A sorry end to the season

[Cookie]

Believe me today was the WORST!! Yes even worse than Slough. These players never cease to amaze me. There was no fight & no know how out there today.Beaten all over the park.Beaten for pace,slower to the ball than the opposition etc etc etc.I could go on all day.Even when I mentioned AFC were LOSING(even though they werent) just to try & pep them up it still did no good.

To me that team of players came out "already" defeated.

These players are all decent people & nice to talk to OFF the pitch but on the pitch they have let us all down in the final part of this season especially TODAY,but most of all they have let themselves down.

We have had two different teams out there this year. The one that started & carried on in the form of "Kings" up & until we got those Red Cards middle season & then there was the one that finished off the season.

I hope they feel guilty for picking up their pay packets this week.

If we had gone off that pitch losing today,no matter what the results were elsewhere, but gave a good account of ourselves then I would be satisfied tonight,though still mildly disappointed. But today there was NOTHING absolutely NOTHING.

The best was in week one away at Worthing but the Worst was definately saved for the last day.

Someone once mentioned conspiracy theory. Not such a long shot after all..... maybe!

 

 

[upthegate]

Harsh words,but i must agree with them.

I really wanted to post a "well done, nice end to the season" message but sadly i cant.

I dont mind them losing, i can handle not getting to the play offs, but the lack of passion and effort today was unnacceptable.

I'm not saying any more, Cookie hits the nail on the head when he uses the words "let down".Club, players and fans,....all let down.

[TonyM]

All that Cookie said is TRUE,the PLAYERS let the FANS down BIG time today,and I mean BIG TIME.

[Chris1]

A bit harsh there Cookie. I thought Deano had a good game, ditto Rob and Greg until they came off.

 

We have built this system round a particular player IMO, and we are not using someone who was the kingpin of our earlier success. That's just my personal opinion, but I think Trotty should look to build on a 4-4-2 setup, and strengthen the squad accordingly.

 

No doubt the likes of Protheroe and Brayley are difficult players to manage, especially for a rookie gaffer. But it's part of the job, and we need that kind of class.

 

We have seen a couple of successes with 3-4-1-2, but we should keep it as an option for the last quarter of the game if we are not getting anywhere. If that means leaving a favoured player on the bench then we should do it.

 

[Cookie]

We had some glorious moments this season,no one can deny that & therefore these players deserve our thanks for those times.Some of those times were sheer magic to watch.Out of this world! Its not ALL been bad so I thought I would just add that.

This thread was about TODAY though & thats a different matter altogether.

 

[Cookie]

I wont get pulled into individual plussses & minusses though with a certain person you mention,I cannot agree with,as having had a good game.Completely the opposite in fact.The worst game for him over the whole season I thought!

Today was more about a TEAM performance more than individuals

(thought accumalatetively it amounts to the same).Today the TEAM as a UNIT didnt make the effort!

[Bitch]

Cookie can you please confirm the Golden Boot tally?

[Cookie]

Danny was 3 ahead going into yesterdays games I THINK Jane so with Maines hat-trick yesterday I make it a tie between Danny & John.. Needs confirming though so please dont take my word for it. Someone somewhere has to have the actual tallies.

[RichG]

Cookie, for me the best team performance was away to Bromley. In the circumstances it was very poor yesterday, but the Hendon pitch and the wind did not make it suitable for our passing football.

 

I agree entirely with Chris1 concerning Protheroe and Brayley (who I believe scored a winner for Braintree recently). Protheroe looks a class above others, as he did for me yesterday when he came on. Danny H appears to be carrying an injury and should never be captain.

 

Look forward to next season.

[Cookie]

Yes another GOOD day but I was really trying to show how downhill we have gone since the first game compared to the last game. No doubts there were other games too that we excelled in,in between & they shouldn't be forgotten.Bad days & good days its true but the way we seemed to give up the ghost in the second part of the season,whether that was intentional(as I'm sure it wasn't)or unintentional(as I'm sure it was)has to be looked at for next season.Yesterday just seemed to sum up,to me anyway,that despite us having the better players(on paper,but quite capable of being such on the field)requires more than just being a name.It requires hard work,comittment & the desire to win.We lack youth & mobility in this squad & as well as they have done in the early part of the season with their slick ball passing their lack of the said above attributes has,in the end,been our downfall These players cannot expect to just turn up & win. It dosen't work that way.

For me the turning point of our form started with some indisciplined behaviour by certain members of the squad which led to us losing 3 or 4 main players at the one time & they in particular need to look at themselves for their part in our loss of form & disruption to the line ups week in week out later in the season.This,for me was the one main contributing factor for our dismal displays late on in the season(on the whole) & to us failing in our targets.This is one aspect that needs looking at for next season.We want comittment yes,but that shouldn't include stupid late tackles(brought about might I say by being a second to late in thinking) & by trying to be the big man & facing up to opponents off the ball just to prove a point.

It hasn't been ALL bad this season but the last few games(apart from great efforts at Chelmsford & v Ramsgate) have left something to be desired. Consistency in the end was yet another let down for us this season too.

Plenty to chew over & I hope the gaffer does look at these things in readiness for an improved consistent attack on the championship next season.

No apologies for long drawn out(boring to some) postings on this subject either.

[Leedsclive]

I've only seen you twice but my observation is that you have some very good players - and in Hockton obviously an outstanding player - and so have clearly underperformed. I would say that your manager doesn't seem the best, he comes from the school of either praising his players to the skies or belittling them. They can't know if they're coming or going. Having said that, you have ended up being the team that was victimised by the FA's appalling decision - mirrored by them bottling the West Ham one this week - so have very right to feel aggrieved. I'm sure you'll all be right behind Bromley.

See you next season - with perhaps additional big games against Maidstone and Dover to come?

 

[teamster]

A medioce season at best. After all the hype about having the best team in the league they bottled it in the games they realy needed to win. they thought they were better than they are. A lot has been said about bad pitches and our passing game but alot of the games I have seen this season and I have seen all our home games its been lump it up front and hope for the best. None of the objectives that were set by the board have been acheived therefore I consider Trott very lucky to be still in a job. HAVE THE BOARD MADE THE RIGHT DECISION ONLY TIME WILL TELL. I fear for next season unless Trott can bring in at least half a team of decent hard working players I,m afraid the only way is down.I ask the question who in hindsite has had the most rewarding us or Ramsgate a team who a lot of people thought would be relegation fodder or team who was expeting at the very least to get promotion via the playoffs who in the missed it by a mile. Even more if AFC had not been deducted 3 point

[Andy .]

Jay , Skinns , Jacko , Mkimm , Saps , Pinns , are the Nucleaus of this side and Trotty should look at building next seasons side around these lads . Alot of filling in to do on a small budget , will be very hard for Trotty to achieve.

[Pagey]

Still annoyed

 

Danny just doesn't run enough, there were times when he lost the ball and gave up only for Rob to run across and try to get the ball back. Just imagine how many more goals he could get if his work rate was just a little higher above f*ck all

 

Just wanted to add that Standen was the only vocal player trying to get the lads to perform,

 

We shouldn't have player of the match, it should be gump of the match

 

 

[Cookie]

Originally Posted By: The Pagester

Still annoyed

Danny just doesn't run enough, there were times when he lost the ball and gave up only for Rob to run across and try to get the ball back. Just imagine how many more goals he could get if his work rate was just a little higher above f*ck all

Just wanted to add that Standen was the only vocal player trying to get the lads to perform,

We shouldn't have player of the match, it should be gump of the match

Don't like to agree about Hockton but I have to. Summed it up fully there Andy.As far as Standen goes I didn't hear him but I will take your word for it. Good on him in that case. Just a shame he hasn't got the skills to go with it.Not one for me I'm afraid.Has improved this season despite not getting a full crack at things but another who is always a split second too late to the tackle.Because of that he always looks odds on to get booked even before the tackle is made. Scares the life out of me with every tackle he makes.One of those with a temperament problem & one that we can ill afford to have out there next season. Skinner,a great favourite of mine & HAS some skill at least is a similar "macho" player who seems to want to elbow or kick the life out of opponents whenever he feels like it. Another who's temperament must be considered before he is re-signed again.
Shame as he IS a tremendous player without that attitude.
No harm in "going in hard" but sometimes they want to be "hard when they go in"! Sorry not right & does no-one any favours!

[Gate4TehWin]

I wasnt gonna say anything about this season tbh as im glad it has ended and the sooner we move on the better but having said that there were some great moments and achievements, Hockton and his goal tally excellent achievement, there was some quite awesome football played at times stuff that you rarely see being played out side of the much higher levels of football, Jays return to the Gate, Jacko & Skins excellent work down the left that seemed to dissapear towards the end of the season when we started playing 3 at the back, that wonder goal from abo at tonbridge just to metion a few moments.

 

The sad thing is despite some cracking results and a 6th place finish this season is a utter disappointment, yes we were only 11 points behind the winners and we where 4 points shy of a playoff spot but its just not good enough when you consider the postion we were in.

When you take in to consideration the talent we have in our squad "On Paper" we probably should of walked this division i know the injuries and suspensions have hurt, but we have given games away to teams that really shouldnt have given us any problems and it wasnt because of key players missing it seemed to be a lack of any cohesive effort between players at times admitedly some of are worst performances were not as bad as the [****!!****] we were forced to watch last year and at ashford the season before (we want Manche back) but it just isnt good enough for the obviously large budget that was alocated for the squad this season.

 

Now i wouldnt call for trott's head its his 1st season as a manager i have never liked the idear of a player manager i cant see how you can do both things at once and give the same comitment to both, but i feel trott should really concentrate on the managing aspect next season if given the chance.

Would we miss Trott at the back maybe but his lack of pace has hurt us at times hopefully we can keep Pat next season and i would like to see if perhaps Smith and Pat could form some sort of partnership at the back, smith had a rough start but is one of the few players that has got better as the season went on apart from he doesnt seem to win enough balls in the air for some one of his size.

 

Any way i could spurt alot more crap but im boring myself now.

 

Up Da Gate!!!!

[xiphi]

One thing I noticed was the work rate of Pinns yesterday ...... noticably higher than others *cough* Hockton *cough*

[Pagey]

SCS was running around more than Hockton, for gods sake Melvin was more active than Hockton

 

Still annoyed can you tell

[Pagey]

I tell you something , my work mates are going recieve me in a bad mood tomorrow.

 

All thoses fans that travelled up there, for what? To see a sh1t team play

 

Very angry still

[Pagey]

Trying to get a few positives out of the game

 

1 The Hendon player getting the ball in his knackers

 

2 The ref rubbing his large belly when we were calling

him a fat B@stard

 

3 Whichever Margate Fan shouted 'Taxi for Hockton'

 

erm..... thats it

 

Not sure why but my kids are avoiding me today