MotM: 29-08-15 FGR (H) Fox

[tonythescout]

I'm sorry but all this hard start {expletive deleted} doesn't wash with me, altrincham sit on 6 points at the moment, and look who those two wins were against.

Agree with comments that if we don't get anything from next two then g w and m c have to go. Position is untenable as it is with four wins in 27

[brumkidd]

But if the nature of their contracts make it impossible, in the current circumstances, to pay them off then we are up sh#t creek.

[spitalfields]

My first game of the season, and all in all it was far less bad than I was fearing it would be. I don't think FGR are as a good a team as their fans are hoping they are at the moment, and there was plenty to give me hope from our performance. In the end, to be beaten by two suicidal mistakes is probably a fair summary of where we are at.

You can only really judge things based on your level of expectation. If you accept that our ambition this year is to be the best team in the bottom third, then things are looking good. We never seriously looked like scoring, but against a well drilled defence of a team that is going to be challenging for the play-offs, that's not a huge surprise. FGR were unable to score without the assistance of some very naive defending, which again provides hope. We are awaiting the return of our experienced centre-half, and not every team will capitalise on the mistakes our inexperienced players will inevitably make from time to time.

The result may have been similar, but the aura was different to the second half of last season where we were barely even going through the motions. We are not going to be challenging in the top half of the table, but then did anyone really expect to be, other than in the sense of how we all expect to win the lottery?

Looking at tables and individual results of other teams at this point in the season is always pointless. Early season is always littered with freak results, and whether or not a fixture list is easy or difficult only really becomes apparent when you get well into the autumn and you see how things have taken shape. But it was always likely that we would pick up very few points in August. Someone texted into H&W extolling the relative success of Macclesfield, operating under similar constraints. With 2 points and one place on us, I can't help thinking that the 'grass is always greener' syndrome is once again disproportionately infesting the Wyre Forest.

I am not a fan of GW's style of play. It makes Mark Yates' tactics look varied and creative. We were spoilt with Steve Burr's approach, which always guaranteed excitement, if not results. Those who felt it to be an insufficiently disciplined approach are perhaps feeling they should have been careful what they wished for. I for one looked wistfully at Chester's result on Saturday- a win from a losing position on 90 minutes is exactly the sort of thing that made Harriers so good to watch in recent times.

But as fans, we must be careful not to contribute to a self-fulfilling prophecy of terminal decline. We must avoid the mentality of being 'too big a club to be satisfied with fifth bottom', and play our part in rebuilding what was destroyed. We have young players who will inevitably make mistakes and may not in the final event be good enough. But they deserve support not criticism; anything else will only be to our detriment. The task of the few senior players we have to keep things together is immense, and should not be underestimated. But there is enough in the squad for things to come good. Not in a 2012 type way, but in a way that we can start to look to the future with some positive thoughts. Ten more games will tell if that can be achieved with GW at the helm. I'm not optimistic it will be, but I'm not going to chastise someone for losing games that the world fully and justifiably expected them to lose.

[tonythescout]

Regardless of us being an ex league club or a team that only two seasons ago came so close to winning the league I ink 99% of us would snap the hand of someone who said you will finish 5th bottom this season

Expectations have been managed by the clubs board and we all know what to expect, but with g w at the helm and m c it will be a bottom four finish looking at results, tactics and weird substitutions, that have littered their tenure.

To their credit they have built a good squad on the peanuts given, but not a clue how to use it or get best out of it.

Look at Torquay, same boat, better manager, doing ok aren't they

[auspice]

.................If you accept that our ambition this year is to be the best team in the bottom third, then things are looking good. We never seriously looked like scoring......................


Not sure how things are looking good - even for that realistic ambition.

[spitalfields]

Look at Torquay, same boat, better manager, doing ok aren't they

I think this is a good example of my point to not read too much into early season tables. Our results against Grimsby and Wrexham were identical to Torquay's. They have won two games, but they were both single goal victories against teams in the bottom four. In contrast, we have only played one team outside the top half.

All things considered, our results might actually be seen as more positive overall than those of Torquay's. And if Paul Cox really is the answer, then perhaps it is time to give up and follow wheelchair basketball instead.

[tonythescout]

Cox won the league with Mansfield, must be doing something right

[spitalfields]

.................If you accept that our ambition this year is to be the best team in the bottom third, then things are looking good. We never seriously looked like scoring......................


Not sure how things are looking good - even for that realistic ambition.

'promising' might have been a better choice of word than 'good'. My point is that we were not completely over-run by a team that has realistic ambitions for the playoffs. The teams that we need to beat to be comfortably safe will have holes at the back, and won't always punish our mistakes in the same way that FGR did. The next ten games will give us a much more balanced picture of where we are really at. On Saturday's showing, I would be surprised if we are still in the bottom four after those. I may of course be wrong, and the gloom will descend.

[spitalfields]

Cox won the league with Mansfield, must be doing something right

Mark Cooper managed in the Championship. Steve Evans took Crawley through two promotions. I would still not want either perversion of DNA to be anywhere near my club.

[tonythescout]

What's your beef with cox and cooper

[redandwhitemike]

My first game of the season, and all in all it was far less bad than I was fearing it would be. I don't think FGR are as a good a team as their fans are hoping they are at the moment, and there was plenty to give me hope from our performance. In the end, to be beaten by two suicidal mistakes is probably a fair summary of where we are at.

You can only really judge things based on your level of expectation. If you accept that our ambition this year is to be the best team in the bottom third, then things are looking good. We never seriously looked like scoring, but against a well drilled defence of a team that is going to be challenging for the play-offs, that's not a huge surprise. FGR were unable to score without the assistance of some very naive defending, which again provides hope. We are awaiting the return of our experienced centre-half, and not every team will capitalise on the mistakes our inexperienced players will inevitably make from time to time.

The result may have been similar, but the aura was different to the second half of last season where we were barely even going through the motions. We are not going to be challenging in the top half of the table, but then did anyone really expect to be, other than in the sense of how we all expect to win the lottery?

Looking at tables and individual results of other teams at this point in the season is always pointless. Early season is always littered with freak results, and whether or not a fixture list is easy or difficult only really becomes apparent when you get well into the autumn and you see how things have taken shape. But it was always likely that we would pick up very few points in August. Someone texted into H&W extolling the relative success of Macclesfield, operating under similar constraints. With 2 points and one place on us, I can't help thinking that the 'grass is always greener' syndrome is once again disproportionately infesting the Wyre Forest.

I am not a fan of GW's style of play. It makes Mark Yates' tactics look varied and creative. We were spoilt with Steve Burr's approach, which always guaranteed excitement, if not results. Those who felt it to be an insufficiently disciplined approach are perhaps feeling they should have been careful what they wished for. I for one looked wistfully at Chester's result on Saturday- a win from a losing position on 90 minutes is exactly the sort of thing that made Harriers so good to watch in recent times.

But as fans, we must be careful not to contribute to a self-fulfilling prophecy of terminal decline. We must avoid the mentality of being 'too big a club to be satisfied with fifth bottom', and play our part in rebuilding what was destroyed. We have young players who will inevitably make mistakes and may not in the final event be good enough. But they deserve support not criticism; anything else will only be to our detriment. The task of the few senior players we have to keep things together is immense, and should not be underestimated. But there is enough in the squad for things to come good. Not in a 2012 type way, but in a way that we can start to look to the future with some positive thoughts. Ten more games will tell if that can be achieved with GW at the helm. I'm not optimistic it will be, but I'm not going to chastise someone for losing games that the world fully and justifiably expected them to lose.

Apologies in advance to the writer of the above - BUT


I suppose depending on your point of view and how easy one finds 'accepting' second rate or just plain incompetence from management will influence how we see things - but I find the above a total white wash for what we have been subjected to under the current regime, and totally defeatist.

"But as fans, we must be careful not to contribute to a self fulfilling prophecy of decline" - sorry but I can't agree with that.

That would imagine that the fan base sits back and accepts there isn't a way out this sorry situation and the above would have us bury our heads in the sand,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Looking to the future with some positive thoughts,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,under GW & MC ????

Had the above been based on watching the first game under a new manager - maybe I could have accepted the ethos of the message, but where we are, has been coming long before the start of this season. The construction of the squad, the scatter gun signings of wannabees and the lack of a cohesive and dedicated approach to how the team plays and the sheer naivety of the tactics - illustrate in spades where this club is heading - unless their is a quantum shift in emphasis from GW in how to get the best from his squad - IF he had applied the budget to finding a focal point for his style of play - a John Parkin type for example instead of Reece Styche would maybe have made an ounce of sense and fans could have understood the rationale - but fans are left bemused by the tactics and style of play.

Another ten games under the current regime ,,,,,,,,, then we will know for sure that they are not good enough ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I'm afraid by then it will far too late - and Harriers might well be cut adrift.

Unfortunately however one dresses up the excuses - there is no getting away from reality, whether it be the last six games or the last sixteen, I fear for the future if the status quo is maintained - something has to change.

IF GW cannot implement that change - then some one else has to do it.

[redandwhitemike]

.................If you accept that our ambition this year is to be the best team in the bottom third, then things are looking good. We never seriously looked like scoring......................


Not sure how things are looking good - even for that realistic ambition.

'promising' might have been a better choice of word than 'good'. My point is that we were not completely over-run by a team that has realistic ambitions for the playoffs. The teams that we need to beat to be comfortably safe will have holes at the back, and won't always punish our mistakes in the same way that FGR did. The next ten games will give us a much more balanced picture of where we are really at. On Saturday's showing, I would be surprised if we are still in the bottom four after those. I may of course be wrong, and the gloom will descend.

With respect - FGR didn't punish the mistakes - IF they had Harriers would have lost 4/5-0 - we could have been 0-3 down by HT!!

But you can bet sooner or later there will be team out there that will make hay and it will get embarrassing,,,,,,,,,,,,