National League Fixtures 6/11/20

[Wooderson]

Two rearranged fixtures today... Aldershot v Notts, and Wealdstone v Altrincham.

Our first game in three weeks after a coronavirus outbreak, so I have no idea how we’ll be in terms of match fitness or preparedness, or how the affected players will cope with 90 mins (we don’t how how badly hit they were, but judging from a few posts on Instagram etc, not especially so). At least in theory everyone else should be fit. I’ll go for an optimistic 0-2, given Aldershot’s poor home form, Wootton and Roberts with the goals

 

[Stoney Ground]

Just the one today... Aldershot v Notts. Our first game in three weeks after a coronavirus outbreak, so I have no idea how we’ll be in terms of match fitness or preparedness, or how the affected players will cope with 90 mins (we don’t how how badly hit they were, but judging from a few posts on Instagram etc, not especially so). At least in theory everyone else should be fit. I’ll go for an optimistic 0-2, given Aldershot’s poor home form, Wootton and Roberts with the goals

Did you forget the tinpot tie Wealdstone v Altrincham

Hopefully we have all the injuries cleared up and Connor Stevens can start at the centre of defence, this should reduce the goals against. And with Danny Parrish getting a hat trick in his first start we should get our best start 11 on the park.

 

[eightiesrobin]

First league game between Alty and Wealdstone in over 30 years I think. I must have seen a couple of games between the two, though the only one I remember is a 2-1 defeat at home in Wealdstone's double-winning season, my first season watching.

 

[slaphead]

If you don’t beat us you should be condemned to this hellhole for Wrexhamese lengths of time. We’re so shit it’s unbelievable. Searle out.

 

[Wooderson]

Apologies Alty and Stones fans, didn’t realise you’d rearranged too. Will edit!

 

[karlready]

Shots v Notts, a bread-and - butter fixture in the old Div.4. Now look at us.
Our only real hope today is to stop county playing, but if our puny midfield is overwhelmed as usual, we will be sunk. Perfect pitch, lovely sunny day, but I expect the same old televisual rubbish. 3-1 County, hope it’s not worse.

 

[jacobncfc]

Very hard to tell what kind of shape we'll be in after three weeks off. two of those without being able to train. Any kind of scrappy win would be a fantastic result.

 

[Wooderson]

I think a bit depends today on what shape Callum Roberts is in. Which could be pretty much applied to our season as a whole.

 

[jacobncfc]

No Roberts at all, or last year’s player of the season Connell Rawlinson. Definitely take any spawny win today.

 

[jacobncfc]

Not sure what’s worse here, the camera angle or the pitch. It’s like they’ve covered it in butter or something.

 

[slaphead]

Not sure what’s worse here, the camera angle or the pitch. It’s like they’ve covered it in butter or something.

Sounds like the players have the wrong studs, having worked on the pitch for 10 years I can tell you it’s the second best surface in the league. Camera angle I can’t comment on, not playing a tenner to watch us get beat again.

 

[Wooderson]

Pretty poor stuff so far. Hope Roberts is fit for Tuesday!

 

[jacobncfc]

Not a good game, Aldershot devoid of any real creativity, we look a threat on the break but understandably pretty rusty.

 

[jacobncfc]

Ardley has got to change our tactics, particularly away, or he’s going to be under real pressure. Ridiculous to have players like Wootton, Boldewijn, Rodrigues, Roberts etc but spend 90% of your time in possession passing it around between the centre backs and two defensive midfielders.

 

[jacobncfc]

Our away wins since we came down:

Last season at Harrogate, Halifax, Barrow, Solihull, Boreham Wood, Woking and Fylde. Fylde the only ones who weren’t in the play-offs at least at the time we played them. This season we’ve won at Sutton who had a 100% record at the time but lost to Aldershot and Dover. It’s bizarre.

 

[BornUnderTheElmslie]

..and the beat goes on..

 

[karlready]

Good pre and post match broadcast from the Rec. Match was lousy,Shots fortunate to be playing County now, as they were very rusty and created about as much as Shots i.e. nothing. Surprised and grateful for 3 points.

 

[Pinner Stones]

Stones were well off the pace for the first 25 minutes with Alty looking the better side but not anywhere near clinical enough. Stones then had a good spell with a couple of decent chances before the break.

Second half saw Alty again the better side until we brought on Ross Lafayette and within a couple of minutes we were ahead.

We saw the game out pretty comfortably thereafter apart from one gilt edged chance which was brilliantly blocked.

We were sloppy for much of the day, Alty probably deserved a point, but the side that is paid in fish and bread are now up to third.

 

[John Still]

Our away wins since we came down:

Last season at Harrogate, Halifax, Barrow, Solihull, Boreham Wood, Woking and Fylde. Fylde the only ones who weren’t in the play-offs at least at the time we played them. This season we’ve won at Sutton who had a 100% record at the time but lost to Aldershot and Dover. It’s bizarre.

Ardley is a young Peter Taylor, would be happy with a point if you offered it before the game but when you set up like that and go behind you tend to lose but get the odd surprise win losing the rest to crap. Draws don’t get you promoted from this league and managers like him just don’t get it, your squad should be going for it every game.

 

[Optipez]

Awful. That is exactly how we've played every game since our first friendly bar half an hour against Barnet where we clicked.
Midfield is negative, whole team is negative, Ardley is negative. We aren't attacking with intent or belief and have given at least one poor goal away every match but Sutton.
Easiest win Aldershot will get this season. I'm normally gracious in defeat but without wanting to be offensive to Shots they weren't very good and were there for the beating.
Worryinglyq bad, Ardley will be sacked if that carries on.

 

[East Bank Shot]

Awful. That is exactly how we've played every game since our first friendly bar half an hour against Barnet where we clicked.
Midfield is negative, whole team is negative, Ardley is negative. We aren't attacking with intent or belief and have given at least one poor goal away every match but Sutton.
Easiest win Aldershot will get this season. I'm normally gracious in defeat but without wanting to be offensive to Shots they weren't very good and were there for the beating.
Worryinglyq bad, Ardley will be sacked if that carries on.

Don’t think any of us lot will be offended by that because it’s true, we are a poor side and we were lucky to come up against a side who haven’t played in 3 weeks. We simply needed a win today, Searle’s got into a bit of a habit of picking up wins when the pressure is on (was similar last season v Notts County too). Wins a win but by all accounts it wasn’t a classic.

 

[Leewilson]

Ardley is a young Peter Taylor, would be happy with a point if you offered it before the game but when you set up like that and go behind you tend to lose but get the odd surprise win losing the rest to crap. Draws don’t get you promoted from this league and managers like him just don’t get it, your squad should be going for it every game.

This. Getting a good manager at this level is 3/4s of the battle.

Ardley’s football will not be consistent to win a league. Might scrape a play off place and then it’s in the hand of the gods.

There are some poor managers rocking about in this league. Smith at Bromley is in over his head. A good manager has them competing for the title. Keates is also very meh and I think Pemberton will be a bust too. These clubs should be appointing far better, progressive managers.

No surprise Gary Johnson is leading the team top of the league currently.

 

[EnglishRed]

This. Getting a good manager at this level is 3/4s of the battle.

Ardley’s football will not be consistent to win a league. Might scrape a play off place and then it’s in the hand of the gods.

There are some poor managers rocking about in this league. Smith at Bromley is in over his head. A good manager has them competing for the title. Keates is also very meh and I think Pemberton will be a bust too. These clubs should be appointing far better, progressive managers.

No surprise Gary Johnson is leading the team top of the league currently.

Completely. The only manager we've had who has looked remotely competent is Sam Ricketts. Which is why we've barely troubled the play offs in the 13 years we've been down here.

Garrand at BW looks decent. Johnson has consistently shown he knows how to get out of this league.

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

It’s been a really tough start to the season with COVID related inconvenience. I would normally say defeat to Dover, Maidenhead, and Aldershot in the first 6 games means Ardley is under pressure, but with our shy and retiring owners, it’s hard to tell.

If he did go, I have no idea who might be on the list to replace him. Tried and trusted non league manager, or a league manager who fancies a go with a good squad and decent budget? Danny Cowley goes to my gym so I might be tempted to ask him if the fucking place wasn’t shut for a month...

 

[Alty Pieman]

Stones were well off the pace for the first 25 minutes with Alty looking the better side but not anywhere near clinical enough. Stones then had a good spell with a couple of decent chances before the break.

Second half saw Alty again the better side until we brought on Ross Lafayette and within a couple of minutes we were ahead.

We saw the game out pretty comfortably thereafter apart from one gilt edged chance which was brilliantly blocked.

We were sloppy for much of the day, Alty probably deserved a point, but the side that is paid in fish and bread are now up to third.

Very accurate summary that sums us up, losing our star striker the day before the season and 7 injuries are also great excuses

 

[jacobncfc]

This. Getting a good manager at this level is 3/4s of the battle.

Ardley’s football will not be consistent to win a league. Might scrape a play off place and then it’s in the hand of the gods.

There are some poor managers rocking about in this league. Smith at Bromley is in over his head. A good manager has them competing for the title. Keates is also very meh and I think Pemberton will be a bust too. These clubs should be appointing far better, progressive managers.

No surprise Gary Johnson is leading the team top of the league currently.

Consistency is the word. We’re too obsessed with possession and wanting to be in complete control of games with the ball IMO, the attacking players we have should mean that any game which becomes open benefits us.

Every single one of our away games seems to become a dull stalemate where we have 60% of the ball without looking like scoring, with the best chance of a goal being us getting pressed while we play out from the back, as happened on Saturday.

 

[Luke Imp]

Completely. The only manager we've had who has looked remotely competent is Sam Ricketts. Which is why we've barely troubled the play offs in the 13 years we've been down here.

Garrand at BW looks decent. Johnson has consistently shown he knows how to get out of this league.

He might be available soon, they want him out in Shrewsbury. They hardly score and bore the pants off everyone.

 

[Master D]

I knew Ardley was clueless but Notts fans reckoned he wasn't. Just isn't a winner is he, can tell when you hear him speak. He also looks close to tears whenever you see him.

 

[Master D]

He might be available soon, they want him out in Shrewsbury. They hardly score and bore the pants off everyone.

Serves them right for getting a rookie manager in who had barely won 3 games with us before he was looking to move on. Walsall did the same with Keates. League chairman never cease to amaze in their cluelessness.

Neither of them will get a League job again, both wanted to run before they could walk. Keates will end up in the Welsh Premier in a few months.

 

[Master D]

This. Getting a good manager at this level is 3/4s of the battle.

Ardley’s football will not be consistent to win a league. Might scrape a play off place and then it’s in the hand of the gods.

There are some poor managers rocking about in this league. Smith at Bromley is in over his head. A good manager has them competing for the title. Keates is also very meh and I think Pemberton will be a bust too. These clubs should be appointing far better, progressive managers.

No surprise Gary Johnson is leading the team top of the league currently.

People bang on about Challinor being good but he's still a Non League manager ultimately after many years. And who is that Beadle at Barnet, nobody knows. Can anyone even name Chesterfield's current manager? Not still Sheridan is it or Martin Allen or someone? All horrendous dinosaurs who have no place in a footballing world post 2010.

People rated that McMahon for a few months at Ebbsfleet after they squeaked the playoffs once and because he had long hair, but he's proved clueless too. That Danny Searle people raved about after winning 2 games in a row at already relegated Braintree a few years back is either manager at Aldershot or Yeovil now. Or both, nobody really knows.

The Waddock era is over of course, another awful manager most famous for his grinning and thinking a penalty shootout was all over moments before his side bottled it and lost.

Garrard is clearly good, bound to move onto better things soon. And Johnson is proven quality at many levels. Can't think of anyone else remotely capable in the league.