City V Maidenhead

So we could be in bottom 3 before ko as Hemel v St.Albans ko at 1pm on Monday, no love lost between those 2. Our remaining games inc playing many teams round us, if we cant get the points, don't deserve to stay up.

Having told us we would finish way up the table, Sasch, perhaps you should be doing it!

Martin, Owers has done better in his games than the previous lot did in the same, if not double, number of games and they aren't his players. He has also made some bold but sensible moves - resting Pratt, resting McCootie, making Phillips captain. I think that, on the whole, the loanees he has brought in have been lively and, at times, effective but are young and probably having more matchday experience than they have ever had. He has made some mistakes - I haven't agreed with all his substitutions and their timing, for instance - but that is to be expected.

From what I have seen, I am not sure we had a better alternative, certainly not keeping Howells and Britton. As every one else has said, we just have to keep turning up and supporting the team (bearing in mind that I am not the sort of person that normally says. I don't think that there is any lack of effort and, certainly, probably moreso under Owers.

Squeaky bum time.

Quite frankly it all comes down to what happens on Monday. Teams that were in amongst us like Wealdstone have pulled away and we are still the team in the poorest form.

In my opinion we came into the season with major problems, not least the wafer thin squad. The 11th hour signing of Coupe appeared to galvanise the side but we lost Matthews Coupe Nicholson Davies in fairly short order. Since then it has been papering over the cracks, the biggest has been the loss of form of Dave Pratt.

Pratt carried the team on his own last season. Some of his performances were monumental. But without that the weaknesses have been fatally exposed. First and foremost the pedestrian midfield.

We went into the season with one goalscorer hoping McCootie would come good. He hasn't and for a striker he is somewhat shot shy, so it is no surprise we have struggled for goals. Loan strikers hardly ever contribute goals and if they do they want to get straight back to their clubs.

No wonder we can't win.

I think that's a very fair summary, Benny. You could also add that we have had no one to provide the goals scored by Stearn. His 11 of last season are unlikely to be bettered this time around.

Yes, Marc, perhaps I am being a little unkind to Owers, but I think you are being over generous! It would have helped if he had had more time but was he available last autumn when people were calling for Archie to go? The real test of his abilities will come after this season has ended, should he stay on. It's not his fault that he has inherited such a small and lacking squad and I'm sure he realises that this short term policy of bringing in loanees is doomed to failure.

It's very tight. We have a game in hand on St. Albans. If they can go on a run maybe we can.......

If it all comes down to what happens Monday.... would anyone fancy losing Monday, but then winning all our remaining games?
Won't deny will be a nervy game.

I wasn't at Maidenheadx where I understand we were awful.

The positive is that we are still not in the bottom 3 and not losing on Monday would keep it that way.

Surely we are due a win or 2 even by fluke and big dose of luck?

Interesting looking at the table this evening. With St Albans and Wealdstone winning today, only Basingstoke have won less games than us (7 to our 9) - they are also the only team to have scored less goals than us. On the other side of the coin, all of the other teams in the bottom half have conceded more than us.

As it stands only 7 points cover Whitehawk in 12th (44pts) and Weston in 21st (37pts) - there are 3 others on 44 points (one of these is Margate who have lost 6 in a row and their financial backer) 2 on 41 and Chelmsford on 40 who we play next Saturday. Couldn't really be much closer. Despite winning today Basingstoke look out of it.

What of Monday? I said earlier that it is a must win, but a draw wouldn't be the end of the world with 6 games left - defeat though could put us 21st depending on what St Albans do.

Nervous times, but still better than being in mid-table with nothing to play for I am sure!

Owers would not have been my choice, I would have gone for Craig Laird who I understand was interested, but he has inherited a load of problems. I get the feeling it has turned out to be a lot more difficult than GO thought. The lack of a leader is still evident but I assume he signed Taylor in the hope that he would provide that and then he goes and gets injured and has hardly played.
Nicholson was a loss, long throws and free kicks, also Davies. Maidenhead had players who were running at us from deep positions and could shoot, Davies did this for us in his short spell and we don't have anyone else like him. I thought he looked good and was sorry to see him go.
On Friday I just got the feeling that Gallinaghs error in the last minute against Stortford had drained whatever belief was left and we are on the verge of accepting relegation. There were a lot of supporters at Maidenhead but little noise, there seemed to be little coming from the players to give any belief to those there.
A win on Monday would give fresh hope but we really are in the last chance saloon.

comrade powell wrote:Yes, Marc, perhaps I am being a little unkind to Owers, but I think you are being over generous! It would have helped if he had had more time but was he available last autumn when people were calling for Archie to go? The real test of his abilities will come after this season has ended, should he stay on. It's not his fault that he has inherited such a small and lacking squad and I'm sure he realises that this short term policy of bringing in loanees is doomed to failure.

I am not entirely sure how I am being over generous when everything you say in this paragraph chimes in with my post.

For all the talk about easy run-ins and games in hand, you want to be above the relegation zone and we are. Of course, Monday is a crucial game and, whatever the result, may define the season. I would, I think, prefer to be in this position with Owers than Britton/Howells. Indeed, it is a fair bet that we would be a place or two below where we are now with the latter.

The game on Monday is the biggest for Bath City in many a year. Get down to TP and give them all the support that they need to help them win this most crucial fixture.

Having seen the weather forecast for the next 24 hours good job the game isn't at Weston!

Marc Monitor wrote:

comrade powell wrote:Yes, Marc, perhaps I am being a little unkind to Owers, but I think you are being over generous! It would have helped if he had had more time but was he available last autumn when people were calling for Archie to go? The real test of his abilities will come after this season has ended, should he stay on. It's not his fault that he has inherited such a small and lacking squad and I'm sure he realises that this short term policy of bringing in loanees is doomed to failure.

I am not entirely sure how I am being over generous when everything you say in this paragraph chimes in with my post.

I was homing in on...

Martin, Owers has done better in his games than the previous lot did in the same, if not double, number of games and they aren't his players.

As I've posted before, GO initially made us harder to beat as that run of draws bears out. But as he himself admits, the defending has not been good enough in the past three matches and we've paid the price. I'm not quite sure what you are referring to regarding the stats, but to be positive the hammerings we suffered at Dartford and Eastbourne have not been repeated (possibly because certain players have not gone AWOL as they did on those occasions). Yes, the average points have picked up slightly, but one win (a single goal against a truly dreadful St Albans) in 10 is nothing to crow about. A similar run under Archie would have been condemned on here.

Marc Monitor wrote:For all the talk about easy run-ins and games in hand, you want to be above the relegation zone and we are. Of course, Monday is a crucial game and, whatever the result, may define the season. I would, I think, prefer to be in this position with Owers than Britton/Howells. Indeed, it is a fair bet that we would be a place or two below where we are now with the latter.

But as someone else pointed out, we will be in the bottom 3 at ko tomorrow if St Albans have beaten or draw with Hemel! Their excellent run of form shows what is possible - we have 7 games left with 21 points up for grabs. Whatever has happened in the past can't be changed and as Steve so rightly says, we must all get behind the team tomorrow and on Saturday. Ring Bas now to book your seat!

comrade powell wrote:

Marc Monitor wrote:

comrade powell wrote:Yes, Marc, perhaps I am being a little unkind to Owers, but I think you are being over generous! It would have helped if he had had more time but was he available last autumn when people were calling for Archie to go? The real test of his abilities will come after this season has ended, should he stay on. It's not his fault that he has inherited such a small and lacking squad and I'm sure he realises that this short term policy of bringing in loanees is doomed to failure.

I am not entirely sure how I am being over generous when everything you say in this paragraph chimes in with my post.

I was homing in on...

Martin, Owers has done better in his games than the previous lot did in the same, if not double, number of games and they aren't his players.

As I've posted before, GO initially made us harder to beat as that run of draws bears out. But as he himself admits, the defending has not been good enough in the past three matches and we've paid the price. I'm not quite sure what you are referring to regarding the stats, but to be positive the hammerings we suffered at Dartford and Eastbourne have not been repeated (possibly because certain players have not gone AWOL as they did on those occasions). Yes, the average points have picked up slightly, but one win (a single goal against a truly dreadful St Albans) in 10 is nothing to crow about. A similar run under Archie would have been condemned on here.

What, compared to the run before they left? I think we would have been happier with Britton and Howells with the current run than that but it would be seen as papering over the cracks. The difference is, of course, that such a similar run of draws would have been at the end of a quite disastrously dreadful run of results - indeed, the results that got us where we are now effectively. Yes, one win isn't great in 10 but, to could look at it differently, to go so many games unbeaten when he first arrived was quite something. I agree that the last three results have been truly disappointing but they aren't the ones that have got us in this position.

We can argue the toss until the cows come home - if it hadn't been for Archie's 6 wins in August we would already be down etc - and I know that our possible relegation will be blamed on the previous manager rather than the present one. It's good that people are still behind GO as our fans can be as fickle as any and let's hope that he can get those vital wins sooner rather than later.

Well, I would agree that the wins in August have meant that we aren't as in perilous situation as we could be. At the time, we discussed whether the wins were good management, great displays by certain players (Phillips especially comes to mind) or whatever. However, you have to be fair and attribute them to Howells if you are going to attribute the better recent run to Owers.

The point is that, as I say, Owers had to take over a team that aren't his players and that were very low in confidence has arrested the bad run, the last three results are disappointing but aren't the ones that are going relegate us and we have to get down their and back the team.

If we lose all or most of the next 7 games against teams then it is a much more damning indictment on Owers. As far as I am concerned, we should be winning the four home games and drawing most of the away. The odd away win would be brilliant, home defeats disastrous. Something like a loss at Concord Rangers is to be expected, I expected.

Not checking the run-in of St Alban's, WSM, Basingstoke and, realistically, Chelmsford and Hayes, I am not sure whether the above results will save us but they are the least I would expect and we will have made a pretty good fist of it.

Not as simple as Arch / Adie all bad and Gary all good which some choose to portray. Let's hope that the lack of passion on Good Friday is made up by an Easter Monday Rising that gives all hope and belief tomorrow.

For those who wish to see our rivals' remaining fixtures....

http://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/natsouth/grid

Hemel / St Albans is off so we can't be in the bottom 3 before kick off

Ashley wrote:Hemel / St Albans is off so we can't be in the bottom 3 before kick off

Things are looking up!