Always Next Year

[Nashy]

My wife and I had the long drive back to east Kent to contend with and M26 was shut too - I travelled in stunned silence (unusual for me) - watched lowlights when I got in - we had the chances (easy ones at that) in both games to put the tie to bed but as many have said that is the story of our season. I said to the missus 'does it really matter, we live 15o miles away now, perhaps we should just do other things and stress levels would be reduced' but I've supported them through thick and mostly thin for 52 years, worked there for 6 years and much as I'd like to reduce my allegiance I just can't. It's in the blood. So what happens now? Clearly Patto's influence, coaching ability,enthusiasm, optimism and passion can be a great asset. He also believes in youth. Maybe JS needs to take more of a back seat concentrating on recruitment by using his reputation and contacts and many friends in the game. The budget will clearly be a problem so hungry young players are essential. We need quality and pace wide (Eddie was the biggest bottler last night and flatters to deceive all too often) and a natural goalscorer (not easy to attract). It will be tougher next year but i hope like brenda and I the vast majority will stick with them. I think the present regime deserve that support. I only wish I had worked under Nick Merry rather than (for most of the time FK (whose biggest crime was the way he sapped morale right through the club).

[Shoobedoo]

Exeter's superb wide/wing play made me wonder when we'll get a manager who believes in wingers once more. I miss it.

Amen to that Jimski. The sad thing is Jim used them extensively in his first spell.

I've even hankered after players as average as Jon Purdie or Chris Hackett at times this season.

There's been a consistent lack of quality going into the box (fnar) this season. Which is why there's been so much pressure on the strikers to take the limited chances that they've had.

[Nashy]

As an ex employee(and i still have marginal involvement) I am reluctant to come on the forums but in the wake of that huge disappointment i feel the need to get it off my chest. So another point that has been touched upon - admittedly exeter were tiring having worked so hard in 90|| mins to close down , be first to the ball, pick up 2nd ball etc but didn't we look better (and even played more football) when we had a proper (if ageing) left back, freeing Burge to do his stuff further forward. The only shame at that late juncture , was that Danny Rose was off as I felt he was one of our better players on the night and the front players legs had gone (well Duffy's were never there sadly!). I thought Burge had a decent game but he is not a left back and the need for a change was obvious and should have come earlier. Any threat we had came from the combination of Burgess and Johnson late on. The other irritant is that we are so predictable -Exeter knew we would be relying on breaking with long balls looking to utilise the pace up front and so we kept giving the ball away. If a ball is driven 50-60 yards forward how can midfielders get up to support the front 2? And how often can any player at this level hit accurate 50-60 yard balls - Beckham they ain't! Will be interesting to see who stays and who goes. Too many changes can be detrimental but budget and wage cap may be the driving forces. Ah well its the cricket season!!!!

[boris]

Ah well its the cricket season!!!!

oh man, you've just made me even more depressed.

[Geoff]

[quote=&quotSmileyMan&quot]

Zebra was immense, though. I hope we can hang onto him.


Sorry SmileyMan I have to disagree with you on this one. A player who can't hit the target from the penalty spot doesn't qualify as a professional footballer, never mind a striker! I hope he left the club today.

I agree with you about Turley for the same reason. If he volunteers to take a penalty it's a given that he hits the target. If you excuse him on the grounds of being a 'keeper then he shouldn't have taken a penalty in the first place. I hope he left the club today.

[Resurrection Ox]

Zebra was immense, though. I hope we can hang onto him.


Sorry SmileyMan I have to disagree with you on this one. A player who can't hit the target from the penalty spot doesn't qualify as a professional footballer, never mind a striker! I hope he left the club today.

I agree with you about Turley for the same reason. If he volunteers to take a penalty it's a given that he hits the target. If you excuse him on the grounds of being a 'keeper then he shouldn't have taken a penalty in the first place. I hope he left the club today.

Far too harsh. Anyone can miss a penalty. Zebroski was'nt good last night but ran hard.

You want to see Turley sacked for missing a penalty? He was our best player last night man!

[Mooro]

Why can't we just lose like any normal side would?
Why do we have to build up our hopes and then let them slip through our fingers?

Exeter were the better side on the night, no doubt about that, but even then we had enough chances to steal it from them.

To get the penalty thing out of the way - I once saw Kevin Pressman take a penalty in a League cup tie and smash the ball so hard that the opposition keeper got two hands to it but couldnt keep it out. From that time on I always wondered why more keepers didnt take penalties...
...now I know!.

Although, I have to echo comments above about Turley, whose attitude all night would have brought me close to subbing him. Two or three times him trying to be clever so nearly presented Exeter with a chance and pulling Elvis poses during the shootout was enough to make the blood boil. Even a couple of his saves were more dramatic than I think they needed to be.
Given that one or Turley or Tardif will probably be allowed to leave in the summer I for one would prefer to see Tardif stay than Turley.

I thought Zebrowski was MOTM for us again last night, his running and chasing down were a lesson for some of the others, yet it was inevitable that it would be his penalty that sealed it. Frankly I was surprised he had the energy to walk from the half way line, so to not quite place the ball as hoped was less of a surprise.

Prior to the shootout, trying to compile a mental list of the five main takers was a struggle, with only Burgess and Duffy givens. Day and Gilly were cramping up, Yemi and Zebra had run all the energy out of their legs, which didnt leave much other choice.


Overall, Exeter had to go for it, we couldnt cope and while 5 at the back works when the opposition do not press, once Burgess got penned in on the left and Eddie disappeared in a ball of nerves, then we were just being overrun. I worried before kickoff that we wouldnt cope and wouldnt change, and was right for too long and by the time the lineup was changed it was too late.

Finally, for me the pain of the defeat is not about Histon or Droylsden - are they really much worse places to go than Macclesfield or Bury or Mansfield or Barnet - but of the impact this will have across the whole club. A 25% reduction in the budget pretty much knocks on the head any element of long-term planning though player development while how many other initiatives may have to be scaled down or go on hold through reduced income?

I do not know what our top earners get nowadays, but if the weekly budget is dropping from 24k/wk to 18k/wk, my vote goes to wiping out the excess at that end, rather than the other. Fewer last-pay-day pros, more eager youngsters...

[DLT]

Sorry Mooro, we normally have the same thoughts on players but.......

Zebra ran hard all night I agree, but he has pace and never takes on defenders. His shooting was poor. Physically he looks the part but does he have the skill that Mackie, Stainsfield or Logan showed last night?

Burge at left back was unfair on the lad. Johnson should have been brought on after 15 minutes.

Notice nobody mentions Hargreaves. For me he was back to his worst last night, you can't have a midfielder who doesn't want to recieve a pass. He went missing and made Foster look bad because Fossie was covering miles of ground doing Hargreaves work.

Then the penalties. I joked as Quinn walked up that Merry was possibly putting us into administration when he saw him step forward.. Quinn is proven to be crap at pens. I wanted to see Day moving forward.

But back to criticising, why weren't our senior pros like Gilly and Hargreaves stepping forward?

We certainly need to wheel and deal. The players we need to offload will be hard to move on. Those we need to keep will be in demand elsewhere.

For me we need two proper full backs, a tall dominating centre back and some genuine wide players.

[SteMerritt]

But back to criticising, why weren't our senior pros like Gilly and Hargreaves stepping forward?

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[DLT]

And another thing. Did you see the Exeter goalie reading his notes on the Oxford penalty takers.

I doubt Turley was given notes.

[SteMerritt]

And another thing. Did you see the Exeter goalie reading his notes on the Oxford penalty takers.

I doubt Turley was given notes.

Didn't Quinn have a penalty saved earlier in the season against Exeter?

[DLT]

Didn't he miss two a couple of seasons ago, when we were trying to give him a first league goal?

[Hog]

Whilst killing time in the club shop late afternoon yesterday I overheard the staff joking about lack of space for 2000|| shirts that had been ordered for the play-off final which were apparently arriving soon. I hope to goodness they meant they'd only got the designs sorted and that they weren't being produced until a confirmation phone call to be made this morning!

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

1. Histon. Small village just north of Cambridge: I used to be a member of the public library there. Easy enough to get to for car-owners (albeit I assume there'll be jams). The rest of you will need to get a local bus from Drummer Street, assuming the bus station in Cambridge is still there (and nowhere near the rail station).

2. Listening to the last twenty-five minutes via the internet, it continues to absolutely baffle me that Nick Harris has been able to earn a living for so long as a professional broadcaster. I can only assume that it's down to operating in a very small pool and making sure all the relevant bums are kissed.

3. Exeter's disallowed goal before we scored should have been given*, a point to bear in mind before complaining about the ref.

[* = I saw the first half in a pub, caught the last half-hour of normal time on Teletext and heard the rest via the BBC website.]

[Resurrection Ox]

1. Histon. Small village just north of Cambridge: I used to be a member of the public library there. Easy enough to get to for car-owners (albeit I assume there'll be jams). The rest of you will need to get a local bus from Drummer Street, assuming the bus station in Cambridge is still there (and nowhere near the rail station).

2. Listening to the last twenty-five minutes via the internet, it continues to absolutely baffle me that Nick Harris has been able to earn a living for so long as a professional broadcaster. I can only assume that it's down to operating in a very small pool and making sure all the relevant bums are kissed.

3. Exeter's disallowed goal before we scored should have been given*, a point to bear in mind before complaining about the ref.

[* = I saw the first half in a pub, caught the last half-hour of normal time on Teletext and heard the rest via the BBC website.]

Agree about Nick Harris, (but he's a lot better than some of the BBC regional commentators - who are frankly - cocks of the highest order), and the 'disallowed' Exeter goal.

But overall the ref was poor. What about fouls in area on Yemi in third minute and extra time?