Just Back

Not a lot to add really, well summed up by the vast majority there.

But Holohan looks an absolute player.  I think when he's fully fit he could be a major force for us.

We seem to building a very good team for next season with still the chance to make the playoffs this season. I’m still not giving up on that……

Quoted from quebec38

This is the issue for me. These are the teams we are competing against, not the likes of Yeovil or Alrincham. Nobody can look at these numbers and say we aren’t badly underperforming.
Hurst was given one of the best budgets in the league at the start of the season. Not my words but those of Stockwood. He is also able to go out and get new players pretty much whenever he likes, whether forced or not. Midfielders keep coming in and breaking - not Hurst’s fault, but he’s allowed to go out and find another. Signing a Holohan or JMD as and when, a luxury a lot of other managers don’t have.
We have good players, I’m absolutely certain of that. We don’t get the best from them though. We don’t get hammered by the better sides but in 12 out of 14 games, we haven’t been the winning side. I think that’s a big enough sample now to be looking at and saying it’s not good enough.
I don’t think Solihull have a better 11 than us but look at how they played last night. We got the lead and were well on top for 30 minutes in the second half but for the other hour they played us off the pitch.
Been saying it for months, the coaching isn’t good enough. Forget that we moved a centre half to full back last night. We didn’t have specialised cover on the bench -sometimes excrement happens. There is a bigger problem here.

Winning is obviously the number one priority and those stats are indeed bad.

However I also think they are misleading and only paint part of the picture.

I think we have been unlucky this season to be perfectly honest. You make your own luck blah blah but we were better than Notts, Chesterfield and Halfax and yet only picked up one point in those home games. We were worth a draw at Halifax and some say at Wrexham. I thought we deserved the 3 points last night as well.

All the games have been very tight and could have gone either way so just looking at stats and saying we haven't been good enough is a bit disrespectful I think.

If we could go back in time and signed Thismanga or similar I think those stats would be different but whatever happens this season I expect a proven goalscorer to be signed for next season.

We are not far away and play some great football so I hope we build on that as time goes on.

Quoted from Hagrid

How did we lose?

Another game against a Play Off Rival in which we shouldnt have lost and somehow did.

First half Solihull impressed, We got the goal against the run of play.
2nd half, we started well, hit the post, missed chances.
Game changed on Efete. Smith isnt a right back. Solihull exploited it, we left a big lump on his own in the box twice and he finished twice.
Should we have changed it? Not sure, JMD was shattered, sousa on was a standard change. PH already getting pelters on twitter- as im Sure PontoonLew is gonna be on here blaming him.

We didnt deserve to lose, bad luck and rank bad defending cost us that. Pure and Simple. End result- we just cant find ways to put games to bed, and its cost us

Agree with most of that apart from the "big lump" remark

I thought when we saw him coming on that he could be their last roll of the dice, going long and hoping his physicality would swing the balance back their way ( especially as our defence had to reconfigured)

To be fair to their goalscorer though, he's got a pretty impressive record

https://www.solihullmoorsfc.co.uk/teams/first-team/players/kyle-hudlin/

So while I'm as disappointed as anyone how it panned out towards the end, it could be viewed that his introduction was some kind of master stroke by Neil Ardley

He was certainly a game changer and totally different to any option we might have had

Onwards and upwards ( hopefully! )

UTM GTID

Was also a great cross in for their winner, unlike our load of floaty backpasses.

Quoted from Abdul19

Was also a great cross in for their winner, unlike our load of floaty backpasses.

I was at that end in the lower Findus and we had two players out with him and burgess should have closed down much tighter and cut out the cross. No question about that, very unimpressed with that lad throughout I’m afraid

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Winning is obviously the number one priority and those stats are indeed bad.

However I also think they are misleading and only paint part of the picture.

I think we have been unlucky this season to be perfectly honest. You make your own luck blah blah but we were better than Notts, Chesterfield and Halfax and yet only picked up one point in those home games. We were worth a draw at Halifax and some say at Wrexham. I thought we deserved the 3 points last night as well.

All the games have been very tight and could have gone either way so just looking at stats and saying we haven't been good enough is a bit disrespectful I think.

If we could go back in time and signed Thismanga or similar I think those stats would be different but whatever happens this season I expect a proven goalscorer to be signed for next season.

We are not far away and play some great football so I hope we build on that as time goes on.

Totally agree with all of that and I definitely wasn’t trying to be disrespectful. I think we have been good at times and we have pretty much smashed the bottom half of the table, result-wise at the very least. We have had the odd slip but pretty much have a record as good as anyone.
We do struggle to get the results in the tougher games though. I think 2 wins in 14 is too much to ignore when you take in to account budget and resources? I don’t think 1 win in 7 against our rivals is anywhere near good enough, whether we have been competitive in the games or not.
We seemingly need something extra and I don’t think the only option is a 250K striker. Only 3 sides in the division have those types of players - Stockport, Chesterfield and Wrexham.

I would say that Solihull were the best team I have seen us play this season.

I felt we lived a very charmed life to go in 1 nil at half time, because it was against the run of play in the first half. A first half that showed them to be very attack minded, a team that could keep possession and move the ball quickly, are extremely good passers of the ball over short and longer distances, and looked to play forward quickly and/or counter quickly at every opportunity. There were really quite exciting to watch (unfortunately).

We've nicked a goal just before half time. A really well worked goal I might add, but still one of those situations where you wondered how you had gone it at half time 1 nil up.

Started the second half brightly, but failed to take advantage of any opportunities and a bit of poor decision making in and around the box to capitalise and extend the lead. JMD had time to ensure that he at least hit the target, but rushed slightly and snatched his shot, which went high and wide. You've got to at least hit the target with that. JM made some poor decisions in the box on when to shoot or when to give it. The one that came off the post had no forwards quick enough to get on the rebound.

After a bright start to the second half, their manager made some astute tactical changes, which switched them back onto the front foot, and they grew back into the game and started to control things again. The big fella up front looked a threat at all times, and did exactly what he was introduced to do.

A disappointing night, but very impressed with them.

To me, it always looked like we had two centre midfield players that weren't used to each other, or the team. Quite a big call putting them both in together after such a short time. I think I would have gone with Coke + one other

Quoted from Abdul19

Was also a great cross in for their winner, unlike our load of floaty backpasses.

It was an OK cross, the thing that beat us was Waterfall in La La Land again not marking him properly.

We had 30 mins of the game and they had 60, so we can't really complain at losing 2-1. I thought they were as good as anyone seen at BP this season.