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How right you were, Dennis. 1 point, and 1 place.

 

I agree. I was ready to give them until October to settle in, but it was the first time I had seen them yesterday albeit on screen. We sort of grew into the game after a very shaky start, but we had loads of luck during that period. We find ourselves 2-0 up, and I was saying hold it, just defend really well and we can take this. We seemed to just fall back or maybe we just run out of steam and we caved within a period of 10 mins. Could be fitness or lack of confidence or a combination.

What I wasn’t prepared for was such a debacle. I have a lot of faith in Hoppy, but he really has his work cut out for him. Basically as others have said he has to try and put some fitness into those lads, at the same time as find a system they feel they can play, all pre season stuff, and gain points. I hope he is on a top bonus because if he can steer us away from relegation he will my heart felt thanks.

We are completely unpredictable as a club now. No idea what we stand for, who we are, where we are going. So yes I would welcome a straight talking statement to the fans. I don’t want apologies, I want to know how they are going to rectify this massive debacle.

 

@Just Looking What is your role at Valley Parade? I don’t think I’ve seen such myopic nonsense.

 

like you @Onside, I really don't trust a single word they utter now or in the last 9 months. They have shown themselves to be completely incompetent and then totally lacking in humility when things have invariably turned to sh!t.
I actually don't want to hear another word from Rahic.
What I do want is action in so far as he steps away from the team and let's Hopkin manage this shambles of a group. If he wants to be useful, provide resources in the Jan window and earlier if we can by some miracle find any decent, fit out of contract players who are better or a better fit for our needs.

 

Apparently we're always ready and well prepared for these windows.....

 

Yes I'm a believer already .

 

I didn't see Shrewsbury, Southend or Fleetwood but seen the other games. People have commented that we were blowing out of our a**es after 70 at Shrewsbury and certainly from what I've seen we are nowhere near fit enough. Plus we have boys against men most of the time, irrespective of the kids playing we are too lightweight. We have no steel, no devilment in our team. If people seriously think Mellor and Riley are better than what we had in McMahon then well...

I don't think you'll get any statement..Edin bluffed his way through the press conference last week and never answered the questions really and didn't really see that there was a divide between club and supporters...

As a 'business man' I would be concerned if my home customers had reduced by 4/5k and my 'away' followers had dwindled by 20/25% over 2 of the nearest away games!!! People walking with their feet not only voicing opinions on this forum!!

 

It's deja vu all over again: we're all 7 years and a bit younger, and Parkinson has just been appointed to be our saviour. Now Parky Mk. 2, Hopkinson (or would that be Parkinsop?), has to work some similar magic...I am reduced to hoping he can keep us above the relegation zone, or at least in touch with safety, until January.

It's going to be tougher now with the tighter transfer/loan windows, so I really do hope we can find some competent free agent reinforcements; given the thin-in-everything-but-numbers squad the latest injuries certainly push our season more towards the catastrophic than the merely disastrous...

As for yesterday's collapse, I suppose the side is amongst other things so demoralised and lacking in confidence (shambolic pre-season leading to the high point of Shrewsbury and steady decline since) that any setback, in this case the first penalty, is just about enough to push them over the edge. It would be nice for immediate results, but I suspect it might take the rest of the month for Hopkin to get the players organised, and if needed, fit.

RCB

 

Shrewsbury was our peak... I thought we showed promise there, that there was something to work with in the side; yes we were raw and more than a little ragged, but the players did put in an effort, and did just enough to win. Even Collins made the right moves. After that, though, nothing has worked.

Fully agree with the other two comments I've quoted. And we had enough of both men and steel under Parkinson and the first season under McCall; one got rather used to that -- how quickly that all got stripped away from the side...

RCB

 

RCB

Yes I feel it is...it is so similar to the Peter Jackson / Archie Christie period in my opinion. I hope Hopkin can turn it around and get the best out of the players we have. They need more fitness and more direction. More work on defending, stop letting them get crosses in and then being more physical in the box to stop them getting headers. Let's start passing it ffs.

 

The defending bit will, I hope, come quicker. O'Donnell will, I think, prove to be a good signing, but yes, we need organisation and greater effort in front of him. At this moment I'd welcome a series of 0-0s, just to get some more points on the board.

As for passing (our way up the field), I wonder how much our failure to do so regularly is again down to confidence. A doesn't think he can make a certain pass, or fears that passing into space will result in a giveaway; B doesn't run into space because he doesn't think the pass will be seen or that the ball will get to him; C hides because what on earth is he going to do with the ball next... and so we revert to the longball tactic even when we don't have the necessary player(s).

RCB

 

If it's true we are looking at Karl Henry then do everything we can to get him, people saying he's to old or we should get him as he's a free agent are being ridiculous. He signed for Bolton last season in similar circumstances to what we find our selves in and was a god send for them replacing Cullen in the team. Spearing wasn't a bad free agent for Blackpool last season either, when they were in a similar position.

We need players who will improve the squad and we need them now, he firmly ticks that list.

 

We all agree that decision making with regard to incoming players has not been the best and that is the sole reason we are where we are now. I hope that Hopkin has the contacts to rectify this and takes direct action to ensure this does not happen under his tenure.

 

What a load of bollocks.

 

Stop wnking then.