Bad Vibes. Let's get them out of the way

[gateman49]

Right, let's get this lot exposed and out of the way in readiness for next Saturday.

We have plenty of 'previous' for cocking things up spectacularly on the last day so if we can clearly and rationally discuss them now, it might help us to get over the line, at least on the pitch. We can then devote all of our attention to the bigger battles.

There are two categories, promotion blown and relegation confirmed as we grasped defeat from the hands of victory.

In the former, the most significant was an away draw at Crystal Palace when a win would have guaranteed promotion to what is now the Championship, then not that long ago we managed to lose our last two matches, the final one against Scunthorpe at Plainmoor to avoid promotion to what is now League One.

In the latter, we lost away at Barnsley in the 60's, I think after having taken the lead when a draw would have sufficed to be relegated to the bottom league tier. More recently, we went to Colchester for the final match in a similar position in the table to that which we find ourselves in today. It was in our hands as it were but we managed to lose allowing those clubs below to leapfrog us.

Of course, there are plenty of positive last match dramas as well.

Anybody got any other reflections?

[desperado]

Saturday will be a tough game, North Ferriby will be relaxed and wont want to go down with a defeat. They will
raise their game in front of a big especially for them crowd and 'big' stadium Dont forget they won at FGR
recently. Not a game where we want go a goal down again with some sloppy defending
Would expect Guisley to win, and who knows what mood Forest Green will be in at York. We have to win this game

[Gullscorer]

Well, there was that League Two play-off final we lost, where Paul Buckle had his mind focussed on his new job as manager of Bristol Rovers..

Oh dear, all these bad times are going to haunt me for a week or more! We should focus on the good times, and go into the last game of the season in a good, optimistic and confident mood.

[Jeff]

Surely the greatest parallel is with our L1 season under Leroy. I think only one set of results would have seen us relegated, and that was what happened. I'll never forgive Tranmere for fielding a weakened side that day at MK Dons

[brucie]

As Dave Thomas said a few weeks ago, you want to be going into the last match of the season with destiny in your own hands. Its football, there can only be three results. Anything can happen in a one off game.

You can say what you want about these much maligned players but boy have they shown some character. We have gone to Aldershot and Lincoln with just about two viable substitute options and on another day won one of those games. The heartbreak of the Lincoln must have been shattering. Then being one nil down against Braintree, having a goal disallowed. It looked all over to be honest. We know what the response has been since then.

The momentum swing is with us to be honest - I do think we are going to get some huge support next Saturday. If you look hard enough you can find negatives (ie NF won at Forest Green, they will be relaxed etc etc)

I guess that the visitors will have to travel on the day of the match? Who would you want to play?

I will settle for playing a part time team, with a season goal difference of minus 48 who will most likely have to start their journey down at about 4am in the morning.

[merse btpir]

I guess that the visitors will have to travel on the day of the match? Who would you want to play? I will settle for playing a part time team, with a season goal difference of minus 48 who will most likely have to start their journey down at about 4am in the morning.

No way will that be the case ~ they have had this on their agenda all season and it will be down on Friday and (so I am told) a second overnight and back on Sunday.

A last hurrah for the villagers in what for them is their most anticipated away trip of the season......everybody loves to go down to Torquay. No pressure to perform or get a result it could be just the relaxed antidote to our desperate need to win and fragile mentality and it just could be the horrific anti-climax and awful end to a disgraceful period on our history.

I hope not; this club gets far better support than it deserves considering the way it is run. A time to say goodbye to the entire squad and management ~ whatever you think of them; they surely won't be engaged for another season of this ~ and then keep everything crossed the Mayor loses his nerve and decides not to put the freehold at the mercy of GI.

[brucie]

No of course there isn't any pressure on them, everyone accepts that but we have to play somebody. It could be half the teams in the league who could be our opponents, they havn't got any pressure either.

I'm not too fussed about whether they come down the day before or not either. It won't change their minus 48 goal difference though. For all I know perhaps they might enjoy the "hospitality" wherever they are staying the night before the game.

Whether the club "deserves" the support or not this week doesn't really matter either. All we can do is turn up, make as much noise as possible, try and influence the ref. Just do anything to help the players win the game.

Celebrating staying in this league won't really be anything to celebrate either, but if we manage to pull it off I would expect some pretty joyous scenes.

As for mental fragility - well who knows how its going to affect the players on the day? We succumbed at Lincoln but equally stood firm against Braintree and Dover.

Could anything be worse than turning up on Saturday having to rely on other results to keep us up. Its in our own hands and amen to that.

[withawhy]

A time to say goodbye to the entire squad and management ~ whatever you think of them


I think that would be not only harsh but also self defeating.

Of course it has everything to do with if we stay up, remain full time and if there is a reasonable playing budget but, at National League level, players like Moore, Rowe-Turner, McGinty, Lathrope, Young, Sparkes, Keating are surely good enough to keep. Others more questionable or too highly paid.

I would also give Nicholson a chance to show that he can build a team to compete towards the top end of the table, at least until Christmas - provided he pulls off another miracle on Saturday. I would not like to see Harrop taking over as Manager!

[merse btpir]

I'm foretelling what will happen; neither promoting the idea or otherwise.

The writing's been on the wall for some time now. ALL playing contracts are up immediately after Saturday's game and the players are all off the payroll....although contracted for longer, the management will surely follow at a time when rival clubs have been securing their better players for months now.

The reported events of the last week of NL registrations surely told you that.

[SenorDingDong]

A time to say goodbye to the entire squad and management ~ whatever you think of them

Of course it has everything to do with if we stay up, remain full time and if there is a reasonable playing budget but, at National League level, players like Moore, Rowe-Turner, McGinty, Lathrope, Young, Sparkes, Keating are surely good enough to keep. Others more questionable or too highly paid.

Rowe-Turner no, Lathrope no because he gets injured too much, however Moore/McGinty/Young/Sparkes and Keating and might I add Williams would be a good base to work off next season. Williams will probably want to leave however.

This is all an academic exercise though, as we have no idea what the budget will be for a full GI season. I wouldn't be surprised for it to be a load of old toss.

[Plainmoor78]

My bad vibes are no matter what happens on Saturday we are still faced with the prospect of the freehold on plainmoor being sold which could lead to the demise of the club.
GI's intent as far as the football side of things goes won't be known until they announce who is going to be the manager next season and what budget he has to p!ay with.
There will no doubt be wild celebrations if we pull it off, but my naturally pessimistic nature will be raining on everybody else's parade.

[Southampton Gull]

My bad vibes are no matter what happens on Saturday we are still faced with the prospect of the freehold on plainmoor being sold which could lead to the demise of the club.
GI's intent as far as the football side of things goes won't be known until they announce who is going to be the manager next season and what budget he has to p!ay with.
There will no doubt be wild celebrations if we pull it off, but my naturally pessimistic nature will be raining on everybody else's parade.

Precisely how I feel too.

[tomogull]

A time to say goodbye to the entire squad and management ~ whatever you think of them; they surely won't be engaged for another season of this

I absolutely 100% disagree with this. Yes - we know that all of the players' contracts end on the 30th April but I maintain with the addition of two or three players, there would be the basis of a side that could move us up the table so I hope most of the current squad will be offered new contracts. Dave Thomas said during yesterday's commentary that this was about the quietest team he has known. He is right. The team has cried out for a Alex Watson/Guy Branson type of leader. And obviously we need a striker (or two). No doubt there will be many who disagree with me, but I have seen it all before. Players discarded and replaced by others who were no better, and in many cases worse, than the players who had been released. I have my own opinion on who should stay and who should be released, but it is not fair to name names on here.

I also hope that Nico is given until about Christmas to prove himself, but whoever is manager at the start of next season will struggle if he is not given a fair budget. Merse may be right and the die is already cast, but I hope not.

[Fonda]

I don't think the insinuation is the players aren't considered good enough. Some (not all) surely are. The point is the budget will not allow for most of these players to be kept. There will be an obvious desire to reduce the budget still further, so the squad we're watching next season (in whatever league) will be weaker than this one. As for Nicho, the desire is obviously to get rid of him, but there is increasingly little justification in doing so. Time will tell.

As for the 'freedom' our opponents might play with on Saturday, it's true having no pressure on the (relatively) big stage will be a great occasion for them. But our lads will naturally have more desire. The result matters to us in a way it doesn't matter to them, and they've shown in the last couple of games a willingness to accept the pressure and even revel in it.

[wodger of awabia]

Precisely how I feel too.

If I was Mrs. Bristow, I would want to buy the ground and charge a fair rent. I would not want to see my husbands memorial ( Bristows Bench ) pulled down!