exeter game

[UP FLEET]

Well i had a good fealing factor walking to the ground today, and that was soon to be shot to bits. within 10 mins i just knew it was going to be one of those games. The ref in my book was a total bloody idiot, biast, picky, blind, scared to be tough .Some of his decisions were dumbfounding, he stopped the play for every tiny thing gave free kicks for the slightest little thing and for the wrong team. not just us either, but mostly it has to be said.

Nade i just cannot see why we have him,the long ball gets hooved up to him every time and he just doesnt seam to win it, he doesnt want to chase the lost ball, never closes the keeper down, hes a big bloke and should be putting himself about. unlike the likes of c moore, mcfee pucell, they seem to want to win every ball.

Today was so bland, and stale,we didnt want to win, exeter deserve full credit, they are a strong physical team, that just put us in our place.the crowd was quiet the ref was sh1t and we were out played, on top of that jol got sacked and im now on nights this weekend, so all in all a bad week... rant over, onwards and upwards.

[StuThompson]

Lets hope for 3 ponts against Spurs tomorrow.

[Slartibartfast]

Well if we can't beat the likes of Exeter then jol deserved the sack.

 

Apparantley Jol and Hughton where at Rootes Hall today....shrimpers be afraid.

[John Pearce]

What is it about the FA Cup.

 

The 'Fleets ability to disapoint year after year seems to have no end.

 

Quite frankly this afternoon was crap....crap with a capital C.

 

Yes Exeter looked a pretty useful side, but quite clearly they wanted it more than anyone in a red shirt, with perhaps the exception of McPhee, whom was by far the best player in a red shirt on the pitch, whoever appointed the player of the match award was quite clearly watching a different game.

 

You have to ask why Daish puts 4 players in mid-field and then lets the defence try to play route one football and by-pass each of the mid field players and then with a striker in Nade who seems unable to get off the ground.

 

The youthfulness of the 'Fleet side was oh so apparant this afternoon men against boys..just about sums that performance up.

 

After watching the game this afternoon, why does anyone ask questions about the clubs attendance levels? I'd be amazed if their was more than 800 in the ground next week.

 

Very sad!!

 

Another opportunity to bring in very much needed funds well and truly blown.

 

Lastly, who on earth made the ridiculous decision, on what could have been one of the largest attendance of the season, to open the least amount of turnstiles?

[Graham S]

Unfortunately, John I'd have to agree with pretty much everything you say, except that imho Nade does win a fair amount in the air (though today didn't illustrate that very well.) The trouble is, nobody seems prepared to anticiapte the possible knockdown or flick on. The commentator on the dvd of our win at Altrincham, where Nade won virtually every single ball in the air, kept commenting about this. And today, even though his win rate was nowhere near as high, there were plenty of occasions where he won it & nobody was close enough to him to move in to pick it up.

[Hempstead Gaz]

Apart from the fact we looked very leggy and tired after about 20 minutes, and the referee was about as bad as they can get (for both teams), we partly lost it in team selection. Playing a diamond in the middle with Luke behind the strikers, Barrett sweeping, and with Long and McPhee playing tight, meant that too often we lacked width.

It might have occurred to LD and AK that our best winger was struggling manfully against big pacy centre halves, when he could have been taking on full backs, whipping crosses in for Nade and Moore.

It didn't, we looked a beaten side after they equalised, and plan B, going 3-4-3 never looked likely to succeed, as we had lost the midfield battle by then.

That defeat might prove to be very costly, as we can now only make some money from an extended run in the Trophy, (and we know how good we are in that!!), otherwise I fear dwindling gates, the release of players to free up cash and mid table again.

 

It's not easy to see where a real turn in our fortune is going to come from, unless we keep winning in the league.

 

[The Truth]

Originally Posted By: John Pearce

After watching the game this afternoon, why does anyone ask questions about the clubs attendance levels? I'd be amazed if their was more than 800 in the ground next week.

Very sad!!

You have a very low opinion of Fleet fans.

Of course there are some people who think that handing their money over at the turnstile somehow entitles them to watch their side win, as you rightly point out very sad, but the majority of us have grown used to dissapointment over the years and keep coming back because we are fans not casuals.

Incidentally if you think losing today will take a couple of hundred off of next weeks attendance why weren't there two thousand there today following four straight home wins?

[Hempstead Gaz]

There were probably only just 1000 Fleet fans, reckon on 150 -200 Grecians, so another really poor turn out.

[UP FLEET]

fans or casuals, at the end of the day they , you, we, pay our money and if the entertainment isnt good then you dont have to pay to watch it, sure most of us will be back week after week, but thats the way it is. if the team perform well regually then the gate reciepts go up if they play crap they go down....fact

[Slartibartfast]

I too thought it a bit surprising that George played upfront. I don't agree about Luke though, he always looks better attacking from midfield to me, whenever he plays upfront he struggles against big centrebacks and falls over a lot before getting booked for argueing with the ref abou not getting any free kicks..

Chris McPhee has played well in a variety of positions this season and was given another new role today, prior to joining us he was a striker and I thought that he could have played alongside Nade and allowed George to play on the left with Stacy through the middle.

 

[Stu M]

Originally Posted By: UP FLEET

if the team perform well regually then the gate reciepts go up ....fact

Usually I'd agree, but the last two seasons would suggest that short of being in the top two, the gate receipts don't go up.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Maybe the club should change it's name again.........To Charlton Pathetic..............Nobody would know the difference, at this moment in time!.......... The attendances would soar!

[Hempstead Gaz]

Originally Posted By: Slartibartfast

I too thought it a bit surprising that George played upfront. I don't agree about Luke though, he always looks better attacking from midfield to me, whenever he plays upfront he struggles against big centrebacks and falls over a lot before getting booked for argueing with the ref abou not getting any free kicks..
Chris McPhee has played well in a variety of positions this season and was given another new role today, prior to joining us he was a striker and I thought that he could have played alongside Nade and allowed George to play on the left with Stacy through the middle.

I only suggested that Luke might have played up front, due to the paucity of alternatives. I suppose Luke Coleman might have been an option, but as he is nowhere near a starting berth (it seems), playing him in an important cup game might have been a gamble.
Whatever, we do appear thin up front at present.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

From the commentary, it seemed as if several players didn't know where they were supposed to be playing!

Chas made a huge point as well, we hear all the time about Scott the Drummer, and choir. Chas said the only tine he heard them, was when the Fleet scored. Surely in such a game when the team are losing, is when they need the noise?

[Charles Webster]

Sorry AFF. I never said anything to suggest that "several players didn't know where they were supposed to be playing". I did say that I would have expected to see McPhee on the right side of defence rather than midfield. The players knew where they "were supposed to be playing" it just didn't work out for us today.

 

I am as disappointed as anybody that we lost today but let's get real. If some of the "casuals" bothered to travel to Rushden, Burton, Exeter, Altrincham, Farsley et al, they might be less quick to stick the knife in and may appreciate why we are doing so well in the Blue Square Premier.

[KShep]

Originally Posted By: Chatham Gary

There were probably only just 1000 Fleet fans, reckon on 150 -200 Grecians, so another really poor turn out.

I know I'm banging the attendance drum a lot lately, but frankly it needs constant attention. Today, I estimated 150 Exeter fans. There were 1211 there, which means there were nearly 1100 Fleet fans. Whilst this was maybe more due to 'FA Cup Fever' gripping Gravesham (tongue in cheek), a home crowd (Fleet fans only) of nearly 1100 is a massive improvement on...
Northwich- Att. 1045 - 1000 home fans
Halifax- Att. 931 - 850-900 home fans
Stevenage- Att. 1201 - 900-1000 home fans
Histon- Att. 866 - 800-850 home fans
Kidderminster- Att. 812 - 750 home fans
Crawley- Att. 932 - 850 home fans
Torquay- Att. 1368 - 950 home fans
Droylsden- Att. 788 - 750 home fans

Yes I'm a bit of an anorak for doing this but it proves the point that they are out there. On average there were probably 200 more home fans there today; whilst we shot ourselves in the foot with today's result, if we can keep them here, we're on the way to solving the problem.

[Hempstead Gaz]

Not sure about you being an anorak, but these stats are useful to the club, particularly working out finances, Itproves that dependant on the opposition, we are probably only ever going to get between 800 and 1100 home fans this year.

Further to Chas's point, I don't think any one player actually played badly, but collectively we weren't at the races. I can only remember 1 clear chance, which Luke scored with, whilst Exeter scored 3, missed a penalty (which wasn't) and Lance pulled off another couple more fine saves.

On another day we could have lost 1-5 or 1-6.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Originally Posted By: Charles Webster

Sorry AFF. I never said anything to suggest that "several players didn't know where they were supposed to be playing". I did say that I would have expected to see McPhee on the right side of defence rather than midfield. The players knew where they "were supposed to be playing" it just didn't work out for us today.

I am as disappointed as anybody that we lost today but let's get real. If some of the "casuals" bothered to travel to Rushden, Burton, Exeter, Altrincham, Farsley et al, they might be less quick to stick the knife in and may appreciate why we are doing so well in the Blue Square Premier.

Sorry if I misinterpreted what you were saying..........But if the players knew where they were playing...............

Well at least I can't be called a casual............Being stuck out here!

[FleetFanatic]

I am saying nothing about today.

 

Which kind of matches the level of passion and desire shown on the pitch this afternoon.

 

It was the FA Cup ffs.

[EUFC FAN]

Originally Posted By: John Pearce

Lastly, who on earth made the ridiculous decision, on what could have been one of the largest attendance of the season, to open the least amount of turnstiles?

...and while we are on that subject the ones that we open the people in them were not doing their jobs properly. Four people I came with (we arrived at different times) I was the only person to get a ticket. The others did not get one. Usually I would not be bothered, but if there is a prize to be won off one of these tickets it smells a bit fishy to me!