Thetownend.com

The opponent:  Shrewsbury Town

I thought I would see how the week panned out before I put the thread together this week, so this is almost like my very own Emmerdale Live (I could go on about Dingles and today’s opponents, but that would be petty). Earlier this week, a vast majority of the TEF gasped in horror as that familiar shudder down the spine feeling returned, as Crispy made his long awaited return after 45 days away, and just before that, the words ‘Swindon Town administration’ were being dragged around Twitter, Thisis, the Scummers Forum and on the Town End Forum itself, like a witch that had been found guilty of pickling babies eyeballs and was being sent to the ducking chair without a trial. However, once the panic button had its own thread the tide turned, and Nick Watkins put a slightly calmer spin on things across Sky, ITV, Points West and BBC Wiltshire. Personally, its times like that when I miss having Jeremy Wray as our chairman. The bloke was brilliant dealing with the media, reassuring, assertive with his argument, and a man of his word. I’m not sure what others who heard SWP’s out of breath interview thought? I don’t think its long before SWP and PdC collide in a big way, there seems to be a consistent difference in opinion between the 2 of them. I seem to have warmed to Paolo even more since yesterdays press conference, the positivity coming from him was not really something I expected, but to his credit, he has called on our fans to turn up in numbers today, to show what a great buy we would be for potential investors. My guess is these potential investors are likely to be in the director’s box, so if anyone is nearby, keep your eyes peeled for short arsed ex-jockeys. I really hope the efforts of all those (including Paolo) who turned up at The County Ground this evening to shovel the snow off are rewarded with a positive decision at 8am. Mr Cassidy and his team’s efforts throughout the year don’t get much of a mention, but at this time of year in particular, I tilt my hat off to you Sir. The only question I have unanswered from the week’s events? – Has Louis Cassius or whatever his name is came out yet? : ))))))))))))

Today, we welcome Graham Turner’s Shrewsbury Town to the County Ground, the team that finished a close second to us last season and most probably would have won the league had it not been for some poor refereeing back at the CG last season.  That aside, the 96’000 inhabitants of Shrewsbury are spoilt with some 660 historic listed buildings in the town, and it was once thought that ancient Shrewsbury was the capital of Powys, as modern day Shrewsbury is just 9 miles from the Welsh border, it even has its very own former Welsh name, Amwythig, which means fortified place. Interestingly, the town is also home to the Ditherington Flax Mill, the world's first iron-framed building, which is commonly regarded as "the grandfather of the skyscraper". Its importance was officially recognised in the 1950s, resulting in it becoming a Grade I listed building. As I am sure many green fingered Town Enders will know, Shrewsbury is home to one of the largest and oldest horticultural events in the UK, The Shrewsbury Flower Show.  A two day event, the Flower Show takes place in mid-August, and has been running for more than 125 years, and attracts around 100,000 visitors each year. I’m sure I remember getting held up in piles of traffic around the area en-route to Wrexham for the opening game of the season a fair few years back, and we lost.

Shrewsbury Town were formed back in 1886 and were elected to the football league back in 1950. They are proud winners of The Welsh Cup no less than 6 times and have had some decent talent go through their team at some point in their career down the years, such as Joe Hart, David Moyes, Neville Southall, David Pleat, Jimmy Quinn and Ian Woan.  One of the clubs highlights in recent times would have to had been the trip to Stoke’s Brittania Stadium, where 13’000 Salopians witnessed a   nail biting win after a penalty shoot out against Aldershot in the 2004 Conference Play Off Final. For many Shrewsbury supporters, the Conference season splits opinion.  Many remember it as somewhat of an exciting 'adventure', one of the few seasons in recent years where Shrewsbury have been one of the bigger teams in the league, plus a memorable final victory. Others however, whilst grateful of the success, see the Conference season as something of an embarrassment, feeling that the club should never have been relegated in the first place.

One of the most famous Salopian’s would have to be none other than Charles Darwin, although most locals under 18 would probably tell you it would be Manchester City and England goalkeeper, Joe Hart.  Shrewsbury School has educated a fine selection of folk down the years, including Michael Heseltine, war monger Tony Blair’s son Leo, Radio 1 DJ, John Peel, and Darwin himself.

What are they saying about us? –

“I've read some s**te in my time but Swinedons messageboard beats all .
Theyve got the perfect Manager , a mentally deranged Italian fascist . A perfect fit for their mentally deranged fans the majority of which still point at aeroplanes.
They remind me of a child caught with his hand in the sweet jar who decides to deny all accusations of helping himself and maintains that he wasnt stealing the sweets but putting them back .
In their twisted world their club hasnt done anything wrong and they arent going into
administration.
Usually I have some sympathy for clubs fans in such circumstances but not in Swinedons case .
Hope they crash and burn big style . Rest in Peace my arse - rest in the firery pit of hell , p**sed and s**t on by the Devil himself at regular intervals”.

http://blueandamber.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=82286&page=4

You have to love the way he stars out the swearing, the c**t. Is this your alter ego Dosser?

Shrewsbury Town Last 6 –  DDDWDD (Currently 18th on 30 points and having played 28 games)

The Threat – Striker Marvin Morgan leads the way with 6 goals so far this season. They also have a fantastically named player, Yado Mambo. I’ve no idea if he is any good, but what a name.

A Warm Welcome Too – The Shrewsbury Fans. If the game is given the go ahead in 8 hours time then fair play to the ones that do manage to make the journey. From what I understand most of Wales was badly hit yesterday, so a safe journey to those who make the effort.

The irrelevant stats – Shrewsbury’s unbeaten run stands at an impressive 8 games, although 6 of these have been drawn. They managed a surprise victory on New Year’s Day away to Coventry but have leaked 20 goals away from home so far this season.  In total they have drawn 12 of the 28 matches they have played.

Head to Head –  We have played Shrewsbury on 55 occasions, with 26 wins in our favour, 15 defeats and 14 draws.

The Odds – Of getting the game on? I have no idea, but my fingers remain crossed.   Swindon 4/9   Draw 100/30   Shrewsbury 6/1 (Skybet)  First goalscorer odds are as generous as ever, although 14 goals at home in the last 3 matches may give them reason for such behaviour.  Collins, Williams and Martin are all around 9/2 and Marvin Morgan is a best priced 12/1 at Bet 365.

The Son Says – He is off to Kidz About before the game for a birthday party so he will be full of enthusiasm,  I can’t stand the bloody place personally, snotty kids and overpriced tea. He has gone for a 3-0 home victory, assuming we have a game.

The Prediction – Another commanding home performance, possibly not the goal fests that we have become accustomed to, but a professional gritty performance no less. Should this game be called off then it will still be the same prediction too! 2-0, with goals from Ritchie and Williams, in front of 8’188 (256 away fans)

And Finally –   So do you say Shrewsbury or Shrowsbury? The answer is both. Apparently, the traditional pronunciation of the 'ew' in Shrewsbury only survives in the word 'sew', and in earlier days the town's name was spelled Shroesbury or Shrowesbury, with the 'ow' pronounced as it is in 'show'. But you'll even hear the locals pronouncing it both ways, so in a way, everyone's right.

COYR COYR COYR

Hope this game goes ahead and Was going for a 2-1 win but because of their bitterness towards anything Swindon I'll chuck another goal in for good measure so it's a 3-1 win for me. They'll have a penalty turned down  :smugfu: and we will get a dodgy one which Collins will score.
Rosso, that's a great write up.

Great write up as normal Shaw Rosso...after the week we've had off the pitch I really think Paolo will have things spot on tomorrow...what a top man in his interview and his efforts tonight-fantastic leader for us, really chuffed we have him! Anyway on to the game...I think 3-0 Swindon in front of 7839 (w/297 making the trip from Wales), I think Collins will score 2 and Martin will finally score! (This all presuming we have a game  ;))

I have a good feeling about this.  2-1 Swindon COYR

Let's beat these cunts and put this week behind us.  Onwards and upwards!

It'll be the same as the last few times they've asked fans to help out. The pitch and carpark will be ok, but they'll postpone so the away fans don't get stuck.

Rough night Ben?

4-0 to the real STFC scorers Martin, De Vita,Williams, Collins. Not a clue about attendance, depends on the weather

You put so much more effort into these than I ever did.

5-0 victory.

Game will be on and we'll decimate them.

YAYl.

Swindon P-P Shrewsbury

Was really looking forward to my first game in 10 years since moving back to UK and we get a fucking white out!

If we get the go-ahead it'll be another trouncing of the highest order.

Always extra spice when we play teams  from another country - stick that dragon up yer arse!

3-0 with williams collins and martin in front  of 7999

We will crush them, 2-1

You mention Ditherington in your (as ever excellent) intro, SR.  As a small child who lived just north of Shrewsbury for a few years, I remember my primary school teacher telling the class on one occasion that the suburb Ditherington - which was pretty much the first bit of Shrewsbury that you got to when you drove in from our village - used to be on the route to the town's gallows.  The area was so called, allegedly, because condemned prisoners could be seen 'dithering' as they passed through.  Scared the shit out of my class of 7 year olds, I can tell you.  (This was some time ago, so details may have become distorted with the passage of time.)

If it's on we'll win.

We'll be in admin Monday if it's not.

(I'm joking - I hope)

Pitch inspection -------PASSED!

Swindon Town FC ‏@Official_STFC

Today's game against @shrewsweb goes ahead after an 8am inspection at The CG #STFC

game on...

GAME ON

Nice one. I thought there was no chance of the game going ahead, just from what people had said about the conditions in the surrounding area and the fact that we are turning into a nation of 'namby pambies'. Fair play. Better win now.

2-0 Williams, Ritchie

Brilliant!  The crowd is probably going to be a little lower than normal.  Let's hope that those that do show are rewarded with another win.

Many thanks to Paolo and to all of the volunteers last night who got this game on.

If the Leicester crowd last night is anything to go by it will be a LOT lower. Great effort though and I'm delighted it's on. I detest Saturday afternoons with no game to listen to/stress over :clap:

A little tweet from DRS yesterday.

' If our game is on tomorow i will stand in the centre circle at half time and show my shrivelled frozen nuts #nochance '

Unlucky Dean!

HAHAHAHAH! :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Hope we smash Poxford Lite today after all the efforts clearing the snow.

So proud of fans and manager, what a great club we are!

COYR

Old bill would have liked this one off. They only want overtime when it's cushy or they can hit someone with their sticks "legitimately"

I know it's on now, but they wouldn't give a shit about the fans. Carlisle away a case in point.

Fooking hell, had a lie in as I expected this to be off. Massive respect for everyone who helped out. Those of us going will definitely try and create some atmosphere, even if it is a reduced crowd!

To Paddington and then Swindon!  :pint:

On a side note, my mate who was going to come today is still snowed in- is there any form of ticket refund he can get? Not sure on the club's policy RE refunds...

Edit: forgot my prediction- I honestly have no fucking clue, but I expect/want the players to buy into the hard graft that the manager and fans have put in, and for us to smash the Shrews 5-0. YOU REDS.

Surprised this is on, but tip my hat to all that have helped.  Unfortunately still shit up here so wont be risking it, 2-0 town.

Terrific post again Shaw Rosso,fantastic effort by the volunteers,groundstaff and PDC and his coaching staff to get the game on when so many league 1 and 2 games are off.Potential buyers have got to be impressed at what this club can do. Those welsh wannabes are going to get humped 3-0 and go into meltdown on blue and amber tonight on how we cheated them out of  the title last season and our imminent demise

We need a big crowd and to put on a show for potential buyers today. Here's hoping for both.

Its going to be a reduced gate surely. Already had a few friends threatening to cry off due to roads. Actually cry off is a bit strong, its not unreasonable! But I can't imagine they are the only ones.

If your not there today in the clubs hour of need then you are not a real fan.

So proud to be a Swindon fan, awesome effort by everyone last night. Let's hope we can do the job on the pitch now. I'm going for a 3-1 win with an attendance of 7142 - 134 from Shrewsbury.

 COYR

Oh, I feel really bad now

The last 30+ years have been nothing but a charade :no:

Fucking part timer. i'll be there so that makes me a better fan than you.

Great intro Shaw Rosso, always enjoy reading them :)

Fair play to all involved in getting the game on, a great effort.

Yesterday I was kind of hoping it would be called off, but now i'm really looking forward to it.

Gluepot for a few beers followed by a 2-0 home win.

Although i'm annoyed it is on, great effort by the club and fans to get it on.

Hope we are rewarded with 3 points before our really tricky run.

1-3

and Shrewsbury fans are mental

It better be worth the effort.

COYR

Great effort from the snow ploughers, well done. This means I can listen online to the game in the warm.

Anyone know what road conditions are like around birldlip and towards Cirencester?

Snow and ice warnings on that stretch and M5. Not sure how bad it is though.

If Paolo really loved us he'd come and collect those people snowed in ... or overseas!

Think I am going to let my head rule my heart today and give it a miss  :no: well done to those that bust their arse last night clearing the pitch and safe travels to those that decide to make the journey

The roads in and around Swindon are fine.

I've been out to Bassett this morning, M4 is totally clear.

Residential side roads are still a bit of a hazard but I've waited 10 years for this so on with the thermals, deck a few jars, attach the catheter and off I go

First game in 10 years...seriously?!

KeR, follow signs to the Magic Roundabout and you can't miss it :)

Yep.

Hardly missed a game home or away for donkey's years before moving to Ireland.

Came back to Swindon couple of weeks ago.

And before you say it is hardly difficult to get back for the odd game, circumstances dictated I stayed where I was!!

[url width=285 height=285]http://i.imgur.com/alyQL.gif[/url]

This reminded me of a bloke I saw on telly a while back.

Lives in Macedonia or somewhere like that, lifelong Arsenal fan for some reason. Saved his pennies for 10 years to afford the trip to England and the Emirates, to see his beloved team.  :eek:

I was goung into town anyway, so I'm glad it's on (to get me out of shopping). Not looking a great attendance on the online ticket thingy. 7000 at best I reckon.

i'm playing football at half 2 then plan on going to the library.

I've listened to two games in the library before, Oxford & Preston. Maybe i'll wait until 4:45 before going there today...

 are you going with the bloke from macedonia?

9 of those are just for the ticket.

Right, a good old ding dong game with Collins scoring 2 in a 3-0 win with a crowd of 7,043 of which 88 are from Shrewsbury.

 :D

Last minute decision to go to this. Have to go in the town end for the first time in 2 and a half years. Not used to associating with the riff-raff

Town: Foderingham; Thompson N, Flint, Ward, McCormack(capt); Ritchie, Ferry, Hollands, Roberts; Martin, Williams

Substitutes: Bedwell(GK), McEveley, Navarro, Collins, Miller, De Vita, Rooney A

Presumably Joe is injured, otherwise that's an odd decision
Good to see Jay back on the bench.

I can see Collins coming on after an hour, he will be chomping at the bit by then :)

Yes Devera is injured.

The administrators have sold him.

or the Shrews fans are right and we can't afford him!

Shrews fans are always right. They talk a lot of sense :nod:

They are massively sensible and always correct, only matched on that front by Crawley fans it would appear.

Collins will be chomping at the bit when the inevitable 55min sub happens....

I think a 1-0 victory with Ritchie ending his goal drought!

Alan Mac is being is usual uplifting self ::)

My thoughts too. Yours I mean not his :)

Loved him as a player - as a pundit, not so much.

hmm, less than inclined to tune in having read that

Spot on.

Sheff Utd have taken the lead at Notts County. Could do with Notts getting something out of that one.

I do love your Gif's Sonic!  Brilliant

Martin is getting closer and closer...

Martin shoots into the side netting from close in. Come on Town!

I thought that was in by Wise's shout, fucking over excited bastard.

Donny winning...

Williams with a good chance, shoots out for a throw. We're creating the chances, but need to take one.

I actually hate him. Adding a negative cunt to the already crap commentary is great way to make fans more positive. ::)

what have we got to be positive about anyway?

Our recent results? :)

Bournemouth losing...

won't mean anything once we've been kicked out of the league.

Sounds like so far everything's been built up well, then gone to Roberts and nothing.

We need to score soon....

oh dear another one goes begging

hollands will be in burgers soon

When did David Villa sign for Man City?

today's half-time entertainment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrxePKps87k

I think it's fair to say that our misplaced passing around the back four has caused us more problems than Shrewsbury.

Someone needs to remind our strikers that the first point is getting a shot ON target.

Soon to be Collins time :)

One little quote from the Screwsbury forum.


That has to be one of the most pathetic childish things I have ever read, their parents must be so proud of them.

How can he hear that over the radio? I can't. Have the Shrews radio team put a mic in the corner of the Arkells??

PENALTY to us!

penalty to us, that'll piss the Welsh off

Martin to take it

ooooh pen

Boom! Martin scores

and scores!

[url width=356 height=202]http://i.imgur.com/8mzCW.gif[/url]

Lets hope he goes all Fjortofty now...

come on

get in

yay

It'll probably be for someone else sadly....

equaliser for Brentford.

they will be banging on about that penalty from now until Kingdom come I expect

Sounds no more than we deserved.

 :beers:

.....and Brentford equalise

GOAL! Williams!

wahey!

[url width=400 height=212]http://i.imgur.com/lpwnq.gif[/url]

Get in!

[url width=432 height=288]http://21.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwczs7mfLH1qaro0lo1_500.gif[/url]

It gets better :)

We want 5  :beers:

Williams is my player of the year so far, he has been awesome.

Turner > Di Canio

10th goal of the season for Williams.

Afternoon chaps! Just watched Saffers lose to NZ. Wamdered to computer and we've scored 2 !!!

Will someone gis a summary of what I've missed pretty please?

[url width=312 height=176]http://i.imgur.com/Cqv60.gif[/url]

Williams was brought down in the box. Shrews not happy with the decision. Martin scored, and dived into the snow. Then we piled on the pressure, got another when Ritchie crossed to the back post, the ball was nodded back across to Williams who headed home. We kept the pressure on then it died down a bit.

[url width=140 height=101]http://gifs.gifbin.com/1232031322_fbf0ih_th.gif[/url]

Any news on the attendance? Hopefully it's not down too much as a result of weather. Sounds like its been worth it so far!

Course they weren't - Still, it gives them yet another reason to hate us, which I'm sure will be some consolatation to them.

Cheers Reeves

I was going to fold at 0-0.  I was wanting a beer.  Two goals later I realise that our run of form would be put in serious jeopardy if I broke my No Beer January commitment.  You can all thank me later.   :)

[url width=270 height=203]http://i1.wp.com/awesomegifs.com/wp-content/uploads/carl-sagan-youre-awesome.gif?resize=270%2C203[/url]

Just turned over to the Shrewsbury commentary.  Their commentator keeps calling them 'Shoozbee', which is a little annoying.  I'm turning back.

Wow...found this on their forum. What's the world coming to??

Well they are a good side with a great home defensive record and we rarely score. Not a disgrace to lose to them is it?

 :jawdrop:

Yeah they weren't that complimentary when they still had a chance of beating us.

We are currently in 4th as it stands.

Nice. do you know where we were after 27 games last season?

How can Alan Mac think that Williams had 2 goals? top class commentary :/

Collins on.  Martin off.

With a +30 GD

because he's a fucking ding

6 points ahead of Coventry (7th) who have played two extra games. And tantalisingly close to the top two when games in hand are considered. A win at Tranmere would be huge.

https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6955632640/h9AD303EC/

notts county 1-1 sheff u

shrews pen

As a matter of fact, thanks to http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk yes I do


We were 2nd..
2   Swindon Town   27   16   4   7   45   21   24   52

PEN SAVED!!

[url width=288 height=290]http://i.imgur.com/flRWu.gif[/url]

FFS macca

Blatant apparently.

Some captain.

Edit: Phew!

Come on Wes

Woohoo!

7,754 (250)

YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

McCormack only gave away that penalty because Wes was bored. FACT!

3rd as it stands

Cheers Shaun

Up to 3rd.

3-1 walsall v bournemouth

[url width=235 height=240]http://www.datgif.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/beard-man-approves.gif[/url]

Almost jumped up in the library when Wes saved that.

I sense if we score I could get shouted at.

Hopefully the fact my commentary is so far behind twitter it'l save me.

3 mins of the first half left apparently ???

they can't even score when they get a penalty,wannabe welsh wankers

That's pretty good tbf :nod:

Sounds like McCormack will get the comedy kick up the jacksy from PDC at the end of the game 8)

I think thats excellent under the circumstances.

Already subbed OST, according to Facebook.

Subbed off after the pen. Got a pat on the back apparently. No kicking.

I wonder if that includes ST holders who couldn't make it (i.e me, and 3 others I usually go with).

Fair enough. Maybe he got it when he went off - sounds like Wes got him out of jail.

2-0 ft

I think it does. So maybe knock a few hundred off. Anything over 7000 on a day like today is decent though.

Good solid result.

More than the Doncaster game, and that was in the brilliant sunshine  :)

Fair play to all who made the effort today

EASY! EASY! EASY!

Up to third I believe :clap:

Up to 3rd place barring late drama elsewhere. Some tough games ahead so good to have some points in the bag. As I said earlier, Tranmere is a big game. Win that one and we're flying.

Good solid win. Wonder if a firestorm of slightly bemusing hatred is coming...it's worth remembering we're dirty cheating tossers and that penalty has derailed their entire season.  :girlgiggle:

6 points clear of Boremuff in 7th on the same number of games, excellent.

Massive game at Trannies next week - I'm nervous already.

2 Games in hand on top and a game in hand on second too.

Superior goal different to everyone else in the league too.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Now the shrews fans will have to avoid their arch enemy,mad dossy,after getting beaten.

Great result town!

Fuck off Shrewsbury  :)

Tranmere and Sheff U have finished. 3rd place it is.

Did I just hear Jerel Ifil's name mentioned in the Conference South?!!

Next weeks game doesn't get much bigger!

Be great if we could smash 'em again.

[url width=400 height=400]http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/tanswell2010/243383292406846_295241683887673.jpg[/url]

He plays for staines

Tries very hard not to make a bad pun about shit and Staines.

Has PDC been interviewed yet

He's in full flow right now.

Loving Paolo's comments on Tranmere. Along the lines of "We beat them 5-0 but they haven't seen anything yet. It was too easy. I want to win on their ground, like the Romans"

Sounds very bullish

PDC comments:
- Strange week in general
- Pleased players gave their best
- Very good professionals trained hard all week
- Crucial to focus attention day before game. Hampered by bad weather.
- First half was very bad. We were better but weren't properly focussed
- Thanked all volunteers for helping get game on. Named some personally.
- Ordered pizza for 60 people but then the population went up to the size of a small village
- Win is a nice thank you message for the fans
- The turning point was that at half time PDC threatened them with a 5am start running tomorrow morning.  
- Sounded as if PDC wasn't happy that nothing was done at the ground until 4.15 yesterday but then there was a big effort afterwards that pleased him and made the ground a very good surface to play on today
- The penalty was  far away from him, but PDC thought it was a fair call.
- Its difficult to react when 6-7 players aren't focussed at the beginning of the game. However, he was pleased that we capitalised on the penalty and scored again afterwards
- Fodderingham penalty save: Credit to Wes for a fantastic save. Crucial as with 7 mins to go we could have been under great pressure if we had conceded from a silly penalty.
- Hollands: Didn't want to detract from positive energy. He will have an xray as it could be a fracture.
- Devera had a hamstring problem? PDC was hesitant and talked about Flint training harder this week. Wanted to make sure that players have fresh legs. PDC talked about technicalities of training regime and said that Devera (and a couple of others) didnt have injury but didn't perform to optimum levels suggesting that they were close to causing damage so needed rest
- Its not like last season. We have quality. We work well together. But the closer you get to Championship or Premiership the higher the level of sustained performance you have to put in. We are going to try.
- Looking forward to next week. Has already hear comments from the manager. Cant wait for the game and for the players to perform.
- PDC positive about off field. Is even more positive than he was on Thursday afternoon.

He was positive on Thursday, but is even more positive now and there is lots of positive energy around...apparently.

Many many thanks for that summary !

Wish someone would film them so we could have an end of season compendium !

Flint:
- Nice to be back on the pitch
- The back 4 had been doing well and keeping clean sheets without him
- Concentrated on working hard
- Had players round him that had been playing well together so easy to slot back in
- Always confident of winning, just a matter of when the first goal would go in
- Second goal killed the game. Thought we would score a 3rd
- Good save from Wes.
- Good to keep a clean sheet but defending starts from the front
- Bid for Flint to leave. Wants to stay. He's a Swindon player and loves it here.
- Massive game vs Tranmere next week

(Flint must have been practicing his interview skills!)

Sticking #salop into the search bar on Twitter has proven quite amusing. They're a lot less happy with Turner than they were 24 hours ago!

Seconded, ran from the car into the house and the batteries died on my portable radio!


The length of his interviews,  it would be one hell of an expensive boxset

Chris Martin:
- First goal
- Nice to get off mark
- Poor first half. Came out of the traps quickly in 2nd
- Settled nerves with penalty and we kicked on
- Great save meant there wasnt a nervous last 5 mins
- Wanted to take penalty. Totally calm. Was initially going to go the way the keeper dived, but he went early, so Martin adjusted
- Regretted jumping into the snow afterwards!
- Paid tribute to the other strikers who are on form.
- So many chances being created that we should be scoring
- Tranmere next week starting difficult 4 games away. Tranmere massive for both teams. Look to enjoy the game.
- We are a very good outfit and set up well away from home
- Confirmed that PDC did threaten them with a 5am training session in the snow tomorrow. Martin said we showed him what we thought of that!

Slightly better second half than first. Key was them taking grandison off, his replacement couldn't cope with out attacking movement.

Not a vintage win, but a comfrotable one. Roberts had a decent game too.

McEveley sounds like a Scouse Larry The Lamb ???

McEverley:
- Didn't expect to play this week
- Knee feels good. Needs match sharpness
- Need to get back to pre injury levels through hard work in training
- Frustrating to recuperate. Has been able to do lots of running but it takes time to get back to the required levels
- Tough competition for places. We have strength in depth. Who knows what will happen.
- Alot of games coming up. The way we play is very demanding. Manager will have to make sure we have fresh legs.

Second half maybe, he was shocking first half

PDC sounded quite positive about the 'off field' shenanigans....... I wonder what's going on?
It can be traumatic but it's never boring following Swindon!

Interesting. They were very positive about him throughout on the commentary.

He's up to something.  I'm sure of it.   ;)

I expect Paolo knows a few filthy rich people that might consider buying a football club.

Any news on new investors today i thought there was aboard meeting scheduled.? :)

I thought he and Ritchie were poor 1st half. Ritchie had another pop at someone in the crowd following a shit throw in too. Not sure if it was justified, but I wish he'd concentrate on the game.

Both much much better in the second half. The whole team was. Don't think McCormack was over chuffed about being taken off mind.


Only that post in the other thread that Morsehead understood one of the potential buyers has withdrawn.

Oh and PDC is more positive than on Thursday.
-------
 Sam Morshead ‏@SamMorshead_SA
Bumped into Nick Watkins in the corridor, the chief exec had nothing official to mention.

Later  he mentioned nothing unofficial either...

Can I put forward NMH for TEF POTS? He's been producing excellent summaries of all interviews for ages, the consistency is astounding.

Certainly makes for a good read for those who missed it.

Keep it up.

Pretty solid win in the end. We woke up 2nd half and created a lot more than we did in the first half. For a few minutes after the 2nd I thought we were in for another big home win.

And those that did hear but didn't understand a word!

Not for the first time this season.  Fitness regime does have its benefits.

Good solid win, and three well-earned points. Could have won that 3 or 4 really, they were very poor, but I'll take the points, well worth all the efforts everyone made to get the game on.

I second that, I do wonder if NMH has access to a babel fish

First half was crap.

Half time was eventful due to a jabba the hut lookalike kicking off at someone in the DRS.

Second half was quality.

Roberts had a good game i thought.

Don't think it was fitness so much as some judicious tea-cup hurling at half-time. In all honesty though we were by far the better side in the first half too, just weren't converting dominance into shots

Quality player that lad, should playing at a higher level than this

Both our commentators and Salop's would both agree with that too.

comfortable win today, well done rosso on getting correct score . Massive game next week , cant wait .
Keep up the good work everyone

Oh, what over?

Easy win against a poor L2 side [hello blue and amber]. We should have scored a few in the first half, but for some terrible finishing from Williams and Martin. A better second half and never troubled until the penalty. God knows what Macca was doing as he had plenty of time to clear it the first time. Ferry was class and Roberts played well I thought. Needs to learn to shoot straight though.

Good attendance (if true). Poor support again though, especially after the second goal.

The bloke dumped an illegal cargo so Jabba sent bounty hunters after him and had him frozen in carbon. Nasty business.

Feeding him to the Sarlacc is too good for him.

Comfortable win - fucking cold, particularly in the 2nd half. The Shrews were shit - their no 8 was giving the full back a lot of support in the 1st half to block Ritchie. Don't agree with Roberts having a good game - he was less shit than usual but not good. He wasted the ball too many times. Flint looked very rusty to start with but not at the end. Stupid penatly conceded by Macca but a good save from Wes. Every ball that broke in the area seemed to go their way.
It was good to get this game out of the way and 3rd is not a bad place to be with 4 away games coming up. 

A fluke I can assure you, my score predictions are dreadful, in general  :)

[/b][/i]
agree, am i the only one getting pissed off with every song having to be sung to the tune of i wanna go home(i think thats the song) its fucking boring and there is no atmos with it, anyway great result and thank you to those who cleared the pitch

Very happy with that after the week we've had, could have been dangerous players minds elsewhere and Shrews doing a number on us...however full confidence in PdC and the rest of the coaching staff to keep the players minds on the pitch rather than off it. Pleased for Martin to get his goal and Williams banging them it...2nd half it could have been 5 again with some missed chances/opportunities to score but comfortable win!

Up to 3rd in the league, BIG game next week and hopefully some investors had a small glipse at what they could buy into! Here's hoping for a more stable week  :D

You aren't the only one, its pretty shit that half our songs these days have the same unoriginal tune

It's shit, but at least the DRS can understand it (well they could last season). I'm fed up with every away support singing your support is fucking shit, which it is. You'd think we were 5-0 down in the last 20 minutes of several recent games.

We'll sing what we want
We'll sing what we want
Fuck off Woolster
We'll sing what we want

Routine win really, dominated throughout, just poor finishing denying is a 4 or 5 goal win.  Don't get the Roberts hate, thought he was a good outlet for us today.  Not sure about Ferry for mom, thought Thompson had another really strong game,  If that's a serious Hollands injury could have been the last we'll see of him with Patey saying its unlikely there will be the money for another loan extention.  Andy Williams is really developing into a class player,  We've witnessed some really poor sides recently but Shrewsbury must rank as relegation certainties on that showing.  One or two decent players but definitely not doing it as a team.

To the tune of Go West by the pet shop boys

Watching 'an idiot abroad 2'

I crack up every time he says: "I'm not doing it"

was expecting alot better aswell ,especially after the last game  with the singing between stands . I think it was tried again but no-one really bothered , saying that i wasnt particularly impressed with shrews either , the only audible chant i heard was you're gonna go bust ( wankers )

He was good (which I mentioned), but he's not as good as De Vita.

Enjoyed that.  Went back to the town end as I was sans sprogs and its cheaper.  I know its only Shrewsbury and Carlisle in recent weeks at home, but Im enjoying the way that we are pretty much in complete control of the games.  The beeb stats have us at 60% possession again and 3 shots against (though I cant recall any shots except the penalty) that's utter dominance in my book.  

i thought roberts did ok but for some woeful shooting , tracked back better than usual. But id rather have de vita aswell . Williams motm for me with thompson a close second .
What has happened to macca tho , my player of the season by a mile last year  but been really poor lately

Graham Turner -) Paolo didn't you know? Would love Turner here. The eleven men behind the ball, the time-wasting, the relegation battles. It would be ace.

Just in case there was any question, it was a definite penalty.  Just in front of me, the defender had his arm wrapped around Williams body.  Im sure Shrews will be claiming it was soft, but I felt it was stonewall.

It was a foul about ten yards outside the area. Williams was clever and waited until he was in the area before going down though.

One of those things we'd be screaming blue murder about if it had gone the other way

:clap:

I think 10 yards may be a slight exaggeration, but yes it did start outside the box.  Still a pen.

After 10 years away, I see the habit of some individuals shouting out inane pearls of wisdom still exists.

Some old bumpkin behind me was very free with

'That's how Liverpool would do it'

ad nauseum

I really am becoming a grumpy old bastard

Impressed with the 2nd half performance - thought Flint played well (and well done to the brave fella who supposedly decked him a while ago - big fecker that Flint)

After convincing Mrs KR that now we're back I wouldn't start going to away games like last time - I may well get meself off to Tranmere!!

Everyone clapping with gloves on amused me. Everyone might as well of had a ball in their mouths whilst chanting too.

Williams was quality and he will be a player that we will struggle to hold on to if this club does not match his ambition. He does miss a great deal of chances but at the same time he is amongst most of the chances we get and is starting to pop them in on a regular basis.

Martyn's had a decent game but I won't be overly disappointed if we loose him. Also did not think we missed Hollands too much when he went off. Miller done equally well and when navarrow comes back the cover is there too. If given the choice though I still rate Hollands and would prefer him to be here permenantly.

Roberts had a reasonable game although I do find him very flicky with his feet if that makes sense, just trying to flick it here and there rather than doing just the simple thing. I much prefer devita and I think he can feel disappointed with not having a more decent run in squad.

Ritchie had a quiet game but I think that was down to Shrewsbury doubling up on him but that just left room for others to exploit.

Overall the atmosphere was a bit down as it was obvious from kick off that we were in total control and therefore when we scored it was more than expected and more so with the second. It was like two boxers, one wanting to throw punches and the other just wanting to hold on all time not wanting or unable to make a good fight of it but that's to our credit and how well we are playing at the moment.

This squad is really starting to peak and at the right time and provide the board get behind the scenes sorted out we have a great chance to making a good future in Championship.

I might go to birkenhead 6 pointer  does any body know how many tickets have been sold?

Though I wouldn't go that far, I do think that Williams is our most important attacking player. He stretches defences and runs at players in ways no-one else in our side does, which gives Richie and Ferry more room to maneuver. After a barren start, he's also got 6 goals in the last 5.

We've won 16 out of the 25 games he's started (64%), yet only 2 of the 7 he hasn't (28%). For us to push the top two we need him to steer clear of injury.

For the first time in 39 years going from Witney, made it on the train, although that wasn't the intention.  I'll save the getting there adventure of four hours, three buses and two trains for the grandchildren sometime.

Humble and sincere thanks to everyone who made the game happen: hopefully our club is a stronger, more unified one than it was 72 hours ago.  Be proud of it.

Oh and Banbers, pleased to meet you - your efforts deserved that chicken jalfreezi too.

Another excellent win and for the first time this season odds checker has put us top of the pile.
http://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/league-1/league-1/winner

Went down a treat Mate......The Witney Massive :)

Great putting a name to the face.
A long day but a memorable one. For now all calm but lets hope some positive news unfolds very soon on the future.

Can't believe that was your first visit to Swindon by train........but you and your lad made it. More than some who didn't even make the effort.

PDC - Legend.

"We want Dossy, we want Dossy, we want Dossy"

 :nod:

Haven't read anything yet.

Our penalty? When you consider why that lot are so bitter. FUCKING HILARIOUS.

I have been reliably informed by my "know it all son" that after today's result  we are mathematically safe from relegation !!!
 :toocool:  

Your son needs to get better at maths I think.

 A simple game which only one team was going to win. After the penalty we could have easily made it another 4 or 5-0 win, but we seemed to let off the gas after the second and just cruised to victory, apart from Macca giving Foderingham something to do.

If the attendance figure is correct then that's a very decent number, and thanks for the volunteers last night and this morning.

Our penalty was a foul by the end. The only contention was whether the foul started outside the box or inside. The contact was made outside 100% for sure, but it wasn't clear if that was a foul or not - or whether it became a foul inside.

Most refs would give a free kick on the edge, plus Williams made sure he fell over inside. So either way it was as Benzel says, funny!

On the game, piece of piss from start to finish. We should have had a half time lead. Williams is great but he should have hit it with his left when he cut back outside his man. Second half we started on fire, got two quick goals and that was that until Alan Mac decided to give Wes something to warm him up.

The ref was somewhat lenient today, let lots of fouls go for both Swindon and Shrewsbury. My favourite was when Thompson pushed (I think) the great big lump Morgan right under his nose.

edit: I stood in the concourse at half time, didn't want my son to see the aftermath of a man bearing his balls in the centre circle while the U12 Centre of Excellence girls were trying to play a match.

Better side first half, much the better side second half.

Thought Roberts was the one most likely to create chances in the first half. Not always effective but kept up the mazy runs and getting crosses in. Some poor execution and some poor decisions, but not a poor performance.

Both pens were correct decisions. Williams did well to get as far as he did before he was finally hauled down.

Just love the way we keep trying to score goals right up until the final whistle.

As others have written, thanks to all who made the effort to get the game on.

Thought we controlled the game from beginning to end and 2-0 flattered them. Maccas passing has been wayward in the last few games but he's still making dangerous runs and think we would miss him if he wasn't playing. Roberts looks like his confidence is on the rise and can see him playing an important role in the run in. Thought ferry had a good game and worked his socks off as usual and like the way Williams gambles like all good strikers should on any flick ons and picking up scraps. I wrapped up but was still freezing the whole game which was a small price to pay Concidering the graft that was put in to get the game on.

Can any TEFers be seen on this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEI8NAiRO0c

I know the bloke above is from Melksham and a life long fan and I get my bit of fame walking behind the bloke with the red hat being interviewed on 28 seconds. Nice to see we're pulling them in from as far away as Geordie land too  :) I've been stopped twice before in the past, both after losses and shit proformances so must of come across as a right moaner  >:(

Donny fantastic price

I can't believe that Swindon Web TV is actually real..

 Really? was not impressed with them out here . Would go for us over them everytime

You can't exactly judge a team on one performance, Preston fans must wonder why we aren't bottom based on that game

Cracking attendance, but yes, the support was pretty dire. I myself was nursing a sore throat, so couldn't join in as much as I wanted to. I think it was a fact of it being so fucking cold (second half was terrible), and there also being so many chances that any chanting soon got replaced with the usual 'come on, oooh, errrr' noises everyone makes when we're in the right place for a shot on target.

Roberts- He seems to always make the wrong decisions. Passes when he should shoot, shoots when he should pass, holds up the ball when what he needs is to nip to the byline or whip a cross in. He is on his way though, can see him being vital if we end up in the playoffs (much as I really love De Vita)

Flint- had an iffy first 15, but settled in nicely. Seemed less willing to go flying into tackles like he did last season, but that is probably because he doesn't want to get sent off again

Ward- Captain caveman solid as ever.

Fods- had little to do but saved two or three shots, including the penalty, when called upon. Felt bloody sorry for him as I was freezing my nads off and I had 6 layers on!

McCormack- was a little off the pace yesterday. Not sure why.

Hollands- doing his 'hanging around the edge of the box and making a run in' thing whenever we got forward, will be a shame if his injury is serious. Whoever's partnering Ferry in the middle seems to always go missing from games...

Martin- good to get first goal, could see a little more confidence after that, but don't think he'll really be happy till he gets one from open play.

Williams- penalty foul started OUTSIDE the box, but the ref was a bit gormless, so gave it. I have never seen a ref with such poor positioning.

Thompson- had another cracker of a game, epitomised by his tackling and the fact the Shrews players just bounced off him every time they tried to get the ball. Did his best to help out Ritchie, but with Ritchie ending up in cul-de-sacs all the time due to the Shrewsbury defender's attentions, couldn't do much.

Performance was dominant again, but I wouldn't call it good. Shrews were awful.

All the teams at the bottom can get at least 70 points minimum so thats actually wrong, and if we went into administration then take off another 10 points or possibly more.....we are far from safe from relegation.

Does that take into account the fact that they have to play other.  In other words that they can't all win all their matches?

Where's that Shrewsbury fan at?

[url width=347 height=346]http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/panic.jpg[/url]

Ha ha ha, if that post is serious, it's one of the worst comments ever written on here. And that's saying something. 70 pts ha ha.

He has a point in fairness JJ :hmmm:

52 is normally safe at this level and we're 3 points off that. Even with a 10 point deduction we'd still only be 4 points off the play-offs.

hartlepool have 13 points with 20 to play.  if they win all their games they will have another 60 which would be more than 70.  if were talking purely on a mathematically basis then he's right.

The point re: points deduction is fair enough. The point re:70pts is so wrong, in terms of probability.

A team will never get relegated on 69 points (using current points structure).

No no, my point was addressed to Pete Venkemen, the poster formerly known as JJ Edmunds. I was basically agreeing with you jan.

So Hartlepool are a. going to win all their matches. And B will not play any of their relegation rivals, meaning 4 relegated teams can (or will) get into the 60's points region?

Ok.

I appreciate anything is possible, but there's no point in planning for something that will never happen.

Sorry OST, misunderstood your post.

I think it's fair to say that there is very good chance that we're not going to get relegated.

Some people could argue in an empty room, Janaage? ;)

I suspect JJ's post wasn't worded as he intended it to be.

Ha ha. True.

no, we're most certainly not going to get relegated (barring a points deduction) but technically we still could.

i'm still fully of the belief we'll win the bloody thing, especially if we come out the end of this run of away games unbeaten

I'd like to point out that PDC has done a decent job with Roberts. Lots doubted he would play for us again after PDC laid into him back in November. Many just assumed he'd be shown the door this month and a replacement would be bought in. After all that's PDC's way right? Well in fairness to him he's actually done the opposite and had a few chats with Roberts and put a bit of faith in him and now he's beginning to improve every week. Does this start to show that Di Canio isn't just about high player turnover but that he can also be a motivator and work with the current squad he has to make them better? Maybe the financial side of things and a lack of budget this month will help him develop that side of his management.

Good point. This acceptance to work with what he's got and willingness to try and actually make players better rather than discard them is one of several things that have happened in the last few months which have changed my perception of Di Canio somewhat. I've said before that I think he's constantly evolving as a manager and the Di Canio we're seeing now is quite different to what we were seeing a couple of months back.

Shrewsbury were rotten. Their big black centre back with the yellow boots was a disaster waiting to happen. He got replaced by an equally inept centre back with red boots.

Shit footballers stop wearing bright boots, it highlights your ineptitude even more!

I got slated by Shrews fans for questioning their defence after the game at their place.

It seems to have gotten even worse.

Really? I thought Grandison (the defender in the first half) was their best player up until he went off.

He was fine when he wasn't being asked to control a football.

Should also be pointed out that Marvin Morgan - one of those players you would usually expect to score against Town, having previously been linked with us and being a bit of a carthorse - was dreadful yesterday.

That was my observation. With the ball to feet he was hopeless. Shanking the ball out of play, almost underhitting backpasses etc.

It's funny how differently people see things at football Dave.

Williams had him all over the place as well.

Absolutely right.  Whatever happens over the next few weeks, I really hope we can keep hold of him.

Eat shit n'diey!?

On Grandison - I thought he was one of the best opposing players we came across in league 2 but he didn't impress me yesterday - I was surprised when I saw on the Shrews forum that they thought he was their best player in the first half and that their defence fell apart without him.

On di Canio - it certainly appears that he's accepted that he has a good enough squad and all the talk is about making them better rather than finding new blood to improve the team.  He's never been short on self-belief but from his interviews it seems that he is getting a buzz by doing it this way.

Grandison was level with us in the first half and was clearly suffering with a hip injury - the reason he went off.

Good to see a 6 point cushion from 7th place in the play offs...would love to see us have a real go and cut the gap on the top 2 over the next few weeks.

That can start with a real 6 pointer next weekend.

That was always going to be the case with a rookie manager learning his trade though. But one of the things that has impressed me about Di Canio is that while he's rarely likely to admit he's wrong in the actual moment (and very few of us are, so not having a pop), he's demonstrated both this season and last he's not afraid to admit at least to himself that he's made a mistake and more importantly change it. That's been expensive in terms of players but that was always going to be the case. If he's now adding another string to his bow, in terms of actual man management, even better. He'll certainly need that if he wants to make the next step up.

Just read through most of this, find it interesting the different opinions on Roberts yesterday. I thought it was his best performance for us, particularly the first half, but I seen someone else think he was better in the second.

Overall we done what we had to do yesterday, not one that will stick in our memories, but a game you need to win if your going to be up their at the end of the season.

That was probably me. I just remember his passing was off (particularly the hospital ball to Macca) and his crossing wasn't good.

Second half I thought he tried to get past his man, got some crossed in and made some good runs (even if he perhaps should have passed sometimes).

Everyone else seems to think he played well throughout, so maybe its me!

I can just remember him getting a few balls into the box in the first half, particularly one when he megged his man before putting it in.
It's good to see him getting games again and working hard, I had a chat with him at the beginning of December and he was adamant he would be gone this month, he knew he had been bad and said he could understand the fans getting on his back.

Are you a former TEFer with a new account?

I am BR, yes.

And he put the ball back in for Williams to score.

I thought he had a good game and has done much better generally in the last few games.  Somebody else mentioned his decision making and that's what let him down a bit yesterday.  There were a few occasions when he took a shot when he should have laid it off and vice versa.

The knock-back for Williams was good, and his effort levels are still improving, but his final ball and decision-making are still pretty woeful.

He (Roberts) is ever improving this season...maybe something to do with that injury he had start of season hampering him or just down to poor form. He should have opened his account for us by now though, some of the chances at home to Carlisle as one example. I do like the fact we have De Vita as well who can play there, who looks dangerous whenever he gets a chance to.

He scored against Coventry

The good thing is he is now taking the shots,a sign his cofidence is coming back

Just back.

I thought we played some lovely stuff on Saturday. In fact a lot of it in the first half was coming down the left hand side, with some neat triangles in and around the box which at times had STFC chasing STFC shadows.

Second half we got an early pen and from then on it was a case of how many. To their credit the Shrews tried to play neat football, even inside their box which we should have capitalised on more than once. That said, they weren't much cop and we probably could have had another 5-0, Ward hit the post in a scramble and their keeper made a smart stop from a Ritchie shot on the turn.

I personally thought Roberts wasn't too bad, but had a lot of blocked crosses and does the simple thing of passing it back to the left back instead of trying to beat the man and get a cross in (because he has no pace I suppose). I heard that Ferry was being sick on the pitch on Saturday (apologies if this has already been posted) but I thought he was immense on Saturday, never wasted a pass and was unlucky with a blockbuster that was blocked. His delivery into the box was spot on also.

Another thing I should mention is Paul who? Nathan Thompson is really growing into the role. Thought Mceveley looked hungry as well when he came on for 10 minutes or so. Looking forward to the Hartlepool match now as we look a confident side.

Oh and I met Duke of Banbury before the game. Good to put a face to a name fella.

Yes Mate and a pleasure meeting you and your Dad.

Have to say the 2 Shrews fans were OK to be honest.
The lad with the scarf had drunk a bottle of vodka that Morning.......He was completely harmless :)

I thought Roberts was better, but not fantastic yet, alot of the play went down the left instead of the right which made a change.

Was this in the GW?  I was there having a couple of quiet pints before the game, having travelled by train this week.
When I first walked in I thought he was going to be trouble, but he seemed to be in a good mood if totally out of it!

Yeah at first I thought he might have been trouble but he came over and spoke to us for a bit. Apparently they hid booze behind a bin for the train journey home.

Yep