Anyone else had enough?

[Bluecap]

Supported this club since Be Bop a Lula was in the Hit Parade.
Gone through thick and thin but it just seems that my beloved club has now come to the end of the road.
No direction on or off the field and no enjoyment except to seeing my London Mates.
Is that enough to waste a weekend?

[Long slender neck]

No direction? We've improved our league position every year except this one. Dont be so dramatic.

[BiggsyMalone]

No direction? We've improved our league position every year except this one. Dont be so dramatic.

And where have those improved league positions got us?

[Dextercoindexter]

Supported this club since Be Bop a Lula was in the Hit Parade.
Gone through thick and thin but it just seems that my beloved club has now come to the end of the road.
No direction on or off the field and no enjoyment except to seeing my London Mates.
Is that enough to waste a weekend?

Ling has to go,I am really confident that once he is removed the club will be released from the shackles of his negative influence and new avenues can be explored.

[The Mindsweep]

I thought it was the hope that kills you. If that is the case, we should be fine.

[PoundhillO]

Supported this club since Be Bop a Lula was in the Hit Parade.
Gone through thick and thin but it just seems that my beloved club has now come to the end of the road.
No direction on or off the field and no enjoyment except to seeing my London Mates.
Is that enough to waste a weekend?

Ling has to go,I am really confident that once he is removed the club will be released from the shackles of his negative influence and new avenues can be explored.

Have to agree wholeheartedly, Ling has to go he is the one constant that has not been held to account and must be removed.

[Rich Tea Wellin]

It’s been a depressing downhill surge since the half time whistle at Wembley in 2014. It pains me to say that as I was never more as invested as the 4-5 years prior to that.
I continued to go to pretty much every game in the FB era and there felt like a togetherness with the fans, even in the worst times. But as I’ve said previously, I’ve completely gone the other way in recent years where I sometimes don’t even check the score until 5pm, nevermind go. Part of that is my life situation, but it’s a club that has been prioritising sponsorship over community, investors over fans, and making odd choices that make little sense on the pitch. That’s all culminated in me feeling a bit heartbroken and sad that I simply don’t care like I used to.

I hope that this changes over the next few years and I do think this board can change it around but their plan must change. I think the better times will come again but not with how we are being run right now.

[Story of O]

After a while we expected what we got from FB and it was bad on and off the pitch. This is slightly different as we have good owners who know how to run the club off the pitch, but for some reason have lost their way with on field matters.

[PoundhillO]

After a while we expected what we got from FB and it was bad on and off the pitch. This is slightly different as we have good owners who know how to run the club off the pitch, but for some reason have lost their way with on field matters.

I believe the major problem is that they have been so focused on bringing in revenue with off the field matters that they have totally relied on Ling's advice for football matters .Ling must have been feeding them poor advice for ages, yet they keep him on with massive wages, when in my opinion he is the root of our football problems.
I just hope Ling isn't involved in the negotiations for any new Manager, his record in that department has been appallingly.

[Orient Punxx]

All depends on the next 13 games. Can’t criticise the appointment of Jackett but wow what a disappointment!! If we stay up, everything will be cool with me.

[Chief crazy horse]

Supported this club since Be Bop a Lula was in the Hit Parade.
Gone through thick and thin but it just seems that my beloved club has now come to the end of the road.
No direction on or off the field and no enjoyment except to seeing my London Mates.
Is that enough to waste a weekend?

What old Gene!.... 'Blue jean baby with your big blue eyes, don't want you looking at any other guys'......
Get in there bluey!

[baldy123]

Sadly Gene split from The Blue Caps too quickly and also his U S fans turned their backs on him too quickly.
G V (AKA The Screaming End) is still much loved here in the U K.

[Give it to Jabo]

I have nothing against Martin Ling personally, but he does seem to be in a very sheltered position.

All in this doom and gloom - we need a Dunkin Donuts Saturday!!

[Give it to Jabo]

I have nothing against Martin Ling personally, but he does seem to be in a very sheltered position.

All in this doom and gloom - we need a Dunkin Donuts Saturday!!

RE: Martin Ling - or are we just searching for a fall guy??

[Qin]

I am now at the point where i expect the team to lose every game, and anything else is a bonus. I do think we will be relegated come the end of April. I'm bracing myself now, so i wont be too disappointed when it actually happens.

I too, like many others now, feel Martin Ling should be relieved of his duties, as he seems totally unaccountable for many decisions that he has made, that have turned out terrible. The Carl Fletcher debacle being the worst. At the moment ML seems to be able to do whatever he wants, with no comebacks if it all goes wrong, and that cannot be allowed to continue

Not every bad decision at board level is down to Ling, but you have to start somewhere, and letting Ling go would be a start

[Max B Gold]

I have nothing against Martin Ling personally, but he does seem to be in a very sheltered position.

All in this doom and gloom - we need a Dunkin Donuts Saturday!!

RE: Martin Ling - or are we just searching for a fall guy??

The fall guy was sacked two weeks ago.

It's clear something isn't right at the club and a restructure may be required. That could include appointing a new manager clearing out the coaching staff and allowing the new manager to bring his people in to develop a winning style of play that also entertains.

Abolishing the unnecessary position of DoF once the new CEO has his feet under the table. Abolishing the transfer committee and appointing more scouts.All
transfers to be proposed only by the manager and agreed by the CEO with reference to the owners only where additional budget is required.

Weed out the players we don't need and transfer, run down, don't replace contracts. Replace with uninjured players from the divisions above not with the cheap chronically crocked or "veterans"

Do something about fitness levels. A fitter more mobile team in Div4 will run rings round most teams and make them look like big stookies.

Develop a strategy to reconnect with the fans and community as there's a lot of disappointment and frustration out there. 50p off a pint or a Hotdog
might help. Sack fans who moan all the time.

Once Dunners is finished "analysing" the military intervention in Ukraine I hope he turns his attention to this thorny issue too.

[Mistadobalina]

I am baffled as to how they could sink this much money into the club and get such an awful return - and then still persist with the same approach. Their hearts seem in the right place, they talk a good game, they have identified what needs to be modernised to make the club competitive in the modern game. I don't really have an issue with the club going 'corporate' - I'd far rather we bring in some extra cash that way than be indefinitely dependent on rich benefactors.

But even Paul Brush didn't manage to get us relegated from league 2 with a disinterested Hearn in charge. That's how hard it is to get relegated from this division. That we may do it whilst spending a relatively large amount having had a decorated manager in charge at seasons start suggests something is very wrong with the way the football side of things is being run. Our recruitment in January was truly awful.

However this season ends, we need a proper shake up of how the football side of things are run. Otherwise apathy is inevitably going to really set in.

[faith1234]

Can’t see that happening as the owners see him at doing something great at the club

[Max B Gold]

I am baffled as to how they could sink this much money into the club and get such an awful return - and then still persist with the same approach. Their hearts seem in the right place, they talk a good game, they have identified what needs to be modernised to make the club competitive in the modern game. I don't really have an issue with the club going 'corporate' - I'd far rather we bring in some extra cash that way than be indefinitely dependent on rich benefactors.

But even Paul Brush didn't manage to get us relegated from league 2 with a disinterested Hearn in charge. That's how hard it is to get relegated from this division. That we may do it whilst spending a relatively large amount having had a decorated manager in charge at seasons start suggests something is very wrong with the way the football side of things is being run. Our recruitment in January was truly awful.

However this season ends, we need a proper shake up of how the football side of things are run. Otherwise apathy is inevitably going to really set in.

You have alluded to a possible solution. Maybe we need to get Hearn back. He seemed to do OK for years and years.

[Max B Gold]

Can’t see that happening as the owners see him at doing something great at the club

There's no evidence for that. All of the evidence is to the contrary. The owners can see it.

[faith1234]

So if the owner can see it why on gods earth is he still here

[PoundhillO]

Can’t see that happening as the owners see him at doing something great at the club

There's no evidence for that. All of the evidence is to the contrary. The owners can see it.

That’s the major problem the owners can see it but don’t act accordingly by sacking him, sheer madness.

[Rich Tea Wellin]

I am baffled as to how they could sink this much money into the club and get such an awful return - and then still persist with the same approach. Their hearts seem in the right place, they talk a good game, they have identified what needs to be modernised to make the club competitive in the modern game. I don't really have an issue with the club going 'corporate' - I'd far rather we bring in some extra cash that way than be indefinitely dependent on rich benefactors.

But even Paul Brush didn't manage to get us relegated from league 2 with a disinterested Hearn in charge. That's how hard it is to get relegated from this division. That we may do it whilst spending a relatively large amount having had a decorated manager in charge at seasons start suggests something is very wrong with the way the football side of things is being run. Our recruitment in January was truly awful.

However this season ends, we need a proper shake up of how the football side of things are run. Otherwise apathy is inevitably going to really set in.

Good post. I almost feel like the owners have their eye so much on the future, and how we modernise, and how we use analytics (which im all for btw) that the short term goal of getting out of league two is almost an afterthought. I'm sure thats probably not strictly true but the introduction of new investors is an interesting conundurum on how they balance the future and the now.

[gshaw]

Good post. I almost feel like the owners have their eye so much on the future, and how we modernise, and how we use analytics (which im all for btw) that the short term goal of getting out of league two is almost an afterthought. I'm sure thats probably not strictly true but the introduction of new investors is an interesting conundurum on how they balance the future and the now.

You raise another point. At the start of the season it was said with Coley Parry etc. coming in we'd be using more "moneyball" style stats in our recruitment.

Fast forward to Ling's recent podcast and when asked if we were using them his blunt answer was basically "nope not really"

At present the owners whilst well-meaning are getting the core product badly wrong. They're too busy with Ling's sideline projects

- academy
- summer camps
- women's team (demoted 4 divisions and being touted as a success?!)

and neglecting the first team. Players like Kyprianou and Young being thrown in the side smacks of being a strategy / political decision than one based on their footballing ability at this moment in time as first-choice League 2 CMs.

Back in the NL days the brief was simple "get back into the EFL"

Now try and figure out what it is? Every party pulling in a different direction...

Board..
Reform football
Bring in new investors
Equality and diversity targets

DoF...
Academy academy academy

Manager
Recruit quality players for a promotion push

Fans
Promotion from League 2

[soloman]

Supported this club since Be Bop a Lula was in the Hit Parade.
Gone through thick and thin but it just seems that my beloved club has now come to the end of the road.
No direction on or off the field and no enjoyment except to seeing my London Mates.
Is that enough to waste a weekend?

Ling has to go,I am really confident that once he is removed the club will be released from the shackles of his negative influence and new avenues can be explored.

Z Z Z Z Z Z ,SAME OLD, SAME OLD .