Also not sure if Parsons will put up with it for long. Be surprised if being back up to a 33 year old was part of his signing negotiations.As the management persist with one striker through the middle,surely Parsons who is a natural striker should be the preference? Seems we are wasting him. Quite obvious if McClure (who it seems can only play for 70 to 75 minutes) is to play he needs someone up front alongside him - the team even looks better with two up top. Nine games in and already fair few questionable selections/decisions.Will say it again - Chippenham never look a well coached team especially going forward with the same old sideways and backwards stuff the main game plan!!

Last edited by Argus (22/9/2024 8:09 AM)

Sorry.... but I disagree with most of the above. I left the RayMac yesterday a lot more frustrated than angry.  I thought we were the better team throughout  and played through Salisbury on innumerable occasions with our sharp zippy brand of passing.  Went behind ( to a good goal) which was Salisbury's only clear chance of the whole first half. We had already had a really well worked goal disallowed after Willl Dawes ( I think) picked up the rebound from their keeper's save.  Not sure how that was off-side?  We looked composed.  They didn't press , so we had none of the dangerous and frustrating  rolling around of the ball across our penalty area.  Each time we levelled ( and Tom Mehew's goal was goal of the game) we looked as though we'd go on and win it.  The exposure at the back which led to their 2nd and 3rd was largely down to the fact that GH clearly wanted/expected to go on and win the game, so set up a much more attacking formation... Johnson, Parsons, McClure and Dawes with TOE just behind them.  (I do agree however that removing both Williams and King unsettled the back line too much).This exposed us and we paid for it. I've rarely seen criticism on this Forum of GH being too ambitious.  I saw it as a welcome confidence in our superiority from a normally defensive-minded Manager. Frustratingly ... it didn't work out.
I don't see working the ball  from one side of the pitch safely as you go forward  up to the half-way line.. as messing about. It is normal fare.. probing and looking for space.. and totally different to the sort of kamikaze invitation to the press we sometimes indulge in in our own 6 yard box. There was little/none of that
I thought most had a good game. I wouldn't get too protective of, or overstate the capabilities of Harry Parsons. Despite a confidence-boosting hat-trick at Nailsea, he also missed some absolute sitters there.  He is obviously a very intense young man, who prowls around like a panther with a wasp in pursuit of it. As has been said before, he really does seem to get  into the right places. He's a great asset but now has to fulfil the other half of his job, which is to put the ball into the back of the net.
As a very (!) long response to Frank's question:- Accepting that Torquay was a disaster... we played our best football of the season the following Saturday against high-flying Tonbridge, buried Nailsea the following week and got edged out by Salisbury yesterday. So No.. not time for a change of Manager.  When I think back a year to some of the really poor performances of Sept/October last year, we are so much further ahead now as a team, and to these old eyes, playing so much better.  Our bench is strong and we have a bunch of quality players. If we're in a dangerous position come February /March then things might be different.. but I want to believe they won't be and we'll be looking up the table rather than at the trap-door.
 

Last edited by Rambler (22/9/2024 10:00 AM)

Worth listening to Brian Dutton's post-match interview, too. Salisbury FC Facebook

oldman wrote:

Any news on AAH.Hasn’t been in the squad since Scoring against Enfield,assume he is injured.He does bring a different attacking option.

Went off injured against Tonbridge two weeks ago - guessing but it didn't look good. Keep checking the Friday previews on the website but no news on his situation has so far been mentioned.
 

Last edited by Argus (22/9/2024 11:32 PM)