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tomogull wrote: I made a similar optimistic post a few weeks back, Gulliball. Since my post, we have played four clubs below us - Dover, Braintree, Welling and Alfreton - and picked up precisely 3 points (3 draws) from those four games. For some reason, when we play teams below us such as Alfreton, we drop to their standards. Sadly, after watching us being out-manouvred in the second half last Sunday, I have given up any hopes of reaching the play offs this season. Maybe we should put all our efforts into the F.A. Trophy to generate some much needed revenue. By the way, I don't think Lincoln are in the top half at present ...... but they may well be after we play them in two weeks time.

if we win in the FA Trophy on Saturday,the next round game that will take precedence over the Lincoln game-in fact we could have three Saturday home games to in a row to rearrange if we progress further!

tomogull wrote: By the way, I don't think Lincoln are in the top half at present ...... but they may well be after we play them in two weeks time.

Lincoln are 11th on the same points as us, behind us only on goal difference, Lincoln are top the conference current form league with 15 pts from their 6 games in the same period we've taken 3 pts, right now I'm hoping we don't have to play them, and agreed, in all honesty are play-off chances are now looking very slim, so a run to the Trophy maybe all we have left this season.

NO.

It seems today although Altringham are in a good run of form that all we needed to do was Marshall one player, we failed to do that and lost as a result. What training and research is done? Not enough of either probably.

He is doing as well as can be expected with what he is being given to manage with. Players are jumping ship or waiting their opportunity to jump ship because we are unable to pay a realistic professional footballers wage. The last manager was hampered in the same way. The one before that likewise but to a lesser extent as the decline was just beginning. The manager before that was loaded with gold on the back of the National Lottery and had a ridiculous war chest for the Conference. He did well with it mind. Money doesn't always buy success.

Anyway best of luck Mr Hargreaves. You will need it as Hector is now on your case. You should have taken the Northampton job!

Tough one really, this season is a write off already regarding promotion. He will be judged next season that's for sure.

I have been sympathetic to Chris Hargreaves' cause, no doubt he has faced difficulties, it would have been easier for him to start with the same clean slate that Buckle did, I, like most want CH do well here, I still hope things turn around for him, but is he doing the best he can in the situation he's faced with, I'm not so sure.

The team is ill-disciplined, I have concerns about fitness of some of our players, shouldn't be the case in January, access to the training is a poor excuse, you can do a lot of work on all weather surfaces. I've gone on about this before, it is relevant , Briscoe, good comparison Rene Howe, Howe with a short few months had slimed down and got himself fit, what is Briscoe's excuse, he is a match winner, possibly the best all round player we have and can't play more than 30 minutes, Chris Hargreaves most take some of the blame.

What I can glean for the commentary it appears Yoeman was brought on as a lone front man if correct, why, since when has he been anything like a player capable of that role, especially when losing. Briscoe, as said great player , but his front and back ends are in two different post codes, a wide player in his current condition, really ?

Said it before, it's not about the money a club has, Bristol Rovers spent a small fortune compared with us and still went out of the league, therefore Chris Hargreaves suddenly given more money to spend on the squad would be Irrelevant, Dover and Altrincham our working off peanuts compared to TUFC. It's what you do with the resources you have got, have club done the best it could with what it had over the last two seasons, I think not.

forevertufc wrote:
Said it before, it's not about the money a club has, Bristol Rovers spent a small fortune compared with us and still went out of the league, therefore Chris Hargreaves suddenly given more money to spend on the squad would be Irrelevant, Dover and Altrincham our working off peanuts compared to TUFC. It's what you do with the resources you have got, have club done the best it could with what it had over the last two seasons, I think not.

Totally agree with this. CH should be able to coach the players he has into working as a unit and playing a system that brings out the best in what we have. We should not expect to go out and buy in talent. He has to work with what he has and he had from January to May last season to work with a squad and preserve our league status. He failed.

This season he has to work with a squad which he has half built and give us a fighting chance of promotion. He is failing.

Don't let victories over Bishop Stortford and Bromley gloss over how poor we are.

forevertufc wrote: Briscoe, as said great player , but his front and back ends are in two different post codes, a wide player in his current condition, really ?

You're contradicting yourself, Forever. Louis Briscoe IS a wide player !!! :B :B :B

tomogull wrote: You're contradicting yourself, Forever. Louis Briscoe IS a wide player !!! :B :B :B

To be honest Briscoe came here as a wide player but his best performances have been just behind the main striker then for some reason Hargreaves dropped him. Yes Briscoe is not fit but I would still start him and play him till he drops as he's a match winner. To have him on the bench is criminal as he could get the side ahead and the side then gets confidence, coming on from the bench the side would be losing so it's always a losing battle. Unless he's injured Hargreaves is showing inexperience by not playing him. As someone said and I have said Briscoe is a liability out wide. It is bad management to play Briscoe wide in his condition.

Burnhamgull wrote: Totally agree with this. CH should be able to coach the players he has into working as a unit and playing a system that brings out the best in what we have. We should not expect to go out and buy in talent. He has to work with what he has and he had from January to May last season to work with a squad and preserve our league status. He failed.

This season he has to work with a squad which he has half built and give us a fighting chance of promotion. He is failing.

Don't let victories over Bishop Stortford and Bromley gloss over how poor we are.

i said it was a bad decision to give him the job and I stick with that.

hes had 12 months now. we never had that "bounce back" with results when he started, and he has brought in his own players.
hes made some shocking decisions, has no idea about tactics/plan b and trots out excuses about refs, players, pitch, weather etc.

he should have stuck to appearing on spotlight.

tomogull wrote: You're contradicting yourself, Forever. Louis Briscoe IS a wide player !!! :B :B :B

indeed tommo.

In my view it remains to early to say whether or not CH will make it as a manager.
Looking at Wikipedia it took Nigel Clough 10 years at Burton before they became a shoe-in for promotion to L2 and it took Steve Evans 8 years and several club changes for him to get a club promoted to L2 (which he couldn't take advantage of cos he got banned). The other perspective is it only took Martin O'Neill two seasons to get Wycombe up. I'm just saying it ain't easy.
Also bear in mind that the average time it takes a former L2 club to get back up is 4-5 seasons.

Wouldn't disagree with that Dockers Pal, CH is inexperienced, personally not blaming him for any of this. Is CH the right manager at this time for TUFC ? I'm no longer sure he is, think the club needs a manager experienced at this level, who knows the type of player and where to get them on peanuts, along the lines of Chris Wilder or John Still, who both proved in the past such a thing is possible if you know what your doing, before anyone says it, those managers are out there (Dover, Altrincham, Braintree, etc)

Forevertufc, I think we are going through the same angst that so many other former L2 clubs fans have gone through wondering when we will get back into winning ways and promotion. Nearly all the clubs that have fallen further, have done due to financial mismanagement - the exception being Stockport I think.
There are as you point out several more experienced non-league managers and CH has got lessons to learn from their strategies as well as from higher leagues managers.