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Post by Amber Aleman on May 4, 2010 22:09:35 GMT
Echoes of last Tuesday, as we led at half-time then lost the initiative in the second half. As far as disappointments go, this wasn't in the same league - more annoying than deflating, as we threw the game away from quite a strong position.
Charlie Taylor can take plenty of credit for our goal as he followed up a suicidal header back by their defender. There was still a decent chance that the keeper would have got to the ball in time had Charlie not pressed forward to get there before him.
However, the turning point was the penalty save from Charlie that prevented us going 2-0 up. Had that gone in it would have been very difficult for Godalming to come back. As it happened that save lifted them and they then had their best spell of the game, scoring twice to turn things round. As in last Tuesday's game, our players seemed to lose heart after conceding the equaliser.
I didn't think the penalty was particularly badly struck, and the keeper's intervention was one of three excellent saves he made in the match. But it was at a reasonable height for him - and you have to question whether Charlie was the best player to take it. The repeated placing and re-placing of the ball beforehand didn't inspire confidence.
I agree that we lost momentum after Anthony Joseph went off. None of the substitutes seemed to add anything much. The five minutes of injury time was a shambles as we gave away a succession of free kicks in our own half - just perfect for Godalming.
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medibot
1st team Player
Posts: 1,341
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Post by medibot on May 4, 2010 22:11:55 GMT
Bottle
Job
Again
Well done lads, that's why I went to every single game, that's why I spent money I didn't have, that's why when I didn't have a job the only thing I didn't stop doing was going to Sutton games, it was all do see you roll over and die when it actually bloody mattered.
Grow some Flipping balls you wasters.
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Post by os on May 4, 2010 22:23:25 GMT
Bottle
Job
Again
Well done lads, that's why I went to every single game, that's why I spent money I didn't have, that's why when I didn't have a job the only thing I didn't stop doing was going to Sutton games, it was all do see you roll over and die when it actually bloody mattered. Grow some Flipping balls you wasters. I heard this last week but its not entirely fair on the players, if you don't have ball winners and a bit of steal on the pitch all you get when you try to break up the opposition is a succession of fouls which we got tonight. Its not bottle its about the right balance in your team and that has been wrong in our last 2 matches, nothing to do with bottle or not wanting it.
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medibot
1st team Player
Posts: 1,341
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Post by medibot on May 4, 2010 22:31:24 GMT
I think it is. We've not turned up when it has mattered. End of.
It doesn't make somebody a bad player it's just the difference between finishing in second place or as runners up and actually winning big games.
Wanting something has cock all to do with bottle btw. Everybody wants to win things, not everybody has the bottle to go and do it.
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Post by vern on May 4, 2010 22:41:23 GMT
Too many players tonight couldn't be arsed.
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Post by fox on May 4, 2010 22:43:52 GMT
Vern & medibot I do not want to agree with you but I am finding it difficult to come up with a counter arguement.....
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Post by Andy K on May 4, 2010 22:52:22 GMT
Well if we had the proverbial 'Lesson to be learned' for next season, its not to buckle in the 2nd half. Not only in the last 2 games where it has been glaringly obvious, but most of the 2nd half of the season - yes we didn't lose that many, but I lost count of how many times we have been 2 up this season, only for teams to get one back and push for a 2nd. I'd say at least 5 or 6 times prior to the K's game.
Tonight was another game we lost rather than Godalming won. Full credit to them, they wanted it more than us, and even when we were on top (especially before the penalty) they just about held it together. Unlike us afterwards. 2 goals conceeeded in 3 minutes and then a couple of mins later, they miss an open goal.
I don't know whether it was just me who spotted this, but when the penalty was awarded, Sam gargan had the ball, and Charlie took it from him and even gave him a push. If you do that then you have to be sure you are going to score. Even with all the rubbish about the ball being on the spot, you have to be sure about these things, and Charlie was not, and took a weak penalty. At that point, the Sutton collapse began.
Its a shame - with some of the football we have played this season, we deserved to take something away from it. We only have ourselves to blame for not doing so tonight, as it was ours for the taking. In a weird way, it would have been better if we went out to Tooting in the first match of this, but bearing in mind we had almost a full squad to play with, and no further pressures, there actually is no excuse for not doing the job tonight, something I'm sure Dos will be aware of - he has always stated that the right attitude is just as important as ability, and there were a couple of players out there tonight which showed they didn't have what it takes in the attitude department.
I, like everyone else, have an opinion on who I think needs replacing in this team, and still think its not the wholesale changes that happened last year. But I'm not going to blurt them out on here - as os said, I think its clearer than ever before what this league is like and what we need to do to win it. We need to be in a position where we are gunning for first place. I don't care if whoever win their first 11 games, so should we. Like I've also said before, and more relevant to last Tuesday, if the defeat means we go up as champions next season, then I'll take it. I think BW are going to struggle next year, and we would have been the same I think - there were enough signs of that. Lets rest, regroup, and come back stronger.
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Post by os on May 4, 2010 23:07:38 GMT
I agree Andy What I am trying to say to those who think the team bottled it or has no balls etc is born out in your point its not a one off thing it has been quite a consistent theme. Just to say players could not be arsed is really skipping over a real problem that exists and simple growing balls is not going to change that. We should beat sides like Godalming without having to fight, we should be technically better all over the park as simple as that.
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Post by fox on May 4, 2010 23:14:41 GMT
Disagree OS - Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson have a simple mantra - make sure you want it as much as the other team, THEN the skill and ability will show.
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Post by exiledinandover on May 5, 2010 0:28:35 GMT
second to every ball,free headers to clear thier defence,no end product,danny philips was a perfect example all the tricks but not one dangerous ball into the box.we should beat these lower division without to much trouble,there is something seriously wrong if we don't.again we had there strikers running with the ball through the defence without being challenged!.
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Post by Del on May 5, 2010 6:05:29 GMT
Despite our shortcomings we still made enough chances to have won comfortably.We just didn't take them and it proved costly.Striker required !
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taz
Top Performer
Posts: 3,760
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Post by taz on May 5, 2010 8:37:22 GMT
Hey! Why the long faces, we finished second again!
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Post by vern on May 5, 2010 8:48:44 GMT
We can have a new nickname....'The Bridesmaids'
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tonyd
1st team Player
Posts: 1,494
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Post by tonyd on May 5, 2010 10:34:13 GMT
I don't like to post a knee jerk reaction - I'm still trying to come to terms with last Tuesday! However after reflection, I think we need to learn some lessons about our team.
It's all very well and nice to go to places like Hampton & Dartford and get a result when we're not expecting it. But the character of a team should show when things go against you when you are not expecting it. We saw a worrying sign of this down at Dover last year, when the team just gave up when they realised they weren't going to win. We saw it last Tuesday, when K's upped their game and we just could not respond. We saw it again last night when we couldn't respond after missing the penalty and Godalming started to attack us. 2-1 down, 10 minutes to go, we just gave away stupid free kick after free kick - shades of Bognor earlier this year.
What we seem to lack (apart from a goal scorer) is leadership in the middle of the park. McKimm and Poulton once could of provided this, but now they play too deep and/or cannot last into that important last third of the match. Oh for a David Harlow, Paul Rogers or Larry Pritchard! For me, signing such a player is as, maybe more, important as finding a 20 goals a season player. Godalming have had just a disappointing end to the season as us, but they did not cave in when the game was going against them.
One final point, I am not against Sam Gargan, but he was clearly not match fit and his touch was absolutely terrible last night. What was the point of bringing him back in the last game of the season, and how was he still on the pitch after we'd made three substitutions?
We should be celebrating - 2nd in the league and a cup final. Instead the last two games have left me feeling concerned and disappointed.
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Post by Andy K on May 5, 2010 11:37:49 GMT
I agree with a lot that Tony D said, but I have to defend Sam a little. Yes he was not match fit, and not as sharp as he could have been, and maybe it wasn't teh game to bring him back for, but what I couldn't understand was why he was played pretty much as a right midfielder for most of the game? He was so far out of his normal position it was nuts.
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