Reality Check

Worrying third consecutive 1-0 defeat on the bounce. Looks as if teams have found the blueprint to beat us.

We’ve been below par in the league since the Altrincham game but scraping results had masked it. Looks like the mask is slipping.

Desperately need another striker and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fckwit.

Time to focus on getting wins on the football pitch instead of anything else going on at the club. Massive massive game next weekend.

Here they come, couldn't wait to post could he.

Quoted from 123614

Here they come, couldn't wait to post could he.

Well he isnt wrong is he. Going out to a team in the league below, a poor performance and 3 games without a goal is concerning

Quoted from 123614

Here they come, couldn't wait to post could he.

To be fair I think we’re allowed to pass comment on a side that’s just lost 3 on the bounce without much in the way of  shots on target

Fenty 😂😁😂😂 😁😂

Poor result and no goal threat. Needs sorting.

Quoted from It Bites

Fenty 😂😁😂😂 😁😂

Under the Rules of JSF, Hursty is three games into his allotted six.

Quoted from 123614

Here they come, couldn't wait to post could he.

If you’re happy with no goals in 3 and going out the FA Cup to a team the division below then be my guest.

Wouldn’t say my criticism is unjust or out of order as there are some genuine questions that need to be asked.

Quoted from AlwaysHaddock1878

Worrying third consecutive 1-0 defeat on the bounce. Looks as if teams have found the blueprint to beat us.

We’ve been below par in the league since the Altrincham game but scraping results had masked it. Looks like the mask is slipping.

Desperately need another striker and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fckwit.

Time to focus on getting wins on the football pitch instead of anything else going on at the club. Massive massive game next weekend.

Give me the name of anyone worth having whom we could sign in time for the next game.

Quoted from 137

Give me the name of anyone worth having whom we could sign in time for the next game.

That’s not my job as I’m not the manager.

The risk of not bringing anyone in was paying off but the bubble seems to have burst, therefore the situation needs to be reassessed.

Quoted from AlwaysHaddock1878

That’s not my job as I’m not the manager.

The risk of not bringing anyone in was paying off but the bubble seems to have burst, therefore the situation needs to be reassessed.

You, I, plenty of fans, Paul Hurst (and others) may think we desperately need a striker...but if the guy ain't out there and available?

(Reality check)

Quoted from 123614

Here they come, couldn't wait to post could he.

Really! he's quite correct, almost 1000 souls paid out to watch a high riding team get beaten by lower level opposition, what do you want him to do celebrate.
We needed another striker all season and it's starting to show

If your going to let a few close defeats define the start to the season then you better stop supporting Town now ..... Fenty defined a huge part of the club's history with little or no hope going forward . The new owners have given us back our club and hope .  

Fenty 😂😁😂😁😂😂😂

You're only as good as your last result, and our last result was pretty terrible. This could be our best chance for a decade to get back up, so we need to make a deal happen, if we don't want to be marooned at this level long term.

Quoted from GrimRob

You're only as good as your last result, and our last result was pretty terrible. This could be our best chance for a decade to get back up, so we need to make a deal happen, if we don't want to be marooned at this level long term.

I think this is really important. Once they bring in this outrageous cap on spending it's going to be far harder to get out of this shite league. We're in a good position, given ourselves a head start on a lot of rivals with 70% of the season to go and our attendances are way up on what must have been expected. If ever there was a time to push the boat out a bit, for the right player or two, then it is now.

Quoted from AlwaysHaddock1878

Worrying third consecutive 1-0 defeat on the bounce. Looks as if teams have found the blueprint to beat us.

We’ve been below par in the league since the Altrincham game but scraping results had masked it. Looks like the mask is slipping.

Desperately need another striker and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fckwit.

Time to focus on getting wins on the football pitch instead of anything else going on at the club. Massive massive game next weekend.

If you’d stopped before your last paragraph you might have got more agreement.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

If you’d stopped before your last paragraph you might have got more agreement.

Disagree. Football clubs should concentrate on winning football matches first and foremost.

We'll be back to winning ways next week dont worry.

It really felt like the 5 at the back system cost us today. No one looked familiar and by the time we’d changed it, it was too late as they had the confidence and momentum.

Quoted from GrimRob

You're only as good as your last result, and our last result was pretty terrible. This could be our best chance for a decade to get back up, so we need to make a deal happen, if we don't want to be marooned at this level long term.

More than one deal imho..

Need to find a striker, another link between the striker and midfield and another creative central midfielder especially if Grant and Scannell aren't going to be fit much. It would be a gamble to rely on them anyway. We need enough to see us through injuries and losses of form to get promoted. Signing just a forward will nowhere near be enough. Hurst is going to have to treat January like a mini summer transfer window to catch up with the depth in squad of the likes of Chesterfield, who I think maybe the yardstick this season..

From what I've seen and against teams in a fairly easy run of games at the start of this season, we're a bit further away from promotion probables than most fans think on here..

We look like a half decent side with a few gaps in quality to be right at the very top end of the division come May..

Play-off competitive yes, but potential champions elect? Nah..

Quoted from AlwaysHaddock1878

Worrying third consecutive 1-0 defeat on the bounce. Looks as if teams have found the blueprint to beat us.

We’ve been below par in the league since the Altrincham game but scraping results had masked it. Looks like the mask is slipping.

Desperately need another striker and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fckwit.

Time to focus on getting wins on the football pitch instead of anything else going on at the club. Massive massive game next weekend.

What a ridiculous thing to say. Firstly a football club should be doing BOTH on and off field improvements every day, not either or, and I believe ours is. And secondly, as if Hurst has been concentrating on anything else other than winning the game today and looking to improve the playing squad when not at Cheapside..

Questions should be asked as something is drastically wrong to take such a sudden dip in form. At the beginning of the season we were scoring for fun and from all positions. Watching a few weeks ago, it was a matter of when, not if we would score.

One of the common denominators to this dip is the inclusion of LJL. Nothing against the guy and understand the love many have for him. But when he’s involved, Town just don’t perform, like we know they are capable of this season and more importantly we don’t get points.

We could have the best striker in the league, if we’re not creating chances, it’s pointless.

Quoted from It Bites

If your going to let a few close defeats define the start to the season then you better stop supporting Town now ..... Fenty defined a huge part of the club's history with little or no hope going forward . The new owners have given us back our club and hope .  

Fenty 😂😁😂😁😂😂😂

Plenty on here have defined our season based on our early season form saying what a good squad we have.

Quoted from heppy88

Questions should be asked as something is drastically wrong to take such a sudden dip in form. At the beginning of the season we were scoring for fun and from all positions. Watching a few weeks ago, it was a matter of when, not if we would score.

One of the common denominators to this dip is the inclusion of LJL. Nothing against the guy and understand the love many have for him. But when he’s involved, Town just don’t perform, like we know they are capable of this season and more importantly we don’t get points.

Here are the answers..

McAtee injured
Taylor injured
Efete suspended then Covid
Clifton struggling with an injury on and off
Sousa injured and in and out of the side
Hunt not starting games

The replacements for these players have not been either good enough or consistent enough..

Quoted from Bigdog

Here are the answers..

McAtee injured
Taylor injured
Efete suspended then Covid
Clifton struggling with an injury on and off
Sousa injured and in and out of the side
Hunt not starting games

The replacements for these players have not been good enough or consistent enough..

So our striker replacement is not good enough, Sears has been crap? Disagree. Clifton is a miss. Sousa had a couple of poor games. And the Hunt thing doesn’t make sense.

McAtee makes us tick. He was well off the pace against Wealdstone and has been injured since.

Him and Taylor formed a great partnership.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

So our striker replacement is not good enough, Sears has been crap? Disagree. Clifton is a miss. Sousa had a couple of poor games. And the Hunt thing doesn’t make sense.

McAtee > Bapaga
Hunt > Coke
Sousa > Bapaga
Taylor > LJL
Efete  > Sears

Those 10% reductions in ability and output can have a severe effect on an overall team performance.. I never said Sears is crap, he's been solid, but he doesn't offer a threat like Efete and he doesn't link as well with Sousa. An example of fine margins.. but they all count, and they all add up..

FWIW, although Hurst has done a great job in a short space of time, I don't think our squad has enough depth in quality to sustain performances and results when key first choice players are missing. Put our best eleven players out fully fit for every game this season and we urine the league, but that's never gonna happen, as we've found out the past month or so, it's not how leagues are won. I think we need at least three more bodies through the door in January to go up as champions and if anyone thinks we need less, they're deluding themselves.. I don't think we're crap all of a sudden, but i don't want us to be hoping things will come good rather than going out there and tempting some better players to ensure we give it our best shot with these points in the bag already..

Quoted from Bigdog

McAtee > Bapaga
Hunt > Coke
Sousa > Bapaga
Taylor > LJL
Efete  > Sears

Those 10% reductions in ability and output can have a severe effect on an overall team performance.. I never said Sears is crap, he's been solid, but he doesn't offer a threat like Efete and he doesn't link as well with Sousa. An example of fine margins.. but they all count, and they all add up..

FWIW, although Hurst has done a great job in a short space of time, I don't think our squad has enough depth in quality to sustain performances and results when key first choice players are missing. Put our best eleven players out fully fit for every game this season and we urine the league, but that's never gonna happen, as we've found out the past month or so, it's not how leagues are won. I think we need at least three more bodies through the door in January to go up as champions and if anyone thinks we need less, they're deluding themselves.. I don't think we're crap all of a sudden, but i don't want us to be hoping things will come good rather than going out there and tempting some better players to ensure we give it our best shot with these points in the bag already..

that's a very good post. can't argue with that Bigdog - have a gold star

Quoted from Bigdog

McAtee > Bapaga
Hunt > Coke
Sousa > Bapaga
Taylor > LJL
Efete  > Sears

Those 10% reductions in ability and output can have a severe effect on an overall team performance.. I never said Sears is crap, he's been solid, but he doesn't offer a threat like Efete and he doesn't link as well with Sousa. An example of fine margins.. but they all count, and they all add up..

FWIW, although Hurst has done a great job in a short space of time, I don't think our squad has enough depth in quality to sustain performances and results when key first choice players are missing. Put our best eleven players out fully fit for every game this season and we urine the league, but that's never gonna happen, as we've found out the past month or so, it's not how leagues are won. I think we need at least three more bodies through the door in January to go up as champions and if anyone thinks we need less, they're deluding themselves.. I don't think we're crap all of a sudden, but i don't want us to be hoping things will come good rather than going out there and tempting some better players to ensure we give it our best shot with these points in the bag already..

Good post. I’ve been struggling to put my finger on the cause of our current predicament and this post helps. We are in a great position in the table and I hope we can capitalise on this. The problem for Hurst is the fans have seen what a fully fit squad can be capable of and anything less than promotion will be hard to swallow.

Quoted from heppy88

Good post. I’ve been struggling to put my finger on the cause of our current predicament and this post helps. We are in a great position in the table and I hope we can capitalise on this. The problem for Hurst is the fans have seen what a fully fit squad can be capable of and anything less than promotion will be hard to swallow.

Not so sure about that. We've had a great start but have not beaten a side at the top end yet. We could be in a bit of a false position and we did have longer than most to get prepared and ready for the start of the season, which may explain why we have done so well until recently. Other teams are now getting into their stride and we will definitely know our credentials in the next 2 months, when we have a very tough run of games.

As we are now, I can't see us winning the league unless we get to Jan in a strong position and then strengthen in the window.

I think the play offs would be a good outcome given the state the team was in last season. Obviously, I hope we now go on an epic unbeaten run and prove me wrong, but I think recent injuries have exposed our lack of strength in depth.

Quoted from GrimRob

You're only as good as your last result, and our last result was pretty terrible. This could be our best chance for a decade to get back up, so we need to make a deal happen, if we don't want to be marooned at this level long term.

I agree with you but the problem to me is the desire of the players Hurst has targeted to come here. I think this is the main problem along with league clubs not wanting to release fringe players as they cannot replace them, till January, if their 1st team squad players are injured.

1878 did say at the beginning of the season money is available if need, well it's needed now, so presumably, it's there waiting to be used. As many have posted there is no point in filling the shirt for the sake of it, it needs to be the right person which I have mentioned above.

The start of the season had not been expected by anyone so we will just have to be patient and hope for a quick turnaround of our fortunes.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Disagree. Football clubs should concentrate on winning football matches first and foremost.

Not when you’re in the mess we are…it’s much bigger than simply winning…

Team loses best players and suddenly doesn’t look as good…hardly anything new is it?

It wasn't long ago how some were praising the strength in depth of the squad. Now we lose a couple of players and that is the reason for our slump in form. Which way is it.?

Poor play and effort from the team shows it is slipping into the Hurst mould.

I don't think it's a question of strength in the depth of the squad, but a lack of fire power up front. We haven't got a No 9 and it now shows, McAtee out and suddenly we look weak upfront.

If Hurst is to believed then he has targeted players but for whatever reason, they don't want to come. You cannot make players come here, as we found out last season.  Max is very good but his body does not seem to hold up to the rigours of a football pro and as good as Scannel is it's all about him seeing his contract out. No game time so far, then he will need match time to bring his game up to speed so we'll be lucky if he plays beyond Christmas; injury-free of course.

I think it's time to set those two free, as much as I regret seeing Max go ( his future is probably best as a semi pro) it would be better for the club. Replace them with youth/reserve teamers until January and them bring in 2 strikers and a midfielder on the 1st Jan.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Disagree. Football clubs should concentrate on winning football matches first and foremost.

I think the owners have had more success building and running organisations than any of us. They know what they’re doing.

But let’s hear what you would stop doing if you were parachuted into control of the club.

Quoted from Bigdog

Here are the answers..

McAtee injured
Taylor injured
Efete suspended then Covid
Clifton struggling with an injury on and off
Sousa injured and in and out of the side
Hunt not starting games

The replacements for these players have not been either good enough or consistent enough..

The forced and unforced changes in selection and shape in the mid field is hurting us as much as the absence of any one particular individual.

Earlier in the season we where playing balls into channels and beyond the line of attack with players making runs that allowed us to get in behind teams we face.

We’ll come back to some form but PH needs to give the better players like Hunt a good run I know you have to manage young players development but he’s here to play football. Suspension apart the same with Bapaga.

We are all in agreement that we need another forward but in reality we haven't been creating many chances either in these defeats .

Wasn’t Hunt out yesterday because Wednesday wouldn’t let him play rather than being rested ?

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

Wasn’t Hunt out yesterday because Wednesday wouldn’t let him play rather than being rested ?

He was named on the bench for Bromsgrove.

The reality check is that if you want to see your team win almost every game, then you would have to switch your allegiance to the top three of the Premier League. Even Man Utd, who have spent billions, look like they couldn't win an argument at the moment.

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

Wasn’t Hunt out yesterday because Wednesday wouldn’t let him play rather than being rested ?

I did wonder, he was in the squad from Bromsgrove I recall but never got on so I’m not sure if you’re only cup tied if you step on the pitch.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I did wonder, he was in the squad from Bromsgrove I recall but never got on so I’m not sure if you’re only cup tied if you step on the pitch.

He was clear to play but is carrying an injury.

Quoted from 137

You, I, plenty of fans, Paul Hurst (and others) may think we desperately need a striker...but if the guy ain't out there and available?

(Reality check)

This ‘strikers don’t exist’ excuse is probably the most overused and boring one that our fans use every single year.

Let's not over react.  After four or five games some were already celebrating the championship, now with a few injuries we have narrowly lost three games and it's doom and gloom.

With a fit and available McAtee, Effete, Taylor and Hunt these last three matches may well have gone differently.

The fact is that even with the last two league defeats we have made a far better start than any of us expected. Did we really expect to be 1 point off top spot after 14 games?

We also have Grant returning to fitness to give us a different option up front which will help.

Next weekend we have a great chance to return to winning ways against an out of form Aldershot. If we do, we might very well be top of the table again.  

Yes, it's been a disappointing fortnight, but let's keep a little perspective.    
    

Such a lot of cliched comments...  but the facts are it may take some time (maybe years) to put (and build) a team together ready for promotion...  In the meantime lets all do something a little
different and all get behind our team and give them our full support.... and maybe just enjoy ourselves...  

Quoted from pontoonlew

This ‘strikers don’t exist’ excuse is probably the most overused and boring one that our fans use every single year.

I don't think it's a fact that "strikers don't exist" being the issue. PH has enquired about several but a combination of not wanting to come or not the right type of character means he is still looking.

Sounds like he’s waiting for Mr Perfect and is unwilling to take a chance on anyone who isn’t a perfect match in every single way. There’s only so much that stats & recommendations from your mates can tell you, sooner or later you have to take the plunge.

Quoted from ska face

Sounds like he’s waiting for Mr Perfect and is unwilling to take a chance on anyone who isn’t a perfect match in every single way.

Really?  

He is working hard to bring someone in and has made at least one offer to a striker who turned us down. He has brought some fine players in this season, even though we looked like a real basket case of a club having finished bottom of the league. No doubt our reputation for penny pinching under the previous regime didn't help either.

In the circumstances he has done well to get us to where we currently are. Have a little faith!    

Quoted from ginnywings

He was clear to play but is carrying an injury.

👍

Quoted from RonMariner

Really?  

He is working hard to bring someone in and has made at least one offer to a striker who turned us down. He has brought some fine players in this season, even though we looked like a real basket case of a club having finished bottom of the league. No doubt our reputation for penny pinching under the previous regime didn't help either.

In the circumstances he has done well to get us to where we currently are. Have a little faith!    

The week before last he asked about 2 players, 1 was a no the other they couldn’t get over the line.

Quoted from aussiej

Such a lot of cliched comments...  but the facts are it may take some time (maybe years) to put (and build) a team together ready for promotion...  In the meantime lets all do something a little
different and all get behind our team and give them our full support.... and maybe just enjoy ourselves...  

In the meantime, consider that we will have potentially the same budget as every other team in the National League next season regardless of whether your home gate is 600 or 6000.

The tone of PH's final comments in his interview last night are of greater concern than the results themselves. That said, I'm sure he'll address his own concerns.

No one really expected us to go unbeaten through the entire season, did they? This is a blip and I’m sure we’ll have another. Let’s stick with them and enjoy the season. UTM

Quoted from Tinymariner

No one really expected us to go unbeaten through the entire season, did they? This is a blip and I’m sure we’ll have another. Let’s stick with them and enjoy the season. UTM

Who said anything about 'going unbeaten'? Truth is that we've lost three on the bounce without scoring. That's something that must surely be a concern. There's people on here who seem to have forgotten how they used to react to three straight defeats.

Is it the end of the world? Of course it's not.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

The week before last he asked about 2 players, 1 was a no the other they couldn’t get over the line.

No, one he decided against because he didn’t like some of the info that came back about him.

That was someone from either a L1 or Championship club.

We’ve since gone a further 2 games without scoring or really troubling the opposition keeper, dropped out of the cup, lost arguably our best player for a month and now relying on Taylor (with a bad hamstring) and LJL (without a pre-season).

Like someone else has already said, this is arguably our best chance of getting straight out of the division, it’ll be hard to take if it gets to May and we’ve come up short because of a lack of quality up top.

As for mid table being a decent finish, in the words of Tim Booth, if I hadn’t seen such riches I could live with being poor. This team could go on to have a great season, they just need another option up top.

We had plenty of chances pre season of getting a striker in but PH said he likes working with small squads.
Well with injured players who haven't even played a game this season, and others who frequently break down after a couple of games, he has his wish with a small squad.
This season without additions up front will end in tears, and that's criminal on our loyal supporters.

think the return of Grant is clouding the issue. TBH if he is anywhere near fitness then he is probably the solution - he's exactly the type of player we'd be looking to bring in. if he's retained his ability and desire he'll improve us enormously

Quoted from RonMariner

Let's not over react.  After four or five games some were already celebrating the championship, now with a few injuries we have narrowly lost three games and it's doom and gloom.

With a fit and available McAtee, Effete, Taylor and Hunt these last three matches may well have gone differently.

The fact is that even with the last two league defeats we have made a far better start than any of us expected. Did we really expect to be 1 point off top spot after 14 games?

We also have Grant returning to fitness to give us a different option up front which will help.

Next weekend we have a great chance to return to winning ways against an out of form Aldershot. If we do, we might very well be top of the table again.  

Yes, it's been a disappointing fortnight, but let's keep a little perspective.    
    

Nice bit of common sense, gold star for you.

Quoted from DB

Nice bit of common sense, gold star for you.

Cheers! I do try and resist the knee jerk reaction!"

Mind you, I really lost it under the previous regime. I think I almost broke the swear filter.

Forest Green - top of the league but only one win in 4 matches, having just been dumped out of the FA Cup by a part-time side two divisions below them.

Sound familiar?

No need to panic just yet.

Quoted from Knut Anders Fosters Voles

Forest Green - top of the league but haven’t won in 4 matches, having just been dumped out of the FA Cup by a part-time side two divisions below them.

Sound familiar?

No need to panic just yet.

Well said.

Quoted from AlwaysHaddock1878

Worrying third consecutive 1-0 defeat on the bounce. Looks as if teams have found the blueprint to beat us.

We’ve been below par in the league since the Altrincham game but scraping results had masked it. Looks like the mask is slipping.

Desperately need another striker and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fckwit.

Time to focus on getting wins on the football pitch instead of anything else going on at the club. Massive massive game next weekend.

Its the middle of November FFS

Quoted from Knut Anders Fosters Voles

Forest Green - top of the league but only one win in 4 matches, having just been dumped out of the FA Cup by a part-time side two divisions below them.

Sound familiar?

No need to panic just yet.

1) Who gives a frig about FGR

2) St Albans looked a better side than either Town or Kidderminster.

3) I bet the FGR fan is liviv.

Quoted from arryarryarry

1) Who gives a frig about FGR

2) St Albans looked a better side than either Town or Kidderminster.

3) I bet the FGR fan is liviv.

1. Quite a few people judging by the number of FGR related threads we see on The Fishy

2. True. Although it was a one-off match. FGR were awful but could have scored 3 or 4 in the final 10 mins.

3. I don’t know the FGR fan and I don’t why they would be in western Ukraine

Quoted from ska face

Sounds like he’s waiting for Mr Perfect and is unwilling to take a chance on anyone who isn’t a perfect match in every single way. There’s only so much that stats & recommendations from your mates can tell you, sooner or later you have to take the plunge.

Let's take the plunge and sign a Richard Brodie character type player, I don't think so, the problem is we live in a world "I want it now", rather than waiting, it's a generation thing.
Years ago if you wanted something you had to wait and save, now its on the never never.

Quoted from The Yard Dog

Let's take the plunge and sign a Richard Brodie character type player, I don't think so, the problem is we live in a world "I want it now", rather than waiting, it's a generation thing.
Years ago if you wanted something you had to wait and save, now its on the never never.

Hopefully whoever we sign will take better penalties.

Has the ball come down yet?  

Quoted from The Yard Dog

Let's take the plunge and sign a Richard Brodie character type player, I don't think so, the problem is we live in a world "I want it now", rather than waiting, it's a generation thing.
Years ago if you wanted something you had to wait and save, now its on the never never.

What the fúck are you blathering on about? People, including Hurst, have wanted another striker since the summer when it was clear we were light.

We’ve done nothing about it and now coming into a run of games where we play 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th (twice), 6th, 8th and Wrexham away all in a few weeks, hoping to make do and praying none of the 3 strikers are out of form or injured.

People like you are just as prone to catastrophising as anyone else, making out that ANY potential signing is going to upset the apple cart, ruin team spirit, wouldn’t be any good, would have a bad attitude, would cost too much, etc etc etc.

Difficult to comment with great accuracy because I've only been to Wealdstone out of the last 3 games. However, the issue there wasn't that we failed to convert our chances into goals, it was that we failed to create chances
Whilst I think it would be great to sign a new striker is that really our number one priority?

Quoted from ska face

What the fúck are you blathering on about? People, including Hurst, have wanted another striker since the summer when it was clear we were light.

We’ve done nothing about it and now coming into a run of games where we play 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th (twice), 6th, 8th and Wrexham away all in a few weeks, hoping to make do and praying none of the 3 strikers are out of form or injured.

People like you are just as prone to catastrophising as anyone else, making out that ANY potential signing is going to upset the apple cart, ruin team spirit, wouldn’t be any good, would have a bad attitude, would cost too much, etc etc etc.

Exactly.

This ‘we might sign another Brodie’ narrative is papering over what was clearly a problem when Grant and Shop missed pre season. I haven’t done the maths but there must be a shedload of cash from over budget attendances. If we needed a Tshimanga in August, nothings changed.

Quoted from buckstown

Difficult to comment with great accuracy because I've only been to Wealdstone out of the last 3 games. However, the issue there wasn't that we failed to convert our chances into goals, it was that we failed to create chances
Whilst I think it would be great to sign a new striker is that really our number one priority?

Depends if you want to reduce the role of a striker down to someone who’s only there to prod the ball in after having it dished up to him in the box. We seem to have one way of creating from free play and when it works it works very well, when it doesn’t we struggle. The Taylor/LJL role is usually the focal point & everything revolves around it.

Think we need a different kind of player up there, someone more direct in a harrying/hassling way who might get defenders facing their own goal or be an option over the top or into the channels. I didn’t think a great deal to him, but someone like Owen Windsor’s style last year.

Hypothetically, if Hurst brings in a replacement for McAtee and someone to bridge that gap between Taylor getting back to fitness and LJL not looking quite up to scratch, what happens in a months time when our two main attackers are back fit and raring to go?  

Competition is great to have.  But you can have too much of it.  At this moment in time injuries, suspensions etc. are limiting what we've got but I'm not convinced the answer is just to go out and bring someone in for a few games.  That said I think it has been clear from the beginning of the season how important McAtee was and we've got no-one capable of taking his role.  A lot of people called that the style of play he has will result in fatigue and/or injury.  The issue is that the back-ups to him are Sean Scannell and Joel Grant.  Unfortunately we're absolutely lumbered with two blokes who've contributed sod all so far this season.  I don't want to go in on them because injuries are injuries, sometimes you can't help them.  But when it comes to both the harmony of the squad in terms of numbers and your budget (which I don't actually think is an issue) having two supposedly key players permanently injured is far from ideal.

My personal view is that Hurst does need to take the plunge a little and see what's available on a short-term loan.  If that player turns out to be an absolute star and we've got the option of keeping them for a bit longer to compete with someone like McAtee, well the conversation then begins with Scannell/Grant as to what their role is moving forward.

I'm not overly worried because we've lost 3 on the spin.  All teams have a blip and I think this might just be ours.  But we've definitely lost a bit of our oomph with McAtee and Taylor missing, Clifton struggling, Hunt probably needing a rest, not having Efete available to bomb on from the back....could be a energetic youngster from the Under 23's somewhere could be the spark we need.  Sort of like a Martin Paterson impact.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Hypothetically, if Hurst brings in a replacement for McAtee and someone to bridge that gap between Taylor getting back to fitness and LJL not looking quite up to scratch, what happens in a months time when our two main attackers are back fit and raring to go?  

Competition is great to have.  But you can have too much of it.  At this moment in time injuries, suspensions etc. are limiting what we've got but I'm not convinced the answer is just to go out and bring someone in for a few games.  That said I think it has been clear from the beginning of the season how important McAtee was and we've got no-one capable of taking his role.  A lot of people called that the style of play he has will result in fatigue and/or injury.  The issue is that the back-ups to him are Sean Scannell and Joel Grant.  Unfortunately we're absolutely lumbered with two blokes who've contributed sod all so far this season.  I don't want to go in on them because injuries are injuries, sometimes you can't help them.  But when it comes to both the harmony of the squad in terms of numbers and your budget (which I don't actually think is an issue) having two supposedly key players permanently injured is far from ideal.

My personal view is that Hurst does need to take the plunge a little and see what's available on a short-term loan.  If that player turns out to be an absolute star and we've got the option of keeping them for a bit longer to compete with someone like McAtee, well the conversation then begins with Scannell/Grant as to what their role is moving forward.

I'm not overly worried because we've lost 3 on the spin.  All teams have a blip and I think this might just be ours.  But we've definitely lost a bit of our oomph with McAtee and Taylor missing, Clifton struggling, Hunt probably needing a rest, not having Efete available to bomb on from the back....could be a energetic youngster from the Under 23's somewhere could be the spark we need.  Sort of like a Martin Paterson impact.

I don't personally see the problem if we have 3 strikers vying for one place. Especially when your two options at the moment are relatively injury prone, something we all knew at the start of the season and was a big part of why people screamed from the rooftops that we needed one.

If all 3 are fit then great, they can fight for their place knowing if they don't perform there's somebody else waiting in the wings.

I'm also with Ska Face on this, we're shooting ourselves in the foot trying to get the perfect player in and suffering massively because of it. How bad can those peer reviews of the Championship/L1 striker have been that the better option was to go without and not score a single goal in 3 games? At some point you have to bite the bullet and take the risk, how risky can a short term loan possibly be?

The biggest frustration for me is that yet again, the fans deemed as 'moaning' about a striker have been proved absolutely 100% correct and it was a completely avoidable sutuation.

Quoted from ska face

What the fúck are you blathering on about? People, including Hurst, have wanted another striker since the summer when it was clear we were light.

We’ve done nothing about it and now coming into a run of games where we play 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th (twice), 6th, 8th and Wrexham away all in a few weeks, hoping to make do and praying none of the 3 strikers are out of form or injured.

People like you are just as prone to catastrophising as anyone else, making out that ANY potential signing is going to upset the apple cart, ruin team spirit, wouldn’t be any good, would have a bad attitude, would cost too much, etc etc etc.

How do you know we have done nothing about it? As you say, PH made it clear in the summer that he wanted another striker. Do you have knowledge of all the players PH has enquired about, checked up on, sounded out or actually approached? The only thing you know for sure is that we haven't signed anybody that is suitable for what he requires.

Quoted from forza ivano

think the return of Grant is clouding the issue. TBH if he is anywhere near fitness then he is probably the solution - he's exactly the type of player we'd be looking to bring in. if he's retained his ability and desire he'll improve us enormously

I'm fairly sure that I read somewhere that Grant is NOT a striker.  He was considered more as a backup striker and played a lot on the wing or as an Inside Forward.

Quoted from rancido

How do you know we have done nothing about it?

Quoted from rancido

The only thing you know for sure is that we haven't signed anybody

Quoted from 123614

I'm fairly sure that I read somewhere that Grant is NOT a striker.  He was considered more as a backup striker and played a lot on the wing or as an Inside Forward.

Can even do a job at half back, if needed.

Quoted from ska face

Skaface, not doing anything about it and not signing somebody are two different issues. I could write off 35 job applications and not be successful in any of them. It doesn't mean I wasn't actively seeking a job.

You know, I'd suspect that a club like Grimsby, batting at the right end of the table, top for the majority of the season so far, would be a great attraction for plenty of strikers. Be that proven goalscorers at our level, those that are decent strikers but maybe not quite in the prolific category a bit higher up, or even young well through of strikers at clubs higher up that would benefit from coming on loan.

So I can only really think that our manager has decided not to give any of those possibilities a roll, as I don't think he will be short of offerings.

Yes, maybe he is being choosey and a bit fussy about what he wants for us. That isn't a bad thing in some respects, as it's great to have a manager that wants the best for us.  But the need is right now and urgent, and the dropped points could be telling at the end of the season.

it's a generation thing.
Years ago if you wanted something you had to wait and save, now its on the never never.

Really! I'm 82, bought my first car an Austin 7 when I was 17 on HP for £2:17/6 per month over 2 years,  it was £50 cash

Quoted from Garth

it's a generation thing.
Years ago if you wanted something you had to wait and save, now its on the never never.

Really! I'm 82, bought my first car an Austin 7 when I was 17 on HP for £2:17/6 per month over 2 years,  it was £50 cash

HP has been around for a very long time. My mother bought a bicycle on HP in the 1920's. The difference is that it has become more accessible and the go-to option for a lot more people

The reality check for me is that we are very reliant upon the availability of a handful of players. This will come as news to no one, but we are much less of a force when Hunt, Taylor, McAtee and Clifton aren't on the pitch - here's how our PPG stats stack up with and without each of them on the pitch for at least 60 minutes (I've treated the Kiddy game as a point earning fixture for the sake of illustration, as I think it's relevant):

[img]https://i.ibb.co/5LrjmDg/ppg.png[/img]
When any one of these key players are missing, our points taken from those fixtures tanks. With all four of them playing at least 60 mins, our PPG is 2.56 - title-winning form. With any one of them missing, it drops to 1.5 - upper mid-table form. Given that during the last three games we've failed to get more than 60 minutes out of more than two of them (and zero against Wealdstone), it's perhaps unsurprising that we've lost all three.

Only recently, we were unsurprisingly pleased with the fact that we appeared not to be reliant on individuals, with goals coming from everywhere. We play as a team, a highly effective cohesive unit. Whilst I think that's true, I now think we're possibly even more vulnerable to injury. In effect, if any one of these four players is unavailable, our chances of winning plummet. The chances of having all four fit and available for every game are low, and that's a big problem.

It's not so much that the players replacing them are bad; I honestly don't think that's the case. However, these four are so integral to our A-game that just one absentee upsets the dynamic.

How do you solve it? Perhaps the most straightforward thing to do is to play all of them when available, regardless of tactical approach. There have been times when we've opted not to play Hunt or Taylor from the start, and we've suffered for it.

Beyond that, you either have to find alternative ways of playing without them (something we've failed to do convincingly so far this season), or you find a way to recruit genuine, like-for-like replacements (something we simply don't have in our squad right now).

I honestly think recruitment over the coming weeks will be fundamental to our chances of winning the league, but I don't think it's anywhere near as simple as bringing in a new number 9.

Quoted from Poojah

The reality check for me is that we are very reliant upon the availability of a handful of players. This will come as news to no one, but we are much less of a force when Hunt, Taylor, McAtee and Clifton aren't on the pitch - here's how our PPG stats stack up with and without each of them on the pitch for at least 60 minutes (I've treated the Kiddy game as a point earning fixture for the sake of illustration, as I think it's relevant):

[img]https://i.ibb.co/5LrjmDg/ppg.png[/img]
When any one of these key players are missing, our points taken from those fixtures tanks. With all four of them playing at least 60 mins, our PPG is 2.56 - title-winning form. With any one of them missing, it drops to 1.5 - upper mid-table form. Given that during the last three games we've failed to get more than 60 minutes out of more than two of them (and zero against Wealdstone), it's perhaps unsurprising that we've lost all three.

Only recently, we were unsurprisingly pleased with the fact that we appeared not to be reliant on individuals, with goals coming from everywhere. We play as a team, a highly effective cohesive unit. Whilst I think that's true, I now think we're possibly even more vulnerable to injury. In effect, if any one of these four players is unavailable, our chances of winning plummet. The chances of having all four fit and available for every game are low, and that's a big problem.

It's not so much that the players replacing them are bad; I honestly don't think that's the case. However, these four are so integral to our A-game that just one absentee upsets the dynamic.

How do you solve it? Perhaps the most straightforward thing to do is to play all of them when available, regardless of tactical approach. There have been times when we've opted not to play Hunt or Taylor from the start, and we've suffered for it.

Beyond that, you either have to find alternative ways of playing without them (something we've failed to do convincingly so far this season), or you find a way to recruit genuine, like-for-like replacements (something we simply don't have in our squad right now).

I honestly think recruitment over the coming weeks will be fundamental to our chances of winning the league, but I don't think it's anywhere near as simple as bringing in a new number 9.

Its funny because your famous rant was 12 years old yesterday and it’s amazing how you’ve remained so insightful for so many years. Fantastic view on the current dilemma we find ourselves in.

Quoted from pontoonlew

Its funny because your famous rant was 12 years old yesterday and it’s amazing how you’ve remained so insightful for so many years. Fantastic view on the current dilemma we find ourselves in.

Was it really? Deary me, that makes me feel old. Incidentally, 'consistently insightful' is literally the opposite description of me my wife would give you, I can assure you.

As dilemmas go, this is one of the more pleasant ones we've had to solve, but solve it we must if we want to have a serious crack at the title.

Quoted from Poojah

The reality check for me is that we are very reliant upon the availability of a handful of players. This will come as news to no one, but we are much less of a force when Hunt, Taylor, McAtee and Clifton aren't on the pitch - here's how our PPG stats stack up with and without each of them on the pitch for at least 60 minutes (I've treated the Kiddy game as a point earning fixture for the sake of illustration, as I think it's relevant):

[img]https://i.ibb.co/5LrjmDg/ppg.png[/img]
When any one of these key players are missing, our points taken from those fixtures tanks. With all four of them playing at least 60 mins, our PPG is 2.56 - title-winning form. With any one of them missing, it drops to 1.5 - upper mid-table form. Given that during the last three games we've failed to get more than 60 minutes out of more than two of them (and zero against Wealdstone), it's perhaps unsurprising that we've lost all three.

Only recently, we were unsurprisingly pleased with the fact that we appeared not to be reliant on individuals, with goals coming from everywhere. We play as a team, a highly effective cohesive unit. Whilst I think that's true, I now think we're possibly even more vulnerable to injury. In effect, if any one of these four players is unavailable, our chances of winning plummet. The chances of having all four fit and available for every game are low, and that's a big problem.

It's not so much that the players replacing them are bad; I honestly don't think that's the case. However, these four are so integral to our A-game that just one absentee upsets the dynamic.

How do you solve it? Perhaps the most straightforward thing to do is to play all of them when available, regardless of tactical approach. There have been times when we've opted not to play Hunt or Taylor from the start, and we've suffered for it.

Beyond that, you either have to find alternative ways of playing without them (something we've failed to do convincingly so far this season), or you find a way to recruit genuine, like-for-like replacements (something we simply don't have in our squad right now).

I honestly think recruitment over the coming weeks will be fundamental to our chances of winning the league, but I don't think it's anywhere near as simple as bringing in a new number 9.

And finding the right number 9 is not simple.
The right 9 could change those stats though. Chesterfield have been injury-ravaged, and playing shite according to their fans on Football Forum...