Early season thoughts

[Jim Shepherd]

I think we've done about as well as could be expected.
Only one of the back 5 has ever played league football and add in Harley, Stans, Logie, Watson who, if they have, haven't for very long, plus a rookie manager at this level and 13th is good.

Ok, some of the results, given performances and how goals have been scored, have been a little disappointing but it just shows that we ain't worldbeaters but ain't cannon fodder either.

Not sure quite how high everyone elses expectations were but mine are just about being met.

 

[benwatson=goals]

I think we've done about as well as could be expected.
Only one of the back 5 has ever played league football and add in Harley, Stans, Logie, Watson who, if they have, haven't for very long, plus a rookie manager at this level and 13th is good.

Ok, some of the results, given performances and how goals have been scored, have been a little disappointing but it just shows that we ain't worldbeaters but ain't cannon fodder either.

Not sure quite how high everyone elses expectations were but mine are just about being met.

you better have looked at the picture if you didnt

 

[Jim Shepherd]

you better have looked at the picture if you didnt

Still got it on my V+ box. Always play it before I read either a PeteUSA post or Ant and GrecIAN having a sparring match. That was against a Conference side though.

 

[Poultice]

Man but it is getting hard to read some of these threads.

Never to early to be concerned IMHO, forward planning is the route ultimate success. It seems to me that an opportunity is being missed this season, and that we are tactically unprepared for the challenge with a playing staff which is a good sandwich and a half short of the picnic.

But what do I know ?

 

[benwatson=goals]

Still got it on my V+ box. Always play it before I read either a PeteUSA post or Ant and GrecIAN having a sparring match. That was against a Conference side though.

still its nice to see the passion form the players proof that it is there and always will be there in them even if some people dont think so

 

[Lager Lout]

It's a solid start.

We must take into account the standard of opposition though. The fact is it HAS been a tough start. We have played three of the bookies favourites for promotion (two of which have been away), two sides who were two leagues above us this season and who may not have gone down if it wasn't for point deductions (I think Luton lost points last seasson but I am not sure)) and we've taken four points from two other games at home against reasonable opposition (which could so easily have been six).

However, listening in it does sometimes seem as thought we are still a bit naive when we take the lead. We're now playing the likes of Bradford, Luton and Notts County, not Leigh RMI or Tamworth. It will no longer be so easy to sit back and soak up the pressure. Indeed it is now even more important to take the chances we create because the opposition defences are stronger and the attackers are sharper.

At the present time we are on course for a midtable finish, which is fine by me. If our strikers can start finding the net we may begin to take a few teams by surprise, but we must play to OUR strengths, not chop and change the team according to the opposition which appears to be the case at the moment.

Give it until Christmas and we will have a far clearer indication of things to come. We're usually stronger in the second half of the season and, if we're not looking over our shoulder at the relegation places, we could be in for an enjoyable first season back in the league.

The future's bright.....

LL

 

[Ian Tarr]

We're in mid table despite the fact that our strikers can't score.

Surely it follows that when (not if) they start scoring then we will are likely to rise up the table. We had a spell a couple of years ago when we had Stansfield, Phillips and Mackie suffering a similar drought, and all was doom and gloom on here. They eventually snapped out of it, and the same will happen this time.

It does make me laugh when people talk about the safety net of the points deductions. That was never an issue with this squad. There was no way the bottom two places were ever going to be a factor in our season.

Of course this league is harder -- which league isn't when you get promoted? -- but I do think some people are over estimating the difference. It's nowhere near, for example, the gap in class between the Premier League and the Championship.

I think we are adapting well to the challenge, and will get stronger as the season progresses, as the various issues are addressed.

 

[Jason H]

We're in mid table despite the fact that our strikers can't score.

Surely it follows that when (not if) they start scoring then we will are likely to rise up the table. We had a spell a couple of years ago when we had Stansfield, Phillips and Mackie suffering a similar drought, and all was doom and gloom on here. They eventually snapped out of it, and the same will happen this time.

It does make me laugh when people talk about the safety net of the points deductions. That was never an issue with this squad. There was no way the bottom two places were ever going to be a factor in our season.

Of course this league is harder -- which league isn't when you get promoted? -- but I do think some people are over estimating the difference. It's nowhere near, for example, the gap in class between the Premier League and the Championship.

I think we are adapting well to the challenge, and will get stronger as the season progresses, as the various issues are addressed.

What he said.

I am slightly worried that certain of our strikers lack the class to make the step up, but otherwise I'm happy to take mid-table as it stands currently, and see us pushing slightly higher up the table as the season goes on.

I said 10th pre-season, I'm sticking to it.

 

[bristol grecian]

maybe they need shaking up a bit so they no they are dropable

 

[finetime]

I echo what others have said about it being a solid start.

Even though it's a better standard the league is very competitive and because of that, unpredictable. As such, consistency and being hard to beat is the key to accumulating points and I think Tisdale's somewhat conservative approach mirrors that..

My concerns are the squad is rather unbalanced and I don't think there's a lot Tisdale can do about it until players get released in the summer. We are crying out for competition at fullback and someone who can play wide right. Calling Carlisle's bluff and putting faith in Saunders seems like the first bad decision Tisdale has made because it's starting to look like we're never going to get use from him. Friend leaving was out of his hands and we're making do until new people come in..

Overall I think we've put in a par performance and I expect us to finish 12-16th by the end.