Whitey Grandad

You're sharp :smt058

All very noble sentiments providing: a) we survive in the short term b) the team will improve in the long term. Maybe this is as good as they get.......?

Yes, every time we changed managers we brought in another lot of average players.

Addicted to pleasantry. No chance of that here, then.

I bet they would have closed the corners there too.

Yes, something doesn't add up, does it? If our income last year was £14m then we could sell all the players and play schoolboys but we would still be losing bucketloads. From what I understand, our spending pattern is fundamentally different from most other clubs in the same division. How expensive is the academy? We keep getting told that the club is skint, but the big questions is 'where does all the money go?'

This has been discussed before. The balance of spending at this club has been completely wrong. Less than half the spending was on players' and coaching staff so where on earth did the other £18m (insert your figure here £....) go?

I have paid big money for my two season tickets and for that I expect to see players like Skacel, not a bunch of understudies.

They've all been saying that to Lowe for years but he doesn't believe it.

I agree. It's not his fault that he is not a full-back and neither is Surman. The blame must lie with the management for not addressing the problem over the summer.

You've been reading Epictetus: 'Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants'

At one point in the first half I did notice Wotton call him back when he got dragged forward a bit too far. Full-back is a specialist position and you can't just stick a midfielder in there and expect him to do the same job.

What, 27 years?

I think that's part of the problem. The management didn't thinkit would be a big issue either.

We can't afford to indulge him if it continues to cost us goals. It's not so much that he was exposed, more a matter of being caught out of position ball-watching instead of staying goal-side of his man.

Insult your customers at your peril

Yes, strange that. I wonder how many posters on here have a guaranteed job for the next 3 years.

A lot of it is to do with your positioning. As you gain experience you tend to get yourself in position earlier and there's less frantic chasing. The first 5 yards are in you head.

Quite right! It sends out a message: 'you're not wanted here'

The other option is to turn and pass the ball out wide to the player in space running down the wing. McGoldrick was at fault several times.

There's not a lot of difference between a Brouilly and a Bojolly, and it really is better if it's slightly chilled. If you're interested I can give you the name of a sweet old lady in Julienas who makes it as it should be made. That's if she's still alive.

They go to the pub or stay at home.

I thought it was subdued too. Fair play to the Northam who were their usual magnificent selves but with the empty seats and closed corners there was quite an echo rattling round the ground at times. Several times I could hear the players calling so it must have been quiet.

Prime reason? - the situation that the club is in is the simple and facetious answer. Lowe's return, an unattractive team, high cost of living, closing the corners, no bus tickets are all factors.

No you're not an idiot and the players are not kids, they are all adults. They need a good kick up the rear but I don't think that would help because, basically, with a couple of exceptions they are not good enough.