Banbury United

[YeltzDoc]

As ever, I’ve seen nothing and know nothing but it seems a bit early for both baby and bathwater.
However, a tough trip to Kettering, an unknown quantity the Saturday after and them lot the following Tuesday will give us a fair idea.

And Westy, surely you meant Kevan Williams?

[HalesowenHarry]

As ever, I’ve seen nothing and know nothing but it seems a bit early for both baby and bathwater.

that's mainly down to my updates to you.

However, a tough trip to Kettering, an unknown quantity the Saturday after and them lot the following Tuesday will give us a fair idea.

Correct, and 10 matches in (including a cup game) will be a better gauge. I'm looking forward to seeing the protests though will it involve step ladders ..................

And Westy, surely you meant Kevan Williams?

With such mention of goalkeeping magicians, Antonio Rowe surely...........

[Laurel Lane Lamper]

As ever, I’ve seen nothing and know nothing but it seems a bit early for both baby and bathwater.
However, a tough trip to Kettering, an unknown quantity the Saturday after and them lot the following Tuesday will give us a fair idea.

And Westy, surely you meant Kevan Williams?

Did anyone go to the mid-season friendly that M****l arranged at Kettering, where he’d “enjoyed “ himself prior to The Grove?
I’ve tried to recall our players that night but I expect it’s the ageing process that’s beating me.
And as for goalies I’ll go for Malcolm Shakespeare.....

[andy]

Platt is up there with Danny right at the top.

Nonsense and ridiculous! That honour should fall only to one man - Phil 'The Cat' Caldicott

Not going to disagree with you regarding Caldicott, but for me, against strong opposition from him, Tim Clarke and a few others past and recent, Danny was a class above. I am genuinely starting to think that Platts shot stopping abilities is putting him up there with him. It's all about opinions I know but when it comes to Danny I except no other.

[andy]

...and back to the present. I am in agreement that the management team deserve time with the new budget. However if tactically they can't get it right fairly soon with the new players brought in there has to be change. It could be another long season otherwise.

[piearce9]

Had to miss this game last minute, but doesn't sounds from reports that there was much to miss.

Appreciate that there's a lot of pre-sharpened knives but I agree that it'll be a few more weeks before a fair assessment can be made. Everyone (including the management) knows that there are heightened expectations and that the safety net of absent owner has been removed from them as well.

One point that particularly irks (and here comes my "I told you so") is that we're playing a centre back partnership of Asa and Brago. Now, they are both good in air and have bags of experience, however, there are tectonic plates out there with more pace and it's not surprising that Banbury fans have commented on how their speed upfront tore us to bits. This is our crisis area and if it means we have to chop a striker or midfielder from the squad to make room, then it needs doing.

[HalesowenHarry]

A word that came out on the drive home last night (a lot) and to save Piearce9 typing so much next time................. 'Lopsided'

Overloaded with midfield / forward options. Not so defensively.

[piearce9]

and to save Piearce9 typing so much next time

Good luck with that one

[lutleyyeltz]

...and back to the present. I am in agreement that the management team deserve time with the new budget. However if tactically they can't get it right fairly soon with the new players brought in there has to be change. It could be another long season otherwise.

We played some good football in the two pre-season games at The Grove but, amid the excitement of watching that strange phenomenon, there was a feeling among some that "it'll all revert to the usual" once the season starts! I feel that this fear has already come to fruition as it appears that the style of play is so deeply entrenched that it cannot/will not be changed.
If given around ten games to see how the season is panning out it may then be too late!
Having said that I'll reserve MY judgement until after the next three games.
Kettering, Biggleswade and you know who should test whether we can cut it this season.

[AwayDayYeltz]

I understand it’s only two games in, and to the folks that are saying ‘Hill deserves a chance with this budget’ – that’s a reasonable argument, if you are looking from the outside in. But nothing has changed has it? And it doesn’t look like it will change, either. It’s exactly the same as last season, the season before, and the season before that. In fact you could go back to most match threads last season, copy the post match comments and they'd have been relevant to the Lowestoft and Banbury matches. To those making the comments about time and chances, do you expect things to improve? What have we seen on the field to encourage us that a change will be forthcoming? There’s a certain inevitability about how this will all pan out, isn’t there? We will continue to endure poor selections, poor tactics and negative attitudes.

We have a good squad of players now that are more than capable at this level. it’s also a settled squad too. It’s not as if it’s been a revolving door and players need to ‘gel’ and settle in to the squad. 7 out of the starting 11 played a part for us last season.

The first 2 games this year have been really poor. As bad as anything I saw last season, yet we have better players capable of much better performances. We have reverted to the ‘panic stations’ long ball tactics, which in turn just invites pressure from the opposition, the starting line ups haven’t been balanced, we look capable of conceding a goal every time the opponent attacks, but for Platt last night could easily have been 5 or 6 and we'd have suffered defeat against Lowestoft, and we look completely incapable of scoring in open play – we’ve created very little in these two games. It’s very poor.

It’s frustrating to watch our two excellent full backs in Ekongo and Kelly shackled and not go past the half way line. It’s frustrating seeing the likes of Ebanks-Blake, Hughes and Goddard confined to the bench, it’s frustrating seeing us line up with a makeshift centre back pairing, it’s frustrating seeing our lone striker isolated from the rest of team, starved of any support.

I know people are probably rolling their eyes at this post and will think I’m talking rubbish again, but if things are to improve under the current management a drastic change in tactics and attitude has to be made, otherwise we will continue to see the exact same results as we have done for the past few seasons. Even after just 2 games, I just don’t see that coming.

I genuinely hope I'm wrong as that would mean we are successful.