[ Tue 27th Sep ] v Romulus FC, KO 7:45pm NPL1S HOME

[corby diamond]

I didn't go last night but it sounded like the same as shaw lane. it's pretty simple in terms of this Saturday, play 4-4-2 with an attacking mind both halfs and there COULD be a chance of getting a
result... play the defensive hoof ball style and it will be a long frustrating 90 mins..

It's a real shame we seem to be once again a one man squad in the form of oulton. It shouldn't be play with him you win, play badly without him. At the moment it's clear to see the defence is ok, the midfield is so so but the attacking options needs major looking at, shariff personally i don't think is good enough. Orosz aint bad, nic and parsons aint strikers as such. Would like to see Newman start when he is a bit more match fit..

Hendon will be a massive step up from concord and judging by the twitter feed they are rubbing their hands.. in all the FA cup games this season and the last few seasons this one I'm nervous about.. (I actually believed we could get some kind of result against Dover and barwell) Hendon is there for the taking and it wasn't the worst draw. Things need looking at sooner rather than later

[Pigman]

A couple of weeks ago we won in the cup and everyone on here was cock a hoop - we've got a massive injury list and we've just drawn against two of the top sides in the league - sometimes you need to dig deep and get a result when everything is against you! Sometimes it won't be pretty, but you pull together to get the result.

The squad is stretched at the moment, but it's not like we're losing games! It can be frustrating as performances may not be flowing and exciting, but sometimes it's just about getting the job done! I can't comment on last night, but I think Saturday was more about us being pressured by a good side than us wanting to drop back and play deep.

I'm also fairly sure some of the players who are playing at the moment aren't 100% fit either, but have no choice but to play through the pain barrier because of our depleted squad!

It's ironic that we as fans moan about the performance on the pitch not being up to standard - I thought off the pitch we were as flat as a pancake Saturday and did little to lift the players who are struggling at the moment! I realise it's the old "do fans react to what they see" argument - but when the going gets tough the boys on the field need that extra encouragement and lift from the fans.

I can't make it Saturday now, but I hope those fans that do go put in the kind of shift on the terrace that they want to see from the players on the pitch and give them the support they so sorely need right now.

With the suspension of Bunts and the injuries we've got I thought if we got through the last two games with anything it'd be a result - so we're 2 points better off than I thought we'd be!

Onwards and upwards - massive challenge on Saturday !!

[BartonRaz]

In terms of pure entertainment value I think last night was possibly one of the worst AFC R&D games since we reformed. Not helped in all fairness by Romulus committing fouls every 20 seconds and a weak referee that allowed it to continue time and time again. Substitutions too late again.

Quite simply we are hugely reliant on one player. It's great that we have a player of Ross' calibre but when the other attacking players can't reach anything like the same heights without him in the side it actually becomes an issue. It's possibly got into the minds of the players that we're a poorer side without him and any belief seeps away when we can't unlock the door.

I've always thought of us Diamonds fans as being very tolerant towards our players (except in exceptional circumstances when the player in question is horrific, Greg Ling, Greg Pearson etc). I'm really disappointed in the way some supporters have started hammering our own players this season, Robbie Parsons bearing the brunt of it. The kid has got obvious ability. Yes he goes down easily, yes he picks the wrong option now and again, but perhaps if we got behind him a little more he wouldn't make some of these mistakes. He's only going to get better by playing. Ollie Wilkinson's mistakes probably cost us the points for promotion last season but he didn't get anything like this sort of grief. I don't agree with the comments about Nabil Shariff either, he's looked very dangerous in games earlier this season, but let's face it the service hasn't exactly been the best lately.

[Formic]

<<snip>>

I've always thought of us Diamonds fans as being very tolerant towards our players (except in exceptional circumstances when the player in question is horrific, Greg Ling, Greg Pearson etc). I'm really disappointed in the way some supporters have started hammering our own players this season, Robbie Parsons bearing the brunt of it. The kid has got obvious ability. Yes he goes down easily, yes he picks the wrong option now and again, but perhaps if we got behind him a little more he wouldn't make some of these mistakes. He's only going to get better by playing. I don't agree with the comments about Nabil Shariff either, he's looked very dangerous in games earlier this season, but let's face it the service hasn't exactly been the best lately.

Well said. It's one thing to have a little mumble when a player doesn't pick the right option, or misplaces a corner or free kick, but some of the loud criticism is totally out of order - and I've heard it coming from all sides of the ground. You do sometimes wonder if people are looking for errors, and can't see what the player is giving to the team, whether its the number of times Tom Lorraine wins flicks in the air, the runs that Shariff makes or the times that Robbie Parsons is fouled when running at defenders.

[corby diamond]

Would love to see what wreh could offer if he starts a match. Maybe he was a one night wonder against Peterborough pre season and his skills were exciting for one evening, but being signed and given 10 mins game time here and there is hardly going to do him any favours.. could nabil look even more dangerous as a sub early second half?.. to me he looked tired second half Saturday but he shouldn't have been playing lone striker though..

Inviting pressure and defending in your own box ain't the way to exit the FA cup.. if they are to go out an attacking fight would make it more bearable... not sure I could bet on the lads to win, but double chance could be tempting in the FA cup anything is possible

[Trek]

.....could look even more dangerous as a sub early second hato me he looked tired second half Saturday but he shouldn't have been playing lone striker though..

I thought Nabil did OK last night despite the poor service and he would always start for me and given the right service, to his feet, will hold the ball up well and he was very unlucky not to have scored in the first half last evening being thwarted by the goalie's outstretched legs.
As for last Saturday, apparently Nabil had been poorly last week but nevertheless he played no doubt as a result of our thread bare squad. Jake needs more cameo appearances to built up his match fitness so I would start Nabil and Tom at Hendon.

[bozzer]

The game is about opinions, i thought for an injury ravaged squad against a team full of confidence sat 4th in the league we did ok, which was much better than we did against Chasetown and look where they are in the league! So for me thats progress.

Yeah so we'd like to win every game and beat everyone at home and all that but it really isn't going to happen. Already we have seen Chasetown, Grasley, Shaw Lane and Romulus better than any team we played at home last season.

Again last night we had the chances, and we did as i have just looked at the video but sometimes they don't go in, on other days they all go in like at Concord.

Ok so we are lacking a little bit in creativity with all the injuries we have, we can all see that, but i would rather have Taylor and Robbie playing on our wings than someone like Andy Hall, young local players with raw talent, hungry with desire and energy, than someone who picks up top dollar and turns it on 1 game in 6. I do agree with BR about the criticism being belted out, these are young lads who need our support.

One positive which doesn't seem to have been mentioned is how good was Rory Winters, Jack is a massive loss but he looked a quality player and i don't think we missed him, well we had a clean sheet so we didn't.

This league is a massive learning process and a lot harder than last seasons in my opinion, it is going to take a while for us to get to grips with it, but hey 6 games unbeaten in the league isn't bad is it.

[rudolph_hucker]

It's a real shame we seem to be once again a one man squad in the form of oulton. It shouldn't be play with him you win, play badly without him. At the moment it's clear to see the defence is ok, the midfield is so so

The midfield weren't used though, two games and two second halfs of long ball out of defense which was totally ineffective.

Maybe my original comments were misleading, I'll try to simplify it for those who couldn't understand.

I totally agree that two games where we have drawn against goodish opposition is better than two defeats. My point is we started both the last two games on top and fairly dominated the forst half of both games. The second halfs though we seemed to 'forget' football and just try hoofing the ball to the forwards which resulted in nothing because both times the oppositions defense just sent it back to our half of the pitch. This was piling unnecessary pressure on our defence. On Saturday we even brought on a player (shamefully I don't know his name) about 5' tall expecting him to win long balls.

We are depleted I understand that but surely we can play the ball on the floor, use the midfield and wide players and run at the opposition. Put THEM under pressure.

[Phil-the-Diamond]

Can't understand why we continually pump balls long when it is obvious it is not working. Got fed up with ball after ball being headed straight back into our half. Shariff looks better when balls are played to feet. Double substitution was needed IMO when I would have replaced Lorraine and Shariff with Newman and Wreh after about 55 mins.

Was impressed by McNulty at left back. Robbie needs to stay on his feet but I do like him. Thought he was really being wound up last night.

Last night was not helped by a whistle happy ref - some decisions I had no idea why he had blown!

[corby diamond]

I seem to remember this hoof ball business has been bought up before on the forum, can't remember when though, but the players responded and played football.. let's hope for the same Saturday..

I agree with what Phil the diamond said.. surely by 60 mins if the tiredness is kicking in, or like what was said about nabil being unwell last week, bring wreh on and let him have a good run out.. after all that's what the bench is there for..

Is taylor orosz available for Saturday? If so he needs to start..