Level Of Optimism For The Rest Of Season

Yes and they were wrong! We have had notable big names in our squad Vaughan, Donaldson, and Doyle, but the rest are average at best. We are not doing well because we have a squad that is unbalanced with very little credence to what we actually need. Stuart needs to look in the mirror, yes Stuart we need a midfielder just like you! I will guarantee he won’t be able to find one. Now whether Kenny and Stuart can somehow fashion us a winning team out of that lot is anybodies guess.

 

well Stuart has the bit of the Ant when comes to motors and booze!

 

For me we did have the players and the club is failing.

Vaughan(now a div 1 player) Palmer(joined the top of the league) Donaldson, Doyle, Reeves, Devitt, POC( people were raving about him last season)

The league is mighty poor the problem was Bowyer, Drury and Rhodes. Bowyer was never the right man to take the club forward, Drury should never have been number 2 and Rhodes shouldn't be CEO of the the club as he has no forward vision. He thinks short term which is hurting the club.

McCall is now trying to change the mindset of these players and the likes of AOC are weak. The weak mindset is one of the reasons we struggle away from him as Bowyer was basically saying to the players that you're not good enough so we will defend and be boring.

McCall has a big job on his hands but we still should finish in the play offs because McCall needs to show what he's about now. Yes, he needs time but we have to have targets and I see no reason why we can't finish in the top 7 with the squad we currently have got..

The problem was Bowyer and people like @Park bantam who back a man that clearly wasn't a good manager for the club now trying to point fingers at the players when in fact they need to admit to themselves that the manager was a failure. Least @Bronco admitted Bowyer needed to leave.

Our players are good enough for this league. Rhodes letting Doyle go to Swindon at the start of the season was a huge mistake and highlights he's clueless when it comes to football.

 

With Doyle and Vaughan as a strike force we should have been auto promotion certainties. It ought to have been possible to fashion a style of play to get them in the box with the ball at their feet, and they'd have scored often enough that it wouldn't have mattered if we'd leaked a few goals. Even McCartan, who isn't in the same league as either of Doyle or Vaughan, would have scored plenty if given a run in the side and decent service.
But instead of fashioning a side to provide chances to our quality finishers Bowyer played both of our star strikers out of position as target men and pissed them off so much that they eventually left.
I do believe that the likes of Reeves, Pritchard and Cooke can be melded into an effective, creative midfield. But the men who could have capitalised on that creativity have left and been replaced by journeymen.
We'll never know what SM could have done with that strike force at his disposal, but I'm damn sure he wouldn't have been bypassing midfield and launching missile up to them. It's already clear that Reeves' form has been rejuvenated by their arrival and I expect others to improve under their coaching. But without the quality strike force we've allowed to leave it will be a tough ask to turn it around quickly this season.

 

Novak is a proven striker at this level and Donaldson has spent most of his career at this level. Listening to th coverage yesterday Cambridge used the wind second half to send high ball into the penalty area a tactic suited to the conditions we should have done the same when we had the wind. Up until Christmas we were in a great position with an excellent home record. I know I will get shouted down for this but the return of Doyle killed the team spirit that was there.
Anyway we are where we are and still in a good position to reach the play offs. Hopefully Stuart can find his best team to achieve it, hopefully Cooke returns to fitness and he can find a place for Devitt I would play Donaldson as well

 

If we were to make the playoffs (which is highly unlikely), I can’t see us coming out on top, we don’t have fight, desire, passion like some of our competitors.

Let’s just say we got to the play offs and got promoted..... I think that would be one of the most undeserving promotions to ever happen! I think a lot of people are as sick as I am of League two. A god awful league.

 

And Mccall won't have the budget to get up next season.... The "we've got to cut our" will come flying out.

Eyes down. BINGO.

And when the tough gets going again (for mccall)
And the team gets stuck in a winless run.. Again... Sacked again.

Rewind... Repeat...

Its fine... You can all shout Stuart Stuart

 

Fitness levels need to improve, the bradford bulls guy has achieved so little.
Reckon the gaffer will have to look for another coach and with the pitch needing some turf laying the playing budget wont be top 5 next time out.

Back spasm, first Pritchard misses plent of time and now Cooke has it, is this a virus at City?
Zeli= WTF has been keeping him unfit for so long.
Apart from being unfit, which the fitness coach should have been onto straight away.
He could have also told McCall that Akpan was static and on no account to be left in a midfield two.

Lots to sort out, BEHIND the scenes, if City are able to limp into the playoffs or even after a mass clear out make a sustained effort to get out of L2.
Rupp needs to help out but i am not hearing it.
It is down to the season ticket holders- me,you,her and him.

 

We haven't won away from home since October!!

Doyle being back for 3 weeks had nothing to do with anything!

Our utter sh&te manager was the reason why things went down hill.

 

We were out of the top three on goal difference

 

My thoughts and I know you love them are the following on why I think they is a rise in the loss of confidence:

I believe that many feel mugged off and after the excitement think that McCall was only hired for season ticket sales. Selling Doyle and loaning Vaughan when it was clear Bowyer was getting the boot. Rhodes didn't give the club the best chance to go up at that point, so if he's given up then why shouldn't fans?

Also, just watching an interview with Jamie Redknapp and a few Arsenal players and Jamie asked what has the new manager changed? They replied we now have an idea of how to play! Think when McCall came in it was about attacking football then he goes 5 at the back far too early when a little pressure is on and in the games so far we have struggled.

For me, they're the reasons.

However, I believe in McCall and we need to give him time.

 

Yes mate I believe it was misplaced. Some on here are already going back to his time he managed us before and questioned his subs.

They is a saying never go back... while we have twice now and I suppose people think it's exciting at first and then remember why it didn't work out!

 

Whatever he now needs time at least till the end of next season unless it's a disaster. There Haa been to much hiring and firing

 

As we know league positions mean nothing in a two game shoot out, I get where your coming from but to get us into a position to play either Stuart will have had to turn our fortunes around so if I'm honest I wouldn't fear either.

 

I'm pretty surprised how quickly the feel good factor that followed Stuart's appointment has disappeared.

 

It hasn’t disappeared.

You’re just claiming it has to justify your dismay at his appointment

 

I like what I've seen so far of Novak once we get going (yes I think we will) I believe he will be a great asset to the team, I was like you a little surprised given the howling gale yesterday Stuart didn't put Clayton along side (Kim one for the oldies amongst us) certainly the first half where Cambridge would have the wind in their faces.