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Reply | Wealdstone match thread
at 22:38 16 Nov 2024
Poor performance from the Dale once again showing that McNulty has no Plan B. If Plan A goes well we can put in a great performance and look like real contenders BUT if we’re off the pace (which we absolutely were today), if the opposition seem more up for it than us (which Wealdstone did) - what can McNulty do to impose himself on the game? It was obvious first half it wasn’t working and then when we concede one minute into the second half surely the manager has to think - right let’s shake this up. Yet he waited 20 mins before even making the first sub. I can’t think of too many times where Jim has changed things around to get us some points. We either start off well and go on to get something or, like today, we show absolutely nothing from minute 1 to minute 90. And I feel like this is happening more and more as teams are studying us and finding us out. So what’s the alternative Jim? Is there any degree of flexibility in how we play to adapt to the game as it’s happening rather than ‘sticking to the game plan’?
I don’t know whether a lack of Plan B comes down to Jim’s lack of experience as a manager - or (and the bigger worry) it’s part of his personality. He wants to be the players friend, and sticks with them for far too long in games when they aren’t producing and need to be shaken up. Hints of exactly what BBM did. You hear it after most games where his first response in an interview is to say how proud he is of the lads even if we’ve put in a dogsh1t performance.
Still after all these games not convinced at all about McNulty. If anything I think the signs are there he really isn’t the man for the job. Put in a performance like that against the BIFFOs and it will be an embarrassment we’ll never live down. |
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Reply | New kit?
at 11:36 2 Aug 2024
do you have the announcement from 2008 saying our new visual identity will be blue, black and white but NOT that that means blue and black stripes? |
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Reply | New kit?
at 13:55 31 Jul 2024
the quality looks decent but I just don't get why this design was chosen by the majority.
I liked the idea of us wearing blue and black stripes as a nod to integrating the centenary kit (which was a beauty) and our traditional blue colours. I felt like it was a way to give the club a unique identity, when there are countless other clubs who wear a similar blue/white like we used to.
However, since the blue/black was brought in we've had 9 seasons of stripes, 3 of black pinstripes and 4 (now 5) with predominantly blue with black/white elements.
I don't feel like we are sticking enough to a visual identity.
Most other clubs who wear stripes will every so often mix it up with a variation of the stripe, but for us it seems we have abandon the conventional stripes just as often as we've kept them.
I'm not blaming O'Neills here as they've gone off the public vote - I just don't get what's motivating other fans to keep switching it up like this. |
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Reply | Big Jim's contract extension?
at 13:34 26 Jul 2024
I'm surprised by this as I'm still yet to be convinced Jim is the right man for the job. This season was going to be the big test to see whether he could make it work with off field issues resolved and a budget to be competitive for a play off spot.
We have made good signings, and he may well prove himself in the role but I'm not sure what he has done so far that warrants the club showing such faith in him. Nor am I convinced by the idea he might be getting poached.
What this does signal is Jim will be here until at least the end of the season (I had thought they might get rid of him mid way through if he was not meeting expectations). So putting their faith in Jim also gives us an idea of how much of our faith we should put in the board. If he comes good, and gets us into the play offs (or better!) then fair play they knew what they were doing here. If it doesn't work, and we part ways with Jim due to poor football and poor results then you can't say the signs weren't there already. Big call by the board this. |
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Reply | Pre Season Games
at 17:16 13 Jul 2024
second half was better. Mitchell is more of a threat up front. But we again didn’t create many chances. There was a ton of crosses which I don’t think found a single target(?). All pretty aimless. We’ll need to be much better than that. |
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Reply | Pre Season Games
at 16:05 13 Jul 2024
Awful stuff first half. Defence in particular has been well off it. Number 23 whoever he is has been absolutely done for pace on several occasions. Their number 9 has him well beat. Think it’s going to be a complete change of 11 for the second half. Don’t think they can do much worse. |
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Reply | Paul Waugh
at 11:56 5 Jul 2024
There was a referendum in 2011 to change the electoral system and it was voted down 68% to 32%. Difficult to reopen that debate without also saying we should be looking again at other referendum issues that were decided in the 2010s. |
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Reply | Paul Waugh
at 21:17 4 Jul 2024
Except I’m not a politician am I and I’m not trying to win anyone’s vote. So I’m free to call clueless morons exactly what they are. Brexit was a stupid idea voted for by stupid people. Concepts of sovereignty don’t put food on the table so well done to you for making the rest of us poorer so you didn’t have to look at a European woman’s facial expressions 🤡 |
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Reply | Paul Waugh
at 19:13 4 Jul 2024
Good to know what the clueless morons who voted for Brexit actually believe. |
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Reply | Paul Waugh
at 17:44 4 Jul 2024
Good luck using that to pay your bills |
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Reply | Paul Waugh
at 15:00 4 Jul 2024
the better question is tell us something that’s better/cheaper/easier now thanks to Brexit. |
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Reply | Paul Waugh
at 14:54 4 Jul 2024
Ah so it’s the old ‘secretly being controlled by union puppet masters’ is it?
🤡🤡🤡 |
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Reply | Paul Waugh
at 14:20 4 Jul 2024
to think that a fairly bland centrist like Starmer is going to produce a "tragedy" for the country, after 14 years of Tory decline, is utterly delusional. The tragedy has been austerity, Brexit, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, a decline in living standards for the first time since the end of WW2, a decade and half of wage stagnation and lost growth as the Conservative party has driven the country off a cliff. There is nothing whatsoever better now than when they came into power in 2010 and you think what comes next will be a tragedy?? As the song goes - things can only get better. |
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Reply | Eng v Den
at 10:23 1 Jul 2024
up until the 95th minute that was one of the worst England performances I had ever seen. And the blame rests firmly on Southgate's shoulders.
How on earth can anyone have watched those first 3 group games and thought - that team is perfect! All we need to do is play the exact same 11 (bar Mainoo coming in for Gallagher) in the exact same formation.
The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.
So inevitably we played awful, again, just as we had in the first 3 games playing with those same players in that same style.
It was crying out for changes at half time but it took him until 66 mins to bring on the first sub! then he waited another 20 mins before bring on another! And he brought on Eze FFS!! Ivan Toney had every right to be disgusted at being brought on with 2 mins to go. That's the move you make when you are 1-0 up and are trying to run down the clock!!
Southgate is an absolute joke. This is a squad more than capable of winning this tournament and yet game after game after game Southgate has no clue whatsoever about how to get the best out of them. Sticking with players and formations that aren't working clearly draws only one conclusion - he has no plan B. He has no clue whatsoever what to do to make it better. Foden out on the left doesn't work. Kane isolated up front isn't working. Rice in the middle is doing nothing. Trippier at left back is obviously not his position.
We are going into this QF against Switzerland as clear second favourites and I have no faith whatsoever that Southgate can get this right. He was saved today by individual brilliance, but I very much doubt against decent opposition we will be in the position where a last minute goal can save us. Nothing bad at all to say about the players they are being asked to play in a way they don't like which is making them all look poor. This is on Southgate, a man clearly and obviously not up to the job. |
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Reply | Eng v Den
at 14:41 27 Jun 2024
Germany were 12th in the rankings in May 2021.
England were 4th.
(Italy were 7th)
I think the overall stats with Southgate vs top 10 teams is we have played something like 22 games and won 4.
For me he should have gone after that Italy defeat in the Euros final, but certainly after the Qatar World Cup.
Three tournaments, three attempts at winning a trophy, zero success. And yes, relative to other England managers he has done well - but that says more about previous failures. The aim should be to win tournaments especially with the group of players we currently have but I can't see that happening this time either. |
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Reply | Friendlies announced
at 14:24 29 May 2024
I'll be going to the Warrington game as I live a short walk from the ground.
For anyone else planning to go - the town centre is alright but not spectacular. The market is one of those food hall type places with a decent bar and some great food stalls (Cafe at the end of the universe does amazing burgers). There are a few decent pubs but its a mixed bag - the 'Cultural Quarter' around Palmyra Square/Bold Street probably has the best places for a drink.
Alternatively head down to Stockton Heath which is a bit like a small Didsbury - the Mulberry Tree is the best pub in town IMO and from there you'd be about 20 mins walk from the ground.
Nearest pub to the ground is probably the Cheshire Cheese in Latchford. Its nice enough, think they've started serving Thai food in there - but there's nowhere else to have a pint nearby. |
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Reply | The Ogden Family
at 14:54 25 Mar 2024
I thought the same. Sounds more like they are there to underpin any losses and ensure the club survives - but don't be expecting them throwing millions into the club to get us into the Championship. What that would mean (I imagine) is that we'll still need good business people in charge who make us sustainable. Perhaps at best they can provide some help with training facilities? But certainly there should never be any danger that they are going to sell the ground to claw back their losses. So pretty much as good an outcome as anyone could have hoped for. |
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Reply | TVOS Preview: Rochdale v Woking
at 21:39 13 Mar 2024
and Jim has been in charge for 46 of those 100 games so I’d hardly say he had nothing to do with it either |
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Reply | TVOS Preview: Rochdale v Woking
at 14:19 13 Mar 2024
passing it around aimlessly at the back is what lead to Woking's goal. How many other goals have we conceded this season by doing the same thing? and yet we still persist. The definition of madness.
if we stay up, and if the new ownership gets over the line - a fresh start for next season needs to see someone else taking over the reins. Jim has been a long standing servant and I don't doubt at all how much he loves the club. There's no doubt he's found himself in an extremely difficult situation this season. But performances, and results, have too often been absolutely dire.
We might just about have enough to stay up this season, thanks to some decent results earlier on, but look where we are now. The form table from last 10 games has us 22nd:
https://thefishy.co.uk/formtable.php?table=5&tab=tab-last10
It's by no means certain we can keep playing like we have and avoid another relegation. Even if we do, its difficult to say that on the pitch we have halted the decline of the past few years. Something has to change. |
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