Pages

Tuesday 4 August 2015

Predictions anyone?

With the boss hitchhiking around Italy on his holidays it was down to Steve Sharman to oversee the pre-season friendlies and they served their purpose, apparently.

Unless the Dear Chairman finds a good few quid under a bush each Summer pre-season preparation for GFC is never going to be ideal and,notwithstanding a gold medal, the Island Games followed by a couple of matches a month later probably falls a fair way short of ideal.

The proof of the pudding will start to be seen on Saturday at Three Bridges (check the away games tab for the essential information to help you through the day) but if previous seasons are anything to go by the lads will have to dig deep and pull together to get through the first few weeks of the season in some semblance of order.

The highlight of last weekend was the inauguration of the Mike Thomas Trophy, a fitting tribute to a man who gave a lot to Guernsey football and,in particular, the GFC players. So do it for Chappie lads.

It's that time of year when we all try to predict where things will end up at the end of April. Ross Allen told the BBC that a play-off place is the minimum goal for the season and online bookie BetVictor has us at 8-1 to win the league (they do each way for a top 3 finish).

I'll take a play-off spot then an honourable defeat thank you very much. Why not promotion you may well ask and I will respond that I don't believe we're equipped to survive at step 3 yet.

If we could go through a season with having our strongest match day squad available every week then, yes, we'd have a good chance but such good fortune is unlikely. For recent examples of how the overall quality slips when that first choice team, playing in it's optimum formation, isn't on the pitch please refer to the Muratti or the Island Games semi-final.

That's not a criticism of the lads in the squad by the way, just a recognition that step 3 is the point where the league becomes packed with players with a background in football academies, something that's still a work in progress for Guernsey.

Looking longer term Tony Vance believes that step 2 is a realistic aim (in 15 years or so). Speaking to fans after the final game of last season at Herne Bay he spoke highly of the youngsters coming up through the GFA's academy system.

He also revealed his belief that if we're not out of the Isthmian South in 4 years time that'll be it. In other words we need to be established at step 3 for sponsors and the paying public to maintain an interest. If  he's right some will think we might as well pack up now.

But if we did we'd never know - and therein lies the adventure.

Keep it green.

Allez les Verts!!

A sausage, a wrap and a mild mannered janitor.

With the trials and tribulations of last season fast receding and o the back of three impressive displays, unbeaten against teams expected ...