Easton opened their home account with a complete car crash against Swaffham Res.

Today’s match report will be different to any other I hope to write this season!!

They had 6 chances and scored 5 we had 8 and scored 1.

Instead of a match report I’ll simply put what was said after the game and hopefully open a debate so we all move forward ready for next saturday against Southwold.


Now the disclaimers!!!

Personally speaking, I don’t feel I’ve found the form I had last season and I’m not alone. With the exception of Norm, Tim, Aggy and (urgh) Keogh few can claim that they’ve been consistent. Any doubts please refer to the voting.

With the 22 years experience wearing the Easton badge I can safely say that this Easton squad are the most gifted footballers I have ever seen at the club. From 1-16 every single player has talent to spare, pace to burn and a willingness to take on the opposition that hasn’t been see since possibly Frankie last pulled on the famous red shirt (pre-green).

But, and there’s always a but!! We have lost the Easton “Come on!!” attitude that has got us into this division and now have become a quiet and work-shy bunch. It has to stop sooner rather than later, before other teams think that’s the norm.

Noted: There are some new players who are finding their feet, there are some established players who are struggling for form and the are some players who have looked exceptional when
in reality they have just carried on where they left off last season but haven’t pushed themselves to the next level. One goal scored and eight conceded are bare facts that leave no hiding place for anyone.

Some will say “we’ve played 3 good sides”, yes agreed, but we need to be beating the teams at the top and if we don’t have this discussion we will be way off the leaders before we return to something resembling our normal selves.

That’s the dark clouds, the undeniable truth. Let’s use the club website or facebook/email me for anonymity and use our business experience to improve things for all of us.

To quote Tuckman’s group development model “Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing”, Teams go through key stages.

Forming:Evaluate present form and team members roles
Storming:Smash some heads together to find a collective strategy
Norming:New and better practices and gel as a team
Performing:Champions!!!

It’s healthy for us all to have an constructive opinion and share thoughts and ideas.

It’s very tough/time consuming job running a side I promise you and it’s always appreciated when new ideas come in from the players. This season it’s been very clear how the management team want each of us to play but what is unclear is why we aren’t delivering on the master plan. Hopefully this debate will give them some feedback to chew over or an excuse to drop me down to the reserves!!!

Please join in and label your post either Forming, Storming, Norming or Performing so we may fully understand your point of view.

If every single player has their say and has “ownership” of the solution then this may be the beginning of the rest of our season.

Like I said at the start, I hope the next Match Report is a winning one....

“Come on lads!!!!”

Storming: I think team fitness levels are way under those of other div 3 teams.

If anyone agrees, how do we put that right?

heeeelllllloooooo

Well said Rixy
Was really dissapointed when i heard the result Saturday night.
The Cromer game was a real tough opener and i thought the game was in the balance until they scored their second late on.Cromer im sure will finish near the top and thats where we want to be.
Mulbarton was also a tough game as they are on a very good run and have been promoted 3/4 years on the trot.Very fit young side well organised but if we could of put more pressure on them they might well of cracked.In the end it was us that cracked but fully deserved a point from that game.
Both sides we have played will finsh near the top , they are well run clubs with plenty of players to chose from.
As you said we have very good players at the club and with reserve players steping up we are finding hard to gel together. Feel bad for the reserves at the moment with four players moving up and no chance of anyone droping as we are short on numbers.
I know some of the reserve players were a bit cocky but as a team they played for each other and had a great team spirit, lots of fight and really wanted it.
Both sides at home this week so we all need to support each other (both sides) to keep pushing forward. I'm sure we can do it and as i said at Cromer 'We are not here to make the numbers up'!!
Lets get on with it

What's going on?????
3defeats???
Beanie and Stu upfront...........get the ball in the oppositions half , forget the pretty stuff push um up high and get after them!!!! Fire them up Rixy......... beanie and stu will do the rest!

I totally agree Jordie.

That is exactly what Ted,Gibbo and myself said last sat.

Only two problems:
1#No one wants to kick it long, or so doesnt know where to put it to hurt the opposition.

2#We haven't got the staff who are prepared to chase seemingly lost causes!!-except stu.

And if you don't put it in right areas and put pressure on the ball then you can't get out. All across the back 4 we have pace to burn but even we won't push high if the opposition are looking (head up) to make a pass with all the time in the world.

And quiet, it's like a morgue. What we really need is yourself, baxter and gibbo (and anyone else you can round up) down there to give a full volume 90mins vocal support please.

We are only 2 league games in and with a new team who need time to gel but if I do bow out this season I don't want it to end like this!!

Like I said, I agree with you (and gibbo) that points over performance wins every time. No one wants to play long ball but there is a right time in each game to do both.

Systems come and go, form too, but one thing that hasn't ever changed is the about of effort a team is prepared to put in is directly proportional to the result. Tempo.

Come 'on

Oh and....

Bear me in mid for the vets league jordie!!

I may need a back-up plan (2nd game) and i'll be 35 very soon!!