Nothings changed. Can play as well as you like but cant score wont win. Defending was shocking to allow a 3 on 2 break just like the newport Fa cup game. rose isnt good enough, green is finished. Game we should never have lost to a side arguably worse than us on the day. Ending a very bad week on a personal level due to a family bereavement but i am also past caring with town now.   Put more crosses in the box today than what we’ve done in weeks and hanson isnt playing!? Some scuffles in the upper with fenty storming off. Anger taking over. Merry Christmas Fishies. And thank you for the many kind messages ive recieved. I havent ignored you, just havent been online.

We played well.

That's not a vote for inertia... Just saying

This Club is all but ruined!! 2 decades of this dictatorship and, whilst I am grateful that we haven’t folded, he has failed to build on the positive opportunities!

Paul Hurst brought a togetherness that we haven’t seen for a very long time. That team needed rewarding but money got the better of someone and instead, loans were recovered.

Total failure and the Club is rotten to the very core! Fenty storming off?? No doubt someone told him some home truths!

I genuinely feel for Limbrick today, short of personally kicking the ball in the net, not sure what he can do.

Anyway, intercourse football, I'm sick to death of being kicked in the balderdash every game.

I doubt there were any prospective managers in the stands because No fecker wants the job.

Probably offering a zero hours contract!!

We got a top half budget mind. Straight face.

Quoted from Rik e B

We played well.

Irrelevant.

Green and Rose both missed sitters and Hendrie forgot to shoot when in a good position. All very Neil Woods. Scunny were poor but deserved to win because they scored a goal.

On a positive note.  Went to the first Ho Chi Minh City first pre-season friendly.   Won comfortably 2-0 - 35p for parking, 60p for a beer.  Free to get in. Hey, us Town fans need to hang on to summat.  I missed the game as a mate was in town.  Had my earpiece and tried to hide it, like an FBI agent.

First game for me this season and it was a lot better than i was expecting. We were clearly better than them but they buried their chance and we spurned our many chances. The width of the post was the difference between us taking the lead and we also put in some excellent crosses. I thought we played well but are clearly lacking that killer touch in the final third. I know it's all about putting the ball in the net, but on that showing, we aint a million miles away from the sort of run Scunny are on. I actually quite enjoyed it apart from the scoreline.

That 80's pop duo from Hull popped into my head- Everything but the Goal.

Green is not up to this level. Robson and Gibson are our best players by far. What happens when they go. Van Veen can finish but his attitude is all about himself. They were poor. We didn't make them look good they just beat us. Ref looked OK for 5 mins then turned out to be the usual dross. Even the linesman didn't change his own decision. The ref had to change his. Drop ball to them ridiculous. They are a Hurst team dour. Just how many years dis it take him to get us up. Limbrick is clueless. Rose for Clifton come on. Green was on the pitch 90.mins too long. I am so so so disappointed. How depressing is that going onto the New Year. We won't be relagated even when we finish bottom. You play with pride and passion for 90 mins. We are incable to do this. UTM 😫😱

I’ve been a Grimsby supporter for 17 or so years of my 21 years of existence, and honestly this is the first time I’m genuinely thinking about not coming to the games (despite having a season ticket). I know you support your team through the good times and the bad, however not scoring a goal in the league for 2 months and 9 days says a lot for itself, but who’s counting anyway...

Quoted from 140067

Green is not up to this level. Robson and Gibson are our best players by far. What happens when they go. Van Veen can finish but his attitude is all about himself. They were poor. We didn't make them look good they just beat us. Ref looked OK for 5 mins then turned out to be the usual dross. Even the linesman didn't change his own decision. The ref had to change his. Drop ball to them ridiculous. They are a Hurst team dour. Just how many years dis it take him to get us up. Limbrick is clueless. Rose for Clifton come on. Green was on the pitch 90.mins too long. I am so so so disappointed. How depressing is that going onto the New Year. We won't be relagated even when we finish bottom. You play with pride and passion for 90 mins. We are incable to do this. UTM 😫😱

If the drop ball you are referring to was when the ball struck the ref then you need to keep up with the rules. If the ball strikes the referee and possession changes then it is a drop ball to the team that was in possession- this was introduced in the summer.
Ko

Quoted from rancido

If the drop ball you are referring to was when the ball struck the ref then you need to keep up with the rules. If the ball strikes the referee and possession changes then it is a drop ball to the team that was in possession- this was introduced in the summer.
Ko

I thought we had possession still. Not the first time this season the ref has got it wrong. I'm not getting paid to get it right. The ref was dross. No actually not that good.

The new drop ball rule is even more balderdash than VA flipping R.

As for Town, played well up until the penalty box. Their savvy was summed up by the Wright chance in the 2nd half. Three strikers moved to the front post, not one of them gambled where the ball might end up. Had they done so it’s an easy tap in. That is what goal poachers do all the time and we simply don’t have that.

Anyone noticed what looked like part of a seat thrown onto the pitch from the Osmond stand?

Anybody sat in it ?

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Irrelevant.

Not totally irrelevant as this was one of the best home performances of the season in my opinion and thought Robson was the stand out player. Pity that atmosphere is only once or twice a season as it would surely help if  it was more the norm for home games.

Clearly a lack of confidence throughout the forward players as there were some excellent crosses, opportunities and half chances to have two or three today. Unfortunately, I don’t think Green, Rose, Cardwell, Vernam and perhaps Ogbu are good enough for L2 and none are strikers in the real sense of the word. A total clear out of forwards is required but also we need a contribution from midfield and occasionally centre half as well. Free kicks and corners are just of no benefit to town as we never ever look like scoring from one.

Terrible result, good performance and we all would have preferred the exact opposite but today’s performance actually was very positive and gave me some hope which needs to be turned into results v Crawley and Salford for it to have any meaning. Certainly better than the dross on offer under Slade and MJ.

I know it’s frustrating and particularly galling when it’s Scunny we lost to, but like a few above have said, we actually played well today.

We looked to pass short and keep possession, and usually forward at least. When we did go long I thought Green put in a real shift chasing lost causes and putting himself about.

Of course we need to finish better, as we had at least 5 or 6 decent chances that fell to a variety of people and we should’ve converted at least a couple.

We need to keep some perspective, are we really that far away from a decent squad?, with our current regime in charge are we really going to pay out for a high quality manager?, and even if we do are we going to find better players than we have prepared to come to us?

Will wholesale changes take us forward or put us back?

I’m as down with today as anyone, but I do feel that some of the negativity towards the squad “not fit to wear the shirt” etc. Is a little unfair based on what I was watching

best side lost 100% , but & it's a big but if you don't score when well on top you've always got a chance off them getting one chance which they took well , i would give ogbu a chance through middle let's be fair he can't do any worse , we are not far away from been a good side , back four solid perhaps need a midfielder to break into box & a striker then we will climb table , problem is no money available to sign

Quoted from lee65

I know it’s frustrating and particularly galling when it’s Scunny we lost to, but like a few above have said, we actually played well today.

We looked to pass short and keep possession, and usually forward at least. When we did go long I thought Green put in a real shift chasing lost causes and putting himself about.

Of course we need to finish better, as we had at least 5 or 6 decent chances that fell to a variety of people and we should’ve converted at least a couple.

We need to keep some perspective, are we really that far away from a decent squad?, with our current regime in charge are we really going to pay out for a high quality manager?, and even if we do are we going to find better players than we have prepared to come to us?

Will wholesale changes take us forward or put us back?

I’m as down with today as anyone, but I do feel that some of the negativity towards the squad “not fit to wear the shirt” etc. Is a little unfair based on what I was watching

The problem isn’t today’s performance though is it? It’s year after year of runs like this, records being broken for all the wrong reasons. Poor decision after poor decision from the very top which have led to the situation where we look desperate. Desperate for a new stadium, desperate for investment, desperate for a manager, desperate for a win, now even desperate for a goal.

If the board aren’t embarrassed, then they f***ing should be.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

The problem isn’t today’s performance though is it? It’s year after year of runs like this, records being broken for all the wrong reasons. Poor decision after poor decision from the very top which have led to the situation where we look desperate. Desperate for a new stadium, desperate for investment, desperate for a manager, desperate for a win, now even desperate for a goal.

If the board aren’t embarrassed, then they f***ing should be.

Well said . Hit the nail on the head

Our strike force couldn't score in a brothel at the moment.We outplayed scunny for for what felt like 93 of the 98 minutes today but like usual we walk away with a loss. Limbrick seemed to get our tactics spot on as well.

We desperately need the board to get their cheque book out sign us a couple strikers in January, there are a few in the non league at the moment who seem to know where the net is.

I thought we were very good for most of the game today.
The Town fans were excellent and gave the lads some great supporter.
Ive seen our manager has come in for a bit of stick but I dont see what else he could have done baring running on the pitch and booting it in the goal himself.

I hope we can get behind the lads for the next home game like we did today.
UTM

Absolutely galling in some respects.... absolutely predictable in others...
Thought the team were pretty darn good first half...first and second to everything.....completely on the front foot....Green wasted our best chance..Wright struck the post with our next best......come half time they were happy and gasping we were disappointed.....second half started the same...that first 10 mins we were all over them and the most pressure I have seen us build all season....but once Hendrie didnt shoot the game was lost....we lost heart...they picked up long enough to give the one quality striker on the pitch a chance to score....he duly obliged and the game was gone.
Vernam tried but in reality produced little, Ogbu used the ball well and was definitely brought down, Rose..nothing really.
Should have easily took the points and sent them scaggy tw@ts back with nothing....but we didnt....

We are relying on others to save us as despite possiblity one of the best home efforts of the season we still can't muster a goal.
UTM

What cannot be denied is that the players got stuck in and gave it everything. We just need a goal.

I actually think we’ll bag a few points in the next 3 games. Fingers f#cking crossed!

Quoted from TheultimateMariner

I’ve been a Grimsby supporter for 17 or so years of my 21 years of existence, and honestly this is the first time I’m genuinely thinking about not coming to the games (despite having a season ticket). I know you support your team through the good times and the bad, however not scoring a goal in the league for 2 months and 9 days says a lot for itself, but who’s counting anyway...

I feel for you mate. I've existed for 43 years now, when I was 21 I was looking forward to a double winning trip to Wembley as we returned to the championship we belonged in after just one season outside of it. We played football you wouldn't believe, a 4-4-2, attacking full backs, brilliant wingers like Dave Gilbert, Gary Childs, Kevin Donovan who was on fire that season.

Top class centre forwards like the Neil Woods, Livvo, Clive Mendonca (though he left in 96/97 I believe after bagging 20 Championship goals as we went down). Lads of your age have had nothing back at all, nothing but shite and shame under John Fenty, you deserve so much more. I knew at the time how fortunate I was to see the standard of football I saw.

We finished 9th in the championship under the great and I mean great Alan Buckley. So sad how bad we are now, there is no end to this nightmare, we need change at the top, Fenty must go and must go soon or I guarantee we will be a non league side again.

Somebody needs to fund a striker. 20k. The fans?
Given the huge budgets those non league clubs have (John fenty) , surely they'd snap a couple of ours up

Quoted from 140067

I thought we had possession still. Not the first time this season the ref has got it wrong. I'm not getting paid to get it right. The ref was dross. No actually not that good.

We had possession after a Scunthorpe pass hit the ref and therefore the ball is given back to them.

I’m really nervous after that, the players have put in a great shift and also in 2/3rds if the pitch passed the ball a lot better and used the space pretty well.

However I don’t think I’ve seen a side so clueless in the final third (not just today) as we are and I can’t understand why when our attackers have open space in front of them they have a complete aversion to running into the opposition box with the ball at their feet putting defenders under pressure, instead we put average balls into the box for one or if we’re lucky two players arriving.

If your playing 4-3-3 then surely the midfield have to join the other 2 forward players to give the side the best chance of scoring? Which if we’re going to avoid a relegation scrap we need to start doing pretty quickly.

Take the positives I suppose in that we where the better side and apart from the inevitable (credit to Hurst for switching to the diamond) I thought we defended pretty well and like I say the passing was much better.

As they say it’s a results based business and today we failed to deliver one but not for the want of trying for sure.

UTM!

Just a little aside.the app fotmob had their keeper as motm, which maybe tells a story

Having seen every game so far this season I thought that was one of our best performances, good football, great determination by the players getting stuck in and the only thing missing as per usual was the lack of a goal.

With this current squad I'm not sure if any manager could get anymore out of the players. We are clearly lacking a decent goal scorer, you can't knock Green's effort but he just doesn't look like a natural scorer and that was one of several chances he has missed recently. However you cannot lay the blame just at the forwards, midfielders have to chip in as well and no matter how well players like Hess play they don't look like scoring either.

We desperately need some additions in January.

Same old excrement really. Performances are improving, we looked more hungry and energetic than we have in ages but just cannot score. It’s becoming a massive problem now.

Something needs to change, whether it be the manager, a loan player or two or even both.

Well I thought we played well, we just cannot score to save our lives.
What do we do about that, we don’t have two pennies to rub together. Change the manager with another random? Personally I don’t see what that will achieve. Early season we were scoring for fun, so is it just confidence? I really don’t know.

On an aside, I only caught the end of the Fenty scuffle, so don’t know the inns and outs, but shouting abuse at a director or anyone else for that matter will not encourage anyone else to jump in and invest in the club. So to whoever the young fellow was, just control yourself and try to use your anger in a more constructive way.

UTM

Quoted from sonofmadeleymariner

Our strike force couldn't score in a brothel at the moment.We outplayed scunny for for what felt like 93 of the 98 minutes today but like usual we walk away with a loss. Limbrick seemed to get our tactics spot on as well.

We desperately need the board to get their cheque book out sign us a couple strikers in January, there are a few in the non league at the moment who seem to know where the net is.

Or Scotland.
Last year I suggested Kevin Nisbet and emailed Town, but got no reply. Young lad 29 goals for Raith Rovers in 34 games, 14 in 17 now for Dunfermline in the Championship.

Another poster suggested Lawrence Shankland, 50 goals in 61 for Ayr, who is scoring for fun also now in the Championship, but perhaps he made himself above our budget.

I am aware the standard is perhaps lower up there, but it has to be worth sending a scout.

Quoted from Mallyner

Or Scotland.
Last year I suggested Kevin Nisbet and emailed Town, but got no reply. Young lad 29 goals for Raith Rovers in 34 games, 14 in 17 now for Dunfermline in the Championship.

Another poster suggested Lawrence Shankland, 50 goals in 61 for Ayr, who is scoring for fun also now in the Championship, but perhaps he made himself above our budget.

I am aware the standard is perhaps lower up there, but it has to be worth sending a scout.

Good call, I guess the Championship is about National League, NL N/S level so probably the market we could afford.

The problem is they play for other clubs and we couldn’t afford a fee, once again in this window it will be loanees, youngsters and free agents I’m afraid. What ever we can do needs to happen quickly though.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Good call, I guess the Championship is about National League, NL N/S level so probably the market we could afford.

The problem is they play for other clubs and we couldn’t afford a fee, once again in this window it will be loanees, youngsters and free agents I’m afraid. What ever we can do needs to happen quickly though.

We could afford a fee if JF didn’t withdraw £250K each season!!!

If football was played up to the 18-yard box we would have left the game on Saturday thinking we can mount a promotion push still.

Alas, it's not and we're deep down excrement creek with not so much as a toilet brush to steer us away.

You cannot fault the effort of everyone out there on Saturday but ultimately we're just not good enough and have a real lack of quality.  Our lack of any quality in the final third was summed up when we chucked Waterfall up front of his aerial presence when I've yet to see him direct a single header since arriving.  He's dominant in the air but he just gets his head on it, nothing more.

Best game in a long time from Vernam, he needs to produce that level of energy and fight every game though.  Max Wright looked the most likely game winner for the first 30 minutes and then we stopped passing to him.   Robson the stand out of the midfield players and I'm not convinced that Hessenthaler further forward than Clifton works.

It badly needs a goal to go in from anyone, off something, somehow.  Anything.  Abdul sums it up well very early on, it's Woods like in every possible way.  Cannot fault Limbrick, he got the players playing but we just don't have the ability to put the ball in the net.  Scunny were really poor but they had a guy who can put it in the net.  Priority in January has to be finding the resources to bring in a natural finisher, nothing less.

Quoted from diehardmariner

If football was played up to the 18-yard box we would have left the game on Saturday thinking we can mount a promotion push still.

Alas, it's not and we're deep down excrement creek with not so much as a toilet brush to steer us away.

You cannot fault the effort of everyone out there on Saturday but ultimately we're just not good enough and have a real lack of quality.  Our lack of any quality in the final third was summed up when we chucked Waterfall up front of his aerial presence when I've yet to see him direct a single header since arriving.  He's dominant in the air but he just gets his head on it, nothing more.

Best game in a long time from Vernam, he needs to produce that level of energy and fight every game though.  Max Wright looked the most likely game winner for the first 30 minutes and then we stopped passing to him.   Robson the stand out of the midfield players and I'm not convinced that Hessenthaler further forward than Clifton works.

It badly needs a goal to go in from anyone, off something, somehow.  Anything.  Abdul sums it up well very early on, it's Woods like in every possible way.  Cannot fault Limbrick, he got the players playing but we just don't have the ability to put the ball in the net.  Scunny were really poor but they had a guy who can put it in the net.  Priority in January has to be finding the resources to bring in a natural finisher, nothing less.

Hess doesn't work full stop. A more ineffectual midfield player would be hard to find. He makes Ray Wilkins look dynamic.

Never adds anything that I can see - usually passes backwards or sideways, never creates a goal, never scores a goal. Neat and tidy which is fair enough,but in a team struggling for survival is that enough?

He is higher up the pitch now than Clifton, and both are bringing very little to the team; central midfield is where the goals are supposed to be created.

Well it ended with a predictable Hurst one-nil away triumph but the game was quite unlike the wins he masterminded for us in the tinpot.  

I thought we won most of the individual battles, especially against their full-backs who didn't look much cop either offensively or defensively, which is a surprise for a Hurst side.  Robson, Hessenthaler and Clifton played with real aggression and got us on the front foot early in both halves.

Vernam and Wright looked much more threatening than usual and most of our dangerous play came when those two could get their opposite numbers turned.

Despite that, I don't think we attacked with any real method or guile; we were great at winning the breakdowns high up the pitch but as soon as we approached the final third and needed to make a telling pass, we froze and looked lost.

Turning point came when Hendrie passed up a golden chance when the ball was begging to be smashed into either bottom corner, followed by Scunny moving somebody else to RB and switched to a diamond (I think) in midfield.  They immediately broke through the lines when our midfield was committed and scored, and what a finish.  We are desperate for somebody to show that sort of composure.

We're not bad by any means but our attacking play seems a bit desperate, hoping something will break for us rather than crafting something deliberately.  That mentality has to be changed by the coaches and I worry that Limbrick might not be able to do that soon enough.

It's all down to (lack of) confidence. When it's going your way you just hit it and it goes in. Hendrie for example wanted too many touches after he burst into the penalty area.  If he was confident he would have buried it.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Hess doesn't work full stop. A more ineffectual midfield player would be hard to find. He makes Ray Wilkins look dynamic.

Never adds anything that I can see - usually passes backwards or sideways, never creates a goal, never scores a goal. Neat and tidy which is fair enough,but in a team struggling for survival is that enough?

He is higher up the pitch now than Clifton, and both are bringing very little to the team; central midfield is where the goals are supposed to be created.

You need a balance.  You can't have two or three creative midfielders in there as they'll let the defence become overrun.  Equally so you can't have three defensive minded players in there as you'll create nothing, which is where we're at now.  At this level we're not going to get a Paul Groves who can do it all.  We need to find a balance of a creative player who is assisted by someone who is prepared to do the dirty week, protect the back four and keep things ticking over.  I think we would do very, very well to find a player at this level better than Hess at the latter of those roles.  However, it's irrelevant largely if we don't compliment him with someone who can unlock a defence and/or bang the goals in.

Quoted from diehardmariner

You need a balance.  You can't have two or three creative midfielders in there as they'll let the defence become overrun.  Equally so you can't have three defensive minded players in there as you'll create nothing, which is where we're at now.  At this level we're not going to get a Paul Groves who can do it all.  We need to find a balance of a creative player who is assisted by someone who is prepared to do the dirty week, protect the back four and keep things ticking over.  I think we would do very, very well to find a player at this level better than Hess at the latter of those roles.  However, it's irrelevant largely if we don't compliment him with someone who can unlock a defence and/or bang the goals in.

Great summary

Quoted from diehardmariner

You need a balance.  You can't have two or three creative midfielders in there as they'll let the defence become overrun.  Equally so you can't have three defensive minded players in there as you'll create nothing, which is where we're at now.  At this level we're not going to get a Paul Groves who can do it all.  We need to find a balance of a creative player who is assisted by someone who is prepared to do the dirty week, protect the back four and keep things ticking over.  I think we would do very, very well to find a player at this level better than Hess at the latter of those roles.  However, it's irrelevant largely if we don't compliment him with someone who can unlock a defence and/or bang the goals in.

Oddly enough on Saturday I thought Robson tried to play the unlocking role and did reasonably well, I get the Groves reference completely as we also need a mid field player to make runs at the right time to join the strikers.