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last 1 out please switch lights out

ei ei ei ei o down the football league we go!
Plymouth fairing better than us at mo with no budget.

5 points from relegation

the good news is we still have 8 teams below us. brilliant

for how long ??

There was a fair few misgivings when Ling was appointed and really he is appearing pretty clueless. is Saah actually poking him or something. Our team is completely crap and no team spirit either. It is looking like a recipe for disaster. A new stand to watch non league football next year.

Well, I saw today as my opportunity to assess for myself whether we really are in trouble at the moment. And unfortunately (and clearly, given the scoreline), we are.

It was a really bizarre game. We played better in the first half, not dominant but definitely the better side, and got hit by 2 sucker punches. Yet in the second half the scoreline was softer on us yet we were truly truly abysmal.

The game started in usual vein of us popping the ball around quite well and with a bit of energy, yet 6 mins innwe find ourselves behind from Gillinghams first foray into our half. A corner is cleared, but we pay the price for only having Stevens left upfield. The ball is returned, but headed clear as far as Gills skipper Lawrence, who once again heads it back in. This time we are caught square at the back, Kuffour takes a touch to steady himself and slides it under Bobby. 0-1.

Most of the next 30mins are basically Gulls pressure. Stevens looks particularly tasty on the left wing, frequently taking on the full back Fish, and linking up with Nico. First man to have a pop at goal is Mansell, but his shot is comfortably saved by Flitney. I think from the corner Robbo headed over.

Throughout that first period we created quite a bit. Bodin broke clear from a Howe flick on, but his touch took him wide although he still drew a save from Flitney. Later on, Bodin got clear again and looked to go past Flitney, but he was so keen to get the ball on to his left side that he took too long and allowed the Gills to recover. Bodin also stung Flitneys palms with a drive, but in truth it lacked any real conviction.

You will notice that in all of the aforementioned chances there is no mention of Howe or Atieno, our strike force. That is because, aside from a weak header from Howe and the disallowed goal from Atieno, they created nothing. In fact, I had a pretty good view of the disallowed goal and it looked like stevens initial shot had wrong footed Flitney and was going in, so Atieno didnt need to take a touch and poke it home. The front two's link up play and movement was terrible, and they were given a lesson by Kuffour and Nouble in how to play as a strike partnership, although for much of the first half we dealt with them o.k. The only further sights of goal they had was a last ditch tackle on Kuffour, and a superb outside of the boot curler from Nouble which brought out an equally good save from Bobby.

But just before half time, we were undone by another sucker punch. Quick free kick, Rooney crosses low across the 6yd box and Kuffour scrambles it in at the far post. 0-2. We didn't even look likely to recover bedew half time, in fact we looked shell shocked and were lucky not to go 3 down when Bobby fumbled a cross, but Saah was able to clear off the line. For all our enterprising approach play, we had no impact upfront and had made costly lapses at the back.

The second half had barely started and we were back in it. Right wing corner was headed in by Robbo on a diagonal run, in off the far post. And minutes later we were level, Howe's hooked through ball found Stevens on the run, his pace took him away from Fish and he fired in low across Flitney! 2-2!

Unfortunately the feel good factor lasted all of 5 mins. One of the Gills Midfielders took a shot, Bobby parried it out rather than away. The bounce caught out Nico, and allowed Kuffour to get a yard on him. A bit of wrestling ensued, before Robbo came in and finished the job off. No arguments, and the spot kck was well despatched by Rooney.

The more we tried to chase the game, the worse we looked. In fact, second half we were terrible. Passing was awful, we carried no threat and aside from a free kick from O'kane which the keeper fisted away, we creates nothing. Late on, Howe's cut back was behind the on-rushing masses, and allowed Rooney to break from the edge of his own box. Halpin was tracking him, and perhaps a more cynical old pro would have hacked him down And taken the booking. But no, he was allowed to continue, feed Nouble who finished superbly under Bobby. 2-4.

The rest was embarrassing, Gills were just toying with us and added a 5th through a cross shot from
whelpdale which was either luck or brilliance. We looked broken, demorlised and toothless, and the final whistle was met with a chorus of boos.

Olejnik - 5 - one great save, one terrible flap, one parry out rather than behind cost us a goal and possibly at fault for the 5th
Oastler - 6 - to be fair, the gills threat wasn't from the wing. Didn't do too much wrong
Saah - 4 - not the mistake-riddled performance of Dagenham, just an incompetent showing
Robbo - 5 - as Saah, but at least got a goal
Nico - 6.5 - as Oastler, and linked up well with Stevens
Mansell - 6 - all the effort, but no real stand out moment
O'Kane - 6 - you can see that he is trying to pull the strings, but doesn't have the team-mates to do it
Stevens - 7 - MOTM. took the full back on, used pace and linked up well. Great goal
Bodin - 6.5 - our biggest threat to the Gills goal. If only he had a right foot
Atieno - 4 - useless. Lazy, looks lost, poor positioning
Howe - 4.5 - gone is the bustling, powerful threat that linked up so well with Atieno at Southampton and Rovers

Halpin - 4 - barely touched the ball, doesn't look ready for league football and probably never will

Ling desperately needs to get some quality in. A new centre half who is comfortable playing on the left of defence and a new pacy forward to play off what Howe can hold up would do for starters. But on today's showing, I really do fear with what this squad can do, and whether Ling has the know-how and resources to do it.

Disastrous week. 15 goals conceded for the first team and reserves. Ellis handed a transfer request in apparently.

Devastating.

bixieupnorth wrote:
sounds very open game, both defences dont sound very assured, could be a heap of goals

well i got that bit right!!

cambgull wrote: I hate to say it really but at least Buckle was good at motivating players.

please,no, dont ever suggest that mate!! cant see that ling has a problem motivating them, look at the turn arounds in 2nd half of most games, its just that the players arent good enough bar a few surely?

Jesus Christ that was bad. I think this proves were going to be relying on two teams miraculously being worse than us I hate to sound so negative but theres no positives from that.

We have a defence that has more holes than a seive and only really Olejnik has made sure the scores arent too embarrasing.

Our Striker force couldnt hit a barn door.

Southend are going to wipe the floor with us. Confidence has completley gone now if the way the players acted whilst walking off the pitch at full time is to go by.

its bad enough reading some of your posts,but you poor lot that had to witness that performance,should demand your cash back,if our lot cannot stand and be counted then get rid quick,like alot of that so passionate about our club,these so called professional footballers are making us a laughing stock,wheres the fight gone and the spirit gone

Crisis what crisis - Ling has money for loan signings but the answers lie withinn the squad pparently and we are not getting anybody in

Martin Ling and Paul Buckle.... share a room on the next football management course, useless

our crap defending has been going on since the first game against Burton so no excuse that a third of the season has gone and plummeting down the league and at an alarming rate that nothing has been done to rectify it. I have been saying for quite a few weeks lately to friends that there is problems with our squad (complete lack of pace for example and only one leader on the pitch) and been told it would pick up but now they are annoyed that things are coming so bad each week.
Probably Argyle above us when we play them next month was one thing I said and its getting closer by the week.

A real important week for you Mr Ling!!