We need to be concerned

[North Stand Shrimp]

This season is all about staying in the League. I have every confidence that we will.

I share some of NN concerns but i see no point in pointing out the obvious and think my time would be better spent getting behind the team and supporting them in a difficult season.

[shrimper]

[quote="Negative NedMy thread is a reaction to the complacency by a number of posters and the misplaced pre season optimism from a naive Sammy who was so confident he would be bringing in quality players to take us forward.
I also took exception to recent comments from Mark Lillis who on being offered a contract extension stated he must be doing something right. At the time the team was struggling and the players were having difficulty controlling and passing the football whist being schooled under Mr. Lillis.
By chance I was tipped off about Sammy’s contract extension prior to it going public and I found the timing difficult to understand and believed that the club should have waited until we saw what direction we were going in.[/quote]

About Sammy's 'naive optimism' - I may be wrong (I'm prepared to just make this statement, not having checked back) but my recollections of Sammy's pre-season comments were not of a 'I am confident we can take the next step up to challenge for the title' nature.
I do, however, recall him saying things like 'people need to be realistic and aware that this next season is going to be a very tough one'.

[Ned]

This forum has had it's ups and downs this season. Possibly more downs than ups actually, but each week people criticise the team after a bad performance, and praise the team after a win, because we're football fans, and we're Morecambe fans. We have no god given right to win every game. Hell, for the size of club we possibly shouldn't even be in the Football League. But we are where we are (near the bottom of the league) owing to a number of factors, size of club, location, financial ability and turnover. I've said it before and I'll say it again, those factors affect our ability to attract better players than we have. There's no getting away from it. Most of us know and accept this, and whilst we have differing opinions about who should play and how we did play etc, the bottom line is that most people on this forum, having seen the struggle to get here are just glad that we are in the FL and that pound for pound, Sammy and Mark are doing about as well as can be expected.

As for Neds initial and subsequent posts, what I don't understand is this:

1. What is the actual point he is trying to make, apart from simply rehashing old statements which appear naively unaware of our abilities in the football marketplace?

2. What would he actually do to change things, who would he bring in who would be better than who we have already and who would actually come, and what tactics would he employ to achieve better results?

I asked similar questions to this last time out to challenge his opinions, and to seek some kind of response, and from that point on, he disappeared. Will Ned do the same disappearing act again, or will he actually have the wherewithall to answer those two points? Or are we simply going to get the same identical post in another 6 weeks or so when we've dropped another couple of places perhaps?

I am trying (and to some extent suceeding) in keeping the pressure on those posters who believed from the start the team would be flying up the league and treated any alternative view as negative. A lot more posters are now gradually coming out of the woodwork with many suprisingly claiming they have always had a realistic view of the team's position in relation to support, location, finance etc. Where were these comments when the balloon brigade were insisiting that despite 3 wins all season we were still good enough for the play offs?
I personally believe our current league position is about right with all things considered and was prepared to accept this from the start of the season had it not been for the rare conversation I had with the Chairman. He listened to my realistic reasons why the team would struggle (a view now shared by many of you) and he emphatically disagreed and was supremely confident (based on what Sammy had told him) that we would be challenging from the play off's from the start of the season. I have not had the pleasure of speaking to him since but I will.

[North Stand Shrimp]

Negative Ned...

this 'balloon brigade' that you refer to..... I assume that your making the assumtion that the fans in North stand who bring the balloons are the Blinkered, always positive posters that put down any negetive views?

Well you make the wrong assumtion, I am one of the Balloon bridgade and have always held a more realistic view and stuck up for posters who have expressed their concerns.

I just don't see any point in you always banging on about all the Negetives all of the time! why don't you come up with some balanced constructive points, like priasing the team when they win or put in a good performance? you only come on here to have a go when they have an off day!

[campdave]

I am trying (and to some extent suceeding)

As arrogant as ever - do you maybe, just maybe, think that some people might have reconsidered their position based on performances rather than you blethering on?

in keeping the pressure on those posters who believed from the start the team would be flying up the league and treated any alternative view as negative. A lot more posters are now gradually coming out of the woodwork with many suprisingly claiming they have always had a realistic view of the team's position in relation to support, location, finance etc. Where were these comments when the balloon brigade were insisiting that despite 3 wins all season we were still good enough for the play offs?

I always have thought that for a team of our resources, avoiding relegation is always the aim for the season. As to whether other people have different opinions, well that's up to them, and I don't see why everyone should jump up and down and piss all over their chips.

Bet the chairman can't wait for your next piece of sage advice.

[Positive Pete]

M - O - R - E - C - A - M - B - E

[Positive Ned #1]

We have a great team and we are by far not the worse team in the league a strongly believe we are currently a mid-table team and also think we will have no problems this season. We will get the wins remain Positive and cheers on the team....We will get the points we need, don't worry about that and remember Ignore Negitive Ned with all his same old Crap!!!!

[shrimper]

An opposite of Ned would, I suppose, only ever come on this board when we were winning games and progressing up the tables (as we have, generally speaking, over the past few years).

That person would have kept quiet when we started our promotion season quite poorly, let everyone else (including Ned, or "Robert") have their whinges and moans then, when we got into the play-offs and subsequently earned promotion, come on here saying things like: "Ha all you unbelievers are now coming round to MY way of thinking I see!" and claiming some kind of brownie points and kudos for that - possibly saying that it was he who persuaded the chairman to sack Jim and then persuaded Sammy to play certain players and get rid of others.

I can't think of any who do that, though. Not in the way Ned does - keeping quiet through the good times then seizing on any opportunity (we can only wonder why) to accentuate the negative whenever the slightest opportunity presents itself.

Most come on here and comment through good times AND bad, getting overly excited when we start doing well and sometimes overly downbeat when we're struggling. They get accused of having 'rose-tinted specs' or of 'moaning and whingeing' when they do that, fair enough.

But at least that's honest. It's wearing your heart on your sleeve and 'living' (through this board) the good and bad times of our club.

Ned's contributions - though I always welcome them because they rarely fail to prompt good debate - I feel are less 'open'. He snipes from the undergrowth, only popping up to have a shot at the club and us fans when he sees the chance.

If Sammy and Peter have been positive, ambitious and optimistic then I for one say 'Good on 'em".

Would Ned prefer them to say - "We probably won't do anything much this season, we're just looking to avoid relegation. At the moment we can't really afford or attract the types of players we would need to move up the league so we'll have to make do with the likes of Wainwright and McCann who, frankly, aren't very good"?
Mmm? Would he be happy then?

I've never heard them be smug about our prospects, they've only ever said (to me) that it will be difficult but, with the right people in place, they (Sammy and the chairman) are confident that they can keep us progressing.

It might not happen this season or next (is that too slow for some fans?).

If they weren't so convinced they could do that then you'd have to ask what there would be in Morecambe - as a location and as a club - to keep them interested in being here.

I for one am glad Sammy and Peter are here - if Ned isn't I wish he'd come out and say so.

[Number 1]

This forum has had it's ups and downs this season. Possibly more downs than ups actually, but each week people criticise the team after a bad performance, and praise the team after a win, because we're football fans, and we're Morecambe fans. We have no god given right to win every game. Hell, for the size of club we possibly shouldn't even be in the Football League. But we are where we are (near the bottom of the league) owing to a number of factors, size of club, location, financial ability and turnover. I've said it before and I'll say it again, those factors affect our ability to attract better players than we have. There's no getting away from it. Most of us know and accept this, and whilst we have differing opinions about who should play and how we did play etc, the bottom line is that most people on this forum, having seen the struggle to get here are just glad that we are in the FL and that pound for pound, Sammy and Mark are doing about as well as can be expected.

As for Neds initial and subsequent posts, what I don't understand is this:

1. What is the actual point he is trying to make, apart from simply rehashing old statements which appear naively unaware of our abilities in the football marketplace?

2. What would he actually do to change things, who would he bring in who would be better than who we have already and who would actually come, and what tactics would he employ to achieve better results?

I asked similar questions to this last time out to challenge his opinions, and to seek some kind of response, and from that point on, he disappeared. Will Ned do the same disappearing act again, or will he actually have the wherewithall to answer those two points? Or are we simply going to get the same identical post in another 6 weeks or so when we've dropped another couple of places perhaps?

I am trying (and to some extent suceeding) in keeping the pressure on those posters who believed from the start the team would be flying up the league and treated any alternative view as negative. A lot more posters are now gradually coming out of the woodwork with many suprisingly claiming they have always had a realistic view of the team's position in relation to support, location, finance etc. Where were these comments when the balloon brigade were insisiting that despite 3 wins all season we were still good enough for the play offs?
I personally believe our current league position is about right with all things considered and was prepared to accept this from the start of the season had it not been for the rare conversation I had with the Chairman. He listened to my realistic reasons why the team would struggle (a view now shared by many of you) and he emphatically disagreed and was supremely confident (based on what Sammy had told him) that we would be challenging from the play off's from the start of the season. I have not had the pleasure of speaking to him since but I will.

So, Your mission is to make people with a positive attitude do an about turn and agree with your outlook that the chairman is deluded and we're the worst team in the league. That's your opinion and I have no quibble with that. I disagree strongly but that's another matter.

Now then, what about point 2? I'm still waiting. We're all still waiting. Waiting everytime you start up one of these threads. It's all about how bad posters on this forum/the players/the manager/the chairman are so lets have something contructive. So come on, what's YOUR miracle cure?

[ezz]

Ned my £10 bet is still there.....surely if you believe what you wrote in your post and we need to be worried about relegation you should be snapping my hand off?

[campdave]

Still concerned?

[wijit]

Ned (the negative one, not the realistic one) the only thing you're succeeding in is providing entertainment for those who actually support the club. Your utterly ridiculous , and rambling, posts serve only to show what happens when close relatives have sex. Had you a single ounce of support for this club you would realise that we have several disadvantages compared to most of the other teams in this league and are doing fairly well in those circumstances. I'm not too sure what you exepected from your claimed conversation with the chairman. Did you perhaps think he would say "nah, I don't expect much this season, just surviving will do me"? Because, believe me, I will be happy with that. Second season in the league is not going to be a walk in the park and we are playing maybe not as well as we could, but if those draws were losses then we would be worried.
It is my opinion that you aren't a shrimps fan at all, and yes I'm serious, maybe a jealous Dolly. But then, you'd have a lot to be jealous of, even if you do claim to be a shrimp. You post on here and only get to read posts from real supporters.