Carlisle United vs Swindon Town Match Day Thread

[molepar]

I am concerned without pressing panic buttons yet. Anything from Orient game would be a bonus. I expect them to pump us. I will be very concerned if we don’t win against Rochdale who have started even worse than we have.

[Peter Venkman]

Everyone should question things, our club is by no means being run as well as we hoped it seems, off the pitch its improving but we have declined on the pitch for sure this season.

Everyone can see that, yes we are shit but are we as shit as under Sheridan? probably not, is it all great? not by any means, and with many fans they only judge the club based upon whats happening on the pitch, which currently isnt very good.

I fully understand the unrest of fans, I am not a Lindsey or Clem apologist but I have seen improvements in the last couple of league games (we cant judge the Walsall game as we didnt want to win that) but togetherness takes time, many areas on the pitch bother me, not getting in decent fullbacks who can defend, getting in a couple of CB's with a little experience that so far havent clicked. We have only lost 1 of our first 3 league games after all with 2 draws.

In midfield we do miss Paynes running and Williams and Reed and to a certain extend Gladwin too havent hit it off yet and play like they havent played together before, I think Reed is waiting to see the outcome of any possible transfer dealing and if he knows he is staying then he will knuckle down, similar with Harry as at times their heads seem miles away.

Khan has promise but looks very raw, some things he does really well and somethings are very non league in standard, MacDonald looks good in the air but struggles bringing the ball out and passing, Baudry is still our best defender.

Is it awful? no its not awful, its at times not very good but not the worst we have seen even in the last 4 years, is it great? no its not great, far from it, but these players never all played together before yesterday so need to learn each others games before they can learn how the team play.

Theres loads of room for improvement, thats a no shit sherlock thing but its not time for knee jerk reactions....yet.....give it another 4 or 5 games and reassess things, if there are no signs of improvement after 10 games then maybe Lindsey really was the wrong man and that will need rectifying.

We are still a club in turmoil and we should be pushing for the play offs but we need to gel this team together, and get a good striker in to help Wakeling and Harry so they can be pushed wide as Adeloye so far doesnt show too much quality.

Football, and especially Swindon Town is not black and white, its a huge grey scale, which we are currently in, I think we just need to sit back and see how the next few games pan out before we fully judge.

I refer you back to Rovers last season who started very poorly and also when we won the league in 86 we only won 2 of our first 8 games losing 5 of them and still won the division with 102 points.

No panic button from me yet but of course we are frustraed as fans as the system thatw orked well last season has been changed so much by Lindsey who wants to assert his mark on the team, lets see.

[Jimmy HaveHave]

Great detailed post. Let's all take stock and reconvene after 10 games and see where we're at unless of course things deteriorate!

[Pericardinho]

Most people are trying to give a bit of perspective, like you have stated we have zero experience in the top 4 roles.  

They might have less experience but at least we know Rob/Clem are doing what's best for the club, how many other clubs can say that?

While I know we haven't started the season well, it's too early to judge.

I don't question that their hearts aren't in the right places. I do question however if they have the resources available for us to operate as a proper club.

Doing what's best for the club for example would be employing more staff. I'm holding this opinion back slightly as i've heard there's going to be a re-shuffle of roles but I was far from happy last season. Nobody was ever there to answer the phone. We must've been the most tin pot club in the EFL for customer service. There's rumours of further cuts and it's worrying

If we can't afford another couple of heads on circa minimum wage to answer phone calls then what's really going on here?

[STFC_Manc]

I don't question that their hearts aren't in the right places. I do question however if they have the resources available for us to operate as a proper club.

Doing what's best for the club for example would be employing more staff. I'm holding this opinion back slightly as i've heard there's going to be a re-shuffle of roles but I was far from happy last season. Nobody was ever there to answer the phone. We must've been the most tin pot club in the EFL for customer service. There's rumours of further cuts and it's worrying

If we can't afford another couple of heads on circa minimum wage to answer phone calls then what's really going on here?

You are questioning the business credentials of some one who runs a successful business and for a very long time.

I do agree that we need more staff, however turnover/commercial activity is in a much stronger position, so they are doing a pretty good job on that front, which is what a good CEO/owner should do.

[Pericardinho]

You are questioning the business credentials of some one who runs a success business and for a very long time.

I do agree that we need more staff, however turnover/commercial activity is in a much stronger position, so they are doing a pretty good job on that front, which is what a good CEO/owner should do.

Yes I am. because running a plumbing firm and a football club are 2 very different things entirely.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

There are loads of wealthy owners who can’t run a successful football club. Owners tend not to actually run clubs but employ people in strategic positions to do that for them.

The old adage of pay peanuts and get monkeys is very apt. Somehow - and I’m still not clear how - we’ve managed to get our debt down by c£3m+. Historical debt will always weigh heavily on a club trying to progress.

I’ve not really got a problem with player recruitment - the new lot plus the core from last season SHOULD do well.

My concern is the staff that have been employed to get these players into a cohesive, competitive team.

I think they deserve better.

[Townend80]

For what’s it’s worth the club has not been run so well for the last 30 years

Clem wants the club self sustaining. We can’t have that model (this season) and compete with the top budgets because we still have £1.5 worth of debt to pay. Once that’s cleared our playing budget rockets. I can’t remember the last time the club has soooo many young assists contracted long term.

Future seasons we’ll own stadium and start development, a club rammed for off assets where we make good figures of which all monies from sales goes back in to club. We are in a good way. Each and every game we’ve shown improvement (league cup was a youth game). In 3 league games we’ve played 3 formations 352 441 (after mckirdy red) and 433

14 new players we are always going to be disjointed. We have a good team. Stop talking absolute shite and get behind them. We’ll finish in and around top 7 the team is good enough. Whoever is sold will he replaced

Ffs come on guys

[STFC_Manc]

Yes I am. because running a plumbing firm and a football club are 2 very different things entirely.

Running a business, although in a different sector doesn't mean he can run a football club? How many owners actually run a football club as a business? So apart from employing a few more people to answer calls, what else are you complaining about?

This is the problem with the negative people on the forum, they have blinkers on, nothing postive at all. 

In my post I agree we need more staff, I've said we need to improve but we have played 3 league games, so we need to give the team more time but I'm not pressing the panic button and I don't get your negativety on how the club is being run, off the pitch.

[Ticker45]

Just read through this thread and the pre-season concerns regarding the playing/coach/DoF side that many had have certainly not abated, if not increased, and I am in the latter camp. The next two games are probably far more critical than I envisaged when the fixtures came out as bad results even at this early stage of the season will only add fuel to the feeling that there is something wrong with the whole set-up.

I want to be proved totally wrong as the new signings gel, the system we play works well and we go happily ever onwards through the Divisions, but currently that seems very much like pie in the sky outlook.

[JBZ]

Perhaps there should be separate threads for each 'camp'. Those offended by posts expressing disquiet can stay away from that thread - and vice versa. 

[Pericardinho]

Running a business, although in a different sector doesn't mean he can run a football club? How many owners actually run a football club as a business? So apart from employing a few more people to answer calls, what else are you complaining about?

This is the problem with the negative people on the forum, they have blinkers on, nothing postive at all.  

In my post I agree we need more staff, I've said we need to improve but we have played 3 league games, so we need to give the team more time but I'm not pressing the panic button and I don't get your negativety on how the club is being run, off the pitch.

Calm down. I didn't say he can't run a football club. I just said it's different. He will need to adapt.

You agree with me that we are under staffed (over a year since he took over btw) so how am I being negative when you agree?

Forgive me but, when I see Clem and Rob ringing up vulnerable fans begging them to waive ST refunds, and then see that we're cutting staffing costs when our customer service was abysmal last season, I'm not going to stay quiet. I will voice my concerns and don't care if people call me negative.

[RobertT]

On the off field stuff, I have very little exposure.  My one visit last season suggested a mix - the matchday hospitality is head and shoulders above what it used to be and I'd even suggest under priced.  The polar opposite was experienced in the club shop which was nothing short of a jumble sale effort, despite good intentions from the staff.  They seemed all over the shop, literally.

My experiences of the MLS confirm a thought I have had for years (and I know not everyone will like this), but Swindon are shit at milking the fans.  As DV has expressed recently, English football fans are largely like drug addicts.  We simply go far more often than we should, tend to moan about price increases but eat them up and accept a shit product so long as we get the hit.  To that end, the club has a customer base that will spend money when it probably shouldn't.  Take the concourses for example - they are a barren land compared to the commercial free enterprise that could be occurring.

Anyway, on the pitch - I brought up Flitcrofts season for a reason.  No matter whether or not I think recruitment has been shit (it has) and we've gone backwards in terms of quality (we have), in this Division there is always a way.  Nobody has talent that far exceeds everyone else, well, not often.  The trick is to find something that extracts the most out of your attacking talent and restricts the exposure of your shit defenders.  Last season we took possession of the football to restrict other teams and allow slow build-up via Reed to get the attackers on the ball, eventually.  Designed to match the Academy loan players we had brought in.  This season I think we need to abandon this - get the ball away from our defenders much more quickly.  I'm not sure Reed fits the squad anymore (hope I am proved wrong).  I'd swap his position out for an enforcer style player and stop playing through it - instead start playing it quick and wide (where we have some speed) and try and get the attacking talent on the ball quicker and further forward.  Not hitting it long, just tell the defenders not to play it about and look wide first.  I'd try McKirdy and Wakeling either side of Adeloye (not that he has shown much yet).  Clayton behind two from Williams, Gladwin, Darcy and Khan with a back four.

[DiV]

On the off field stuff, I have very little exposure.  My one visit last season suggested a mix - the matchday hospitality is head and shoulders above what it used to be and I'd even suggest under priced.  The polar opposite was experienced in the club shop which was nothing short of a jumble sale effort, despite good intentions from the staff.  They seemed all over the shop, literally.

My experiences of the MLS confirm a thought I have had for years (and I know not everyone will like this), but Swindon are shit at milking the fans.  As DV has expressed recently, English football fans are largely like drug addicts.  We simply go far more often than we should, tend to moan about price increases but eat them up and accept a shit product so long as we get the hit.  To that end, the club has a customer base that will spend money when it probably shouldn't.  Take the concourses for example - they are a barren land compared to the commercial free enterprise that could be occurring.

Anyway, on the pitch - I brought up Flitcrofts season for a reason.  No matter whether or not I think recruitment has been shit (it has) and we've gone backwards in terms of quality (we have), in this Division there is always a way.  Nobody has talent that far exceeds everyone else, well, not often.  The trick is to find something that extracts the most out of your attacking talent and restricts the exposure of your shit defenders.  Last season we took possession of the football to restrict other teams and allow slow build-up via Reed to get the attackers on the ball, eventually.  Designed to match the Academy loan players we had brought in.  This season I think we need to abandon this - get the ball away from our defenders much more quickly.  I'm not sure Reed fits the squad anymore (hope I am proved wrong).  I'd swap his position out for an enforcer style player and stop playing through it - instead start playing it quick and wide (where we have some speed) and try and get the attacking talent on the ball quicker and further forward.  Not hitting it long, just tell the defenders not to play it about and look wide first.  I'd try McKirdy and Wakeling either side of Adeloye (not that he has shown much yet).  Clayton behind two from Williams, Gladwin, Darcy and Khan with a back four.

A very good (and probably over looked) point in there Rob.

Not very often in this division you will find a team so far ahead on talent. Let alone 3 of them to take up all the automatic spots and even less likely 7 of them to take up the play off places as well.

Adapting to what we have is what is needed.
I know the window isn’t shut and we might still get loans in but for the most part we are picking up players other lower league teams want off their wage bill - rather than exciting youngsters you need some ‘education’

It’s a fine line naturally because having too many (good) loan players is what did us in last season but if players aren’t good enough to get game time (even more so now with 5 subs) with Sheffield Wednesday and Burton - are they really going to improve us?

Would we be better off with *insert the name of an Aston Villa under 21s centre back* than Brennan?

[Kinky Tom]

Pretty sure those of us suggesting we wait before passing judgement quite so soon are far from the in crowd at the moment.

It's not about not questioning when needs be, it's the absolute unrelenting certainty that the club is rotten from top to bottom from many at such an early stage.  We've all seen seasons start slow but I simply cannot remember so many writing one off in the way this one seams to be.

Loads of people telling us everything is on the cheap yet for the first time in ages we've paid money for 3 players and tied a lot down to contracts for longer than the usual 1 season.  For years people have moaned that we never do these things but now we do and it's completely overlooked.  Will the players signed be good or not?  Far too early to tell.

People are so desperate for SL to be a disaster, seemingly as they're ticked off with how he was appointed.  The protracted search for a new manager and subsequent appointment was a frustrating wait, I know that and we were right to wonder what was going on at the time but he's the man in charge now so he deserves to be given support and a bit of time before being written off like he has been.

It's not about not hearing negativity, again, it's the refusal to give any period of time before deciding the season is done for.

People can act how they want, those of us that can be a bit more patient will question why some people have given up so quickly and those of you who have will question us.  Personally I do think the way in which a lot of people are reacting is way too over the top and will call it as I see it, just as those people are calling things how they interpret it.