Operation Survival

Staying up is just as important as promotion, is it too late to bring in any loan players or do we have a Jamal Matt game changer waiting in the squad? Apart from Charles Vernom I don't see many match winners in the squad. IMO the players are not good enough to keep us up but the fans could make a difference, Newport will probably fill a few minibuses so a packed ground like today might help.

Back in 2010 and in the hope of avoiding the Blue Square Premier the previous owner splashed out on coaches, balloons and jester hats. Do you think any of this razmataz would help our plight over the next 6 matches?  

Club should offer free travel to Colchester IMHO

Quoted from grassbandits

Club should offer free travel to Colchester IMHO

I'm more worried for Crawley - Burton and Tranmere still sit in the bad memory bank . We would have more fans there then them , and if things went badly could get as ugly as those mentioned .

It didn't work then and it wouldn't work now.

It's up to the players and they will get enormous support as they have all season.

We seem to do better with less fans in the ground

Quoted from Grimlad

Back in 2010 and in the hope of avoiding the Blue Square Premier the previous owner splashed out on coaches, balloons and jester hats. Do you think any of this razmataz would help our plight over the next 6 matches?  

Did the tight bottom really do that 😩😩

Yes, free coach to Rochdale and balloons but we lost 5-1 or nil lol
Notts County - free jester hats and coach may have been free.

Think all the Jester hats are currently being utilised in the boardroom

That equaliser today might, hopefully, give everyone the kick up the årse they need to change their mentality. It’s no use drawing games, we need to win. Front foot, positive attitude, every game is a must WIN.

Then again, Pearson was on the radio saying it’s another point on the board that might be important at the end of the season, so what’s the point in even fųcking hoping at this point.

Yeah Pearsons interview really irritated me

He said we were outstanding🙈

We are stuck with 5 at the back now with  the two wingbacks not being wingbacks but  very limited fullbacks who contribute little going forward .We dare not change that as we know how litkely we are to implode with only two centre backs. There is no way  we can play front foot football with this lset up and with such a woeful midfield Thompson excluded all we are going to get is scraps . Shut your eyes and pray for the rest of the season

Cameron Gardner bagged two goals for Grimsby Borough in a 3-0 win at Cleethorpes Town today, but not sure what his loan deal is. And it’s a hell of an ask to put it mildly. He is “one of ours” tho.
But like a number of Artell comments, I don’t understand his high praise for Obikwu. He can’t hold the ball up front, getting knocked off it very easily - as one might expect from a young striker at L2 level - and for someone about 6’2” he jumps about 5’8” and wins virtually nothing in the air. Yes, I know he’s got 3 goals but I sense that Danny Rose is more than a tad frustrated with his play. Personally, I think Wilson is a better bit - uses his body well, has a bit of pace and can finish, even if his body language isn’t always the best. Another one of ours I.e. a loan player. What’s happened to Pyke btw?

Quoted from Grimlad

Yes, free coach to Rochdale and balloons but we lost 5-1 or nil lol
Notts County - free jester hats and coach may have been free.

It was Chester, not Rochdale, we Drew’s 1-1, Hegarty scored.
It did work, for that season, as we stayed up. Only prolonged the inevitable though.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

It didn't work then and it wouldn't work now.

It's up to the players and they will get enormous support as they have all season.

It did work, we stayed up that season

Quoted from tashee69

It did work, we stayed up that season

And you can thank John for that but people are too quick to criticise for his failings.

Quoted from Mariner_501

Yeah Pearsons interview really irritated me

In that his nose got bigger by the second ?

I've still got a sheet of 'Be there or blue square' stickers around somewhere. You're welcome to them if you think they will help.

Quoted from tashee69

It was Chester, not Rochdale, we Drew’s 1-1, Hegarty scored.
It did work, for that season, as we stayed up. Only prolonged the inevitable though.

I thought it was Chester.

I wasn't on one of the coaches but being at the ground remember about 10 coaches turning up.

The fans have done their bit all season , it’s time for the team to show us what they’re made of now

Re Pearson's interview...the bloke has the unenviable task of keeping morale up within the squad. What's the point of coming out, saying how awful it was that we drew in the last minute and heaping even more pressure on an already fragile group. Really don't think we need to take every interview as gospel. He's gotta do whatever he can for the remaining games and coming out and saying it's a huge two points lost rather than a point gained doesn't really help anyone. We all know it anyway. They sure as hell know it.

With initiatives surrounding 'back the boys'/'operation survival' etc.... those were all done in days when attendances weren't as good as they are now, with the aim of getting as many fans as possible to back the team. The home section at BP is near enough full every game, and away attendances are always good, so there's not really any point.

Quoted from sam gy

Re Pearson's interview...the bloke has the unenviable task of keeping morale up within the squad. What's the point of coming out, saying how awful it was that we drew in the last minute and heaping even more pressure on an already fragile group. Really don't think we need to take every interview as gospel. He's gotta do whatever he can for the remaining games and coming out and saying it's a huge two points lost rather than a point gained doesn't really help anyone. We all know it anyway. They sure as hell know it.

Do they? When we got beat 3-1 off Wrexham, and they stopped trying at half time, both post-match interviews discussed how much better we were in the second 45 and how we had, in fact, won the second half.

When we got beat at Barrow and they stopped bothering after 25 minutes, the manager spent the interview blaming the ref, who had done absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Is this sort of insane, detached nonsense helping anyone?

We’ve had months of the same shít from people saying we’re looking up and not down. Well it’s about time this mob got a dose of reality.

I dunno, what I saw yesterday was not a lack of effort or desire. I think they'll be absolutely gutted and know it's two points dropped.

I just think we haven't got the quality in the squad, and yesterday was a mixture of lack of capability and lack of confidence.

If they weren't fighting, putting in the effort or recognising the importance etc. I think they'd have received a very vocally negative reaction at the end. As it happens, I think most people were gutted, frustrated but recognised it wasn't an effort issue, and acknowledged that. I'd never have a go at a player for not being good enough - that's a recruitment issue, not their fault... if they were not giving their all, then I think fans would pull any player up on it regardless of their ability.

Not the case for me. Confidence is shot... I think the players needed a win yesterday just as much as fans did.

In all honesty I don't give a crap what Artell or Pearson say in the press, it's what they're saying in the dressing room I care about.

I don't expect them to come out and dig people out, I think if push came to shove I'd perhaps prefer them to not come out and describe a dogged if uninspiring performance as 'outstanding' but I can live with it.  It's if they've addressed them in the changing room with the same rhetoric that would worry me.

Yes build their confidence, yes highlight what went well.  But intercourse me someone light a fire under them and let them go for it.

Absolutely.
But one two have said that the manager has received sad news about a family member. I know how this can impact us from experience.
If true, then the club has to navigate through the managerial side of this

Quoted from IowaMariner

What’s happened to Pyke btw?

He's probably strayed offside again

Quoted from wigworld

I've still got a sheet of 'Be there or blue square' stickers around somewhere. You're welcome to them if you think they will help.

I’ve still got Liam hearns ‘blue square’ subs top after we lost to Newport  in the playoffs of 12/13

Although I am bored into a stupor by relegation fights, I do think that the crowd has a role to play in this. We have several games against teams with nothing to play for, a lot more draws will not keep us up.
I think about two wins and possibly one draw will be enough. The best two chances are the home games against Newport and Swindon and in my opinion we should go for the throat in these games. In my opinion, we must be on the front foot.
Relegation to the National league will be a crisis as I think it will be very difficult to shift season tickets for a third stint in there. No disrespect to these teams, but who wants to watch Dorking and Borehamwood unless you are top of the league. If we go down, we would start next season with virtually a completely new team and I am not sure that DA would be able to continue.
On this basis, staying up will be like promotion. On a sidenote, I see Omar Bogle is back for Newport.
As crap, as the season has been  ,100% committed support whilst we are in this fight .
If you look at Stevenage a couple of years ago, they were in such a mess and look at them now and so these things can turn around. David Artell is a smart guy, but if we do go down it will be proven that he reacted too late and was too dogmatic in his pure football approach. We simply have to beat Newport and it is a 50:50 game

Quoted from Zmariner

Although I am bored into a stupor by relegation fights, I do think that the crowd has a role to play in this. We have several games against teams with nothing to play for, a lot more draws will not keep us up.
I think about two wins and possibly one draw will be enough. The best two chances are the home games against Newport and Swindon and in my opinion we should go for the throat in these games. In my opinion, we must be on the front foot.
Relegation to the National league will be a crisis as I think it will be very difficult to shift season tickets for a third stint in there. No disrespect to these teams, but who wants to watch Dorking and Borehamwood unless you are top of the league. If we go down, we would start next season with virtually a completely new team and I am not sure that DA would be able to continue.
On this basis, staying up will be like promotion. On a sidenote, I see Omar Bogle is back for Newport.
As crap, as the season has been  ,100% committed support whilst we are in this fight .
If you look at Stevenage a couple of years ago, they were in such a mess and look at them now and so these things can turn around. David Artell is a smart guy, but if we do go down it will be proven that he reacted too late and was too dogmatic in his pure football approach. We simply have to beat Newport and it is a 50:50 game

The crowd will be up for it but it would be nice if the team actually deliver. We have to get our better attacking players on the field in Vernam and Wilson as we have to win, regardless of other results.

If we survive it will, like you say, give a feeling of euphoria almost akin to a promotion and allow the owners and management the room to address any mistakes they feel were made, but going down will set us back and it is difficult to see any enthusiasm for the National League at all.

The team need to keep calm and play with the same desire as against Bradford .

I don't think it's win or bust yet myself but a case of keeping the points ticking over - for me 2 or 3 points from the next 2 would be satisfactory anything else is a bonus - we have a decent shot of a draw at Harrogate you would have thought  . We would then only need 1 win and a draw maximum probably from 4 .

Quoted from Mappers

The team need to keep calm and play with the same desire as against Bradford .

I don't think it's win or bust yet myself but a case of keeping the points ticking over - for me 2 or 3 points from the next 2 would be satisfactory anything else is a bonus - we have a decent shot of a draw at Harrogate you would have thought  . We would then only need 1 win and a draw maximum probably from 4 .

I think you're a bit optimistic about Harrogate; right now they're 4 points off the play offs and will be thinking they'll have a chance. If they win at the weekend they will probably view us as a good opportunity to keep the impetus going. If they get beaten at the weekend they may view the world differently.

Our best chance for points is Newport on Saturday: pretty much guaranteed a mid table finish, inconsistent generally and particularly inconsistent away from home.

Swindon are pretty poor, and now have nothing to play for. Getting 3 points from that game probably means that 3 from our other 5 games might well be enough given FGR and Suttons remaining fixtures.  So a win on Saturday will really put us in a strong position.

The problem is that based on the last couple of games, we are the team on poor form and we do not win many. We are stubborn but we need to win games. Do we try and hang on for grim death or go for it. Difficult to know, but the points will be a lot easier to get in the next couple of games before the huge pressure ratchets up.

Not sure how much weight the form table holds at this stage of the season, too many teams on the beach early and then you add the Bank Holiday double to the mix which always throws up odd results.

Oldest cliché in the book but it's one game at a time.  We beat Newport and we've done our bit for the day.  Hopefully Stockport, MK Dons and Wrexham do us a favour at this time.

On paper alone though this is a huge opportunity.  Our 3 relegation rivals (can't believe I'm saying that, again) playing three of the top four as we entertain a side out of form and with little to play for other than pride.

Looking at the games that each of the bottom 4 play tomorrow, would a point be a bad result? We have, on paper the easiest of games but I wouldn’t be expecting any team just to go through the motions if they’ve nothing to play for.

How many times has anyone been to a ‘dead rubber’ of a game but still wanting town to win? I’d say it’d be 100% of them. Players will no doubt be putting a shift in If out of contract and then there’s win bonus’, clean sheet bonus’ and just out of respect, wanting to win for those supporters that have travelled to watch their team play.

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

Looking at the games that each of the bottom 4 play tomorrow, would a point be a bad result? We have, on paper the easiest of games but I wouldn’t be expecting any team just to go through the motions if they’ve nothing to play for.

How many times has anyone been to a ‘dead rubber’ of a game but still wanting town to win? I’d say it’d be 100% of them. Players will no doubt be putting a shift in If out of contract and then there’s win bonus’, clean sheet bonus’ and just out of respect, wanting to win for those supporters that have travelled to watch their team play.

I don't think there's a conscious decision from most players, it's just natural that when the pressure is off, the intensity drops a bit. But some teams thrive in those circumstances. Last season we had a good end to the season when the pressure was off. Might explain a bit about this season... the exact opposite of mentality monsters

Quoted from grimps

The fans have done their bit all season , it’s time for the team to show us what they’re made of now

They have showed us what they are made of already ....league tables don't lie this late into a season.

Bradford display hardly inspires confidence. I literally could not sleep last night thinking about this game and the potential outcome.

Add into it that DA must be massively distracted and he wasn't being much use when he was fully focused either.

This could be a reckoning

Erased this game from the mind until now . Now thinking it could easily be our season defining game and wish I had blanked it for a few hours longer.

Didn't go too badly today did it?