Spot on.DI Mike Dashwood wrote:Sussex is spot on with what he says about Orient and the League. This is a very average league and Orient are a poor poor side, yet we have not scored against them in 270 minutes!!! That is very very poor. After 15 minutes yesterday we didn't look like scoring again.
I do feel calling for Stilly to go is a bit premature, and I suspect the OP was looking for some debate with a thought provoking message, but may be wrong. However, this season is a very frustrating one.
We won 4 games in row and then put in two abysmal league performances (I can't comment on Hereford as was not there). Yesterday was utterly appalling in my view.
While I don't think Stilly should go (on his or the Club's wishes) he should be accountable which I don't think is always the case, and on two issues we appear to have an ongoing problem. Boxing Day and Cup Runs.
These stats may not be 100% correct (will put that out there before the pedantic police jump in) but I believe we are 6 Boxing Day defeats in a row (three were under Wayne) and only 3 wins in 15 years on Boxing Day since Stilly came back in 2003?? In this time we have been at different levels and playing opposition at various places in League, so it can't be a coincidence?? Not only is the record poor, the performances have often been dreadful (yesterday, Braintree last year, Cambridge in 2015). Why is this?? Poor diet, poor preparation, training schedules?? I don't if they are, but I would hope the Board/Committee raise this with the football management team.
Same with cup runs. Out of the Trophy two years in a row to lower league oppo. Out of the Cup this Year against a poor Orient side, and last year to a team in the division below. 6 losses from 6 in the League cup under stilly. Out of Trophy last time we played in it before promotion to Redditch!!! In most of these games Stilly has put out his best side (quite rightly so) and yet we have come up short.
There are often debates on here about attendances and how we can improve them, but nobody mentions these two things above. A lot of people attend with family and friends on Boxing Day who are not regulars, but they are not going to come back if they watch the dross that has been served up on recent Boxing Days. And cup runs have always picked up casual supporters and first timers who may come back again. I imagine many on here started watching the club during one of Gary Hill's cup runs??
Anyway, got all that of me chest. Enjoy your turkey sarnies and see you all at Gravesend on Saturday. Lets hope there is an improvement then!!!
Our last win on Boxing Day was 2011, 3-0 v Barnet and we always seem to struggle. I travelled expecting the worst TBH and wasn't disappointed to be disappointed if you get what I mean.
The league remains very close and another decent run like the 4 wins in a row we had before having virtually no football in December will have us back up there again. It is no time to be panicing and doing something silly.
Finally, I haven't done a lot of away trips in the last couple of years, but we do seem to have picked up more than our fair share of total idiots recently. I managed to persuade the wife to come along yesterday and she was amazed by some of the goings on.
The guy who was yelling abuse towards the end at our team and the home fans in turn including bellowing "you have ruined my ******** Christmas, you *****" at the team he allegedly supports must have escaped from a care home for the day. Please get some perspective people.