-time background, and so automatically awarded it to him. Moore was probably the stronger at the back today, although yet again, as has been mentioned, his distribution is a concern.

[Guest]

Quote:

In his interview on ConferenceFootball.tv, Ade Pennock said that Manny had a tight hamstring, and Ryan picked up a calf strain - hence the substitutions.

**See from the Whitebucket report that it's the second time against Barnet this season that we've subbed the sub, was jacko at Underhill - wonder what the odds are on that?!

[Fleetbabe]

No harry, it wasn't me in the program, but I go to the same school. I know the girl, and she's one lucky cow, getting her photo taken with Jukebox. But then again, I could do that anytime, what with my connections!

 

Played outstanding first half, but as Jacko said after the game, they're full timers, and they spend a lot more time training, thus they have more stamina than us, which is why, me thinks, we went to pieces in the second half there.

[John@TheFleet]

I've always maintained that you shouldn't shout anything to a player that you wouldn't repeat to his face in the bar afterwards. I must admit, at the end, I just stood there in stunned silence as the teams went off. I like Andy and we've got some decent players but, even being the eternal optimist, I'm getting worried. With all this talk of a new stadium etc. the last thing we need now is to be possibly drawn into a relegation battle that would probably see our gates really plummet (forget pre-Xmas attendances) when we need them going the other way. A couple of wins would do, just a couple of wins to get us back into the swing of it. Who have we got Saturday? Oh, yeah, Hereford. Whoopee.

[Fleetbabe]

Don't get so down in the mouth about travelling to hereford, what's to say that we can't beat them?

Just because we have had a poor run of results doesn't mean that we can't pull ourselves out of the dip, starting at hereford on saturday, and as I said, continuing on to Crawley and beyond over christmas.

[jc]

Of course, this isn't impossible, but you can't deny that with no win since the beginning of October (and that was against the Conference's bottom side), fans' concerns are justified.