Is this the worst GTFC team we've ever had?

Minus 23 goals at the start of March?? Yes, worst team ever, built by the worst manager ever, brought in by the worst non-chairman ever.

Quoted from Bigdog

I'm just hoping that MJ doesn't like playing with slow centre halves, who between them seem culpable for most of the goals we concede. They're not even old wise heads whose superb positioning makes up for a lack of pace. Both of them stepping up way beyond Mills trying to play offside today leaving their forward in line with our right back, they didn't even look along the line at all..

I'd prefer seeing Mills and Suliman as the pairing if Davies is fit and RHJ the other full back. Something radical has to happen in selecting the back four, I honestly think NC and DC are shot to pieces in mind and body, MJ may be better off getting the other four well drilled this week..

I'm also hoping that he sees that there isn't deft touch or a goal in Matt, Vernon and Hooper and goes with a front three of DJ, Vernam, Dembrele full of pace and creativity.. at least until Wilks and Jackson are fit..

Whichever central midfield three picked (I haven't got a preference out of a poor bunch, maybe Rose, Clifton and A N Other, to just win their battles, relax on the ball and keep it simple.

We really haven't got an embarrassment of riches for MJ to work with have we? I don'y envy him..

If he can manage this lot to safety this year, it will be a massive achievement to put on his CV..

Good post that.
Is a week long enough to get the back 4 drilled and the forward 3 cohesive and the midfield disciplined enough to work as a unit and cover one another? Maybe 1 or 2 of those but all 3? Big ask.
I'm crossing everything like we all are and tbh Jolley IS a gamble by the board, but a calculated and sensible one IMHO.

Quoted from Biccys

Good post that.
Is a week long enough to get the back 4 drilled and the forward 3 cohesive and the midfield disciplined enough to work as a unit and cover one another? Maybe 1 or 2 of those but all 3? Big ask.
I'm crossing everything like we all are and tbh Jolley IS a gamble by the board, but a calculated and sensible one IMHO.

I would send out the three up front to just play with freedom and defensively only to make sure Port Vale's full backs were marked when they got forward, so not much coaching needed there.

The bulk of the work would be on the shape of the back four and midfield three working as a group defensively.

The priority and the hardest job for MJ would be to get the players to relax, start enjoying playing football again and instill some confidence and belief into what they are doing individually and as a team..

I think the one that went 24 games without a win from 10-Oct-2009 to 27-Feb-2010 was probably worse, but it's very close

Quoted from Bigdog

I would send out the three up front to just play with freedom and defensively make sure Port Vale's full backs were marked when going forward, so not much coaching needed there.

The bulk of the work would be on the shape of the back four and midfield three working as a group defensively.

The priority and the hardest job for MJ would be to get the players to relax, start enjoying playing football again and instill some confidence and belief into what they are doing individually and as a team..

I think the supporters on Saturday (and the remaining games) will have a role to play in that as well. Whatever you think of the players, we will need to get behind them 100% for 100% of the time. We all have our part to play.

The bobby Roberts team of 87-88 was bad but what makes this vintage so bad is the fact that the players who could’ve given us mid table security were all shipped out when we needed them to save a few £££ . Fook our place in the football league it’s all about saving a few £££ .

Having watched Town for 40 years I cant recall it being as bad as this right now. The Mickey Lyons and Bobby Roberts eras were pretty crap but this lot have sucked any hope out of us all. Even the last team that got relegated gave us some hope on occasions.

15 games without a win is one of the worst runs I've witnessed. But its the depressing inevitability of it all. A goal down in 3 minutes today and pretty much everyone gave up any hope of getting anything out of the game. 87 minutes to play with no anticipation of anything positive happening. And its the same game after game.

In those 15 games we have failed to score 10 times!!! We have failed to score in 18 of our 36 League games...yep that's half!! Actually throw in our 1st round exits in both Cups...yep we failed to score in those as well.....it's more than half of 1st team games we have failed to score.

Slade's negative approach and apparent lack of footballing nous got us in his mess. The board should have got rid much sooner. It was clear he had no answers to get us out of it. Their lack of action has compounded our predicament. Now we appoint a manager with 10 games left to try and turn around a team that has been in freefall for the last 3 months with no means to improve the personnel.

Can you believe we let players go like Disley and Pearson because we wanted better quality? Clarke?? Dixon ?? Hooper ?? Rose ??   ffs. Amongst the worst players ever to pull on a Mariners jersey. Slade has a lot to answer for.

18 months ago we regained our League status. It should have signalled a new dawn and steady progression. However the optimism of the fans then has now been totally eradicated. The board has perfectly demonstrated how not to run a football club.

I will back the new manager but fear he has not been given enough time to turn us around. I am resigning myself to liklihood that we will go down. IF we survive it will down to relying on 2 teams below us to remain as crap and not by any resurgence by ourselves. We would have been extremely lucky. Tbh this team deserves to go down.

The sad thing is that the anger at what is happening is giving way to apathy and acceptance. The players dont seem bothered why should we.

I don't know about the worst ever but it is certainly absolutely cr@p.
I've never been much of a fan of the phrase 'stealing a wage' but there are some players who have contributed very little positive, if anything at all.
The continued selection of James Berret for example absolutely infuriates me. It was clear he was poor before he played a game, and within a few appearances it was absolutely cemented. Yet here he is, more than a season later (I know!) still being selected and still producing nothing at all; just invisibly drifting through games, along with plenty of others, and we all know who they are. To keep on selecting them is just mindless and a recipe for relegation. I'd rather we binned them off and played enthusiastic kids.

Our new manager has got to boot these shameful weaklings out and try to find a team worthy of the title 'professional' and the proud name of Grimsby Town.
It really makes my blood boil to have to be represented by such utter dross.

Quoted from chaos33

I don't know about the worst ever but it is certainly absolutely cr@p.
I've never been much of a fan of the phrase 'stealing a wage' but there are some players who have contributed very little positive, if anything at all.
The continued selection of James Berret for example absolutely infuriates me. It was clear he was poor before he played a game, and within a few appearances it was absolutely cemented. Yet here he is, more than a season later (I know!) still being selected and still producing nothing at all; just invisibly drifting through games, along with plenty of others, and we all know who they are. To keep on selecting them is just mindless and a recipe for relegation. I'd rather we binned them off and played enthusiastic kids.

Our new manager has got to boot these shameful weaklings out and try to find a team worthy of the title 'professional' and the proud name of Grimsby Town.
It really makes my blood boil to have to be represented by such utter dross.

Berret has got gradually worse over time, not from a very high starting point I admit, but the total lack of any movement or threat whatsoever from the so called strikers must be very irritating from a midfield players point of view.

But yes you are right it is absolute cr@p.

Quoted from GrimRob

I think the one that went 24 games without a win from 10-Oct-2009 to 27-Feb-2010 was probably worse, but it's very close

I think this team is worse. We went 25 league games without a win that season, but in the last 19 of those we only lost 5. In those 19 games we even kept 6 clean sheets! This current team has the impotence up front of that one, but is spineless defensively too. 3 points out of 42 is pathetic.

Of course, when I say this team I mean Slade's. Maybe Jolley's incarnation will be different? Maybe the proven to fail at 2 different clubs midfield partnership will be broken up? Maybe Clarke and Dixon will be collecting glasses in the bar? Maybe Jolley will bring back a now 42 year old Abdul to take Matt's place up top? Fuck knows!