Balance

Completely agree with you Lobster.

I don't like criticising the team or management so I guess I fall into the 'Happy Clapper' (whatever that is) category. We have been awful at home in 2017, no doubt about that. But we have picked up some good away results along the way. Posters like sirfred, billyw, perm etc are silent when we win, why??? Well because they are crying behind their keyboard because they have nothing to moan about. Being realistic, finishing midtable this season is beyond what most of us expected, including me. We have done well at times, but some people seem to forget about the good results and focus on the bad results to have their say.
Calling McCarthys things like a 'fool' and a 'c**t' are pathetic, he is a good man who despite what you think is making decisions he thinks is right. Don't get me wrong, I have disagreed with some of his tactics this calendar year. But he accepts the ethos of the club, doesn't complain about budget issues constantly unlike his predecessor, and tries to do the best with what he has. Some people completely overreact every time we lose, and don't even compliment the team when we win. We as fans need to be so much better, need to get behind the team and we might start to get somewhere. Today was awful I completely accept, as have a lot of our home games this season. But when we lose there are ceratin posters and fans who can't wait to abuse everything about the club... this does no good at all and contributes to ruining confidence amongst our young squad. Lets get behind the team and help us to get somewhere in this league.

If you check my posts Sir you will see I made several posts regarding our win at Torquay I wasn't going to start a thread salavitating over a 1.0 win against a bottom 4 side who played with 10 men and still took us to the sword with only Lynch to save our blushes - I'm not calling you happy clappers are all passionate abouthe chester FC but we will have to agree to disagree about John Mccarthy and this set of players in my opinion he and them are not good enough - however I respect your opinions and your belief that they are

You didnt go to Dover or Torquay did you?
Or Bromley or Southport for that matter

Ok, honest appraisal of the situation from my point of view at the moment.

We’re struggling, we’ve picked up points away from home where the pressure is off and in all honesty in slightly fortuitous circumstances on the last three occasions. We’ve worked hard, nobody can doubt that and we’ve battled extremely well to gain vital points. Our home form is absolutely desperate though, we set up like an away side, offer very little creativity and let teams, including poor teams, come here and play how they want. Anyone and everyone comes to the Deva and passes the ball around for fun, they like coming here because they know we’ll meekly stand off and let them dictate play. The crowds are down because of it, it just looks like an almighty struggle against absolutely everyone.

Something that really worries me at the moment is that McCarthy is still strongly refuting any criticism coming his way, personally I can’t see improvement until he comes to a realisation that he’s just been getting it badly wrong for quite a while now. I listen to his post-match interviews and he seems to have this little running battle going on with Neil Turner, who will mildly criticise each now and then but he retorts with something a bit bizarre. Today I think Neil asked him about the fact we only had one shot on target and his response was along the lines of why he wasn’t asked how many shots we have when we win. What sort of response is that? I’m sorry but I really do think that’s rubbish. The more he seems questioned to his approach the more determined he seems to be to carry it out and try and prove us all wrong. He doesn’t need to prove anybody wrong, he doesn’t need to go to war with Deva Chat or Shunter Blue FFS, just make good sensible decisions!!!

At the moment we’re trying out different formations every week, we’re playing players out of position, we’re trying to survive the season with just two strikers and we’re employing an assistant manager who doesn’t work match days (most of the time). Honestly, how much of that really sounds like a good idea? There’s absolutely no common sense in the way we’re going about our business, we’re making life hard for ourselves and over complicating everything in my opinion. I genuinely think if you just employ a bit of common sense you can make life so much easier for yourself.

He’s come out this week with the good intention of trying to boost Hudson’s confidence but because the quotes are so bizarre and untrue he’s actually ended up making him the but of a load of jokes, the target of sarcastic comments and put pressure on the lad. He needs to keep it a bit more real because that has actually ended up turning into a really poor piece of management. We also have the Iwelumo situation which for me just is patently not working. I’m not having a go at him personally, this was agreed and he’s doing nothing wrong. I’m more angry that we’ve agreed to a situation that is clearly holding us back. Let’s put it this way, if you were a footballer and your boss (asst manager) more often than not wasn’t going ‘in to battle’ with you and instead heading off on tele to talk about other football clubs, how would you feel? Personally, it would undoubtedly de-motivate me, I just think it sets absolutely the wrong example. I’d have thought working match days was just a very mandatory condition for the job description, I honestly feel like only we of all clubs could find ourselves in such a weird and bizarre situation.

It’s nearly a year ago since we came away with a really well planned win at Grimsby to stave off relagation, Macca was even excitedly telling the press about how he pulled it off pressing their full backs, ironically Horwood, to pull it off. Everything about it was impressive but unfortunately a year on Macca looks a completely different character.

Personally I really like McCarthy and really do want him to succeed, for the most part I’ve been full of praise for him but he has started to really test my patience of late. I just thing we need to get back to basics, which at the moment we look an absolute world away from.

I think the opening line says it all. Unfortunately if you don't go enough you don't see how bad it is and you see and read a report, it doesn't have the same feeling.

I am present every week at home and will continue to do so but I know many that have already stopped coming in and others that won't bother next year due to results and the poor football on show, lack of entertainment, lack of anything going on off the pitch, no buzz or excitement before, during or after KO. We just seem to be happy plodding on, all very boring and stale, what the hell is going to entice folk down? I drove past The Architect on the way home, it was heeving with sun worshippers, I felt like I should have spent the afternoon outthere instead. We don't do any favours in trying to get folk down, off field apart we are a shambles apart from the good work of th community trust and the youth team.

First half wasn't great but about standard for us at present, second half terrible, the subs that were made were baffling and we got worse. I am bored and sick of seeing of Alabi chasing lost causes, our build up play is terrible compared to other teams, we have no width and no ideas how to attack, this is coming from McCarthy who is a 4-4-2 wingers man, ironic we never play with width and we barely play 4-4-2.

So many questions and issues with this team, but the on thing that boils my blood is Mccarthys lack of criticism to his players, the fact he reckons they have all earned a deal. Sometimes you just have to say my players were terrible today, accept its the players letting him down, he just keeps saying it's my fault. To nice, give them a bollocking, it's 4 months since we won at home, an absolute disgrace and the board go on about budgets and losses of people on the gate, is it any wonder? Not just the results, it's the lack of enjoyment watching.



Completely agree with Anders, it's like running battle between him and Neil Turner, You have Neil asking perfectly reasonable questions and McCarthy seems awkward answering them, it's like he doesn't want to talk about anything negative despite how shit things are going, the answer regards to the question 'you had one shot on target today was embarrassing'

McCarthy is a decent guy, he buys into the ethos of the club and understands the set up and where we are it but I worry regards his management and next season if this season keeps on like this, enough fans wanted his head on the chopping board after the game.

Got it in a nutshell  - a big nutshell but nevertheless a nutshell!

He could make a start by not playing one up front at home

Fair point but there’s been too much needless tinkering for months. On Saturday we finished with two players out of position at full back, Waters on the wrong side and Lloyd looking as uncomfortable as ever on the left wing. Not to mention Hughes at right back again.

We play one up front and leave three forwards out, at the end of the day Marsh and Davies have been signed on, I can’t imagine it was part of the plan to not involve them. Unless he was injured I can’t fathom out why Hunt was brought off on Saturday either which left us looking really disjointed.

And playing Hughes at CB . If he cant /or wont see these simple basic errors of judgement then he should go home and do some gardening . At least then Iwelumo the wage thief would have to show his face on a Saturday 

Spot on, needless tinkering throughout Jan-March and since then he has tried to go back to the same lads but they are knackered, out of form or lost interest. You can't just flick it on and off like a switch, it's not just a 5-6 game run, it's 20 games now. We now have the look of a poor side, power puff upfront, no creativity, no width, lacking energy and no imagination or intent from the management, safety first approach and we are left with an ok defence with Sam Hughes the star along with a busy keeper.

I wouldn't be able to tell you what our team or fornation will be on Monday, never a good sign.

We will have the summer period to review everything. Iwelumo is apparently going to commit to media or Chester (personally I want him to go), Macca can make a few signings, the players can rest, we can get our injured players back, and start fresh... I remain optimistic for next season. Up the Seals.

I expect to see Will Marsh partnering the mesmerising Wade Joyce in centre midfield on Monday.