October 2007 - Posts
The new Stevenage Borough manager is to be announced tomorrow at a press conference at 3pm at Broadhall Way.
I still have no idea who it could be. I hope it's Peter Taylor, but I just don't know if it will be him. He was at the game last night so you never know!
At least now we have a day and a time in which it will be announced.
You can now sign up to Boro RSS feeds. You will receive the latest news once the articles are posted online to the Boro section in The Comet.
We also have an interview with Bob Makim after yesterday's match with Salisbury.
Click here to listen
Boro played their FA Cup 4Q reply last night against Salisbury. Some of the key players were still injured for example- Julian, Miller, Cole, and Martin. Henry was seen in the warm up but did not feature in the game.
Luke Oliver started again last night. I do rate him as a player. He is a good defender, but he will always make that one mistake. He did against Burton and I feared the worst last night. He made two mistakes last night that could have quite easily have allowed Salisbury to score. Luckily for us, Russell made good saves. It just makes me think maybe Gaia should start as I consider him the slightly more reliable of the two.
If I am honest the first half didn't really have much to offer. There were a few flashes of brilliance from Boro and some good shots on goal but not much really happened. The ball just seemed to get lofted forward by each side, and not actually achieve anything.
The second half was alot better. Boro played the ball better and we began to believe that we would score. And so we did. Mark Molesley scored near the 60th minute mark after Dobbo managed to get in the area and have a shot saved. It was just what we needed, and after that Boro were excellent.
When we got the penalty I had an incling that we would miss but I also had a feeling we were not going to lose, so I am glad that panned out ok. I am sure Nutter will get back to his penalty scoring ways sooner rather than later. Plus the keeper made an excellent save.
Dobbo tried really hard last night. Not only was he doing well getting forward but he also was getting back and helping out the defenders. Quite a few times he managed to get in the box (sometimes through his cheeky skills) and pull a shot off on goal or set someone else up to have a try.
Mark Arber played well last night as usual. He won the majority of his headers and looked very comfortable at the back.
Hakim played well also, he fitted in the team nicely and laid off a few crucial passes.
It's a shame that Morison had to get injured, but hopefully the others will be back soon.
I also want to say that Tes Bramble impressed me for the first time yesterday. Admittably he came on and missed an absolute sitter, but after that he worked really hard. He made a couple of great passes through to Dobbo and Hakim and won alot of balls in the air. His flick on's were also very promising. Now he just needs to work on his shooting!
No word on the new manager as yet, but I am sure we will find out by the end of the week. Watch this space!
Boro came out all guns blazing against Salisbury on Saturday. The lads performed really well from what I have heard. I was at my cousin's so I was unable to listen to the game. I found it impossible to find out what the score was. On the normal football programmes they only showed the results of all the other matches but not the FACup4Q. The teletext didn't even cover it! The only way I managed to find out in the end was by watching the FA Cup draw.
We drew Exeter away. That could be really difficult if we make it through tomorrow in the replay. I guess we just have to take it one step at a time.
I assume a manager will probably be announced this week as they announced last week that they now had a shortlist. Rumour has it, that Peter Taylor formally of Crystal Palace could come to Broadhall Way. That would be amazing!
I haven't had a good experience with managers at late though. I am also a Spurs fan so I lost 2 managers in 2 weeks. Clive Allen who took over spurs at the weekend before Ramos officially takes over, is also rumoured to be in line for Boro's next manager. I am not too sure about all this speculation, but all I know is that I know Phil Wallace will try and get the best man for the job and will outline to whoever that may be, that we want good football and to get into League 2.
So, Salisbury again tomorrow. We have to get through. We deserve to. (Although I will not ignore the fact that we nearly lost the game at Salisbury as they missed a penalty late on- but we were the better team overall).
Hopefully the injury situation will get better, but we will just have to wait and see.
Follow the link below to see pictures of the game and an interview with Bob Makin.
http://www.thecomet.net/content/comet/news/story.aspx?brand=CMTOnline&category=SportBoro&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=newscomnew&itemid=WEED29%20Oct%202007%2012%3A56%3A46%3A380
Another big game for us on Saturday against Salisbury. It would be great for us to get through into the next round as you always have the chance of drawing a bigger club that can boost the status of our club. Especially in the latter rounds where you can draw the Premiership and Championship teams.
I think we will do ok at Salisbury, well I hope we do anyway. It would be another great confidence booster if we won away. I do have some concerns though, as it seems like ages since we last played, so I hope the lads are still battling on and haven't let the whole Stimmo saga affect their game.
No word as yet on the Stimmo front. Personally I still think he is going to Gillingham, but I am quite surprised nothing has officially been said yet.
Phil Wallace has of course been looking for a new manager. On the official website he has stated that we have had more than 50 applicants to become Boro's new manager. It's not suprising people want to come here. It's a great club with a whole host of prospects. I am sure that when the time comes Wallace will pick the right manager for us, who will let us play our football and get us back to the top of the table.
We just have to take one step at a time and see how it goes. One thing is for sure, is that Boro still have a great fanbase behind them who are willing to support them no matter what.
Come on Boro!
So Boro played Burton last night. If I am honest, I was dreading the game. I was worried they were going to collapse and just fall to pieces. I knew they would try their best but sometimes when you lose your manager you just can't concentrate properly.
We came out of the blocks really well. Infact I couldn't have asked them to play better considering the circumstances. We had a few chances and they had one that was pretty close that Julian had to make an excellent save for, by pushing it over the bar.
Completely against the run of play Burton scored. The few fans they had went crazy. We got behind the lads like usual and the ref seemed to make a few dodgy decisions.
Morison somehow managed to get the ball in the net on the half hour mark after numerous attempts inside the area. Excellent stuff, it is what the team needed- more confidence.
After the goal Boro completely dominated the next fifteen minutes. We had a number of shots and Morison had a shot that whistled past the post, Dobbo also had a couple of chances. I knew we had to score because at 1-1 against Burton, nothing is safe.
Burton managed to get to half time at 1-1, but once half time was over Boro came out as they had finished in the first half. The second goal came out of fury for Boro. Boro were attacking and the ball was lingering on the right side of the pitch (if looking from standing) and Martin went for the ball and so did their player. Martin seemed to get the ball, and he had a right to go for it, yet for some reason the ref booked him. Everyone's tempers raised as he did not deserve to get booked. I am not even sure the lino flagged for it. Anyway as a result the players put every effort in to get the ball and Miller scored as a result.
I went crazy, everyone was. I think the players particularly enjoyed themselves as the celebration was very funny. Morison kicked the ball up in the air, and as it was about to hit the floor all the players fell to the floor like skittles being knocked over. I think some planning may have been going on there.
Boro continued to pressure the Burton back 4 but we just couldn't get past them. We held out to the 76th minute until Burton again, against the run of play managed to score. We were gutted. But not for long.
Two minutes later Dobbo worked his magic and had a good shot at goal but it was saved, but not cleared. Cole got the rebound and we were winning again.
Burton then managed to score a minute after us to make it 3-3. It was sickening to see, but to be fair to them at least they didn't give up.
I wasn't quite sure whether the game was going to finish 3-3, as you always worry the other team will nick the game at the end.
The game did end at 3-3, and the lads put in a great performance. Of course it would have been better for us to have won the game but a draw was a good result, and against a good side so it was very important for us.
Just a quick note about Setanta:
I am not sure if this is down to Setanta but the game was delayed by a few minutes and the half time seemed to go on forever. If it wasn't down to them, then fine, but if it was they need to get their timing sorted because otherwise it will start disrupting the game too much.
However, it was great to have the cameras there last night, and they witnessed a great game of football. Boro demonstrated just how professional they are and the type of football they can play. Let's just hope that more Boro fixtures are shown on there so our fanbase can frow even more.
Next up is Salisbury away in the cup, so fingers crossed we will continue to do well and go through to the next round.
So after the fiasco of the last few games, it seems that even more pressure has been put on Boro. This game was big enough before Stimmo resigned and now we have to show that we are still united as a team, can do well without our manager, we can perform, we can win and all in front of the tv cameras and against a difficult opponent.
All I can hope for is we play like we have been in the past. The crowd will be cheering them on as usual but I just hope that for their confidence we do well and win.
Losing our manager can either go two ways... we can play excellently and respond well or it could go completely pair-shaped. Let's just hope it's the first one!
I don't want to dwell on Stimmo too much, but I just hope he hasn't left a big dent in our team.
The table as it stands:
1 Torquay 16 19 36
2 Aldershot 16 11 34
3 Burton Albion 16 13 33
4 Stevenage 16 17 32
5 Cambridge Utd 16 11 31
If we win tonight we will go second, which is right where we want to be. If we lose Burton would go top depending on how many goals they score. If we draw, which in the situation we are currently in would not be too bad, we would stay third and not much would really change. Forest Green in 6th now have 30 points so they are climbing the table.So we can't afford to slip up. We need these points desperately.
I have my arms, legs, hands, everything crossed for Boro tonight. Let's just give them our support and I am sure they will put their all into it.
Come on the Boro!
Can't quite believe it but he has resigned. I always had an inclination that it would happen but I really thought we had a place in his heart.
I was hoping and praying it wouldn't happen but it has. We have cheered him every game, and I do not know what else we could have done to keep him. He promised us league football. And we were on the way to getting it. Now he has left us in the lurch and I don't think the club will be able to recover from this quickly, if at all.
The least he could have done was stay with us to the end of the season. That would have been nice. Although if his heart wasn't in it then I guess we don't need him afterall.
We have a huge match tomorrow and I am not quite sure how we will play. I hope the lads can overcome this but I am not sure.
The club has been so much better since being with Stimmo these last few years. The FA Trophy was great for the club and h will always be remembered for that. But right now that doesn't enter our minds. All I can think about is what now?
The fact that Stimmo hasn't even made a statement throughout this whole ordeal annoys me. He could have at least said something to the fans. All of us, just feel at loss right now.
Now I am worried that he will take all our players. Let's face it people like Cole and Morison deserve league football, and he is going to take them. I just know it. He has hurt us enough as it is, let's just hope he doesn't hurt us anymore.
I am gutted, absolutely gutted.
Here's the story below:
http://www.thecomet.net/content/comet/news/story.aspx?brand=CMTOnline&category=News&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=newscomnew&itemid=WEED17%20Oct%202007%2013%3A50%3A28%3A890
Boro have drawn Salisbury away in their fourth qualifier for the FA Cup. This could be a very tough game for Boro but hopefully we will proceed into the next round. The game is on the 27th October.
The other key matches regarding the current top teams in the Blue Square Premier are:
Bath City Vs Torquay
Crawley Town Vs Aldershot
Stafford Rangers Vs Cambridge United
Ebbsfleet Vs Exeter
Burton Vs Tamworth
As you can see there are a few tough draws in this round, with the majority of Boro's Blue Square Premier Title/playoff teams facing away matches. Hopefully Boro will do the business, which will help build our confidence and show how good a side they are.
Boro have slipped to fourth place following their 4-2 loss at Torquay.
I am not quite sure what happened on the day, there seemed to be a lot of luck following Torquay but none for Boro. First off Julian spilled a shot from Torquay and it landed perfectly for one of their players against the run of play. Boro were linking up well, and it was such a shame to concede, especially as we were having the better first half. Dobbo managed to get one back for us and I was pleased because we really deserved it.
Then Julian was partly at fault for the second goal- they had managed to score just 3 minutes after we equalised. So annoying- right before half time! And then they scored another straight after the second half had begun. 3-1 down. It would have been hard for us to get back but when they scored the fourth it was nearing impossible. Mitchell could barely get in the game for once and it just wasn't working out. Tes managed to get a goal back in the 85th minute but it was too late by then.
The defence just didn't seem to work yesterday. I don't think anyone can really explain what happened. It just has to be looked at, worked on, and then put into practice when we play Burton on Thursday.
I think the majority of people are annoyed because we had such a good chance to do well. Burton had beaten Alderhsot and we were set to play Torguay. It would have made the points alot tighter and we had a good chance to close gaps down and go top.
Now we are in fourth. Somewhere which is good but with our form and the team we had out yesterday we should have done better. More worryingly is that we can't keep a clean sheet anymore. This needs to be sorted, as our brilliant goal difference is rapidly decreasing.
The table as it stands is now like this:
1 Torquay 16 19 36
----------------------
2 Aldershot 16 11 34
3 Burton Albion 16 13 33
4 Stevenage 16 17 32
5 Cambridge Utd 16 11 31
Burton is the crunch game on Thursday. We need to beat them. They are flying at the moment but luckily we are at home so hopefully the Boro faithful will push them to play better than they have been.
We have to win, we just have to.
So it’s Torquay away tomorrow. This is a big big match. If we win this we will be right back on track after the disappointing game when we played Woking.
It would be good if Miller was back but I am not too sure.
I think there is going to be a fight for places now at Boro for places in the team, even more so than there was. I mean look at the midfield positions we have:
Lewis, Dobbo, Miller, McMahon, Moseley, Cole, Lawrie Wilson, and Jonny Martin. I would love to play: Lewis, Miller, Martin, Dobbo and Cole but unless one plays up front, that isn’t going to happen!
If we have this kind of squad we have to do something with it!
If we beat Torquay we are looking at going top. With Torquay drawing 3-3 yesterday we know they are the kind of team that comeback really well. They were 3-0 down so how they did it I am not sure. Although the Oxford defending was awful- I was shouting at the TV saying to watch Sills in the middle, and of course they didn’t and he scored the equaliser in the 90th minute.
As a result of Torquay drawing we are now pushed down to third, but the top five are still really close.
1 Aldershot - 34
2 Torquay - 33
3 Stevenage - 32
4 Burton Albion - 30
5 Cambridge Utd - 30
If we won, we would be top with a better goal difference than the rest, and 1 point above Aldershot. If we drew, we would stay in the same place (but depending on results in the other games). If we lost, we would be 4 points behind Torquay. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but in my eyes it is. Especially if Burton and Cambridge win at the weekend. Having said that Burton are at home to Aldershot, so that is also a massive game. A draw would be best there as it would be great for both teams to drop points.
Cambridge have Stafford away, so I guess that results just depends on how Cambridge play on the day.
I just hope the lads put their heart and soul into the game and give it everything they have got. We need this win, and they know that. With the hope that Miller could possibly be back, and with the return of Nutter and Lewis hopefully we will come out all gun’s blazing.
Come on Boro!
I am still a bit unsure what is going on with this whole Stimmo situation but I have found a few things that make me think he is staying or have made me think he isn't.
For example, on Gillingham's website it says they have decided on their manager. It says that he is tied to a club, but wants to leave. This to me sounds like Stimmo, but then it goes on to say that they are in talks with the chairman, which Phil Wallace has denied all knowledge on, so maybe they are talking about someone else.
I am completely confused by the whole thing. I pray that he doesn't go, and I am more inclined now to think that he isn't after numerous reports that Peter Taylor is the person that they want. And the club have released a statement saying they have not spoken to the Gills. (Link added below)
I just hope, even if Stimmo stays, that it doesn't disrupt the club too much. All this speculation is just not good to have around.
I will try and keep you all posted on the goings on with Stimmo, but it is very difficult as one person says one thing and someone else says another! Hopefully we will be enlightened shortly!
Here is a link below linking to a statement from the club about Stimmo:
http://www.thecomet.net/content/comet/boro/story.aspx?brand=CMTOnline&category=SportBoro&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=SportBoro&itemid=WEED11%20Oct%202007%2009%3A43%3A11%3A980
So, it was a crucial game for Boro, if we won we would go top, if we drew we may go top if Aldershot lost. So, when Dobbo came out and scored within the first five minutes or so it was absolutely brilliant. It was the great start we needed. We were playing well, and Woking were struggling to keep Mitchell under control.
Then after some Woking pressure and a few breaks from them, they scored. I would say it was a defensive mistake, but then again it was so slippery out there, that I am not sure. Julian seemed to make a great save down on the ground, yet no-one ran to goal to cover him whilst he was off his line. The ball was in the back of the net and we were gutted.
After that we had flourishes of good play but nothing seemed to be working. I am a fan of Santos but he just kept 'hoofing' the ball forward once he got hold of it, which is frustrating to say the least.
We just couldn't get hold of the ball. We would close them down but not really go for the second ball.
When Mitch got the ball there was the hope that we would create something but it just didn't seem to pull off for us. I was more concerned with Woking scoring as to their credit they played really well and were good on the break.
It was so frustrating watching Boro play like this. They were a million miles from how we played at the weekend against Aldershot. There is no point beating teams like them and then losing two points against Woking. We should be beating them.
I just hope Boro snap out of it before Saturday. Torquay away is a huge match and we can't afford to play like we did last night.
It will be interesting to see what Stimmo says on the game, but something wasn't right last night, and that needs to change.
Just a note on the incidents outside of the ground:
I am not quite sure what happened but there were about 8 police cars piling into the Roaring Meg car park. I know that both sets of fans hate eachother but there is no excuse for behaviour like this. I hope the Boro fans are innocent in whatever happened, because I think we a far better than to stoop to their level. It won't do any good to anyone involved in situations like this. No doubt we will find out what happened soon.
So it's St Woking day today, big game, not just because it's Woking but because it would help keep Boro in contention.
Again my injury fears come into play, as today is such a grudge match. Luckily Hakim won't be playing for obvious reasons- he seems to be their most dangerous player at the moment, so that is a welcome relief.
I am not sure what the score will be tonight, I think they will score and I think we will. I am feeling a 2-1. I think that would be a good result, just because of the fixture. But it would be great to keep a clean sheet or score more goals than just 2 because it will get our goal difference up- which is what is keeping us second at the moment.
I think there will be another good attendance tonight, which will help the lads no end. Hopefully the crowd will be as good as it has been, just so there is that extra confidence factor.
I am sure the game will be eventful, so it is a match I am looking forward to, but dreading at the same time. Let's just hope I can make another happy post tomorrow!
By far this has been the best game of the season for me. It had penalties, own goals, dodgy tackles, dodgy decisions and great goals AND most importantly a Boro win!
As expected I thought Aldershot started reasonably well. I was quite worried when they were on the break, but they didn't really force Alan to make a save.
McMahon didn't really seem to be having a good game, but his cross into the box made the first goal, and after that he seemed to get better.
The goal was great, it couldn't have been any better. Relatively early on in the game, and we were 1 nil up. Even though it was an own goal, I think a number of people could have got on the end of that if it hadn't been slid into the back of the net by Winfield.
We played really well, and things were not happening for Aldershot to our delight.
Mitchell was great throughout the whole match and their defence just couldn't cope with him. I think it was a good idea putting him alongside Morro, and it seemed to work really well, as their link up play was excellent.
When we got the first penalty everyone went mental, although we still had to score! Arber stepped up as Nutter was out and slotted it into the goal nicely.
Again everyone went mental. That was the cusion we needed, and it was right before half time.
I don't know what happened at half time- must have had some energy drinks or something but we came out and within one minute we had scored again! Again the play stemmed from Cole and Dobbo hit home.
I think that was the goal that showed we meant business. The Shots heads went down and we were flying.
Then the Shots got a penalty 2 minutes after. I was praying that they would miss but to no avail. Not quite sure what the penalty was for, it didn't really seem like one should have been given, but at least we were still in the lead. Thankfully we had got the goal before, otherwise it could have raised Aldershot's confidence.
We still out-played them and we got awarded another penalty- through Mitchell again, but this time Arber missed it. He will be disappointed with that, but at least we won.
Overall it was a great team performance that has pushed us second in the league. I couldn't have been prouder of that lads for what they did at the weekend. They didn't stop running and they put their heart and soul into the game.
Martin was my man of the match. Even though Cole was excellent, Martin did not give up on any ball. If he lost it, he got it back. He played a variety of balls, not just down the middle, but he looked wide, and for that killer pass. He really deserved a goal, and hopefully soon he will get one, as he richly deserves it.
Great performance, that will hopefully continue into Tuesday's game, as we have Woking at home.
There has been alot of speculation this week about Stimmo, so there has been alot to deal with in the build up to the game, but more about that later. It's our biggest game of the season so far tomorrow. If we lose to Aldershot tomorrow we will be six points off Torquay, if they win, which would probably be too many points for us to try and keep in touch with to claim the league. Although anything is possible with Boro.
If we win however, we are in direct contention. Aldershot would drop points which would leave us on level points, and because of our goal difference we would go above them, which would get us back to chasing Torquay.
The table at the moment looks like this:
1. Torquay - 32
2. Aldershot - 31
3. Stevenage - 28
4. Burton - 26
5. Cambridge United - 26
As you can see Burton and Cambridge are not far off us either. Burton have got Salisbury at home and Cambridge have Halifax at home. Realistically I would probably expect both Burton and Cambridge to win those matches. And if they do they would go above us, if we lose.
I am not saying we would be completely out of it, and I am not being negative saying Boro will lose, but it's such a big game that it worries me. I just hope the lads don't choke as they know that it could potentially put them second.
I would however be relatively pleased with a draw. Alderhsot are having a flying start to the season so I expect them to come out all guns blazing.
In my mind we cannot lose. We have to get something out the game, not only for the points but to prove they can beat the clubs who are at the top, because if we do get promoted, it is these types of clubs/teams that we will come across week in and week out.
So fingers crossed Boro do the business and we will get that second place in the league which we deserve.
Just a final note about Stimmo:
I know Phil Wallace has stopped Stimmo from talking to other clubs, and I know Stimmo would probably be slightly annoyed at that, but I just want to point out that if Stimmo does go we have to respect his decision. I don't think this will happen but every person has ambitions and he has the right to follow them. Also, I think it shows how professional he is by him carrying on as normal against Grays, a big match for him, and still achieving a result after he found out a few days previously. That's why whatever has happened this week, I know we still have a great manager behind us.
Good Luck Boro!
Due to recent reports Stimmo has apparently been on the shortlist for managers to go and manage either Port Vale or Gillingham.
I hope he stays with us, but obviously a manager wants to be in league football as we do the team. He has his own ambitions and we can't stop that. Hopefully Boro will get promoted this season and we will have no worries, as, we will be happy, so will the players, and Stimmo.
The Comet have managed to get hold of Stimmo, and Phil apparently stopped Stimmo from being able to talk to them. He probably wasn't happy about that. But let's just hope he fuells everything into Boro.
Definately have to sing a song for him on Saturday.
The story about Stimmo can be found here:
http://www.thecomet.net/content/comet/boro/story.aspx?brand=CMTOnline&category=SportBoro&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=SportBoro&itemid=WEED02%20Oct%202007%2011%3A04%3A53%3A473
We did it!! :) We beat Grays. Finally, all those critics will be silenced, who wrote us off, saying our title chances are over.
I was so pleased when i saw the score on teletext. I didn't have internet access this weekend, which was so painful because I couldn't follow the game at all or listen to it online. I just frantically checked teletext for the score.
Glad to see that Morison was back, and from the reports it seemed like he was playing well. Henry coming back, must have also brought confidence to the back 4, as once again we retained a clean sheet.
Sadly my fears for injury that i discussed in my last post came true, as Miller limped off with injury to his hamstring. Such a shame as he is so influential when playing. We don't seem to play as well when he is not in the side.
This seemed to be the case at the weekend too, as according to reports Grays had quite a few chances once Adam succumbed to the injury. Hopefully he will make a speedy recovery, especially with our fixtures that we have coming up; Aldershot, Woking and Torquay!
So next up is Aldershot. Big game on Saturday. Especially, now that Aldershot are on the same points as us. If we win, i think we can go on to beat Woking and Torquay. We may even go one point behind Torquay if they lose to Ebbsfleet. Not only that but it will also show everyone that we can beat the top teams, and i am sure it would give the team a great deal of confidence as well.
Fingers crossed.
Onwards and upwards!!