There is the question: Is it possible for the Smithfield Firestarters to achieve promotion?
Forget the league table, forget the results, forget the remaining games. In "The Fords" opinion, we won't get promoted.
Why.....???
Is it lack of talent? No, we have good enough players to beat the vast majority of teams in our league.
Is it fitness? No, I don't think teams are fitter than us.
Is it tactics? No, we've played the same system in the most of our games, it works and our wins prove that (are the losses because of tactics? I dont think so)
What is the problem???
I think the biggest problem that we have as a team is attitude. Instead of taking blame for incidents, we blame others. Instead of backing each other up and supporting each other, we criticise. Instead of talking, we sulk around the pitch.
If we look at the results this season (except against Cornerpin, which was a freak game) we either win or get royally destroyed. We conceed a lot of goals because of the attitude of the team.
At the beginning of the season it was similar but it seems to be getting worse over time. At the beginning of the season, we were conceeding early goals but we were turning games around, it was only if we conceeded a couple, our heads went. It seems since christmas, that as soon as a goal goes into our net, the team starts with the criticising and sulking and inevitably we get thrashed. I reckon that it gets worse over the season because of confidence in the players.
I dont know about anyone else but at the moment, my confidence is rock bottom. Before christmas I was scoring for fun, just new when the whistle went that I had goals in me. The last few games havent had that feeling, have tried to pick up my performance and have done some ok stuff (except against Grapes where I was clearly the worst player on the pitch through rating and donkey, which FYI were both absolute farces) but cant seem to get my consistency. Even in training I am lower on confidence, missing opportunites that I rarely miss and what do you get after? Winge, moan, critism, the people who do it know who they are. Is it just me or does anyone else feel lower on confidence than at the start of the season?
The only chance we have got is to forget this childish mentality and turn it into a winning mentality.
Support each other
Stop criticising
Work for each other
Talk to each other
If we do this, I guarantee that we will beat anyone in our league (maybe even the Grapes)
There is evidence that this does work. The first game against the Grapes (at home), I was having an absolute mare and for 20 minutes I was terrible. But... because of the support from the sideline (Tony B, Tony C and Tom) I turned it around and helped to take us to victory with 2 more assists and a goal.
I wasnt here last season but from what I hear it was a similar situation. We were in the top 2 places until the last few games, confidence went and promotion was missed by 1 point!
So there we have it peeps, I'm sure that this will probably be ripped to shreds to a torrent of abuse but thats what I think.
The main thing is that we are still there or there abouts and we can turn it around to be the team that we should be! CAN WE DO IT???
The Smithfield FC Forum » General Team Chat
Is it possible for the Smithfield to achieve promotion?
(9 posts)-
Fordy
OfflineWinger / StrikerPosted 1 year ago # -
Damo
OfflineCentre BackIs it possible for the Smithfield Firestarters to achieve promotion?
No... Not in our current state. I agree to a certain extent that it comes down to our own mentality thats killing us. Tantrums and soul destroying errors play havoc with morale and concentration on the game. But... That doesn't change the fact that we cant pass a ball as a team. We can and do defend. We can and do get bodies forward in attack. But the putting the ball into a teammates feet and moving into space for a return pass seems a foreign idea to the vast majority of our players. Matty Craig has improved vastly in this area lately, Fordy plays that way, Stanners does when he plays and Mask does it sometimes when he feels like it. That's it.
Is it just me or does anyone else feel lower on confidence than at the start of the season?
My confidence in my own ability is better than it was at the start of the season. Thats because every training session I try new things, different ways of kicking the ball, different styles of play (holding the ball up or running with the ball, maybe dropping off to wings etc). I know what I can do and what I cant, so in this way I detach myself from the team as a whole and monitor my own game.
This part is not meant to be a dig at anyone or everyone its just how I feel and theres no point in mincing words or lying about it... My confidence in the team has dropped to an all time low. Especially with playing up top the past few games i'm feeling even more isolated with the lack of passing ability in the side. This does affect a players style of play if not their own performance when they get the ball. Nobody is going to make a killer run into a potentially (if the ball doesn't come) offside position if they know the guys behind them have next to no chance of playing them in. This results in dropping short for the ball to make an easier target but its not going to get me a goal now is it?
Putting the ball exactly where you want to 8 or 9 times out of ten is not what im asking for here because its probably more of a gift than the norm at this level of football. What i'm asking for is the simple attitude change of trying to get the ball to a teammates feet and offering an option for them afterwards. Maybe even talk to them for the sake of it (its free you know). And of course drop the tantrums cause its not gonna make anything better.
Now if we did this would we be in with a chance of promotion? Of course we would but its easy to talk about change. We've been talking about it on this site for as long as its existed but only a few are slightly different players than when the site started.
Moving that on to training. Okay we dont do drills etc anymore like we did at the start of the season (which was awesome by the way) so its up to yourself to use the training time for your own short comings. If your one of the players who shoots all of the time and thats it (you know who you are) if you haven't cracked it now you're not going to cause you've had enough practice. Try passing and playing others in instead cause the team will benefit more from it. Im not saying dont shoot if you're through on goal but things like shooting from the corners (Craigy) and everytime you see the frame of the goal (Mask, Fordy, Tony B) isn't going to improve anyone. Or am I missing the point of what we train on Thursdays for? Maybe i'm taking it too seriously and we should just try to score goals, but if thats the case just let me know and i'll do something else with my time.Posted 1 year ago # -
Chopper
OfflineCentre BackI think we still have a good chance boys of promotion. If we (myself included) cut out the little silly mistakes and play like a team then we can beat anyone.
I think as a team we need to be more consistent and more clinical in front of goal when the chances arise, i now at the moment we arnt creating chances but they will come.
We need to put sunday behind us and play like we did against Sneyd the other week, that was a team performance. We defended as a team, attacked as a team and also created chances. If we play like that boys for the remaining games we have every chance of promotion.
Get ya heads up lads and lets go for itPosted 1 year ago # -
psycho
OfflineRight WingPosted 1 year ago # -
Fordy
OfflineWinger / StrikerWahey Choppers broke his forum virginity!
If we (myself included) cut out the little silly mistakes and play like a team then we can beat anyone.
This was my whole point Chopper. We are never going to cut out silly mistakes when most players are that nervous on the ball. The reason people cant play the simple passing game is because they know if they make a slight mistake they will recieve a torrent of abuse, nerves gets to them and they innevitably make the mistake they were trying so hard to avoid.
Try passing and playing others in instead cause the team will benefit more from it. Im not saying dont shoot if you're through on goal but things like shooting from the corners (Craigy) and everytime you see the frame of the goal (Mask, Fordy, Tony B) isn't going to improve anyone. Or am I missing the point of what we train on Thursdays for?
You are correct Damo but... going from my original point about attitude. We can work on skills, passing, defending and attacking all we want at training but I think certain players (again you know who you are) need to practise a more basic skill, teamwork. Get behind your team and support them, if they make a poor decision and lose the ball dont start screaming abuse, count to 5 and if you have to say something say it in a calm constructive way. Lets talk like a team, play like a team and inevitably win like a team!
From tonight, lets turn this season around! We are the mighty Smithfield Firestarters, lets play like it!Posted 1 year ago # -
the gaffer
OfflineManagerGuau falté una buena semana en el viejo Web site.Posted 1 year ago # -
Fordy
OfflineWinger / StrikerGuau falté una buena semana en el viejo Web site
Woof lack a good week at the old website???
Did you mean?
parece una buena semana en la web
or
parece una mala semana en la web
I tell you what Chesterton has ruined the Spanish language!Posted 1 year ago # -
the gaffer
OfflineManagerI tell you what Chesterton has runined the Spanish language!
Not as much as Kidsgrove has runined the English languagePosted 1 year ago # -
Fordy
OfflineWinger / StrikerNot as much as Kidsgrove has runined the English language
Don't get it Tony?
You've spelt ruined wrong though, lol!Posted 1 year ago #
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