The Lounge

[martindownunderdon]

Well that was a bit of a surprise was hoping for a draw but I’ll take that win. As Rob said i think our diffence looks past it and with out Shea’s 3 or 4 great saves we would have been dead and buried by half time. Next few games which on paper we look like we should win will show if we are a middle of the road team or a team that is going to be in a battle to stay up. So come on Dons lets build on this great win.

[Singapore Don]

Wow, that was a thunderbolt. Ryan Clarke terminates his contract. He clearly never felt any love at the club, and I suspect the chants of “there’s only one James Shea” at Charlton on Saturday must have been too much to bear for Ryan sitting and listening on the bench. A final nail in the coffin of the horros he’s endured since joining the club. He clearly was not the best of keepers, made too many howlers for anyone’s comfort, and was the source of jitters and nerves in the defence and terraces. But I do feel sorry for him: nobody deserves abuse, which he did get. Stick for cock-ups yes, but constant cheap shots from the stands must have hurt. As fans we should always get behind whoever is wearing the Dons shirt. Getting on someone’s back is always going to be counterproductive, and without doubt it was in Ryan’s case. We in effect pushed him away.

Having said all this, he’s taken the easy way out. And this makes me respect young Shea all the more. He stuck at it when he was dropped unceremoniously after a couple of clangers earlier this year and replaced by the new superhero Roos. And then he was knocked back when Clarke was brought in to be number one over him, relegated to the bench again. Yet he didn’t run away from these setbacks. He didn’t go out on loan in the summer as he could have done. He knuckled down to prove Ardley wrong, he worked hard and stayed to fight for his place, and he won it. I saw him play against the Wigan U-23s in our 5-0 triumph at KM, and he was superb. Such was his form then I wasn’t surprised at all when he performed so well at Charlton at the weekend. I just hope Clarke’s departure doesn’t increase pressure on Shea as the undisputed number one knowing there’s just young McDonnell in the wings should his form dip.

Let’s hope James can maintain the excellent form he displayed on Saturday. And all best wishes to Ryan; I hope he finds the love at his new club which was found wanting at Wimbledon and which he clearly needs.

[Singapore Don]

And now we know where Ryan has gone:

http://www.eastleighfc.com/2016/09/21/ronnie-makes-first-signing/

I hope it works out for him there.

[Colum]

So Ryan Clarke has gone. Surprised? Yes. Very surprised? Well no. He never seems to build a relationship with the fans, not even in his early games. Maybe it was nerves, or maybe it was a “big I am” attitude. I favour the former, as he never came across as the later. Whatever it was, it was clear that the back four never felt entirely secure with him between the sticks. A recipe for disaster, and the arrival back of Mr Shea. Had James not done so well on Saturday, perhaps he’d have stayed. As it is, you can’t see him getting back into the team anytime soon.

[Devon Womble]

Well, there’s no doubting that was out of the blue, but in all honesty I don’t think it would have been good for Shea if Clarke had stayed, and by that I mean, that Shea now knows that he has conquered all-comers for that shirt. He has, after all, learned the lesson of making too many faux pas, demonstrated his loyalty and commitment to the club by getting his head down and fighting to get his place back (are you reading this LTB?), and then, when the chance came, proved himself by grabbing it with both (safe) hands.
I suspect Shea is here to stay, and that can only be good for the defence and for the club.
Now what we need to find out about is Robertson V Charles. Which reminds me, I haven’t seen any news on Francomb? Anyone?

[Windlesham Don]

So next up is Shrewsbury at KM and in my view an important match for us. Four home league games to date have produced three defeats and one victory. However, as the league table starts to take shape it looks as though our defeats have all been at the hands of clubs who will be challenging at the top of the table come the end of the season. The Shrews may be the first team to visit who could be scrapping at the bottom and so it would be encouraging to see a dominant performance, especially following the morale boosting ‘pickpocketing’ of three points at the Valley last week.

However, it would be wrong to assume that the Shrews are a poor side. A quick scan of their squad shows quality throughout – something we should expect from every opposition this term. Survival for us will not just be down to having a strong squad, but one where every member contributes to the synergy of the group.

Obviously the big news of the week was the departure of Ryan Clarke. Personally I feel that this is could be a big blow to our chances for this season. The changes to the loan system mean that we cannot simply get in a loanee, and so we will need to make do with only two keepers until the January window. Clubs in this league are very professional and they will have noted Clarke’s departure and the reasons why Shea was dropped last term – expect an aerial pummelling for young James in the forthcoming weeks!

Any plans for young McDonnell will also be out of the window, as he will now be forced to warm the bench on matchdays.

IMO we need to keep it solid at the back tomorrow and eradicate defensive errors. Up top we are creating chances and Dom Poleon is starting to play with confidence. Ty Barnett will hopefully start against his former team with something to prove. If Reeves is not 100% then I expect Parrett to step into midfield, I also hope that Whelpdale can get a run of games in place of George Francomb after his nasty injury on Saturday.

For me, the starting lineup will be: Shea, Fuller, Meades, Robinson, Charles, Bulman, Parrett, Barcham, Whelpdale, Barnett, Poleon.

I am hopeful rather than confident of another nervy 2-1 victory. COYD!!

PS – If you are going along Singapore Don, I will be there early and with the missus away for the weekend I may even stay after for the MotM presentation! If you fancy a chat then keep an eye out for me.

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