um pahars

Martin Tyler on SKY said that earlier Jan had said that he thinks some of the older players including Euell can't play with the youngsters because they are not on the same wavelength (or something along those lines). So maybe Jan doesn't fancy him then!

We will get a point here. Palace will get over confident and we'll snatch a late equaliser. You heard it here first.

On a positive note, we don't fall any further down the table tonight. But Watford at home to Norwich on Wednesday, so we could drop down one place there. As for other relegation rivals: Doncaster away at Preston so dont think they should get anything there. Forest at home, but playing Sheff Utd, so tough game. Charlton at home to Coventry which is a bit worrying. But definitely still not in the bottom three after these midweek fixtures.

Think about Preston. Palace are no great shakes, get one back and we can get a point here.

Paid CEO's don't normally come forward, you go out and recruit them!!!!! Same with a Chairman. We never made any effort to look outside the usual suspects. By all means have shareholder representation on the Board, but why did we not go outside the stagnant gene pool?????

Absolutely. I find it staggering that people feel we have to dip into the same stagnant gene pool of shareholders and appoint a CEO/Chairman who failed so miserably last time around. Why is he the only one who can save us (and WTF happens when he does decide to stand down given he is the only one able to do this job:rolleyes::rolleyes:).

I wouldn't be so sure. At this level you don't get as much time, keepers are better, defenders close you down etc etc etc. There have been a number of players who can score for fun in youth matches against players their own age, but who are then unable to replicate it at a higher level. We were talking about this at the weekend, because at a certain level DMG is certainly prolific. It's just whether he will be able to step up to the next level and do it in the CCC. I think that when he was playing youth football he was a bully and used his physical presence to his advantage more.

Malcolm Waldron is a good shout, given the number of games he played and the fact that he helped cement our place in the top flight. Armstrong as well, due to his goals and appearances. Williams is a very good shout as a more up to date candidate and thenyou could throw in Kevin Moore. There might be something in the fact that three of the above are centre halves and therefore not the glamour players.

A really dull game, but a valuable away point in the battle against relegation. 0-0

We were not financilly viable when Lowe left us. Nowhere near it. The last season that he presided in saw us haemoraghing cash, as costs far exceeded our income. We lost 9 million in cash out the door on normal operations in that season and that was even after receiving a 7 million parachute payment (ie on ongoing operational costs and revenue we were 16 million adrift). Remember the quotes of "We don't know where the next penny was coming from"??? We were continually shipping out players to keep the wolves from the door.

So bewildering in fact that after the same amount of games as we have played this season we had 30 points and were 10th. Interestingly we had also won 4 games away from home at this point of last season, but perhaps more interesting is the fact that we had won 5 at home as well. Last season had a mad spell in the Spring, but as a comparison last seasons start ****es on this seasons start.

I was wincing as I typed that. Best of a bad bunch really!!!!!!! Wotton may not be that special, but IMHO he's better than Gillett. The other option that I wouldn't have been averse to trying was to reshuffle what was already out on the pitch and try and retain possession.

He was definitely down here for a few months around then as I went on a double date with him!!!!!! Have to say he really did get the short straw that evening. Then again I can't really boast, because the one I was with didn't want to know after one date!!!! He never played a competitive game for us though and left to go to Luton if I remember correctly, where he did play a bit.

I would counter that it was Jan's fault as Gillett is just not up to it. IMHO he's a very poor player and we were even more overpowered when he came on. Wotton would have been a better bet, or maybe even shuffling who was already out there. IMHO I don't think Paterson made a difference one way or the other. As I have said elsewhere, I think it was the fact that the one up top was isolated too much and we continued to surrender possession.

We'll have to agree to disagree, as I think playing two up top is a more effective set up (then again any set up could be more prouctive than the current one). IMHO whenever the front two have played closer together we have looked more dangerous. We have no one in the current set up who can lead the line on their own, so I see it as a total waste to continue with a set up when we don't have the players to make it work. We're just consigning ourselves to bumble along as the 22nd worst scorers in the division.

So do we come back to the fact that in the current set up we don't have the quality of players who can score the chances created by this style of football (that said I'm not overly sure we do create a hatfull of gilt edged chances each game)??? If it's a yes, then would it be worth trying a different style of play, or do we just carry on regardless???

No, it's not delivering the goals. We are ranked 22nd in terms of scoring in this division. I would call that not delivering. Exactly, so if it does suit our players and they're used to it, then why aren't we scoring? Now you've lost me. It suits our players, they're used to it and all it's doing is not delivering victories, but now you're saying we haven't got a decent striker to play in this system that suits them (suits all those apart from the decent striker we haven't got???). So if we haven't got the personnel to play in this system, then why do we persevere with it???

You can call it what you want, but it is not delivering the goods with regards scoring goals. We're ranked 22nd in terms of scoring. I'm just asking for us to play to our strengths and perhaps try and change things if they're not working. And perhaps more importantly, maybe try and play a formation that suits our players, rather than try and shoe horn them into a system.

So you're saying we've been playing this attacking style of Dutch Total Football in the Academy for years then???

Aha, I did put a general in there. However, in line with the title of this thread, I was thinking more of the way we attack going forward with the insistence of playing one up to, as opposed to shuffling the defence around (as important as that is).

One of my main concerns with this manager. Firstly he only appears to know one way of playing and proves incapable of changing formation to match or outwit opponents. Generally, if Plan A doesn't work, then that's that. Secondly, I think rather than look at his resources and work out how he can get the best from them, he has a set way of how he wants to play and is then shoe horning players in to a system that some of them are not cut out for.

It's not been good post Strachan but my list would be: Pearson (short stint, so hard to say for sure, but felt he had just what we needed at that moment in time). Sturrock (despite a player mutiny, he got some good results) Burley (a strange one, one season was pretty good, but you good argue it should have been, then other parts of his tenure were very poor). Redknapp (he's obviously not a bad manager, as long as he is given what he wants, but not the right man for us at that point in time) Jan Poortvliet (still able to turn to around, but seems very one dimensional with his tactics and fairly naive) Wigley (enough said)

Really????? What about the line that The Dell was "always worth a few points to us" and away teams hated going there!!!!! Having followed us for many years home and away, as a percentage of games, I have seen many more wins at home. I reckon this might be the only season where our away form is better than our home form.

****k me, you're spot on (sorry about that Saint Martini). I totally forgot about him coming back under Redknapp!!!!!!!!! I have only got memories of him as an apprentice on the top deck of the 2a bus from Lordshill in all his FILA gear offering everyone out LOL. I think LordswoodSaints has a few stories to add from those days (I'm sure he lodged with lordswood's mate)!!!!!

In this order for me: Ivan Golac (who should walk this by a country mile) Mick Mills (past his best, but he captained England in Espana 82 a few months before we signed him) Jeff kenna (wasn't really around long enough, but no doubt a quality player) Jason Dodd (A great stalwart) Peter Rodrigues (A legend, particularly at parties, although not loads of matches!!!!) Gerry Forrest (steady as they come, but 100 or so games again)