BPA - We go again!

Agreed Paul and sounds like a reasonable summing up Wooton. Trying to hold onto that thought and calm down as still some games to go but still tough to turn around as its not as if we are fielding a makeshift team. Were putting out a strong team that's low on confidence and the pressure can only increase game on game. Great to hear we at least got a goal from open play but how close is Daniels to a suspension under the totting up rules and when is lady luck going to give us a nod in front of goal. I'll take a win from any quarter at the moment.

Free kick ???

Curse of the Manager of the month has truly hit us- this was very poor from players and team selection- Crook needs to take a long hard look at himself and say he was lucky to play for England- Daniels finally got a free kick on target and it was worth waiting for- not looking forward to the remainder of season it's ever since the tinkering started- at any other club the management would be under real pressure to get it sorted and stop tinkering with the side

I don't think it is tinkering for tinkering's sake. Firstly, there are injuries and illness. Secondly, there are bans and thirdly, if you asked lots of individuals what they thought the problems were, we would all have differing ideas and would certainly have differing ideas on how to put them right. Mr Weaver, just like us, can see things are going awry and like us, he also knows we have a good squad of players, but he is the one who is trying things out to get things back to how they were.. It's hard when you don't know why it is suddenly going wrong to actually put it right, do I guess you have to 'tinker?'

It feels as though Hearn is our last hope. Apart from the odd 'wonder goal' by Daniels I can't see anyone else scoring, confidence must be at a really low ebb now. Hard to believe we are still 4th! Just think, we could have had the play offs almost sewn up by now with even average results the last 6 games. I am almost past disappointment now, there just seems a sickening inevitably about this. Our best ever chance of the play offs and it's crumbling around our ears. Read it and weep!!

I also think you need to factor in that other teams will adapt their style to counter out strengths so you have to evolve or tinker to try and outmanoeuvre your opposition. Teams are playing deeper against Leicester and trying to nullify their danger players. I wonder if that is also happening to us. How you counter that with low confidence, a nervous fan base and a lot to play for is SW conundrum.

I watched in despair today. I didn't think we could get any worse than the Curzon game. The pitch was dreadful - but that's to be expected sometimes in March and the same for both sides.
I thought Coldbeck, Warren, Thirwell, Ellis, Burrell, Clayton and Thewliss tried really hard today but without seeming to form any shape or build-up from which a goal could be created. I guess most of us believe Daniels has to be picked for his corners and set pieces.

But we have no-one with the speed and strength of a Chilaka up front (neither Hearne nor Knowles have fitted the bill so far). Platt and Foster put the effort in and maybe it's early days for them yet, but too often they look like slow cart horses, as if bought to get us relegated instead of promoted.
You can only feel sorry at times for the Jeckyl and Hyde Crookes - a game like that (he has too many) always leaves me thinking he's a huge liability for us, then the next game he can make a couple of wonder saves. Still, if any of the England C selection committee were watching today, it surely is the end of his England C selection for a long time.

Should never have let Chib go, massive mistake. He will get you 10/12 goals a season, and he loved the club. He has sure made us pay for our stupidity!

It's not all doom and gloom. This is still predominantly the team that took apart Solihull. We need to get a couple of wins under our belt to consolidate the playoff place and start getting some belief back. Will we go up, doubtful but I'd like to think that at season end SW has learned a lot, can keep certain players, let others go and really build a team that can replicate what Solihull have achieved. We as fans have a crucial role in keeping the faith as well as being hypercritical. Getting tired of saying big game on Saturday but this one against Stalybridge is a season changer!

This has all the signs of the Aspin days - some great spells in the season, only for it to fail in the last couple of months and we finish 6th.

It was **** today. No other words for it. **** journey to a **** ground to watch a **** game.

Most of the team were poor, but a special mention has to go to Crook, who was shocking, and Platt, who Weaver must fancy or something as I can't think of any other reason he signed him. Ellis and Daniels are probably the only players that really cared. Maybe Clayton, but he was shown up by Chilaka.

No idea why the Town fans were giving Chib such a lot of stick either - I always liked him as a town player.

Hard to say if we'll get into the playoffs. We've gone from hero to zero in a month, so it could turnaround again that fast. If it doesn't then it won't make any difference anyway as we sure as hell won't win them playing anything like today.

Seems all the chickens we were counting a few weeks ago have proved to be bad eggs!

I really think we will still make the playoffs,but unless we get some momentum going we will fail at the first hurdle.On paper, player wise we are the envy of the league.Lots of real quality through out the team/squad.Yet, in reality it only really counts when the ball hits the back of the net?
Come on boys lets prove us all wrong .Confidence is at a all time low now ..Yes?..Yet once we start scoring again and we will.. hopefully we can go all the way.

Agreed Bo, an interesting dynamic is how would the team get strengthened if we did go up. Presumably there will be a plan A and a plan B, A going up and B staying in current division. If we are in the playoffs then ideally we need to go into them on the back of a few wins to get that belief back.

These lads are still the same players we have all been praising up and have been excited by their play up until the poor run. They need to get their heads right. Regaining confidence and maintaining positivity are both really difficult, but are both vital. They can turn it around. They can do it.

Shame on any Town 'fans' giving Chib stick. Chib is a genuine Town legend, along with Danny Holland and a handful of others. He came to our Centenary bash, despite his disappointment at being let go. Remember, he never wanted to leave, one of SW's really big mistakes. He would never be a 20 goal a season man, but between 10 and 15 pretty well guaranteed, and what wouldn't we give for that now eh?

Interesting comments by sagalout re: the Aspin years. I remember the frustration of those seemingly endless 6th place finishes! The difference, I guess, is that, as I think Big Lundy pointed out, our owner then probably didn't really want promotion. There can be no doubt that our current owner undoubtedly does want promotion, Irving must be so frustrated at the moment (along with the rest of us).

What is so tough about this poor run is that (because teams below us are so inconsistent) , we could have virtually had a play off place sewn up already. I still think that a mere (?) three more wins should be enough, or even two wins and two draws. Trouble is, at the moment, you just cannot see another win coming. The key surely, especially on Saturday, is scoring the first goal. That should boost the players confidence (must be rock bottom at the moment), get the crowd 'up' (I thought the Kop of Fear were fairly quiet on Saturday, understandably so). And getting Liam Hearn fit by any means necessary!

Cliches about 'games of the season' are ten a penny, but I think Saturday is. Lose (or even draw) and I can see the play offs slipping away, win and we should have enough momentum to drag us into 5th place. Five days to go.

Don't forget we've got Boston, Flyde and Nuneaton yet. Each of those is a 6 pt game. We win, get 3 pts and deprive them of any. Get a couple of wins there and will cement us into playoffs. That will be a success in its own right to be in playoffs. Lads need to go out there and play the football we know they can, if they make mistakes so what but just gamble on getting into the box, work tirelessly in closing down, shutdown space on the pitch and move the ball quickly on the ground. Scary-bridges season has finished, we are at home, plenty of singing and support and we can start putting the wheels back on!

Surplus wrote:if they make mistakes so what but just gamble on getting into the box

Just wanted to pick out this comment as it seems players are scared of making a mistake right now. It's not helping the players with the fact if certain individuals make a mistake they're receiving abusive comments from the fans. The players need our support more than ever right now during this bad spell! Let's get behind them and chant till the ball goes in the net!!

Spot on about Chib - he is a great bloke and someone we miss hugely. Would give a team of Knowles and co for him back in our side. Showed yesterday, as he always does, effort and goals - is not an outlandish thing for a forward to bring to the team. Quite why we needed to boo him is beyond me. Muppets.

Tactics yesterday were pitiful - we need goals and we start with one up front knocking it long time and again into a strong head wind. Is this really the best Town can offer?

Yes the pitch was bad but this tactic hasn't worked and does not work for countless games now. it is pitiful given what they are capable of. Clayton is not a six four athlete who can play on his own up top - he is a grafter who needs players next to him not behind him, who stand even less chance of latching on to a header Clayton may or may not win that even then may or may not go to an opposing player. A %s game that yesterday given our awful scoring record we gave ourselves no chance before a ball was kicked.

If these two matches over Easter were make or break - Saturday and Tuesday are the real deal. Fail to get 6 points from those and we can say good bye to the effort and skill put into large swathes of this season, in a playoff shake up that was there for the taking and to some degree still is. Doubt next season will be as easy.

paulstreet wrote:
Interesting comments by sagalout re: the Aspin years. I remember the frustration of those seemingly endless 6th place finishes! The difference, I guess, is that, as I think Big Lundy pointed out, our owner then probably didn't really want promotion. There can be no doubt that our current owner undoubtedly does want promotion, Irving must be so frustrated at the moment (along with the rest of us).

I do agree with you....I just hope the players have the same ambition. It must be a double edged sword for them knowing if they get promotion then some of them would be looking for a new club.

The Chib chants were pathetic & childish, i thought Town fans were better than that looks like i was wrong. On a par with Leeds fans i think. Grow up please & get behind the team. Roar us into the playoffs!

The support this season has been top notch from the “Town fans” the majority of the time!

But every now & then though, usually when the team are behind, a few songs come out that you really would not want your kids to hear!!!

It’s pretty obvious to compete @ this level or higher year in year out we need to boost our core support!
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Encouraging families down to the games will play a big part in that!
We really could learn a lesson or two from this lot…  
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The bottom line for me is we slip out of the playoffs and finish 6/7 it's not a disaster (personally think we will make them as other teams will drop points around us). It's extremely disappointing as we got so close but we will have to build off the 15/16 season and also we have to create a positive platform for next season. That means the club, back room staff and players and also the fans. What are we going to do to get more folk down the CNG! How can we use our shared skills and strengths! I think the fans have been a revelation this year and we need to push on together!

It was a terrible game. The pitch was terrible, but look at the amount of games they have had called off - we all knew the pitch was going to be bad. The tactics were terrible, why were we attempting to play on the floor for the start?!? and some of the performances were beyond terrible. However we are still 4th, just turn it around and we have a shot of playing York City next season.

I found myself incredibly angry and the management, players etc... Asking the same questions I always ask - Would another manager be better, why do we bottle it when the pressure is on etc... But when I calmed down I realised I have been away since Christmas (Uni) so I really cant comment on what the players or managers have done this season. I genuinely dont know what went right and then went wrong. All I can hope is that we manage to make the play-off's, how many times have we almost made them over the years?!?

As for the support. Its amazing how the away support has grown since the first BPA away coach three (?) years ago. Also the same can be said for BPA, nice to see an atmosphere from there fans - they were excellent at our place too. Hated the Chib stuff. He was a fans favourite when he played for us and the bloke came to a few of our games last season, he clearly liked our club. Why oh why did people think it was acceptable to call him every name under the sun just because our defence couldn't deal with him all game.

One more thing - Is it just the games I get too (admittedly few) or does Weaver always seem to get into arguments with other managers? He and the BPA manager were having a right go at each other!!

Anyway, I've got one more town game before I head back to Uni so lets hope for a win and one step closer to the playoffs

It's called passion mackem !!! He wants to win simple as that. The players need to take responsibility for their performances. We've had big players missing for most of the season. Take Solihulls / fyldes / ferriby big players out I doubt they'd still be in top 5. That lads is a fact.

Anyone know if Hearn is getting his 3 Weetabix in ready for Saturday!