arthur
Very well known Exeweb poster
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2004
- Messages
- 11,711
Please could this be read out in full at the next board meeting.I just can't understand the mind-set of a man who would put out a team like the one that started last night. The atmosphere amongst the fans died as soon as it was announced and I think the players felt it too. All the younger, hungry energetic players who did so well in earning us the trip to Anfield, must have felt it as an absolute kick in the teeth and those who are thinking about leaving will no doubt have been nudged further in that direction. Ou seats were down near the corner flag where the players were warming up, the chap in front of us shouted to Tom Nichols that he should be on the pitch and the look and the roll of the eyes that Tom gave back really said it all.
I don't mind us losing, i don't mind us being outclassed, we are after all a bottom tier side playing 18 times english champions and 5 times european champions away from home, but at least let them know they'd been in a game. The way we set up it was like we'd lost before we'd started. We had absolutely nothing to lose, we should have put as near a dammit the same side out that played in the first game and told them to go for it and enjoy themselves. If we'd lost 6-0, so what! but let them hold their heads high and say they gave it the best shot. Watching those slow old men lumbering around chasing shadows in the first half, knocked the stuffing out of fans and players alike. We seriously missed a Noble or a Harley to control things for us in the middle, but if they'd had Butterfield, Oakley and Morrison plodding around them I doubt it would have made that much difference.
It was instantly better in the second half with Nichols and Hoskins on, but I think the damage to morale had been done by then. I was watching Wheelers face before he came on and I could be wrong but I didn't see any sign of him chomping at the bit with excitement, even though it was still only 1-0 at the time, it looked to me like he knew it was a lost cause. Felt so sorry for Tilson as well, this may be the only chance he ever gets to play in front of a full Anfield, and he has to watch a fat Oakley running around doing nothing!
I was really looking forward to the match and nothing would have stopped me going there. Walking around on the way in, seeing all the crowds, the sign for the Kop and all the other things I've only seen on TV before, I was like the 7 year old boy I once was going to my first match all those years ago. I'm glad I went, I'm glad I experienced being in that famous old stadium packed to the rafters along side 6000+ fellow Grecians, but the side Tisdale put out and the resulting play left me feeling thoroughly cheated at half time. Although I felt a little better at the final whistle, the shine had been taken off what I was hoping would be a truly memorable night.
As fans of a lower league team we don't get many opportunities for a bit of glory, so you have to grab them with both hands when they come along. Tisdale's usual over thinking and lets get to half time 0-0 and see what happens in the last 15 minutes approach, stole that chance of a bit of glory from us and the players last night. I'm just so sick of it, I really don't think Tisdale recognises what exciting is! It is just one match, a match that we were always likely to lose and a match that made us an awful lot of much needed cash, but this tedious approach to football really is symptomatic of everything that's disappointing around our club. Entertainment is in very short supply at our favourite entertainment organisation!!!