Grays Tuesday

[Student Scum]

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White Van Nistelrooy said:
However, one question...how on earth can a so called professional team let an opposing side score 3 goals in 4 minutes?

Agreed, as a semi-pro team, we did it against Barnet at home last year, but they went up as champions and Grays won't...

However, conceding 3 in 10 minutes (albeit over half time) at home v Aldersh*t was just as worrying as we've shown yet again that we just do not know how to defend [a lead]

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fleetboy14 said:... pretty poor when you think that our management team were both defenders in their time...

I cannot fault the commitment last night, which was conspicuous for its absence against Aldersh*t, as I felt that Kerr, R.Smith, Hawkins, Johnson, Macca, Jacko, Slatter, J.Smith all looked dedicated to the task in hand which (let's face it) was to try to contain a confident Grays side that had gained 13/18 points away from home in the last 6 games including all three at Accy. (Our home record, last six was 5/18 points)

The weak links, for me, were those that I've not mentioned... Gooding (badly monikered that one - should change his name by deed-poll to something less positive), Watkins (looked far too lightweight last night, regularly caught out of position) and Bowry (why can't we get a proper ex-leaguer...he just never looks like he has enough time on the ball)

Interesting to see strength in depth on the bench though...Gloz, Skins, Fuller...hmm, three left-sided players Liam...? As

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White Van Nistelrooy said: Gooding...now the only right-back in the club is playing in the comfort zone, knowing that it is very unlikely that he would be dropped.

Worrying, very worrying.

[jc]

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Student Scum said: Bowry (why can't we get a proper ex-leaguer...he just never looks like he has enough time on the ball)

Hmmm. When Bobby's absent from the team, the difference in the fluidity of passing in the team is noticeable.

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fleetboy14 said: I was astonished to read the comments of Roly Edwards in the match programe last night, saying we have a conference south budget with conference south support doesn't actually fill me with any great confidence

In Roly's defence, his point about us having 'over-achieved' in the last few years was a valid one.

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

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Here here. Although if we have

 

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Conference south support

 

 

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What on earth do Canvey have? Grays bought more fans last night than all were present at Canvey last night.

 

 

Canvey like many clubs go thru' the lower leagues on the back of a rich benefactor. However once you reach this level bankrolling a club takes serious dosh, and thus you find , in the main, its the real clubs* that dominate, not the tinpot non league lifers like us and Canvey. I think that Canvey bandwagonners have now realised that JK have taken them as far as they can go, and now the only way is back down again to their natural level. The thought of that hardly sets the pulse racing does it.

Although we got here on a slightly different route , ie an astute manager whom cultivated lower league players , we can't deny we also have a bigger fan base than most clubs we faced in the Rymans. ( if we had been in the Doc Martins it may well have been different)

 

So we have also reached a plateau and probably gone as far as we could go in our current state, and whether it be Daish / Andy Ford or Gus Hiddink at the helm I think it was inevitable that it would.

And mid or lower table football does not appear sexy enough on its merits to get more turnstiles clicking, and the bandwagonners from our promotion season are/have moved on.

 

 

Therefore we are now in the predicament that success on the pitch is now only achievable by success on the terraces and off the pitch. Therefore we need to channel as much energy , focus and cash in that direction to be able to sustain a conference level club, let alone think of having higher ambitions.

getting this right is as crucial, or maybe more so than finding that elusive partner for Charlie Mac. Yes Daish could help by playing more attacking football or more importantly sending a side out that shows passion for the game, but primarily this rests with the Roly and the rest of the board to lead the way. They have done so by acquiring the old Beauwaters site, and that was a massive step forward. we are a club that by nature does thing slowly, however on the crowd issue I don't think we can dilly dally any longer.

By Rolys piece in the programme ( which I have not read) they have at least acknowledged there is a problem , hopefully in the next programme we see some initiatives.

 

 

*By real clubs , I mean clubs that have a sizeable fanbase made up of fans whose no. 1 club is that club. Not like us and Canvey whom have tiny no. 1 club fanbases for this level and are totally reliant on the patronage of 2nd club fans, whom only visit when we have a big cup game or are challenging at the top of a league. ( It does not matter whether that league is the conference national or south, rymans or whatever.)

Until that changes we will always be a Conference South club fanbase with a conference South club budget. And realistically if we start now, we may achieve it by 2016.

[gnfc123]

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Riverview Suppor said:
Lets get this straight gnfc123

We are not slagging anyone off . It has become apparant to me and many around me that he cannot do the job.

If I fail at my job , I loose it . If you fail at yours you loose it . Playing him cos hes the only right back is a disgrace. We should try and get a pase or local lad out there.

I am not a footballer by trade. Mr Gooding is and as such should be performing in his chosen profession.

We all have bad days at the office. And in big organisations its easy to hide if your poor. But in a small organisation , you will stand out like a sore thumb if you are being carried constantly.

As soon as Mr Gooding has a good day at the office I will praise him , but unfortunatley , although he has shown some better performances at times, he is consistantly poor at his job at this level.

Right then...lets get THIS straight, some one posted above about Grays winning 3-0 and Gooding getting a hat trick, not slagging off? Fair enough he hasn't been playing too well recently but you said we should get a local lad in there? What difference does that make? Maybe the "local lad" would want to play for the team more, yes, but if he is just not good he is not going to suddenly become good because he is palying for his local team.

[Slartibartfast]

Good post Wobbly <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/applaus.gif" alt="" /> and unfortunately all true.

[jc]

Indeed - an excellent post, and particularly this bit:

 

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Wobbly Wayne rides again said:So we have also reached a plateau and probably gone as far as we could go in our current state, and whether it be Daish / Andy Ford or Gus Hiddink at the helm I think it was inevitable that it would.

 

This is the harsh reality.

 

However, as Stu pointed out on here recently, the attendances grow if the team is winning football matches. While we must attempt initiatives to increase the fanbase, as Wobbly indicates, on-field matters are always going to be the key factor in attendance levels - and so we come back to the old vicious circle again of increased attendances funding an improved team and improved performances on the pitch, hence increasing the attendances, etc. It's a tricky one.

[Alan W (GNFC)]

We need nice benefactor like the guy at Gretna - just look at what they've achieved on crowds of under 1000 simply because they've had the money to bring in Scottish Premier League players - promotions from Div 3 to Div 1 in consecutive seasons and a Cup Final.

 

Mind you, that benefactor might just disappear of course when they're in trouble, just like Hornchurch, etc.

[Richard C]

We are the kind of club that could attract a lot of fans if we were at the tope of the league and flying - in an area of 1000s of potential fans . . what we need is the money first to turn things around and get the results and performances heading in right direction. . .

[BustaGut]

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Richard C said:
We are the kind of club that could attract a lot of fans if we were at the tope of the league and flying - in an area of 1000s of potential fans . . what we need is the money first to turn things around and get the results and performances heading in right direction. . .

To a point i think you are right, but good results attract money as people want to jump on the bandwagon of a winning team.A good run in the league for a couple of seasons would bring in the money.If the money is put to good use then we can then progress,You will then find sponsors climbing out of there holes to support the club, success breeds success etc.
There again as you point out a good benifactor can help you take a lot of short cuts.Unless someone is wealthy enough in there own right I cannot think of many companys with in the Gravesham/Dartford area, other than say maybe Glaxo with enough money to go to the limits that the club needs at the moment.We do not even own our own ground.So raising sponsors must be really hard for our management team. Who in there right mind would pay to improve the ground knowing that it will be dead money. If we got into the play offs and by some stroke of luck got through next season, would our ground be acceptable ?????? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/alert.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/alert.gif" alt="" />

[jc]

All grounds in the Conference are of a high enough standard to allow promotion to the League, provided they can submit evidence that they can satisfy the Qualification Criteria. The problem is, the more stringent Admission Criteria must be met by the end of a team's first season in the Football League, and there are quite a few Conference sides (ourselves included) who do not meet these at the moment.

 

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