Reasons You Don't Attend Games at Twerton Park?

one is allowed to disagree on here...

whilst i am staying out of the ross stearn debate (and even more so the reasons for not watching us) this picture would suggest he might be trying to leave

yuffie wrote:whilst i am staying out of the ross stearn debate

which surprises me, as you had a lot to say about craig davidge (whippetgate) and i would have thought there were close similarities...

Of course, but suggesting our top scorer isn't very effective doesn't really make sense to me.

Not unless you believe that all of our attacking players with worse scoring records should be left out too?

stearn being top scorer is even more incredible considering his minutes on pitch per goal ratio and the fact he is a midfielder. powell you gotta admit your theory is wrong. football is about scoring goals. end of.

Indeed Hilly. Both his ability and record are excellent. The obvious conclusion we can make is that he is disliked by the management. I don't doubt he is egotistical, has a fiery temper or a tendency to 'moan'. That's where man management comes in, and the Howells-Britton dictatorship falls desperately short in this area time and time again. Restricting his chance to play doesn't benefit the lad himself and obviously not the team.

Sadly a positive attitude and gentlemanly conduct won't win you football matches, whereas scoring goals will.

ok, time for a few facts to counter some emotional posturing!

ross stearn has started 17 league games - 5 wins - 22 points - av points/game 1.3

in the 16 league games he has not started - 7 wins - 25 points - av points/game 1.6

so he's not quite as indispensable as some are claiming and in fact we have a better record when he does not start. (although it's too small a number to be reliable, in the 4 games he was unavailable through suspension or injury the record is  2 wins - 8 points - av points/game 2

i recently posted (maybe on the old forum) that he has not looked the same player since his red card and injury. again, the facts back up my view...

before 3 game suspension - 11 starts - 8 goals - 4 wins - 17 points - av points/game 1.5
after 3 game suspension - 6 starts - 2 goals - 1 win - 5 points - av points/game 0.8

and if you don't accept my opinion, read what ross himself said a month ago...

http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Bath-City-s-Ross-Stearn-playing-catch-following/story-20566002-detail/story.html

so perhaps my 'theory' is not so wrong. but of course, like yours it's irrelevant and the only one which counts is the management's. i've previously posted that i was amazed he was signed in the 1st place as he just doesn't seem to be the sort of player who fits in at TP. but to talk of 'dictatorships' suggests someone knows far more than the rest of us about what goes on in the changing room. how do you know that the management have not tried to get the best out of the player? maybe 'the fiery temper or a tendency to 'moan' is not just evident on the pitch. there was a player who didn't last more than 2 months of our 2nd season in BSP because of his negative influence on the others - i'm not suggesting this is a repeat, but one thing this management have always been strong on is the bubble. from the 1st time i saw him at Bishop Stortford, angrily leaving the pre match warm up in the knowledge he wasn't starting, it's been clear to me that Stearn is not part of the 'bubble'. if there's ever a 'meet the manager' evening you can ask if that is the case - i think i already know the answer.

good points powell.
how ever the crowd lifts when he comes on. such an exciting player and top scorer. a few in the crown didn't go too last match because there fed up off the negative tatics at home games. that's bad when they wont walk from the pub too the match. its what a stones throw away. is bowman injured, I thought he was amazing and am surprised he's been benched recently. does he push up too much ? surely we have players too cover stearn and bowman. I guess fans will always have different views on the starting 11 too the manager. but in a poll im sure 95% would start stearn. so what if he is fiery. that's vital. means he cares about the result. Kerry morgan was passionate too and hardly started.

paul, that's a pity if your mates didn't go to the last home game, as they missed a good one. as peteboa has mentioned on here, entertainment at games can't be turned on like a tap and we all have to accept that some games will be dire. but i've been as critical of our home record over recent seasons as anyone.

it's a pity i didn't see the games in september, as it sounds like stearn was at his best then. believe me, i want him to do well like all city players. i think part of the problem is that he is almost trying too hard when he gets a chance. he had only been on the pitch a few minutes on saturday when he tried a very ambitious shot which sailed over the bar. maybe the good man management pete calls for would involve him being promised that his place in the team was assured for x number of games in the hope he would relax a little - to me he looks like he's trying to attempt too much and achieving very little. but then, should one player get assurances like that? you mention bowman not starting lately - should he be given the same promise? again, could be harmful to the bubble.

and yes, things with stearn do seem to be going the same way as morgan last year. let's hope he has a strong finish to the season (and i accept that can only happen if he's starting games) otherwise he may not be here come august. those type of players lift the crowd when they are on - what i particularly liked about davidge was that he also seemed to lift the rest of the team.

yes powell, i think because stearn rarely starts these days he putting huge pressure on himself too have a stormer and this is making him play bad when he starts. only real way is for him too have 5 or 6 in a row. then we can tell if he should start more often. sorry wasn't Tuesday match, it was Basingstoke match. not my mates just a few in the pub.

they did well to miss that!

Interesting but I think it's only fair to draw so much from those statistics as they contain quite a few obvious variables.

I'd of course be obliged to respond with the rather telling fact that he has scored more goals than any other player we have, in less games.

Football is often over complicated   

Beau Nash wrote:

comrade powell wrote:...The rugby will mercifully soon be off our screens, Bear, and your attendance at TP is required. I will even pay for you to come to the Chelmsford match - you can't get less mothic than that!  

LB promised me a pint so I am hoping to make a "profit" from the day...  

Disappointed that LB doesn't appear to be on KerslakeSport Matchat;     I am sure he would enjoy the banter and camaraderie / comradery, lack of comrade powell there.  

How would attendances be affected without the Forum, First Pink Bus, Supporters Club, (and other subsets) which benefit greatly from our friend comrade's input?  I feel these "add ons" are something everyone associated with Bath City FC should be cherishing and encourage involvement and attendance.   

I don't recall anyone mentioning if they think social media coverage has caused people to not attend games?  Personally the "buzz" from watching an exciting game LIVE cannot be bettered by anything else.

I can't imagine that the current (social) media coverage deters people.  Just turn it off / unfollow etc....
What isn't apparent is a comprehensive and co-ordinated marketing and sales strategy - aimed at both people and local (national?) companies.  There are numerous channels and I am sure there are some very able people spending time and effort on them.  But its not joined up and its not targeted.  I see the odd poster circulated and some games have themes etc. but it doesn't feel like anyone had sat down and worked out how are the potential new fans and how they could be reached and what would persuade them to turn up or contribute. Or indeed how to keep the current fan base involved and included and spending.  There will be those who think it should be enough just to put on a game every other week.   Its not.  Bath City are living proof of this.

comrade powell wrote:

yuffie wrote:whilst i am staying out of the ross stearn debate

which surprises me, as you had a lot to say about craig davidge (whippetgate) and i would have thought there were close similarities...

   go on then, just one post

i think your analysis backs up what any objective view on stearn would show - his effectiveness has dipped since his sending off and injury - though i am surprised that overall the side has been more successful without him starting

because he plays with his heart on his sleeve he will always get unconditional support from a number of supporters which then often leads to silly comments directed at the management when they don't share this view

saying that i would still have him in the starting xi each week - unlike a number of his predecessors in this area (davidge, morgan, guthrie, mackie, etc) i think he has proved himself more than capable at this level - with wsm before us - and that he can impact a game from the start

however, i would rarely criticise any team selection because in common with almost everyone on here i do not know what goes on behind the scenes

Fair shout yuffie....but again I believe it's important not to over complicate things.. the most important thing is what happens on the pitch. If he is disrupting the bubble that Powell speaks of then he should be given the preece treatment and told to do one.  I think he's such an awesome player i find it astonishing we are even having this debate.

Well I suppose we are having this debate because there are a few who don't share the view that Stearn should be an automatic selection. Whatever you think of the figures I produced, you must surely agree that he has not maintained his early season form. Where I agree with you is that it's the management's job to get the best out of every player, whatever their attitude. Like others, I fear that his face does not fit, but it would be a great shame if he was to leave and do well for another club next year.

Is it not strange that a lot of us would have him down as the first player on the team sheet, yet the management don't in the first eleven. Sorry if this goes against the grain and is wee bit controversial but its further evidence to me that the inner clique have their favourites and those they personally dislike. It's wearing a bit thin now

Some well-considered arguments on here.
I absolutely agree with Powell's assessment of Stearn's impact, and do feel that there are many who turn a blind-eye to his poor performances, of which there have been a few lately, and seem to prefer to criticise other players who have been much more consistent.
However, I do also buy into the idea that a run in the side would have helped with his consistency, and I do also get the impression that (like Morgan last season) the management don't seem to like him, and this then goes back to Comrade's comment about whether he was the right sort of player for us in the first place if the management aren't comfortable with exciting players, or players with a bit of "personality".

I don't really care what a players attitude is unless it affects the rest of the squad. My feeling is that in this respect Powell is right and Stearn is at odds with some of the other players.

I also believe this could have been dealt with but there has been a distinct lack of adequate management of the lad. We therefore haven't got the best out of him and it looks increasingly like we won't for the rest of the season.

I hope he finds a team that can make him into the player he can be.

Peteboa wrote:Is it not strange that a lot of us would have him down as the first player on the team sheet, yet the management don't in the first eleven. Sorry if this goes against the grain and is wee bit controversial but its further evidence to me that the inner clique have their favourites and those they personally dislike. It's wearing a bit thin now

absolutely no need to apologise, old boy! this forum, and its predecessor, thrives on conflicting views. and at least this hasn't descended to the depths of the infamous 'liverpool is a big club' thread!  

without resorting to abuse!!!!

I have also held back on this topic to date. I think it is a very good talking point that tests ones opinion on our current team management. I am firmly in the pro-Stern camp, and I think, like Morgan, and others before him, Stern requires the quality of man-management that our Club does not appear to possess. This does not imply that I think he should be ruled with a 'wooden stick' - far from it. His exuberance that he shows on the pitch should be encouraged, not suppressed, and it should be garnered and be appreciated, not just by management but by all the other players - act as a catalyst in order to show the same urgency, loyalty, excitement, and sheer will to win as he shows. To me, a few players appear to just 'go through the motions' without expressing themselves and urging their fellow players on (like Harris, Jimmer and Holloway used to do). As several posters have said - better management required please - or make way for 'new blood'!

I like Stearn, and was thrilled that he agreed to join us last year. It is absolutely clear that his form has dipped since his sending off at Dorchester, and it is equally clear that he had a large hand in getting himself sent off, such is his arrogance on the ball at times. However I still like him. He is skilful, has scored goals and has a lot of promise. He is a better footballer than Morgan. What I can't get my head around is the claim that the management don't like him, or rate him. Why on Earth would they have made such an effort to get him here in the first place?

Although I accept the omens for the longevity of pacy wide players at this club is not good I still can't see the sense in targetting his signing if he is not rated. I think the reason he hasn't started much recently is that he is out of form. Whilst it may be acceptable to the management that Adam Connely trundles around the middle of the park, putting in challenges and passing short, this is what he is selected to do. Stearn is not selected because he is not doing what the management want him to do: namely to be more of a threat going forward, getting good balls into the box, or putting the opposition under pressure. He hasn't really fulfilled his part of the bargain recently, and the more he doesn't the more limited his opportunities become. I accept that it becomes a little chicken and egg after a while, and perhaps self-fulfilling, but I would hope that he is being nurtured and encouraged through this difficult spell behind the scenes because he has class - and that is permanent.

If your assemblies are as well delivered as that post, the kids at your school are very lucky!