Just Back (merged)

I've watched / listened again to post match and am still anxious to enquire
How are we supposed to be playing?
What shape (sorry us shape)?
What system?
What formation?
The only thing we know is they (the team) have to pass it out from the back
Q
Is it more players we want
Or
Clearer and more concise communication to the players we have?
Come on Town Upwards & Onwards

If I may borrow a Jose Mourinho quote from earlier in the week

The manager has to improve the team has to improve and the supporters have to improve

Nothing was good about B.P today(minutes applause excluded)

On a side note isn't it strange that P.H hasn't as far as were are aware come in for any of our players. When a manager leaves a team doing well, throughout the history of the game they've always raided there old club for at least a couple of players.  I'm guessing P.H didn't think that highly of the squad he assembled. Personally I dont think this team is as good as last years, but I didn't think last years team was as good as the season before.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Some interesting stuff in there................

So put yourself in the position of a Town player ........the manager who signed you or you have been with the ages leaves , the new manager comes in and immediately starts talking about this and that and everything else, he gets you in for double sessions indicating your not fit enough or have not worked hard enough when you thought pre season was in July?? Also you do an afternoon or two in the class room.

You then change the shape from the 4 - 4 -2 you are comfortable with and has took you to a play off position to a 4 - 3 - 3 and suffer some mixed results including 3 defeats in a row . The manager is still talking about "entertaining football" though and how he "wants to be involved in everything in the club"? He also says everyone will get a chance in the team but you are now thinking is that chance actually a trial? All this is going on and our most creative player gets injured for a few games and the star striker is struggling with a thigh strain.

Christmas comes with "another" shape change and actually some decent results so maybe things are looking up? Or are they as the manager is going public saying that he needs to add some more quality to the squad, so as a player are you thinking you are not good enough and may be moved on?

The above is of course all supposition but as well as a coaching curse I sometimes wonder if football managers should do a change management course as part of their coaching badges. "Less is more", "keep it simple", "evolution rather than revolution" all of those things for the next month or two please.  Players can only adapt to so much change in so short a time.    

One thing everyone is agreed on is that it was a poor performance from everyone. But we have to be realistic.
1. Exeter have the best away form in the league. They have a plan and stick to it.
2. GTFC have not been able to handle teams who park the bus at Blundell Park for years, including last year when we got promoted.
3. MB has acknowledged we need new, better players in midfield and is trying hard to get them.
4. The team is still in transition and some of the current squad will not survive.

Please give the manager and team some time, especially until the end of the transfer window, when we and they will know who they have to finish the last 20 or so games of our first season back in the league. You might be pleasantly surprised with where we finish in May. Even José Moreno needed some time before Man U got a decent run of results.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Some interesting stuff in there................

So put yourself in the position of a Town player ........the manager who signed you or you have been with the ages leaves , the new manager comes in and immediately starts talking about this and that and everything else, he gets you in for double sessions indicating your not fit enough or have not worked hard enough when you thought pre season was in July?? Also you do an afternoon or two in the class room.

You then change the shape from the 4 - 4 -2 you are comfortable with and has took you to a play off position to a 4 - 3 - 3 and suffer some mixed results including 3 defeats in a row . The manager is still talking about "entertaining football" though and how he "wants to be involved in everything in the club"? He also says everyone will get a chance in the team but you are now thinking is that chance actually a trial? All this is going on and our most creative player gets injured for a few games and the star striker is struggling with a thigh strain.

Christmas comes with "another" shape change and actually some decent results so maybe things are looking up? Or are they as the manager is going public saying that he needs to add some more quality to the squad, so as a player are you thinking you are not good enough and may be moved on?

The above is of course all supposition but as well as a coaching curse I sometimes wonder if football managers should do a change management course as part of their coaching badges. "Less is more", "keep it simple", "evolution rather than revolution" all of those things for the next month or two please.  Players can only adapt to so much change in so short a time.    

One thing everyone is agreed on is that it was a poor performance from everyone. But we have to be realistic.
1. Exeter have the best away form in the league. They have a plan and stick to it.
2. GTFC have not been able to handle teams who park the bus at Blundell Park for years, including last year when we got promoted.
3. MB has acknowledged we need new, better players in midfield and is trying hard to get them.
4. The team is still in transition and some of the current squad will not survive.

Please give the manager and team some time, especially until the end of the transfer window, when we and they will know who they have to finish the last 20 or so games of our first season back in the league. You might be pleasantly surprised with where we finish in May. Even José Moreno needed some time before Man U got a decent run of results.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Some interesting stuff in there................

So put yourself in the position of a Town player ........the manager who signed you or you have been with the ages leaves , the new manager comes in and immediately starts talking about this and that and everything else, he gets you in for double sessions indicating your not fit enough or have not worked hard enough when you thought pre season was in July?? Also you do an afternoon or two in the class room.

You then change the shape from the 4 - 4 -2 you are comfortable with and has took you to a play off position to a 4 - 3 - 3 and suffer some mixed results including 3 defeats in a row . The manager is still talking about "entertaining football" though and how he "wants to be involved in everything in the club"? He also says everyone will get a chance in the team but you are now thinking is that chance actually a trial? All this is going on and our most creative player gets injured for a few games and the star striker is struggling with a thigh strain.

Christmas comes with "another" shape change and actually some decent results so maybe things are looking up? Or are they as the manager is going public saying that he needs to add some more quality to the squad, so as a player are you thinking you are not good enough and may be moved on?

The above is of course all supposition but as well as a coaching curse I sometimes wonder if football managers should do a change management course as part of their coaching badges. "Less is more", "keep it simple", "evolution rather than revolution" all of those things for the next month or two please.  Players can only adapt to so much change in so short a time.    

I'm sorry, but I have to really strongly disagree with this. I've seen this comment gaining traction over the past few weeks, especially after a defeat. To say professional footballers cannot get used to a change in formation over a period of weeks is wrong. They sometimes have to change formation and shape throughout nearly every game and sometimes more than once or twice if things aren't going well, the opposition change formation, the side needs a goal or there's a lead to protect. The players at pro level are more than used to it. It's an intrinsic part of the game at any level. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and admit some of our players aren't all that on a consistent basis, and sometimes you have to give the opposition credit.

Quoted from Bigdog

I'm sorry, but I have to really strongly disagree with this. I've seen this comment gaining traction over the past few weeks, especially after a defeat. To say professional footballers cannot get used to a change in formation over a period of weeks is wrong. They sometimes have to change formation and shape throughout nearly every game and sometimes more than once or twice if things aren't going well, the opposition change formation, the side needs a goal or there's a lead to protect. The players at pro level are more than used to it. It's an intrinsic part of the game at any level. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and admit some of our players aren't all that on a consistent basis, and sometimes you have to give the opposition credit.

Don't disagree and if you read back what I posted I did say it was all supposition but we still didn't get a shot on target yesterday. I also agree that we have a squad mix of ex National League players, oldlies but goldies and relegation failures from last season. Another "comment gaining traction" is that this is down to Paul Hurst being a poor manager I actually believe it's more associated with the lack of income from 5 years or so in non league.  

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Don't disagree and if you read back what I posted I did say it was all supposition but we still didn't get a shot on target yesterday. I also agree that we have a squad mix of ex National League players, oldlies but goldies and relegation failures from last season. Another "comment gaining traction" is that this is down to Paul Hurst being a poor manager I actually believe it's more associated with the lack of income from 5 years or so in non league.  

Not aimed at you, you just brought the subject up in answer to another post.

I don't think the squad's that strong, (see my previous post), and feel the players/managers have done well to get us into a position of relative safety so early in the season. I don't think recruitment was the best in the summer. Whether it was due to size of budget or the manager will always be up for conjecture. I have been consistent in my view that I didn't rate PH from my first ever post. Again it's down to opinions.

It may be due to the lack of income because we were non-league, ie missing out on the £430k or so for being in League Two and added youth funding. Not so much in playing budget, as every club spends as much as it can afford season to season. We started this season on a level playing field with the other clubs as whatever they received from the League in the seasons previously would have already been spent on wages. As it stands we have about the fourth best income in gate receipts so should be competitive. Over the past five years the League Two clubs may have allocated a small part of their playing budget into fitness, conditioning and nutrition so may have an advantage there. Although we may have top end table income, where do we stand in additional income? I think you've mentioned how well Barnet do with off field commercial activity. Maybe us lacking in that pulls us down a place or two when it comes to overall income.

If PH was given a competitive budget, after half a season we surely could say by now that he did not recruit consistently well. Did he do his homework right on the standard of player required. After all he did say he couldn't believe the standard of player he was being offered and we could afford. His inexperience of the new level is a contributory factor in my opinion.

Anyway looking forward, I'm liking the look of the two recruits that MB has acquired and hope he keeps that standard up so we don't go on wasting half of our budget on Conference level or past their best players..

Quoted from Bigdog

Not aimed at you, you just brought the subject up in answer to another post.

I don't think the squad's that strong, (see my previous post), and feel the players/managers have done well to get us into a position of relative safety so early in the season. I don't think recruitment was the best in the summer. Whether it was due to size of budget or the manager will always be up for conjecture. I have been consistent in my view that I didn't rate PH from my first ever post. Again it's down to opinions.

It may be due to the lack of income because we were non-league, ie missing out on the £430k or so for being in League Two and added youth funding. Not so much in playing budget, as every club spends as much as it can afford season to season. We started this season on a level playing field with the other clubs as whatever they received from the League in the seasons previously would have already been spent on wages. As it stands we have about the fourth best income in gate receipts so should be competitive. Over the past five years the League Two clubs may have allocated a small part of their playing budget into fitness, conditioning and nutrition so may have an advantage there. Although we may have top end table income, where do we stand in additional income? I think you've mentioned how well Barnet do with off field commercial activity. Maybe us lacking in that pulls us down a place or two when it comes to overall income.

If PH was given a competitive budget, after half a season we surely could say by now that he did not recruit consistently well. Did he do his homework right on the standard of player required. After all he did say he couldn't believe the standard of player he was being offered and we could afford. His inexperience of the new level is a contributory factor in my opinion.

Anyway looking forward, I'm liking the look of the two recruits that MB has acquired and hope he keeps that standard up so we don't go on wasting half of our budget on Conference level or past their best players..

No worries mate I know that you where covering the issue rather than the response to an individual post. I think that Paul brought in who he had access to via his network and within the money he had to spend but maybe having to do the "general manager" role as well as "football manager" and spreading himself too thin and this maybe missing out on better players, only he will know that.  

One thing Marcus has recognised is the need for specialists in the club looking after recruitment, medical and youth etc.. and possibly the strong recent attendance numbers have enabled him to build an infrastructure that will carry us forward. All we need to do is ensure that we win a few home games by playing to our strengths with what we have and keep the fans coming in. Leave the style change to after the close season starts.

What irritates me is that people are saying Marcus is dong a rebuilding job which he definitely is but not because PH was negligent (although that argument suits the Hurst out brigade on here who no longer have that axe to grind) what Marcus is doing is building us into a modern day FL club which is the next stage of the process after the club, staff, fans and players getting us promoted last season. The task of brining GTFC back to the level of being a decent FL team/club started a few seasons ago possibly when Scott left)and not in November 2016.      

PH left us with all the right foundations and ingredients to be an competitive league club, one of the hottest prospects in the lower leagues, 4th highest attendances in the league, a hard working squad that dug out results and he left us when were 8th in the league I think. Marcus has to just add some creativity and flair to that plus some more staff, e.g a strength and conditioning coach, a fitness coach and a couple of specialists for attackers or something.

Quoted from Davec

Very poor form from James Mckeown's other half, she was sat 2 rows behind me and when the first went in she started shouting out and clapping "we need Macca" when somebody asked who she was, she identified herself with as "Mckeown's other half" she then started to criticize Henderson at everything and when they made it 2-0 she said "my James would have saved those because he's a far superior keeper to that manc" she then copulated off a few minutes later.

This is a disgraceful post especially when clearly you don't know Chloe from anyone else!

You really need to grow up before posting this sort of thing, especially when not 100% sure of your facts.

You should consider banning yourself from social media to protect yourself