The Crowing Cockerel

Anything of interest come out of the Zoom Q&A session with the Chairman, AL, Billy and Marc? (I didn't have a chance to log in)

The 2019-20 season will not be completed. We are talking months before any resumption of competitive football - with or without fans. Just consider for a moment the fact that the Chief Medical Officer has now advised that those aged 70+ avoid social contact for the coming 12 weeks. The virus isn't going to suddenly vanish.

Given that all professional football has been postponed I wouldn't imagine that many players in the Isthmian League will be keen to take the field. I'd expect all games to be postponed until April rather than playing behind closed doors.

I received a messenger pigeon this morning.

Is that right? Still don't think we'll make the play-offs. If/when it becomes mathematically impossible I hope the Board see that as an opportunity. Can't imagine Billy will hang around for another season with his contract ending and I'd think others will have similar thoughts. So perhaps it is time for wholesale changes from the management and throughout the squad.

Call me a pessimist, but we're going to have to produce something special to get anything at Folkestone. Having watched highlights from alot of their games I fear we're in for a hiding.

ft ETFC 1 - 1 Lewes

73mins ETFC 1-1 Lewes Weatherstone

39mins ETFC 0-1 Lewes

The long and the short of it is that we're not ready. The team/squad isn't good enough, we've not got enough in the bank, and our management isn't up to it. Guess we'll have to be patient.

Ok, so let's assume that by some miracle we make the play-offs. Then, by some ridiculous stroke of luck, we win the play-offs and find ourselves promoted. How on earth would AL keep us in the National South?? Attendances are down, so presumably he wouldn't have additional monies to spend on the squad (in fact, might he not even have a reduced budget given the increased travel costs etc?). We aren't exactly setting the world alight in the Isthmian Prem. I have little doubt that AL would lead us to relegation from the league above.

Surely NOW is the perfect time to bring someone new in. Have a clear-out of the squad and blood some keen youngsters with nothing to lose for the rest of the season. I think (hope) Hornchurch will get bored when they hit 6 (six).

I mean it could've been worse!

Absolutely no surprise. A scoreline like this has been coming for a while. Leese has to go.

Perhaps I have psychic powers???! ...or maybe I watched Matt Johnson hoiking long throws into the Folkestone box in the footage from last week and thought to myself "there's no way Town are going to be able to defend those!".

Always fancied it'd be a pretty long afternoon with our leaky defence trying to deal with the likes of Cunnington. So far I was right.

This has been the whole problem - no consistency whatsoever! Anyone confident we'll pick up 3 (or any) points on Saturday against a hornchurch side unbeaten at home?

A CLEAN SHEET!!! I nearly fell off my chair!

303?!?! Spurs playing away. Arsenal not playing till Monday. The current situation really does not match the Chairman's lofty ambitions (as broadcast on the radio recently). Something has to change.

The consensus is that its Andy's fault. Everyone could see the risk involved in keeping Ryan on the pitch. Once again we concede at least 3 goals. I am fuming at another wasted season. Billy was contracted for 2 years. He is a top striker at this level. We've also had Mo for half of the season. A solid defence and midfield behind them and we should be top 3. Andy is unable to either identify - or perhaps attract - the right players. I wonder how Chesham are getting on now following AL's departure - take a look if you haven't noticed. A certain Mark Kirby seems to be impressing for the Generals.

Play-off hopes dead. Leese out.

Was he ever going to say 'Think we'll finish mid-table'?

The trouble it that any new manager has to hit the ground running. We'd be better off appointing someone new as soon as the goal of the play-offs has evaporated.

So just the 3 right backs in the squad then? (1 left back and 2 centre halfs?)

I had assumed that Josh was a central defender. Presumably it was a signing which presented itself to AL as an opportunity to improve in that position? But we are in desperate need of a centre half. Watching the Cheshunt goals back, the defending was awful - non-existent!