Thetownend.com

The Opponent:  Macclesfield Town

So how many of us are going to make the long trek north for this one?  Sadly I won’t be amongst the numbers travelling what with work and everything else so its Wiltshire Sound for me in a Transit van.  The trouble is I often end up working outside of the listening area, I’m due out in Cirencester later today, so it could be a case of relying on the TEF for updates, although whenever I look for updates on here I usually find out that Player is shit and the opposition commentary is much more entertaining than ours! Another interesting week at STFC. The General Manager is no longer, with plenty of reasons as to why he is not, some laughable it has to be said. Safe journey to those making the trip today, fingers crossed you bring the result home that makes the draw much more interesting tomorrow.

Macclesfield has been accused of having few cultural amenities; in 2004, research was published in The Times naming Macclesfield and its borough the most uncultured town in Britain, based on its lack of theatres, cinemas and other cultural facilities. On the flip side, despite being a cultural desert, in 2008, the borough was named as the fifth happiest of 273 districts in Britain by researchers from the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester. Some of the more well known names from the musical world include bluesman John Mayall as well as Ian Curtis and Stephen Morris of Joy Division, and Gillian Gilbert, who along with Stephen Morris was a member of New Order; Bernard Sumner, who was also a member of both New Order and Joy Division, is from the nearby village of Alderley Edge. A memorial to Curtis is located in Macclesfield Crematorium. Other famous folk from Macclesfield include cricketing legend Jonathan Agnew, Antiques boffin David Dickinson and bearded sailing hero Ben Ainslie.

Where the opposition gather – 

http://fansonline.net/macclesfieldtown/mb/view.php?id=121263

Macclesfield  Last 6 – WLWWDW

They have served us both - Paul Ince, Ashan Holgate, Antony MacNamee, Yaser Kasim, Colin Heath, Jon Beswetherwick, Mark Gardiner, Mark Cooper

The Odds – Macclesfield  4/1  Draw 11/4  Swindon 4/6 Fancy a repeat of the Port Vale scoreline? A rather miserly 66/1 with Hills for a 2-5 away win.  Bit of a longshot for first goalscorer and rather long overdue has to be Darren Ward at 28/1 with Bet 365.

The Son Says –  He seems to remember this lot beating us before but has assured me that it was a one off and we will thrash them 1-0.

The Prediction –  I am thinking class is likely to shine through here, we are 2 leagues apart for a reason and off the back of putting 5 past Port Vale last weekend I am going for a 3-1 win, with goals from N’Guessan and a Ranger double, 2’444 in attendance with 355 from ourselves.

And Finally –  A local legend attaches to the famous flight of 108 steps from Water's Green to St Michael and All Angels Church in Macclesfield? It is said that anyone who can make it from bottom to top without taking a breath on the way will have a wish granted. The cynical, however, might wonder if any such claim was based on a quick stop in the pub where the trek begins.

COYR COYR COYR

Banana Skin....

On the 9.15 rattler for this, really excited for some reason - love The FA Cup which is probably why and a new ground to visit - didn't get to the game last season as was in London, but I think we'll win 3-0 tomorrow! 2100 in attendance with 350 making the trip up and beers to celebrate on the journey home! C.O.Y.R!!!  :pint:

Not going, myself...

I'll never forget the Friday night game where I spent 6 hours on the M5 and got in JUST before kick off after a mess around with tickets on the gate....then we lost 2-0, at 1-0 the announcer said 'Goal number one, scored by 'Gorgeous' George Donnelly!'....I vowed never to go there again based on that alone!

This time (aside from our less than convincing away form) 0-3 with Luongo, N'Guessan and Ajose scoring...325 travelling fans.

Too kool for skool with Joy Division etc Rosso. 

Might I add the late Brian Redhead, presenter on Radio 4s Today program in the Macari, Ardiles and Hoddle years, who always trumpeted his norvern Macclesfield connection. 

Redhead once gloriously responded on the Today program to an accusation of left wing bias by Chancellor Nigel Lawson by offering a minutes silence for him to apologize in for daring to presume which way Redhead voted.

Good luck to the 300 (it seems), it will be very interesting to see how we cope.  2-1 STFC at a guess.

After last season, making a prediction for this just seems wrong.  Fingers crossed and hope for the best.  If we get a chance to play, we'll murder them.  But I'm not sure we will.

BBC Wilts for me today
Remember all to clearly last seasons encounter ( in fact came across last seasons programme and ticket yesterday while hunting for a logbook ) and am hoping we dont slip up again.
3-1 town with 366 making the effort to schlep up norf.

Not gonna make a prediction on scorers as think will be a few changes today

I have a feeling this will be a very low away attendance, 250 odd.

Transmission on BBC will be shit but Luongo will Tear Them Apart 0-4

We will be shit and ..... sneak through 1-0 with an early Ranger goal.

I'm feeling far more confident than I have any right to - never a good sign.

Nonetheless I will predict my usual...

2-0 Ranger, Ajose

You may be right esp after the nightmare trip up to Oldham only a couple of weeks ago.
Usually the FA Cup will drag a few extra fans out tho

Come on Swindon...New Year is always a more joyous time for me when the Town are in the FA Cup third round.
Comfortable town win of 2-0 with us scoring very early.

1-1

A bonus northern fixture for me to get too so me, the old man, my little brother and a united fan are making the short trip from Manchester. Think if we get an early goal we could romp this but we rarely do well against non league and I remember seeing us comfortably beat here on the terrace a few years ago. Im going for a nervy 2-1 win after letting them back in from 2 nil.

A bit of a bogey team, 2 wins and 3 defeats against them.

2-0 win to us.

Macclesfield canal has what I believe to be a unique design of canal bridge - called a snake bridge - which allowed the horses towing the barges to cross the canal where the towpath changed sides without having to be unhitched.

I am the king of the anoraks.

TOWN v Macclesfield:  Belford; Byrne, Hall, Ward, McEveley; Kasim, Luongo, Mason; Pritchard, Ranger, N'Guessan

Subs: Foderingham, Barthram, Branco, Harley, L Thompson, Ajose, El Gabas

Foderingham not fit to start for Swindon Town at Macclesfield

All courtesy of Sams twitter

EDIT

Foderingham has a 'slight back injury' and is not risked this afternoon.

I've got a good feeling about this! 2-1 Swindon COYR

Leyton Orient are already 1-0 up against Southport, I can see that being a cricket score.

Oxford losing at home to Gateshead.  :D

Pox 1-0 down against Gateshead

Fuck!

shit

For fucks sake. Get a fucking grip town.

Not good enough.

Ooops

Been coming.

Minging at the back again.

WTF is it with us v Macclesfield

soapy tit wank

Oooooops!!!

3 at the back with luongo as a wing back apparently. Barmy

FFS

Mac sound completely on top.

Cox scores for Forest.

I don't understand why we are taking one of our best creative midfielders and shoving him at wing back when we have two perfectly good full backs on the pitch.

Is barmy when Barthram been great when used - perfect replacement for Thompson

Cooper needs to sort out the defence, not the first time we sound terrible at the back.

3 at the back doesn't work for us.

This.

Must be something about macc and playing players out of position!!

Sound like we need half time asap where Dixon's will presumably deliver their entire stock of hair dryers.

Belford sounds alright though!

Is Barthram injured? why is he not being used as wing back? He looked OK playing there.

Belford keeping us in it.

I assume he's not injured as he's on the bench.

35 mins gone & not a single shot to us, Macc have had 6 with 3 on target.

Just as well PDC's gone, he would have had them in for training at 6am tomorrow morning :)

Dont think injured as on bench

Well that half sounded bollocks

When I was an impressionable young lad I used to find this funny - this seems appropriate for today and might cheer some of us up...

PS I should add - don't listen if you are easily offended....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjpohttEPdk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjpohttEPdk)

1 shot against a non league side. Awful.

This!

Glad I never bothered.

Cooper needs to decide if he's bothered with this or not . . . Not good enough so far!

Sounds like a change of formation or personnel needed.
Luongo should be midfield not one of a back 3 esp when we have defenders available.

Sometimes Coopers tactics baffle me

Why are we always so poor v macc. Allowing someone not deemed good enough for scunny to totally run rings round us. So much for million pound January bids for anyone.......

You just know that if we lose there will be some mongs saying Cooper out, even though we're outside of the playoffs on goal difference. He just needs to learn how to play away from home and we're going to have a good season.

Calling for his head would be silly. But an angry reaction is justified if we carry on like this. Just like it was when pdc did the same last year.

There's some retard who always posts Cooper out on the official facebook page whenever we go behind in a game.

Some retards on FB fullstop
Slagging Bedwell off in goal ffs

bedwell ???!

Precisely
Belford in goal for a start and he is the only one having a good game by the sound of it

Gateshead 2-0 up against the Pox

Are we winning yet and if not why not????

Pox two down.   :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Benson scores for Luton

People in glass houses...

Sounds an improved start to the second though.

Have we changed to formation, or moved players about?

Sounds like we are at least in the game now

5 across the back now instead of 3 though one of them is still Luongo

Donkeys header gets a shout on the radio :)

Time to stick Ajose on.

Roberts not at all happy with a reducer on Pritchard. Yellow only.

He not the only one

Cool.

Game over

Is Julie working today?

Frank Nouble has scored a goal... In the championship... With a football...

Embarrasing.

Game over. Ffs. Get two strikers on,   and giving go for it.

Oh dear.

Can we sign Boden please?

soapy tit wank

Now we bring on Barthram?

Game over ffs
 
Only difference between this and last years result is am sat in the warm this time
Gutted for those who made the effort and travelled

Wrong formation, left the subs too late. Not good enough.

Bit embarrassing..... but Macc deserve to be winning by the sounds of it...

Expected really.

out away form and defensive frailties are a nuisance

Sounds like Cooper has had a mare today, prefer him to do that in the cup

We are ALWAYS wank in this cup, not surprised at all?

Is it too clichéd to say "At least we can concentrate on the league..."

@SamMorshead_SA: GOAL 2-0 (Boden 68) It's awful. Again. Hooked ball forward and Town's back three are all over the place. Boden waltzes through and scores.

If we had the same squad playing every season then you'd have something but it's different every time we get knocked out by a non league side.

Boom - Done!

4-4-2 now.

Drogshite.

Never up for it.

3-0! Pathetic

And there we have the problem. If we ship goals away from home why persist with 3 at the back? Doesn't take a genius to work out that if we play an extra defender we might concede less goals.

Jesus - now it really is embarrassing...

3-0 against a non-league team, Not going to do anything this year if our defence is like this.

No way on earth will town get one back let alone 3

Another pathetic away performance :(

fuck me. Stuffed

Why take Ranger off. Strange.

I'm going down to the Winchester for a bit.

The way the gods of football work we will go and beat Orient now, you'll see.

Haha, how embarrassing.

The travelling fans deserve some sort of apology/free ticket to another game.

Got the JPT on Tuesday...

I'm not surprised, but it's embarrassing given the fact that it's first team players bar the goalkeeper.  Our dire away form continues and needs sorting.  What worries me is I'm not convinced Cooper knows how to sort it.

I feel for those who have travelled and are continually being subjected to pathetic performances on the road. Not good enough.

Do fuck off. I don't think a ticket comes with a guarantee of seeing your team win, or even seeing your team play well.

Your comment could have come straight off thisis.

Harsh.

That's the spirit. 7th in the league, time for the anti depressants.....

Thanks.

Sounds like mason has done himself a mischief.

Losing 3-0 to a non-league team is different. Cunt.

surely not..

not wrong though regarding away form is it. Is up to cooper to prove whether he can address it.

Macclesfield played with 3 up front today so we played 3 across the back which in itself wouldnt have been to bad if one of those 3 wasnt Luongo. Though ideally 4 would have been right.

If we had no full backs it would still have been a shit decision but we did, Byrne on the pitch and Bathram on the bench

Tactically Cooper baffles me esp away from home

4 0. Fuck off

Henville back in on Tuesday?

I could understand 352 if we were scoring goals away from home but we're hardly having any shots.

Still stand by that?

Back to the 4-5-1 from earlier in the season please and give Arch a chance if he's fit.

Scrap the 3 at the back, we've fallen into that formation because of injury and suspension etc but its not the way to go. Cooper needs to make a couple of difficult decisions and drop players instead of trying to cram everyone in the team which is whats happening at the moment.

We've looked our best with 4-3-3. The midfield 3 needs balance, i don't see that you can play pritchard and mason in those 3. We were at our best when Kasim, Luongo and Mason were the 3 as they complemented each other great. Just because pritchard had a couple of good games in there when mason was out doesn't mean you now try and get them both in there.

Its the same thing with Byrne, yes he's had some good games but that doesn't mean you change the formation to get him in. If he's not one of your best two wingers he doesn't play. If he is then you drop someone else. If that means N'Guessan does't play so be it.

Got to make some tough calls in my book and get back to the shape that looked good. The front 3 in my eyes would be N'Guessan Ranger and Pritchard. Keep Byrne on the bench.

Macclesfield now performance of the week according to Stelling on sky
Embarrassing day all round

4-0 from a hall mistake.

cooper days it makes us more solid at the back.

Not sure I have seen any evidence of that. But we did get some wins with it early on that I didn't see.

Um, do people seem to forget that only a few weeks ago we won 4-0 away from at rotherham.

Today was a poor performance in the Cup. It really isn't the end of the world. Out of the last 7 games we have won 5 of them with this formation.

 Well, this is an embarrassing dicking...

Laughable now.

Is this possibly the most embarrassing defeat in our history? Have we ever been hammered by a non league side?

fucking pox now 2 all

Of course it isn't you idiot. Only league 2 separate us from them. If we're the only team to be knocked out of The FA Cup by a team a couple of leagues below them this season, you'll have a point. But we won't be and you haven't.

Embarrassing? Yes. But refunding the fans who travelled? Ridiculous. 

Doesn't take away the fact that our away form is pathetic, which was the point I was making.  How you can even begin to disagree is rather bizarre.

Agree completely

We haven't lost by one goal, we've lost 4-0... Against a non league team....

True, but don't forget we also should have conceded a couple in the first 20.

We are still doing very well this season. But our away form needs sorting, that's all.

Yes. Macclesfield are having a worldy and we are a fucking shambles. Still don't think poor performances warrant a refund. If they did, I would've spent a lot less cash over the last few years!

Oh, and great post riddick

I don't think its that bad. It really is still early days with a third of the season gone.

Heaviest defeat post war by a non league team

Absolutely fucking shameful!

well that was a bit shit

Batter Wycombe on Tuesday and then another away trip to Colchester who aren't a bad side. Crawley away coming up as well! Big tests for us.

Well, let's just move on from that, shall we.

What game?

Wales v South Africa in the egg chasing on BBC2 in half an hour, should be better than the meltdown on here.

Other than Rotherham, where we could have been a couple of goals behind before we scored, how has our away form been?

The formation may well work at home, but away from home the first thing you should ensure (even to a non league team) is that you are solid at the back. One clean sheet in 6 games suggests that we are not solid at the back.

 :no:

On the bright side, if we have to have a bogey team I'm okay with them being two divisions away from us.

At least we should get some decent time on the highlights programme tonight...

  yeah but none of us want to watch it

By my reckoning off the top of my head that's the heaviest defeat by a non-league side in the post qualifying games in our history...as I said a while back when the draw was made...it used to bother me when we lost once a decade to non sides...now I just expect it, as thats 4 or 5  out of the last 6 or 7. Management and players don't seem to care, so why should I.

Conceding 11 goals in 4 games, When we will stop using the 3 back. Why was Luongo playing wing back...

I would settle for them playing 541 away from home
May not win but wont keep losing either ( bar Rovrum )

Did we lose?

Shocking defeat really....can i be the first to say well done to Macclesfield,outstanding result.
Financially it is a big blow...a good cup run always keeps the wolves away from the door.

Oh and big up to those who went today.

Congrats on this thread providing some of the most amusing thisis type drama for a while.

(http://i.imgur.com/BQM8fW7.gif)

People's reactions are completely justified. A League 1 team losing 4-0 to a non-league side is practically unheard of. As bad results go they don't really get worse than this... Ask Reg.

You should see twitter, there's some legendary statements being made over there.

They always read the most extreme texts out on the radio.  :D

Cooper out?

I had to smile at  The Flash's text on the radio referring to Cooper as 'Chuckles Cooper'.

People wanting a refund!

Get back to the real world, you pays your money you takes chances.

Not only was todays Macclesfield result the performance of the round I " forgot " that last years result was too ffs

Some consistency at last

Of course they're justified...still maybe best to get a few eye witness accounts.

Pattern would be 8-0 next year.

Yep.

How did you guess?

 :fishing:


No thanks. :) I long ago learned that social networking is not for me, and never will be.

'sigh'

Never mind, bring on the next game...

Flash's trip down the Winchester seems a good coping strategy- I reckon a lock-in might be required.

I know we've seen it all before and some people like to manage pain by rationalising it but I'm curious how a fan (even an armchair fan) can think an FA Cup record defeat is no big deal and that 7th in the league in November is somehow weightier. 

If I were in Switzerland and owned STFC, I would think a first round defeat in the FA Cup mattered financially and curious about the scoreline and match stats. 

Not since we lost 5-0 to Newcastle in the FA Cup third round....

You still read that then?
Bit stupid if you think people aint going to be happy with that performance Barry...and the old thisis chestnut is becoming boring to be honest.

Some of the comments Cooper made were quite to the point.  It will be interesting to see if any players get dropped and what changes he's going to make in future away games.

Cooper didnt sound a happy bunny
Expect to see a few changes next lg game

Well they are in for training tomorrow and Coops apologised to the fans.

Didn't really explain the reason Luongo played full back although admitted he is better in the middle. Wish I could see the reason behind the decision.

I saw the result and laughed. You have to really. Although I'm sure those who went will feel differently.

Thankfully I decided not to go, and got a free ticket for Blackpool v Ipswich instead. Frank Nouble scored, which just shows we can put today down as one of those freak days that football throws up, read nothing in to it, and move on swiftly!

Mason twisted his ankle so could be out for a while again potentially.

Can't understand these people wanting a refund, I've been to 40+ away games and seen us win 6 times. I have never come away from a game wanting a refund and I've seen a bigger defeat than 4-0, there is no guarantee with the ticket, if you want to go you go, you don't offer to pay double if you've seen a really fantastic game, really don't get this 'I didn't get what I want I want a refund' mentality.

Lets get it right...no town fans have asked for a refund....some who didn't go said they should get one...big difference.

He even said that Luongo had a great game and if you keep making mistakes it wouldnt have mattered who played there ( defence )
Ummmm yeah it would have
A proper full back and put Luongo where he plays best and makes a difference

Todays stats - more possession yet did fuck all with it

(http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab225/mark_woolhouse/maccstats_zpsbce80d29.jpg)


Should make selecting players who " will run thru a wall for you " a little easier

As good as he is, I fear Mason would get concussion just looking at the wall.

With regard to the refund of tickets....
Last week Wolves laid on free travel for 1200+ fans to travel to Carlisle for a mid-week league game.
What was that about? Sounds like a club who appreciate their support away from home.
Discuss.

Sounds like a club who still pay some of there players over twenty grand a week.

As we are a much smaller club, then maybe a small gesture for the 300 who travelled to watch the utter shite could be made. A free cup of bovril at the next home game or a beer mat signed by the players?

In a cutting your cloth kind of way ... maybe a Bovril stained beermat (just the one) to be passed around the loyal 300?

Stuck at Cribbs today so didn't listen to the game thankfully. 4-0 is rather embarrassing - we seem to be either utterly brilliant or utterly shite and nothing in between. Still, we move on and thankfully we can get it out of our systems on Tuesday (although I think we'll lose to Wycombe as well!).

Losing 4-0 to a non-league side in the cup is embarrassing and pretty shameful but seemed likely with our fragile side. A cup run would have been nice but we've had an excellent run already this season and our league form is still decent. Put a few goals past Wycombe on Tuesday and people will have forgotten all about today.

Not papering over any cracks as there are obviously issues to be addressed - 3 at the back just doesn't work, playing players out of position just to accommodate your best players and attitude seems to be an issue in allowing teams to overrun and dominate us away from home. Harley may be just what we need and Mason's injury will give him opportunity.

Response from Cooper is commendable but he's got work to do.

Not bothered we have to play spurs lads at all costs hence luongo playing full back.our away tactics are a fucking joke 4-0 against non league is unheard of if I was Jed I would fucking rip into all of them Cooper included.

I get your point but where do you draw the line...maybe St Albans should dish out money to the few thousand who watched them get hammered 8-1 at home to Mansfield.
If there was free away travel today double the number would have gone and as a club we just cannot afford that.

Luongo is OURS not spurs so that excuse is bollox

Other than Luongo being ours Jed has said we have no obligation to play the Spurs lot, its the managers call.

All those on the free coaches also got a signed thank you card from the players

Even Crawley have offered fans who went to Sheff Utd away free tickets to Carlisle away

Some clubs understand an away following can make a difference ( Wolves ) or reward loyalty for those travelling long distances ( Crawley )

Am sure other clubs have offered one sort of freebie or another just not noticed them - or maybe those are the only 2  :hmmm:

I remember all the travelling support at Hartlepool a few years back (Friday night game) getting a free signed ball. Dunno how many of us were there,  but sure it was well under a 100. If clubs want to reward/refund supporters fine. My issue is with those who feel that it should be done as a matter of course.

A couple of texts on the radio were saying they wanted a refund unless I misheard, I feel for the fans that travelled but unfortunately this sort of result is a possibility regardless of the opposition especially with Swindon, if you decide to go then you take your chances. If the club want to offer those fans something then that's fine, but it shouldn't be expected by them just because we've lost/played badly (if indeed any that went have asked for a refund.)

I know luongo is ours that's why I am pissed off he was pushed out to full back when he was fucking exellent last week in the center.If Kassim is back then either he is on the bench or one of the spurs lads does not play no way should luongo be moved to that position.

They were playing a team 3 leagues above them, completely different.

That was fucking disgraceful. All of them pathetic. Feel for all the town fans gping home today who were here, at least im getting a piss up in Manchester.

I don't want any refund but I expect them to fucking impress me on tuesday.

4-0 to a non league team, jesus christ.  :pint: :pint: :pint:

 :D

As you're the first to post who was actually there, PlymRed, what went so wrong?

I hope the fans asking for a refund break down on the way home and have to wait for along time to be recovered.

I hope the players break down and have to run home...

Sounds like a club who gets a £12m parachute payment from the PL...

Is Troy fit....does anyone know? I know he returned due to injury...but I don't know the extent...

Good day for me. Wife persuaded me not to bet on a 2-0 or 3-1 win, I love my wife. Had a nice luch with friends at the Chinese experience place ( yep I know it's called something else but I can't be bothered to find out what). Came home and we're 1-0 down, so I decided that drinking a reasonable bottle of reojah while watching sky sports news was better than listening to BBC radio and enduring the enviable loss. So it turned out. Hey Ho.

Jeez where to begin.

I hate 3-5-2. It leaves us so exposed down the wings, ive said it a couple of times in here especially after notts and walsall. Loungo at full back was a terrivle idea, he was completely out of hs depth out there. Why move him when he was very impressive against PV?

Hall - the lad may come good but we need another CB urgently. He was weak in tackle/air, not a commanding figure at the back that we want. 4th goal summed up his afternoon with a weak header back to belford (who didnt play too badly and made a couple of good saves).

Set piece delivery was wank as it has been quite often this season.

I dont think many of them gave a toss about today tbh, lethargic and outplayed/out fought.

Fair play to Macclesfield as well btw they did play well, as abysmal as we were they do deserve credit.

Got back in about 1hr ago - first half we were non-existent and were lucky to go in only 1-0 down. We played ok for 15 minutes at the beginning of the 2nd half without creating much other than a couple of half chances, then got hit on the break for their 2nd (and 3rd and 4th). Actually thought the manner in which they scored their goals in the 2nd half made us look pretty naive, we bombed forward, Macc just soaked it up, waited for their opportunity and promptly took advantage. By the way, the 4th was an absolute joke and would probably make it onto a bloopers video at some point.

I'll leave it to those who understand the game better than me to provide more detail, suffice to say it was pretty ugly and don't bother staying up for the "highlights".

I've scanned some of this thread re shocking / appalling displays away from home. I only ever watch us away - my view is you never really know which Swindon is going to turn up. e.g. last season Tranmere and Stevenage - we were fantastic, but then contrast that with the displays against Sheff U, Doncaster and Preston. Guess I can afford to be philosophical when it's only 60 miles down the road for me, have a lot of sympathy for the poor sods who do the away trips regularly and have a +150 mile journey home and won't get in til god knows when. The only small positive we can take is that three points weren't at stake.

Not seen anything on his injury/progress
Seen plenty of bollox from Troy himself on twitter

Nothing more to say.
7-0 would have been a fair score.

Disgraceful. Soaked this morning, M6 nightmare, trapped nerve in back and drive was agony then that fucking load of shite.

Bollocks to football tonight.

I was blocked by him for having an opinion....

Silly, silly me! :doh:

I wonder if he remembers how to play football or whether he has any interest in it. Over a year since he made an appearance in a Town shirt.

 Belford,pathetic,abject,abysmal,disastrous,useless,atrocious,disinterested,calamitous,shambolic and tragic about sums up our line-up today. 4-0 was flattering to us because we were ripped to shreds for the 1st 20 minutes or so and we could have lost by a much bigger score. Ranger needed subbing much earlier and we went from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3to 4-4-2 and ending with god know what. Anybody know who the idiot in the front row was who got frog marched out by the lady steward after he started calling fans cunts and spitting at them when they started to leave early,what a bell-end!!

He does still do the odd footie tweet
Just never about town - usually Exeter or Carlisle

he really doesn't like us very much does he?

ended up going to cribbs with the wife xmas shopping, heard we were losing 4-0. Disapointed yes, but it wasn't a league game. It wasn't a loss to the pox, gas or shitty so I'm ok with it. As for people wanting refunds if you went to watch a film at the cinema and it turned out to be utter gash and asked for a refund, the cinema would say 'go fuck yourself'

sounds like macclesfield just wanted it more.

Seems not, so I don't imagine he's the answer to our need for a tighter defence.

He's a cunt

:D

Saying that if we brought him back from injury we could be the first team in football league history to have a centre back playing a game in a mobility scooter

Just got back home from watching "A Nightmare on Moss Rose II (Return of the Chihuahuas)".  There's not much I can add to the brief reports that other attendees have already posted.  It really was a totally dismal, embarrassing performance apart from the first 15 minutes of the second half, where we tried for a while until they caught us on the break and scored their second goal.  None of our squad looked 'up for it'. You only had to see the half-hearted way they all warmed up before the game. That set the scene for what was to follow.

I'm a little surprised about the way that some posters above have dismissed this woeful performance as just a 'bad day at the office'.  You wouldn't be so dismissive if you had been there to witness it.  I do NOT want a refund.  Nobody held a gun to my head to make me attend today.....but they may have to do so to get me to go to another away game anytime soon!

Spot on. My worst ever performance.
The whole day was shite.
Hate the M6, hate Maccelsfield, hate football today.
Trying to laugh and say it could get any worse.
We were absolute garbage.
Body language, tactics, football everything was woeful.

Just got in and that was the worst performance I have ever seen.
Players didn't show any heart or desire and Macclesfield had that in abundance.
Feel sorry for Belford who was exposed for all 4 goals and actually had a fairly reasonable game.
Cooper got tactics horribly wrong. To play, in my opinion, our best centre-midfielder at wing back was totally the wrong call as he was clueless as to what to do all game. 3 at the back doesn't work, Hall get's exposed too much on the wing, Ward is too slow to play that central and have a lack of cover and McCeverly isn't a centre half. About time we had 4 in defence again and a change of tactics, certainly away from home.
As for the refund debate, you don't go to a movie and see an actor not trying, some-days players are shite but to have such apathy that the players had today, there is a angle to say that players certainly don't deserve their weeks wages. Just the views of a very pissed off person anyway.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that was one of the worst defensive performances I've seen a Swindon back-line put in. You could have sailed a ceremonial flotilla through the gap between goalkeeper and defence. Ward and Hall reminded me of those penguins in the Falklands who fall over when they watch jet-planes passing overhead.

Individually, Hall will probably cop a lot of the blame (and would surely be dropped were it not for the absence of competition) for an individual performance riddled with goal-costing errors, but on the scale of the match, the blame should fall squarely on the set-up, and Coopers apparent desire to shoe-horn all our best players into the team at the cost of our balance and shape.

It was clear from the first ten-minutes that the Luongo wing-back experiment wasn't working. After twenty minutes the fans were shouting for Cooper to move him back to the centre and put a proper defender on the right. After thirty minutes we should have been 3-0 down but persisted nonetheless throughout the rest of the first-half and wave after wave of attack to the increasingly angry bewilderment of the crowd.

The 3 at the back with wing-backs can work, and when it does work it can be extremely productive. However, I think if we start playing it every week, and the other team knows that's how we're going to set-up from the start, it becomes very easy to counter with diagonal balls in behind and balls slid down the wings. Walsall dismantled us like that. Macclesfield have just done the same. It seems to me it's worked best when we've switched to it having started with a 4-5-1, and caught the opposition off-guard second-half. Playing it week after week is too predictable, and especially dangerous when we've got two lumbering centre-backs who haven't got the pace to catch-up with a player who gets in behind.

Having sat through that, I have to give my backing to calls for a return to the 4-5-1 (oh the fickle irony of football). As much as anything, Kasim, who was universally acclaimed as our best player for the first ten games of the season, seems to have struggled to wield any influence at all since coming back into that formation, and the midfield as a whole seem unable to dominate in quite the way we were seeing at the beginning of the season.

Away form is now becoming a serious concern. I'll repeat what I said after the Walsall game, that Cooper should be looking at the way they set up as an exemplar for us to aspire to. We need to be less open, even if it's at the cost of fluid football at times, and try to start building from a solid defensive base, which was at the heart of our good away form last year.  

In summary for today, the players came in half-hearted, the formation, and the players deployed to execute it, were wrong, but to give credit where it's due, Macclesfield played extremely well, exploited those frailties fully, and would probably still have beaten us playing like that in the absence of the issues listed above.

Good luck to them in the draw. Back to the drawing board for us.

Take a bow, Sir!  Best line ever.

Thanks for the reports match goers. Appreciate it even if it's  not pleasant reading.

So, with all that's been said in mind....what line-up/formation would you play on Tuesday?

Sadly, it's a myth. Penguins don't give a fuck about aeroplanes.

Have to confess that I have not read through the whole thread today, but our away form is simply embarrassing now.  Coops: we need another plan.  Whatever you are advocating away from home simply isn't working.

I do not want to disrespect Macclesfield by implying that their decisive victory today was entirely down to our own ineptidude, but sure it played a part.  At home, yes: good report card.  But there is something woefully amiss away from the County Ground.  Saw it myself at Oldham...if the midfield distribution engine is nullified, the passing game doesn't just fall apart: it fails to exist.  Plan B, C & D needed, and urgently.  That's not to say I'm not a fan of Plan A when it works, because I am.  But for Heaven's sake, let's have a few alternatives, please.

You would appear to have a point.  I stand corrected.  (And please pardon the pun.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8dCoGwEnY0

Its been said many times that as a pairing Hall and Ward arent good enough
Ward has bags of experience and the nous to get in the right place to snuff out a threat - anyone with pace/ball over the top and he is undone.
Hall has bugger all experience and it shows quite often. Positionally he is often in the wrong place and his decision making isnt the best.
He has more pace than Ward thats for sure.

Eventually Wards experience may make something of Hall but at what cost to towns defence until then.
The trouble is there is no competition for their position bar Troy and fuck only knows what the position is with him re fitness/injury/mindset.
I dont know if Branco can play CB but the one appearance I have seen of him he didnt fill me with confidence.
Smith may be able to play there but again is injured

Seconded.  Can't have been pleasant watching either.  

Being one of those in attendance today, and a few beers on board, I'm going to try and be positive than be negative...

Positives: Train journey up was clear, Budweiser is the King of Beers (as per logo on box), fry up at Cheltenham Spa station was good, pies at Macclesfield very nice, Macclesfield catering staff (blondie) beautiful, being on time for train home, chinese at Cheltenham Spa, Fantasy (kind of...no boobs) as we arrived back in Swindon, Concentrate on league (?!?!), chance of focussing on 1 cup competition (JPT)

Negatives: Everything else including performance & result, being outplayed by a conference side...we were just simply awful and didn't turn up.

Take nothing away from Macclesfield, they were up for it and wanted it, in a similar way to last season here, although they were better. The 4-0 scoreline I felt flattered us, as we probably should have been 4 down at half time...how many times did the ball go just wide of our goal in the 1st half for those there?

Of course I go to away games not expecting some form of refund for a shite performance, but it'd be nice, and I do stress the nice, if the club could give those today some form of gesture...myself I'd be happy with a bovril or a h/t pint. I do stress the 'nice' part, not the expect...but you hear of clubs and see clubs giving back to the fans when the team plays extremely shite, and today was no different.

Yes it's the cup, but for clubs like ours the cup if we get through is good form of revenue, and there's nothing like the FA Cup 3rd round draw...it's a shame we won't be in it...I think we've only been in the 3rd round three times since 2004?! (Palace, Fulham, Wigan)

I'll be there Tuesday night, and I'm off to Colchester next Saturday...hopefully I haven't come across bolshy, just a frustrated figure after seeing how we've played most of the season and a team in 7th place in league 1!

Wok up this morning feeling rather hungover, remembered the score and just laughed.

That's what you get for starting to drink at 4pm.  Fry something up in that Wok and you'll feel better..

I didn't actually get to touch a drop until much later as I was distracted by the kids.

My children drive me to drink and then prevent me from doing so, it's brilliantly cruel really.

In 20 years following town I only remember leaving more than 10 minutes before the end twice. The 1st time was when we were 4 down at Villa park in the premier league season when I was 8. The second was yesterday. I've only just seen the 4th this morning and the nature of it didn't surprise me in the least. Grant Hall gave possibly the worst centre back performance I've seen from a player wearing red. The players didn't deserve to be applauded off and their performances were not worthy of being watched. Macclesfield were the polar opposite of us yesterday and deserved their FA cup scalp and looked much better than 14th in the conference. I expect a big fucking reaction on Tuesday and Saturday

I've only walked out early twice as well, once when I had to be in Cambridge by 7 pm, so I left three minutes early and the other time was when we were losing 7-0 at Bolton, another total shambles!!  As to the reaction, we will be ok on Tuesday, but we will lose again on Saturday - we just cannot play a big expansive game away from home with no midfield minders in the side, start slowly, get hammered - the only exception was at Rotherham where we somehow managed to ride out the storm and snuff them out!

Missed out on a home draw v the pikeys or Brackley
No need to keep saving those loyalty points either now - bar shitty away
Lets hope for a decent backlash on tuesday and see how far the piss pot trophy can take us

Listened to the match as I prepared the Flash household for fireworks and house warming party.

I thought the draw was a big ask and for some reason I did think we might be bombed out as per recent seasons. What I didn't expect was the manner of the defeat.....utter epic fail from start to finish.

I was dreading Coopers after match talk but he pissed on my temper as he said all the right things in my book.

I will be there on Tuesday night and looking for a backlash. I feel it in my water we wil win the fucker this year.

I do reckon the club should give something to the poor cunts that went even if its a free Bovril.

While there are clearly issues that need sorting defensively - be it personnel or formation (probably both) - I'm not sure I completely agree with this "we're shit on the road" idea.

We were awful at Oldham and Preston (and Saturday) but were no better home to Gills or Walsall. We were a disputed red card from winning at MK and played Wolves off the park in defeat (defensive errors, not necessarily a problem with approach/style). Also battered Rotherham and won at QPR.

Must say though I think the 3 at the back is a useful alternative for certain games (like Rotherham) but should be used sparingly. Not like we didn't look alright playing the 4-3-3/4-5-1 at the beginning of the season.

Things to ponder for Cooper that's for sure. Mason's injury may have one silver lining as well as if it gives Harley a chance to get a few games in the extra experience in midfield might not go amiss.

We would have been a different number so doesn't matter.

Actually we would've been the same number, but as you say it doesn't really matter.

I did say a few weeks back it seems as if Cooper is trying to fit our best players into the team rather than finding the best players for the formation need to decide on the formation and pick the correct players for the correct position

 

What with injuries, suspensions, the players out on loan, and the punts who don't look up to it, Cooper has a a very small pool of players from which to pick...so he's stuck with trying to make do with what he's got. This is what leads to messing with formations and playing players out of position.

I'm still of the opinion that staying up will, mean a decent season..

Whilst some of that is true, I'd still say he was trying to put a couple of square pegs into round holes.

Obviously it can only be opinion, I'm sure he thought he'd put out a capable team/formation. But I know best :)

Agree, it seemed strange Saturday that with Thompson out we didn't play Bartram (who has looked ok) but went with Luongo - on of our top midfield players - at wingback.  Weakened the team through the middle for sure, some of his tactics can seem a little baffling - why did it take 71 minutes to realise it wasn't working and make changes?

There's a part of me that wants to rail against your bloody-minded pessimism; and another part of me that grudgingly accepts that you probably have a point.

Players and management refunding costs of tixkets to fans that travelled

Fair play

Respect from me for this:

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/10800968.Players_and_coaching_staff_to_personally_refund_fans/

Lets thump Wycombe as well!

Interesting to see what team is upt out tomorrow night - should be the strongest possible to get back to winning ways regardless of oposition or competition

The match was awful but cracking day out, went in bar in ground great view of the pitch and stadium.
Had chips and gravy and a few pints of storm ale, then stayed in Bar for the match saved 18 quid.
Great seat and half time beers also thanks to vice presidents suite for free sandwiches.
 Good day out ruined by football.
when can we get our refund.

Have you done the norvern test?

Or perhaps a basic grammar course?

Nope do you need a grammar test to see football for free! :pint: :pint: :pint:

Baggins gets oowned!

I've only just watched the highlights. I am in disbelief.

Finally watched the highlights. I feel any comment on them would just be stating the bloody obvious.

I'm going to brave it and watch the highlights now

Don't do it!!!!!

Oh dear!

Told you!

I've managed to put off watching them so far! Smart move it seems!

After reading how bad it was I avoided the highlights
Well nearly
Caught the first goal then HTV had the pleasure of showing the rest
I think whatever can be already has been said

I particularly enjoyed the 4th goal.

Grant Hall take a bow.

Having seen the highlights, I'm not sure why Bronco Billy wasn't brought on for Hall. The bloke was having a mare and needed rescuing.

I think you'll find you can say something similar of Goals no. 1 & 3. Altogether a performance of Rollingsesque proportions.

Rollingesque but was it as bad as Nicky Wankspanner.

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Macclesfield are selling dvds of the full match :/

Pardon?

Swindon players of yore...Don't remember much about Andy Rollings but the second reference is surely Chalky rhyming slang for Nicky Tanner

Correct

Bob Smith picked him up from Brighton, where he'd been a decent performer in the early part of his career, to replace Billy Tucker, who'd been an effective short term replacement for the late Steve Aizlewood.  Rollings was a typical Div 3 bruiser centre half and at 26 should have had his best years ahead....but he was a part of the infamous new look back 4 of Barrett, Rollings, Walsh and Peach, that began 80-81 with some optimism, but were undone in the first game by Alan Ball and Dave Hockaday for Blackpool at the CG, proceded to lose the next 4 and cost Smith his job.  

Rollings was dropped by John Trollope and things picked up. JT preferred Russell (Bender) Lewis, who although very limited, hence the nickname, due to an inability to kick the ball straight, did the basics of defending...namely mark, head, block shots.

Rollings played another handful of games later in the season, when Lewis was injured, with a bit more success, but we shipped him off to Pompey also in Div 3....before he drifted out of the game after a couple more clubs.

Don't remember ever witnessing him. How many apps did he make? Wasn't his mum Molly Tanner, whose dance school pimped the original Robinettes to the club? Or am I making that up?

Think you made that one up, although I suppose that nugget of info may have passed me by.

Tanner was essentially a short term answer to the Fridge being out for a while in 90-91, after he got clogged by Steve Bull. Tanner was a Gashead, who somewhat bizarrely Dalglish took a punt on in the late 80's, so we took him on loan from the Scousers, and he filled the gap before Ossie signed Nestor Lorenzo.

I don't recall him as being anything other than average....certainly not completely terrible, and he went on to play 59 games for the Scousers up til 94

I just had a look on their website, it's out of stock. It's hard to believe they've sold that many already.

Reading this, they are another club who need some investment....

 http://www.mtfc.co.uk/news/article/club-statement-131113-1171645.aspx

I see instead of a refund, you get a free ticket for the Stevenage JPT game...

Or, if they don't like you, 2 tickets

£15 to watch us play Stevenage in the JPT  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

I'm not sure I agree with the idea of a refund anyway but:


WTF? I thought it was coming out the players and staff pockets.

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/headlines/10800968.Players_and_coaching_staff_to_personally_refund_fans/?action=complain&cid=12158811

And how are they checking whether someone can get a free ticket..oh yeah, with the Macclesfield ticket. Wonder why that doesn't work with cash ..

PR stunt at the time, nothing more.

I just can't get my head around the fact we are charging £15 for a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy match against Stevenage Borough.  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

£15 doesn't sound outrageous to me to be honest.

Wembley final aside, for a JPT clash it's unheard of. At any club.

Sell them cheap, pile them in for the paint pot. Like we did against Barnet in 2012.

Agreed,there was no way the players and coaching staff would chip in £5000 so it was a totally pointless gesture

Someone's got to pay for them 'free' tickets :)

I actually think the club's 'excuse' that they weren't in control of the ticket sales in the first place is reasonable. And It's possible the 'loss' giving out free tickets means will be taken by Jed out of their wages.

On the other hand, the board are obviously pocketing the money to help build their giant doom laser.

I'm happy with this outcome, was going to Stevenage anyway and now I don't have to pay (in a way).

One of the comments on the adver site made me laugh. Someone complaining that he can't get to the Stevenage game and the reason he went to Macclesfield was it was close for him! Don't think the gesture was aimed at people who fucking live near Macclesfield!