Harrow Borough (A)

[Red army]

We are now looking odds on for relegation in my opinion. Second half performance was awful not to have shot on target in a 6 pointer, let alone a local derby proves to me that this side looks seriously lacking in any idea or plan to scoring a goal.

1st half maybe slightly the better side few half chances Ayo steering wide a low cross from the right but wide of the far post, Ronan header just wide. Scored a very good goal working the ball wide to Ngunga on the left, a first time cross finds Ayo getting across his marker to head home.

2nd half was so absolutely awful, never looked like scoring couldn’t pass to each other movement off the ball was next to nothing. Few times we got wide players trying to beat their men several times, instead of crossing when the opportunity to do deliver first time was the best option. Ayo from the edge rolling his man, then firing high and wide was the closest we came.

The best chance fell to Harrow late in the game, when kinsella gave the ball away in our half, their forward got through one v one and blazes over luckily for us. Another scrappy goal to concede failing to deal with a deep corner, instantly returned low from the edge of the area and bit of pinball stabbed home from close range.

Arguably the best team we could field bar Sami in the middle?

Is it worth a change of manager at this point? Or is it the squad assembled this season are simply not good enough to keep us up?

[PSG55]

Thanks for the report on the game Red Army. That’s kind of how I judged it from Twitter too for the best part. A really disappointing result and sounds like we were actually fortunate to escape with a point at the end.

One thing is for sure, something has to change. If it doesn’t, we’re going down to the Div 1 SC next season.

I read with interest everyone’s opinions on the preceding thread. Sounds like so many things wrong at the moment but, if I’m not mistaken, the last league game we won was Mols’ first one away at Basingstoke in October?! That’s shocking.

I like Mols - I want him to turn it around. But the record speaks for itself. We’re worse now than we were under Hanlon. Where we go from here though, I couldn’t tell you. Some tough questions for all at the club now I think.

[Hayes Away]

The defensive style we have adopted will not keep us up now. Only wins now will see us to safety. No good setting up being hard to beat, sitting in deep with 2 rows of 4 only yards from our 18 yard box, especially when we continue to leak silly goals. At some point we have to get on the front foot and believe.
Teams around us are continuing to pick up points, we could end up dead last by the end of the season.

[The idol]

A change of manager will do nothing.

[Surrey Missioner]

I've supported H&Y (and previously the old Hayes FC) for about 30 years, and even though I rarely miss a home game, I generally don't write anything on this (or any other) forum.

I don't claim to be a football expert, so my views are probably worthless, but here goes…

If the current draw-lose-draw-lose sequence continues, we will be relegated with approximately 35 points (and probably finish second bottom, with only Harrow below us).

Therefore something has to change – either the tactics, the players, or the management. I'm not convinced that changing the manager will help (and don't forget that results were poor when Paul Hughes first arrived back in 2017). The loan signings can be a bit hit and miss (so we might still get lucky, as we did with Tyler Goodrham a few seasons ago). As for the tactics, I would like to see a slightly more direct style (the endless sideways passing doesn't seem to work, and sooner or later we seem to give the ball away anyway). I though we looked better in the second half against Plymouth when we got the ball forwards more quickly.

At least we've still got 17 games left to turn this around (and even after this dismal run we're only 3 points from safety). So all is not lost.

I know nothing about how the club is run internally, or the state of its finances, but our low crowds get surely can't provide enough revenue to sustain a place in this league. Perhaps the top priority should be completing the ground (which could then generate extra revenue, e.g. from conferences/weddings, as has been mentioned on here previously). If that means going down to step 4 for a few seasons (with a smaller playing budget) then maybe it’s not such a bad thing?.

[Mr Heinstein]

If going down to Step 4 allowed the club re-group and invest in revenue-generating projects which propel us forward in the future, that would be great. But it won't.

We've been down to Step 4 before and it didn't happen. We've had the one-off Ted Lasso money and it didn't happen. We made the first round of the FA Cup three seasons running, with TV money, and it didn't happen. It's not going to happen with the current board.

The current board helped the club survive. It's in survival mode we stay with them. It could be better, it could be worse.

[missioner]

TOD can be credited with saving the club initially, but under his regime this club has stood still for at last five years.
Dev is now the Chairman and things are slowly moving forward .
He has had the new bar installed and the concrete ramps fitted outside the fire exits The floor has been laid and internal doors fitted.
A manhole has been installed outside the 'away' turnstiles to prevent further flooding when we get heavy rain.
There is also work going on in the large area above the stand.
The tea bar and temporary shop are now operational with in the ground.
Things are not going to happen overnight but they are moving in the right direction.

[Mr Heinstein]

Thanks, that's good to know.

I haven't even spotted the tea bar, must pay more attention.