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Post by popinjay on Mar 28, 2009 17:54:13 GMT
Hands up who remembers the night we were crowned champions when we last won promotion to the Conference? The pre-season title favourites (Aldershot) came to GGL and we absolutely stuffed them 5-0. Seems like today was almost a reversal of that!
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Post by os on Mar 28, 2009 18:48:56 GMT
Just back from what was a total embarrassment, we were ripped apart and Paul Nichols was our best player. We setup for a draw held out for 37mins but were rocking from 20 in. They were lucky to get the first goal as came from a poorly taken free kick which fell kindly in the box leaving the Dover guy one on one with PN. We did not seem to know what to do today we neither defended with 2 rows of 4 or attacked the ball leaving them acres of space to play. If you weren't there and have seen what Arsenal do to sides that don't get tight on them and can't defend then you can visualise what happened to us. I am not sure what Dos was trying to do today but it was wrong, Westy did not have a good game and what we saw at the Bobins earlier in the season was missing, we lost @90% of headers no excuse for that.
We were fairly lucky with other results today but 3 wins in 14 games will not see us take a playoff spot in anyway shape or form.
I could not get out of Craggy Island quick enough, it may only be football but that bloody hurt today!
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Post by Keith on Mar 28, 2009 18:54:53 GMT
Sweet Jesus.
Hendon on Tuesday is massive now in so many ways.
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dof
1st team skipper
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Post by dof on Mar 28, 2009 19:02:35 GMT
Thanks for that OS........What was the lineup today? Was that our best lineup, not a winning formation obviously, so what changes for Hendon game.....a game that we must win.
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Post by jw on Mar 28, 2009 19:10:12 GMT
No matter what happened at the game today 6-0 is embarrassing and every player should be ashamed of themselves.. whatever side we put out today would not of lost 6-0 if they put in 100% We need improvements and fast!
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Post by sutton on Mar 28, 2009 19:21:06 GMT
Urg, first away game I have made for a while and an absolute nightmare! Don't care that Dover have pissed it this season 6-0 is a disgrace! Hope we can pick ourselves up and somehow cling onto a playoff spot! Must admit that I thought we were done and dusted for the playoffs but have changed my mind dramatically over the last few weeks.
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Post by os on Mar 28, 2009 19:21:30 GMT
No matter what happened at the game today 6-0 is embarrassing and every player should be ashamed of themselves.. whatever side we put out today would not of lost 6-0 if they put in 100% We need improvements and fast! AGREED! Can't go through whole team but 2nd half substitutions were, OFF: Ebbsworth, West, McKimm ON: Hami / Chukki / AJ (last 10 mins guess it was a run out) As you can guess for 70mins apart from a brief 5 min flurry at start of the 2nd half Gav was totally isolated. |
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Post by Andy K on Mar 28, 2009 21:33:16 GMT
Well what can I say - the worst thing about today was not the scoreline - I think it was more important to avoid defeat than by how much - but how we rolled over and died after the 2nd goal went in.
I'm not saying in any shape or form that we deserved even a draw with our first half performance - Dover deserved their lead and maybe should have been 2 up. Start of the second half we have 5 or so mins of brightness before literally we just gave up - the usual passes going astray, spending far too long on the ball etc etc. The thing that worries me is that the team we had out there was a wealth of experience - there were no real fringe players there - but just gave up the ghost to a team who were really up for it.
Congratulations to Dover, who clinched the title today thanks to the win and an 85th min penalty at hastings to make sure Staines didn't win. To be honest on what I saw today, they deserved their title, much more than they looked like in November, and I waited at the end of the game to give my applause to their success. But we really made it easy for them.
As I've said before, the play offs are ours to throw away. And at the moment we seem to be doing a good job of it. I still get the feeling that one result will swing things back in our favour, and the other teams near us, especially the bobbins, seem to be doing similar things to us. But we can't let our fate be in others hands, it should be totally in ours. I can't decide if we were worse today against Dover, a well drilled side, or Ramsgate who were a lot poorer. But one thing is the same, we gave it away today with what I could consider a full strength side.
The point to remember is this : with our squad EVERY game is winnable. Its up to us to win them now. Dos is a very good motivator, and now, more than ever this season, its needed.
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Post by Amber Aleman on Mar 29, 2009 0:22:52 GMT
Today was set up for a Dover triumph, with them ready to be crowned Ryman League champions if they bettered Staines's result - which they duly did. So it was never likely to be our day. What was so disappointing (as others have said) was how we capitulated in the second half once Dover had gone 2-0 up.
In the first half we played a deep defensive game with Westy operating pretty much as a lone striker. But this just invited them to press forward, and we survived a few scares and several corners before they went ahead following a free kick that we failed to clear. In the second half we switched to a more attacking formation and had our best spell of the match before we opened up at the back for Dover to score again. After that our defence pretty much fell apart, leaving them to score at will.
What's important now is how the team responds to that result. We're still 4th and in with a good shout for the play-offs. But the players' confidence will have taken a battering and it has to be restored before we play Dartford next Saturday.
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medibot
1st team Player
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Post by medibot on Mar 29, 2009 0:39:54 GMT
They could start by finding out where the foo they left their spines, pride and brains.
Still, a win on Tuesday and all is forgotten. Saved by the other results again.
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tonyd
1st team Player
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Post by tonyd on Mar 29, 2009 7:11:20 GMT
Waited until this morning in the hope I'd calmed down a bit. But I haven't. In over 40 years of watching the U's, I've never seen them run up the white flag as abjectly as this side did after Dover got their 2nd.
I've long ago given up any notion that the modern day player has pride in the shirt, but I expect every one of them to have pride in their own performance and commitment to their teammates. Very few of the side yesterday could claim that and none could leave the pitch thinking they didn't have a bad game.
We may have a squad of good players with good pedigrees. But have they got the bottle that makes for promotion? A win on Tuesday and I won't have forgotten - I'll be looking for performances, not just results.
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frakey
1st team Player
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Post by frakey on Mar 29, 2009 8:06:23 GMT
On t way down, Kiddo & I discussed the 5-0 over Aldershot back in 1999 & well, it happened.
Can't really add much to the above but it reminded me off the second half at Wealdstone, when we just fell to piecs. Yes, Dover are a bloody good side but we didn't get near them in the second half.
Congrats to Dover. Big test on Tuesday now, with regards to us bouncing back & Hendon being one of the form sids this season, although I hope they win today!!
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Rax
1st team Player
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Post by Rax on Mar 29, 2009 9:23:30 GMT
It could be worse, Crowbrough (sp?) have lost 0-8 and 8-2 in their last two games in the RD1S.
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Post by holmes on Mar 29, 2009 9:27:36 GMT
If I'm honest, I was expecting a bashing yesterday, maybe not 6-0, but everything was definately going to be Dover's day. References have already been made to the Aldershot result (now 10 years old, bloody hell  ). What is important is shrugging of whatever happened yesterday and focusing on Tuesday and a difficult tie at Wembley. Hendon have had a run of results and are still top of the form guide!!! We have to treat the remaining games as must wins and go for every point. Well done to Dover by the way. The league table does not lie and they have been worhty winners this season. |
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Post by Andy K on Mar 29, 2009 9:47:16 GMT
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). What is important is shrugging of whatever happened yesterday and focusing on Tuesday and a difficult tie at Wembley. Hendon have had a run of results and are still top of the form guide!!! We have to treat the remaining games as must wins and go for every point.