realitycheck?

[friedshrimp]

The general tone of this site is so often negative even when things are going well. Score 5, we should have scored 6! Things are going badly at the moment and it as if the end of the world is nigh.
I have been watching the shrimps for 20 years. I was at Wembley and most years come febraury I end up Wondering why I still bother. Like a shrinking number of others I still come back for most home games and some away. Surely by now all fans should know what kind of club we are. Jim is struggling on a tiny budget. We have been punching above our weight since we came into the league and success each year has to be that we manage to stay up. 5o points and we are rocking. I would not be surprised if we went down sooner rather than later but I will still be there.

A couple of very poor results (I was at both and will be there next tuesday) and the panic merchants are out. 'Heads must roll!' 'It is not good enought!' Even Jim is saying we have no character in the team and heads go down. But look at who we get in the team. Most of our players are rejected by teams at our level or one above. There has to be a reason why those teams let them go. It has been said that the only difference between the good and excellent players is that the good can vary in what they produce whilst those better players always manage to play up to 90% of their ability. That is why we end up with those players others don't want. We have had some sparkling displays. If the players who sparkled those weeks did it week in week out they would not be playing for our little club with the poor crowds and low wages.

We have an honest bunch of players. We have a manager who is even more honest. Those who have been calling for Jim's head should be careful what they wish for. I wonder who would want the job if he left? The players should give 100% the fans should give 100%, and I think the fans have failed as much as the players in recent weeks.

Remember the chants of 'football league and we're having a laugh'? That is the realistic position. enjoy it! Who knows, we might get lucky and have a cup run or a playoff place? Even if we got promoted I think the whingers would be moaning about not getting to the championship.

[Freez]

Blimey, common sense!
Is that allowed now??
Well said.

[Loyalsupporter]

Have you just listened to Jims latest interview

if not

you should do

http://www.morecambefc.com/news/article ... 19452.aspx

[shrimpnsave]

The general tone of this site is so often negative even when things are going well. Score 5, we should have scored 6! Things are going badly at the moment and it as if the end of the world is nigh.
I have been watching the shrimps for 20 years. I was at Wembley and most years come febraury I end up Wondering why I still bother. Like a shrinking number of others I still come back for most home games and some away. Surely by now all fans should know what kind of club we are. Jim is struggling on a tiny budget. We have been punching above our weight since we came into the league and success each year has to be that we manage to stay up. 5o points and we are rocking. I would not be surprised if we went down sooner rather than later but I will still be there.

A couple of very poor results (I was at both and will be there next tuesday) and the panic merchants are out. 'Heads must roll!' 'It is not good enought!' Even Jim is saying we have no character in the team and heads go down. But look at who we get in the team. Most of our players are rejected by teams at our level or one above. There has to be a reason why those teams let them go. It has been said that the only difference between the good and excellent players is that the good can vary in what they produce whilst those better players always manage to play up to 90% of their ability. That is why we end up with those players others don't want. We have had some sparkling displays. If the players who sparkled those weeks did it week in week out they would not be playing for our little club with the poor crowds and low wages.

We have an honest bunch of players. We have a manager who is even more honest. Those who have been calling for Jim's head should be careful what they wish for. I wonder who would want the job if he left? The players should give 100% the fans should give 100%, and I think the fans have failed as much as the players in recent weeks.

Remember the chants of 'football league and we're having a laugh'? That is the realistic position. enjoy it! Who knows, we might get lucky and have a cup run or a playoff place? Even if we got promoted I think the whingers would be moaning about not getting to the championship.

Good post and so much sense!!!

[Sammy h]

Why are so many of us so obsessed with this 'we are punching above our weight' tag. Does this mean that we shouldn't want to strive for more? Yes we have one of the lowest budgets and the lowest crowds, but does this mean we aren't allowed to want success?

At the end of the day it's eleven against eleven. Everyone says that anyone can beat anyone in league two and it is true. So why the hell does that mean we can't challenge the top seven and have a crack at promotion? I am sick to death of seeing people go on and on about us being 'lucky' to be here.

We lost, but it's ok because we are in the football league.

[Freez]

I think, and perhaps it's just my view, that we do need to strive to be better and achieve, so above mid table this season would be progress. Nothing wrong with that, and we should be aiming as high as we can.
But, and again maybe it's just me, some do get a bit a carried away with the whole expectation thing, so others remind them that we have come a long way in a short time and are doing relatively well.
Kidderminster did well for few seasons, that could happen to us?

If we are to achieve, we must do it the hard way, on low budgets and crowds as it stands, but there is nothing to stop us!!

[Sammy h]

I think, and perhaps it's just my view, that we do need to strive to be better and achieve, so above mid table this season would be progress. Nothing wrong with that, and we should be aiming as high as we can.
But, and again maybe it's just me, some do get a bit a carried away with the whole expectation thing, so others remind them that we have come a long way in a short time and are doing relatively well.
Kidderminster did well for few seasons, that could happen to us?

If we are to achieve, we must do it the hard way, on low budgets and crowds as it stands, but there is nothing to stop us!!

I totally agree with you, we have come a long way in a very short space of time. But every defeat we have the positive brigade come out in force and tell us about 1983 playing Bamber Bridge away.

We have a fantastic squad. I genuinely believe we possess some of the best individuals in the division. It is arguably the strongest Morecambe squad I have ever seen during my time as a supporter (since the mid 90s). So yes, I have expectations. I wouldn't even be that bothered if we lost and put a good shift in, but our performances at home are just pathetic. At times you looked at some of the players last night and wondered if they had just totally forgot how to play football.

[MfcChris]

I have enjoyed losing at home this season 4-2, 4-3, 4-2 & 4-2 because I am grateful for being in this league, ...thought no-one with reality.

[Phil Anderer]

The general tone of this site is so often negative even when things are going well. Score 5, we should have scored 6! Things are going badly at the moment and it as if the end of the world is nigh.
I have been watching the shrimps for 20 years. I was at Wembley and most years come febraury I end up Wondering why I still bother. Like a shrinking number of others I still come back for most home games and some away. Surely by now all fans should know what kind of club we are. Jim is struggling on a tiny budget. We have been punching above our weight since we came into the league and success each year has to be that we manage to stay up. 5o points and we are rocking. I would not be surprised if we went down sooner rather than later but I will still be there.

A couple of very poor results (I was at both and will be there next tuesday) and the panic merchants are out. 'Heads must roll!' 'It is not good enought!' Even Jim is saying we have no character in the team and heads go down. But look at who we get in the team. Most of our players are rejected by teams at our level or one above. There has to be a reason why those teams let them go. It has been said that the only difference between the good and excellent players is that the good can vary in what they produce whilst those better players always manage to play up to 90% of their ability. That is why we end up with those players others don't want. We have had some sparkling displays. If the players who sparkled those weeks did it week in week out they would not be playing for our little club with the poor crowds and low wages.

We have an honest bunch of players. We have a manager who is even more honest. Those who have been calling for Jim's head should be careful what they wish for. I wonder who would want the job if he left? The players should give 100% the fans should give 100%, and I think the fans have failed as much as the players in recent weeks.

Remember the chants of 'football league and we're having a laugh'? That is the realistic position. enjoy it! Who knows, we might get lucky and have a cup run or a playoff place? Even if we got promoted I think the whingers would be moaning about not getting to the championship.

I've always thought of myself as a glass half full person. Examine my posts to see how often I've slagged the team off (I think you'll find me having a go at Stabby Back about trying to absolve himself of responsibility in a way I'm worried Jim is heading, but not too much about poor player performances). I've stuck with this, but this season, and particularly recent games, I am really struggling. I know we are doing well to stay in the league, but the way we are playing, the style we are playing, the way we are setting up to play, is haemorraging support and causing our budget to shrink. I want us to stay in league 2 and I want us to entertain the fans. The two are mutually inclusive. The more we alienate the fans, the lower the budget and the lesser the players we can afford. If this continues we will end up back in the conference, end of. We need to change the way we play in order to sustain our league position.

[friedshrimp]

I don't think it is a straight choice between accepting we punch above our weight and hoping we do well. In the FA cup game with the daggers I was dreaming as much as anyone else that we might go on and get a big draw and a big windfall. I was gutted after the game and wondered why I bother. The next day reality dawned. we can lose and lose badly against anyone in the division. we can also win and win well against anyone. You can hope for better. Pin too much on that hope and you are bound to be disappointed with a small team in the bottom division. We could support Man utd (scum) but their forum is fiull of whingers who are disappointed because they have not won the premiership.

In the long run all teams lose as many games as they win.

[George Dawes]

people are missing the point, most fans just want us to swap our home form with the away form. and can accept where we finish in L2.

we look a different team away from home, for what ever reason.

we want people walking away from home games buzzing and returning with feel good factor, its contagious and it grows, multiplying attendances

[Keith]

I don't think it is a case of being ambitious OR a realist, the two aren't mutually exclusive. I want us to keep improving and I've hated these last two home games. The feeling afterwards was horrible. Last night, I did something for the first time at The Globe Arena, I used my Life Season Ticket. I decided not to do any photography and took my nephew & niece to the match instead.

They might have heard me swearing, that was a first for them too!

I was so convinced that we were going to get a 'payback' performance after the FA Cup shambles that I thought it would be a good game to take the young 'uns to, and then hopefully, they'd want to come again.

They enjoyed the pies.

So ambition is there.

BUT, we still need to keep some context. As fed up as I was, I still have no doubt whatsoever, that Jim is the best manager we can hope to have right now. Some people appear to think that changing manager is a panacea, do that and everything will be fine. Well, I think that it is far from that. In our situation it would be a huge gamble, one we could regret. We are 'little old Morecambe'. We are punching above our weight. We are bloody, frustratingly, inconsistent too!

We will get it right and in Jim, we have a manager who will do everything in his power, working every hour that he can, to get it right. If you watch the interview, you'll have no doubt that he's as frustrated as the rest of us. And he's determined to get it right.

Wembley final in the JPT and we won't be thinking about Cambridge or Dagenham & Redbridge!

[Seasider9601]

We will get it right and in Jim, we have a manager who will do everything in his power, working every hour that he can, to get it right. If you watch the interview, you'll have no doubt that he's as frustrated as the rest of us. And he's determined to get it right.

^ ^ ^ Absolutely THIS.

[Little Shrimp]

The next time I see someone ramble on about 'punching above our weight' etc I think I may have to put my head through the screen. It's been almost ten years in the football league, I really don't see how that can be argued any more. Especially when you look at what Accrington are doing this season, who are typically seen as the one club poorer than us.

[Seasider9601]

Especially when you look at what Accrington are doing this season, who are typically seen as the one club poorer than us.

The same Accrington who have just been taken over by a wealthy local businessman who has cleared their debt, promised funds to the club, and also reduced admission prices to matches?

[BoroRedShrimp]

So what your saying nobody is allowed to have a different opinion? This is football, most fans vent their displeasure when their team plays poor. we are no different to any of the clubs in the football league. We are a small club but it doesn't mean we don't have a right to be competing with the bigger clubs, many smaller clubs such as Stevenage, Dagenham, Yeovil, Burton from the non league have competed well in the league, so why not us. We may only last one season in league 1 but until we have tried it we will never find out. If you get the chance you have to take it, not worry about our dwindling crowds etc. I am sure that most northwest clubs would sell their allocation such as Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Bradford, Sheff Utd, Barnsley & Doncaster to make up for poor attendances at the Globe, if they don't end up in league 2 themselves. You have to take the chance while you can, not the attitude we are punching above our weight. I think we have a decent squad to compete. The days of little Morecambe have gone for me, we are now competing with other teams big or small in the football league.

[Freez]

BUT, we are competing on the pitch, and giving it a go. BUT off the field we don't have rich investors, a sugar daddy bankrolling us every season OR gates of 5,000.
Accy now have someone who is willing to divvy up some cash, loans have followed.

So we are NOT competing on the same level with many teams, as we are bound, quite rightly by living only slightly beyond our means, Cup runs and selling players will be the way to generate extra income.

AND yet again someone trotting out the "nobody is allowed a different opinion" bollocks. Tiresome, of course you are, we don't expect everyone to agree, it would be dull old world otherwise!

I'm with you that League 1 could be great, if we get in the play-offs I hope we do it, onwards and upwards.

[friedshrimp]

Yep, everyone has their own opinion, I was just expressing mine. I think we all hope that morecambe does well in the league and goes as far as they can in the cups. And 'division one and we're having a laugh' sounds good to me. My main point was that we have a bad run (and it has been shite) and some folk react as if it is the end of the world. 'Heads must roll' and other such hysteria. We ARE punching above our weight compared to most other teams in the division with our crowd and funding, and have done brilliantly for 10 seasons or so. Long may it continue.

As for the 'Jim must go' brigade, I think he is the only reason some of our players want to come to Morecambe.

[Seasider9601]

So what your saying nobody is allowed to have a different opinion?

Not sure where that has ever been said?

A football forum is like any other kind of forum or meeting, "def: a place for open discussion and where opinions may differ"

[Seasider9601]

As for the 'Jim must go' brigade, I think he is the only reason some of our players want to come to Morecambe.

Jim certainly must NOT go.

As Keith mentioned earlier, the man eats, breathes and sleeps Morecambe FC.

Cut him, and he DOES bleed RED.

[BoroRedShrimp]

Rochdale & Dagenham don't have heaps of money but managed to get to league 1, so money is not always the answer. Attendances at Rochdale are slightly higher than ours and do okay on the pitch. Keith Hill looks for freebies then sells them on like Jim is trying to do here. Hopefully we can look at Rochdale as an example on how it can be done. Just feel people on here should accept other peoples opinions more whether they agree or disagree with them, that is why it is a discussion board to make the debate more interesting.

[BoroRedShrimp]

Yep, everyone has their own opinion, I was just expressing mine. I think we all hope that morecambe does well in the league and goes as far as they can in the cups. And 'division one and we're having a laugh' sounds good to me. My main point was that we have a bad run (and it has been shite) and some folk react as if it is the end of the world. 'Heads must roll' and other such hysteria. We ARE punching above our weight compared to most other teams in the division with our crowd and funding, and have done brilliantly for 10 seasons or so. Long may it continue.

As for the 'Jim must go' brigade, I think he is the only reason some of our players want to come to Morecambe.

I think fans look at the dreadful football on offer recently at the Globe, nothing else. We have come along way over the last 10 years but now we have to take it forward. I remember when we played away at Sheff Utd and remember us taking 7 or so coaches to Sheffield, hopefully one day that atmosphere will come back. I agree Jim is a fantastic manager and to drive from Liverpool everyday shows his attitude as manager. He will get it right even if he has to drum it into the players on what he expects on the pitch. Hopefully a win against Fleetwood in the JPT will lift moods & we move forward.

[Christies Child]

Have you just listened to Jims latest interview

if not

you should do

http://www.morecambefc.com/news/article ... 19452.aspx

Just listened to Jim's post match interview and whilst I agree with others that his blood runs red, I find his comments about lack of alternatives in defense worrying. He's now got Doyle back on board who must surely be given a chance to show what he can do in an extended run. He's also got Kenyon who was originally a full back before going into a defensive midfield position at Stockport. Lee is more than capable of replacing Wilson who is only a shadow of the player we knew. Goodall is also someone who can play in defense and was actually signed as a utility defensive player. So I'm sorry Jim but for me we have players already on the books who can replace the existing back 4.

Maybe he's been too loyal to certain players for too long.....

[steve mfc]

Well i generally consider myself to be positive in my support for Morecambe but i will be critical if it's deserved and i can't see how anyone would think that it's not deserved at the moment.

Now how do we define what constitutes being negative or positive well personally i think that constantly going on about low crowds small budget etc is counter productive it becomes an ongoing excuse for poor performances we end up with the mentality that we are little old morecambe who are punching above our weight it's just negative in my opinion. We need to foster a winning mentality and belive that we can beat anyone.

At the start of a season i don't think we should be in the playoffs as a given but i do expect us to try.
The same at the start of any game, all season it's bugged me the way we just let the opposition just saunter towards our goal with nobody closing down or making a challenge it's gradually got worse especially at home so it was good to hear Jim bring this up in his post match interview though it is worrying that they are not responding to his instructions because that is not about form or confidence it's just down to work rate and making the effort as Murphy showed when he came on.

I can take getting beat and i can accept that other sides might have better players, it's the same with form it can vary over the season again that's understandable but what is unacceptable is players not giving 100% i want them to want it as much as we do, constructive criticism even when we are winning is a positive in my opinion, if you want to be the best than you have to work hard and always look to improve, credit where it's due but complacency is a dangerous thing.

[friedshrimp]

I agree can all criticise, but the point I tried to make was that there seems to be a touch of magic thinking on this forum. I agree we should close down more quickly, and some of the best playing we've seen this season has started with closing down from the front. I was hoping that they would close down cambridge, particularly but I think we were not good enough. Any defender who gets beaten a couple of times starts to get jittery and nervous about committing to anything. Apart from Parrish, IMO, the defence ended up not knowing what to do and the midfield too. Cambridge were bigger stronger and better on the ball. They had better movement. They were better players. One had come on loan from Everton! As I said before that is probably why we have players who have been let go by other teams at our level. I would love us to be pushing for promotion and going on a cup run. It might happen one day. In the meantime we have extremely limited resources and a manager who is learning his trade and gives his all. whatever his limits he has probably forgotten more about football than some of the armchair managers offering advice on here?