Err yup, Righty andAttitude. You see I never pretended my post contained direct quotes, just using exaggeration to make the point that the negativity might just be a little over the top given the results (I haven't actually heard a call for Scotty just yet either).
DrC I have only seen one game and thought the team played very well. In the two home games, I can make no personal comment on performance but most reports suggest played well in second half v Grimsby and first half v Accy , less well in the other two. That seems acceptable to me given injuries, budget and the fact that the other team annoyingly keep on trying to make us look bad.
It seems to me there is a culture of negativity around too many on this board. Your right of course, but I suggest be careful what you wish for. My fear would be that the season GA leaves (or the one following if at end of season) will be the season we come very very close to relegation. Personally I retain full faith in GA and rank him very high on the list of WWFC league managers.
Four points from the first three games in normal circumstances - about par for this club
Given the injury crisis - maybe 1 or 2 better than par.
I just think that sometimes criticism addressing specific areas should be seen as honest and constructive, rather than negative and destructive.
There are at least a handful of posters here who give honest views of what they watch with their own eyes twice a week, and just because they sometimes feel dissatisfied with what they have seen, does not mean they hate the manager or want to starve the players of food for a week.
I actually realise that you're far away Dev, and I think you said it was the Bristol game you caught last week. Please take it from me that if we played like we did against them every week (which I think you said was promising but not amazing), even if we lost every game 1-0 from now until Christmas, I would probably be more entertained than I was last night and I could put up with it.
We played 'good' for 25 minutes, and the reason it looked ok, was because it was crap hoofball, which was aimed at a player who has some semblance of ball control and winning aerial challenges.
I realise he can't play every minute but once he was taken off, we carried on the same tactic, instead feeding the ball at height to a combo of a shortish striker and a figure playing in the position of a striker but who actually calls himself a midfielder in interviews.
I watched players like Sam Wood, Michael Harriman and Matt Bloomfield playing a game of hot potato, receiving bobbling, bouncing balls under pressure facing our own goal, and swiveling and clearing it straight into the 'channels' every single time without fail. Even when the nearest opposition was 10 yards away. No need for a first touch, just get it as close to the opposition goal as possible in one touch, we might win a throw in - if we win 50 of them a ball might deflect of someone's bum for a well deserved goal.
We really don't have to play like that.
Positives -
McGinn - he tries to 'play' and looks at the bench with guilt wondering when he'll be subbed for passing to a team mate.
Stewart - not sure what's come over him but he creates space for others when he decides to bomb forward.
Beast - does pretty much everything asked of him. Even the enthusiastic Southwell was too far away from him every time to make use of his knock downs.
Keeper - solid. Kicks the length of the pitch with half a step run up. Has a very useful long throw if he's allowed to use it.
Pierre/Stewart - hoofs generally went in the correct direction.
@DevC 'Well' second half against Grimsby only works if you define it along the lines of a very sick person lying on their bed and lifting an arm to wave hello.
Having said that your general points about being early season, a lot of injuries, little money, GA being a decent manager and far too much negativity are probably valid.
It seems clear to me from what is said (if not the evidence of what we see) that the aim of the team is to try and play something resembling actual football. The problem seems to be that we have lost confidence in our ability to do so (I blame Northampton) and as games progress we seem to resort more and more to hoofball.
I do think (maybe hope) it will get better when we get some players fit.
But my main point is: the people who do watch us regularly do have to put up with an awful lot of dross so I can really understand the moaning. But it's what football fans like to do (see Arsenal for the current best example)
Out of slight boredom I just had a look at the Facebook forum. Christ it's gash. They're currently having exactly the same debate as this - just with even more petty insults and syntax 'innovations'. I was mildly amused though by Alan Parry's constant defending of every decision the club makes - apart from when directly challenged on whether he enjoys the current style of play, which he wriggles away from answering on every occasion. Shame he doesn't join in the slightly more literate debate on the Gasroom as well. I'd also transfer in James Fleming (if he's not here already) - one of a select few who appears capable of constructing both a sentence and an argument. Not least because I agree with everything he says.
I'd rather you stayed @Morris_Ital - it would be a poorer place without you.
I don't even have a Facebook account, deleted it years ago as it's a truly insidious platform. The bonus of this is that I never get tempted to see what the great unwashed are smashing out on their keyboards. Highly recommended.
This Fleming lad seems like exactly the sort of poster the gasroom should be going after. @drcongo has shown a real lack of ambition in the transfer market and we're starting the season with the same tired squad that ended the last one
How the likes of dev chairboys and RITM were given new contracts over the summer is beyond me
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub , am intrigued about your comment about signing Thompson as a wide man. Wasn't he billed as being a "proven" scorer from a higher division?
Having scored a handful in league 1? Reminded me at the time of whoever (i forget) signed Benyon, and described him as a "proven" goalscorer at "This" level, for an equally poxy tally.
End of the day, I don't think we should really judge Ainsworth too harshly until we see what we look like with Paris and Weston in the same lineup. Hayes in there too probably.
I know fielding those 3 together is like spotting a Unicorn though.
@eric_plant , in fairness to old Dev, he does provide some comedy, in how someone can feel they are so undeniably correct about all aspects of a club they next to never watch play, and live 200 or so miles from! Slays me every time!
@Morris_Ital said:
I don't post on the Facebook page for that exact reason and after some thought I've decided that this is going to be my last post here COYB
Dev has been a tiring tireless servant to this board, and while his legs have clearly gone I felt there was enough left in there to warrant an extension. There's a great team spirit at this forum and we're operating on one of the smallest budgets on the internet. We go again next week.
My advice: pay Monsoon whatever he's asking for, get oily sailor in on loan, and make a bid to the gasman for the old gasroom Xmas lights and stick them up mid-October
Twitter engagement figures would go through the roof
Wonderful @eric_plant.
Just nipping off for a re-read of James Flemming's magnum opus (if that's the one I read this morning).
I do read the Fans' FB page most days but then, as a long retired person, I probably have too much time on my hands anyway.
Occasionally there is a useful snippet of information regarding players, for example, and, much less frequently, an interesting exchange of views involving a modicum of wit and insight.
I'm hoping for a contract extension before this season's over.
@bookertease until the board match our ambition by making funds available for 'crying with laughter' and 'fishing' emojis, the Gasroom is destined for a midtable finish.
Was the attendance against Accrington really just 2,747? I know they don't bring many but it is worryingly low. It seems that the style of football is not bringing in the fans.
I am honoured that I retain the full faith of the gaffer although if he continues to describe my legs as gone, he is in severe danger of losing the Gasroom dressing room. Owww, I may have slightly strained a finger typing this and so afraid I now need to roll around in agony on my keyboard for a while.
Good line Mr Plant. But with a noticeable lack of first team action recently can only be a matter of time before you are loaned out to Yeovil.
I wouldn't place too much store by that, I think Tuesday night games get a lower attendance anyway, it's still holiday season, and it's Accrington, they don't bring many and it's not an appealing fixture for the casual fan.
As a benchmark, we played them on a Tuesday night near the business end of the promotion-hunting campaign of 2014-15 (so when theoretically the glory-hunters might have been more likely to come out) and actually even fewer showed up - 2621.
Re attendances,
First Saturday game attendances not counting away fans
2014/5 2800 2015/6 3200 2016/7 3000
First Tuesday League game
2014/5 2800 2015/6 n/a 2016/7 2600
Possible signs of a small drop off of 200 or so perhaps in part due to last seasons Wembley effect. 200 supporters if sustained over season equates to loss of income of almost £100,000.
I see many similarities between myself and a pint of cool sparkling pear cider ...... after all I am Conference at best.
(Perhaps I am in fact Alan Perry?)
@PBo said:
I wouldn't place too much store by that, I think Tuesday night games get a lower attendance anyway, it's still holiday season, and it's Accrington, they don't bring many and it's not an appealing fixture for the casual fan.
As a benchmark, we played them on a Tuesday night near the business end of the promotion-hunting campaign of 2014-15 (so when theoretically the glory-hunters might have been more likely to come out) and actually even fewer showed up - 2621.
More worrying was the fact that 9/20 exec boxes in the Woodlands Stand were empty on Tuesday night. There used to be a waiting list. Too expensive for a midweek league game?
Limited demand for corporate hospitality on a weeknight, Mr W, especially for a routine Lg2 match. £250 + VAT for 12 including a meal is pretty cheap - would be hard to make it cheaper and still make it worthwhile.
Comments
Err yup, Righty andAttitude. You see I never pretended my post contained direct quotes, just using exaggeration to make the point that the negativity might just be a little over the top given the results (I haven't actually heard a call for Scotty just yet either).
DrC I have only seen one game and thought the team played very well. In the two home games, I can make no personal comment on performance but most reports suggest played well in second half v Grimsby and first half v Accy , less well in the other two. That seems acceptable to me given injuries, budget and the fact that the other team annoyingly keep on trying to make us look bad.
It seems to me there is a culture of negativity around too many on this board. Your right of course, but I suggest be careful what you wish for. My fear would be that the season GA leaves (or the one following if at end of season) will be the season we come very very close to relegation. Personally I retain full faith in GA and rank him very high on the list of WWFC league managers.
Four points from the first three games in normal circumstances - about par for this club
Given the injury crisis - maybe 1 or 2 better than par.
I just think that sometimes criticism addressing specific areas should be seen as honest and constructive, rather than negative and destructive.
There are at least a handful of posters here who give honest views of what they watch with their own eyes twice a week, and just because they sometimes feel dissatisfied with what they have seen, does not mean they hate the manager or want to starve the players of food for a week.
I actually realise that you're far away Dev, and I think you said it was the Bristol game you caught last week. Please take it from me that if we played like we did against them every week (which I think you said was promising but not amazing), even if we lost every game 1-0 from now until Christmas, I would probably be more entertained than I was last night and I could put up with it.
We played 'good' for 25 minutes, and the reason it looked ok, was because it was crap hoofball, which was aimed at a player who has some semblance of ball control and winning aerial challenges.
I realise he can't play every minute but once he was taken off, we carried on the same tactic, instead feeding the ball at height to a combo of a shortish striker and a figure playing in the position of a striker but who actually calls himself a midfielder in interviews.
I watched players like Sam Wood, Michael Harriman and Matt Bloomfield playing a game of hot potato, receiving bobbling, bouncing balls under pressure facing our own goal, and swiveling and clearing it straight into the 'channels' every single time without fail. Even when the nearest opposition was 10 yards away. No need for a first touch, just get it as close to the opposition goal as possible in one touch, we might win a throw in - if we win 50 of them a ball might deflect of someone's bum for a well deserved goal.
We really don't have to play like that.
Positives -
McGinn - he tries to 'play' and looks at the bench with guilt wondering when he'll be subbed for passing to a team mate.
Stewart - not sure what's come over him but he creates space for others when he decides to bomb forward.
Beast - does pretty much everything asked of him. Even the enthusiastic Southwell was too far away from him every time to make use of his knock downs.
Keeper - solid. Kicks the length of the pitch with half a step run up. Has a very useful long throw if he's allowed to use it.
Pierre/Stewart - hoofs generally went in the correct direction.
Freeman - looks good and unwycomised.
@DevC 'Well' second half against Grimsby only works if you define it along the lines of a very sick person lying on their bed and lifting an arm to wave hello.
Having said that your general points about being early season, a lot of injuries, little money, GA being a decent manager and far too much negativity are probably valid.
It seems clear to me from what is said (if not the evidence of what we see) that the aim of the team is to try and play something resembling actual football. The problem seems to be that we have lost confidence in our ability to do so (I blame Northampton) and as games progress we seem to resort more and more to hoofball.
I do think (maybe hope) it will get better when we get some players fit.
But my main point is: the people who do watch us regularly do have to put up with an awful lot of dross so I can really understand the moaning. But it's what football fans like to do (see Arsenal for the current best example)
Out of slight boredom I just had a look at the Facebook forum. Christ it's gash. They're currently having exactly the same debate as this - just with even more petty insults and syntax 'innovations'. I was mildly amused though by Alan Parry's constant defending of every decision the club makes - apart from when directly challenged on whether he enjoys the current style of play, which he wriggles away from answering on every occasion. Shame he doesn't join in the slightly more literate debate on the Gasroom as well. I'd also transfer in James Fleming (if he's not here already) - one of a select few who appears capable of constructing both a sentence and an argument. Not least because I agree with everything he says.
I don't post on the Facebook page for that exact reason and after some thought I've decided that this is going to be my last post here COYB
I'd rather you stayed @Morris_Ital - it would be a poorer place without you.
I don't even have a Facebook account, deleted it years ago as it's a truly insidious platform. The bonus of this is that I never get tempted to see what the great unwashed are smashing out on their keyboards. Highly recommended.
This Fleming lad seems like exactly the sort of poster the gasroom should be going after. @drcongo has shown a real lack of ambition in the transfer market and we're starting the season with the same tired squad that ended the last one
How the likes of dev chairboys and RITM were given new contracts over the summer is beyond me
@eric_plant Like
No thumbs up option? No wonder we can't attract new young talent
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub , am intrigued about your comment about signing Thompson as a wide man. Wasn't he billed as being a "proven" scorer from a higher division?
Having scored a handful in league 1? Reminded me at the time of whoever (i forget) signed Benyon, and described him as a "proven" goalscorer at "This" level, for an equally poxy tally.
End of the day, I don't think we should really judge Ainsworth too harshly until we see what we look like with Paris and Weston in the same lineup. Hayes in there too probably.
I know fielding those 3 together is like spotting a Unicorn though.
@Morris_Ital - I'm with The Doc on this one. Don't go, old man!
I'd miss your ugly mug with the smouldering, as you once put it, squint.
@eric_plant , in fairness to old Dev, he does provide some comedy, in how someone can feel they are so undeniably correct about all aspects of a club they next to never watch play, and live 200 or so miles from! Slays me every time!
That's a shame. Hope you reconsider.
Dev has been a tiring tireless servant to this board, and while his legs have clearly gone I felt there was enough left in there to warrant an extension. There's a great team spirit at this forum and we're operating on one of the smallest budgets on the internet. We go again next week.
My advice: pay Monsoon whatever he's asking for, get oily sailor in on loan, and make a bid to the gasman for the old gasroom Xmas lights and stick them up mid-October
Twitter engagement figures would go through the roof
Wonderful @eric_plant.
Just nipping off for a re-read of James Flemming's magnum opus (if that's the one I read this morning).
I do read the Fans' FB page most days but then, as a long retired person, I probably have too much time on my hands anyway.
Occasionally there is a useful snippet of information regarding players, for example, and, much less frequently, an interesting exchange of views involving a modicum of wit and insight.
I'm hoping for a contract extension before this season's over.
I think we should resign Richie as we miss his "insider" information.
@bookertease until the board match our ambition by making funds available for 'crying with laughter' and 'fishing' emojis, the Gasroom is destined for a midtable finish.
Was the attendance against Accrington really just 2,747? I know they don't bring many but it is worryingly low. It seems that the style of football is not bringing in the fans.
I am honoured that I retain the full faith of the gaffer although if he continues to describe my legs as gone, he is in severe danger of losing the Gasroom dressing room. Owww, I may have slightly strained a finger typing this and so afraid I now need to roll around in agony on my keyboard for a while.
Good line Mr Plant. But with a noticeable lack of first team action recently can only be a matter of time before you are loaned out to Yeovil.
I wouldn't place too much store by that, I think Tuesday night games get a lower attendance anyway, it's still holiday season, and it's Accrington, they don't bring many and it's not an appealing fixture for the casual fan.
As a benchmark, we played them on a Tuesday night near the business end of the promotion-hunting campaign of 2014-15 (so when theoretically the glory-hunters might have been more likely to come out) and actually even fewer showed up - 2621.
http://www.chairboys.co.uk/history/adamspark-attendances_25.htm
Re attendances,
First Saturday game attendances not counting away fans
2014/5 2800 2015/6 3200 2016/7 3000
First Tuesday League game
2014/5 2800 2015/6 n/a 2016/7 2600
Possible signs of a small drop off of 200 or so perhaps in part due to last seasons Wembley effect. 200 supporters if sustained over season equates to loss of income of almost £100,000.
@PBo is benched for the next game as punishment for not jerking his knee while posting.
I'd like to request a transfer to the not606 site, as I want to play part-time and pursue a career in Herbalife and personal training on the side.
I see many similarities between myself and a pint of cool sparkling pear cider ...... after all I am Conference at best.
(Perhaps I am in fact Alan Perry?)
#herbalife4life
More worrying was the fact that 9/20 exec boxes in the Woodlands Stand were empty on Tuesday night. There used to be a waiting list. Too expensive for a midweek league game?
Limited demand for corporate hospitality on a weeknight, Mr W, especially for a routine Lg2 match. £250 + VAT for 12 including a meal is pretty cheap - would be hard to make it cheaper and still make it worthwhile.
As. Instructed. I. Will. Leave. The. Gasroom. As. Slowly. As. Possible. Applauding. You. All. As. I. Pass. The. Armband. To. Chris.