[A.M.P]

Coming back onto this mid-weeks games I'm having some of this....

Mangoes away to Merthyr 2.7 Sporting Odds

A nice preview from the Mangotsfield site:

Mangotsfield United make the journey over the bridge when they visit mid table Merthyr Tydfil on Tuesday night. The teams are yet to meet in the league this season but when they met in the third round of the Errea League Cup Mangotsfield United ran out comfortable 4 - 1 winners thanks to goals from Dave Anyinsah, Robbie Claridge, Luke Prince and Gary Warren.

Of the twenty nine league matches Merthyr Tydfil have played to date this season they have picked up forty points winning eleven, drawing seven and losing on eleven occasions. Thier recent form is poor with just one win in their last eight matches in which they have suffered four defeats. "The Martyrs" home form is also unimpressive as they are without a win in thier last five games in which they have drawn three times and lost twice.

Merthyr have got massive off field problems at the moment (though nothing compared to Cambridge City). They lost a manager in a strange move recently to Gloucester and appointed a dual management team - who left on Monday. They went down 2-1 at home to mid-table Hitchin Town at the weekend whilst rejuvenated Mangoes were spanking Banbury (6th) 4-2 away with leading scorer Robbie Claridge getting 2 (38 games 17 goals). It should be noted that his strike partner Martin Paul also grabbed a brace to make it 8 goals from 10 games. So they're bang in form. Plus veteran David Seal (ex Bristol City and Northampton) is on the bench and he still gets 1 every two games or so..

I'm fed up of reading forums saying stuff like "That was the worse performance ever" to go and back against the team to see them pull out an "inspired, gutsy, full of grit and determination, battling, etc,etc.." the next match, though I suppose that's the nature of the beast.

However, I think I've got a handle on this game. Mangotsfield were romping it early season and then there squad was beset by injuries and they fell away. They got promoted last season so it's doubtful whether they were equipped to handle the long list of casualties they had. Now they've found some form again and are pushing for the play-offs.

Merthyr (Fa Cup run aside) have been vastly underachieving all season. I remember when I was on the fcukers and they lost 3-0 at home to a team from the league below (Rushall Olympic if memory serves) in the FA Trophy. Their home form was excellent but just like their managers that has gone.

I'll leave you with a fan's succint view of the problems:

I've not been so disappointed with a performance and result for a long time. We never looked like winning against a team which a few months ago we would have put to the sword.

I even walked out before the end so I did not see the penalty. This performance was dour to say the least, no shape, purpose or form to any aspect of the play. We could not (or would not) string any passes together, just punt it and hope for the best. I beieve we really are missing Fowler in midfield to marshall the distribution.

I don't know what size blackboard Evo and Jeff have in the training room but I think they must have run out of chalk, I hope this can be rectified before it's too late. We really do look like cannon fodder at the moment, there for the taking by any the bottom sides in the league. I Hope we can stop the rot, never mind the play offs, we are now doomed to the mid or lower table if we are lucky.

Unfortunately since December we have entered a downward spiral that is now totally out of control.

Another punter (and there's many like this..)

I have no idea what is being said in the changing rooms before the game or at half-time but whatever it is it ain't working.

There was no pattern or shape to anything that we did today. I thought that last weeks game against Gloucester was poor this was even worse.

AMP