Just showing their nerves @floyd, just showing their nerves. Similar performance at Fratton Park and summer won’t be much fun.
I tried in my post this morning to put a rational gloss on what was an extremely disappointing performance, to put it politely, but nobody seems inclined to comment on it. If that is because they can’t see a kernel of truth in what I said about team selection having been a factor yesterday, so be it.
There's a bit of worry knocking about for sure. I can feel it myself to be honest.
It'd need some @ReturnToSenda stats magic, but gut feel is that our form since the managerial switcheroo would see us bottom half for certain, possibly about 16th? That's following a successful regime in a very successful run of form.
Things can change very quickly in football, so bring on a couple of signings and a pre season getting the style right, but as it stands it'd take an exceptionally optimistic person to think we'll be competing high up next year.
Some of the more extreme responses, yes, but let's not go through this nonsense of labelling everyone expressing discontent with a crap situation 'bedwetters'.
Hardly. Rob has made the dangerous mistake of over promising and under delivering since day 1 on a lot of fronts and needs to temper his enthusiasm for what is deliverable. Many of us were there when he said day 1 of his tenure toilets and catering would be sorted. Well the toilets are still terrible and the catering by the club is probably the worst I’ve seen at ANY club in recent years.
On the field we have been dreadful against Lincoln, Morecambe and Cheltenham. Teams we surely would have earmarked as winnable games if we were serious about automatic promotion.
And let’s look at our transfers. January saw us very much in the mix. We got rid of five attacking players and got in a green Premier League hopeful (and a back up keeper). Last summer was not much better replacing rather than improving the squad.
None of this is on Matt Bloomfield. We have a very articulate and intelligent coach on our hands. The club needs to give him time as do the fans and I’m confident WE will.
These are the facts. People calling them out are not bed wetters. If as fans we buy into Rob’s ambitious talk we need to at least see some movement in the direction of travel. Not even his nephew’s BBQ company turns up these day!
I don’t expect us to be challenging for the playoffs next season. Change takes time. I will be very happy if, by March, we are safe and have a squad of players who are giving their all matches with a well defined game plan. 23/24 restructure and 24/25?
Chuck in a cup run next season as well and I’ll be delighted.
I wouldn't hold out much hope for a summer revamp - Rob played down any need to strengthen the squad yesterday (albeit before the shitshow that ensued...). But he did say something about toilets!
In response to @micra a different team selection may have resulted in a different performance & result but we will never know...
I guess there was a requirement in Cartwright's loan clause that he had to play a minimum of 1 first team game, hence his selection ahead of Max yesterday & to be fair to him the first 2 goals were not his fault.
My concern about yesterday was the lack of effort & team cohesion post the penalty & the apparent lack of on the field leadership. Bloomfield seemed to be struggling to understand & explain it too in his post match interviews etc.
It seems like too many players have checked out given we can do no better than 8th & no worse than 9th. Whilst we still mathematically had a chance of the playoffs we at least saw most players giving maximum effort & the team playing generally as a unit; though I would add that Tafazolli appears to have had his head somewhere else for the last 3-4 games.
Bloomfield is clearly trying to move us to a more passing/possession based style but perhaps has moved too quickly given his current squad was built on Ainsworth's quick transitions to the final third. I think we do have players capable of playing a more "cultured" style, unfortunately there are gaps that will need to be filled over the summer if that is the direction of travel. (Weirdly yesterday reminded me of the recent Ted Lasso episode where he first introduced his version of total football with predictable & embarassing results).
I choose to believe Bloomfield (& Couhig) when he says that the club heirarchy are supporting him & he has the green light to make acquisitions in the close season. I am also more than prepared to give him time to mould a squad in his image & the way he wants the game to be played.
Notwithstanding all of that, like all fans I want our club to be successful & to play at the highest level they are capable of playing at; realistically at the moment that is the upper reaches of L1 with the occassional play-off appearance, I hope in the future that turns into regular tilts at the Championship & who knows where that may lead...
Though it depends whether this is added as finished articles capable of playing at L1, understudies who can be trusted to step in if needs be or development players...
I don't think you can expect a manager to come in and just deviate from his own philosophy. The club would (or should) have known Blooms' style of football when they appointed him.
It's got to be at least the second of the three. Succession planning is so important and we've done it well in recent seasons, but I'm a bit concerned we're cutting it a bit fine now.
Obsessing that all our players aren't good enough yet simultaneously that they are all going to the championship and then when they re-sign that this is obviously a mistake and that we are both overspending and that the chairman needs to spend more is getting on for bedwetting.
Blooms needs to find his way so as bad as yesterday was it informs him that he can't rely on some. Going to be a long summer. All you can read into the last RC comments is that he'd be cained for slagging them off pre-match but said they need enhancing.
Cartwright getting a game made sense, if he'd had a blinder there'd be three pages about where Max was going and if this guy was coming back on loan next season or outright.
There’s nothing wrong with waking up to dry bedding and making a more balanced appraisal of where we are on the pitch.
We can’t change the shit end of the season and there is an argument that the upheaval robbed us of that playoff opportunity .
What we can do is judge the ownership and new management on what is going to happen going forward. Rob has committed himself after getting the 90% to a list of improvements off and on the field although there was no mention of the access road or new stand it was more better toilets and food .
I think we do need to strengthen the playing squad and the closed season will be a good indication of what sort of team we’re going to field next season perhaps players that were not on board with GAs style would be more comfortable playing for Matt.
So here’s the engineer in me coming out we have metrics to judge them on so let’s do it.
The trust have donated the money for the toilets and despite hanging onto and eventually keeping their money he wasn't prepared to stump up for the pitch so what he will do now he has complete control will be keenly watched.
What's this "bedwetting" nonsense the whole time? Really infuriating word to use talking about fans who spend 100s and 1000s of hours and pounds following their team.
Comments
First genuinely rough spell for almost a decade and people are losing their minds.
If our fanbase was a team we’d be battling relegation.
I think the reaction is fair enough tbh
Just showing their nerves @floyd, just showing their nerves. Similar performance at Fratton Park and summer won’t be much fun.
I tried in my post this morning to put a rational gloss on what was an extremely disappointing performance, to put it politely, but nobody seems inclined to comment on it. If that is because they can’t see a kernel of truth in what I said about team selection having been a factor yesterday, so be it.
It’s embarrassing.
If these people had had their way Gaz wouldn't have still been in charge at Torquay in his first full season
Bedwetters FC
There's a bit of worry knocking about for sure. I can feel it myself to be honest.
It'd need some @ReturnToSenda stats magic, but gut feel is that our form since the managerial switcheroo would see us bottom half for certain, possibly about 16th? That's following a successful regime in a very successful run of form.
Things can change very quickly in football, so bring on a couple of signings and a pre season getting the style right, but as it stands it'd take an exceptionally optimistic person to think we'll be competing high up next year.
Some of the more extreme responses, yes, but let's not go through this nonsense of labelling everyone expressing discontent with a crap situation 'bedwetters'.
Don't worry.
If it does go appallingly next season we can rely on a few telling us how we should be grateful as xx years ago we were league 2, non league etc 😍
We're 18th on PPG in Bloomfield's 12 games
We’re all concerned. Losing 3-0 at home to Cheltenham is unacceptable. But embarrassing is the perfect adjective.
Hardly. Rob has made the dangerous mistake of over promising and under delivering since day 1 on a lot of fronts and needs to temper his enthusiasm for what is deliverable. Many of us were there when he said day 1 of his tenure toilets and catering would be sorted. Well the toilets are still terrible and the catering by the club is probably the worst I’ve seen at ANY club in recent years.
On the field we have been dreadful against Lincoln, Morecambe and Cheltenham. Teams we surely would have earmarked as winnable games if we were serious about automatic promotion.
And let’s look at our transfers. January saw us very much in the mix. We got rid of five attacking players and got in a green Premier League hopeful (and a back up keeper). Last summer was not much better replacing rather than improving the squad.
None of this is on Matt Bloomfield. We have a very articulate and intelligent coach on our hands. The club needs to give him time as do the fans and I’m confident WE will.
These are the facts. People calling them out are not bed wetters. If as fans we buy into Rob’s ambitious talk we need to at least see some movement in the direction of travel. Not even his nephew’s BBQ company turns up these day!
Not winning on a Saturday is bizarre isn't it.
We had that long home midweek lack of wins a few years ago, but not winning on a weekend is a fair bit more worrying.
You should be very careful about using Twitter as a reliable and trustworthy source of accurate information.
I don’t expect us to be challenging for the playoffs next season. Change takes time. I will be very happy if, by March, we are safe and have a squad of players who are giving their all matches with a well defined game plan. 23/24 restructure and 24/25?
Chuck in a cup run next season as well and I’ll be delighted.
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub No one is pretending any different. But the reaction of sections of our fanbase is way out of proportion.
I wouldn't hold out much hope for a summer revamp - Rob played down any need to strengthen the squad yesterday (albeit before the shitshow that ensued...). But he did say something about toilets!
He's said we've spent the last month looking at players hasn't he?
In response to @micra a different team selection may have resulted in a different performance & result but we will never know...
I guess there was a requirement in Cartwright's loan clause that he had to play a minimum of 1 first team game, hence his selection ahead of Max yesterday & to be fair to him the first 2 goals were not his fault.
My concern about yesterday was the lack of effort & team cohesion post the penalty & the apparent lack of on the field leadership. Bloomfield seemed to be struggling to understand & explain it too in his post match interviews etc.
It seems like too many players have checked out given we can do no better than 8th & no worse than 9th. Whilst we still mathematically had a chance of the playoffs we at least saw most players giving maximum effort & the team playing generally as a unit; though I would add that Tafazolli appears to have had his head somewhere else for the last 3-4 games.
Bloomfield is clearly trying to move us to a more passing/possession based style but perhaps has moved too quickly given his current squad was built on Ainsworth's quick transitions to the final third. I think we do have players capable of playing a more "cultured" style, unfortunately there are gaps that will need to be filled over the summer if that is the direction of travel. (Weirdly yesterday reminded me of the recent Ted Lasso episode where he first introduced his version of total football with predictable & embarassing results).
I choose to believe Bloomfield (& Couhig) when he says that the club heirarchy are supporting him & he has the green light to make acquisitions in the close season. I am also more than prepared to give him time to mould a squad in his image & the way he wants the game to be played.
Notwithstanding all of that, like all fans I want our club to be successful & to play at the highest level they are capable of playing at; realistically at the moment that is the upper reaches of L1 with the occassional play-off appearance, I hope in the future that turns into regular tilts at the Championship & who knows where that may lead...
He didn't say we wouldn't sign anyone, more that he thought the squad is good enough as it is
@Malone & @ReturnToSenda Couhig did say he felt it was good enough but needed adding to in certain areas...
We badly need to inject some youth into the squad this summer - we're right on the edge age-wise.
I agree Tom
Though it depends whether this is added as finished articles capable of playing at L1, understudies who can be trusted to step in if needs be or development players...
Yep. This is the bit that is most puzzling. Our best chance of making the playoffs was to keep doing what we were doing before.
I’d be absolutely astonished if there was that kind of clause in Cartrights loan deal.
More than likely it was a gesture of goodwill to give the kid a game and to thank him for his contributions since he arrived.
I don't think you can expect a manager to come in and just deviate from his own philosophy. The club would (or should) have known Blooms' style of football when they appointed him.
It's got to be at least the second of the three. Succession planning is so important and we've done it well in recent seasons, but I'm a bit concerned we're cutting it a bit fine now.
Obsessing that all our players aren't good enough yet simultaneously that they are all going to the championship and then when they re-sign that this is obviously a mistake and that we are both overspending and that the chairman needs to spend more is getting on for bedwetting.
Blooms needs to find his way so as bad as yesterday was it informs him that he can't rely on some. Going to be a long summer. All you can read into the last RC comments is that he'd be cained for slagging them off pre-match but said they need enhancing.
Cartwright getting a game made sense, if he'd had a blinder there'd be three pages about where Max was going and if this guy was coming back on loan next season or outright.
There’s nothing wrong with waking up to dry bedding and making a more balanced appraisal of where we are on the pitch.
We can’t change the shit end of the season and there is an argument that the upheaval robbed us of that playoff opportunity .
What we can do is judge the ownership and new management on what is going to happen going forward. Rob has committed himself after getting the 90% to a list of improvements off and on the field although there was no mention of the access road or new stand it was more better toilets and food .
I think we do need to strengthen the playing squad and the closed season will be a good indication of what sort of team we’re going to field next season perhaps players that were not on board with GAs style would be more comfortable playing for Matt.
So here’s the engineer in me coming out we have metrics to judge them on so let’s do it.
The trust have donated the money for the toilets and despite hanging onto and eventually keeping their money he wasn't prepared to stump up for the pitch so what he will do now he has complete control will be keenly watched.
What's this "bedwetting" nonsense the whole time? Really infuriating word to use talking about fans who spend 100s and 1000s of hours and pounds following their team.