Adam Virgo on Football League Tonight

[William Henry Foulkes]

answered your own question mate.. coming back from five down? we shouldn't be five down.. coming back on several occaisions.. why don't the players start unless they are behind?

This is just nonsense.

 

[wizadry]

The players got us back in the game.

So the players get us back into the game on one hand and the fans make us play shit in the other, you can't have it both ways. You need to be on the pitch to have any influence. I have to count how many of our players are on the pitch sometimes.

 

[Smirth]

It seems it takes this team full of fight and belief giving the team they are playing a multiple goal head start before they display said belief and fight.

Interestingly, it's the fans who get more blame again for daring to be disgruntled that we are 2 nil down at home to a team who were in League 2 last season.

I really can't believe how much protection these precious, handsomely paid, professional footballers of ours get from some quarters.

 

[super_pig]

This is just nonsense.

yours or mine??
whilst i admire your positivity and dedication, some of your posts are starting to defend the indefensible

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

The disquiet and booing after the second goal on the Kop after the second goal was the loudest I have heard yet this season....

There was also significant booing at the final whistle, which I thought was a tad harsh. We were unlucky second half, and I didn't sense a lack of effort from the players.

 

[LSF]

We were at the back of gangway G for yesterdays game and what surprised me were an absolute bucket load of people who did NOTHING when we scored our first goal - no clapping, no standing up - no encouragement to try and go on.

Yes we were shit for 30 minutes, but still 60 minutes left ..AND - look how we responded.

Just amazes me at time.

NOW - Where is the poster who wants to slag me off for having a go at the fans sat in front?

Just a small amount of passion wouldn't go amiss but doing fuck all is just too much.

UTB

Hand up here too, when we scored the first one I sat there motionless for probably the first time ever.
A reflection of how they make me feel these days and preferable (for me) to booing.
In my defence I was on my feet for the equaliser.

 

[HillmortonBlade]

There was also significant booing at the final whistle, which I thought was a tad harsh. We were unlucky second half, and I didn't sense a lack of effort from the players.

There was quite a bit of that, and a few around me shaking heads and exasperated at it. There were a couple of teenage lads sat behind me. I can't remember the passage of play, but there was a few passes into their area in the second half, but the last pass was just over cooked. Cue shouts of frustration from some amongst us. And as Teenage Lad 1 said to Teenage 2 "There's some dumb cunts sat here, that was good play and a good idea, it can't always work". And whilst it often does not work, a lot of the criticism is really misplaced.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

There was also significant booing at the final whistle, which I thought was a tad harsh. We were unlucky second half, and I didn't sense a lack of effort from the players.

It wasn't a tad harsh it was totally ridiculous.

For me the players are showing more fight and belief than some of the fans.

 

[Rodley]

As I understand it the question was fight and/or belief.

Yesterday and away at Swindon were two examples of where the players have clearly demonstrated fight and belief.

Yesterday I'd say they showed more fight and belief than some of the fans.

At Swindon it was more of a stunned silence, but the players fought back.

Yesterday there was (alliteratively) audible active antipathy even hostility from some of the crowd.

The players got us back in the game.

I take the point about wanting more.from what we've got but I don't think belief is the issue.

I don't subscribe the view that supporters are absolved from criticism just because they turn out in numbers. There's a small number of fans who seem to love to have their day, dishing out bile to the team. If you're big enough to dish it out you've got to be able to take it.

I do think fans would be more supportive though if we pressed from the off, showed aggression and a bit passion. As much as anything it's about using the fans to our advantage and a fast, aggressive start helps that.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

There was quite a bit of that, and a few around me shaking heads and exasperated at it. There were a couple of teenage lads sat behind me. I can't remember the passage of play, but there was a few passes into their area in the second half, but the last pass was just over cooked. Cue shouts of frustration from some amongst us. And as Teenage Lad 1 said to Teenage 2 "There's some dumb cunts sat here, that was good play and a good idea, it can't always work". And whilst it often does not work, a lot of the criticism is really misplaced.

Exactly if it worked every time then we'd just walk the ball into the net each time we got possession.

It's like a boxer jabbing away at an opponent wearing him down, keeping on the pressure, working an opening - and the crowd demanding a knockout.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

I don't subscribe the view that supporters are absolved from criticism just because they turn out in numbers. There's a small number of fans who seem to love to have their day, dishing out bile to the team. If you're big enough to dish it out you've got to be able to take it.

I do think fans would be more supportive though if we pressed from the off, showed aggression and a bit passion. As much as anything it's about using the fans to our advantage and a fast, aggressive start helps that.

Good point. And I think we have tried this. Partly after we were taken by surprise when Colchester came at us.

 

[Silent Blade]

We were at the back of gangway G for yesterdays game and what surprised me were an absolute bucket load of people who did NOTHING when we scored our first goal - no clapping, no standing up - no encouragement to try and go on.

I was confused at what had happened when we had scored the first goal. I thought the ball was in the keeper's hands. Took me a while before I realised that the ball was in!

 

[alcoblade]

From the subtitles I read, Virgo said of teams playing at Bramall Lane " When you go to Bramall Lane, you have to up your game. Bramall Lane is a good stadium. The away team manager will say you should put pressure on Sheffield United. During the match the home fans were booing their home team."

It is hard to disagree with someone who knows what it is like being a professional footballer for over 10 seasons. Many managers and players also knowledgeable fans have said the same....

It's getting repeated so often that it's becoming fact.

We have turned shit over almost a decade now. The players are shit. We are served up utter shit. Any negative atmosphere happens after the players have demonstrated that they are even shitter than really shit opposition, again.

It happened in that order, no matter how hard people try to re write history.

UTB

 

[prince albert]

can't believe all this discussion about yesterday's game and nobody has mentioned southend's physio

 

[super_pig]

For me the players are showing more fight and belief than some of the fans.

when they've gone behind yes

 

[PeteBlade]

It wasn't a tad harsh it was totally ridiculous.

For me the players are showing more fight and belief than some of the fans.

There was absolutely no fight or belief on show in the first 35 minutes of yesterday's game.

How did you respond when their second goal went in? Shake your fist and tut at the fans around you?

 

[alcoblade]

For me the players are showing more fight and belief than some of the fans.

It's amazing what you can get for a quarter of a million quid a year per man. How much extra would a modicum of talent cost?

UTB

 

[oldblade]

Yet somehow this bunch of lightweight prima donnas fought back from an aggregate 5-1 down away in the play-offs last season, and instead of spitting out their dummies have come from behind on several occasions this season.

But on the other hand we have not yet won a match this season after conceding the first goal. And we have lost 3 home matches late on after getting back to parity from being behind (Bury, Colchester and Millwall).

I have never booed my own team and never will, but I do believe that as a team they are not mentally strong.

I also think we create problems for ourselves by playing without any tempo from the off, so we are usually struggling to assert any authority or control over a game.

If a sense of urgency was available on the National Health Service I would order an immediate prescription.

 

[oldblade]

As I understand it the question was fight and/or belief.

Yesterday and away at Swindon were two examples of where the players have clearly demonstrated fight and belief.

Yesterday I'd say they showed more fight and belief than some of the fans.

At Swindon it was more of a stunned silence, but the players fought back.

Yesterday there was (alliteratively) audible active antipathy even hostility from some of the crowd.

The players got us back in the game.

I take the point about wanting more.from what we've got but I don't think belief is the issue.

But ultimately we still lost the tie against Swindon and yesterday we failed to win at home for the 4th time in 9 matches.

Yes, the players did show some fight in both of those games, but neither of them resulted in a win. It is even arguable that at Swindon when we went 3-0 down in the away leg (5-1 on aggregate) we were no longer under any kind of pressure as the game was lost, and so we were then able to perform. When there is something on the line we find it difficult and I think that is down to a lack of mental fortitude rather than a lack of ability.

 

[metalblade]

The players got us back in the game.

Who are you trying to kid ? The only reason we got back into the game was because the Southend defence was as poor as ours. Both goals came from defensive errors we did not work the chances by good play your posts of late are even making BTL's look sensible