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Post by casper on Aug 21, 2015 9:58:50 GMT
From www.hertsad.co.uk/sport/st-albans-city/preview_gray_urges_st_albans_city_response_in_front_of_home_fans_1_4200748St Albans City joint manager James Gray has challenged his squad to respond to Tuesday’s loss with a good performance in front of the home fans against Bath City. The Saints were beaten 1-0 by Eastbourne Borough in midweek after an inept display on the south coast. The side lacked quality all over the pitch but especially in the final third and never really threatened Lewis Carey, Borough’s goalkeeper. The result saw City slip to second from bottom in the league. They’re above Weston-super-Mare, the only team in the league yet to register any points. Bath are top of the league, three points ahead of the only other team that has a 100 per cent record so far, Ebbsfleet United. “We need to try to turn it around and quick, and at Clarence Park where home fans can try to get behind us. We need to put it right and get three points. We need it,” he said. A win on Saturday will go a long way to lifting the mood surrounding the club following Tuesday’s loss. After three defeats to potential play-off teams, Eastbourne was seen as a real opportunity to kick-on. Instead, it felt like the team took a step back. “Nothing less than three points was good enough [at Eastbourne] and the players have let themselves, us and the fans down,” said Gray. Part of Gray’s frustration stems from having to dictate the entire game from the sideline due to a lack of obvious leaders. “I feel like I have to run the game from the sideline at the moment. I told them what I wanted them to do but once we send them over the line, what can we do? I’d love to have players geeing each other up,” he said. “We’re under the cosh and need some leaders. We have some in Lee Chappell, James Comley and Benny Martin but we need to see it.” He added: “We can’t be too down; we’ve got to find a way to get better and when we do I’m sure we’ll be fine but it’s tough.” |
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Post by casper on Aug 21, 2015 10:18:02 GMT
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Post by casper on Aug 21, 2015 12:39:30 GMT
From www.stalbanscityfc.com/bath-city-h-preview/The Saints welcome another Roman City in the shape of Bath City to Clarence Park this Saturday, as we look to pick up our first three points of the season. Early table-toppers Bath have had an impressive start to the season, picking up maximum points from their opening four games, the only team in the division to do so. Those four victories include picking up maximum points against Basingstoke and Whitehawk, both of whom appeared in the play-offs last season, and also Wealdstone and Maidenhead United, with that victory coming on Tuesday night when they won 2-1 at Twerton Park. Bath will be hoping that these four opening victories are a solid base for a successful season following last term’s disappointment. The side from Somerset finished last season in 14th place, one point behind the Saints, and thirteen points above the drop zone. While they avoided relegation relatively easily in the end, the management at Twerton Park will be hoping for a lot better come April next year. We faced the Romans twice last season, losing 2-0 in Somerset in early November, before hosting Bath back at Clarence Park just a month later, when John Frendo pounced to secure the three points following a defensive mix-up from the visitors. The Saints will be hoping for a similar result at Clarence Park this coming weekend. However, it won’t be easy, as St Albans go into the game on the back of their third defeat on the trot, and having failed to pick up a win in their opening four games. While these fixtures have been tough ones against sides which will more than likely be in and around the play-offs, the management will not be happy with the start to the season, and will be hoping for a quick turnaround when their side take to the pitch later today. Following the 1-0 defeat to Eastbourne Borough on Tuesday evening, James Gray did not pull any punches, as he bemoaned his side’s failure to create any clear openings, and expressed his disappointment with the performance. However, the management know that things need turning around, and they’ll make sure they get a reaction from the players against Bath. The Saints go into this Saturday’s game with a couple of injury concerns, with Danny Green and Steve Wales both still out of contention, while Luke Allen and Sam Corcoran picked up knocks on Tuesday evening, which could keep them out of tomorrow’s game. However, the management will be more than happy to bring in player’s who have found themselves on the bench, especially with the likes of Jack Green pushing for a start. After a tough opening few weeks of the new season, the Saints are looking to turn things around, beginning tomorrow with the visit of Bath City. Make sure you come down to Clarence Park and cheer on the team! Come On You Saints! Kick-off is 3pm. |
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Post by Hatboy on Aug 21, 2015 20:04:36 GMT
This weekends best available match odds:
Basingstoke Town (7/5) Draw (5/2) Margate (2)
Concord Rangers (16/11) Draw (13/5) Hemel Hempstead (17/10)
Dartford (6/5) Draw (5/2) Gosport Borough (23/10)
Havant & Waterlooville (11/8) Draw (13/5) Oxford City (9/5)
Maidenhead Utd (5/4) Draw (5/2) Sutton Utd (21/10)
Maidstone (5/6) Draw (29/10) Hayes & Yeading (13/4)
St Albans City (14/5) Draw (3) Bath City (11/12)
Truro City (15/13) Draw (13/5) Bishop Stortford (11/5)
Wealdstone (17/4) Draw (10/3) Ebbsfleet United (8/13)
Weston Super Mare (31/10) Draw (14/5) Eastbourne Borough (4/5)
Whitehawk (1) Draw (27/10) Chelmsford (5/2)
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Post by stalbanandy on Aug 22, 2015 1:04:03 GMT
Lets just say we have been totally inept in the first four games. Never one to criticise JG and GG but we can we please play round pegs in round holes!
Coms is no way a right back, he has to play centre back or centre mid, preferably centre back where he excelled at the back end of last season. Drop Big Ben, he has offered nothing so far. JK is by far the better option at right back.
Why buy Lewis who has been excellent for the last few years on the right of midfield and then not play him there?
Luke Allen who impressed in pre season with his constant running and runs beyond the strikers then plays out wide right! Get him playing centre mid where he can be more effective
We are crying out for pace but the one player who gave us that up front during preseason wasn't signed. Bishop, who really impressed me when I saw him.
This holding midfielder Scott Thomas hasn't impressed, just like the blonde lad (his name escapes me)last season. R the 2 centre midfielders not intelligent enough to know that if one goes one sits? Mind you Gerrard and Lampard struggled!
Please let us see a team with all players suited to the role!
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Post by Saint on Aug 22, 2015 17:19:43 GMT
Lost 1-0. Lack of creativity in the final third let us down really.
However, we really could have scored before the full time whistle, with couple of goal line clearances denying the saints.
Two positives for me- Billy Medlock and Sow, who both impressed, and Sow especially was unlucky not to score, while Medlock also hit the woodwork, and did a lot of running.
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Post by saints17mad on Aug 22, 2015 18:22:21 GMT
I think we were very unfortunate not to get something from today's game and deserved a point. Bath didn't look like a team at the top of the table but it's results that count.
I thought Welch was our best player (very unlucky not to save the penalty) and Medlock our best outfield player. There were definitely lots of promising signs but we really struggled to have any width in the game.
Hilliard is in poor form and it was right to take him off when they did. The players definitely seemed to be gelling but we are in desperate need of some genuine wingers. Lee Chappel spent most of the second half covering the whole of the left hand side leaving us exposed at the back and not providing any momentum going forward.
Generally I thought we played far too narrowly and our chances did come from wide positions when we eventually got a player and the ball there.
Onwards and upwards and I can't imagine it will be long until our first win, we were just unlucky today.
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Post by benny03 on Aug 22, 2015 18:35:26 GMT
Does make me laugh la little bit, maybe players who where unsung a little bit & got completely slated on here done more than people recognised, onwards & upwards, it's not all about the flicks & goals, got to stop them going in as well
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Post by westwalessaint on Aug 22, 2015 20:45:35 GMT
I paid one of my visits to the hallowed turf of Clarence Park today. I agree with most of the comments above - especially a lack of cutting edge up front. We seem to missing pace up front and need some width. There appeared to be no lack of effort but I thought Bath were always quicker to the loose ball. Yes we might've nicked a point at the end but truthfully Bath deserved their win. They could've had at least another 3 before we threatened at the end. I think it's also about confidence so they need a bit of luck and I'm sure things will turn around. We're not getting thrashed so an early goal in their next match against Chelmsford will be welcome. It was my 3 month old grandson's first match and my daughter's first match for 17 years! She's also bought a City shirt to wear in West Wales, so that will swell the Welsh branch of the supporters club!! Lol.  |
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knockers
Saints Reserve Team Player
Posts: 283
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Post by knockers on Aug 22, 2015 20:54:00 GMT
Keep the faith. COYS
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Post by Hatboy on Aug 22, 2015 21:44:22 GMT
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Post by stalbanandy on Aug 22, 2015 23:48:31 GMT
Lets get a few things straight about todays game. Starting with the positives it was a much improved performance on Eastbourne (couldn't have been worse). Moving Coms into midfield clearly gave us a focal point rather than the centre backs giving it the 1950's big boot out! Yes that's how old our football has been this season! BUT when Coms had the ball who was making space for him? Lewis is a fking right midfielder!! put him out there to give us width. He will excel there. Luke Allen needs to play centre mid and run beyond the strikers again giving Coms an out ball.
Even Jack Green looks inhibited this season, give him licence to roam!
Pace is a joke this season as Bishop who had bloody loads was let go. He would have been another out ball for Coms who kept looking up today looking for the run only to see a 'hopeful' ball the only thing on, so he resorted to the worldy 60 yard crossfield pass that was at best a 20% chance of success.
I love the Saints and have already booked a hotel next weekend in Chelmsford for me and Mrs Stalbanandy. COYS but I just want to see a team put out where everyone looks comfortable in their position.
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Post by Hatboy on Aug 23, 2015 9:31:17 GMT
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Post by stalbanandy on Aug 23, 2015 19:26:08 GMT
Well said Hatboy, come on Benny03 name names.
I am in no way wanting to have a go at any management or players at the club. Supporters are very fickle at every club in the country and if it aint going well then moaning increases and attendances drop.
I, for one, am immensely proud of the work and money that goes into the club to allow us to turn up on Saturday and give us 2 hours of pure drama away from the stresses and frustrations of work.
In any walks of life constructive criticism is healthy. We are all human and all make mistakes and as long as we all appreciate that the collective goal will be better.
Having said that! please boys put players in their best positions next Saturday so Mrs Stalbanandy doesn't have to hear me do my Victor Meldrew over our Chelmsford meal out.
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Post by notsorecentconvert on Aug 24, 2015 7:49:18 GMT
I think you're spot on Stalbanandy. Supporters can be fickle but they do accept mistakes if the endeavour is there.
This is obviously a work in progress and the number of new players need more time to get to know each other. That doesn't explain the lack of movement off the ball at times. Space to work with the ball is only created by running – either into open space so someone can play a pass, or running to pull defenders out of position so a team-mate can exploit the space. There's very little of that going on at the moment.
Admittedly, it was a very hot day – I noticed some of the Premier League games on Saturday stopped for a drinks break or two because of the temperatures – but Bath managed to find space, particularly down our right-hand side, often doubling up against Kyriacou and overlapping well. Particularly poor defending – and not just from the defenders – for the move that led to the penalty.
The bright spots were Welch, who was excellent and very unfortunate not to stop the penalty. Gayle looked good until he went off. Medlock was very busy and full of energy. A run of games in the team might well help him become a key player. Theo up front tried hard to create chances for himself, because it didn't look like anyone else was going to create anything for him! He had a couple of dribbles where the defenders backed off him but in the end he got crowded out.
I was impressed with Bath. They looked a lot better than the side we beat at Clarence Park earlier this year. But I thought there was cause for optimism for Saints. The two goal-mouth scrambles in the second half could quite easily have resulted in a goal, but it has to be said Joe Welch made a number of excellent saves at the other end too. So had it been 1-3, I don't think we really could have complained.
The fixtures don't get much easier – but when you're down at the bottom, even after five games, every opponent looks tricky.
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Post by Canary Saint on Aug 25, 2015 9:35:08 GMT
If this is "work in progress". What is everybody's idea of an acceptable completion date?
By completion, I mean a side that is capable of holding onto a comfortable mid-table position every season for the foreseeable future.
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yellowalf
Saints Reserve Team Player
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Post by yellowalf on Aug 25, 2015 11:35:28 GMT
If this is "work in progress". What is everybody's idea of an acceptable completion date? By completion, I mean a side that is capable of holding onto a comfortable mid-table position every season for the foreseeable future. Every team goes through a transitional process from season to season, from Chelsea to Staines and beyond. Teams also evolve throughout the season given that the proverbial starting 11 at the end of the season will differ from that at the start. We're not going to have a side that will be capable of mid-table for the foreseeable future because some of any team that gets to that status will leave and others will come in to replace them. I would have thought that the acceptable completion date of a work-in-progress side will be the point at which we are safe from relegation each year, while the the preferred completion date is as soon as 12th place is secured. We would hope that we still have something positive to play for, ie play offs, as late in the season as possible. And as each season starts with a work-in-progress side, that will repeat each year for the foreseeable future. To be honest, I don't know the average age of the starting eleven on Saturday, at first glance it seems to be younger than last year. If that's correct, and it may well not be!, then I would be inclined to think that it will take some time for this team to gel and perhaps we could be looking at another four to six weeks before we start reeling off successive wins, with a view to be challenging for the play-offs next season. I'm very much aware of the danger of being sucked in to a relegation battle, and the characteristics shared by clubs that do end up in those battles, and I don't see that being the case with Saints. Obviously we need a win soon to raise confidence yet, despite the disappointment of Saturday, we did enough to get a win even if (seemingly the same as the Ebbsfleet game) I cannot deny that Bath deserved their win. Isn't that the case with Conference National South - there is such a fine line between success and failure that we could just as likely win the next three games while not playing as well as we did in the first half against Ebbsfleet and in the second half against Bath? |
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Post by Saint on Aug 25, 2015 11:48:38 GMT
Here you go Yellowalf!
Welch: 26
Kyriacou: N/A
Locke: 29
Gayle: 22
Chappell: 29
J. Green: 17
Comley: 24
Scott Thomas: 25
Hilliard: 24
Theo: 23
Medlock 23
And Sow, who came on, is only 20.
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Post by Canary Saint on Aug 25, 2015 12:04:49 GMT
So all City fans have to look forward is an initial struggle against relegation every season before getting it all together and coming strong at the end. That feels kind of bleak.
I would expect to keep the nucleus of a (successful)team that finishes a season for the start of the next. Then hopefully strengthen the side to consolidate or progress. (TBF I think this is what has been attempted, but football being football it has not yet been successful)
I do not think it is unduly optimistic to expect St Albans City to have team that can avoid the relegation struggle from the start of the season. There was talk of emulating Stevenage not that long ago.
In City's defence (I'm not really a perpetual doom merchant!)we appear to have only played sides in the top ten so far (another in the next game) so perhaps things will even out as the season goes on.
Just seen those ages put up by Saint. "You do not win anything" with kids" Seriously if these players improve with age and experience maybe things will improve dramatically with time. However I still think there should be some sort of anticipated "completion date", be it this season, next season or the season after.
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Post by PaperSaint on Aug 25, 2015 17:36:31 GMT
The problem I feel is that we have the income generation of teams in leagues below us - we don't have the function rooms, bars, training pitches etc (or the 1000+ season ticket sales of Maidstone United) that our competition have. Even with developing younger players - more attractive financial packages will ultimately be available to them and so retaining that talent can be very challenging. Of course, I will continue to advocate Boost the Budget (if 300 contributed £5 a week then we would be making a decent impact on our playing budget) - but even then we are seeing competition as, even though its a popular initiative in Conference Premier (National League), it is now being replicated at South / North and below (Hemel have launched their scheme recently).
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Post by notsorecentconvert on Aug 25, 2015 18:48:51 GMT
Excellent points, Yellowalf.
I think at almost all levels, the turnover of players has increased and so teams are *always* a work in progress. It may sound a bit depressing but Canary Saint's analysis is pretty much realistic. The idea is to keep as many of the previous season's best players as the budget will allow, accepting that the most impressive performers may move on, and try to add better quality players.
No manager ever recruits a player thinking: "This guy is bobbins, but he'll have to do." Everyone who comes in either does so because the management think he's an improvement on the existing squad, or because he's cheaper and worth a punt. So there's a sense of trial and error with every signing. Last year it felt like we had five years' worth of strikers come in and out through a revolving door! Of the new signings this summer, I still think it'll break down into thirds - a third will establish themselves, a third will be okay, a third will move on relatively soon.
The issue is budget. AppySaint's figures look out of reach to me – I can't see 300 people contributing a fiver a week. That's asking someone to put in £260 a year, which will be beyond most people, I'd have thought.
That's not to belittle the scheme at all – initially I was slightly sceptical but it's proved to be a big success already – but the point about other clubs is valid. As we improve fundraising efforts, so others will see what's going on and will do the same.
That's the nature of the business, isn't it. In a way, attracting more money at this level is eventually counter-productive. As we've seen at the top of the game, all that's happened because of the enormous influx of cash is that the cost of everything has gone up dramatically. Players are now millionaires within half a season of reaching the Premier League. Tickets are exorbitant.
So it is at Saints' level. The more money available, the more the players will want.
Still, I am optimistic that there's enough quality in the Saints team to avoid a season-long relegation scrap. We went through similarly poor runs last year – just not right at the start of the season.
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Post by PaperSaint on Aug 25, 2015 19:19:26 GMT
Oops! I did mean a fiver per month not per week! Which also qualifies for a loyalty card - discounts in shop, bar and away travel on the coach
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Post by casper on Aug 25, 2015 20:59:08 GMT
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Post by jj123 on Aug 26, 2015 10:37:05 GMT
How much did Theo cost? If the rumours are correct, i'd have rather put that money into the wages and put in several 7 day approaches for players in this league.
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Post by Saint on Aug 26, 2015 12:15:34 GMT
How much did Theo cost? If the rumours are correct, i'd have rather put that money into the wages and put in several 7 day approaches for players in this league. Are rumours ever correct? I suspect it was smaller than what I've heard. I'd rather have a goal scorer, and he is exactly that. We just need the team to start providing him the service. |
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Post by jj123 on Aug 26, 2015 12:50:42 GMT
It was close to 5 figures.
Yes he has a history of goal scoring - but i'd rather have spent that money on finding 3 / 4 midfielders who can actually play with the ball and create chances!
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Post by Saint on Aug 26, 2015 12:54:36 GMT
I would argue we have those midfielders- Corcoran, Coms, Allen, maybe to a lesser extent J Green and others, but for whatever reason, they have not performed so far. They have a history of providing opportunities though. The five figures rumour amount is over inflated in my opinion, and is very like to be much less. Of course, we could buy those 3/4 midfielders yoi suggest, but then not have anyone to finish them if we did not have Theo. All about opinions though  |
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Post by PaperSaint on Aug 26, 2015 13:03:36 GMT
I think the rumour mill was not at its best if it was churning out stuff like a five figure transfer sum. My understanding is that it was no where near to five figures and an amount that was quite reasonable for a player of Theophanous' ability - and 3/4 midfielders would certainly not have been purchased with the money! In my own view, I think we are possibly just one midfielder/winger short but, as Saint said, we also have several players who have the potential to start creating chances for our forwards.
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Post by Boomer on Aug 26, 2015 17:49:28 GMT
It was close to 5 figures..............l So from where, exactly, does this rumour emanate? I suspect you need to change your snout  |
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yellowalf
Saints Reserve Team Player
Posts: 301
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Post by yellowalf on Aug 26, 2015 20:39:50 GMT
Here you go Yellowalf! Kyriacou: N/A Thanks for those Saint, that is a young team. At first I wondered if Kyriacou's age was Not Applicable, perhaps because he was a robot; but I understand that you meant Not Available. As it happens I've tracked that down - the ex-Spurs youth player was born on 10 Sept 87 which makes him as good as 28. |
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