Thetownend.com

As a resident of Sussex I'm going to start this3-1 to town a hat trick of Greer own goals

We'll lose 2-1 but play well.

1-0 caddis, oh wait......

They'll buy Caddis this morning, beat us 2-1, Paolo will be sacked in Feb and Paul Hart will be re-signed. Relegation will swiftly follow.

Or...

1-1 with us winning on pens.

We'll come storming back from a going a goal down...

2-1 Williams, Ritchie

2-0 Brighton.

Two nill to Brighton. There will be antoher bust up and the meltdown will continue, I was so looking forward to this game. Wish I had stayed at home watched it on Sky Sports and saved my £14

Not having Caddis will likely leave our fantastic right side a bit toothless, so this could really go in any direction.

They're not a particularly open side, so it could be one of those games where Paolo's told the boys to let them have the ball for long periods and to be patient and attack fast on the counter.

we will win this tonight. it'll be close and entertaining and we'll snatch it towards the end 2.1

So is James Collins available or is he with the Paddy U21's?

Paddys

It'll be a close game and I hope Thompson plays because out of the other options he'll be more attacking and that'll help Ritchie.

0-1

1-0 town (pen) with greer sent off.

What was the story with Greer leaving? Can't remember if he left after refusing a new contract or not.

2-0 Chris Smith to score both in a breakout performance.

Alternatively this game looks a lot like us vs Southampton last year, creditable performance but comfortable away win.

For some reason, i really don't care about this game. Feels wrong to start the season in this manner.

 Are Greer and Brezovan still at BHA?

Who needs a right hand side when we've got Robbo and JMac on the left?

Really looking forward to seeing all the new boys in action.

Yeah. Greer is still captain I think, but they signed Kuszack over the summer do doubt brez will play

A 3-0 win to help allay the fears of a split in the squad! Ritchie x2 & Benson :)

1-0 Ritchie

Oh wait, no. Ritchie is only half the player without Caddis so, erm, 1/2-0 Ritchie.

Presuming Ferry wont play either tonight.

Can see penalties looming

Why's that?

Reading between the lines of PdC's rant, he wasn't referring to one player only.

Indeedy, but seeing as he didnt mention anyone else by name i'm hoping he was referring only to Caddis. We'll see tonight I guess...

Well, by referring to 'players who have had babies' narrows it down a bit!

Mccormack had a kid, so by yoyr logic he wont play tonight either ;)

We'll win 16-0.

Am I right in thinking this is on the box?

Yea

Woohoo

Pretty sure the issue was he wasn't offered anything and was offered 3 years by Brighton.

Can't make it tonight, I was busting at the seams for this one too! Will just have to watch it on the box.

1-1, us on pens.

How much are tickets to this? The new website is fucking woeful

I'll be watching it at a pub in Kristiansand, Norway.  Great with a tv-match for us foreign supporters.

2-1 (Archibald-Henville from a corner and Benson)

With all that's gone on this week, a new season, a new team, playing a championship side, I haven't got a fucking clue what the score will be.

With Troy Boy being pretty mobile and good with the ball, I wonder whether he could cover at right back? With his Macca like running, I'm convinced he'd offer at least as much as Devera.

We will lose and Ritchie will be Leon Clarke gate mark 2

£13 in DRS.  Not sure about the Town End.

Hmm, tempting. Not sure if I can be assed lugging my work bag into the ground or not. Are we at home next tuesday? I'll just go to that if we are

Crawley.

Super.

I'm not a fan of it either, but it wasn't hard to click Tickets > Home Tickets and find that info out!

Think we will play well as a team and spirits will be lifted because of the good performance. That said I still feel Brighton will edge a 1-2 victory :-(

Wasn't he under contract but Brighton came in with a deal we were not prepared - or couldn't - match.  Fitton later recognised it was a serious mistake to let him go without a fight.

I was under the impression him going was more Wilson's doing than Fitton's.

From what I recall, after Greer's Karate kick against Charlton (?), Wilson said Greer will never play for him again. People seemed to have glossed over that and chose to lay the blame entirely on Fitton instead. (Granted though they were just unconfirmed rumours).

Plenty of goals tonight which we win 3-2. Looking forward to it but some early cup games have a more friendly feel to them, hope this is a proper blood and guts cup tie though.

Fairly sure you made that bit up :)

I could be wrong, but i'm fairly sure that was doing the rounds.

I thought it was purely down to the fact that Brighton offered him a longer contract than we were willing too.

Do people think Greer will get booed tonight?

Not sure about booing. Don't really have any dislike for him. I'll gladly cheer any mistake he might make though, of course.

I dont think many people (even myself) care about Gordon Greer anymore.

The reason he left was simple. Brighton bid 250k for someone we signed for free. To Fitton that was 250k profit regardless of how if effect the team.

Looking forward to tonight.

Think we will lose by a couple of goals to a very good Brighton team but our performance will be encouraging.

Nah, didn't seem to orchestrate a move and "we" were happy to sell.

Any booing will be pantomime villain than hate filled.

I think any booing of Greer tonight will be petty, as said above he didn't orchestrate the move. We were happy to sell for a profit.

With regards to the game I hate to say it but think we will lose to a better team. Would take 0-0 then the lottery of penalties!

Has DMR asked you for pictures yet?

0-2 defeat 10,334 crowd.

i think we can win this - we have a good team :)

What time's kick off? Doesn't say on the OS

7.45pm

Do you really think we'll get a crowd of 10k+?

I think we'll be lucky to get 5k personally, what with it on the box and all that

Win 2-1 in front of 7, 381

C.O.Y.R!!!!

Cheers

I would like to think so, 1st meaningful game of the season.

I cant see it being under 7k though.

Back in the late 70's early 80's the season always started for us with a then 2 legged LC game. The last one was around 80/81, when we had a terrible start to the league, but did get threw a couple of rounds of the LC , before getting tonked by Liverpool.

5-0 if memory serves.

League cup ties of that era always brings up Pompey to mind.

Hoping for an entertaining match...they usually are when we are on the telly and we usually win. So if it wasn`t on telly I would go for a 2-1 defeat but coz it is I will settle for a good start and 2-0. Smallish crowd...

Indeed on both counts...we seem to have played them loads and usually win.

The 5-0 is posssibly the only time I thought that a reasonable score....we went into having sacked Bobby Smith, John Trollope played having come out of retirement, and Charlie Henry was the other full back playing something like his 3rd game aged 18.

Liverpool were in their Dalgish/Rush pomp...I thought it might have been 10.

Why would anyone boo Greer? Fitton sold him, not exactly his fault.

Going for a 1-2 defeat tonight. Hope I'm wrong!

I just hope we out play them. I don't like their inflated opinion of themselves one iota.

I know this might just be me, but I can't shake the feeling that tonight is a pre-season game and that the season 'proper' starts up at Hartlepool on Saturday.

I remember going up to Anfield as an excited 11 year old. My memory says Andy Rowland hit the bar before they scored.

Anyone have an internet stream feed for the game at all ?

Foderingham; Devera, McCormack(capt), Archibald-Henville, McEveley; Ritchie, Miller, Navarro, De Vita; Benson, Williams

Subs: Bedwell(GK), Risser, Flint, Thompson N, Ferry, Rooney, Storey

Only real surprise is deVita - no Roberts - is he injured?

Yes

is Collins injured?

http://www.thefirstrow.eu/watch/135422/1/watch-swindon-town-fc-vs-brighton-and-ha.html

Should be working by half seven.

Mmmm - no Roberts, Ferry on bench

Roberts is injured.

Steve bruce is here

Cheers mate :)

Obviously tying up the deal for Ritchie then

International duty I think

U21s rep of ireland

Who does Bruce manage these days?

Hull.

Must be difficult attracting players to that shit hole

Bruce specialises in grim places doesn't he?

Must be that pudgy, lived-in face

Not our strongest down the right, left or through the middle, but still looking forward to seeing the newbies and hopefully a good performance.

we'll be fine in the channels!

"The news we broke tomorrow morning"

Good start to the new season by Colemanballs.

Hull play Brighton on Saturday!  Bruce watching the opposition

Just like Captain Webb!!

pffff, that's what he wants us to think!

Working nicely, sweet, TY.

Never tire of seeing that Rogers Wembley goal - well done Sky!

I was a mere whippersnapper!

Less than 5000 tonite

borrowed a mates Skygo login,seems weird watching a stream that works .

Early stages but we seem to be playing alright.

Brighton players going down very easily.

Bit like a friendly at the mo

central midfield doesn't seem to want to link to the forwards

I like the look of Troy

There doesn't seem to be any atmosphere.  Midfield seems a bit disjointed at the moment.

he's well fit

I hope some townenders start a John Terry song in honour of Wayne Bridge.

They just did.

Cringe worthy.

Right on cue, thetownend start, One John Terry! I think it's funny, if only because most people HATE JT and well, it's controversial innit.

couldn't a john terry song be interpreted differently, ie troy might take offence!

Although he hasn't seen much of the ball, I like the look of Williams.

It's a bit shit so far.

Let's hope it livens up a bit in the second half

i know the midfield hasn't really got going, but de vita isn't going a great job out there...if brighton are letting us walk it up to half way and pop it to the strikers feet then surely you'd try to get close to them for the lay off. whenever the strikers get the ball back to goal they're isolated

Crossing isn't up to much, thankfully neither is Brighton's.

Simon Ferry.

to replace whom?

..... has a shit haircut

Cross field passes woeful. Crosses woeful. Not great so far. Paolo looks like he's going to throw a few teacups at halftime!!

Either one of the middle two, doesnt matter.

ARGH DENNIS WISE IS MAKING SENSE!!!

- Williams takes too long to control the ball
- Benson playing off the main striker doesn't look great
- We seem to lack energy in midfield
- Devera can't overlap and attack
- McEveley final ball looks poor
- DeVita doesn't seem to be able to get in the game
- Has 0-0 written all over it
- PDC doesn't look happy

Am I expecting too much?

its nice to get some meaningful footy again although it does have the look of a friendly.  Hopefully as the game edges towards full time both sides will step up the intensity

Agreed. Midfield is not working at moment.  I would imagine De Vita will be the first to be substituted.

PDC just described as 'Paolo the exploding volcano'  :)

What he said

De vita doing ok in my book. We are not creating much but doing better than we did against Southampton last season.

Would like to see Ferry on for Miller, and Rooney on for De Vita.

Wrote a half time player by player for a mate abroad from my seat on the sofa. Feel free to abuse/ disagree with.

Foderingham – Great reactions as always, needs to watch his positioning on set pieces, will face more cunning deliveries this season.

Devera – Looked like what he is, a good centre back playing at right back. Tried to go forward a bit, with very little success.  The amount of tracking back Ritchie was doing in the first half was frightening. Would rather see Nathan get a start until Caddis is reinstated or replaced, at least he’s  actually a right back however inexperienced

McCormack – Caddis issues aside showed why he is a natural captain, very vocal, loved it at once point in the first half, when he went to row with the ref about a decision – Ritchie joined in and he pushed him away ‘ I deal with this shit now’

Troy – the name on the shirt looks ludicrious, but the man himself very composed. I’m already a HUGE fan

McEverley- Went forward well, but played some dodgy balls, solid at the back though.

Ritchie – Bridge is owning him a bit, needs a Caddis figure in there overlapping. Played some nice balls when he’s had the rare chance. Should benefit from Roberts playing, and us not being totally reliant on him for the crosses

 Navarro- Obviously had something to prove and gave everything, played some lovely balls, was the only one for much of the half. But I’m not sure him and Miller is a winning midfield combination, not enough flair/ penertration

Miller – Not noticed him. Not a  huge problem in the holding midfield role, but see above.
Would like to see Ferry ASAP

De Vita – Though I like the bloke I’ve worried before that League One will be a step up too far for him, nothing I’ve seen tonight has changed my mind. Wouldn’t mind Rooney getting a run out if Ritchie or Roberts aren’t available, as, though he’s far from perfect, think he has more potential long term.

Williams. Lively, looking forward to seeing him with a Collins type player to play off.

Benson – Was Benson. That’s all I can say really. Think if he gets a decent sniff he’ll finish it, but not sure where that’s coming from at the moment. As I say, I wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more physical presence up top for us, hoping Collins might provide that.

Get the hairdo on

don goodman is annoying me, why isn't he as partisan as i am?!

Get in!

Oh, it Andy D'Urso. I'm worried.

that was an ace free kick although I dont think thats how it was supposed to go...

hahahaha that was good! not as slick as i think it was planned...

That was a very clever goal.  I wondered what they were doing with the free kick at first.

fucking hell i'm turning into DV

And Williams.  Shit...he's quick, isn't he?!

ffs, first time my stream froze!

He looked quick as fook at WSM, as I believe JJ highlighted!

navarro's pushing further forward, it seems to make a bigger gap for t a-h to run into with the ball

Brighton did well to wrap up the brightonandhovejobs.com shirt sponsorship deal.  Must be a real money spinner.

wahey! d'urso gave us a freekick after benson is fouled three times in one move!
(albeit the freekick we scored from was "soft")

Lovely stuff.

and another!

Bet you're loving this....

benson is different class, and with williams is playing close to him. jammy that the ball ran to navarro but fuck it!

I bet Mexico Blue isnt...

Would like to see ferry and Rooney come on.

Work will be interesting tomorrow if it stays this way..

De Vita looking OK.

Thanks for live stream link earlier, by the way.

or Greer.

bruno is mental! how the bastarding hell did he not think his murder on de vita wasn't a foul?

The ultimate warrior would have been proud of that one.

haha taking the piss now.

bring on storey for benson, get williams to win flicks n that...storey to chase into the corners

alaaaaaaaaaan alaaaaaaaaaaaaan alaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan navarro alan navarro

arf.

what a peach of a goal, goal of the season?

Behave Sussex.

Bloody hell.

I think Caddis and PDC need to sit down, talk, shake hands and move on.  He needs to get back in this side.  Could be really good.

that was a penalty all day long

North Stand Chat makes for some very funny reading tonight.

Williams has done well for both of Navarro's goals.

Will be interesting to see who plays up front when Collins is back

This is fucking beautiful. My Brighton mate has been giving me the big one all week and boy his he quiet now.

Attendance: 5,737.  How?  Where?  All I can see is empty seats?!

He should be on the bench.

Camera is in the DRS so I guess all the fans are too.

Really impressed with Williams, looks potentially a very good player for us.

good to see the bank open though.

Oh yeah.   :-[

ferry was shifting then, has he had a weight watching pre season?

that prick Tails is good at clapping

Lingering shot of Tails there I believe. No Duck mask for a change.

Funny what having kids does....

how many has he had in the off season?!

Alan Navarro - until tonight Brighton had only seen 1 goal in 3 seasons and 85 games from Alan Navarro - fantastic start!

Might Si Ferry go mad at Hartlepool now?

Brighton are dirty fuckers, aren't they.

they were when we played them in the league first game a few seasons ago. i hate them

Lovely. Next!

Oh, and SSWS is sacked, mexico red is back!

Roll on Saturday.

'...and it almost feels like there's something special happening here at the County Ground.'

Love it.

Well that was alright, wasn't it?

Don't know why you'd think that, looked like clock work to me. It's always annoyed me that we don't try more things like that rather than just blasting it in to the car park every time. Hopefully we'll see more of it.

We played quite well I thought, De Vita likes falling over. Other then that I think we looked pretty solid we'll be fine this season. Bit of game going on in Derby 5-5.

Benson talks like someone who could manage a side in the future.

I'm guessing they didnt bother watching us? As same as last season let teams huff and puff first half, tire them out and then take them out in the last 30 minutes. Hope league 1 is as unprepared as brighton were.

Poyet already playing the 'concentrate on the league' card.  In mid August.  Blimey!

Who was di canio gesturing at after each of the goals?

Us? not the crowd. The moaners on the TEF and this is, would be my guess

Caddis

Aye, that'll do.

Grateful for the live feed. Bit juddery at times but since I don't havesky, I'll take what I can get.

Some of the threads on http://www.northstandchat.com are poetry to read.

They make some TEF meltdowns look like a fart in comparison.

Good performance...Great result....Andy D'Urso was shite...

And Ashley Barnes is a cunt.

Cracking result tonight, great team performance. Williams MOTM for me, looks like he could be the perfect foil for whichever number 9 plays. Roll on Saturday!

PDC:
- Good start long way to go
- Credit to Navarro. He has listened since the first day. He believes in the system.
- New players brought in calm and intelligence
- Easier job for him to encourage quality players
- Tonight proved that team is behind him and the way he does things and what he's trying to achieve
- Door is more open today for Caddis than yesterday. PDC wants to see a positive reaction from Caddis
- Will play to win every game doesn't matter what the competition. Wants to bread winning mentality.
- Chris Wise tried to goad PDC that we could face West Ham in the next round. PDC dodged it.
- Saturday will be harder

Second half was much better.

3 goals, clean sheet, couldn't be much better.

Benson:
- Trying to keep up standards he sets for himself
- First half being slow didn't suit Town.
- Worked hard in training to try to negate Brighton way of playing.
- Wanted to make sure that we didn't concede first
- First goal was a training ground set piece that had worked in Italy
- Navarro: Good strike on him. Arrived at right time. Only new player not to score in pre-season
- Would be nice to play a Premier league side in next round
- Sets team up for league opener at Hartlepool. Gives team confidence. Need to wary
- Squads reaction to Caddis: He's a good friend on Benson. Benson wants Caddis to be part of team going forward. He was good last year and really help Benson settle

Navarro:
- PDC said at half time to keep it tight and carry on. Dont let them score first
- Never scored 2 goals in a game before
- Didn't have any energy at the end to celebrate
(Forum spaz meant I didn't get the rest)

Started the eveing thinking this was a bit of pre season friendly and it didn't really matter. By the end I was jumping off the sofa.

Good solid performance against yet another footballing side. And....without Ferry......and without Ritchie having his usual impact on the game - he misses Caddis.

Williams and Navarro look good, as does Troy. Back four looked solid. Happy Days

I must confess to venturing over their after the game was announced and was shocked at their levels of arrogance and delusions of grandeur.

I'll have a butchers now we've put that game to bed. Should make for some amusing reading. 8)

I'd imagine DV is meaning Ritchie's second touch and Benson's mishit which ended up in the back of the net.  But other than that poetry in motion.

Alan McCormack:
- Tough game. Stuck with the game plan which worked
- Thought back 4 were superb
- Troy still getting used to what PDC wants. He's still learning
- Missing 3 key players and produced result. Devera and DeVita both came in and have done well. Shows what a strong squad we have
- Never like to see arguments. Caddis will come back a stronger man. There are 11 leaders on the pitch. Need to stick together and work together
- Will he keep captaincy for the whole year?: 'You never know with the gaffer!'
- Comms across back 4 good. Wes communicated well.
- One game wont define a season

Pure class tonight. Passed the ball well, defended well, brilliant free kick for the 1st and then 2 decent strikes by Navarro even if his 2nd took a lucky deflection. Great start. Football is back and we have all been reminded why we missed it so much.

PdC:
"I'm not saying I'm José Mourinho......yet"

The man is a legend

Great result. We need to become a 90 minute team but we were all over them in the 2nd half. Very impressed with Navarro and Williams. Miller played better tonight but still the odd stray pass.

Might be Oxford in the next round!

Very enjoyable indeed. No poor performances. Players who stood out for me...

Troy, Williams, Navarro, Benson as the game went on, Wes and Devera very solid.

And loving that free kick. Will have to shelve it for a few games now though.

Happy days!

Fantastic game, looked confident throughout. Troy is an absolute beast at the back.

Loved the fact that after about 45 seconds the moaners sat behind me started up "we haven't got the ball forward yet" and then they started on both Navarro and Miller, neither of which were as good as Jon Smith apparently. Then I was treated to - Not sure what Williams brought to the team that Connell didn't.

All this in the first 5 mins. fab.

I'm sure Mex will have a good night....

I thought first half was poor, with Brighton just about edging it.  Ritchie sulked, De Vita was poor for the first 30 minutes then woke up, Benson and Williams struggling to forge a partnership.  Second half was magnificent, Benson and Williams played much closer, De Vita had a good 35 minutes or so.  Defence looked solid despite a bit of pressure on them, when he was called on Wes did excellently.  D'Urso proved what a shit ref he is, favouring the championship side all the time.  On the basis of the second half we could have a very good season!

First half was nip and tuck with Brighton slightly more dangerous. Was a bit disappointed with Williams first half, the front two seemed too far apart.

Slightly slow start to the second half, but then the free kick...What a well worked goal. There may have been a bit of luck about aspects of it but they had clearly intended to work it in a similar way to how it ended up.

Williams came alive in the second half. Really used his pace well and scared the shit out of them. Really well taken goals by Navaro too. 1 goal in 3 years then scored two against his old club. Good applause from the Brighton fans when he was subbed off.

Ferry looked up for it when he came on too. An immense block on the edge of the area.

All in all a very good performance.

Enjoy your week Mex :)

He'll be on later he said, once the firemen have finished.

Haven't seen any pre season friendlies so was really looking forward to tonight and I wasn't disappointed. Any neutral watching on the tv would of been saying the game needs a goal to get things going but we were holding our own against a solid championship side so going in at half time drawing was good enough for me. Second half was a joy to watch and Brighton came off at the end looking a bit shell shocked. Keep the County Ground a fortress and we will be right up there again this season.

Noticed one or two Brighton fans comment on our "small" pitch. Didn't think it was particularly small myself. I'm sure DV will know where it ranks in square footage.

Perhaps they haven't erased the nightmare of the Withdean yet and still expect a running track around the edge.

I watched in a bar in Corfu.

A couple behind me were Brighton fans.

Thought our final third was poor up against brightons in the first half.

Fantastic second half.....very impressed as we improved and Brighton faded.

The couple fucked off when the second went in and I leapt to my feet.....yesssssssss!

Their board does make for some pretty hilarious reading at the moment.

A lot like last season, we start games slowly and build to a crescendo in the second half.

We did well in the first half, it wasn't pretty but we contained them well, the full backs were pressing us back a lot and at times Devera did what any CB playing full back does and drifted inside a little too far giving them too much space but he had another solid game - under rated player imo.

Second half we came out with more energy and started taking the game to them. Andy Williams heavily involved in all 3 goals was my MOM.

Very happy with that tonight and I can't wait to go up to Hartlepool!

As a north London boy aged 8 I still supported the Arsenal, only one in Mounford Manor school I reckon.

Used to be one of the widest, until it was trimmed by mcmahon i think.

When's the draw?

Tomorrow, 12-30pm.

Thought we were poor in attack in the first half. Williams couldn't get the ball under control and seemed to be trying too hard, Ritchie couldn't get the ball in any kind of space, and our crossing was largely wasteful.

The difference in the second half? We started using Benson to hold the ball up better, which gave Williams more opportunities to find space and run at people. All of a sudden he was much more impressive. I think Brighton got a bit lax in defence too, which gave our midfield much more space and allowed Navarro to push forward, leading to his goals.

Good stuff and a real positive heading into our first league game, not that we can take anything for granted on Saturday.

Lovely.  Enjoyed that.  Went at their pace in the first half and it was largely a stalemate, second half we seemed to grab the initiative and deserved the victory.  Williams was vital.  Really good effort and skills from him and his linking up with Benson was impressive. 

Anyway.  Anyone know where I can see the goals again without having sky?

The League Cup Show, tomorrow night 11:15, BBC1. Unless someone sticks them on youtube sooner

Cheers.  Ill keep an eye on youtube.

Literally bumped into Manish Bhasin tonight in the stands, I said sorry and he just looked me up and down, miserable little shit.

Going to be on Sky Sports News shortly (apparently).

Now

Hahahaha my pub is empty :)

You're nicely set up in the banter stakes for the coming year Mex. Congrats!

Really enjoyed tonight and have really got that 'buzz' ahead of the league starting on Saturday!

First half a little slow out the blocks, but second half was as good as any you'll see from a Swindon Town side!

Hope there is more to come and looking forward to Saturday (along with the draw tomorrow-Prem at home please)

By the time the third goal went I was pretty much speechless. Just stood with my hands aloft. Feels like we have started the season like we left off and port vale. I thought Williams was very good tonight.

This is what an albion Fan posted on their forum

"One less thing we need to worry about in my opinion. Thing is if Swindon where in the Championship, they would get well and truly stuffed every single week. Watching last night, even thou we lost our players looked different class"

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Deluded or what?

Really enjoyed the game yesterday. First half was solid though unspectacular, but we looked really solid at the back for the whole game.

I must admit that until he scored, I was a bit unsure about Navarro. And also, Miller didn't seem to do anything?! Perhaps he just went about his business quietly? I'd have Ferry in all day long based on that game alone.

Williams looked very lively. Not only quick but also strong. Will be great to see 3 good strikers getting their chance. Benson worked very hard as usual and was in the right place when he needed to be.

Great start to the season. Looking forward to Saturday!

They are a deluded bunch.  I was amused to go on and see someone saying 'love the way we're switching the ball with crossfield passes'.  From what I was watching every crossfield pass their cheating number 2 was sending out to the the left was miles over the wingers head.

Very impressed by Williams, he created the 2nd goal by busting a gut and never giving up on the ball, good qualities to show.

Would like to see a replay of Wes' save from Vicente (I think) close range effort in 2nd half.  It looked potentially world class in real time.

Well accordingly to some old sow in front of me last night he is "Prutton Mk2"

Nothing like judging players after about 30 mins of their debut.

They lost on purpose apparently  :-[

Absolutely, it added to my enjoyment as every ball that went out of touch was met with a huge cheer. I thought in the end, "for goodness sake stop trying that, your embaressing youselves"

I really hope we can carry this onto the hartlepool game and caddis is back. Also, is collins back? cant see him coming straight in as benson done well last night. Great to have that quality in depth up front.

Im still smiling from that free kick, bloody hell. The ball went one way then another, then another and then it was in the back of the net and the albion defense was just all tied up in knots. They were that tied up in knots im not sure they knew the ball was in the net untill the saw our players running off celebrating.  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: Im a happy chappy today.

Also, according to one, we are a 'noddy club'

And this from a club who played for years at an athletics ground and before that a complete shit hole which was the Goldstone.

Short memories

Really enjoyed last night, great to have the football back.

Thought we were brilliant second half, Williams and navarro looking espescially impressive.

Devera looked solid defensively but we definatley missed Caddis going forward, as did Ritchie.

Roll on Saturday!

They get a new ground and then suddenly think they are a footballing giant, a lot of swaggering fans who really don't have a clue. You got beat, get a grip. My perfect season would see us swap leagues with them.

To be fair, there were a fair few Brighton fans that were gracious in defeat and that thought we'd be a force in league one.

But there was one that made me laugh, something about them being a club that others now want the scalp of.

Erm, well we wanted to win, and you are a higher league club, but I didn't go home doing a jig of joy at the wonderment of it all. Or put more simply, they are no Wigan or Huddersfield from last season.

I'm glad we beat them, firstly because my team won and secondly because I don't like them. Nothing to do with them being a big scalp, because they ain't  :)

It was only because their pitch is so much bigger than ours.

Any bloody excuse. They really make themselves look stupid.

Well that is two Championship sides we have played and I have not seen anything that makes me think either of those teams is going to be pushing for the Premiership. From the Town's point of view, those two games have shown that we can compete with a supposedly "higher standard" and hopefully there will be nothing to fear in Divvy 1 either.  

Historically the CG used to have one of the larger pitches in League football....certainly bigger than the Goldstone ever was.

Without doing the research at 117 yds x 78yds, it was certainly bigger than Old Trafford, Anfield, Stamford Bridge and White Hart Lane.

It was notably long, you could stand in the Town End or on the Bank and whisper in the keepers ear. It was shortened and  narrowed because of Health and Safety after the various tragedies meant emergency vehicles had to have access. I always assumed that this happened at all grounds, and wasn't just SBC playing silly buggers, but thinking about now I'm not so sure.

Great result last night for us, Brighton might need a reality check. Last season Southampton looked a quality side and rested some key first teamers. Brighton had a pretty much full first team out with premeir league experience and looked an average side. We could raise some eyebrows in this competition.

According to Football Ground Guide

BHA 115 x 75 yards
STFC 110 x 70 yards

Though blaming the pitch size is a bit desperate.

I'm convinced that throughout the match on Sky Miller's name wasn't mentioned once.

Did he actually play?

I thought Miller was quite decent, got about the pitch well for his age and put in some assertive tackles, playing some fairly good passes too. Goes about his work quietly no doubt, but I was pleased with the centre midfield area last night looked calm & composed on the ball whilst having the positional sense to cut out attacks without having to maraud around the pitch.

First half both team cancelled each other out, 2nd half we played better, held the ball up better and looked dangerous going forward. Williams was a handful and surprisingly very quick. I thought Miller played alright, he reads the game very well, positionally I think he's brilliant - knows where to go and who to mark/cover etc.

Had to laugh at the reaction of Brighton fans. Most were pretty gracious in defeat and gave us credit where it was due. But the usual 'tinpot', 'noddy club' comments were also being chucked about, calling us pathetic and complaining about Di Canio's "antics" (whatever that referred to).

Roll on Saturday.

Ta. 5x5 yards. They need that extra yards space to be effective. I smell desperation to explain being dicked!

To be fair they had a few out, but so what, they should have the squad to cope.

Good second half certainly, not entirely convinced how much Brighton were up for this game but no one loses on purpose. Feeling has to be that once this team of newbie`s gets a few games under there belt we might be quite good. Good start - nice to see DiCanio hasn`t lost the maddness. Bring it on.....

To be fair I thought the brighton fans at the ground were very gracious. An instance I remembered was when we started chanting we want 4 and a little voice from the Stratton bank shouted back we want 1. Both stands laughed together which to me Is what the banter at matches should be like. I'm sure they will do well but more importantly it states our intentions strongly straight away. I wonder if Crawley will come to the CG like they did last year and try and kick us off the pitch and play for a 0-0. Remembered them tiring severely for the second half.

The major plusses were that the new singings all made a positive impression last night.
 
Getting fucked off with the bbc radio reading out every text they recieve though. Some prick saying Williams didn't look good and will have to do more to convince just one off the top of my head. Why don't they read the things first and employ a bit of common sense?
I'm afraid not all fans are entitled to an opinion as many are fucking clueless.

Don't see why they wouldn't - it worked so well last time!! In all seriousness, I have no idea what to expect from them this year with all the changes that have gone on. I also find it much harder to dislike them without Steve Evans in charge, but they're still a shady club who I have little time for.

Agree with your comments about brighton fans - those at the ground were fine. It's the message boards that are a joke.

Agree with that. They should either not read them, or have them read by somebody who's seen the game and is thus able to shoot them down for spouting crap. I was disappointed with Williams in the first half, but he came alive in the second and was influential.

Saw a comment on another site about "their winger Williams" looking good.

I can see how the error could be made to be honest, he was fookin everywhere at times.

as bad as it sounds, they must be better off just starting again from scratch in a wimbledon styleee. The club as it stands is toxic throughout.
If the fan base stays with them, it wont take them long to climb back on the leagues.

the only way they'll be rescused is if they find someone with more money than sense..

Town were never that bad were we?

Wrong thread?

Interesting to see that we had the 4th highest attendance last night, only bettered by brum, Ipswich and charlton.
Bristol city, Derby, Millwall and Peterborough all had smaller crowds.

Either that or he thinks one defeat to us is enough to warrant BHA starting again. 

Well, to be fair, would you want to watch Bristol City?

In fairness, that does equate to 12% bigger.  However, De Vita had several passes over his head as well.

Anybody watching SSN for the draw? I don't have Sky :(

Just waiting for it

http://www.skysports.com/radio

Have it coming up.

Here we go....

slightly yeah

Wow, they've tried to over-complicate this.

West Ham have gone.  Shame.

When are these games being played?

Stoke away

Away to Stoke. Not bad.

winnable tie that, shame they don't play in blue and white stripes.

Pretty decent draw.

Spot on. Would have been a guaranteed victory if they did!

Not overly enthusiastic about the draw but at least I should be able to get to the game!

Potential for another match on tele with that draw?

Definitely. After last night's result I'd imagine Sky will have been hoping for a tie like this so they can show us again. We've done well for them when they've televised us under Paolo!

Not a bad draw, will have to wrangle getting out of work early for this one!

Great tie for us, although a shame we're not at home. We'll be expected to lose, but with them likely to put out a reserve side, you never know.  No doubt they'll be tough, organised and technically better than us (they don't get the credit they deserve sometimes) - but one to look forward to.

I think it's a bit silly to think we could get anything from Stoke.

But then, I though the same about Huddersfield, Shitty, Wigan and Brighton

No chance of this being on Sky

They always want the underdog at home

Thats the first time I've seen the free kick so perhaps someone who has seen it in pre-season could clarify but I thought Ritchie was lining up a shot but his poor first touch took it to Benson, unless that was planned bad looking like im going to control it and shoot first touch.

Also, Williams reminded me of Paynter in a way - certainly not his style of play because they are totally different players, more so the fact I think Williams will be a total nuisance to defenders and play a huge part in loads of goals but dont think he will score that many goals himself but we shall see...

They might put the scum on the t.v after all they've got Leeds. We might be on t.v abroad like when we 'uddersfield.

Difference being, He is more mobile then Paynter and has pace and he frightened the life out of Brighton's defence in the 2nd half.

I'm sure Ritchie was lining up a shot and that was the plan. But another part of the plan was to have a few players running in to the area in front of Ritchie (between penalty spot and six yard area) in case the ball went loose. Which it did (think this was due to him being challenged) and one of the runners scored. So I'd say it all went to plan.

Dead ball situations are the one time you have full control of what happens next, which we never really take advantage of. You need a variety of options for different situations and a means of signalling all your players so they know which one they are going for. Very hard to defend if you've got the variety and execution.

Hopefully we'll see more of this as I'm sick of seeing free kicks going in to row Z all the time.

Agreed. Had the free kick been perfect Ritchie would have scored rather than miss controlling it.

But the point is that even though there was some luck involved for Benson the free kick totally and utterly flummoxed the Brighton defence. We had two players "in" before they even worked out what was going on.

It is a bit silly. But then we won't be playing Stoke - We'll be playing Stoke reserves..

Winnable.

They'll probably drop a couple of their first team like Wigan did last season, this'll probably be the only cup that Stoke have a realistic chance of winning, can't see see any of the top 6 teams in the prem taking the league cup seriously at all. It all depends on how up for it both teams are. If we play like we did last night without fear and with confidence then why shouldn't we be able to get a result there.

The point is that the plan had 3 or 4 other players ready for the loose ball, all unmarked, any of whom could have scored.

If the plan was just for Ritchie to shoot then it would have been a bit shit and wouldn't have worked.

I think I want to go to Stoke, just so I can yell obscenities at Tony Pulis and shout "HOOOOOOOF!" every time Stoke touch the ball.

  Who remembers the last time we had Potters in the LCwith them a top flight and us a Div 3 club?

Round 3, 79/80, a trip to the Victoria Ground secures a 2-2 draw and then we turn them over 2-1 in the replay. naturally a bigger crowd at the CG than their place....now an opportunity sadly lost to us.

Cracking atmosphere in the TE that night giving dog's abuse to Garth Crooks, Lee Chapman and Adrian Heath.

Be an interesting game for PdC to pit his wits against the Pulis behemoth...

I have to admit i think first half williams was fucking awful,i am the only one saying that though so maybe was watching a different game. He was down the middle first half and held fuckall up and could not pass to save his life. 2nd half when he was wider he looked fucking superb,for me personally his performance was one of the biggest game of two halves i have ever seen

i didn't notice him in the first half but then, I didn't notice anybody in the first half asides from the back four. Troy especially.

I thought that pretty much everything Williams tried to do first half went wrong. Good to see such a marked improvement in the second 45 though.

Poor old Brighton didn't know what had hit 'em.

They really do love our manager down on the South Coast

http://www.northstandchat.com/showthread.php?252686-Di-Canio

Agree with Constanza and DRS. Was saying at half time his first touch had been shocking. Thankfully he came out a different player second half. Probably helped that we didn't use him as a target man after the break.

Brilliant! They seem to suggest he gives his players no credit, is self-congratulatory, and is non-professional. Part 1 is just plain wrong, part 2 they may have a point but he backs it up and admits when he makes mistakes, and part 3 is based on the Leon Clarke incident, and we all know who was in the wrong there!

Had they won last night nobody would have mentioned him.

One of them wants to lock him up and sing anti-fascist lullabies to him  :girlgiggle:

In all the excitement I forgot to ask, where was roberts, injured?

And also a few people picked up on Williams being not so good first half. His first run at pace took me totally by surprise. Didn't know he had peace from the first half!

 :hmmm: Have to say that's conclusive evidence  ::)

Perhaps he is friends with Dorset Red and that tool that posts on the Thisis forum

Probably the lack of peace at half time made him run faster  ;) He's a clever footballer so I'm looking forward to watching him play this season.

I think Andy Warren confirmed Roberts was carrying an injury. Hopefully we'll have Collins, Roberts and Caddis back for Saturday.

Said on the tv he has a calf injury.

Ta muchly.

Stoke away eh? Day out at Alton Towers and just happen to drop by the Brittstad for another premier league scalp..... :hmmm: :hmmm:

If you're organising it I'm in.

Two weeks staycation starts with Hartlepool away, interspersed with day trips, decorating and the odd trip to SN1, where I hope to beat those that seem to regard the tables in the legends lounge as their own property at there own game. Be nice to sit in comfort for a change having a beer.

So Samdy, I'll have to square it with the Mrs first  ;)   

I was at both games. Up there was a cracking atmosphere and in the replay the Town end was pretty hostile. i remember the Stoke fans going on the pitch after the game and getting a right hiding. I'll probably go up there for the game.
As for last night a great 2nd half. Its going to be interesting with 2 CHs comfortable in taking the ball out. Troy looks as though he's got a very good footballing brain and seems to read the game very well. Williams looks as though he could be a beast and make a load of room for others.

Went to both....we were 2-0 down at Stoke coming back to draw 2-2,great night and the Town fans were brilliant that night.

The reason I no longer go in the legends before the game, cannot sit down, tables that would seat eight claimed by two or three who spread everything out, stand up in the melee and get your pint knocked out of your hand!!  I just have a quiet shandy in the County now!!!

Just seen the highlights

Williams is going to cause mayhem this season.

You may want to edit the last sentence.............. ;)

I'm sure the Brighton fans would have given him a hand

indeed, in the second half the brighton defence were shitting a brick every time he was anywhere near them, even when they were in posession

After checking out the Brighton forum some of them made a very astute observation - Chelsea Euro Champs beaten by Brighton, we beat Brighton therefore it obviously follows that STFC are now champions of Europe,

Simples

 :D

Highlights on ITV now

Either that or BBC ;)

Good to see the goals again. And plenty of STFC with the show being from the CG, and a bit of Glenn Hoddle in the opening titles!

Anyone able to do a dvd burn of this one?

Was the game really as one sided as the BBC showed?

Only after the first goal.

Possibly if I can get my arse into gear

Ok, on it now

Can you do another one, please Dave?

Yep, no worries Alex

You sir are an absolute hero, make yourself known I owe you a couple of pints!

He is. I owe him plenty of drinks too.

And I've very kindly removed all the ads

Just watched the highlights on STFCPlayer.

Is it me or is the quality of the video a lot better? Or was it just because it was from a Sky broadcast?

I think it's you. It still looks shit to me. You get better quality clips on Youtube.

Edit: Just clicked on 'High' and it actually made a difference! So yes, definitely better but room for improvement.

Sine when has anything other than low worked?!

Give it a go now Bazza - you will be pleasantly surprised :nod: