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Post by Stewart on Mar 5, 2019 22:56:55 GMT
We were awful tonight.
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Post by Amber Aleman on Mar 5, 2019 23:08:13 GMT
Well, I've been to better birthday parties. Those who chose not to travel to Salford made a good call. This was one of the worst games I've seen this season, littered with free kicks and lacking any real flow. Salford won because they were the better of two indifferent teams. To be fair, they did have a decent ten-minute spell after going 2-0 up, with Ross ensuring that the scoreline didn't become an embarrassment. Then the match just drifted to its conclusion.
The one bright note for Sutton was the debut of Neset Bellikli, a second-half substitute for Kenny Davis, who showed promising energy and enterprise in a rather tired-looking side.
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Post by os on Mar 5, 2019 23:54:27 GMT
We just did not get going to night, think we are going to need a bit of luck to make the play offs now. 2 points from a possible 15 is not play off form. Struggling to create chances still. Let's see how the next three games go. We do need to wiin games now. Some of the more recent fans will be used to us being on a continue march upwards, they won't have seen us stall before. At the moment we are just lacking that spark, nothing to be ashamed of at the level we are playing at. We may still scrape a playoff place but we are far from being either good enough or ready for league 2 football. It maybe a good time for us to dig in cement our National League place and for the club to look at its structure going forward. As a kid I dreamed of us playing in the league, something I still want to happen, but think we may have to change a lot of things to make that dream a reality.
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Post by VCLXI on Mar 6, 2019 0:11:39 GMT
Maybe we have all just been too spoilt with the previous three seasons. Conference South champions, the magnificent run to the 5th round of the FA Cup and and then finishing 3rd last term.
Expectations may have been exceeded by those successes but hey, Sutton aren't getting relegated this season and if it's possible to string a few results together who knows where this particular season will end.
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Post by medwaysider on Mar 6, 2019 7:18:24 GMT
We're allowed to be disappointed with a performance or two without being considered ungrateful for the progress of the last few years. OK you're always going to get the FB / Twitter keyboard warriors who in the most part are going to be more used to football on their gaming devices rather than within the confines of reality but their opinions don't really count.
I agree with the sentiments expressed above about not being ready for league football, though. Look at FGR, it took them the best part of 20 years to establish themselves as serious contenders at this level before making the step up.
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Post by garethl on Mar 6, 2019 8:03:43 GMT
What exactly do we have to be ready for? It’s hardly much different to what we’re doing now. Full time clubs in a national league. Maybe a little bit of off the field work but I’m sure we’d be ready if it happened and we’d have a good go at surviving too. I guess the most pressing issue would be the pitch but that looks as though it will be the same down the line as it is now. If we come back down so be it but it would have been great to have been a league club for at least a season! Nothing to lose in my book and we’d enjoy being the underdog.
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Post by medwaysider on Mar 6, 2019 8:23:17 GMT
Yes, there are plenty of full time clubs in our current league, you're right about that, and we punch above our weight competing with them in the top half of the table. Now, can you recall a time when a semi-pro side won this league, since the days of automatic promotion and relegation? There may be an odd exception but damned if I can think of one. That means going fully professional to realise the dream and that will be a complete culture change and eat up the funds into the bargain. The only way that could be offset is through higher crowds but would we get those at the wrong end of League 2, as opposed to where we are now? I'm not so sure we would.
It's possible, of course it is, you've only got to look at what Accrington, (and to a lesser extent Morecambe) have achieved to see that. But they're the exceptions, not the rule.
As for having nothing to lose and just a little off the field work to complete, well, I don't want to get into another debate on the artificial surface because it's been done to death, but I'd say we could lose quite a bit.
All of which, I'll stress again, is possible, but very, very difficult.
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Post by baggiesansutton on Mar 6, 2019 8:55:52 GMT
I think the money in this league is totally insane now, with clubs that are going to throw everything at it to go up whether this year or next. I only joined the Sutton adventure this year so was new to the club and the league. Firstly I thought Salford would of been 15 points clear by Christmas along with Orient so how wrong was I. Have they just not clicked or does it show what a tough league it is and kudos to the sides like us for making competitive opposition (we beat all of them earlier on in the season). My issue and the reason why I now choose to work Saturdays or pay the little bit extra to go up to West Brom was that I didn't really feel that we believed we could go up or in sense really wanted to. Don't shoot me down I know Sutton do fantastic for what they are not disputing that but I just noticed how important the cup games was to the club you could see it let alone sense it from the directors and club personnel in the bar afterwards. When we got beat by a couple of the bottom sides in the league at home or conceded silly last minute equalisers everyone was in the bar afterwards smilling and drinks flowing don't get me wrong I love how they interact with the fans but it does give off a sense off its just a game of football and we are happy to be in this league. I think we are seeing now along with Boreham wood etc that there are teams with more clout and more seriousness frog leaping us. It's hard for Sutton no way is it easy I think to seriously compete they need investment and try and form a relationship with a London club similar to what the Moors have done with the bluenoses. Far from doomsday though and they are still very competitive in this league and can beat anyone on there day I'm just giving a response in relation to the fans who want to go up and or possibly think we are honestly going for it. The pitch dilemma as much as I love that pitch doesn't help I don't think personally nor the managers situation of not being able to manage a full time club because of his property investment business or what have ya.
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Post by Andy K on Mar 6, 2019 9:17:42 GMT
A few points to remember
a) This is a reset season. To be where we are at the moment is already a fantastic achievement b) We honestly don't have the squad or resources to go up and survive, especially with the pitch issue c) We won't go down this season d) We're still with a shout for the play offs, and just getting there with the issues we've had this year would be huge e) We're not Aldershot - tough play off side last season, now looking at relegation this season. Or Boreham Wood - got to Wembley, not looking anywhere close this year
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Post by baboonfish on Mar 6, 2019 10:10:36 GMT
Very unlike us to not show up against a top side, but it happens. I'd like to see us blood some more young players. We are doing it to some extent but don't think we have anything to lose by playing one youngster in the side each remaining game with one or two on the bench. We are unlikely to finish lower than 10th and with the squad low on numbers and energy it seems the right thing to do.
Play offs are neither here nor there now, as others have said we aren't likely to compete at this stage, and going up would cause problems we dont want. Theres not much at all between league 2 and our division but we are at exactly fhe right level here, and another top 10 finish would be fine, especially looking at teams like BW and Aldershots decline.
Solihull are having a season like we did last year, with a very good manager but no disrespect to them they're not a league club in waiting and it would be ridiculous for them to gain promotion, much like wood or to a lesser extent ourselves last year (at least we have a half decent fanbase). I hope to see Orient and wrexham go up, for their fans sake (moors don't have any). these are clubs that simply shouldn't be at this level and only are due to epic mismanagement (hello notts county).
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Post by Andy K on Mar 6, 2019 10:18:49 GMT
Very unlike us to not show up against a top side, but it happens. I'd like to see us blood some more young players. We are doing it to some extent but don't think we have anything to lose by playing one youngster in the side each remaining game with one or two on the bench. We are unlikely to finish lower than 10th and with the squad low on numbers and energy it seems the right thing to do. Play offs are neither here nor there now, as others have said we aren't likely to compete at this stage, and going up would cause problems we dont want. Theres not much at all between league 2 and our division but we are at exactly fhe right level here, and another top 10 finish would be fine, especially looking at teams like BW and Aldershots decline. Solihull are having a season like we did last year, with a very good manager but no disrespect to them they're not a league club in waiting and it would be ridiculous for them to gain promotion, much like wood or to a lesser extent ourselves last year (at least we have a half decent fanbase). I hope to see Orient and wrexham go up, for their fans sake (moors don't have any). these are clubs that simply shouldn't be at this level and only are due to epic mismanagement (hello notts county). Solihull had a massive cash boost around this time last year and their form at the tail end of last season was of a promotion level. They're well backed for sure - that above all explains why they are doing so well. But I agree, the only ones up there with a shout at the title that are there on their own resources are Leyton Orient and Wrexham.
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Post by dundas on Mar 6, 2019 10:35:56 GMT
A few points to remember a) This is a reset season. To be where we are at the moment is already a fantastic achievement - Why is it a reset season? What does that even mean?b) We honestly don't have the squad or resources to go up and survive, especially with the pitch issue Irrelevant and not necessarily as promotion itself can generate resourcesc) We won't go down this season True and our historical average is as a yo-yo team between the 5th and 6th tiers so 50 points should always be celebratedd) We're still with a shout for the play offs, and just getting there with the issues we've had this year would be huge We go again at Maidenhead but quite frankly we've been toothless since we let Dundas go. e) We're not Aldershot - tough play off side last season, now looking at relegation this season. Or Boreham Wood - got to Wembley, not looking anywhere close this year No, but we easily could be.We could easily be in a relegation battle this time next year like Aldershot. Doesn't this contradict point c where surivival is the be all and end all.
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Post by Amber Aleman on Mar 6, 2019 10:36:49 GMT
I think that fans who've been following Sutton since the pre-Dos era have a different perspective. For most of the last fifty years the club competed in the Isthmian (now Bostik) League, when any talk of getting into the Football League was pure fancy. The fact that we can now have a serious discussion about the possibility of EFL football is a sign of the huge progress made in the last ten years.
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tonyd
1st team Player
Posts: 1,494
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Post by tonyd on Mar 6, 2019 10:48:17 GMT
A yo-yo team? As far as I can recall, we’ve been relegated twice in the 51 years I’ve been supporting the club!
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Post by Amber Aleman on Mar 6, 2019 10:57:50 GMT
A yo-yo team? As far as I can recall, we’ve been relegated twice in the 51 years I’ve been supporting the club! Three times: 1991, 2000, 2008
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