Who's lost hope?

[CP Gull]

It all rests on who and how many Knill is able/allowed to bring in on loan now. If we don't do enough, we are doomed as quite simply the current squad, in current form are simply not good enough and probably the worst side in this league right now.

It's all about ACTION rather than WORDS now ... fed up with reading about all these players we are going to bring in(on the official site) only for nothing to happen! We have been talking about bringing in a replacement for Eunan, signing a striker, bringing in someone to replace Rene when he's suspended, someone to "cover" for Aaron .... only for nothing to happen!

I would like to see three or four brought in, but I also realise that quite simply it's probably too late and too risky to start a major overhaul of the squad as even bringing in eleven talented individuals at this stage and expecting them to suddenly start producing results would be unrealistic at this stage. What we do need are at least two or three quality signings who can make a real difference and not just make up the numbers. It is unfortunate that Knill is even having to look at bringing in a centre half as that is not the problem area of the side, we desperately need more quality going forward.

I genuinely hope that some of those non performers tonight have pulled on a TUFC shirt for the last time and we can make a fresh start again in the summer.

The rot has well and truly set in and like I say, it now quite simply all about the number and quality of the players Knill can bring in. Lets hope his contacts book is really as good as we are led to believe. To be honest, persuading decent players to come all the way down to our little outpost, to join in a relegation battle and a squad that seems totally bereft of confidence and lacking in quality ... is not I would imagine a particularly attractive one to some. So lets hope Mr Knill has some persuasive powers!

Of course, if it were just a case of bringing in a few loan players to guarantee League safety, then all the clubs in the bottom 8 would be doing just that, and to be fair most already have made changes, far more than we have it must be said. It's never that easy, of course, but we can only hope that with a fully fit squad (boy did we miss Downes and Mansell tonight!!!) and two or three quality additions, we would at least give ourselves a chance.

Do nothing, and quite simply we are going down. I am sure that even the most cautious amongst the Board members, would recognise that we are desperately in need of some more investment in the playing side, even though it's money we probably haven't got, it MUST be spent as the financial consequences of relegation do not bear thinking about and it would be a massive disappointment to everyone connected with this great little club of ours if, just when everything seems to be falling into place off the field, that through taking our eye off the ball this season we might just have thrown away our precious league status when perhaps with just a little better planning and prudent investment at key stages earlier in the season, we would never have found ourselves in this position.

[lankyben]

its all nicho's fault end of...... fickle bunch of _____!

[PlainmoorRoar]

Not until its mathematically impossible to stay up will i give up

[Dutchgull]

Well said Chris . So well put again.

So depressing tonight.....

[Scott Brehaut]

I've lost hope......in us now making the playoffs

[Modgull]

When I am feeling like I am tonight I always take a look at PASOTI and somehow things don't feel quite so bad!

[SuperNickyWroe]

When I am feeling like I am tonight I always take a look at PASOTI and somehow things don't feel quite so bad!

fair point and well made!

[oxgull]

That's me if we drop down again. No it's not mathematically impossible to stay up but I can't see where the next point is coming from, let alone 13 for that magic 50 plus. I'm going up a mountain and into exile to contemplate the meaning of it all.

[chunkygull]

on the negative side-
we have only taken 13 points in four months. 19 games.
we have only scored 15 goals in this time.
we have lost 12 games in this time.
we have lost 15 games this season.
we only have 12 games left. 2 months.
we are 1 point from the relegation places.
we have a negative goal difference.
we are not scoring many goals.
our top striker is out of form and not scoring.
we have lost 7 in a row, 1 away from a club record.
losing becomes a habit.
some teams around us are picking up points.
the football has been dreadful.
we are not creating chances.
too many of our players are not performing but still being picked.
we need new players in with some quality and fast.
our manager is unavailable through ill health.

on the positive side-
this same team picked up 24 points in their first 3 months.15 games.
the same team scored 23 goals in this time.
the same team only lost 3 games in this time.
we have lost 7 games in a bad month, nearly half the total for all season.
we have 12 games left. 36 possible points. 2 months.
we are not in the relegation zone and have not been this season.
we are not letting in many goals.
we have not had many heavy defeats. (most relegation worthy teams do).
our goal difference is better than our relegation rivals.
we have to play some of our relegation rivals.
1 game to stop the rot could turn things around.
when you start winning it becomes a habit.it increases confidence.
some of the teams around us are just as bad and could go on a losing run.
the loan window is open, it is in the clubs hands, they must know what is needed.
we already have some capable players, they just need to be used properly.
we have a striker who has scored 14 goals this season.
we have a new interim manager who has a reputation for attacking football.
our new manager is supposed to have good contacts in the game regarding signing players.

anything can happen from here on guys. lets try and be positive, give knill a chance to do something and you never know. we have been here before but swift action is needed.

[ROADRUNNER]

NEVER LOSE HOPE, WE HAVE TO BELIEVE WE CAN GET OUT OF THIS MESS

[coley in stripes]

The truth is that we are in a state of 'Free fall' which is so hard to get out of, coupled with the fact that all fight seems to have gone some time ago. But it is so strange how we have got in this mess.

Last season when it seemed easier to get promoted than not, everything suddenly ground to a halt...Then Martin Ling's early season comment that 'we will use the play offs as a safety net'. A mediocre start to the league and getting knocked out in the first round of every cup.

Then bad feeling in the squad, then Ling's unusual illness, then a delay in bringing in a loan player (Benyon), then not playing him etc, etc (don't want to carry on too much) all seems strange. Circumstanctial evidence would seem to suggest that there is some plan going on. The illogical just seems to be carrying on, if you recall the events since the end of last season, it doesn't make sense.

Despite the heroic recovery at the end of our first season back in the league, Gulls will drop this time it seems to be destiny.

[royalgull]

Not always but in a lot of occasions you have to be a shambles to get relegated from this league. There are so many poor teams in it that it's usually the clubs that have gone into administration, or ones that have had 5/6 managers a season, the chairman has quit or something bizarre happens at a club and it's those ones that go down. We're one of them, the Ling situation has come out of the blue and has created a big problem at the club but even before then we just look like a relegation team. I thought that at Oxford all those months ago even though at the time we were nowhere near the bottom 2, even before the Harrogate game I thought we were a poor side and I wasn't surprised we lost to them to be 100% honest.

We have no quality other than Howe, he's the only one worth paying the admission price to watch play, he's the only one I watch and think I can't do that. the others I seriously wouldn't care if we sacked them all off. Our midfield area especially, have we EVER had a more 'meh' player than Craig Easton? Seriously? He's an older version of Lathrope just worse at passing it and slower...and he plays...every week. Bodin is more interested in trying to get on Soccer AM's showboat than he is delivering a decent cross so we might actually score, Stevens has resorted to 'old Danny', Mansell has been pony this season, there's no spark in there. There's no flair, no quality no creativity. We've done it to death and I don't know what we can change about it, we need to somehow (and I don't think we will) grind out a few points to stay up and all of them out of contract other than Howe and some of the defenders have to go. Whoever our new manager is next season (regardless if Ling is well again he should be replaced) needs to bring new life, new ideas and most importantly new players to the club.

i said in the summer our squad is pi$$ weak, we'd let some of our best players go and replaced them with Lingy's mates, was destined to fail although I have to admit I didn't think it would be this spectacular.

[SBP]

No I have not lost hope! We can get out of this.
I was there last night standing in the pop side near the chairman, and he was suffering just like all of us, i have never heard him verbally shout at the players like i did last night, he even ran to one of the ball boys and asked him to be quicker!!
Some of those players are just going through the motions, they appear to be completely disinterested. There is something in the camp that is wrong, no more huddles before kick off, what has happened?? Somebody must know?
On the way home last night my 7 year old said to me " I DONT WANT TO COME ANYMORE WE KEEP LOOSING". That is the mind set the players have. I want a team that pulls that yellow shirt on with pride and gives everything for us the fan!! At the moment it appears that they just turn up collect a wage , a salary that we would be proud of.

My son woke up this morning and looked at the table "we can stay up Dad"!

I have not lost hope!

[brucie]

There is basically no hope it seems at the moment. We seem to be banking on a northern based manager bringing in four quality players to a southern outpost club. Really it is pie in the sky stuff which isn't going to happen. I have scarcely seen a more rancid peformance than the one last night.
A forward line of Benyon-Howe-Bodin is by some way far removed from the worst we have ever have but in the last two home games we havn't created more than three or four half chances.
Its very unfair to put any blame on Knill really but his body language during last nights game wasn't good. He has only used one sub in both of the two home games and from his comments it appears that he thinks (like alot of us) that he has got bugger all ammunition up his sleeve.
Up to now the position hasn't been critical as we have had games/points in hand on the other teams. After saturday night we will in all likelyhood be in the bottom two and playing catch up. We traditionally always lose at Accrington and will have created a club record if we lose again - an absolute disgrace really.
Whether its new signings,arse kicking,loves in or whatever we have to come out at Accrington with some sort of purpose and fight - we just cannot afford to lose another one.

[stevegull]

Brucie you have to have been born with the hope emotion possible in order to take part in this discussion.