August 2008 - Posts
This is not going to be a pretty game. First of all, it is miles away, secondly, they will work extremely hard, and thirdly, we are desperate.
Barrow are doing really well in the conference at the moment. They have a great momentum, and from what I have gathered from their game against Oxford on Setanta Sports, they will give everything that they have got.
We however, are lacking in confidence, not really working as a team, and our second from bottom.
We shouldn't be where we are, especially with the team that we have. But we are, and we will have to deal with it. The boys are the only ones that can get us out of this mess, and I do believe they can do it.
It is not going to be a pretty game tomorrow, but as long as we get a result, none of that matters. It could be an awful goal, scrappy clearences, only just scraped a win etc etc, but the main thing is it will boost the lads if we can get the win.
We need to have some form. A win could change so much for us. It is a little less pressure, and it can show them they can win games.
Ok, so injuries aren't really working out that well at the moment, but we still have a big enough squad to do well in this game.
I am a bit nervous about tomorrow though. I was looking at the table, and some teams have 12 points and you just think, why are we only on 2?
At the start of the season everyone was really optimistic, and slowly but surely everyone has come off their floaty cloud. I want to climb back up to my cloud. So come on Boro pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaseeee win tomorrow!
Ok, so I go away on holiday, I hope that things change, I get back and nothing has changed. I went to the Weymouth game with an open mind. I knew it was early days, and yet I still found myself so frustrated. We drew, great it was a point. But we were still sitting at the bottom of the table. We needed to win our home games, if we can't do that, how are we ever to get any points?
I monitored the Ebbsfleet game whilst I was away. I wish I hadn't. 4-0? What is all that about? The match stats show that we didn't even have a shot on target. Where has Boro gone? Did they come to Spain with me, because they were clearly not at that match.
I thought on Monday things would be different. I was back and ready to watch Boro hopefully win. We got the first goal which was great for us. We working hard and the changes that Westley had made seemed to have worked. Chris Day made quite a few decent saves, which I am not sure that Bayes would have made. Vincenti worked hard but he still looks a bit lost.
Laird was on top form again, and Mills was constantly making great tackles and winning the ball back for us.
It was such a shame to see Crawley score against us. They had had numerous chances so I suppose it was deserved. We were completely on top after going a goal down. There was an urgency that I hadn't seen this season. But we just couldn't score.
The ref in my eyes was rubbish. Numerous decisions were laughable. I particularly liked Calum's effort. He was runnning through on goal, where two players completely sandwiched him and brought him down. Ref blows, excellent, free kick. Wait no, book's Cal and gives them the free kick. Excellent refereeing.
Although I have to say, when Crawley were lining up to take a free kick that they had been awarded, it was nice of him to tell us that our wall was too far back and that we could come forward. Don't think I have ever seen that before.
I suppose the result wasn't too bad, but we need to be winning these games. Hopefully some of the lads will be back from injury soon, and I hope that Mitch comes back soon after picking up what seemed to be a groin injury.
I think I need some more time to refuel my batteries. Boro just drain me so much! There are only so many times that you can say... onwards and upwards....
Next up we have Weymouth at home. This really is make it or break it time for Boro. Everyone is going to go absolutely mental if we don't win tomorrow. Everyone is so angry as it is, let alone if we have another defeat.
I can't imagine that morale is exactly brilliant but the players will have to understand they did not and were far from playing their best on Tuesday. Even Westley said in our interview with him yesterday that players will be dropped. They need to get their heads in the game and prove they are worthy to get in the team and play for Boro.
I have no idea what is going to happen on Saturday. We could completely flop as we are lacking a bit of confidence. Or we could have fire in our bellies and really go for it. Either way I am sure we are in for an eventful game.
I'm going on holiday on Sunday so I hope to leave a winning side and come back to a winning side. I doubt it will happen, but here's hoping.
I have calmed down a bit since last night. We lost 3-1 to Eastbourne. An absolute shocker. We were awful. I said to my other half and the end of the game, "what am I to write in my blog? We were rubbish. End of?"
We were awful, point blankly awful. I was looking at the clouds more than I was interested in the game. I must have counted 2 passages of play where I thought, that was really good. But it was always the end product, there just wasn't one.
None of the players looked like they could be bothered, bar a few. Even the lads who were working hard - Eddie for example - managed to trip over his own feet.
It was a joke. I will be back on Saturday because I don't want to waste my season ticket, but I will be extremmmmmmmmmelllly surprised if there is a big crowd against Weymouth.
I thought the whole point of our football was to be 'entertaining'. There definitely was NOTHING entertaining about yesterday's performance. The only two things that entertained me in that game. The first someone shouting behind me "Christie looks like he is in an all-in-one swim suit" and the second, someone at the end waving their season ticket shouting "Weymouth tickets, get your Weymouth tickets".
I can't believe we actually lost. No offence to Eastbourne - I mean they did their job. They defended like a team, worked hard like a team, and attacked like a team. You may be noticing a pattern here, as we did none of those. We should be beating a team that has just got promoted. They came here to defend and on the break hopefully put the ball in the back of the net. They did that. They had 3 breaks, they scored all 3.
We however, faffed around at the back, didn't supply balls to the forwards, picked Christie - who was shocking, and the midfield gave no cover to the defence. The whole game was just useless.
We have the potential there to be a good team. But they need to learn to play like a team. I admit it isn't easy with a whole new squad every year, but even if you can't completely read eachother, you should still play better than that.
I just can't believe how bad we were. We need some sort of miracle to get better than that.
Whereas for now, we are sitting nicely at the bottom of the league with a -7 goal difference and a lack lustre side. Great.
Tonight we have Eastbourne Borough at home.
As it has turned out, it is now a massive game for us. We need to get some points down on paper, and we need to show to the fans the the weekend's game was just a small blip in a positive campaign.
If we can win tonight and then take that confidence into Saturday's game against Weymouth then I think we will be set.
In my eyes it is a must-win. I know it is early on in the season to be saying this, but it is important. If we have another loss, that's a major confidence blow. And I am not being mean to Eastbourne, but if we lose to a newly promoted team, it won't really show us in a great light, especially as we are supposed to be a promotion pushing side.
I guess we have to see how it goes tonight. But at least we are at home, and the crowd can boost the squad.
It will be interesting to see how many fans turns up to the game, what with it being on a Tuesday.
All we can do now is look forward to the game, and hope that Boro can get their scoring boots back on, and regain some of that goal-difference that we lost on Saturday.
Fingers crossed and all that.
Boro were thrashed 5-0 at Wrexham in the season opener at the weekend.
What a disappointment.
We build up to the first game of for months and months, and Boro go and lose 5-0. To be fair, Wrexham was one of our more difficult games, but 5-0 is not exactly a brilliant scoreline.
I thought at 1-0 down we may have had a chance to come back in it, especially as we had seemed to be the better of the two teams in the early stages of the match.
But sadly, that wasn't the case, when Moro got himself sent off for a not so red card offence.
They too had a sending off late on into the game, but they still managed to put 3 past us even then.
The defence was obviously not the defence we have seen in recent weeks. They fell apart and nothing seemed to work.
We should have taken our chances when we were on top of the game.
Even though it is only one gam, it puts a downer on the weekend. We wanted to get off to a flyer, but now we are sitting at the bottom of the table, with five goals conceded, and no goals scored. Not exactly the start we would of wanted.
Some people are now extremely pessimistic. "That's it, seasons over".
It's not. It is one game. If anything the lads may of needed that to open their eyes. They are going to have to work hard to get out of this league.
Players who didn't play well may get dropped, and so what if they do. They need to realise that they need to play spot on every game. We have a big squad now, and we can afford to drop players that aren't pulling their weight. We need 100%, each and every game.
I hope this loss can really shape up Boro. We have two home games now. One tomorrow (Eastbourne), and the other on Saturday.
If we can win both of those we are definitely are on the right path.
So, the season is in full swing tomorrow, when Boro are set to play Wrexham in the first game of the season.
I am excited and scared at the same time.
It would be a great start if we can get off the mark and win the first game. It would give us something to build on. It would give us the positivity that we can do it. It would show to other teams that we mean business. I just hope the nerves don’t get the better of us.
Wrexham are new to this league, and you can bet that they want to go back to their old league. So they will definitely be up for the game, especially as they are at home.
I’m not going to be at the match tomorrow, so I will be frantically following it online. My friends fiancé is from Wrexham and they are both going to the match. I have been warned that the Wrexham fans are quite in your face, as it were, so I imagine there will be quite a bit of banter between the two sides.
I hope Boro really showcase how they can play. We all know they can do it, but whether they do is a different question.
I really do feel positive about this season, which is quite a surprise to me. I am the first to admit that I was really sceptical when I heard that Graham was returning to the club. I didn’t think I would renew my season ticket, because I was worried that we would go back to the hoof and hope regime. But he has continued to prove me wrong.
I have renewed my season ticket for a start, and I am enjoying watching the lads play. He has brought in great players and the team now look like and play like a team. I am now backing him to do the business for us, and I don’t think I am the only one. Hopefully he can be the man that gets us to the place that we all want, the league.
New season, new beginnings, new players, new manager, and new belief.
Come on Boro!
Boro put 7 past Slough last night in our last pre-season friendly, despite going a goal down.
Boro were the better team in the first half, and somehow Slough seemed to go in front first. We conceded around the thirty minute mark. However, they didn't hold the lead for long as Boylan had other ideas.
He scored five goals last night, and had got a hat-trick within minutes of scoring Boro's opening goal.
Willock and Drury also got goals, soon after one another.
With Boylan scoring five goals yesterday, it certainly makes things difficult for Westley. Morison will obviously start on Saturday against Wrexham. but who will partner him? A lot of people have said that Moro's partnership with Thomas looked promising, but Boylan has always worked hard for the ball, and he has been scoring of late.
Then there is the matter of, do we put Cole up front with Moro?
Personally, I would start with Moro and Thomas up front, with Cole, Mills, McMahon (if fit), and Martin (now that Bridges has a stress fracture) in midfield, and then, Henry, Albrighton, Laird, and Anaclet in defense.
God that is a strong team, and there are so many other players that could easily play!
This has to be a good sign, doesn't it?
I went to watch Boro play at the weekend, and I have to say I was impressed. There was a lot of movement on and off the ball, and the players really seemed like they had desire.
Some passages of play were excellent, and in the end it was a little disappointing to see us draw the game.
I was very pleased with Eddie again, he worked really hard and got in some great positions.
Morison was again on top form, as he put one past their keeper.
I didn't think Westcarr did particularly well, but I think I will need to see him play again to get my head round him as a player.
I thought Mills played really well. He helped out the defensive and held the ball up well.
The defense was once again tip top. The wall for Orient's goal was the one disappointment for me, as they were superb the rest of the game. Although it did make me laugh when Ashley slammed the ball down in disgust with them. Hopefully the lads in the wall won't do that again!
Overall it was a good game. It was a good competitive match, with a lot of positives to take from the game.
Tomorrow we have Slough and then we are off to Wrexham at the weekend for the start of the season.
I don't want to get ahead of myself, but things are looking good.