Lets Get One Thing Straight

[Port Said Red]

I overheard one or two people talking as I left the ground yesterday at the end (that's after 90 odd minutes by the way) and they were talking as if this was GJ's finished work on which he should be judged.

Personally I just don't see the logic behind this argument. The guy has been here 2 months, is still assessing existing players and trying to buck the ridiculous transfer system by getting some loanees in to freshen up the place.

The thing with the loanees that people seem to fail to take into account is wages. Like it or not the club are in deep debt and I believe he is trying to bring in the best he can with the limited funds available.

Someone on the radio also used the phrase "he's lost the dressing room" LOST it! the guys only been here two months he's probably still carrying a map! If the rumours and stories of the players behaviour before he came here are half true he was always going to have problems, some of them were certainly not going to like someone coming in and trying to impose some discipline into their wayward lives.

I thought the thing summed the day yesterday was the half time announcer (whom I normally have a lot of time for) announcing the fact that Tinnion had scored for Aldershot. I think the reason we are some much s.. trouble is because the club and a large percentage of the fans can't their head out the past.

The way I see it we have a choice

1. We spend all our time discussing and moaning about the might have beens, who should return, whose fault it is that we ended up this creek and what the new man does in the short term.

Or

2. We can accept that things have gone wrong, will take TIME to put right, will involve decisions that will never please all of us and back the man in charge who has had success in this area before.

Over to you boys and girls, will it be contestant number 1 or 2?

[Coin-op]

My choice will be number 2. B.C.F.C. is a sinking ship that cannot be floated overnight. G.J. has identified the teams weakness and will eventually turn things around. This has to be done with the boards full support however (staff, funds, etc).

[robins72]

I always thought there were 3 contestants. So whats the Suprise suprise Gareth?

[Lordofthebling]

Great thread - Last post before my holiday - and its choice number 2! Goodbye!

[Guest roejowland]

2

[andiw30]

number 2!!!

After all Aldershot is in the Conferance!! and not much there really, must have been easy for Tins on thqt one!!

[Port Said Red]

I always thought there were 3 contestants. So whats the Suprise suprise Gareth?

Unfotunately I think that if number 1 is the preferred option that would bring contestant number 3 into play and that might be something that would make 1982 look like a day in the park.....

Sorry Lisa, I am not in the mood to turn this into a jokey thread .

[Brianred]

I overheard one or two people talking as I left the ground yesterday at the end (that's after 90 odd minutes by the way) and they were talking as if this was GJ's finished work on which he should be judged.

Personally I just don't see the logic behind this argument. The guy has been here 2 months, is still assessing existing players and trying to buck the ridiculous transfer system by getting some loanees in to freshen up the place.

The thing with the loanees that people seem to fail to take into account is wages. Like it or not the club are in deep debt and I believe he is trying to bring in the best he can with the limited funds available.

Someone on the radio also used the phrase "he's lost the dressing room" LOST it! the guys only been here two months he's probably still carrying a map! If the rumours and stories of the players behaviour before he came here are half true he was always going to have problems, some of them were certainly not going to like someone coming in and trying to impose some discipline into their wayward lives.

I thought the thing summed the day yesterday was the half time announcer (whom I normally have a lot of time for) announcing the fact that Tinnion had scored for Aldershot. I think the reason we are some much s.. trouble is because the club and a large percentage of the fans can't their head out the past.

The way I see it we have a choice

We spend all our time discussing and moaning about the might have beens, who should return, whose fault it is that we ended up this creek and what the new man does in the short term.

Or

2. We can accept that things have gone wrong, will take TIME to put right, will involve decisions that will never please all of us and back the man in charge who has had success in this area before.

Over to you boys and girls, will it be contestant number 1 or 2?

Sorry there is not a lot of time on our side, seven straight league defeats, and fans are and entitled to voice there concern. It's not there fault with whats going on with the club. The supporters want to get behind the team and encourage the players. They want to do there bit, but take alook at that stubborn Chairman! OPEN THe BLOODY EAST END and let fans try and give the team a lift. Or put up with the moans!

[robins72]

Unfotunately I think that if number 1 is the preferred option that would bring contestant number 3 into play and that might be something that would make 1982 look like a day in the park.....

Sorry Lisa, I am not in the mood to turn this into a jokey thread .

Sorry Gareth I just found watching the game yesterday so painful that when I got home realised that we are in such a dire situation that its going to be a long haul this season. I just hope us fans don't give up watching cos the team need us more than ever. I know the football is dire but i cant just turn my back on a club ive supported all my life. Surely the new year can bring us some joy????

[Port Said Red]

It may seem that the world will come to an end if we are relegated, but GJ may be more comfortable building from that position than pulling out all the stops to stay where we are.

The idea that it might take a step backwards to make two or three forward has crossed my mind. My main worry with this is the mounting debt that has to come into the equation, my other worry is that promotion doesn't come easy in any division.

We have to find a way to stay up, even if it means more debt short term I feel.

[SimplyRed]

I think you oversimplify the problems facing the club.

The fact is, Johnson - whether he likes it or not - is running out of time to prove that he has some idea what he is doing and how he plans to go about resolving the issues.

I disagree with the previous poster - it would be an absolute disaster if our club is relegated to the basement this season.

At all costs, we MUST avoid relegation. Just 7 months ago, people still had high hopes of promotion under Tinnion's doomed tenure. Who is to blame for our catastrophic fall from grace?

The much-vaunted January transfer window may come too late for Johnson and by that time we may be too far adrift to claw our way back.

Johnson MUST start having an effect on the team. We are on a 7-match losing streak with no end in site. We need results NOW not in 2 months time.

[Guest ashtonunited]

100 % number 2 but the fans need to give 100% the whole 90 mins to get the players going. I know its hard when the team are playing bad and have lost 7 games on the bounce I accept that. Did anyone notice when the fans got right behind the players at the end they played slightly better. Never underestimate what the fans can do for the game. We have won plenty of games by the fans bein the 12th man like plymouth and qpr. Just try and stick at it even know its hard.

[Barneyredballs]

I think you oversimplify the problems facing the club.

The fact is, Johnson - whether he likes it or not - is running out of time to prove that he has some idea what he is doing and how he plans to go about resolving the issues.

I disagree with the previous poster - it would be an absolute disaster if our club is relegated to the basement this season.

At all costs, we MUST avoid relegation. Just 7 months ago, people still had high hopes of promotion under Tinnion's doomed tenure. Who is to blame for our catastrophic fall from grace?

The much-vaunted January transfer window may come too late for Johnson and by that time we may be too far adrift to claw our way back.

Johnson MUST start having an effect on the team. We are on a 7-match losing streak with no end in site. We need results NOW not in 2 months time.

Without question relagtion would be a disatster. Promotion is never guaranteed. However a kick up our a## and for the first time in years we appear to have to put our backs to the wall and fight, fight, fight! For the last 4+ seasons we've been a nearly club, happy to push on just slightly each year. We've put 13 straight wins together, alwats been up at the right end of the table and nearly got promoted 2/3 times.

We've done that with players who were comfortable, always 'good' players at this level, but possibly never good enough to desire to step up, smae with the board. 15,000 at the top of Div 2, or 'risk' promotion and be in a similar position as to where we are now?

I think that with a straight head and an unbiased view, with the problems he took over, the continual injuries to key players (Brooker/Heywood) and the off-field issues, I'm not sure he could of done anything much differently to what he has done. Loan market gets you a good player occassionally. To have to try to get 5 players, on probably £0 is difficult.

Don't see that a change in manager will do anything, apart from give us 2 games of high spitis, like GJ had first up. If we were to go down, then it is because the players, manager(s) and board weren't good enough. If we go down, we would probably have deserved it. There is a very long way to go and our luck will change

[Gerry Gows' Tash]

I overheard one or two people talking as I left the ground yesterday at the end (that's after 90 odd minutes by the way) and they were talking as if this was GJ's finished work on which he should be judged.

Personally I just don't see the logic behind this argument. The guy has been here 2 months, is still assessing existing players and trying to buck the ridiculous transfer system by getting some loanees in to freshen up the place.

The thing with the loanees that people seem to fail to take into account is wages. Like it or not the club are in deep debt and I believe he is trying to bring in the best he can with the limited funds available.

Someone on the radio also used the phrase "he's lost the dressing room" LOST it! the guys only been here two months he's probably still carrying a map! If the rumours and stories of the players behaviour before he came here are half true he was always going to have problems, some of them were certainly not going to like someone coming in and trying to impose some discipline into their wayward lives.

I thought the thing summed the day yesterday was the half time announcer (whom I normally have a lot of time for) announcing the fact that Tinnion had scored for Aldershot. I think the reason we are some much s.. trouble is because the club and a large percentage of the fans can't their head out the past.

The way I see it we have a choice

We spend all our time discussing and moaning about the might have beens, who should return, whose fault it is that we ended up this creek and what the new man does in the short term.

Or

2. We can accept that things have gone wrong, will take TIME to put right, will involve decisions that will never please all of us and back the man in charge who has had success in this area before.

Over to you boys and girls, will it be contestant number 1 or 2?

I've thought about it - gotta be number one for me !

[mozo]

I think you oversimplify the problems facing the club.

The fact is, Johnson - whether he likes it or not - is running out of time to prove that he has some idea what he is doing and how he plans to go about resolving the issues.

I disagree with the previous poster - it would be an absolute disaster if our club is relegated to the basement this season.

At all costs, we MUST avoid relegation. Just 7 months ago, people still had high hopes of promotion under Tinnion's doomed tenure. Who is to blame for our catastrophic fall from grace?

The much-vaunted January transfer window may come too late for Johnson and by that time we may be too far adrift to claw our way back.

Johnson MUST start having an effect on the team. We are on a 7-match losing streak with no end in site. We need results NOW not in 2 months time.

I think he has proved beyond doubt that he knows what he's doing. He gave the players the truth about their underperforming, he got Fortune, Bridges and Woodman out on loan (where they should be), he has praised players when they deserve it, he has been honest with the public, he has brought new faces on loan in a desperate attempt to change things, he handled the arrestees very well, he dropped poor players like carey, smith and smith, he was brave enough to test our reserve keeper, he acknowledges the fans contribution, I presume from what he says that he is working the players harder in training to improve their fitness, his line-ups have been reasonable considering the problems we have had with injuries and suspensions...

...You talk about him looking like he has done nothing. I don't think he's running out of time at all, he's got at least three years for me.

[Chappers]

The point is TIME - The time to rebuild is the close season, as you have time to get the squad together and try new ideas in friendlies. In my opinion, GJ is rushing things, and rather than addressing the key issues, is making change for change sake. Has it really taken him 11 games to spot that we do not have a ball-winner? We lack pace up front. Neither flank is producing anything. His loans have not addressed those issues so far. We now have an overload of centre-backs and right backs, too many average midfielders, nobody doing the business on the flanks, and no strikers. So far, he has made 4 signings, and none have made any improvement whatsoever - Is that not worrying?

He does not have the luxury of time to experiment, and he may be keen to offload certain players, but it seems random, and is not addressing the key problems. Mozo mentions Bridges, would he not be ideal now that Brooker is injured? Did we really see enough of him to know what he can do? Look at Grant Smiths record last year, talk to Swindon fans (I work with 2 of them) - He is clearly not talentless. As for changing the keeper, surely that was bottom of the priority list as Phillips has been consistently good over the past 4 years, and in my view, it was the last thing our leaky defence needed at the moment. (Mozo - I agree we have needed a 2nd keeper with experience, I just think the timing was wrong).

And GJ was not my choice, I will now risk ridicule by admitting I wanted Leroy Rosenior - Good coach, knows the set-up, and it would have been fun to see if Torquay had actually had the cheek to demand compensation! My main concern with GJ was simply that he is too much like Barry Fry.

[lotusman]

"Not his team" this term has been mentioned several times over the years and really has little substance ,indeed particularly so in the third tier of pro.soccer.

Our dealings really bear no similarities with our peers ,surprise,surprise,most clubs simply have never had anything like our opportunities to spend money,consequently the issue for the vast majority of managers has always been maximising your resources.The current issue for G.J. is very much one of dealing with the basics,needing a result so as to rebuild some confidence.How is it Brentford outperformed us last year in the league & cup with a squad of 18? While we were claiming we had 2 players competing for every position.Just 4 weeks ago Danny Wilson stated that we should still figure in the promotion stakes because we had the "best" squad in the division.Even now I bet you would only find one or two managers in the entire division who would claim their squad is superior to G.J.'s.

Sure G.J. will no doubt want to personalise "his" team,but for now he is caught up in a situation that 90% of managers have to live with.