Thetownend.com

I have a good record wins when starting these threads. That combined with our decent recent record vs Port Vale is going to see us come out of Vale Park with a 0-0 draw. Would certainly take that considering their home record where they have only lost once.

Hoping we can seek revenge and get a bit of luck for the farce at the home fixture vs them

0-1 Ajose.

Sky showing this as postponed due to waterlogged pitch.

Swindon Town FC ‏@Official_STFC
BREAKING: We have just been informed that today's fixture at Port Vale has been POSTPONED following a pitch inspection this morning #STFC

Bollocks. Was looking forward to my first trip to Vale Park.

Williams working wonders already and stopped the rot!!

He could get the gig full time if he keeps this up.

 Probably not a bad thing...given we're in a bit of disarray. Hopefully our relegation rivals won't take advantage.

Back-to-back home games coming up.

Let us get our house in order.

Yes...

Bollocks, been looking forward to going to this all Christmas. Luckily got an alert just as I arrived at the station. Looks like next Saturday is free for both teams given it's cup weekend, wonder if they can get it re-arranged for then rather than a Tuesday night when it's more difficult to make the trip?

Don't we have Southend next week.

Oops yes, how to make a tit of myself at 11.00am on a Saturday...you can't fault my enthusiasm though! Cheers.

 Things not going very well....Barnsley, Fleetwood and Chesterfield all winning, we need a change otherwise 3 points from drop zone.

7

Looks like 3 points above it is :(

Well at least Blackpool and Shrews lost at keep them below us

There are at least 5 teams worse than us. Blackpool, Oldham, Crewe, Colchester and Shrewsbury. I think we will be fine.

I just hope we retain the services of at least one of Louis/Gladwin...lose both and things may become a little nervy as we will have to do (and spend) very well to find replacements of similar quality.

It had better be. Could be mildly fun/interesting/horrible in L1 next season with Oxford and possibly both Bristol sides joining us.

If these are worse than us, how come we've lost to Blackpool, Oldham, and ColU? 

No. we've no manager, are likely to see big player changes in the window, which may involve losing key players, so can't be complacent.

That's really how you judge things, dear me

Sometimes, just sometimes, you lose to worse teams than yourselves just like you sometimes beat better teams

At least Bristol City lost....because that is always a help to us.

We beat Walsall, why aren't we third?!

we have a whole one half of our league program to go.

it is all in OUR hands

IMO the results of others have no bearing at this point.

I think this is the point. I think we would just about stay up if there was a status quo.

C'mon Reg, you know that's not how it works. We doubled Leeds a few seasons ago, and who got promoted?

Of course we can't be complacent, and I think we are one of a number of teams that will be battling against relegation come the latter part of the season, especially if the January window goes against us. However, despite not playing today, and with some relegation battlers winning, we did not drop any places.

All to play for.

Just over half way through the season, our position tells us that the aforementioned sides are similar to us....probably got a few issues with loans, having lost some key players, quite likely on a 2nd manager. Like us they'll be capable of the odd good result and several shit results...it will probably be a few points here and there at season's end which will decide status for the following year.

There are no sides worse than us in Reg's world. Even if we win we have to worry about what happens next week...

Absolutely wrong....when we win it should be enjoyed to the max, until next game comes along. Even if we lose that one, I'm over it in seconds.

Means I'll still be there, even if we are shit, playing in front of 2000 in Div 4...we have always had too many fans, including many on here, who moan and whinge about this player, that player, can't face Div 3 any more because we should be in the Championship at least...throw their toys at the pram and stop going. Still means a lot to me which is why in our current predicament I look out for fellow strugglers latest scores and results.

I don't quite understand the argument that a lot of our fans put up.. 'we should be in the Championship' etc..

Based on what? Our unrivalled success over the last 15 years?

Also this bollocks about 'bigger clubs'. At the end of last season I saw people on Facebook and Twitter saying about Bournemouth not deserving to be in the Premier League because we're a much bigger club than them, and that they bought the league and all of this bollocks. I'm sure those same fans would moan about us having some Russian Billionaire take over and take us to the Premier League? Nah, course not. It would be ok if we did, after all, we're bigger than Bayern, but just not as big as Barca.

I cannot argue with any of that Reg. I totally agree and I'm with you mate (albeit I'm a tad younger - I think). I don't think we should be in the Championship but at the same time we shouldn't be in league two either. We are where we are on merit that's it.

FWIW I don't particularly like Bournemouth. Mainly for the Richie episode plus they still haven't given me the £1 back I stuck in their bucket 10 years ago. Do they deserve to be in the Prem? Yep, they got there on merit and good luck to them. It's no fairy story as the press would have you believe but they have some true fans who deserve it no doubt.

I agree with all of that..

I'll try not to do that again Darlo. :-)
And yep, one day we hope it might be us. You have to dream the dream. It's what supporting a lower league club is all about.

If we had Black/Di Canio still, we would be higher in the championship.

Yes, the club would be fucked financially, but fans live for 'now'.

Because we had loads of injuries and Cooper was in his final days as manager losing the dressing room in the process. Im pretty sure the team we have seen over the past 6 weeks would have beaten them teams.

Of course we can take a downward spiral again but i think we are better than these teams and im confident we can get 8 more wins to get to the magic 52.

I don't like agreeing, with anyone..

Oh, I can appreciate that. After all, I'm always right.

Sure?..

Hatred of Bournemouth to me has not been down to the fact they're a small club, it's just an insult levelled at them after the media wank-a-thon that happened following their promotion. We've always had a bit of a persecution complex at STFC - just some would say justifiably and some not.

At the end of the day, promotion to the PL is basically an impossibility unless you've got a man willing to chuck millions of pounds at it. I don't care how idealistic you are, you'd have to be on one hell of a drug to think that a Yeovil to the Championship scenario would happen from the Championship to the Prem. These fairy stories just don't exist. Call it parachute payments, FFP not being FF, the way anyone can walk in and buy a club seemingly without recompense if they fuck it all up - whatever it is, the top division in English football is basically a closed shop unless you get an oligarch.

That is obviously filtering down through the leagues too, just at a reduced level. I mean, look at Shitty. That's why what I used to think of as a "natural level" for a club is a bit of nonsense now. That said, I've always thought ours was L1. It wouldn't be crazy for us to be in div2 or 4, but we'll spend most of the time in 3, assuming things stay as they are.

Doesn't hurt to be ambitious though, trust me Reg. :D coyr

If you want a snapshot of current STFC, paolo is your man, there week in week out, home and away. Not like some of us who rock up every now and again drink lots and cant remember a thing..

Case in point - according to Lawrenson yesterday Eddie Howe is the manager of 2015....

Only messing. Like to think I am though. Don't we all? :-)


Cheers for the character reference SR. I do enjoy the occasional light ale or 5 myself too...Hopefully we'll enjoy your company at at game soon?

I think I know what you mean.. Although I don't think I've ever been right before. How does it feel?

Feels good to "think" you're right. To actually be right, no idea!

Doing my usual points tally pre-season I had us on 28 at end of December and 61 at season end. Will take that.

If we replicate our form points wise from the first 24 games over the next 22, then we get 53, which should just about do it, you'd have to very unlucky not stay up on 53, but it has happened.

So in order to reach the heights of 61, it will need a massive improvement, to provide a context...we got 31 points from the remaining 22 last season, which would get us to 59. I'd be happy with 55/56.

A look back at the final 22 games of each Div 3 season of the 21st Century is quite interesting. The best return being 40 points under Kingy in 03-04, the other 3 PO seasons reaping 31 last year, 33 in 12/13, 38 in 09/10. 02-03 another good late season run with 33 points. Danny Wilson's relegation save of 09/10 got us 30 points, which would do this year.

Unsurprisingly 10/11 with a feeble 13 reflected our worst side in living memory. So, 13/14 with 29, 07/08 with 27, 00/01,01/02 and 04/05 with 28 would all keep us up....even 05/06 with 25 would likely do the job.

Given the kind of season we appear to be having then, it is likely that we'll go into the final 6 games with a bit still to do. 

Next Tuesday night for Vale.

That said, our first 24 games included a period of 10 games without a win, players devoid of confidence, almost all the first team out injured, and ultimately the sacking of the managing. Whilst I wouldn't put it past STFC to achieve this twice in one season, I think there are grounds for hoping for a better second half, especially given the recovery of recent weeks.


Tempting...

Think we'll have a good idea by the end of Jan, which way we're going.....by the make up of the squad and who the manager is. Too much uncertainty atm, to make a prediction.

Can't disagree with that Reg - the players have it in them but it needs somebody who can get the best out of them, as on our off days we've been atrocious.

Can't help wondering why we've agreed to rearrange the match for next week when we don't have a manager at the moment. Plus it'll probably still be bloody wet as well.

Vale will need the cash...we need to fit it in before we lose players.

I'm sure Vale will be keen, just not sure on why we agreed until we've replaced El Abd and Louis is going back today anyway isn't he?

Didn't know about Louis  :(

I suppose it's possible that we just wanted to help out Vale, we know what it's like to be in the financial mire.

I'm not certain about Louis but think he might be. Yeah, suspect you're right! Can't do much about the weather but still frustrated Saturday was only one of two games called off in the entire league. Doesn't say much for their drainage.

I suppose it's possible that we just wanted to help out Vale, we know what it's like to be in the financial mire.
[/quote]

In which football universe would this happen.

I would wager that not one Premier or Football League club gives a flying fig for any other.

Some postponements are worse than others, in this case perhaps not so bad.

I'm guessing there must be a bit of clay around Burslem, hence the pots.

Good point about the clay. I think i'm just fed up I got as far as Leamington on Saturday before hearing it was off, with no inkling of a scheduled pitch inspection. It is what it is I suppose!

Always a bummer, to be on the road or rail, and find out a game is off. More so when it is a "convenient" postponement. At least thses days plenty of ways of finding out what is happening in advance.  I remember turning up at Luton one Boxing Day, when it had been postponed for so say a frozen pitch, and it was as warm as it was last year. Luton did have an injury crisis mind. Luton not really a place to go to without good reason.

Very true. Pretty sure we heard almost immediately due to the powers of social media. Would have been even more frustrating had we got all the way there i suppose. A Tuesday night trip to Stockport a good few years ago now still haunts me. They had covered the pitch in sand following a good few days rain (and they played rugby on it). The ref took one look at it and refuse to play the game. Unfortunately he didn't turn up until about 6:30pm though, just as we turned off the motorway. To top it all off the ground was dry underfoot and they'd had next to no rain all day (according to David Lucas).

The Carlisle away/Austin debut goal game. Got on the train at Euston not knowing if on or off, didnt find out it was definately on until we were pulling into Carlisle station, social media/internet didnt really help that day. Luckily it wasnt a wasted trip.

Bolton away in the league cup 1995. Sat in Burnden Park car park and told by the hot dog vendor that the game was postponed.  :(

Bloody awful trip. Spent the whole match sat next to some drunk.

Didn't improve much on the way home for you from what I heard!

Yep, we were only about 15 minutes away when we heard.

:-)

Same for me when we played Walsall a few seasons back after a dusting of snow....KFC by IKEA and the Car Park steward told me it was off....FFS!

We went to a pub over the road for one and it was like walking into the rovers return. Sure the barmaid said "Turrah Chuck" when we left  :)

Got in a cab at Bolton station to be told it was off. Also the JPT at Exeter when walking to the ground and arriving to find the floodlights off. Called off at 1830!

Ready for my first away game this season! Only once have I gone on away travels to find it postponed and that was also to port vale. Looked for the nearest ground to watch a match with not much time to spare and ended up at west brom. The re-arranged fixture was a delight 3-0 down half time 3-3 full time with the Rory fallon show.

Anyway on to tomorrow, the forecast up there isn't great with more rain due,  does anyone think it will go ahead? Or will I be making the decision to watch Villa or Wolves.

I still maintain it was a bloody stupid idea to rearrange it this quickly. If it's off, hopefully it'll be off early.

Typical Burslem day forecast...freezing cold, pissing down with rain and strong winds  :(

I remember in the League 2 season, we left singing in the carpark (we'd parked at the ground) and a couple of their scrotes came over and said

'If you cunts drive down Hamil Road, we'll turn your fucking car over'

Anyway, the carpark exit's onto Hamil Road.. needless to say they didn't do anything.. funny though.

I think our scorers that day were Magera and Kerrouche.

Magera scored??

No snow though. We won up there in the snow once. George N'dah I think!

Yeah he did.. I think Gabilondo assisted.

Many more years ago than that, after a home game me and a few mates were walking back to the station when we came across a mob of their finest down one of the backstreets. 

It wasn't an encouraging situation when one of them approached quite menacingly and threatened something which I didn't quite catch, so asked him to repeat.  It was still no good so I suggested he retried...eventually I got it, it was "do you wanna mess with Vale"?

We didn't, actually - and it all became a little awkward for him - the moment had passed and our worry of getting a smacking turned into a smirking satisfaction at the fluffed lines.  He retreated sheepishly and we caught our train homewards.

Belter of a finish, right footed into the bottom corner. Underrated by our fans was Magera. He was one step ahead of the majority of our players technically, reminded me of Berbatov in his style!!

He either looked really good, or awful.

I couldn't help but like him.

Dread to imagine what his wages were though as he was meant to be our marquee signing being a Czech Republic international.

Absolutely. Had to have been a good couple of grand per week.

Reminds me of a conversation I saw in he gym changing room between Magera, Kerrouche and Devera about wash bags.

Magera's had cost him 500 (what currency I don't know) Kerrouche replied in a dead pan manner
'Mine was only 250 at the end of the day, it's just toilet bag!'
Joe Devera the added to the conversation with the fact his cost about a fiver from boots.

I'm guessing it was one of those 'you had to be there' conversations.

Derby County gave their cut of the gate receipts for their FA Cup tie at Hartlepool back to Hartlepool. Karma has rewarded them with a home tie against Man United in the next round.

(http://i.imgur.com/Ovbzdm9.jpg)

Pitch inspection at midday

Postponed

Given our current disarray, probably no bad thing.

Port Vale along with Crewe are some of the least thrilling teams to play against, they tend to roll over and take it more than anything.

We kind of owe them for that 2-2 farce earlier in the season.

And that gives us even more time to unload players before the next match.

Looks like you're going to fit in just fine here.

Well I make it 6 or 7 so far, by the sounds of it Michael Smith will make 7 or 8. The massive influx of replacements is going to be exciting.

Which comes first, the manager or the replacements?

I'm working on the assumption that the manager is already in place....

I really hope for Williams own sake that he doesn't get it. He is already widely referred to as a Power Stooge, I just fear he has little chance to win over a lot of the fans who see him in that manner and if we have a poor run he will be vilified by many as a way of getting at Power.

Town fans have a proud history of loving a good scapegoat.

Shame it's off - I'm driving past Burslem around 7.15pm tonight so it would have been ideal. Was quite looking forward to it in light of Saturday (post 3.30pm)

Good for me, as I'm up in Edinburgh for the night. I may be able to wangle a day close to Stoke for the new date, depending when it is.

I really don't get this constant digging at"Power". I don't see the moaners running off to the "Trust" with their hundreds? I am truly baffled! Fuck knows where we would be without him?

Up Shit Creek and nary a paddle in sight?

Oops sorry!

I think the straight answer is fucked... or possibly still hearing the phrase Rooooaaarrrrr on a regular basis.

Yeah sorry I misquoted you.

Should do what I do, If you work on the basis that 75% of the population are dribbling idiots, you're not often surprised or feel let down, by what they think or do.

It is concerning though?! If I was Lee Power and read the drivel they put, I would make a fast sharp exit! I take it he does not.

I like to think that Power is in the 25% that are not dribbling idiots and is able to discard it for the worthless crap that it is.

Power's self sufficiency model is always going to be in trouble when the playing side turns to shit. Essentially, the Trust could probably run the club on the sort of shoestring basis of the last few years.  Power's supposed master card is the ability to attract players through his contacts, and use the Swindon Way, to add value before sell on.

Think a lot of folk accept this is OK, but were probably expecting to see a bit of the summer sale money invested back into something more than Jordan Stewart.

However we did acquire the Kasim, Gladwin equivalence in BOO, Brophy, Barry etc.  It was always going to require patience, and certainly a record breaking run of shitness at home was unlikely to endear fans, who shell out decent money on a ticket. 

But we are just starting to see, something like a blossoming, with Barry and BOO, improving, admittedly from a very low base, Ajose scoring and Super Jon Obika, looking as if he's finally getting it. Hopefully this isn't like the globally warmed daffodils, already blooming to be chopped down by the first frosts.

I personally feel "Power" is a unique chairman and I applaud him in his efforts whether it's for ego or whatever. I think he's perfect for Swindon at this time. I use to be one of those climbing the pylons in the early seventies and I will for it to come back. Will it happen with our distractors?? I hope so! Quite happy to lose them down the A420 or ...:: I feel that when we play away we come together?! But at home it's like something you would not want to learn?

Spot on.

Shame the Irish lad never made an impact...

Yet.. He's got 2.5 years to go.

You understand speech marks like Joey Tribbiani.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW8OkSJvhvE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW8OkSJvhvE)

Yeah, I thought the jury was still out on the Irish lad.

Quite happy to call early in a negative way on a chairman (eg roooooaaaaarrrrr) but otherwise prefer to suspend judgement until the end of their reign.

At this juncture, I feel we have a chairman who has both footballing and business acumen and who appears to know how to use those qualities to good effect and who also has some ability to invest or loan modest funds to tide over STFC if absolutely necessary over the short term on a relatively low risk basis.

Certainly not the sort of bloke who is needing STFC to fund his "lifestyle" and certainly better than being a very wealthy fan with little acumen as the Bolton chairman appears to have been.

The Bolton chairman had that cunning plan to abolish relegation from the prem league. Now we know why.

Had forgotten that.  A salutary journey there.  Used to love to hate McGinlay before that Premiershit stuff got going.

One or two Aviva Premiership chairmen share that anti competitive outlook to protecting "their investment"

Still that's Rugby's look out