The Official Grimsby Town Match Thread (Sponsored by Methylenedioxymethamphetamine "for all your wild optimism needs") | Page 6 | Vital Football

The Official Grimsby Town Match Thread (Sponsored by Methylenedioxymethamphetamine "for all your wild optimism needs")

Sturdy Gill said:
It is was it is I’m afraid, better season this year than last but I agree disappointing with the build up to the season and the quality of players recruited just haven’t delivered.
The January transfer market was disappointing in that I don’t believe we gave SC the tools to improve what we already had and those last minutes signing just haven’t delivered for various reasons.
Overall we are Gillingham and we should all be used to this from the Peacock era right up until the Championship and then normal service resumed thereafter.
Far rather we are where we are than 18 months ago I just feel people have forgotten that and want half a dozen contracts paid up and new manager installed and start again, financially this is a non starter and the done and gloom is doing my head in when we are still there or thereabouts.
We will most probably miss out I am not getting that excited but let’s just finish the season fully supporting the club.
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Not a question of being given the tools. As Captain pointed out:
At the fans forum we were told both NH had and SC has a say in who we recruit in terms of players.

Personally, if true, I find it difficult to see how manager and head coach roles differ.
 
Bright first half other than for their goal where one straight ball unacceptably did for us. We scored which made a pleasant change.

Whilst we hit the woodwork twice second half I thought our performance levels dipped. Essentially we ran out of steam & Clemence was too slow to bring on fresh legs. This would indicate that Clemence didn't fancy the options available. Which I fully understand but changes had to be made. The resulting Dieng hokey cokey substitution was amusing.

In the final analysis this was a must win game which we drew. Another in a long line of frustrating home displays where we've been unable to defeat bang average opponents.

Effort was there but the quality wasn't. Which is the strap line for our season unfortunately.
 
Enjoyed that today. The bench offered little better than was already on the pitch so understand why Clemence was not rushing to make subs.
Best thing about today was that our co-play off contenders are still refusing to make a break for the top 7. So, somehow, we live in hope to fight another week (or two).
 
Vambogills said:
Enjoyed that today. The bench offered little better than was already on the pitch so understand why Clemence was not rushing to make subs.
Best thing about today was that our co-play off contenders are still refusing to make a break for the top 7. So, somehow, we live in hope to fight another week (or two).
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I'll be honest. I didn't enjoy it because it was another wasted opportunity. Remarkable that we are still in the hunt. Although the quality of the bench was dubious there was an obvious need for fresh legs. A conundrum for sure
 
Colburn said:
Why the negativity today. Best first half forever, the only team that was going to win, created loads, Lapslie and Williams excellent. I enjoyed that. We did enough to win and should have won. Grimsby will be well relieved with that point
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It's about us not Grimsby. We needed to win. Yet we failed again to beat a bang average opponent. Not denying the first half was decent. But the bottom line is we only drew. Ultimately it's about the points not the style. Not being negative, just being honest.
 
There's no real excuses left. These games should be winnable.

I cannot fathom how the FECK Gillingham Football Club has been the lowest scorers for three seasons. And it's getting bloody boring to watch.

Every single game is huff and puff, 1 goal wins (if you're lucky).

What to do? Well that's what the recruitment team have been paid for.

I hope Brad does have a ruthless streak because it's looking much like a third, rank season in L2 after this latest pony performance.
 
Therealwaldo said:
I’m not really sure what all the negativity is about. That was a really good game ! The main thing that was missing was any composure near the opponents net. Mahoney on 3 occasions, Hawkins and Ogie all could have won it. Whether we make the play offs (unlikely) or not, this really was much more the sort of football I’d prefer to see. We had runners with the ball and some fluid moves. In a lot of games, that’s all we’ve been asking for.
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The perceived negativity comes from the understandable frustration that we drew a must win game against a very ordinary opponent. Personally I just want to see winning football. Not that fussed about the style used to get that. Points trump performance.
 
markinkent said:
Me too. Just missing a winner.
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This was close to, if not the best performance of the season. In the second half the ball would just not go into the net. Of the starting 11 nobody had a bad game, though the subs had little time to get into rhythm of the play. Overall it entertaining with more skill and endeavour than any other game Gills game I have seen for a while.
 
Disappointing result, but overall a much better performance against a spirited, but at best average Grimsby side. SC went with broadly the formation I wanted to see. Possibly enforced by Masterson's omission, but playing 4 at the back is the only way we can ensure more attacking players to support Hawkins and sadly due to our inept forwards, this needs to be our quality attacking midfielders in Williams, Laspslie, Mahoney and to a lesser extent Dieng. It may not be an ideal tactic, but it's the best we've got and we dominated the match, especially the first half - second half we dominated too, but more in fits and starts, but we for once created plenty of chances - Mahoney (a hatful), Ogie (unlucky), Hawkins (should have done better on several occasions) etc.

Playing the way we did meant that we'd be more open to counter attacks and that proved to be the case with a really poor goal conceded defensively with Grimsby not needing to do much to split us apart through the middle. Only seen it once, but may Morris have done better (my gut is that I've seen him save ones like that before).

Ogie may well have been a fair MOTM, but any of Lapslie, Mahoney or Hawkins must have run him close. Williams had a great first half but run out of steam again as it seems did Clarke and Hutton who were very effective as FBs in the first half.

Fortunately for us, those around us are as inconsistent/average as us, so we have a chance and if we play like we did today, with hopefully Andrews and Hurtado to come in, we should be there or thereabouts, which is a lot more positive than I was after Tranmere or Wimbledon.
 
Defenestrator said:
But who has the final say?
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Who knows. IMO the coach/manager SHOULD have.

Whatever the recruitment department were doing between Sept and December to come up with the signings we did by the end of January needs answering. From what KJ said at the fans forum? Hurtardo and Andrews only came up in the last few days, so four months of planning and resulted in us signing Walker? FFS?

I seriously hope BG has learnt enough in his time here to be asking some serious questions and expecting answers froma all three in the football department. If I were BG I'd struggle to be find any answers that didnt suggest the whole recruitment had been piss poor and seriously questioning their worth and whether I'd be trusting them to get it right in the summer window.
 
I think most of the negativity has been from those not at the game who’ve just looked at the result and seen the missed opportunity to get back into the playoff places.
Those at the game will have seen a much improved performance, a better spectacle in general and just the Achilles heel in front of goal hurting us again.
It was lack of composure as much as anything from Mahoney (twice), Ogie and Hawkins all who should / could have scored in the second half to get us a deserved home win.
The subs didn’t really have a positive impact but there were tired legs out there so Clemence had to try something.
The reported sickness bug only resulted in 2 changes to the starting team from Tuesday and one of those was actually Masterson being suspended so may not have been related to that either.
The bench had a more youthful look but I don’t think anyone expected Gbode or Giles to come on.

Credit to their fans who did not stop singing and chanting throughout, was good see a decent away following at Priestfield for a change.
 
Lark said:
I think most of the negativity has been from those not at the game who’ve just looked at the result and seen the missed opportunity to get back into the playoff places.
Those at the game will have seen a much improved performance, a better spectacle in general and just the Achilles heel in front of goal hurting us again.
It was lack of composure as much as anything from Mahoney (twice), Ogie and Hawkins all who should / could have scored in the second half to get us a deserved home win.
The subs didn’t really have a positive impact but there were tired legs out there so Clemence had to try something.
The reported sickness bug only resulted in 2 changes to the starting team from Tuesday and one of those was actually Masterson being suspended so may not have been related to that either.
The bench had a more youthful look but I don’t think anyone expected Gbode or Giles to come on.

Credit to their fans who did not stop singing and chanting throughout, was good see a decent away following at Priestfield for a change.
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This isn’t about today, we've seen a few performances like today, only to then return to type for 3 or 4 games. If today was the norm and we just lacked a finisher I'd agree, but it isn't.

Today we lacked a cutting edge, far too often we've had far more to worry in our performances before even thinking about a lack of cutting edge.
 
Captainreblue said:
Who knows. IMO the coach/manager SHOULD have.
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You would imagine so. But why do I feel it isn't?

As someone has pointed out, in the January 23 window, we effectively used a consultant to help with our recruitment. Then in the 23 matches to the end of the season we amassed 41 points.

Now, we have KJ and AH (the latter at least being known as a friend of our then owner).

And as a final rant, there are a few people who need to check when players were signed for the club. And to work out when the initial approaches were made.
 
Solent Knight said:
Play offs went a while ok, hopefully SC and alot of the team to follow.
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Haha, you do make me laugh Solent, as Sturdy said after your post 'One point off the play offs FFS'...with 7 games to go. You could only dream of that this time last year. As others have said it was a very good performance today, we could easily have had 5 or 6 goals. Very worrying that you call yourself a Gillingham supporter when we're only a point off play offs, played well and you're still a moaning misery. Very sad man.
 
The Surveyor said:
It's about us not Grimsby. We needed to win. Yet we failed again to beat a bang average opponent. Not denying the first half was decent. But the bottom line is we only drew. Ultimately it's about the points not the style. Not being negative, just being honest.
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Are we not entertained?
That’s what everyone was going on about under Harris.
He plays winning but dour football.
Gills fans were screaming out for entertainment.
Now, all of a sudden, it’s all about the results.
 
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