Simply won't be good enough

Quoted from pontoonlew

Having mentioned Hannah, he'll suffer this season because Hurst has blasted his confidence very early on by shunning him for a player who Hannah will be watching getting in the first 11 without seemingly having to play well. The fact he never started against Welling was baffling, same happened to Cook (7 in 7 this season) anyway I digress from the question...
.

I couldn't make the Welling game and admit to some surprise that Hannah didn't start. However as Maringer points out Pittman and LJL have played together for five games and those games have delivered 17 goals. This suggests that something must be going right so under your view those two should be in the team. That this means currently there is no place for Hannah is unfortunate for him but means that we do have some strength in depth forward wise. I suspect as a pro. footballer Hannah confidence will not have taken as severe a knocking as you seem to think and he should/will be determined to give it his all when his chance comes.....

I'm amazed we only have 12 points following those outstanding performances in the Gateshead and Alfreton games (absolutely outstanding).

We obviously have the players required for success in the Conference League. Just down to keeping injury free, team selection based on successful past performances and a management team that can motivate that team (which did happen against Gateshead and Alfreton).
We have to blast Torquay on Saturday as a further statement of intent (for promotion)

UTM

13 of those goals came in 2 games, which are beginning to look flukey - Alf were excrement on the day, and even the much derided Woods' team managed 13 goals in 2 games. In the bigger picture you're then left with 2 goals in 3 games and 4 other goals in the rest. Hmmmm. LJL had 2 effective games - or at least one - hardly a great return since Jan 2013.

If it's a big target man he wanted Hurst may have picked the wrong one. If it's a question of making the most of your assets (which incidentally Hurst chose) then play your best team. Which would include a striker with a better record. And play tactics accordingly.

Bar McKeown, one player gets in the team regardless of his performances, and it's getting tedious the number of missed opportunities. Hurst is stubborn booger. Hannah will only get his chance if Shop breaks his leg. Favouritism pure and simple. Other than that it'll be a few minutes here and there for Hannah. Oh he'll have a bad spell in a game, and get offside too often, but the patience we're all asked to show LJL won't be asked for in Hannah's case.

Pittman, Neilson and LJL combined brilliantly at Gateshead. There's no reason why they cant continue in that vein, if they are professional footballers. There was a hiccup at Aldershot (due to the LJL dismissal) but these 3 are now available (I think). Chances will be missed but if enough are created, then these 3 will convert some.

Town need to play a pressing game and these attackers will flourish. This means that an energetic midfield (which we do have) is required. It looks to me that Brown, Clay and McLaughlin are important in this respect - followed by management tactics in destroying the opposition.

UTM

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Bar McKeown, one player gets in the team regardless of his performances, and it's getting tedious the number of missed opportunities. Hurst is stubborn booger. Hannah will only get his chance if Shop breaks his leg. Favouritism pure and simple. Other than that it'll be a few minutes here and there for Hannah. Oh he'll have a bad spell in a game, and get offside too often, but the patience we're all asked to show LJL won't be asked for in Hannah's case.

3 goals and 3 assists for LJL this season. Also his part in the OG against Alfreton where he would have scored from his header's rebound if it hadn't gone in off the keeper. That's a match for Neilson's 4 goals and 2 assists.

At this point of the season, that's not too bad a record for a striker.

In absolutely no way are LJL and Hannah comparable as players. I think Hannah is extremely hard-working (actually to the point that it's detrimental to his goalscoring), but to try and compare him to LJL as a player really baffles me. Apples and oranges really.

Hannah is never going to create goals out of nothing because he's not that sort of player and doesn't have the physique to compete with the big, meaty defenders in this division. However, he's likely to be a decent finisher when the chances are laid on for him.

LJL is the opposite. He has the physique and some ability, but he's not a 'natural' goalscorer.

Luckily, football is a team game, so the weaknesses of individual players shouldn't be too much of an issue, providing the team gels and players perform near to their capabilities. As I've said in the past, I reckon that LJL can get close to 20 goals if he has a good season (3 goals with around a seventh of the season gone so far, so he's on track), but hopefully, his presence in the team should help Pittman, Hannah & Co to score plenty of goals.

Quoted from Maringer

3 goals and 3 assists for LJL this season. Also his part in the OG against Alfreton where he would have scored from his header's rebound if it hadn't gone in off the keeper. That's a match for Neilson's 4 goals and 2 assists.

At this point of the season, that's not too bad a record for a striker.

In absolutely no way are LJL and Hannah comparable as players. I think Hannah is extremely hard-working (actually to the point that it's detrimental to his goalscoring), but to try and compare him to LJL as a player really baffles me. Apples and oranges really.

Hannah is never going to create goals out of nothing because he's not that sort of player and doesn't have the physique to compete with the big, meaty defenders in this division. However, he's likely to be a decent finisher when the chances are laid on for him.

LJL is the opposite. He has the physique and some ability, but he's not a 'natural' goalscorer.

Luckily, football is a team game, so the weaknesses of individual players shouldn't be too much of an issue, providing the team gels and players perform near to their capabilities. As I've said in the past, I reckon that LJL can get close to 20 goals if he has a good season (3 goals with around a seventh of the season gone so far, so he's on track), but hopefully, his presence in the team should help Pittman, Hannah & Co to score plenty of goals.

Couple of ponts in reply.

1) After today we will be a fifth of the way through the season, not a seventh and we are already 9 points adrift of the top spot.

2) LJL may well have 3 goals and three assists but most of that haul came against a very poor Alfreton. He has not scored a match winning or match saving goal to secure any points. Most of the chances he has missed have cost us points in tighter games than the Alfy or Heed games.

Quoted from ginnywings

Couple of ponts in reply.

1) After today we will be a fifth of the way through the season, not a seventh and we are already 9 points adrift of the top spot.

2) LJL may well have 3 goals and three assists but most of that haul came against a very poor Alfreton. He has not scored a match winning or match saving goal to secure any points. Most of the chances he has missed have cost us points in tighter games than the Alfy or Heed games.

Yeah, I was half-cut when I made that post last night, hence the error in arithmetic! Still reckon that there is the potential for LJL to get in the region of 20 goals this season, however.

I was getting the stats from the OS and have to admit that I'm surprised there aren't more 'assists' than that shown. Didn't LJL pass the ball to Pittman for his goal the other night? Surely an 'assist' of sorts, so that's 4 I can remember straight away!

Regardless, the first choice strike partnership of LJL/JPP is performing well and have scored plenty of goals between them. The points have been lost in our two defeats mainly due to defensive errors so this is the issue we need to resolve (though we obviously were down to ten men against Aldershot which perhaps led to the errors there).

Of course the other major difference between hannah and John-Lewis is that JL keeps getting picked and Hannah has hardly any match time.

If you re-read my post I wasn't comparing them as types of players.

I wouldn't call 7 goals between two strikers over 8 games "plenty". A good return from Pitman though given he missed a few games.

Poor start, no closing down, lethargic and pedestrian, is it the fans fault yet.