City v Ebbsfleet

As another of Ross Stearns supporters I agree with the recent favourable comments.He is wasted here and maybe would have been better off staying at WSM,I bet he regrets his decision.On Sat at Bromley , when eventually coming off the bench, felt his spirit had gone and the same last night.At the end of the game he didn't come off the pitch with the rest of the team and spent time running up and down the pitch,probably to relieve his frustration and unhappiness.He obviously does not fit into our management plans as he did with Craig Laird .I hope he finds a club worthy of his talent.

My criticism from last night...

Can we PLEASE reprint the numbers on our home shirts? Most of them are faded, it looks amateurish (and makes it difficult to differentiate some of them from my vantage point).

Aside from that minor query, thought it was a decent game with four cracking goals. Watkins' the best brace I've seen from a City player since Russell Milton against that skint lot 30 miles away that give out two year contracts to managers.

stillmanjunior wrote:My criticism from last night...

Can we PLEASE reprint the numbers on our home shirts? Most of them are faded, it looks amateurish (and makes it difficult to differentiate some of them from my vantage point).

let's be honest, the whole saga of the home kit this season has been an embarrassment! whoever thought the original design would be acceptable to match officials and opponents was sadly mistaken. considering the former chair of the club could quote league regulations ad nauseam, presumably she was not involved in the decision (which would be about the only one she wasn't!). the result has been a cobbled together outfit which will hopefully be binned at the end of the season...

BenE wrote:

comrade powell wrote:

Peteboa wrote:Only negative for me was to see Stearn on the bench for the second game running (?!) is he carrying a knock?

I think his supporters will have to accept that he is not seen by the management as part of their best starting line up. He's had lots of opportunities in the past few months and rarely takes them.

As one of his supporters I don't think he has been given any real opportunities. Often by the time he gets on the other players are so knackered that they can't get the ball to him or provide adequate support. Time after time he has stood out on the wing on his own, with his arms in the air, while the play gets switched into traffic on the opposite side.

Quite honestly he starred for WSM last season - he is wasted here.

I accept I'm in a minority when it comes to this player and I know how his supporters feel, as it's a similar one which craig davidge faced and i repeatedly called for him to be in the starting line up. the last phrase is the key - i'm not talking about his sub appearances which we know is not a very fair way of judging a player's worth. he has in fact started in just over half of our league matches and a return of 10 goals from those 17 appearances is good. if i suggest that just 3 since his hat trick against havant on 2 nov suggests his goals have dried up, i know that will be countered by his lack of game time. but has he really earnt the right to be an automatic selection? you mention his gesticulations - the bloke is always moaning and it's pretty clear many of the other players have learnt to simply switch off when he starts on one. is he a team player or simply one who wishes to be the centre of attention? they are genuine questions, but if it's the latter, he would be given little time by our management. the surprise to me is that they recruited him in the 1st place as they claim to do a lot of research on prospective signings. i've seen most of our games since he returned from suspension and i can't recall many where he has played and really deserved to keep his place.

i don't keep track of players at other clubs so i'll take your word that he starred for wsm last year. what i do know is that the few weston fans present at our recent visit didn't give the impression to me that he was a returning hero!

I agree that Ebbsfleet looked very strong in the second half and I am quite surprised that they didn't go for a winner after their equaliser. One of their supporters thought that a draw was a fair result at 1-1 and I definitely agreed with him at 2-2.

Again, I agree that their supporters were a good bunch especially the ones standing around us. They weren't surprised to see Walsh give away the free-kick for the equaliser and suggested this was a common occurrence. Who was it that missed kicking the ball right in front of goal after it had been manoeuvred around the keeper? That should definitely made it 3-2 but I am not sure we would have deserved it, to be fair.

I also agree that Stearn should be used more often and effectively. He is obviously a niggly bad-tempered that thrives on perceived adversity and a couple of his goal celebrations appear to be venting frustrations/making a point to the management. This also comes across in his chiding of other players but he is a hard-working player and a decent outlet in the channels. There were times last night we had two or three players hemmed in against the touchline and could have done with him.

Pleased and unsurprised to read that most fellow stripes are fully behind our little genius.  I just find it astonishing that again he was not starting or at the very least brought on much earlier.

It seems patronising to outline the reasons for his selection as they are so glaringly obvious to most. For those who are adamant we are in the entertainment industry then he is of course a must. Surely the fact he is our top scorer is in itself as clear justification as you need?! Football is about putting the ball in the net, he does that more than any of our players. So to play him i would suggest be beneficial    He is also incredibly skillful and good at playing football. That is also a positive. We have also been screaming out for a player of his ilk who can create something out of nothing. Well he is our best player at doing that also. Others have been calling for pride and passion and he hast that in abundance too.

   confused.   I am desperately looking for a better reason than he is a bit cheeky and not doing something amazing every game to understand his bench warming.

Gethin Jones cost us goals most games for years by not being very good at football yet the management insisted he started every game.

   Britton and Howells. Utterly ridiculous

Ross stearn is one of the best and most exciting players we have had for quite a few years .He is still young and is one for the future but I doubt very much if he will remain with the club after this season, our loss.He is our top goal scorer with limited appearances,that says a lot! Good managers manage their players and can turn his passion into a positive for the team.

Actually, I hadn't never realised Stearn's goals per games ratio before. It is actually quite something considering the amount of appearances from the bench.

A bit like the Preece situation, you do wonder if there is some very bad man-management going on.

yeah stearn is always on the bench, top scorer, exciting, skillfull, lifts the crowd, correct decision too constantly put him on the bench and annoy the fans. nice one.

Peteboa wrote:

Well, gotta look at the whole pie, Peter. Did I no want to hear your criticism of the management team...

Marc Monitor wrote:Actually, I hadn't never realised Stearn's goals per games ratio before. It is actually quite something considering the amount of appearances from the bench.

A bit like the Preece situation, you do wonder if there is some very bad man-management going on.

Mark - An increasing number of fans now believe that 'fresh blood' is needed to manage the team, especially after the Preece debacle. The topic has been the main talking point after matches for ages now - no wonder after fans witness such extraordinary team selection, tactics, substitutions, man-management etc etc far too often.

As you know Mark I find the relentless moaning of some at games to be most tiresome. And I agree completely it's good to look at the whole pie, and Britton and Howells should of course be praised for the positive contributions they make. I think they have done incredibly well to assemble the current squad of players on the budget we have available. I also think Howells has done well to turn things around after it looked like game over for him. He has also adopted a more positive approach which is highly commendable as it goes against his tactical instinct.

However, as we are talking about the non selection of Stearn I feel it only right to speak about that. He is our best player, our top goalscorer and he warms the bench in consecutive games at this time of the season. Just another really strange and seemingly illogical decision following the Preece debacle and countless others which have blighted their managerial reign. Fair? I think most would agree.

I find it always beneficial to speak honestly, whether in praise or criticism. Rather than taking a pro, anti or middle ground and sticking religiously to it.

Peteboa wrote:As you know Mark I find the relentless moaning of some at games to be most tiresome.

on the pitch or off it?