medibot
1st team Player
Posts: 1,341
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Post by medibot on Apr 28, 2010 9:32:16 GMT
I saw a useful looking striker last night... I think we have to accept that a top striker is worth two if not three players in this league and pay out for somebody a cut above next year.
Also, regards the squad, let it not be forgotten that we were missing three massive players through injury last night. It's not an excuse for the defeat but it's something that has to be considered before you look at the squad as a let down.
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Post by doublebarrel on Apr 28, 2010 10:00:46 GMT
Didn't fancy us against Ks, they being the only team we haven't beaten in the top 5. Two points - for a team that finished second we did so without a high scoring front player and also our player of the year was on the sidelines. There appeared to oceans of space on our left in the second half and they exploited that well. We could have scored more in the first half but didn't.We won the first half well and they won the second half and took their chances - the difference in that case is often the high scoring forward who takes the chances on offer - something we lacked all season and yet still managed to finish a good second. Very frustrating to finish second and have it nicked off you at the end and that is what makes it so sickening this year as opposed to last year when we sneaked into the playoffs.
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taz
Top Performer
Posts: 3,760
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Post by taz on Apr 28, 2010 10:29:17 GMT
I'm bored of the "we were missing so & so" excuses. All they had to do was the basics for 10 minutes at the start of the second half. And they failed, utterly. At home, in a big game, that's frankly bollocks.
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medibot
1st team Player
Posts: 1,341
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Post by medibot on Apr 28, 2010 10:45:17 GMT
As I said in my post, it's not an excuse for the performance of the people that actually played but you're mental if you think losing Alan Bray didn't have a big impact on our defensive abilities.
Speaking of mental, I think a lot of players found out last night that they don't have big game mentalities. Beating Billericay or whoever in front of 500 is a different world to beating K's in front of 1400 for a play off final spot and we didn't step up.
I thought we would and could but we didn't.
2 years and we've not stepped up and beaten anybody of quality in a properly big game.
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Post by os on Apr 28, 2010 10:54:52 GMT
Well I still feel like sh*t, I think that 45mins has scarred me for life.
I know we need a 20+ a season striker but even with the side we have be were capable of defending far better then we did last night. The stats from Xmas say this side was good enough which is why last night hurts so bad.
And no its only a game don't help!
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Post by garethl on Apr 28, 2010 11:00:49 GMT
Dartford away? Hampton away? Or are they not quality enough? What are the expectations?
We probably need 3 or 4 new players to be very strong for next year (my opinion defensively and upfront. Defence have been ok generally buit 4 goals at home to Cray, Ashford, Tooting, K's, from memory, is clearly not good enough). We're not far off, we don't need a massive clear out. There are a few who are coming to the end of their playing careers and we have an obvious need for a quality striker. Any ideas who? And more importantly who can we afford?
There is only one way of being sure of promotion and that's coming first. That is never easy but let's hope we can give it a good go next year and at least challenge. We have no god given right to go up, it's a hard league to get out of. We missed our chance last night, we now need to put it to one side and come back next season. We are heading generally in the right direction, there will be ups and downs.
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taz
Top Performer
Posts: 3,760
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Post by taz on Apr 28, 2010 11:03:06 GMT
Nick, I'm not saying AJ missing isn't a big loss. However, the fact remains that 11 players simply didn't come out for the second half, which when 2-1 up in the biggest match of the season, is simply unforgiveable.
I'd keep about 5 or 6 tops. The rest, meh.
And as for not losing to anybody of quality mate, that's a tad harsh on Staines. They ripped us to fecking bits last year!
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Post by doublebarrel on Apr 28, 2010 11:40:07 GMT
The league results show that if we let in two goals we don't win. That means that the priority for us is always to defend well. Yesterday. by the players own admission, they were hopeless in the second half. We cannot compensate for bad defending by scoring goals at the other end - some teams can but we can't. As soon as Ks equalised the writing was on the wall. I was annoyed by the fact that what was necessary for a result and what we have done in one way or another for most of the season was what let us down. I didn't want great football in the second half I just wanted everybody to fight to the last in order to get the result. My point about AJ missing was that he would be exactly the sort of player needed for that match and would no doubt have made a great difference. Having said that, I take your point Taz that the players on show last night should have been able to do better at the vital time of the match immediately after the start of the second half.
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medibot
1st team Player
Posts: 1,341
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Post by medibot on Apr 28, 2010 11:46:35 GMT
I'd keep about 5 or 6 tops. The rest, meh. And as for not losing to anybody of quality mate, that's a tad harsh on Staines. They ripped us to fecking bits last year! I think you mis-read the last bit, I said we hadn't stepped up and beaten anybody of quality in big games, Staines, Bobbins (Home) and Dover (Away) last year, K's second half this year. Beating Dartford was a great effort but the season was already won for them by then, Hampton was probably the closest we've came to stepping up and winning a properly big game but if a mid table BSS is considered quality then I don't see why we're fussed about not going up. Agree with the last bit, partly cos some of our squad are ageing and partly because we have some luxury players who are only worth keeping if we actually utilise them. Cobbs, Perks, Kez, Bray, Quarm need to stay, BWG and AJ2 deserve a go from the start. Maybe Goodliffe if he still wants to play (I forget how old he is). We have plenty of solid Ryman players who haven't disgraced themselves (until last nights second half) but the problem is to win the Ryman you pretty much need a BSS standard side from the start. That said, it depends on the system and style we choose to play but I would hope we could hit the ground running and set the pace rather than chase for once.
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Millsy
1st team skipper
Posts: 2,246
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Post by Millsy on Apr 28, 2010 11:56:39 GMT
Good report and perspective from a K's point of view here: kingstonscouse.blogspot.com/2010/04/and-on-to-league-game-number-44.htmlParagraph that caught my eye: " I've seen a couple of comments on the Sutton forum having a bit of a go at the Us players, one of the phrases I saw was "bottle job" which I think is tremendously unfair. They were so close to blowing the game away in the first half, Rob made an exceptional (that word again) save that kept the score at 2-1, if that had gone in then there might have been no way back. And the U's had to face an exceptional (again) second half performance from their opponents. They will be strong next season - very strong.
"
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cuff
Spectator
Posts: 30
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Post by cuff on Apr 28, 2010 12:27:11 GMT
The second half was woeful, no doubt indeed. But the K's quote above is correct. We were a whisker awy from going 3-1 up in the first half and it would have been game over. I knew that 2-1 was going to be an iffy score to defend when the second half began as we needed to be firm in that first ten minutes. Instead we seem to have these lapses at just the wrong time. It wasn't a bottle job. I think it was indecision and a bit of a lack of nous at the beginning of the second half. I'm rambling a bit because my thoughts are all over the shop. I was so gutted last night. The lady behind the bar in the Hood had to ask if I was OK. I bet she wishes she hadn't because she then got the full sob story! Still gutted today and will be till August. We have to have a strong start this time round. We have to!
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Post by Andy K on Apr 28, 2010 15:24:45 GMT
Yes we lost the game in the 2nd half last night, and it was awful, and I know its no consolation, but lets look at the run we put together from Mid December onwards - 3 League defeats (A shameful one home to Ashford, a very unlucky defeat to Ks and an odd defeat where for half of the game our captain centre back was in goal rather than our keeper) - thats three defeats in 29 games.
To me thats not a sign that our side needs an overhaul. Its a sign of us needing 3-4 players to bolster things up. I won't be speaking out of turn saying we need that 25 goals a season person - we know that scoring was one of our weakpoints this year.
Just because we were bobbins last night in the 2nd half (and I mean that in more ways than one), and people are saying we have finished 2nd but failed where it mattered, but we have shown we have improved, and if last night didn't happen and it was a good old day when only the top team went up, we'd be saying it was our most successful seasons in years.
Perspective guys!
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Post by os on Apr 28, 2010 15:34:00 GMT
Yes we lost the game in the 2nd half last night, and it was awful, and I know its no consolation, but lets look at the run we put together from Mid December onwards - 3 - To me thats not a sign that our side needs an overhaul. Its a sign of us needing 3-4 players to bolster things up. I won't be speaking out of turn saying we need that 25 goals a season person - we know that scoring was one of our weakpoints this year. Just because we were bobbins last night in the 2nd half (and I mean that in more ways than one), and people are saying we have finished 2nd but failed where it mattered, but we have shown we have improved, and if last night didn't happen and it was a good old day when only the top team went up, we'd be saying it was our most successful seasons in years. Perspective guys! Andy: That's what I have been trying to say, even if we did not change a single player I still think we are more then capable of winning the title next season and I think if you read comments from K's fans they think that too. Of course we should strengthen we are far from perfect that could include a striker and a CB but we don't need much more. If you come second to Dartford with 75pts and suffer just 3 leagues defeats in half a season you are not a bad side. You take that and you build on it you don't knock it down and start again. I am pig sick today not because like last season we were not good enough because we are and K's know it. The league table don't lie is what I have always been told!
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Beaney
1st team Player
Posts: 1,068
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Post by Beaney on Apr 28, 2010 16:09:16 GMT
Let's get Paul Vines from T & M, as someone else said before.
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taz
Top Performer
Posts: 3,760
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Post by taz on Apr 28, 2010 16:38:50 GMT
Sadly, the aim this season wasn't to 'improve', it was to go up. And having spent 9 months working away & earning the right to contest 2 more games to achieve that aim, we fell well short.
Besides, we haven't improved at all have we? We got dicked in a PO semi. Exactly the same as last year. And we're still in the Flipping Ryman League. With all the Flipping Ryman League chortling it's cods off at us. Had we made the final & got done, THEN we'd have improved.
I'm sorry, I don't care what you say, but bollocks to looking on the bright side. As far as I'm concerned, there ain't one.....
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