What's Gone Wrong?

[lesgtfc]

Genuine question but what the hell has gone wrong down there.

I'm a Grimsby Town fan and earlier in the season when you came to our place you were superb and one of the best teams we have seen at Blundell Park since we've been at this level, especially in the first half when you played us off the park. At the time you were in the play-off spots and I honestly thought that it would be yourselves rather than Brizzle who would be challenging at the top come the end of the season.

Even later on when I came down to your place and met up with Dave (ForeverTUFC) in Boots & Laces all still seemed to be fine. Obviously I don't follow the day to day goings on down there but I'm just curious as the why things have gone so horribly wrong since.

Here's hoping things pick up for you anyway.

[Dave]

Hi Les. Wouldn't know where to start with this, and would not want to post out on the forum some things I believe but couldn't prove. As far as the team is concerned you're right, at the start of this season we we're playing teams off the park, with some neat, quick passing football that other sides had no answer to.

Now we've morphed into a team, that panics, kicks, rushes, hoofs the ball all over the place, incapable of passing the ball 2 yards to the feet of a team mate and generally look like they do not know what they're supposed to be doing, some unfit as well.

Mentality, confidence, leadership, training, tactics, man-management, and so and so on, I'm taking a long hard look at the manager.

[Southampton Gull]

Let me finish the sentence properly, Dave.

.......I'm taking a long hard look at the manager.................when I should also be looking at the Board and players just as critically

[PlainmoorRoar]

On the playing side of things i think we miss Lee Mansell

Watching the game last night, no-one in yellow talks on the pitch, although LM was never the best player on the pitch he always gave everyone that little edge when he was buzzing around.

I'd have him over Courtney Richards at this moment in time!

[Dave]

Let me finish the sentence properly, Dave.

.......I'm taking a long hard look at the manager.................when I should also be looking at the Board and players just as critically

I sit corrected , and agree, the board and player most shoulder some of the blame, but a bad workman always blames his tools, and CH has done a bit to much of that.

[PhilGull]

That is the million dollar question that everyone want to know the answer to. Personally I think it's confidence. From the Chairwoman down we have seen a pervasive, deepening lack of confidence sweeping through the club like some hideous infectious disease. The board, backroom staff, players and fans - we all have lost confidence in ourselves and each other.

[lesgtfc]

Hi Les. Wouldn't know where to start with this, and would not want to post out on the forum some things I believe but couldn't prove. As far as the team is concerned you're right, at the start of this season we we're playing teams off the park, with some neat, quick passing football that other sides had no answer to.

Now we've morphed into a team, that panics, kicks, rushes, hoofs the ball all over the place, incapable of passing the ball 2 yards to the feet of a team mate and generally look like they do not know what they're supposed to be doing, some unfit as well.

Mentality, confidence, leadership, training, tactics, man-management, and so and so on, I'm taking a long hard look at the manager.

I do keep an eye on your results Dave and it's just staggered me how badly it's gone wrong. Even when we won there the game could have gone either way. It was only your keeper throwing one in the net for us that gave us the win, though reading some post of the game last night it sounds like he was one of the few who could hold their heads up last night.

[supergulls]

I think the players can prove they can play at this level when their confidence was high they went on a good unbeaten run. But with the board making bad decisions which lead to a frustrated manager who has definitely been affected mentally at having to work within constraints that has then led to training ground bust ups and crazy selections to a manager falling out with individuals and then followed by the dressing room leading too more punishments for players because results are not going our way, which has then led to even lower confidence and a I don't give a toss attitude. Can we see the way this has spiralled out on control.

[Dave]

A greed, Martin Rice has taken a fair amount of stick this season, but I truly felt so sorry for Ricey last night, he was left hopelessly exposed in this match, and didn't have a chance of stopping any of the goals.

was having a chat last night a work with a few lads as you do, and I said the only reason we lost this game 1.5 was down to Braintree not being a very good team, had say Macclesfield or another top team been at plainmoor last night in the right mood, I dread to think what the score line would have been, that sums up just how bad things have got.

[Southampton Gull]

I think the players can prove they can play at this level when their confidence was high they went on a good unbeaten run. But with the board making bad decisions which lead to a frustrated manager who has definitely been affected mentally at having to work within constraints that has then led to training ground bust ups and crazy selections to a manager falling out with individuals and then followed by the dressing room leading too more punishments for players because results are not going our way, which has then led to even lower confidence and a I don't give a toss attitude. Can we see the way this has spiralled out on control.

Some of us can

[brucie]

Other teams and managers in this league are working on smaller budgets than we are. How exactly is it the fault of the board when half of our players don't seem to want to play for the manager.

1. Rice - poor goalkeeper who has let in at least 20 soft goals this season - the managers choice to go with as our number 1 keeper

2. Pearce - Looked a class above league 2 last season. Now he looks like he should be playing for Bideford Reserves. Seems to be the scapegoat everytime something goes wrong. Is he being managed correctly - doesn't look like it to me.

3. Bowman - Hargreaves great white hope (more like great white dope) who has been played continously by the manager despite being consistently useless game after game. Prima Donna who should be on his bike. Spends more time blaming his team mates than doing anything himself.

4. Richards - playing well until the managers brainwave to play him at centre half.

5. Ives - put in the team - should be put out to grass, he isn't good enough.

6. Ofori - Raw but the one forward who opposition defenders don't like playing against. Seems to be totally out of favour. Managed well?

7. Tactics - there isn't any. Steve Breed was openly criticising Hargreaves formation last night.

However Hargreaves is only learning, nobodies dead, he only picks the team. Its nothing to do with him.

[Southampton Gull]

I notice you omitted Campbell who you recently labelled as useless yet last night he scored and by all accounts looked up for it. Rice has been performing well recently and I suspect the reason he was Hargreaves "choice" had more to do with budget and availability than anything else. Bowman will still score goals if he gets the service. Ives is 17, what do you expect ffs?

[PlainmoorRoar]

also changed his thoughts on Pearce

Seeing as he was woeful last night, but brucie was showering praise on him up before the game...

Helps to be a fan.

[tommyg]

It's a mental thing. These players crack under the slightest amount of pressure. We can win at Grimsby, Barnet and Eastleigh but have lost twice to the likes of Telford and Braintree. This is the same group of players but they perform better when there's no expectation on them.

[Fonda]

they perform better when there's no expectation on them.

Should bode well for the rest of the season then, because I imagine most people's expectancy is zero now.