Post-Match Thread and Ratings Altrincham 1-0 Southend United

[Texas Eslan]

Quite.

There weren't many people complaining about our game on that run.

And I know Maher and Co. aren't telling or coaching the players to play any differently now than they did then.

It's almost..... almost.....as if Maher, his tactics and his setup isn't the issue!

Thank goodness for this comment, I was starting to think the fans had gone mad.

Maher is an absolutely top coach and is not the issue here. Everyone saying he “needs to change it up”…with what? Youth team players? Why? It’s utter madness.

The embargo has killed our season. The players are shattered and exhausted from the issues surrounding the club. We need to ease off on the criticism and hope it’s all resolved for the better in the summer.

 

[Thundersley Blue]

Thank goodness for this comment, I was starting to think the fans had gone mad.

Maher is an absolutely top coach and is not the issue here. Everyone saying he “needs to change it up”…with what? Youth team players? Why? It’s utter madness.

The embargo has killed our season. The players are shattered and exhausted from the issues surrounding the club. We need to ease off on the criticism and hope it’s all resolved for the better in the summer.

I do hope you are right. However, I fear the potential sale of the Club will not run smoothly.
Kevin and the football department need the shackles removed as soon as possible and if everything is still in limbo come the end of June, then we will probably start next season in a worse state than we are in now.

New owners should ensure we are debt free for the first time in goodness knows how long. However, even more important then that we stay within our means. Can't see anyone buying the Club as it stands at the moment and then put a couple of million in each year to keep us in business until we can generate enough non Match Day income to give the playing side a decent budget.

Just hope Kevin and Co are still here come this time next year.

 

[tallboyblue]

Thank goodness for this comment, I was starting to think the fans had gone mad.

Maher is an absolutely top coach and is not the issue here. Everyone saying he “needs to change it up”…with what? Youth team players? Why? It’s utter madness.

The embargo has killed our season. The players are shattered and exhausted from the issues surrounding the club. We need to ease off on the criticism and hope it’s all resolved for the better in the summer.

I think that sums it up. The general atmosphere had to get to them in the end.

 

[Ricey]

And you had people saying Lopota going wasn't a problem ... !!

Lopata isn’t the one who was scoring the goals. He didn’t take our strikers and forwards ability to score with him.

 

[SHRIMPERPETER]

Don't know why he bothered bringing Benton back?

 

[LeedsSUFC]

Don't know why he bothered bringing Benton back?

I would say bring back Wood from his loan and prepare for next season as this season is done, but Wood is carrying Tonbridge Angels into the play offs at the moment.

I cannot wait to see Wood, Benton & Sandat get minutes next season.

 

[Ricey]

Don't know why he bothered bringing Benton back?

I cannot understand that either! He has always looked like he will be a real threat for us, just never seems to be given the opportunities.

 

[annie1954]

Lopata isn’t the one who was scoring the goals. He didn’t take our strikers and forwards ability to score with him.

I think Kevin said in the echo what a big loss lopata was to the team

 

[Ricey]

I think Kevin said in the echo what a big loss lopata was to the team

I’m not doubting that, but him leaving us isn’t the reason for our inability to put the ball in the back of the net.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Glenn Pennyfather was in disbelief that he dropped Mooney….why would he do that against a team that have got nothing to play for and got a cup final next week, they really were not interested……

Must admit despite the disappointing season he's had, i expected him to start against his old team, with hopefully a point to prove. And also the way they kicked him off the pitch in the game down here. Hey ho, what do i know!.

 

[shrimperjon]

Just home after another disappointing afternoon. Not going to criticise the effort again as don’t feel the players aren’t trying. You could see at the end how hurt they were. That’s 6 defeats on the trot, all lost by the odd goal and the last 3 lost to a winning penalty. We really aren’t far off and could easily of got something out of most of those defeats but our inability in the final third again deserted us. We really shouldn’t have lost today or at Borehamwood, home to Barnet but we aren’t winning the big moments. Another great following today, felt like a lot more than 318, left frustrated and disappointed. For what it’s worth I don’t think the team or Maher deserve some of the **** thrown at them at the end, they have performed miracles this season under the circumstances. Without the embargo not only would the team look different but I’m certain we would also be pushing top 6, we have just run out of steam. My only criticism has to be Maher and Cos inability to change a game. We had lost 5 on the bounce before today and had a week to maybe work on something different whether that be personnel change or formation but we just stuck with the same old same old that hasn’t worked recently. No time before Tuesday to change really and I fear another tough evening ahead at Dorking, yes that’s ****ing Dorking, for gods sake

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

None IMO, we have gone backwards at an alarming rate since earlier in.the season and at least half of the players are just not good enough.

For arguments sake, let's hopefully presume we have a new owner for next season. We need a major influx of new players, especially strikers if available. With a new owner the recruitment of fresh blood should hopefully be easier, as the current mega negative vibes engulfing the club, will disappear like fog?.
The situation would be a lot simpler if we were near to having a promotion winning team, which just needed a tweak or 2 to elevate us. Alas we're not, & with a probable rebuild next season will be another one in progress, nothing more?.
But accepting that to the alternative of not having a club anymore, we're just have to grin & bear it?.

 

[Gustafferson]

Embargo and financial issues aside, the tactics are just nowhere near good enough. You could sign whatever players you like but if you’re going backwards and sideways you’re not going to score enough goals to win games. The whole club needs a reset.

I’m only 54 posts deep in review but couldn’t disagree more with this. Maher simply can’t legislate for Taylor, Bridge, Powell, all missing sitters and a smattering of great balls across goal going untouched. Put another coach in charge and the outcome won’t change, it’s not a style thing, it’s a skill thing.

My overwhelming feeling after watching that was frustration. Frustration from watching some objectively rubbish football, and also from how we are clearly able to play the ball on the deck to our forwards but so often revert to pumping it long. Some element of that is surely confidence, but I don’t think we can escape that we simply don’t have the quality to move the ball forward at every opportunity. For all the criticism of Maher imposing a style which is only sideways or backwards, this is obviously wrong, no coach would ever insist on this. What I think is the case is some players lack the confidence and ability to turn and pass forward consistently, in stark contrast to Notts County and the like.

 

[Kat_r]

We can survive in this league but doesn’t seem we will ever be getting out of it

 

[stewart]

Seems to me my post in why i wouldnt be watching the game on National League tv was just about spot on. Roll on the end of the season , i pray to god that someone comes in and buys my club ,so that we can get some respectability back into it . Dont blame Kev and co, the players confidence is shot to pieces im afraid to say ,Quite a few players have shown they are not up to it, time now to give players like Benton, Wood , Coker and Sandat a run, let them gain some experience at this level. Should have sold Bridge when we had the opportunity also Murphy.

 

[LBBlue]

The fact is we have been consistently poor against the top half of the table teams since the first day of the season.

After today, of other 12 teams in the top 13 we have only beaten Solihull Moors at home with Wealdstone and Daggers still to play.

Away from home we have fared slightly better with wins at Barnet and Wealdstone with Woking still to play.

So that’s 3 wins in 21 games with just 19 goals, 6 of them in 2 games.

Very few of the squad have been consistently good enough. We do miss Lopata and our inability to trade players has meant little improvement across the season as a whole.

 

[Stuart W]

How many of them are readily available to a club like ours? And at this level? 9 times out of 10 at this level, you're taking a chance of someone. A proven goalscorer is hugely unlikely to come here.

Well we had one. Went by the name of Dalby. And without wishing to sound like a broken record, I will repeat what I said at the start of this season. If Parkinson was that desperate to take Sam to Wrexham, we should have been in a strong bargaining position and held out for a season long loan for Palmer, not Hyde who had a proven track record of breaking down.
Either Dalby or Palmer, both of whom would have got 15+ goals for us by now.

 

[Tommy's Mooney]

I’m not saying we played well but we could have had the rub of the green with the exact same performance and this would be a completely different forum

 

[palexander]

Pleased I didn’t go to this one. Season can’t end fast enough.

We have just run out of steam, form and ideas. The inability to change things up is a massive issue and all the behind the scenes noise. That said in our good seasons we played with pretty much the same team week in week out.

A number of players are just not good enough and need to be move on. I do wonder however whether it will be the reverse…the likes of Hobson and Miley leave and we are left with all the rubbish.

Powell is the first player I would show the door….hopeless!

Maher needs to change things up…tactics..formation and selections. He is starting to look very limited and one dimensional and the start of next season will be crucial for him and the back room team!

Isn’t he still our leading scorer. Hopeless is a bit much…

 

[LeedsSUFC]

People that say 'it's not Maher's fault' - how about in the first half, the fact EVERYONE in the ground could tell the wind was strong.

Yet none of the management team said to Arnold, 'Play it out the back'. Instead Arnold kept hoofing the ball, which due to the wind, was going straight for throw ins IN OUR HALF.



Financially, if you were paying for all of the hotel stays for the Northern games this season, you'd be ****ing fuming.

Halifax 0-0 - Powell misses a penalty - Halifax were dreadful at the time.

Chesterfield 3-2 - We threw this one away.

Gateshead 3-1 - Terrible performance.

Notts away. Expected loss.

Wrexham away. Expected loss.

Today.

The only one we got a result at was York away.