The Lounge

[MacWomble]

Very interesting. But alas personally I cannot chip-in with any informed views, seeing so little of the action and not the live games (or the players off the ball). In fact there is so little sport here that one has to wonder if this is some Asian conspiracy. All I can pick up is that there is a general air of being resigned to us not having the financials to attract new talent. And it seems we have got the best out of the talent we have. Injuries will be telling. I still tend to think that a bigger club will punch heavily for Ardley next season. Why wouldn’t they? Is the shining white light of NPL 2057 that binding? And I agree with the comments about the likelihood of over-conservative thinking on the time and cost of NPL. Hopefully in the quest for us to return to our roots we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Anyway, this season is over. Fine as it was: (cue the “if I was offered this finishing position at the start of the season, I would have grabbed it” comments), however from a distance I found it a tad underwhelming, but not distastefully so. Looks like next season may have a few more sparks. COYD.

[Windlesham Don]

As boring end of season mid-table kickabouts go, today is relatively important insofar as 3 points would take us above opponents Posh and more than likely above the Franchise and into 11th place.

I hope that NA plays a strong starting XI, introducing any youngsters only for the last 15-20 minutes.

I’d like to see Elliott start, as well as Barcham, Parrett and Soares. If we start with the right attitude and with a high tempo then we should be capable of overcoming the talented, but inconsistent Posh. If we start on the back foot then the season will be in danger of ending like a damp squib.

COYD!!

[Singapore Don]

I haven’t posted match reports after recent matches because they have been inestimably drab affairs not worth the time and effort to dissect and analyse. Today’s dullfest against Peterborough makes it six games out of seven that we’ve failed to score, and therein lies our biggest problem: a lack of confidence and killer instinct in front of goal. We have been woeful in attack in all these games, not just misfiring or firing blanks, but failing to look like we’re even going to have a go at firing. It really has not been fun to watch. Frustrating understates the experience.

There’s not a lot else to report from the recent games, other perhaps than to pass on how well Joe McDonnell has done in goal – two excellent games and clean sheets, two very competent performances – and the breath of fresh air today to see young Toby Sibbick get a full ninety minutes debut which he saw through very well. I’ve seen the seventeen year old in a number of Under 18s games, and always been impressed by not just his defensive capability but also his willingness to drive down the right and offer an attacking threat as well. Indeed I’ve seen him score a couple of youth goals, which I was hoping he’d do today when he drove in to the Peterborough box only to get rather caught rabbit-in-headlights like and squander the chance. It was a debut to be proud of, and hopefully he’ll be an asset for us in the seasons ahead – as long as Neal Ardley actually sticks with him rather than sidelining him as he seems to have done with so many other one-time youth players like Tom Beere. It was a mystery why when with ten minutes to go Francomb was substituted off to be replaced not as you would hope or expect in an end-of-season dead rubber by young Alfie Egan but by the veteran Danny Bulman. Odd, and not a great signal to the young hopefuls coming up through the ranks.

Other thoughts? Nothing earth shattering, but simply a lot of pre-held views confirmed: firstly, Barnett is an utter waste of space, and the sooner we can offload him the better. Secondly, equally useless in my opinion is the woeful Tom Soares: he was dreadful today, invisible throughout or giving the ball away to the opposition more often than not when he does get the ball. I despair of him. His rubbish “performance” today was as inept as so many of his previous outings for the team. Why he starts ahead of Dean Parrett, or indeed anyone else, is beyond me.

Final thought at the end of this Easter break: I do hope that Tom Elliott’s continued absence is, as the programme notes said today, due to his not having fully recovered from a hamstring injury – rather than fears or rumours doing the rounds that he’s already lined up a move away in the summer and so is being sidelined until then. I am a huge Elliott fan, not just for his footballing prowess, but for his all round being a decent bloke, playing his football with a smile, having time for all and sundry on and off the field, and generally for being a great ambassador for our great club. Please Tom, stay with us!

That’s it folks, the musings of someone who’s endured 540 minutes (more if you add on added times) of fruitless Dons football in six of the last seven games. But I’ll be making the long schlep north to Bradford on Saturday in the evergreen hope that the boys find their shooting boots and at last reward us with some goals to actually cheer. I’ll be travelling in hope as ever. Come on you Dons!

[Colum]

What a utter waste of time. I wish sides with nothing to play for could just agree to take a point each, so that we could all do something better with our time.

The bright spark today was young Toby Sibbick. He had an excellent game in defence, and even had a couple of half chances going forward late on. It is easy to see why Premiership clubs have him on their radar. I just hope he stays with us, over a big money move and then being shipped out on loan somewhere.

The dull thud of disappointment was Tyrone Barnett. He was so bad, even the Posh fans were booing him and singing, “What a waste of money”. I’d have to agree. His only hope of staying would seem to be Tom Elliott leaving. Personally I’d rather play with 10 men than have him in my starting 11.

Before we get too despondent about the way this season has petered out like a damp squid, we should remind ourselves of what we’ve achieved. It is rare to have a season where we’ve not been in with a chance of promotion or relegation. We’re comfortably mid table in our first season back in League One. That’s massive, but a harder challenge awaits us next season.

[Devon Womble]

“A harder challenge awaits us next season…” Never a truer word said than these by Colum (IMHO).
After recent efforts and my intense frustration with the lack of game time for the rising stars… especially since most of the rest of the squad has already gone on holiday, means that I didn’t even bother to try and make today’s game on air…. instead I went to work early. …. and that IS a terrible confession for a lifelong Womble.
For me, all NA’s talk of giving our young prospects game time has come to nothing. Right now I am of the strong opinion (more so than usual,) that we are at serious risk of a double whammy…. our youngsters heading off for greater things, and our best from the current first team doing likewise.
Cynic that I am, perhaps the reason why Barnett and Soares are getting game time is because they need the practice due to being among the few NA is likely to retain.
I so hope I am wrong, but, I dare to venture, that the sinking feeling I get when we go down a goal in the first minute (or eleven seconds) has rarely been this weighty. I strongly suspect we are already among the favourites for relegation next season.

[Windlesham Don]

All a bit ‘down’ in here at the moment and IMO without much cause. Yes, the season has petered out which is a little disappointing. Yes, NA hasn’t given as many minutes to the youngsters as some of us would have hoped.

But to repeat the much used cliché, if offered a mid-table finish at the start of the season 90% of our fans (with me most definitely among them) would have taken the hand off!

I really can’t agree with the scathing criticism of Tom Soares, either. He has shown some excellent touches after taking a while to settle in and doesn’t give the ball away as much as our other midfielders in my view. I expect him to be the rock on which we build next season’s midfield.

Losing Tom Elliott would be a big concern and personally I do not believe that Tom would be as big a success anywhere else. Tom needs to feel the love and here he is appreciated by the club, his teammates and most importantly by our adoring fans. His agent is probably in his ear for a big money move, but in my view Tom needs to enjoy his football. When he arrived it took at least half a season to build his fitness and confidence – we all stuck by him and allowed him to flourish, he is very unlikely to receive similar treatment anywhere else.

Also a concern is the rumour that Barnett and Whelpdale are on two year contracts!

Finally, the chant of “what a waste of money” from the Peterborough fans to Barnett was ironic, as Peterborough once paid £1.1m for his “services”!

[Author]

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