The unofficial AFC Rushden & Diamonds messageboard

icm wrote:I know I'm being a bit previous, but how many of the players that performed yesterday would you put on a 'to be retained list' for next season? I'm having trouble filling one hand!

Most of the defence, couple of mids and sandy

I think things are getting a bit OTT, yes we lost again but I thought it was better and remember with a team that has had a few new faces in. I would say the new additions were the right move by peaksy as we needed a bit more quality in certain areas as we were struggling. How we are judging players after 1 or 2 games is crazy. I am positive that these players will gell over the remaining games and get the points to make the play offs. I think Sandy will be a great player as will some of the other newbies. We badly miss bunts who I thought was playing some of his best stuff before his injury but if he is not available then we need a similar player hence the new arrivals. It will all be ok.

icm wrote:I know I'm being a bit previous, but how many of the players that performed yesterday would you put on a 'to be retained list' for next season? I'm having trouble filling one hand!

That depends entirely on what league we are playing in next season.

I think you are forgetting that the players you are bemoaning are the ones that took us to the top of the league.

Is Nabil Shariff still with us? I know he was injured but we signed him 3 months ago.

I think this is probably the second-worst spell in the young club's history - behind the end of the 2013/2014 season where the form dropped off a bit. That said, four narrow defeats, including yesterday where I thought we were (mostly) decent and unlucky to lose, is hardly a set of results to panic about - remember, at the start of the season, we wanted to be competing for a play-off spot. There's still every chance that we could get that spot, not to mention the cup final in April.

There are some signs of improvement - let's not panic yet!

sussexdiamond wrote:

icm wrote:I know I'm being a bit previous, but how many of the players that performed yesterday would you put on a 'to be retained list' for next season? I'm having trouble filling one hand!

That depends entirely on what league we are playing in next season.

I think you are forgetting that the players you are bemoaning are the ones that took us to the top of the league.

Yeah I've thought about this quite a bit since the game yesterday. I find it odd that people can criticise players like Brad Harris and Tom Lorraine, who were both perfectly fine earlier this season when we were flying.

Looking back to September when we were beating everyone in our path, only 3/4 players are no longer with us or long-term injured. Sam Brown, Tommy Berwick, Scott Joseph and Richard Bunting. One other - Courtney Herbert - has vanished. I don't honestly think we're missing Berwick or Herbert, but we're certainly missing the other 3.

SouthRushdenJFC wrote:

Oundle Diamond #2 wrote:I will have to re-evaluate all I have learnt over the last 20 years of playing and watching football. Always thought Harris was a donkey every time I saw him, but football is a team sport after all, and he definitely was a trier/team-player. Maybe that's what the new signings have unsettled a tad.

I'd start now then because if that is your impression of Brad Harris as a player then you have clearly learnt less than nothing in those twenty years.

I'll help you start.

This is a ball.....................

Hahah, very good . I learnt all I know about lower league football from 12 years of being a season ticket holder with Diamonds and 6 years in the academy set up there. If my football education isn't up to scratch, blame Ernie Tippett, Barry Hunter, Paul Hart, Garry Hill and Justin Edinburgh for all they taught me...or the same youth coaches that brought through Nabil Sharif, Sam Brown, Aaron King and Jake Gillingwater including the two people who have managed AFC RDFC ;)

My point I was making is that Brad Harris is no Aaron King - he hasn't been scouted by Liverpool, Wolves and MK Dons. He hasn't got 50 yard passes and 40 yard goals in his locker. However, what he has to got is a great ethic. Perhaps on this forum over the last year I've been guilty of calling for the galactico style approach we've actually gone with in recent weeks, where we just throw together players with CVs at a higher level and hope they gel. Clearly at the moment, it's not working too great. I'll happily hold my hands up and admit we should have stuck with our UCL players like Harris and Lorraine if our slump continues.

Oundle Diamond #2 wrote:My point I was making is that Brad Harris is no Aaron King - he hasn't been scouted by Liverpool, Wolves and MK Dons. He hasn't got 50 yard passes and 40 yard goals in his locker.

And how has that gone for King?

That wasn't your point. You stated "always thought Harris was a donkey". Clearly he's not and to even think that shows that despite the decent teachers you had you learned nothing.

I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but in the case of Oundle Diamond#2 (I'm assuming the #2 is code for sh*t) I honestly believe he should be banned from ever expressing his ever again!

For someone who watches so few games a season, he seems to have very strong opinions on our players and who we should bring in to make things better.

"Every time I have seen Brad he's looked like a donkey" - 1. You've probably only seen him 3 times then as you don't go to many games. 2. Just because he doesn't ping 40 yard pin point passes and score screamers every other week doesn't make him a donkey. 3. You don't become a fans favourite by being a "donkey"

So please next time you feel like you need to express your opinion on here, don't bother wearing out the ends of your fingers on the keyboard as everything you ever seem post is a load of old sh*t!

You sir, live on another planet!

I'm aware this is a nibble/bite/rant but I along with no doubt many others on this forum are growing tired reading your sh*te.

Have a nice day- see you at Arlesey

P.s congratulations on being part of the Diamonds Youth set up- how did that work out for you??

Dowlo wrote:
P.s congratulations on being part of the Diamonds Youth set up- how did that work out for you??

About as well as his forum posts

May not always agree with all on here but the last few posts cover OD2 quite well. Another planet though may be a little close, his AK infatuation has not diminished over the last 10 years almost to a point it`s concerning, AK was part of the past is now playing for a team sitting 14th in UCL1 but by all accounts is enjoying his football again so good luck to him as I`m sure he didn`t enjoy all of his time with Diamonds.
We had a list of former R&D Managers who taught all they know to OD2, ffs the only input I can remember from the top direct down to the youth teams was a system Ernie the Milkman intended playing throughout the Club, it was tried mastered and worked on a overseas tour by the Under 14s only to be scraped before the start of the following season because the 1st team couldn`t grasp it.
I have to agree with OD2 on 1 thing though Brad is no Arron though I`m not sure the real AK is anything like OD2`s fantasy version.
Every team has and needs a nuts and bolts nothing fancy in the middle Man, and for 153 games we have had a bloody good one in Brad, but then I guess every forum needs an OD2 to keep everyone else amused.
Footnote.
Just thought of something OD2 can take the credit for, Sam`s fitness levels after those 2 seasons he spent chasing back covering for him.