Another disgrace
ful exit from the premier cup competition, when will this disaster ever end! It won’t be any time soon!  
What manager would want to be associated with this football club in the way it operates. You would have to be an absolute idiot to manage Tooting unless your desperate.  Haydn Byrd would not touch our football team, especially after how he was treated last time he was interviewed!
Sit back and enjoy the season.
 
Since 2005: Quote “The challenge is to make Tooting & Mitcham United FC the best semi-professional club in the land, one built on sound foundations of good practice in all matters!!”  (You can’t make this up lol)

Joseph,

I have no agenda.

I have been following TMUFC, and attending as many games as I can since 2009. My first game was the FA Cup 4th qualyfying round draw Vs Eastbourne at Imperial Fields.

I have made many friends at Tooting, and Im sure some of the more regular supporters will happily point me out if you ever fancy a one on one chat.

In the mean time, I would be interested to read your take on today's performance, and our Managers superlatives....thats assuming you bothered to turn up!

Darren P

Lets address a few of your points.

Your belief that the manager should be sacked seems to be on the basis of 4 results. Are you of the opinion that the performances have been worthy our position and that there has been nothing to be encouraged by?

Your presumption that no due diligence was done on yesterdays opposition is disappointing at best. I believe the manager made a comment at the recent fans forum that stated we didn't know much about them and I guess that would be what you have based this on. How do we know what goes on behind the scenes of the management staff? How do we know that a scouting report hasn't been undertaken? I think I am right in saying that the only immediate opportunity we would have had to do this would have been VCD's fixture against Three Bridges, the same night we played Merstham. We don't know that someone hasn't gone to watch that game and we don't know that the manager hasn't used contacts or references from players that played in that game. It certainly didn't feel like we had no idea what VCD would do and felt we nullify alot of what they wanted to do. I do concede however that we got caught out with the ball over the top or behind a few times. Maybe an individual error rather than a tactical one. 

I am not a tactical genius, however Shamal Edwards looked to have been moved to a Wing Back position which followed a change of formation. Wing back is a position Edwards has played regularly I believe and created an attacking threat which he still managed to provide wide on the left. To say the substitutions made us worse is laughable. Ceesay and Mbango impacted the game significantly and caused many a problem for VCD despite not having that desired outcome, a goal. I can only assume that another attacking change wasn't forthcoming due to an injury to our young Centre Half which forced the managers hand. An argument for allowing 5 subs from 7  at our level ensues. 

I felt your comments suggesting a change of manager at this stage, when performances have been encouraging, were uncalled for and unsubstantiated. Thats why it feels like an agenda.

Daniel Collins

Feel free to concur with DarrenP by all means. However, please do try that without the slurs. On what basis do you believe I am "prick"? On the basis that someone disagrees with you? Do better please.

I trust your post will be removed by the Administrator due to its offensive nature. That's the rule right? Apologies, I'm new here.

For reference, concur : be of the same opinion; agree.

Probably a member of the whats app group who support our awful chairman and his useless management team.

Hi Joseph,

Thanks for your reply.

My belief that the Manager should be sacked is not based entirely on the first four games, but also takes into account the dreadful results and performances of last season. 

My assumption that we did not prepare fully for yesterday's opponents is not based on a comment made by Ashley at the fans forum, but indeed what he said in an interview given after the midweek result against Merstham. Perhaps you should watch it, and then tell me I am wrong. Had Ashley said that we had sent someone to watch VCD's performance that night, or indeed had them watched on various occassions, then I would of course not mentioned the lack of preparation in my earlier posting. But he didnt! He said we dont know a lot about them, but would play our own brand of football and hoped it would be enough. That to me is not good enough, but then again perhaps I have higher expectations than you.

Maybe we were watching a different game. Eddie came on, and provided something different up front, without troubling the keeper. but that pushed Shamal back into defence, where I feel he was less effective, and the lack of goal scoring opportunites after the change backs up my assumption. I didnt notice any contribution from Anuar, and Leevi continually gave the ball away. 

When you go behind in a cup competition in the 88th minute, then you throw more bodies up front to try and salvage a draw, injuries or no injuries, no excuses.

Perhaps it's you that has the agenda!

DarrenP

It seems a little disingenuous to suggest that the manager be sacked because of last seasons results and performances considering we seem to have a consensus that things have improved wouldn't you say?

My apologies for my factually incorrect statement. I knew I had heard it somewhere but you are absolutely correct, it was a post match interview, not at the forum as I stated. My comments are still valid though I believe. We don't know if a scouting report had been undertaken and there were not "various occasions" for this to take place. We can hardly expect any manager to know everything about every team in every division in the possibility we may cross paths one day. I find it extremely unplausible that no intel has been gathered on the opposition.

I think we can all have our opinion on impact. I don't believe the impact was significant enough, however to state we were worse off is just not accurate. We created a good few opportunities late on but our individual quality seemed to be lacking.

Everyone's a gaffer hey.

Joseph,

So how long would you like to give Ashley to turn the ship around? Do you not feel that past performances should be taken into consideration? Are you happy at the level Tooting find themselves at?

I certainly do not hold a concensus that things have improved. Probably on a par with last seasons performances would be my conclusion.

And I stand by my assumption that little or no knowledge was gathered on yesterday's opponents. We knew on 6th August that we would be playing VCD Athletic. They had two league fixtures before playing us, giving ample opportunity for a scouting report to be undertaken. Had that been initiated, then Ashley would not of said we know little of our opponents. 

How can you state that we were worse off after the substitutions not being accurate? Where is the evidence? My evidence is we conceeded one goal and scored none! My evidence is that Leevi lost the ball on several occassions. My evidence is Anuar did not get involved in the game, and was largely absent. 

I fully accept that everyone is entitled to their own opinion on performance levels, team cohesion etc, but please dont just assume that my points are not valid or accurate. In my eyes they are. And I feel that I have more than justified my thoughts. All you have done is suggest I am completely innacurate, and have an agenda against the club. Perhaps you would be better served providing facts and reasons as to how and why performances have improved, and reasons to believe Ashley should continue in his job as 1st team Manager. 
 

joseph let me say that i dont have any hatred for anybody at the club you and others obviously have a completly different perspective on where we stand as a club and i confess i do not understand that perspective i dont know how long you have been a supporter but this club was even as late as the early 2000s still a force to be reckoned with since then we have become one of the jokes of the non league game.
Team after team has overtaken us and gone on to better things since steve adkins has taken over we have sunk lower and lower and if you are happy with where we are then so be it but eventually even the adkins fan club must see the light and realise he doesant give a monkeys about the football only the money.

If we look t the results and scraping survival last season, who was the manager? Beat Cobham which was great but have lost the other two (not so great...). I don't know how much budget Ashley has or what connections he has but getting in decent players seems to be an issue. Who was responsible for the huge turnover of players last season? The manager? Chairman not paying enough?

I just have an awful feeling that when each team in the league are sizing up where they are going to pick up a big win during the season or grab a much needed victory that a lot of them will have said "Yep, Tooting. We fancy ourselves for this one". 

There certainly have been some ups already this season. Dahdouh looks like he has very decent potential and Shamal and Jordan continue to flourish and we do have Daly to come back. But we need a couple of three decent and experienced names.

Andy P

I completely understand your point, Ashley was a joint manager but this season he is on his own. Maybe things will be different. Time will tell. There has certainly been a positive transition from last season in my opinion.

I cant imagine the budget to be substantial which obviously then impacts on pulling power. Rumours from various sources are suggesting other club's budgets are astronomical. Figures of £500 p/w are alot more commonplace. How can that be sustainable? Such figures will undoubtedly be a contributory factor as to why the like of Bracknell Town were so dominant last season.

I believe a supporter of ours quoted a statistic recently that since 2006, we have only had one season where our home record was better than our away record and that was a title winning season! There must be a great deal of pressure playing at home for players and opposition seem to visit Imperial Fields with renewed vigour because of its setting. That is an added psychological influencer for me but not an excuse.

Hopefully we can add the right personnel if the situation requires it and it fits within the structure.

This what was once a great club rich in history and for me a privilege to watch in the 70’s in particular deserves and demands so much more. What ever is going on in all aspects it ain’t working , end of !!!