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If Hampton are adopting a really direct style of play and not using that carpet like playing surface they are lucky to have, then perhaps next years the club could save a bit of money on pitch maintainence by not relaying the middle third of the pitch. If it's not being used by the home side then it is only benefitting the opposition.

Failing that perhaps the fans will completly forget all that Dev has achieved, and instead of giving him a bit of slack for a couple of months of struggle (mid table being a struggle????!) and we can get rid and let another club use his services - I'm sure there will be plenty of takers.

Jamie, as I have said, the past has little relevance to the present, we get no points and no benefit from last seasons great run.

Couldn't have put it better myself Rob!

The past has no relevance???

In that case you may as well sack Dev now for under achieving.

I'm assuming you guys haven't been watching Hampton pre 2000 in the days when a couple of hundred came to the games, and it was in Ithimian Division 2.

I also very much doubt Hampton would have anywhere near the squad they have now if it wasn't for Dev. Forget about his promotions and getting the club to play-off finals on a limited budget. Out performing big spenders like AFC Wombledum, and Chelmsford. Do you think that some of the players would have come to the somewhat small time surroundings of Beveree if it wasn't for the fact the manager was an ex-England international who commands a respect around non league.

Get a grip! Every team has bad spells. Dev will sort it out... we may not get up to the playoffs this season but look at some of the team names in this league, teams like Woking! Who would have thought 15 years ago we would be mixing with such names... We were 30 minutes away from playing Luton in a league fixture!!!

If you really don't think Dev is up to the job anymore, I'd love to know who you think could do a better job... we could end up with another Ian McDonald!

I agree with Jamie in that the past certainly has relevance in that the couple of hundred (and sometimes a lot less) that watched Hampton in those Isthmian League Divisions 2 & 3 days would still watch whatever league the club were in and be satisfied with that.
Maybe newer supporters are more demanding of H&RB keeping their status in the pyramid having only seen the team in that or Ryman Premier.

P.S. You may have to explain who Ian Mac is.

Jamie, I know he wasn't one of your all time Hampton favourites but Macca was one of the best coaches we've had at the club. Trust me.

Ian McDonald I have heard is a very good coach. But being a very good coach, and being a good manager and judge of player is very different.

Anyone who thinks Luke Jolly is a football player doesn't deserve to even manage on a computer game.

I reiterate my point, and would say a manager is only as good as his recent form, what happened 6 months ago has no bearing on here-n-now. I am seeing the same thing at Hull City, with Phil Brown,!

Phil Brown has a good 3 months with Hull last season. Dev has had 5 years where they team has improved on the previous season each year. If Dev & Hampton finished 4th bottom this season he would & should still be backed. Even if Hampton went down.

This season have had alot of injuries, and with a club that can only afford around 16 first team players things could be alot worse. To say a manager is only as good as his current form is so narrow minded. When Newcastle sacked Bobby Robson was that justified due to a few bad games? Benitez just had a few defeats in a row, does this mean he should go?

The Hampton team that has been succesful over the last few seasons has had many players remaining the same in the squad, they are another year older, and have all gained injuries at the same time. Does this mean Dev shouldn't be given time to re-build and find replacements for some of the older players?

Arsene Wenger has taken 10 years to bring through a set of talented youngsters that are good enough to progress to the first team. He admits this is the first year he genuinly believes he has a set of youngstars who can make the step up. He has built this on over 10 years of hard work, and millions of pounds invested in their development. Dev has been at the club 5 years, and has nowhere near that budget. The youth development at the club is progressing more than it has for years with the net being spread wider with the Tooting & Mitcham set up coming across, as well as more youth sides being affiliated to the club. Over the next 5 years I expect more to be done to improve the production of talent in the area.

Do you really believe Dev isn't entitled to a slow start? For all we know Hampton could still make the play offs. And if the form peaks at the end of the season and we scrape in perhaps it will be the right momentum to finish the job this year.

I stress this to the hilt 'IN DEV WE TRUST!'

Ok....so your comparing Hampton to arsenal now....I see.

well i think we should all go down to the reserves home game and see if there are any decent players which could push for a first team place.
the next game is this coming wednesday against bedfont town fc 7.30/45 kick off.

Who?? Never heard of Bedfont Town FC. I know Bedfont Green FC and I know Bedfont FC.

I've seen the reserves this season, as have many others who wathc the firsts. They knock it about nicely, that much is true. But FFS, I have played with three or four of the lads who play for Bedfont Reserves on Saturdays and Sundays for years. They are no better in terms of ability than me. All they have is the fitness I lack. The standard is very poor so anyone who has even a small chance of getting our first team will stand out against such inferior oppo.

Wasn't Enrico Grimm banging them in for our ressies earlier in the season?? Now he was a good player. Got on the fringes of the first team five or six years ago but never made the breakthrough. I believe he is now playing in Bedfont's first team in the CC Prem (step 5). Very few players (not none, few) playing suburban league have the fitness and ability to play in the blue square south. FACT.

Yeah, the both play on stuff called grass. I'm scratching my head to find any other comparisons at the moment.

On the subject of players making it in to the 1st Team from the Reserves, who has come through from the reserves to be a regular in the 1st Team?

There have been some really good Hampton Reserve sides, Mark Wilson's side and later Joe Mitchell's young team (without doubt the best in recent years) of which many went with him to play for Brook House (now AFC Hayes).

I can remember a few reserves that went on to play higher for other teams like Rob Frankland, Danny Rouco, Craig Vargas etc but who made it as a regular in the Hampton 1st Team?

A prime example is Nathan Collier......He has made it through from the reserves and he is one of the more talented players on the pitch at the moment. There are many more players like that where he came from. I genuinely believe after seeing the last couple of 1st team matches that the reserves have a more talented midfield, including collier and discarding 1 or 2 from the full squad of midfield in the reserves.