Hereford lost 0-2 to play-off contenders Brackley Town at Edgar Street last night, with Talking Bull co-editor Simon Wright surprised by the strength of the crowd reaction – especially towards the management team. 

The Bulls’ were beaten by the better side. That’s the truth of last night’s predictable encounter. The men from Northants had all the confidence that losing only a single League game this year provides, not to mention their impressive central spine of big Gaz Dean at the back (better men than Symo struggle against him), high-scoring Arnson in midfield and even higher scoring Ndlovu.

There was some moans and a bit of a finger pointing from the generally silent and sparse crowd. Honestly folks, it didn’t matter who played where or what our Head Coach did or didn’t do. The outcome would be the same. The Brackley squad were well drilled with their hard core having playing together for years. The stand-in left back Shepherd unpronounceable surname was vulnerable but that was the only chink in the armour I could spot. Good luck to them.

This is surely a bankrolled club as there is no way a small town offering smaller support can sustain the wage bill of so many quality players. Their official party outnumbered their 32 supporters.

I expected defeat last night and that’s what I got. What I didn’t expect is appreciating just how widespread the dislike of Hereford’s management has become. There are some individuals who are unhappy with whoever is in charge who can generally be ignored but this feeling has spread like a virus to people I regard as the heart and soul of the club. Familiar accusations: no charisma, not being Beadle, “tactics”, lack of contacts, too many loans and probably Brexit too. Minds are set and it no longer seems to matter whether the accusations are justified or not.

That’s a tricky one for the Board as our management team have comfortably achieved their immediate aim of staying in the League, are establishing a framework and will rightly say “judge us after next summer.” However, ignoring the issue won’t make it go away. Not with season ticket renewals coming soon.

The football does feel dull. There’s a strong argument that National League North is dull, rather than just our club to which the counter will be, “I don’t watch any other clubs.”

Hereford FC is missing a leader. A Jon Hale type person to articulate our successes and enthuse over our future direction and how we will get there. Morale does generally need lifting. As a club, we no longer communicate effectively enough and that’s far from ideal for a supporter-involved organisation.

By Editor

Lifelong Hereford supporter who has endured the rise and fall of the club through progressive generations. Sports journalist, broadcaster and commentator who will never forget his Edgar Street roots.

2 thought on “Hereford are missing a leader”
  1. I fully agree with everything you say.
    Supporters wanted Beadle out cos of his choice of team for the Wembley final.
    Now they are shouting for Richards out. Who do you want to replace him? Whoever is chosen not everyone will be happy unless we are top of tjhe league. Where do we get players who can challenge the likes of Brackley etc. Maybe a full team of loan players . Mmmm
    Just a personal opinion, as i know little of tactics but i believe we are lacking a taller front and rear player.
    One last mention. I am a pensioner travel nearly 50 miles round trip. Again just a personal point of view i believe the concession prices are too high and i willl not be renewing mine this season. I take my holidays during football season and i miss a few games so loose out.

  2. Hi Robert – thanks for your thoughts. I absolutely agree that senior pricing is too high. The cost is higher than any other club in our League, and some in Step One too. For £1 per game more, you can have a seat at West Bromwich Albion Fc in the Championship. I do hope that our Board take these factors into consideration.

Leave a Reply to Robert John Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.