THE PROBLEM IS...

[behindthegoal]

...the performance on Saturday showed a lack of bottle.

I have watched the Fleet for 40 years and so have got used at times to seeing some poor teams and poor performances but have usually had the consolation that at least the team has tried. I am not sure what was produced on Saturday matched that criteria.

I posted a couple of weeks ago that motivation seems to be a problem at present and I stick by that.

How can this squad go from being so good to so bad in such a short period? What has happened? Someone must have a bit of knowledge of the dressing room? Whilst there have been rumours of AFs (poor?) man-management style I have not heard that there has been a big bust up, although some players have left for what seems no good reason.

I think it is about time we heard from Andy his opinion on the resaons for our current slump, instead the usual "we need to bring in a couple of new players".

If AF has "lost" the players then the rest of the season is going to be a slog.

Does anyone have any hard info rather than just rumour? A Fleet team without bottle is a thankfully rare beast, but that is what we currently have it seems, although one or two individual players like Macca will always give 110%.

[Harry J Allstars]

I have a friend who knows Andy from his Bearstead days and he says Andy has some kind of trouble with players from Maidstone. How many of the players, that have had reported bust ups with Ford, are from Maidstone?

[Matt (GNFC)]

It was only 3 months or so ago that Andy was being touted as a potential manager of Gillingham. West Ham fans a few yrs ago thought that Harry Redknapp wasnt good enough for them as they only finished 8th in the premiership and look where they are now. I think Andy has been badly let down by some of his players, Roy looks dreadful this year. Yes its Andys job to get the team together but its just as easy to lose 10 games as it is to win 10. The team obviously has no confidence whatsoever at the moment. I think we deserve to give Andy at least until the end of the season.

[ColtheJock]

I agree!!!!!!

[UP FLEET]

Its Hard when you think that at the start of the season, we had kept the bulk of the squad and we added to it with the likes of jay. Every thing was looking good on the back of that excellent run, play off talk was high on the list, and now if things continue we could find our self in a relegation battle again.Who knows what has gone wrong, i dont think we the fans will get to know.

 

 

 

[Matt (GNFC)]

Its easy to know whats gone wrong, Andy always had an overachieving squad compared to their ability. When we won the Ryman we had no stars when we've been in the conference we've had no stars but Andy got the most out of those players ability. Look at the players that have left, apart from Hatch and Bentley and Bullard all those years ago, i cant think of one player who has gone on to better theirselves at other clubs, they've all quietly slipped down the pyramid. Now, for whatever reason mostly due to a crisis of confidence we look exactly what we are, a bunch of semi pro part timers with a lot of the squad no better than Ryman league standard.

[Red Neck]

Thanks Matt, someone else who isn't afraid to face facts.

 

We've got where we are on pure hard graft, not on ability.

[behindthegoal]

...yes I agree we have had a good team in recent years based on no real stars and a lot of hard work. So why is the effort not being put in now as much as in the past? Confidence is low but the players as individuals have to be big enough to want the ball, beat the player, make the run, whatever is needed to make the difference. It is a mind set thing and for some reason the attitude is not right at the moment. As to the reasons I think there must be some and it is not just one of those things. Players wanted to work previously, why not now?

[Guest]

Quote:

Thanks Matt, someone else who isn't afraid to face facts.

We've got where we are on pure hard graft, not on ability.

Certainly agree with you on the point about hard work, but were in the Conference now. A totally different ball game, small fish in a big pond.

We need more than just hard work if we are to move on from here.

Remember, however hard you try you cannot make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear.

[chris blanc]

Quote:

We need more than just hard work if we are to move on from here.

Short term, I don't think we really need to be thinking about moving on from here, how long have we been in this division, 3 seasons?
2 years ago we were lucky to stay in the conference and now people are unhappy with us in 14th place.
I think that we are well placed in this league, and despite recent performances, I'd say that we're well placed at about mid table

[Number 8]

14th is resepctable, and Fordy is hoping we can finish top 10. This is still achievable providing we all get behind the club and show our support. No need to panic yet, we are still in it... albeit in a rather messy fashion.

 

I will take 14th now and be happy with that.

 

The tools are there, they just need time to gel together, we will forget all about this type of thread when we win against Steveage tomorrow..

[Number 8]

Sorry, I meant Stevenage, but you guessed that already..!

[Robbo]

Whilst 14th is respectable, I think the concerns of most people on this board have been about how quickly we seem to have descended down the league and our poor form of late. If we continue this we will be in a relegation struggle.

 

However, we may just be able to improve things with some changes of attitude on the pitch.

[Bill Kent]

I'm led to believe that it's over 3 months since a league win. Patience is a virtue they say, not much virtue left is there.

 

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[Alan W (GNFC)]

A league win at home perhaps - in case you hadnt noticed we did beat Leigh away !

[FleetFanatic]

Our last two league wins have both been against a team that are so poor they should already be in conference north (if it wasn't for Telford, Margate & some tinpot club's ground not being up to conference standard then they already would be.)

 

Take Leigh out of the equation & we haven't had a win in the league since SEPTEMBER. This run is far worse than either of the poor runs from last season.

 

Hardly stuff to stick by Andy Ford for, is it?

[behindthegoal]

I accept all the talk about effort is true but my real concern is that at some points last season and early on this, we played the best football I have ever seen from a Fleet side and now we are playing rubbish. Where is the one touch, on the ground football we were playing when we had our good run?

Something fundamental has changed and until that is sorted I can't see us moving anywhere but down. It is dangerous to say we are in our correct position because if this run continues our correct position will be in the bottom 3.