Thetownend.com

Just listened to Sandy Gray on www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire

"We want the club to be aiming for mid-table [insert huge pause and mumbles] or above ..."

WTF?

Mid-table?

Are you pulling my pisser?  Even if it's true, which is probably is in our current state, do you really think it's a good idea to say that to the fans??!?!?!

i think it is realistic, and considering where we are, i think saying we are aiming for playoffs might put fans hopes up. even though, saying we are aiming for mid table makes me wanna come and watch!

At this stage I think anything else would be daft - play-offs are out of the question, relegation is what none of us want, so mid-table is where I certainly hope we finish this season.

I know that - but surely the CE needs to say we are aiming to make this club into a Championship side within x years, or say something to bring back the fans who now will expect mid-table tedium ...

I know she's telling the truth, but the truth is a silly thing to say when you've got to get another 5,000 people enthused in the club and pay £23 a pop to see them.

Champions league by 2008 or Iffy gets it!!

Hehe - perhaps not THAT inspirational.  But do you see what I mean, at least?

lets not think too far ahead....lets just steady the ship first

I think that's probably the most sensible thing Gray has ever said.

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Id be happy with Mid table no doubt about it.

I don't like sensible ...

midtable? man, i'd be happy with 20th!

If  Iffy gets our crock of shit into mid table.....he'll deserve  manager of the year.

 The damage was done in the summer by the wage cutting of the board.

EXACTLY!

Yes im quite willing to say our board fucked up aswell they're just as much to blame as King is for our current League position.

... and compounded by the persistent bizarre selections and formations of King. Iffy has to lift the spirts of a whole bunch of players who have been ground down and discarded with no hope in the face of underperforming bought has-beens and loans.

Man management - My Arse

I bet Nicholas plays the rest of the season now King has gone.

deservedly so on Saturday's performance...

Had the budget not been cut King would have simply re-signed half of the players released in the summer anyway.  Are we really in the sort of situation where we miss the likes of Duke, Hewlett and Howard?  For all their honesty Robinson and Heywood were far from irreplaceable while Parkin’s departure was always a foregone conclusion budget cuts or not.

Yes king couldn’t bring in some of the replacements he wanted but had he been given a full budget he wouldn’t have needed to sign replacements anyway.  Besides where it mattered in Parkin he was gifted his first choice two so the argument just doesn’t wash.

I’m brutally disappointed to date this season but I really fail to believe that with the exception of Heywood and Parkin that the rest of this squad is worse or even on a par to the one that departed last season.

Howard and Grunt Smith I reserve judgement on.  Howard as a central midfielder as King saw him is inferior to Pook while on appearances to date at Shitty Grunt may well have proved to be a flash in the pan.

Lest we forget we have used more first team players this season than any other team in this division.

Got a feeling this “crock of shit” will turn out to be a real stubborn floater.   :old:

Sonic - yet Nicholas got only 5 out of 10 in the adver ... sack that bloody idiot reporter I say ... as i agree with you Nicholas was good!

Don't bet on it. Will only happen with WB in 532 or if Smith goes to RB in 442.

Lets hope that Iffy has the sense to rotate players to keep them sharp and feeling they belong.

If you change, more or less a whole squad, in one go, then you're asking for problems....the likes of Hewlett, Duke and Igoe  may not have been great, but they could do you a job....King has spent the first 10 games basically trying to find players and a system that might look like winning a few games..

 Having tried out so many permutations, all he got was a realisation that we haven't got too many that merit a regular place....

 The KOB believe that somewhere in our squad is a decent side waiting to escape...I don't think so......we'll see.

reg, i'd like to think we're able to play better than we have been. i dont think anyone's under the illusion we've got a fantastic side here, but i hope we're better than this!!!

Reg, for one of the first times I disagree with you.

Whilst it was far from helpful, I think king did a very good job of assembling a fairly talented squad which even has a little bit of depth with the 20% cut.

Fair enough 4 of them are on loan, but I'd be shocked if the likes of Whalley, Cureton and Thorpe carry on their current crapness for the entire season.

As I've said in another thread, King did the hard bit well in the summer, his motivational skills and tactical knowledge have let him down since.

What would have happened if we had the extra 20%? The likes of Duke, Igoe, Howard would have stayed. great.

I also disagree with you Reg.  Only time will tell but I believe 100% that we have the makings of a good side.  As the Piemiester said, King did the hard work getting the squad together.  Once assembled he didn't have a f******* clue what to do with them.

A decent manager would turn those individual players into a decent side.  I see no reason why that cannot be Iffy (assisted, I assume by Woan).

I agree with the original point by the way.  Gray should have said the club's aim was the play offs. Always aim high.

Like the last two, disagree.....we are better than 23rd....not much, but we are

I mostly agree with you there. I'll of course give the team/manager my backing but I just see a complete lack of quality, mainly in midfield (Migs aside).

Add to that the number of loan signings we have and I guess a certain amount of uncertainty come renewal time in January, I'm very worried.

I think we can stay up but if we are really honest we are paying 4th division wages, lately playing to 4th division crowds and being run by 4th division men/lady in charge. So what is a realistic aim for STFC?

I'd like to hear the context in which this was put. For a club of our stature this is always going to generate a sense of revulsion. I'd imagine she was not talking about mid-table as our standard?

   Thorpe and Cureton  have been crap for a year now....Cureton 1 goal Thorpe 2.

   Its not likely they'll suddenly come good.....to still score goals into your 30's you've got to have a hunger and pride....think Windass  and Claridge....also Mooney.

   Neither of our two have it.

   Whalley played 6 games or so  last season....and clearly is not fully fit....whether now that's as good as it gets for him, I'm not sure.....but if it is he doesn't justify a place.

But Whalley loves training, it's his favourite thig about being a pro, you'd think he'd be in fucking shape then wouldn't you.

He needs to be dropped for a while.  I've already had enough of his pathetic through balls that constantly go out for a goal kick.

I liked the look of McDermott when he came on.  He played a couple of good balls and made a couple of good runs.  Maybe he will start at Donny???

I agree, he looked strong and energetic

shouldnt he have done all the messing around with formations etc in pre-season though?

in fact, can this shit start to the season be put down to the fact we played a load of non-league teams in pre-season & weren't fully prepared for the challenge ahead?

makes you wonder...

... it also makes you wonder, why, after beating forest & yeovil, did he decide to play around with the formation. surely he had found his 'winning team' after those games, so why keep changing it?