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Post by hantslondoner on Mar 3, 2024 12:04:13 GMT
This is the most competitive National League I can remember, I think. Nine points separate 10th and 23rd. Looking ahead..... With nine games to go, we're seven ponts ahead of fourth bottom, and eleven points off the playoffs. We're currently 11th but some teams below us have games on hand, if they won those we could be as low as 14th/15th. Personally I think 3-4 wins should keep us safe, we'd probably need to win 7-8 to get to the playoffs (VERY unlikely), but any team on a good/bad run could find themselves having an interesting end to the season. Not sure if the closeness in the table is due to a drop or a rise in standards? We've certainly been the epitome of inconstency. Others have been inconsistent too. Three top seven sides visited the Silverlake this week - of those, only Oldham impressed me. Then they drew at home to Southend yesterday! The next two home games, v Rochdale and Hartlepool, are very important - both of those are around us in the table so winning them would be a big step to being safe. If we don't do well in those.....end of March/start of April we have Woking (second bottom) away, then a potential six-pointer at home to Maidenhead on Bank Holiday Monday, followed by trips to York and Kidderminster, who are in the bottom four. All to play for there. As I said, four points in three home games against top seven clubs this week wasn't bad, but it's in our own hands. www.eastleighfc.com/fixtures-and-results/?season=season-2023-2024
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Post by tenacres on Mar 3, 2024 18:42:53 GMT
I don’t think we need that many points to avoid relegation. I reckon 50 will do it. Am sure 2 wins would be enough (no one has ever gone down with more than 51). But would be nice to get them ASAP.
Playoffs is probably about 500/1, just no chance of that.
Be nice to finish the season well and get a top half finish to set us up for the summer and next season.
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Post by hantslondoner on Mar 4, 2024 9:18:54 GMT
A lot of fans on other fora seem to think 53-54 points will be the number to aim for this season, since it's so closely packed together. Admittedly a lot of the teams involved play each other in the run-in.
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Post by callumefc on Mar 4, 2024 12:14:16 GMT
Nine games to go for the current management to find a playing style they like in their first job, any Vision from above anymore? No direction football wise, seemingly no interview process for the new management, whats their scope they have to achieve to stay on long term, who's buying the players and making the deals over the summer, we might get away with it this season but without Macca and no vision things will easily go South. Any outside investment interested in helping the club? Needs something
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Post by spitfiresteve on Mar 4, 2024 13:42:14 GMT
Nine games to go for the current management to find a playing style they like in their first job, any Vision from above anymore? No direction football wise, seemingly no interview process for the new management, whats their scope they have to achieve to stay on long term, who's buying the players and making the deals over the summer, we might get away with it this season but without Macca and no vision things will easily go South. Any outside investment interested in helping the club? Needs something My understanding from conversations with others is Kelvin was interviewed when Bradbury left but did not want to work under RH so presumably we were interested at that point and have some idea of playing style vision. But agree we need to decide before the end of this season as to whether he stays for next season.
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Post by usspitfire on Mar 5, 2024 19:44:40 GMT
Nine games to go for the current management to find a playing style they like in their first job, any Vision from above anymore? No direction football wise, seemingly no interview process for the new management, whats their scope they have to achieve to stay on long term, who's buying the players and making the deals over the summer, we might get away with it this season but without Macca and no vision things will easily go South. Any outside investment interested in helping the club? Needs something My understanding from conversations with others is Kelvin was interviewed when Bradbury left but did not want to work under RH so presumably we were interested at that point and have some idea of playing style vision. But agree we need to decide before the end of this season as to whether he stays for next season. Not sure why you feel we need to decide if KD stays next season before this one is even completed? I would think play out this season, sit down with him at the end of the season & review who he wants to keep/let go/bring in & then decide if that's the direction we want go in?
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Post by callumefc on Mar 5, 2024 21:37:18 GMT
Previous managers haven't been given time by the paying public so why should Kevin Davis? Proper clubs will have already scoped out their 1st 2nd 3rd choice signings for each position for next season so the man paying the money should know who's pulling the trigger for next season. Otherwise it becomes a Todd and Bradbury 2.0. We are so far behind already. This lot aren't good enough for play off, we haven't been good enough for the play offs for years now. No winning mentality and that begins with the Hants Cup, we should be smashing everyone on our path to success but we don't have it. There's nothing. And still fans turn up
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hey55
Semi-Pro
Posts: 133
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Post by hey55 on Mar 6, 2024 8:09:30 GMT
Well put Callum,, sharp and to the point as ever, l couldn`t put it better myself ! But where is Stuart, where is the clubs announcement, what is his vision, I am certain P.Mcallum will be snapped up by a League 1 or 2 club next season, I just cant see us keeping him now with his goal tally to date. One last point if we are struggling with the left back spot, why not get Panter back from Weymouth, he`s left footed and a strong player, oh and play Reeves left midfield
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Post by hantslondoner on Mar 6, 2024 8:45:06 GMT
SD was very good on communicating the direction of the club in his first spell. Not heard much this time. I'd agree with usspitfire re the KD appointment (our league status could still go down to the wire) but I'm also hoping they have a list of potential managers (including KD) they can turn to when necessary. Not sure how well that panned out when RH left.
Agree re Panter - not only is he a good left-footed defender but he can also take long throws, which means Macca can be in there on the end of them instead of taking them.
Macca's obviously great for us and is having one of his best seasons ever, but is nearly 31 now so I'm not sure how many FL clubs will come in.
After yesterday's results (as I said, some teams below us have games in hand) we are 12th and now five points off the drop zone. Our goal difference is a bit better than the bottom four, but is comparable to most of the others. Only three teams have scored more than us, only Oxford City have conceded more.
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Post by sattsy on Mar 6, 2024 9:21:26 GMT
Some good posts on this thread.
It is strange that SD appears very quiet these days, but that could be because he got burned on social media while at Sunderland, so maybe learnt from that and doesnt want to say too much on SM. One very interesting point regarding what will happen with Kelvin/new manager next season, is that now Hilly has gone, all those alleged managers that didn't want to work under him, so didnt apply, might now apply for the job. I got the impression that hardly anyone applied for the role prior to Hilly getting the job, and those that did were simply not deemed good enough. The interesting part of this is, were they not deemed good enough by SD, or, Hilly? So with Hilly now departed, maybe the interview process will be more straight forward, with just SD making the call on who he wants, without Hilly's opinion. Re: Kelvin, i don't know if he's doing anything differently to Hilly and results have been mixed, but its all about performance for me, and again, the jury is out, so no need to rush into appointing him on a longer deal until this season is over. But as soon as it is over, that decision needs to be made within 1 week, so that if we let him go, we have time to conduct a proper interview process immediately. I have 2 trains of thought on this:- 1) Kelvin will be appointed on a 2 year deal. 2) SD already knows who he wants and will put him straight in at the end of the season.
I still think Gary Johnson will be the man, as i know SD wanted him a few years back. That said, he is now 68 years old, and i would prefer a younger hungrier man, so now that my other choice Adam Hinshelwood has left Worthing to take the managers role at York City, it would be good to see us at least interview Mark Cooper, currently manager of Yeovil Town who are walking the National South and will come up next season.
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Post by spiritofeastleigh on Mar 6, 2024 9:48:53 GMT
If I was Stewart Donald I would seriously ask Sattsy if he would be interested in being our Director of Football, his knowledge of players in the lower leagues and non league is pretty vast, he's always had a good eye for a player too. He's also got a good business head on him as well.....he might be available.
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Post by sattsy on Mar 6, 2024 10:11:30 GMT
Lol Keith, thanks for the praise, but no, i don't have the experience to be a DOF. Nice thought though! I do believe i have an eye for a player, so i'll take that.
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Post by blackie on Mar 6, 2024 12:49:13 GMT
Well put Callum,, sharp and to the point as ever, l couldn`t put it better myself ! But where is Stuart, where is the clubs announcement, what is his vision, I am certain P.Mcallum will be snapped up by a League 1 or 2 club next season, I just cant see us keeping him now with his goal tally to date. One last point if we are struggling with the left back spot, why not get Panter back from Weymouth, he`s left footed and a strong player, oh and play Reeves left midfield One thing to remember is Macca is 31 and is on a 2 year deal so anyone wishing to try and sign him would have to pay a fee.
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Post by unknownquantity on Mar 10, 2024 17:39:41 GMT
I think with regards to Kelvin Davis is whether he sees Eastleigh as a long term project or a stepping stone back into football. Another manager we had previously with strong links to Southampton FC Jason Dodd did good job stabilising the team for over half a season, but at the end of that season returned to St Marys.
I got the fact that as director of football Richard Hill spent a lot of time dealing with agents,of players, trying to obtain lucrative deals for their client.
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Post by tenacres on Mar 10, 2024 21:29:58 GMT
Its quite possible the season will finish and we say thanks but no thanks to Kelvin Davis and its also quite possible he will say thanks but no thanks to us (presumably if he gets a better offer, a coaching job rather than managerial I would think).
But agree with the above that we need to make a call on this by the end of April (Season finishes on April 20).
Too many times under SD we have changed manager early season when its sort of been apparent that we should have done it in the summer (Todd and Bradbury spring to mind). Clearly the jury is out on KD at the moment, and he may be manager for next season, hopefully we have a plan if it is not him to appoint someone else to give the whole summer to.
Recruitment of new players will be key (as always) so hopefully we have a structure ready for that with scouts etc and hopefully one or two people that really know the market from a financial perspective.
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