Before we start thinking about next season,  I had a quick look at our home stats.  We know that is where we lost any chance of automatic promotion. Many home perfomances and and results were dire.

Barnet and Bristol Rovers between them got 25 more home points that us.  There is a  lot of potential extra points there for us next season.

Despite us winning at Dover, they won more homes games than us, scored more goals at home and conceded fewer home goals.

To improve at home we need a striker (or 2 strikers) who will take more of the good chances that we create.  We are not good at getting good crosses into the box for strikers. Therefore, we need a winger who can do this consistently.  Additionally, we really need an energeic attacking midfielder who can score goals to supplement what the strikers can do.  A NL Frank Lampard or somebody like Chris Lines would be ideal.  We also need to impove our deadball opportunities.

I know funds are limited and these players are hard to find. However, Hurst has proved to be an astute judge of talent.. Next season we must get out of this league.  Fortune favours the brave.  

              W     D     L     Total     
Home     12     4     7     23     
Away     13     7     3     23     
Total     25     11     10     46


SCORING            Home     Away     Overall
Goals scored                      36     38     74
Goals conceded               20     20     40
Avg goals scored             1.57     1.65     1.61
Avg goals conceded     0.87     0.87     0.87
Avg. scored + conceded     2.43     2.52     2.48
Games over 2.5 goals     48%     39%     43%
Games over 3.5 goals     26%     26%     26%
Games over 4.5 goals     4%     13%     9%
Both teams scored             39%     57%     48%
Clean sheets                     39%     43%     41%
Failed to score             30%     4%     17%


http://www.soccerstats.com/team.asp?league=england5&teamid=30

Interesting stats that back up the fact we need more goals and creativity.

Only failing to score in one out of 46 away games is not 4% it's 2.2% isn't it?
Our away record is fantastic, need to change outlook at home a lot and the fans will have little to moan about and if we get close to this seasons away form, we'll be in with a shout. Hope that yesterday wasn't the end for a few of the players as this squad are a credit to the name of GTFC.

Quoted from Theimperialcoroner

Only failing to score in one out of 46 away games is not 4% it's 2.2% isn't it?

Don't think we played 46 away games  :)

Basically teams that get the defence / attack balance right win leagues and big games. Our balance isnt quite right, how we change that is open to discussion.

IMO better midfield, a goal scorer and a little more attacking intent from PH.

Irrelevant of the players we keep or that go the blueprint has to remain the same. Successful teams keep the same ideas and dont have major changes year on year.

Quoted from pizzzza

Don't think we played 46 away games  :)

Doh! 14 hour day after this weekend has of course addled my already simple mind.

In 2015 we lost at home to Bristol Rovers, Macclesfield and Wrexham. We drew with Gateshead and beat everyone else. Nearly all the poor results against smaller sides were in 2014 at home. I'm not saying we have overcome the BP problem but I think everyone agrees that the squad in the last third of the season is potentially good enough to have won the league this season, never mind next.

Quoted from Calamarikid

Oh phuq off you sad sad bastid...jesus wept...no wonder you take your face for a dump..you talk utter shiiite

Bloody hell squid, what ever gutter have you just crawled out of ?.. surely no need for that.

Before Christmas our home record could probably be described as average, which don't get me wrong isn't good enough, but to call it appalling is possibly the emotion of the last couple of days taking over. We turned that average home record into a decent one post Xmas. If we'd have done it sooner ... Well who know.

UTM

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

Before we start thinking about next season,  I had a quick look at our home stats.  We know that is where we lost any chance of automatic promotion. Many home perfomances and and results were dire.

Barnet and Bristol Rovers between them got 25 more home points that us.  There is a  lot of potential extra points there for us next season.

Despite us winning at Dover, they won more homes games than us, scored more goals at home and conceded fewer home goals.

To improve at home we need a striker (or 2 strikers) who will take more of the good chances that we create.  We are not good at getting good crosses into the box for strikers. Therefore, we need a winger who can do this consistently.  Additionally, we really need an energeic attacking midfielder who can score goals to supplement what the strikers can do.  A NL Frank Lampard or somebody like Chris Lines would be ideal.  We also need to impove our deadball opportunities.

I know funds are limited and these players are hard to find. However, Hurst has proved to be an astute judge of talent.. Next season we must get out of this league.  Fortune favours the brave.  

Fully agree

Quoted from Grimal

Bloody hell squid, what ever gutter have you just crawled out of ?.. surely no need for that.

It's Scott Browns mother ?

Three key home games that could have potentially got us up as champions

On paper, we'd all have thought winnable but it was the on grass that let us down

Nuneaton
Southport
Altrincham

7 points dropped and that is what it would have taken to get us up automatically

All conjecture of course because there's no knowing if every other game would have gone the same way but next season, we need to be beating teams that are arguably not our equals (all came close to the bottom end of the table)

I could have added that we play better away, on the counterattack and with a good defence.

Barrnet scored the most goals overall and at home. They still go a lot more points at home than we did.

Bristol Rovers had the best overall defensive record, the most home wins, the joint best home defensive record and scored far more goals at home than us (the second highest at home after Barnet).

The key point here is that these 2 teams had completely different scoring and defensive records as it is possible to have and succeed.    Yet both teams consistently won at home during the season.  For whatever reason(s) our approach at home was very poor for a team with promotion aspirations.

FAO Calamarikid:

Re your "well-reasoned, incisive, constructive and humourous comments"  shown above;

Your unique narrative talents are totally wasted on this board.  You should be writing funny articles for Private Eye.  

In the Forces we would peg you out on the grass and leave you there overnight. Actions still too good for you.

Quoted from FishOutOfWater

Three key home games that could have potentially got us up as champions

On paper, we'd all have thought winnable but it was the on grass that let us down

Nuneaton
Southport
Altrincham

7 points dropped and that is what it would have taken to get us up automatically

All conjecture of course because there's no knowing if every other game would have gone the same way but next season, we need to be beating teams that are arguably not our equals (all came close to the bottom end of the table)

Tactics , too cautious , what ever you think , potentially games we were good enough to win , but didn't . We all have ideas of where it went wrong , eg subs at the right time , changing style during the game . I assume that Hurst will be in charge  next season hope he sees where improvements are needed .

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

FAO Calamarikid:

Re your "well-reasoned, incisive, constructive and humourous comments"  shown above;

Your unique narrative talents are totally wasted on this board.  You should be writing funny articles for Private Eye.  

In the Forces we would peg you out on the grass and leave you there overnight. Actions still too good for you.

:)

It was the same scenario the season before and it was my biggest fear pre this season, PH takes a goal lead and defends it, the team only step it up when the other team equalises, its been his pattern.
So many games and points lost by sitting back and deeper and deeper when we had been comfortable for 50 mins or so, i am pretty sure without checking, that our most common half time score was 0-0.....45 mins of so many games wasted....then it would take another 25 mins or so before being brave enough to get a sub warmed up and then hey ho...around 60 -70 mins they get a goal and we are then chasing. Sound familiar?

We have had two seasons of that type of scenario now at home and wasted far too many points. We had the defence over the last two seasons to cope with most opposition threats so just fking go for it.

I hope those that continually complain about a 5th tier teams inability to break down a stubborn, organised defence watched Arsenal, with some of the most creative players in the country, fail to score against Sunderland!

When a side comes and sits with 10 men behind the ball it is extremely difficult to break down

Quoted from BIGChris

I hope those that continually complain about a 5th tier teams inability to break down a stubborn, organised defence watched Arsenal, with some of the most creative players in the country, fail to score against Sunderland!

When a side comes and sits with 10 men behind the ball it is extremely difficult to break down

Barnet and Bristol managed it with more regularity, which is why they are in league 2 now.

Quoted from BIGChris

I hope those that continually complain about a 5th tier teams inability to break down a stubborn, organised defence watched Arsenal, with some of the most creative players in the country, fail to score against Sunderland!

When a side comes and sits with 10 men behind the ball it is extremely difficult to break down

5th tier attack v 5th tier defence is hardly Arsenal, with nothing to play for, against Sunderland scrapping for survival

Any organised and stubborn defence at ANY level is very difficult to break down and certainly not as easy as some would have us believe

More important is the lack of tempo we've shown in home games which has caused lethargy and apathy in the crowd. Town teams in the past always started in a way that got the crowd behind them, something we have failed to do in the past few seasons.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

More important is the lack of tempo we've shown in home games which has caused lethargy and apathy in the crowd. Town teams in the past always started in a way that got the crowd behind them, something we have failed to do in the past few seasons.

I haven't looked it up but I doubt there have been many times 'in the past' when we 'always' played with great tempo and with fast starts, that we have won as many  games as we have in the last 3 consecutive seasons?

So our home record, with defeats against teams in the bottom half is acceptable? And you can't remember the games where the likes of Cockerill, Cumming and Pouton roused the crowd with early bone crunching tackles. If you can't you're a lot younger than you look.

Quoted from BIGChris

Any organised and stubborn defence at ANY level is very difficult to break down and certainly not as easy as some would have us believe

Remember the Chelsea Champions League win. It was outrageous that they managed to get through the semis and the final, but somehow they kept the ball out through a combination of luck and brilliant defending. The best team often doesn't win in football that's what helps to make it so interesting and entertaning. It's bloody annoying if you are the best team and you don't win but it's the downfall of every club to play best and not win sometimes.

If you think about it there are less than 3 goals on average in a professional football match (the number is pretty similar in all countries at all levels). Yet teams spend 90 minutes basically trying to score, virtually every attack fails for any team. It's just very difficult to score, football is one of the lowest scoring sports there is.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

So our home record, with defeats against teams in the bottom half is acceptable? And you can't remember the games where the likes of Cockerill, Cumming and Pouton roused the crowd with early bone crunching tackles. If you can't you're a lot younger than you look.

Where did I say that? Please point it out?

I stated that breaking down stubborn, organised defences is extremely difficult and certainly not as easy as some would have us believe. Even a side packed with Internationaal superstars couldn't manage it last night

You on the other hand obviously think it is

The Arsenal vs Sunderland game last night was a case in point. Arsenal, a team full of top-class international players, had 75% of possession, 28 shots with 8 on target and yet couldn't score against a well-organised and packed defence.

If they can't score against defensive-minded opposition with 75% of possession, you can see how we might struggle sometimes. This is why we need to seriously improve our set piece delivery next season. No point in winning loads of corners and free-kicks if you struggle to threaten the opposition goal with them.

Quoted from Maringer

The Arsenal vs Sunderland game last night was a case in point. Arsenal, a team full of top-class international players, had 75% of possession, 28 shots with 8 on target and yet couldn't score against a well-organised and packed defence.

If they can't score against defensive-minded opposition with 75% of possession, you can see how we might struggle sometimes. This is why we need to seriously improve our set piece delivery next season. No point in winning loads of corners and free-kicks if you struggle to threaten the opposition goal with them.

That's the key to it for me. I know it's not pretty but if a team has parked the bus, then just keep throwing the ball into the box with quality and sooner or later a chance will come. Taking the chance was the problem last season, especially at home.

We are clearly a good side as our away record shows that when a home team has a go at us, we usually beat them, or at least don't lose.

Hurst has to find a way to break sides down at home.

Quoted from ginnywings

That's the key to it for me. I know it's not pretty but if a team has parked the bus, then just keep throwing the ball into the box with quality and sooner or later a chance will come. Taking the chance was the problem last season, especially at home.

We are clearly a good side as our away record shows that when a home team has a go at us, we usually beat them, or at least don't lose.

Hurst has to find a way to break sides down at home.

Agree. Even doubly so after last season as teams will be aware of what you say, namely that teams who come with a defensive plan have a chance of getting something.

We seem to have conceeded a few goals from distance, i think the significant and growing camber on the pitch MAY be a factor, so to have someone with a rocket shot may help too. A Ron Cockerill or Lew Chatterley type may help!

Quoted from BIGChris

Agree. Even doubly so after last season as teams will be aware of what you say, namely that teams who come with a defensive plan have a chance of getting something.

We seem to have conceeded a few goals from distance, i think the significant and growing camber on the pitch MAY be a factor, so to have someone with a rocket shot may help too. A Ron Cockerill or Lew Chatterley type may help!

If only.

It amazes me how some of these so called stubborn defences especially at BP somehow seem to get relegated, so they can't be that frigging stubborn.

Quoted from BIGChris

Agree. Even doubly so after last season as teams will be aware of what you say, namely that teams who come with a defensive plan have a chance of getting something.

We seem to have conceeded a few goals from distance, i think the significant and growing camber on the pitch MAY be a factor, so to have someone with a rocket shot may help too. A Ron Cockerill or Lew Chatterley type may help!

I was only thinking last night who might be able to score from distance for us with the players who we are looking to retain

Some of the better goals we've seen over the past couple of years came from Rodman, Nielson and Paddy....Arnold did well with this brace at Eastleigh I admit but who else in the team has the ability to score from "out of the blue"