Messages

1

The B-Ark / Re: Yeovil

« on: September 03, 2024, 11:10:33 AM »

We can't have this belief that all our players are saints and all the oppo players are cheats.

Exactly this, and if you've got Jacob Hazel in your team any claims to "sainthood" will be rightly laughed off!

It's not just Boston fans of course, but trying to explain away defeats with "we played really well and would have won if it wasn't for the ref/Yeovil/team X cheating" is just a nonsense really. Yeovil ultimately won on Saturday because they were more clinical than us, as you might expect from a team that won the NLS with 95 points. We can do one of two things: wallow in defeat while wailing everyone's against us and the refs and the other teams are all cheats (they aren't) or we can address the ACTUAL issues - that the squad is capable of some lovely possession-based football but needs to become far more ruthless in the final third and stop being so naïve at times at the back. We're now dealing with outstanding players who'll pounce on half-chances and punish you. That's the difference many of us spoke about before a ball was even kicked. So Cully and the team need to either bring in more NL-proven quality in those two areas, or tweak the system to best suit the talent we have. Bemoaning "ridiculous decisions" in post-match interviews when the decision was obviously not remotely ridiculous will not do at this level, I'm afraid.

Can't believe you said that and I'm agreeing with you so much this season.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/clynp5j0pnyo

Did we have anyone looking at this group?

Surely worth a look, if they want too much that's fair enough, but we've got to realize if we want to play in a big boys league we have to start thinking about paying big boys wages. If not when we inevitably return to regional football I don't want to hear no rubbish from the club about the Conference being the ultimate aim because if you won't pay the money you won't last long without an exceptional coach or group of players.

2

The B-Ark / Re: Where are they now?

« on: July 17, 2024, 01:26:51 PM »

Brad Nicholson signs for Scunthorpe Utd

3

The B-Ark / Re: NL Squad

« on: June 26, 2024, 01:20:19 PM »

Given he lives on Herries Road (for those who don't know Sheffield, Wednesday's ground is at the bottom of it) Brad would be a brave man supporting your lot Andy!

He told me where he lived after the Scunny PO game, proper Pig territory that!!!

4

The B-Ark / Re: NL Squad

« on: June 26, 2024, 08:13:29 AM »

I'm sure Brad will find a decent club at NLN now - he would fit right in at Alfreton for instance. And fair play to him doing well in the playoffs presumably knowing he couldn't play for us if we did get promoted...

Spot on, he made himself indispensable in the last 6 weeks or so after being a bit of a liability.

Shame he supports that lot in S6 mind.

5

The B-Ark / Re: NL Squad

« on: June 24, 2024, 03:45:59 PM »

Cam Green - it had been leaked a while back on Twitter.

Picked up from 17th (should have been 18th had Torquay not been deducted points) Welling Utd in the NLS.

I sure hope our scouts know what they're doing. Basing your entire summer recruitment strategy on picking up five or six Carl Piergianni type gems from teams of absolute dross seems a bit.... hopeful.

You've picked up the baton of negativity seamlessly Peter.........

6

The B-Ark / Re: NL Squad

« on: June 04, 2024, 02:17:15 PM »

Forest Green have just made another colossal signing in Crozer from Wrexham.

This is the kind of signing we're competing with now and I'm afraid at some point the parade of re-signings needs to stop and we have to progress onto bigger things.

Not panicking yet, still plenty of time, but the sooner we get onto the upgrades the more I'll feel a bit settled about our hopes of avoiding a swift return from whence we came.

Talking to an old friend who's a Woking supporter, he told me their playing budget last season which was common knowledge was £1.2m on an average gate of 2700, and they finished above the bottom 4 by a couple of points, although he did say they seriously under achieved with the squad they had.

So is £1.2m the benchmark for survival?

BUSA better get some major fund raising initiatives in place if it is........ 

7

The B-Ark / Re: well done Jimmy Knowles ... Leagues 3rd highest scorer

« on: May 10, 2024, 09:42:27 AM »

For all the euphoria we have to remember we finished 6th in a desperately poor league and as much as we may love this group, some of them are not good enough for the step up. Harsh, but reality.

Spot on

Too right.

Before the play offs came into being we'd have been classed as upper mid table with a 6th place finish.

For all the pelters I know I'll get from the usual suspects this really is the time for the board and commercial dept to stand up and be counted and find extra revenue streams. Surely another member of the commercial team is an absolute must, Craig can't do all this on his own, the stock of the club hasn't been this high in years, they need to capitalize on it and open up more relationships with the business community.

8

The B-Ark / Re: Former players

« on: May 09, 2024, 09:44:10 AM »

Posh really missed the boat last season being 4-0 up on Wendy in the the 1st leg and blowing it in S6.

I saw them 6 weeks or so against Cheaty McFraud's Stevenage and I'd have had them as very strong promotion contenders.

But thats the play offs, they are brutal. I hate them. But, they are here to stay.

9

The B-Ark / Re: well done Jimmy Knowles ... Leagues 3rd highest scorer

« on: May 09, 2024, 09:41:05 AM »

Mick Lyon did OK there.......

If its a role at a University then he'd be a fool to turn it down, chance of a lifetime opportunity.

I spoke with a couple of his family members at Alfreton and they said they were aware of interest from Doncaster Rovers and another EFL club who I forget now.

Players come and go, the club is the one constant 

10

The B-Ark / Re: today......

« on: May 07, 2024, 01:04:28 PM »

I agree Andy. Survival will suit me, and I'd be quite happy to have a season without promotion/relegation hopes/fears after the past two years. Relatively dull will do for me for once.

Not sure you'll get that, but I'll take it!

Interesting summer ahead

11

The B-Ark / Re: today......

« on: May 07, 2024, 12:37:57 PM »

Agreed Andy, the club has to give Cully the ok to get in who he wants. In the main his and the scouts instincts have served us well this season. Get this right and there's no reason we can't flourish in the NL.

Honestly I'd take survival now.

Even a cynic like me needs to cut them some slack next season, its going to be a steep learning curve, I'm sure Christian will tell us how previous play off winners have fared but my guess is around half come straight back down or are back in North/South within 2 seasons. The gap in quality is almost PL-Championship now.

12

The B-Ark / Re: today......

« on: May 07, 2024, 08:28:21 AM »

I don't want to be that one but once we got into the play offs I didn't think we needed to fear anyone.

Alfreton - match their physicality and you're 90% of the way there.

Scunthorpe - best squad in the division but too many who don't fancy a battle.

Brackley - best team in the division but we had to beat them sometime.

Pleased as punch to finally end the curse, the hard work starts now, we don't want to be back in regional football in 12 months time, backing and recruitment needs to be bang on.

13

The B-Ark / Re: well done Jimmy Knowles ... Leagues 3rd highest scorer

« on: May 07, 2024, 08:22:01 AM »

Thinking back to the Denis Greene days and we had a link up of sorts with Sunderland which worked well.

Recently we've had a few from my lot, Sheff Utd and that really would be worth exploring as they've won their U23 league for the 4th year running. Now we're that bit higher we'll possibly get a better quality player sent over for a loan.

Interesting times, I'm expecting at least 75% of the squad to be newbies come August though, it has to be that way.

14

The B-Ark / Re: Play-0ff's & National League.

« on: April 24, 2024, 04:14:33 PM »

Well, your exact words were "For God's sake wake up and properly back your manager" - which suggests you think he hasn't been properly backed. There was an argument being made earlier in the season that maybe we had jumped into a hybrid model too early (in a financial sense), insofar we couldn't build a squad deep enough to compete while also training three times a week. It was obvious from the start the squad was too small, lacked options up front, and was relying too heavily on u23s who weren't ready so the obvious culprit would be a lack of money in the budget. But then we went out and spent money on Jacob Hazel, signed him up for two years, and those arguments faded away - although for all the elation over last night's result we must remember we did only scrape 6th on the last day of the season and were at no point in a title race.

I personally pin that on the management rather than the chairman - the funds for Hazel were there and that they weren't used earlier isn't exactly Newton's fault. We dropped a lot of points earlier in the season that could have seen us hit the playoffs in a more advantageous position. As it is we're off to play a full-time side on Saturday who will have home advantage and the benefit of a week's rest.

Hybrid was a massive crock of sh1t from day one, a cheap approach to going full time, its no wonder we limped into the play offs after the start to the season that actually saw us in the bottom half of the table for a while. I know you can't travel nowadays but if you'd been there last night you'd have seen how much goodwill there is towards the club, goodwill that now needs reciprocating in a serious push for the title next season as I think last night will have taken its toll on semi pro players coming up against full time pro's on Saturday.

what I will say is, if we do somehow go up lets enjoy the ride next season, no one would have expected it and it'll be a steep learning curve but we'll be back where we rightfully belong.

15

The B-Ark / Re: Play-0ff's & National League.

« on: April 24, 2024, 01:23:27 PM »

I've not said he's not backed him, I've said they need to start being a little less conservative and be a bit braver.

we've a management team that knows how to get promoted, back them now and have no regrets next season.