dudleyhatter
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Post by dudleyhatter on Jan 9, 2024 22:22:29 GMT
So sadly the new year started in a not surprising manner. Away to the league leaders we were 2-0 within 5 minutes. Two minutes after half time we conceded a third. They are the B team for Sevilla and it showed. In other news we have welcomed back Victor Vazquez who left in the summer to join Marbella but hasn’t featured for them all season. An overlapping fullback who can play as a winger.
So without a striker we look as though we will continue to struggle. 10 goals in 17 games is relegation level. We are now six points adrift of safety. Having said that, there is another twist in the tale. There are three clubs in the league who haven’t paid their players for three months and there could be relegations for financial reasons at the end of the season. There are two other clubs who have had issues paying their players this season. It is better to be a club who live within their means and try hard. We know from bitter personal cost what happens when a club spends money it doesn’t have.
One match at a time, let’s see what happens in the second half of the season…
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Post by gazz on Jan 9, 2024 22:44:34 GMT
So sadly the new year started in a not surprising manner. Away to the league leaders we were 2-0 within 5 minutes. Two minutes after half time we conceded a third. They are the B team for Sevilla and it showed. In other news we have welcomed back Victor Vazquez who left in the summer to join Marbella but hasn’t featured for them all season. An overlapping fullback who can play as a winger. So without a striker we look as though we will continue to struggle. 10 goals in 17 games is relegation level. We are now six points adrift of safety. Having said that, there is another twist in the tale. There are three clubs in the league who haven’t paid their players for three months and there could be relegations for financial reasons at the end of the season. There are two other clubs who have had issues paying their players this season. It is better to be a club who live within their means and try hard. We know from bitter personal cost what happens when a club spends money it doesn’t have. One match at a time, let’s see what happens in the second half of the season… If you ask me, Duds, if they've spent beyond their means to be above you at the cost of not paying their players, then they deserve to finish below you - simple as that. Jim once said: "It’s not a question about whether or not you deserve to win games, it’s what you can take and that’s what we’ve done. It’s three massive points at this stage in the season."I think the same basic principle of 'it's not what you deserve, it's what you can take' applies here, Duds. Here's to a better second half of the season, and maybe some decisions going your way!
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Post by ceefer on Jan 12, 2024 17:50:43 GMT
Agree with what's already been said. Hope things improve and they can move up the table. I hope the league act quicker than the powers that be with Citeh!
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dudleyhatter
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Post by dudleyhatter on Jan 24, 2024 11:06:47 GMT
So our first home game after Christmas, saw the mighty El Palo take on UCAM.
What a lesson it was for our poor defence. When I say poor, I mean really poor. They scored with our first attack after three minutes, the keeper made two incredible saves. They hit the crossbar three times missed two other clear opportunities as well as notching a second goal, it could easily have been nil five at half time. So we were relieved it was only 0-2 It was clear from the stands that our set up was wrong and our tactics were wrong. It has to be said of course that UCAM did lose out in the play-offs for promotion last season on league position only, having drawn home and away with Atletico Madrid B. We have a new striker, he made good runs, but never received the ball; showed himself well and was generally busy. as he only arrived two days before the game let’s see if this weekend we have more luck and a better system play to incorporate him. At half time we made three changes, all of which were hoped for by ourselves. The second half was like chalk and cheese. Maybe they took their foot off the gas but we had so much more of the game and still we didn’t quite create the clear opportunities that we needed. Two or three blocks, a couple of decent saves from the keeper, but a much better second-half, we left with a little bit of confidence. Next week we take on Marbella at home, who are safely in a playoff zone position. I saw a newspaper article this week that said we had the worst home record in the division. Eight points from nine games. Ouch! After Sunday’s game we will have played eight of the top 10 at home which might explain our poor home form. Let’s hope the second half of the season allows us to get the necessary points to save ourselves. As always, it’s the hope that kills.
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Post by dudleyhatter on Jan 24, 2024 11:13:29 GMT
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Post by gazz on Jan 24, 2024 20:59:40 GMT
You had some half-decent chances in the second half, Duds, with the best one being the snapshot straight at the keeper, but you definitely looked more 'at it' with those changes after the break, so with the creation of a few chances it will surely give you hope that you can indeed turn this around.
Cheers for the excellent report, mate.
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Post by dudleyhatter on Feb 28, 2024 13:38:00 GMT
As usual when things go quiet in this thread it is because El Palo are going through a tricky patch. Earlier in the season October was our purple patch, well February saw us playing the same teams, the two halves of the season here repeat matches in the same order but alternate location! We played four of the teams around us knowing that a minimum haul of six or seven points was realistically needed. In the end we achieved one point at home to the bottom of the league having twice gone behind.
Sadly there is no discernible pattern of play, and hasn’t been all season to be honest. We have better players than last year and are playing worse football. On Sunday the ball spent almost the entire first half in the air. Hoofed by both teams as far as possible, direction variable. A number of the locals, myself included, were calling out ‘¡Al suelo!’ Get it on the bloody floor!
At the end of the game as me and a colleague collected the El Palo Ingles flag, the mood of the players was beyond sombre. They looked like a defeated, relegated side. Mathematically it is not all over, we are just seven points off safety, but this was the month when we should have secured those seven points…
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Post by ceefer on Feb 28, 2024 21:33:10 GMT
Hope things get better Duds and they can collectively turn things around.
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Post by gazz on Feb 28, 2024 22:37:25 GMT
It's going to take a big effort, Duds, but I'll keep everything crossed that they can do it.
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Post by dudleyhatter on Mar 8, 2024 18:19:36 GMT
Last weekend saw us fall to two second half goals away to Betis B, Sunday sees the league leaders come to town…
As always, the optimist says they are ninth in the form table with just 6 points from the last 5 games. The realist says keep scrolling to the bottom of that pile… with one point in the same period…
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Post by gazz on Mar 10, 2024 18:48:09 GMT
Last weekend saw us fall to two second half goals away to Betis B, Sunday sees the league leaders come to town… As always, the optimist says they are ninth in the form table with just 6 points from the last 5 games. The realist says keep scrolling to the bottom of that pile… with one point in the same period… The form books are all about what has been, and they can often be an indicator of what is to come - but not always! Where there's hope, Duds....
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Post by dudleyhatter on Mar 10, 2024 22:38:48 GMT
Well that was a surprise we played the top of the league off the pitch. They were pushed back from the the start and we were winning key balls across the pitch. We still look a little disconnected and had some half chances without truly threatening their goal. They had no pattern of play and looked good in brief flashes of passes between players. With thirty three minutes on the clock they had a free kick 30 yards out, on the right hand side, everyone got into the box but no one told the free kick taker who curled a beauty into the top corner. We didn’t deserve to be behind but that’s football, we were on the ropes from then until half time as frustration and nerves began to show. Fortunately we made it there without conceding another. Second half we started similar to the first and pushed them back constantly. One their sorties up the pitch we tried as always to shoot ourselves in the foot but fortunately missed! Then one of their players picked it up twenty yards out and blasted a shot into the top corner. Across flew keeper Ben(ito) (great name for a keeper) to tip it over the bar! Three minutes later striker Mike chased down a nothing ball out from defence and got goal side of the defender who fouled him. Second yellow and off! This gave us more hope. On came Falu , Santi Luque and Amin to bring more menace up front. The reward came on seventy minutes when Faluuuuuuu fired home the equaliser. We hugged and puffed and shouted for a potential penalty as well as another red. We had a two on one just over the half way line and their last man pulled down Santi Luque but just a yellow. In the end we had to settle for a point which leaves us now ten points away from safety…
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Post by gazz on Mar 10, 2024 22:41:50 GMT
Well that was a surprise we played the top of the league off the pitch. They were pushed back from the the start and we were winning key balls across the pitch. We still look a little disconnected and had some half chances without truly threatening their goal. They had no pattern of play and looked good in brief flashes of passes between players. With thirty three minutes on the clock they had a free kick 30 yards out, on the right hand side, everyone got into the box but no one told the free kick taker who curled a beauty into the top corner. We didn’t deserve to be behind but that’s football, we were on the ropes from then until half time as frustration and nerves began to show. Fortunately we made it there without conceding another. Second half we started similar to the first and pushed them back constantly. One their sorties up the pitch we tried as always to shoot ourselves in the foot but fortunately missed! Then one of their players picked it up twenty yards out and blasted a shot into the top corner. Across flew keeper Ben(ito) (great name for a keeper) to tip it over the bar! Three minutes later striker Mike chased down a nothing ball out from defence and got goal side of the defender who fouled him. Second yellow and off! This gave us more hope. On came Falu , Santi Luque and Amin to bring more menace up front. The reward came on seventy minutes when Faluuuuuuu fired home the equaliser. We hugged and puffed and shouted for a potential penalty as well as another red. We had a two on one just over the half way line and their last man pulled down Santi Luque but just a yellow. In the end we had to settle for a point which leaves us now ten points away from safety… Fantastic point, Duds and congrats to the boys for digging it out - what was I saying about form?! Initiating smug mode...
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Post by dudleyhatter on Mar 13, 2024 20:50:52 GMT
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Post by dudleyhatter on Mar 13, 2024 20:51:37 GMT
In other news the gaffer has left today, so let’s hope we get the new manager bounce…
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