TODAY'S GAME

[FleetFanatic]

Yet another day of playing against 12 men.

 

Never a penalty - however, Wilkerson was sold short and shouldn't have been put in that position.

 

Red card - no argument, but even the Daggers fans I spoke to on the way home said that the attacker had played for the foul and never looked like trying to take the player on.

 

From then on, the Fleet did well, more than matched Dagenham and tested them on a number of occassions.

Unfortunately, in the end the fitness told, especially with a man less & chasing the game. The scoreline was more flattering to the Daggers than the reality of the game.

 

Just as well most of the other results helped us out.

 

Still, we need to get a few wins.

[The Doctor]

good point super daz, i feel that with 11 men that would have been a good match! I mean we are playing some good football, but its turning this good footy into goals which seems to be the problem at the moment. A scrappy win against Margit on new years day be an excellent result, i cant see how dirty and hard this game will be, not only is it a derby but its a relegation 6 pointer, so come on..lets get as many there are possible.

 

COME ON THE FLEET

[Stu B]

Playing against 12 men?more like 14!the ref was appaling and if he had been fairer i think the game could have turned out very differently,but thats the way football is. I think we've got to stop blaming the refs,they go out and do their best,and most of the time it isnt good enough(!) but if we just concentrate on the football and score a proper goal,he cant deny it,the refs make mistakes but get over it,its like the "we're having no luck" excuse,true,we arent but sometimes you have to dig in and make your own luck,if you try hard enough it will work out eventually. We know today wasnt a fair reflection of our team or even of the perfomance out in today,but just keep playing and working hard and it will come.

As for those threatening relegation,two words NO CHANCE. once we get the beast back we should win some games,he is a lucky player,he may not be great but he'll get stuck in(as im sure you and many defenders know) and can get us some much needed goals,then i can talk about che(injured at the moment and misfiring,get him in form...)and the fridge,duku,defensive rock,we have alot more to come yet.

ps. is it just me or do you think Kenny looks like Robert Carlisle(spelt wrong im sure) with his new hair style?

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

Must disagree - Did think that it was probably a penalty , but didn't think it was a sending off.

The player had stopped his direct run at goal, prior to be bundled over. Once he stopped his direct run it allowed over players to potentially provide cover, thus no penalty.

 

But this sums it up... 2 debatable decisions , early on in the game, and both go against us. These so called bigger teams have been getting these decisions all season.

 

But saying this, I was not too despondant as I left the DRFC bar ( Guinness at less than £2.20 a pint is not to be sniffed at !!!)

after the game. As I thought that overall we performed OK, and the scoreline was not a true reflection. Budgie and Evans showed some good potential, and if Louies' shot had crept under the bar at 2 nil, we could have run them close in the last 15 minutes or so.

 

Hopefully Skins can put this game behind him, as at fault for the first goal and then getting sent off, probably not his best 25 mins in a Fleet shirt !!! I suppose he will now be banned and this leaves the left back position uncovered again.

 

What a game now on New Years Day, a 6 pointer if ever there was one ..

 

The Fleet - Onwards and Upwards ....

 

[Matt (GNFC)]

Get realistic we have problems. We made some great signings during the close season but im not sure the signings during the season exceeded the players that have left the club. We are not headed for the playoffs but a relegation dogfight. I will support Andy even if we go down as he is the best manager we have ever had but he can only work so many miracles. U can knock me all u want but we dont have 6 mths to nuture players through to conference level, we need players who can come in now and rescue us from our dire slide. Forget Danny Lyes goal vs Nuneaton because he is overall not conference material. We need match winners like Tostao starting to provide some sort of spark to the team. <img src="/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif" alt="" />

[FleetFanatic]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote Matt (GNFC):</font><hr />

Get realistic we have problems.

 

<hr></blockquote>

 

I'm glad somebody else noticed.<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool_shades.gif" alt="" />

 

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote Fleet boy:</font><hr />

once we get the beast back we should win some games

 

<hr></blockquote>

 

Let us know where he is then because he has gone awol (apparently).

[Alan W (GNFC)]

Have you just come back from downing a few pints, Matt ??

 

We are a better team than several other strugglers - look at Nuneaton for a start - alright, they are above us at present, but I'd rather have our team than theirs based on reports of the away game, and what I saw of them at home.

 

Yes, we do have problems - if you are in the bottom half of the table, with a recent poor run of results, thats very obvious, but give the players their due - they worked their socks off today - even when we were 4-0 down, we kept going and played some good football..

 

With a little luck, we would have levelled the game just after half time, and until they got their 3rd, we still had a chance.

 

Budge & Evans both looked a lot sharper today than in the game against Forest Green - I still feel that if we can reproduce todays performance consistently for the rest of the season, we will survive.

 

You claim Danny Lye is not Conference material - to me he hasnt looked that bad in the last 2 games - indeed, I heard several people say today that we would lose the midfield once he was substituted.

 

He's also only been back in the squad for a month or so - lets give him a chance to get into the pace of Conference football.

 

The biggest problem today was the careless passing at times - the penalty, which to me looked dubiousas well, came from a careless back header, and the sending off resulted from a wasted free kick at the other end.. We really cant afford to put ourselves in those positions.

 

4-0 was definitely very flattering to Dagenham & I'm sure even the Daggers supporters would agree with that (although to be fair, they did have numerous other efforts well saved by Wilkerson - most of these came from our left, where we were the player short)

[Guest]

A FLATTERING SCORELINE!!!!

 

As a neutral GNFC is one of the worst sides Ive seen in the conference this year even though I was pleasantly suprised for the first 15 minutes.

You have the worst goalkeeper.

 

Wasn't a red card the player played the foul and really should of scored if he had the *o*lo**ks, and the penalty was also played for as Fletcher was never going to score.

 

In the end the true scoreline should of been 6 or 7-0. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/argue.gif" alt="" />

 

 

 

 

[FleetFanatic]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote THE PRO:</font><hr />

.....As a neutral.....

 

<hr></blockquote>

 

Which means 'as somebody who is too tight to follow his own team away from home'. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/upyours.gif" alt="" />

 

Worst side in the conference for some years? <img src="/forums/images/icons/confused.gif" alt="" />

 

I don't think so. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/argue.gif" alt="" />

 

Go away and annoy another club - I hear Dagenham are still a bit touchy about the word 'Boston'. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/yelrotflmao.gif" alt="" />

[Red Marauder]

It was never a 4-0 game, up until we had Skins sent off after 20 minutes we were definitely holding our own against a team that, don’t forget, were only just pipped to the title last year. After going down to 10 men it was always going to be an uphill struggle.

 

I know one thing, if we show the fight and spirit we did yesterday then we are going be alright. I thought Bentley run his socks off today to carve out opportunities and is now really showing what a class act he is. Wilkerson, what can you say apart from the fact that he has got to be one of the best keepers in the Conference and he showed that again

yesterday with 2 or 3 outstanding saves.

 

Another positive from yesterday was Louie Evans, he looked sharp and caused the Daggers defence a few problems when he came on, as did Tostoa. I would possibly bring in both Tostoa and Louie for Budgie and Strouts for the Margate game. Budgie still isn’t up to match fitness but I thought he did well before he went off and Tostoa will give us more attacking opportunities than Strouts.

 

We knew it was never going to be easy in this league and with the injuries, suspensions, next to nothing budget and the terrible officials in this league, it has made our job even more difficult but let’s continue to get behind the lads and I am sure Andy and the players will turn it around and get us up the table. See you at Margate!

 

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

If someone had offered me at the start of the season that the mighty Fleet, would have 27 points by the turn of the year, and had not once been in the bottom 3. I would have bitten there hands off.

This is without the knowledge of the horrendous injury list that we have suffered.

 

In regards to getting real, if anyone thought that we would finish outside the bottom third of the league at the end of the season , it is them that have lost all realism.

I believe that we will get the further 23 points that we will need to stay up, and that should be regarded by all Fleet fans as an almighty achievement.

We tried experience with Abbott and it didn't work - Lets give youth a try

 

[jc]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote THE PRO:</font><hr />

 

You have the worst goalkeeper.

 

 

<hr></blockquote>

 

Surely this man wasn't watching the same game as we were - Wilkerson kept us in it at times with a few more brilliant saves.

 

To be honest, it's hard to evaluate the performances of our players today when we were unfortunately already 1-0 down and down to ten men after 20 minutes. The penalty was dubious in my view (if it was a foul, why didn't the referee book Wilkerson?), and while Skins probably had to go, it was never going to be easy from that point onwards. If it had been 0-0 when Skins went, we could have tried to hang in there, but at 1-0 and with ten men we had to attack to try and get back in the game, and inevitably left gaps at the back as a result. <img src="/forums/images/icons/frown.gif" alt="" /> Dagenham were simply too good for us, and the fact that two of the three subs they brought on were ex-Premiership players showed the gap in class between us.

 

To be fair, we could have got back into it had Evans' superb drive gone in instead of hitting the post at 2-0, and in the end, it was just a day to forget, and start thinking about New Years Day's crucial match.

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

and lets hope we make a bit more noise at Margate..

 

Altho' we had a decent turnout yesterday, ( I think that we gave the Daggers their biggest league gate of the season) we were very quiet.

I know there was not much to shout about, but come on lads , lets make a bit more noise. Even when we had a penalty shout of our own right in front of us ( when it was still 2 nil) , there was little more than a half hearted appeal by the massed ranks behind the goal.

 

C'mon you rip roaring reds...

 

 

[Guest]

Have to agree with old Wobbly........IT was a penalty and the sending off was harsh.

The success of last season might have gone to some peoples heads . If we stay up it will be a good first (hopefully of many) season back in the Conference. Also remember many of the teams are NOT prt time!!!

 

Let's make more noise at Margate and get behind the FLEET.

 

PS

Lets hope the Guiness is as cheap !!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

Aha - The cheeky Earl has returned from his self imposed exile.

 

You are right many teams are full time pro's, and the ones that are part time have a bigger budget than us.

 

When we look to loan/get players we have to look at the same division or more often than not, lower divisions. For example D&R are part time,but they had a Villa player on loan playing for them yesterday, plus 2 experienced ex-premiership players on the bench. This is a luxury we can't afford at the moment.

 

But this is at the moment, if we manage to stay up who knows where this terrific journey under Brian K's and Andy Fords' stewardship might take us.

 

Lets get behind the players that wear the red & white ( or grey ) of GNFC , whoever they are, as they are as desperate as us to secure Conference status, and from what i have seen so far this season, they have enough about them to make sure it happens..

 

Up the Fleet and all who sail in her !

[Alan W (GNFC)]

Dagenham supporters seem to forget that they are only upper mid table at present - given their aspirations at the start of the season, they should not be so arrogant.

 

Their message board suggests we were "very mediocre", although to be fair, one or two of their fans have said they have seen a lot worse.

[Red Marauder]

I cannot see how some of the Daggers fans can judge us as a mediocre team, when for the majority of the game we only had 10 players on the pitch.

 

However, if they compare both club's results against the top 3, so far this season we have drawn against Yeovil, Doncaster and Chester whereas the Daggers have been beaten by both clubs and had 5 put past them on both occasions.

 

Give them their dues, they did what they had to do against us yesterday but I have seen better teams in this division this season and cannot see them finishing in the top 5.

 

[Guest]

I think you helped provide an entertaining game of football yesterday. Yes I think the score may have been a little different if you had not had a man sent off although I do think it would still have been a daggers win. I have seen far worse teams this season (us included, against doncaster away !) and you are far better than your position suggests. You had us on the back foot on more than one occasion being very unlucky to hit the post at one point. We have also had some big score losses this season, so we know what it feels like. You are as good as any of us in the conference in my opinion, it just wasn't your day yesterday. Heads up and good luck for the rest of the season.

[Guest]

Dagger D, thanks for a more considered view. I felt we matched you until the sending off with the 1st goal coming slightly against the run of play. Both the penalty and sending off looked fair and were a result of injudicious challenges on players more than happy to hit the deck. As the game continued we made changes in personnel in an attempt to retrieve the game and you took full advantage. I saw the Doncaster v Dagenham game on Sky and couldn't believe how poor you were, other fans of yours obviously have short memories!

'Pro', how on earth can you be critical of Paul Wilkerson? Did you watch the game and see the number of saves he pulled off? Does conceding 4 goals as a keeper mean you have necessarily had a poor match? Your name suggests you should spend more time at the game than on it!