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Post by erc on Feb 22, 2016 8:14:40 GMT
All the players that SD has 'picked' or 'wanted' have always been miles better than players our managers have wanted to bring in, for CT to say in his interview publicly that the 2 that came training weren't good enough I'm gonna assume those were 2 that SD liked the look of, things aren't going to last long between the two if they butting heads over new players.
I'd be celebrating like Parkin if I'd been goaded all game like he had, you pay your money you have the right to take the mick, but so does that player who you've goaded all match, so fairs fair. Same happened with Brodie.
Hate to hear of our players cuddling up to opposition players after the match on the pitch, fans of all clubs work hard to earn their money to watch their teams all over the country, you should be enemies on the pitch, do that sort of stuff in the changing rooms or post match please.
The hysteria around Bolton clouded over many poor performances in the last 2 months since we last won, we went out of 3 cups in a week and no one batted an eye lid due to the fact 'oh we might beat Bolton so let's rest our players' 'let them play at 80% in these games if it means beating Bolton' you can't have your cake and eat it, you can't now moan why we haven't won for so long, a lack of strength in depth has outdone us. Cheltenham and Forest Green have that, hence we have drawn v Cheltenham and actually beaten FGR it's the other games that have cost us, look how many FGR have won by 1 goal.
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Post by michaelefc on Feb 22, 2016 8:26:00 GMT
Hate to hear of our players cuddling up to opposition players after the match on the pitch, fans of all clubs work hard to earn their money to watch their teams all over the country, you should be enemies on the pitch, do that sort of stuff in the changing rooms or post match please.
Well said erc. If this is happening CUT IT OUT NOW.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2016 8:57:58 GMT
Great post ERC.
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Post by blackie on Feb 22, 2016 9:46:41 GMT
Spot on post ERC. I was dubious over the first goal but on the video highlights Parkin is clearly onside (Greener please look along the line if you're the last man!) and it was a comprehensive finish. Still think the second would normally be chalked off but the ref allowed it and that's that. I gave Parkin stick too but at the end the laugh was on us and we looked as if we had settled for a point once they equalised which is always fraught with danger. Conceding 2 or more a game is not going to put us in the PO's so there has to be some serious thought into next season already, anyone who thinks any different hasn't been watching how lacklustre we've been since just before Xmas - barring the Bolton games. Id rather we'd have been ko'd first time by Bolton and performed in the other games that we needed to.
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Post by hantslondoner on Feb 22, 2016 10:23:51 GMT
I thought at least part of the point about bringing in new players is that of quantity as well as quality - with 2+ games a week in Mar/Apr, and injuries and suspensions to come, do we have a large enough squad to handle it/keep players fresh?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2016 10:24:44 GMT
Bring back Poke.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2016 10:30:13 GMT
I thought at least part of the point about bringing in new players is that of quantity as well as quality - with 2+ games a week in Mar/Apr, and injuries and suspensions to come, do we have a large enough squad to handle it/keep players fresh? The comment from Todd wasn't about not wanting players. It was about not wanting to bring in players that aren't as good as he has already got. I suspect he need not worry if those players have heard that interview. He made reference to now having everyone now back from injury. If they don't come then he has put a massive target on his back for the next couple of games. Pretty naive really.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2016 10:30:38 GMT
We were told by SD that there were some very high profile applicants for the vacant managers role when Hilly walked away, yet he went for Toddy. The real question is who identifies the players needed, the manager or he owner? Tubbs is not the answer, he's just an expensive name at the end of the road. Something needs to happen and soon. Very interesting post match interview from Todd yesterday that was sort of around this if read between lines. SD said the other day that had 2 players coming in but went back to their club in an emergency, yet still to be done this week. Todd said in the interview that basically didn't want or need them as they are not better players than he already has. Does this suggest SD is using contacts to try and get a couple of players he knows just to buck the current players up, as oppose to Todd selecting them? The comment SD made the other day about scouting and players contacting him that are currently in our squad was interesting also. One for the conspiracy theorists........ Just seen this on another forum:- Keith Curle at Carlisle said - “Looking the other way, we’ve had a couple of enquiries for a couple of our players to go out on loan to Eastleigh,” he revealed. “It hasn’t quite suited the lads in question and we aren’t in a situation where we need to be forcing players out of the door. If the move isn’t right for them, even if it was right for us, then it doesn’t happen.”
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2016 11:12:11 GMT
Aside John Akinde I'd also go after Bondz N'Gala at Barnet as well, they are both only 26 years old which is ideal both from age and experience they have. I think the PO are gone and this team will go through the motions now til the end of the season with at least 30 points required from 42 remaining, its not going to happen, when we get to Easter weekend this will be a very tired team IMO. We need to hit the ground running when the season ends, not wait until FL clubs send out their release lists and pick what's available. Sit down, pick a title winning side, then see if it can be put together and have all the business done before July starts. On the Manager front it is a PR disaster for CT to suggest he does'nt want or need the two loan signings, if they are not his choices why are they coming? Indeed will they now come after such remarks? Its commendable to stand by your players but if these lads are from Carlisle then they must have something to offer EFC in our current situation you would think. CT could well be in LVG land with this run we're on...one game from the push....seriously the board has to be considering this surely, and the next two games are'nt exactly what you'd want to be facing if your job is under threat, so those players had better put in a couple of massive performances because CT deserves nothing less, they might miss the PO but they can save CT from the sack.
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Post by erc on Feb 22, 2016 11:45:37 GMT
The trouble is beating Cheltenham and Braintree (or not losing) merely covers up problems which are already here. In a cynical world CT will be seen as a god if he gets 6pts from 6, however I fear he would be out of a job if he got 0 from 6. Is he really the problem? Or is it bigger ? Players like Ben Strevens and Jai get booked or sent off week in week out, we have the worst disciplinary record by quite some stretch, our Captain simply shouldn't be getting sent off in the 94th minute no matter how frustrated. He is now suspended seemingly for both the Cheltenham and Braintree games , just as we were getting all our players back.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2016 12:21:44 GMT
The trouble is beating Cheltenham and Braintree (or not losing) merely covers up problems which are already here. In a cynical world CT will be seen as a god if he gets 6pts from 6, however I fear he would be out of a job if he got 0 from 6. Is he really the problem? Or is it bigger ? Players like Ben Strevens and Jai get booked or sent off week in week out, we have the worst disciplinary record by quite some stretch, our Captain simply shouldn't be getting sent off in the 94th minute no matter how frustrated. He is now suspended seemingly for both the Cheltenham and Braintree games , just as we were getting all our players back. Agree. Like I said yesterday, 6 or 7 I'd personally have no issue with clearing out, but if Todd insists this is the squad he wants to go forward with then it becomes the manager being the problem also. I think Todd should stay, but I dont think he will ship out his old mates so soon in his managerial career, so it inevitably will lead to him going, which is very ironic. This squad is stagnating fast. That's just my opinion.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2016 12:43:14 GMT
This squad came up short last season &m the lads who are over 30 are now another year older and we are still not good enough this season. Not a time to be sentimental. We lost another year, although enjoyed a decent cup run, but write the remainder of this year off if we dont win the next 2 games, and build for next year, as Keith suggests. Play a few kids, get some expensive players off the books. Identify players for next season, then do all you can (within whatever budget SD sets) to get the right mix of players in early next season.
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Post by erc on Feb 22, 2016 14:33:22 GMT
We have mucked our youth lads about this season. Tony Lee been on the bench 20 plus times literally sat on a bench at every ground in this league and played a total sum of 30 minutes of football, he's played for Truro, Dorchester, AFC Totton and Gosport this season alone, lads like him need continuous game time at his age, he's probably more downbeat about his ability now than last season and he was quite down beat then! Find him a team to go on loan to or give him the last 10-15 mins for the rest of the season to see where he's at.
Players of his age won't be looking to join Eastleigh anymore , our academy becomes pointless , then the youth teams and so on.
Jack Masterton got MOTM for Larkhall Saturday by the way, not sure where our future number 1 keeper or Jack Smith are at these days.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2016 15:43:44 GMT
The youth/Academy situation is a difficult one to get right. On the one hand the club wants to be part of the local community, and as such, offers youth football from the ages of 8-18 (or something like that). But the real difficulty is how to show the lads a true footballing career path with the club once they reach the age of 18-19. Generally the large majority of these lads just drift away and leave the club and quite a few give up playing football all together, because they have become disillusioned with it all and it now means they have to go into Mens football, which most of them have not been prepared for. I'm not suggesting for one minute that all of these lads need to get into the first team squad, as you would be very lucky if you got 4 lads every couple of years, who were deemed anywhere near good enough to even being considered. But they should be getting told they are not going to make the grade when they are 16 (maybe they are, i dont know). The few that have been given a chance over the last 2 years are Tony Lee, Jack Masterman, Jack Smith & Lewis Noice. In truth and this is just my honest opinion, none of those 4 lads are going to become regular first team players at Eastleigh FC, and i say that because when you have an owner who wants to get into the football league ASAP, and he is happy to spend his money on getting L2 standard players in, then the "footballing gap" is to too great for the lads to make an impression, so what chance have these lads really got of being part of the instant success plan? If they really were outstanding talents, they would be first team players already by now. The challenge to the club is to find the next Jai Reason, the next Will Evans, the next Greener, because these lads were all first teamers at a young age and there are plenty of players out there like that if you give them a chance. The difference with the 3 lads i just mentioned, is that their clubs, gave them a chance, and gave them plenty of first team games at a young age, and it is only with gaining that experience, that they were then able to actually prove themselves to be of the quality required to step into a Conf Sout/Prem first team. If we don't give TL and the others a chance, then we'll never know, and they will just drift off next season too. So i would be more drastic that ERC's suggestion of giving TL 10-15 mins each game, i would say get these next 2 games out the way and if we still find we are well out of the play off spots, them start him in every game from now until the end of the season. I wouldn't mind betting he'll get just as many goals as Tubbs or Beano would...Then next season maybe he has a real chance & he'll be one of our own and a lot cheaper than paying mercenary's. If that doesn't happen, then just cut him loose and let him find a club that will trust his talent & maybe oneday he can prove the club wrong. Exactly the same goes for Lewis Noice, do we really think he is going to make a Conf Prem or better keeper? if so, give him 10 games straight and see what he can do, if not, let him go. Its tough, because not many teams at this level field 18-20 yr olds, so its risky, but what have we really got to lose between now and the end of season?
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Post by hantslondoner on Feb 22, 2016 16:31:31 GMT
There is a huge gap between being in a youth team and being in the Conference National. We don't have an intermediate step to address that gap.
What is the best way to bridge that gap? Have a reserve team? Send them out on loan to Wessex/Southern teams?
I talked to the father of a youth team player the other day and he isn't sure what to recommend to his son to do when he turns 18.
But he doesn't have a lot of faith that Eastleigh can offer his son any progression, for the reasons you are putting above. For him, when the first team need a new player, they just go and sign/buy one from outside. It must be quite demoralising for Lee Peacock too.
Our local PL/FL teams have development teams playing in proper leagues. I still don't think that addresses the fitness of the 5 subs and remaining squad players who don't play that week, but it at least provides a form of progression.
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