Harley-less games last season

[Chui]

Given our problems actually creating any chances at the moment, I thought I'd check on Soccerbase what the results were in the games Harley missed last season. As far as I can tell he only missed 4 games:

Bristol Rovers (h) 2-2 - early in the season. 9 players who started are still here - Jones and Edwards have gone, while Cureton came on for Nardiello after 32 mins (injury most likely) and Cozic for Noble after 78.

Brighton (a) 0-3 - the game where we played a second-string side. Edwards, Stewart and Norwood have gone from that game.

Brentford (a) 1-1 - Jones, Taylor, Thomson and Cureton have gone (though Cureton only played the last 12 minutes).

Walsall (h) 2-1 - Cureton and Taylor have gone.

Harley also came on in the away game at the Gargs and the home game against Franchise.

I went to all bar the Brighton game and while none of the performances were vintage, we looked at least an average L1 team rather than a poor one, certainly in comparison to our opponents (Rovers weren't as bad then as they were later in the season). If I have a point, it's that we can compete without Harley, perhaps not as effectively but certainly better than we are at the moment.

 

[Ace Pal Exeter]

Thing is is that it's not just Harley missing. Very good players - when on song - have also left. Jones, Cureton, Taylor, Edwards retiring and even Bertie could do a half-decent job when asked. They've been replaced with players that are way below them ability wise. Someone has messed up cos as sure as eggs there are better players plying their trade in L2 and Conference, against what we have seen served up by the newbies so far, who would have jumped at the chance of joining League 1 Exeter City FC

 

[Willy Nilly]

It's all about Harley.

Last season, and previous seasons, I saw us play and we were shiiiiiiiiiit so often but saved by a goal from nothing from Harley.

 

[FAN-TATIC]

Bignal, Vine and Whichelow not to mention Haber are/ were signed up with Championship clubs a League that we are aspiring to become a part of. If this is the standard of Championship reserves where are all of these potential stars if the future?

How many clubs in League 2 are Trust owned and do not have millionaire directors who will dash out a few hundred thousand to quid to buy players yet alone pay them.

Now unless Tisdale and for that matter Perryman are deliberately signing poor quality players there has to be a reason why good quality players are not coming to City. May I suggest that it might have something to do with our ability to match payments made by Clubs in League 2 let alone League 1.

The truth is we rely heavily on income through the turnstiles, sale of players, corporate income (match day hospitality, advertising and sponsorship) etc. There is no millionaire directors to turn to.

I for one do not accept that Tisdale and Perryman don't know a good player when they see one. They can only buy what we can afford to pay and when attendances start falling so does our revenue and our financial clout.

We sing proudly that " we own our football club" through Trust ownership. That to me is looking more and more like part of the problem rather than the solution.

 

[wemissmoxey]

I for one do not accept that Tisdale and Perryman don't know a good player when they see one.

Come on Fanny, even you as a loyal tinter must admit that we do sign an awful lot of sh*te, much of this said sh*te would struggle to even find a home in the Conference.

A few key players have carried us over the last few years, the problem now is that we don't have many key players left.

 

[FAN-TATIC]

Come on Fanny, even you as a loyal tinter must admit that we do sign an awful lot of sh*te, much of this said sh*te would struggle to even find a home in the Conference.

A few key players have carried us over the last few years, the problem now is that we don't have many key players left.

Missy, so that there is no misunderstanding I believe that Haber is probably the biggest excuse for a professional football er that I have ever seen. That does not alter the fact that he was on WBA's books when we signed him. Vine didn't cut the mustard. Bignall? I have stated on here that I can't believe he is contracted to a CC club. Yes these are sh*te as you put it and all of them earning CC wages that we can only dream to match.

You are IMO correct to state we do not have many key players left. Why? They all, everyone of them, moved on to clubs that can pay much larger salaries than we can. One of them Matt Taylor publicy stated and I quote "If Exeter City want to sign better quality players then they will have to pay much higher wages."

For me Missy it's a bit like buying a car the one's you want you can't afford and the one's you can afford are not the type that you need.

We are club with very limited financial clout and we are paying the price for it IMO.

 

[wemissmoxey]

Missy, so that there is no misunderstanding I believe that Haber is probably the biggest excuse for a professional football er that I have ever seen. That does not alter the fact that he was on WBA's books when we signed him. Vine didn't cut the mustard. Bignall? I have stated on here that I can't believe he is contracted to a CC club. Yes these are sh*te as you put it and all of them earning CC wages that we can only dream to match.

You are IMO correct to state we do not have many key players left. Why? They all, everyone of them, moved on to clubs that can pay much larger salaries than we can. One of them Matt Taylor publicy stated and I quote "If Exeter City want to sign better quality players then they will have to pay much higher wages."

For me Missy it's a bit like buying a car the one's you want you can't afford and the one's you can afford are not the type that you need.

We are club with very limited financial clout and we are paying the price for it IMO.

It is up to the The Cheese / Perryman and his staff to unearth undervalued gems, this is not happening.

 

[Alistair20000]

We are club with very limited financial clout

That is not new Fanny so something is not working at present.

 

[FAN-TATIC]

That is not new Fanny so something is not working at present.

Alistair, how many players did we SELL last season. In the previous 4 I think I am right in stating that we sold at least one in each season, which brought in 'surplus, revenue.

Thus our luck in developing players that we can sell to raise extra revenue has dried up big time!

Missy, every manager in League 1 and 2 are looking for 'undervalued gems' when they are 'discovered' it's dog eat dog and they go to the highest bidder. In the end it all comes down to money.

 

[wemissmoxey]

Missy, every manager in League 1 and 2 are looking for 'undervalued gems' when they are 'discovered' it's dog eat dog and they go to the highest bidder. In the end it all comes down to money.

I disagree Fanny, you and others keep saying we have small resources, that means you have to work harder, the players are out there, we just don't find them, I mean Danny Coles for example, is he really the best we could do ?