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The B-Ark / Where are we and where are we going
« on: January 08, 2012, 10:09:27 AM »
Is it really as bad as some suggest on here and some have said to me at games? Or is it actually not that far away and we are a signing/couple of wins away from something decent?
So far this season it's been obvious the managers are inexperienced. The signings in the summer were poor, some thought so at the time and as we enter the New Year there is little to say otherwise. Since the start of the season we have lacked consistency and failed to improve the squad overall, odd signings have worked but equally we have lost players, two steps forward/two steps back?
There has been players playing, seemingly, in the wrong positions (Austin/Fairclough/Hall for example) but yet nothing being done to address it or correct it. Why? We have our arguably best player on the bench for a run of very winnable games with the response being 'inconsistency'? I'm no big fan of Kirk but if you don't play Semple you have to play him surely! We are told by Jason Lee he is only going to play in an emergency at the start of the season yet a few months in and he plays himself ahead of a new signing? Did they bring Constantine in and then change their mind before he kicked a ball? Canoville, again, plays when probably not fully fit and then goes off injured. It was said on the radio yesterday on my drive home this is the fourth time its happened. Fourth! Are they not learning?
Arguably though the biggest concern is the attendances. The great work of getting the finance in order (unless you have had a bottle of red then they are robbing us blind ;o) is in danger of going very wrong this season. Is anyone surprised that the numbers have dropped through the gate as the results have been so hot and cold? There is never a quick or single reason as to why things happen with the gate but the increase in price, drop in product on the pitch and hard times locally/nationally have created the perfect storm for below 1000 Saturday gates. The one area that can be addressed in those three is the performance on the pitch and the responsibility for that is at the door of the management team.
They have, in my view, till the end of the season to show that they are going to get us in a position to challenge next year. If not then there should be a change. If there isn't then the crowds will continue to drop and we will be back in the position of fighting for survival, of the club not just the league position. I hope they do and I really hope that a continued run in the Trophy plugs the gap in the drop in league attendance.
So far this season it's been obvious the managers are inexperienced. The signings in the summer were poor, some thought so at the time and as we enter the New Year there is little to say otherwise. Since the start of the season we have lacked consistency and failed to improve the squad overall, odd signings have worked but equally we have lost players, two steps forward/two steps back?
There has been players playing, seemingly, in the wrong positions (Austin/Fairclough/Hall for example) but yet nothing being done to address it or correct it. Why? We have our arguably best player on the bench for a run of very winnable games with the response being 'inconsistency'? I'm no big fan of Kirk but if you don't play Semple you have to play him surely! We are told by Jason Lee he is only going to play in an emergency at the start of the season yet a few months in and he plays himself ahead of a new signing? Did they bring Constantine in and then change their mind before he kicked a ball? Canoville, again, plays when probably not fully fit and then goes off injured. It was said on the radio yesterday on my drive home this is the fourth time its happened. Fourth! Are they not learning?
Arguably though the biggest concern is the attendances. The great work of getting the finance in order (unless you have had a bottle of red then they are robbing us blind ;o) is in danger of going very wrong this season. Is anyone surprised that the numbers have dropped through the gate as the results have been so hot and cold? There is never a quick or single reason as to why things happen with the gate but the increase in price, drop in product on the pitch and hard times locally/nationally have created the perfect storm for below 1000 Saturday gates. The one area that can be addressed in those three is the performance on the pitch and the responsibility for that is at the door of the management team.
They have, in my view, till the end of the season to show that they are going to get us in a position to challenge next year. If not then there should be a change. If there isn't then the crowds will continue to drop and we will be back in the position of fighting for survival, of the club not just the league position. I hope they do and I really hope that a continued run in the Trophy plugs the gap in the drop in league attendance.