Well done all the fans who contributed to the Whitley Bay Food Bank collection. The response phenomenal! Well done the organisers for taking the time to do it. What a great bunch of supporters we have at both clubs!
Thanks Paul Miller...love my new Bay Oddballs hat!
The last time we won a league cup tie we lost the following game and at the back of my mind was the big fear that our nearest and dearest were going to trump us for the season. Having beaten Hebburn 4-1 in their last game, they would be up for today's game. On top of that was the fear that we had only managed to win two concecutive games once all season and that was at the end of August / beginning of September. So far this season the Bay have won 11 games out of 27 played. The trouble is that 7 of those wins were before September 8th.
The final score of Whitley 0 Shields 3 didn't even flatter the visitors. They were just better all over the pitch...yet again!
We need something new!
Changing Managers all the time does not work!
The team have managed the odd win since but it is no wonder that Andy Gowens became frustrated and felt he had nothing left to offer. Add in the fact that your star striker, who had been banging goals in for fun left and wasn't replaced, when can we see our managers feel like they are being supported properly? The sad fact is that since Ian Chandler left in 2014, we have had 5 managers and the longest any of them has stayed has been 16 months. Also, not one of the managers that have started a season since 2014 has finished their new season. A combination of resignations and sackings have contributed to this sorry mess. Each time, new players have arrived at the start of the new season and been left in limbo when the manager that has brought them in has moved on. Nashie's sixth place position is now a distant memory as his team was slowly ripped apart. The team that Andy and Mick inherited was a young team that was lacking in form and confidence so it was no wonder they found it hard to turn things around.
Just for the record:
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Manager:
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Appointed:
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Left:
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Ian Chandler
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Jan 2004
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Feb 2014
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Leon Ryan
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Feb 2014
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Jan 2015
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Paddy Atkinson
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Jan 2015
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Feb 2016
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Ian Chandler
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Feb 2016
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Oct 2016
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Marc Nash
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Oct 2016
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Feb 2018
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Andy Gowens
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Feb 2018
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Nov 2018
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Mick Mulhern
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Nov 2018
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The fact that always annoys me is that we have the second best home attendances in the league, second only to an extremely well organised Consett yet we are being beaten regularly by teams that don't have half our fans (and therefore gate money). What is happening to all the gate money that comes in? the club needs to look at more ways to make money. When we had the pie shop under the main stand, I assume the club ran it and therefore took any profits. Is that the same for the burger trailer? So many clubs make a heap from their food outlets, if we aren't then maybe it is time we did. Other grounds are brimming with advertising yet our perimeter fences are mostly bare or filled with adverts that have been there for years in some cases. Do we really get any money from them?
The team needs investment.
The ground needs investment.
When will see an improvement on either front?
My Shields-supporting friend, yes I do have one, moans about their team and ground yet they are now sitting fourth in the league. Today's match was not much to write about so I won't. But we need a turn around at Whitley. Yet again there was plenty of effort but there were once too many misplaced passes and mistakes all over the pitch. At times Flynn had to pull out the stops but even he couldn't prevent the goals that came in. Wednesday Chris and I were not amused.
Here are the only video highlights of Whitley attacks:
This will probably be my last blog of the year as I am away on the 29th December for my eldest's 21st. So thank you to all my regular readers, have a relaxing Christmas and New Year. See you on the 5th for an easy game against...Dunston. Grrreat!
