City 0 v Eastbourne 1

Opi starts, Frankie not in squad, Nat up front.

Worried midfield looks light.

Sounds like an awful first half........

Season over I’d say. Only 5 home wins in 17 home games says it all really. Disappointing.

Nothing good to say about that tonight. The final push didn’t make up for the previous 80 minutes.
What has happened to the concept of a strike force?

That was awful tonight. I’m stumped as to what the management team see in Jarvis every week.

Tapper80 wrote:That was awful tonight. I’m stumped as to what the management team see in Jarvis every week.

You, me, and a hundred others. He should have gone months ago. It is baffling to us how he got so many goals whilst playing at Hungerford.

Watkins wearing the No 9 shirt every time for me, but we fear that the season for our aspirations is over now.

Not converting more of our penalty opportunities was cancelled out by the brilliance of Luke Southwood otherwise we could be staring at relegation ourselves by now - Maybe - but, on the other hand but we should be sitting very close to the top slot by now, given the talent that we have had at our disposal this year.

But I don't blame Gerry - far from it - he has brought into the squad a refreshing way of playing (ball predominately on the ground). Perhaps he needs a full season to realise his potential as a manager - but I fear that he needs more money than our Club has available to sustain the calibre of players that we have been fortunate to have as loanees this season.

Good luck Bath City - you surely deserve it.

Last night was very poor. I thought with Eastbourne having a long midweek trip and us having a break we may get at them and we could see a few goals but no. I actually thought we started ok and Opi Edwards missed a great chance but after that all downhill. Must have been very difficult to pick a MOM, I think everyone was poor.

We offered virtually nothing and Eastbourne are yet another wrong end of the table team to come to Twerton and pick up points. Jerry Gill said Lucas, Morgan and McCootie had to go as they did not score goals but the same applies to Jarvis and he seems to think he is great, I am afraid I don't share his opinion.

The home form this season has been pretty dire. Some may say the football is better but this is a results business and the results speak for themselves, if we are to move forward Jerry has to sort out the home form both in terms of improving our league position and getting more people through the gate as they won't turn out to see the likes of what was on offer last night.

I felt sorry for Bas last night, desperately trying to drum up interest for the coach going to Poole on Saturday but fighting a losing battle when we perform like this.

SteveS wrote:Some may say the football is better

People keep saying this... and within our half of the pitch we can knock it around in nice shapes while the other team are backed off. However, very often when pressure is applied or we go forward this tends to fall apart. I like the idea of Jerry's plan but am not sure whether we have either (or all) the players for it, the needed amount of training sessions per week, the necessary opposition to deploy this style.

Anyone else feel Tom Smith has become a shadow of his former self since his return?

Tom Smith. Definitely.

And as for Jack Compton.
Why play a player who, 99 times out of 100, will always favour his left foot to cross and we play him on the right. He gets the ball in space, has the speed and cleverness to get past the defender, then has to stop turn look up before he crosses with his left foot.
By which time the central defenders are back in place and if its a cross in the air then our forward line are always going to struggle.
Play him on the left and do what John Barnes and New Order said back in the 1980's 'there's only one way to beat them, get round the back'.
Use the space on the left wing, put the ball into the 'corridor of uncertainty' between the retreating defence and a keeper who doesn't know whether to stay on his line or come for it, and then the likes of Jarvis, Watto and Smith can use their pace to run in on goal and attack a ball that's actually infront of them to get a shot in, as opposed to one that's swirling around 7' off the floor.
OR if Compton is going to stay on the right then he has to cross with his right.
Simples!

Or just watch the first two goals in this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJyQak9Zw4k

As someone said to me - Frankie was sorely missed. Agree with Pete above that the midfield was lightweight from the off. You could not see us being able to control the game despite the limitations of the opposition.

Eastbourne fully deserved their win - the announcement of MOM was a classic moment when the entire crowd wondered who could possibly have been picked.

My opinion of Jarvis is well documented on this forum so I will say no more. I have also observed the drop in performance of Smith elsewhere and the way Compton offers small moments of brilliant activity which just about justifies his place. And my comment on the lack of grit was only too evident.

To that I will add that it would appear Opi hasn't played since we last saw him. He was completely un-match fit. This is an indictment of the entire football scene. I am told that young players are restricted on the number of games they can play under FA rules. Seems counter intuitive to me. Training is not the same as playing - full stop.

What this means for us is that by and large loanees are not fit when they join us. Hence any short term loans are a complete waste of time. I would go further and say they undermine the rest of the team and detract from the total.

The only good thing about the game was that there weren't many fans there to witness it.

turnstyle13 wrote:Tom Smith. Definitely.

And as for Jack Compton.
Why play a player who, 99 times out of 100, will always favour his left foot to cross and we play him on the right.

He is supposed to cut in from the right and have a go himself. Jerry knows Nat is never going to get on the end of anything. That's why he has him running away from the action.

But I agree players shouldn't just use one leg for standing on.

BenE wrote:

Jerry knows Nat is never going to get on the end of anything. That's why he has him running away from the action.

I declared the season over last night. Great to hear that Jerry still believes we can do it with 9 games to go.

Can we improve?

Last 9 games were won 3 draw 4 and lost 2.

Previous 9 before that was 4 draws, 3 wins and 2 defeats.

Repeat that and we’ll miss out.

My pessimism is built on what we have seen so far.

Don’t buy the rusty players stuff really.

From the Boro site:

"Taylor’s clipped ball over the top turned the Bath defence, and as defender Jack Batten and keeper Luke Southwood dallied, Yemi zipped in and stroked his shot into a gaping net from the edge of the box. Yemi will score, and has scored, many more spectacular goals – but not many more crucial ones."

No mention for the notable push in Jack's back by the scorer.

Oh, and they thought the ref. was very competent.

Many thanks as always for your hospitality to us (well, me anyway - 'fraid we didn't get into double figures in supporters/officials). Borough don't usually go home with many, or any, points from Twerton but yes, I think we were the least-worst team on the night. Anyway, the Keep-Eastbourne-in-the-Division Fund was nicely boosted.

None of my business to comment on your lot, but I did think you were less fearsome and (in right sense) less intimidating that usual. We are used to a McCootie or two and a bit of aerial bombardment from the set pieces but your team looks a bit underpowered. Not sure about play-offs - it's such an odd division this year that anything can happen - but it's pretty safe to predict we will be playing each other again next season!

Exciting plans for redevelopment, so we hear, and I hope they will make progress. People ask us all the time about 3G and we reckon it's almost 100% positive. The football's good, and reliable, but more importantly the whole ground gets so much more use. We have 400 kids in the youth teams, playing, paying subs, getting parents along to use the clubhouse etc etc. It's the future.

Our lot are at Chippenham on Easter Saturday, if you want to see another feast of football and Yemi scoring a two-miles-per-hour demon goal...

Best wishes to all.

Thanks, Kevin - good to meet up with you again last night. And if your prediction is correct and we lock horns again next season, perhaps the fixture list will for once send us to Priory Lane on a blisteringly hot Saturday in August. We deserve it!