Chelmsford City V Bath City

[Marc Monitor]

Debatable goal by them due to the ball possibly not crossing the line and now Mellor has scored straight from the goal kick.

[BenE]

anyone know what the team is?

[Midsomer-chris]

I don't suppose anyone would have thought of putting Mellor down in the first goal-scorer competition !

[BenE]

nor 'own goal' last week

[BenE]

bugger poor defending 1-2

[pete mac]

Tuesday was understandable but today sounded plain awful.

Have to win Tuesday

[cannonball]

Tuesday was understandable but today sounded plain awful.

Have to win Tuesday

A very bad result against a Chelmsford team that has struggled to string anything together recently.

We seem to be embarking on another set of yo-yoing, completely inconsistent performances from what is basically a talented and perfectly capable squad, good performance one week but awful and clueless the next and a general acceptance at Board & Team management level that mediocrity, lack of real commitment and heart is perfectly ok....no wonder the fans are gradually drifting away because they see no end to this depressing long running situation.

The club is fading away week by week, the management team have survived some simply appalling displays this season - and last season for that matter as well - and this had to be the expected outcome today after our dismal 2nd half surrender on Tuesday night. We just gave Gosport the freedom of Twerton Park in midfield after half time and meekly lost ALL the individual battles out there, confidence drained and we ended up nervously giving them all 3 goals without them having to do a great deal to score them. We have very few real 'winners' in the team, we have been crying out for a strong willed 'never say die' captain and a couple of real tough, run all day battlers for ages now but the team was re-built in the summer and we still haven't allocated some of the 'budget' to solving these problems within the squad. Surely you try and build a squad around certain players in key positions but so much seems to be down to luck more than judgement.

You could argue that Phil Walsh's injury was a cruel blow - yes it was without doubt as he is quality at this level as a central defender - but for some reason he was so unfit at the beginning of the season he was struggling from day one anyway. Likewise Chaz Hemmings...patently overweight and unfit at the start but now he has got himself fitter, he is actually looking a pretty decent player in a position he wasn't signed to play in........luck or judgement?!!

I really do not think you can blame the players or the lack of budget, which seems to be the standard stock management answer to the obvious question......the motivation, style, drive and ethos of the team needs to come from the management and we seem to be just sliding down a very slippery slope with very little direction coming from anywhere really. You will always get some inconsistency with part-time players but we seem to be taking it to new levels this season.

I used to really enjoy supporting Bath City through good and bad times for more years than I like to admit these days, but it is becoming harder by the week to be enthused or get any real enjoyment from it anymore, certainly for no more than a few days anyway, before the next bad result or dreadful, lacklustre performance hits you between the eyes.....  

[Ashley]

Poor today. We played some decent football at times but really lacked a cutting edge going forward. Couldn't see their first goal so I won't comment on it, but our heads seem to go down when we concede.

The equaliser was a fluke but we'll take it, I'm not sure we'd have scored otherwise!

Their second goal was abysmal defending, high ball into the box allowed to bounce and a free header.

Chelmsford were ordinary but they won and fair enough, we just don't seem to have any bottle or fight.

[Mark Tanner]

Oh dear, I hope I'll still get a match report from Thomas!

[Marc Monitor]

Reverting back to an old theme, on the radio, there was a period around 60 minutes when Bob and the other guy commentating (not Richard) were saying that there had been a long period around 60 minutes where nothing had happened. Of course, I was shouting at the radio for Stearn to be put on but he didn't. Unfortunately, I feel asleep after this (probably down to the paucity of excitement) and missed if and when he did go on but woke up for the goal.

[SteveS]

Have to agree with you Cannonball. We have been crying out for a real leader and organiser for ages. As soon as something goes against us heads drop and we throw the towell in. When I read a few of the posters on here they seem to think that we need 'nice' players and there is no place for anyone who shouts and shows passion!
Some have been critical of Mellor recently but he is not helped by the fact that there is no orgainiser at the back and when crosses come in often they all look to one another to clear it, with the result that no one does. We need someone to take command.
My biggest concern is the future of the club itself. There is a very large debt repayment due in about 6 months time and the club appears to have no idea how to deal with this.  I really don't think the majority of supporters realise how serious the situation is. I agree with Cannonball there is a general apathy about the club and I fear it is slowly slipping away and we are not far away from the situation where there will be no Bath City, certainly as most have known it.

[Midsomer-chris]

Reverting back to an old theme, on the radio, there was a period around 60 minutes when Bob and the other guy commentating (not Richard) were saying that there had been a long period around 60 minutes where nothing had happened. Of course, I was shouting at the radio for Stearn to be put on but he didn't. Unfortunately, I feel asleep after this (probably down to the paucity of excitement) and missed if and when he did go on but woke up for the goal.  

I was listening to the radio commentary and the play was so non-eventful at one point the two commentators started talking about some cake that someone had made for them !

I too was shouting at the computer for Stearn to be put on . . . . . . especially as the commentators had been saying for about half an hour how tired and jaded McCootie looked. Surely when you are 2-1 down something has to be done. Einstein said that the definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expect different results. The  management team (and the board) seem to have some of that madness

[Luton Roman]

Feel more annoyed after that than Thurrock. We played good, neat, even clever football upto the box then little happend. Keeper put under little pressure. McCootie has heart but little physical presence and confidence fragile. Had one on one today but touch let him down. Why oh why did we not put Walshy on up front for 10 or 15 to change it round and give him match time. Elsewhere we looked ok, Artus pulling the strings, Kington having a better game than ive seen previously, defence generally ok but the 2nd was poor given the time the ball was in the air. As others have said the players are good enough, the inconsistency is irritating. We should be puttimg teams like Chelmsford away in our stride.

[Eddie Hitler]

Cannonball is always been a poster who makes considered and reasonable posts, and really sums things up perfectly.
I too am very worried about the offhand comments of the board regarding a situation which could have catstrophic consequences.
As for Stearn - I've been in two minds about him, he's had some indifferent performances for us, but two games ago we had a player growing in confidence and having a real impact. His reward? Relegation to the bench.

[Marc Monitor]

The thing is, although I would go for Stearn, it could be him, Walsh or both but it was obviously crying out for new blood and, perhaps, rejigging the formation and tactics. As a manager, you would be starting to look at substitutions at 60 minutes whatever the game or result. I am not saying that you would make any necessarily but you would be thinking about them. It is long enough for the game to usually have settled down so you know what both teams are playing like after the break and, if you haven't had to make a substitution already, you don't have to worry too much about running out of subs if there is an injury. Indeed, Chelmsford made two substitutions 5 minutes after.

If the game has hit a sustained period without much happening from either team and the score is level at 60 minutes, then you definitely have to looking at making a change especially if putting Stearn on at 80 minutes last week proved ineffective. Of course, Britton and Howells weren't positive enough. They had their draw which they probably would have taken before the game and just stuck with the team that got them there even though our goal was a freak one.

Managers have to be brave.

[stillmanjunior]

I can't comment on the performance as I wasn't there. Was busy watching one of our more ineffectual loan signings of recent years (Tom Nichols) score two in their turnaround at home to Shrewsbury.

But I'm annoyed to read we have another two players suspended in a few weeks time. Were these bookings deserved? I really think it needs addressing, whilst we haven't had any sent off the number of bookings we're picking up is alarming.

[Ashley]

Chas went in a bit late from behind. Bowman from memory made a late challenge near the half way line

[comrade powell]

Well let's pray that's the last game Pratt misses this season because we were totally toothless without him. Totally agree with other posters about lack of substitutions when we had a chance to win the game before their 2nd. And of course, Stearn appears only to try to save it. Yes, Walsh could have bolstered the attack, but it's further back where he is really needed. After 3 clean sheets we are now defending like we were in August, while the winning goal today was a throwback to the cup nightmare. Concord, Thurrock, Chelmsford - we certainly save our worst for Essex.

Really hope we see better than this against Hemel, who I fear may be stronger than a pretty spineless Chelmsford while a repeat of today and we will make our usual early entry from the Trophy next Sunday.

But as Steve so rightly says, these are all short term concerns. The most important ones are off the pitch...

[Ashley]

The Chronic's description of Mellor's goal is nothing like what happened! Their keeper caught the ball while back pedalling and either caught it in the goal or carried it over the line (not easy to see which!). Not quite sure where the Chronicle got 'sailed over his head' from.

It also didn't 'nestle in the net' - the keeper dropped the ball back out into the box after the goal was given, and it bounced off Allen I think and back into the goal.

[comrade powell]

Thanks for clearing that up! And from your vantage point, can you please clear up what happened for Chelmsford's 1st...

[Ashley]

Absolutely no idea!

[pete mac]

Yes it's all very dispiriting after a great performance last Saturday.

And people don't seem switched on to the scale of the crisis off the pitch

[Ashley]

We're switched on to it but what can we do?? I go to every game, buy a programme and drinks at home games, go on the coach, sell and buy 50/50 tickets, buy a shirt and tried to watch last weeks England game in the bar last week but that's another story.

As fans there isn't a lot we can do apart from keep supporting the players and trust the board.

[comrade powell]

Ashley, you're exactly the sort of supporter I was thinking of when I was angered by the  comment in the recent board statement that appeals for financial input had been 'ignored' by the fans. With respect, I'm sure you're like me and don't have the money which is needed to bail the club out of the financial mess it's in. So like you, I trust the board in working hard in their search for such people. But like Pete, I'm even more concerned that there doesn't appear to be a plan B..

[Ashley]

Nail. On. Head.

[Sponsored content]