Thetownend.com

Morning all..

What do we think today?

I'm going for 2-1 Town, Doughty & Ajose.

Another 3 away from the abyss...please...

I think the Beak is due a goal, won't be as easy as it might have been a few weeks ago - their defensive record since December has been excellent but I'll go for 3-1, Ajose, Beak and Turnbull.

Comfy win today as I can't make it as working.

3-1

Could be a dour 0-0 methinks.

1-0 Louis T in the 87th.

2-0 win today!

Hopefully a 3-1 win

This will be tighter than perhaps we might expect --- 2-0.....

I had a dream last night that we won 10-1. For some reason all the goals came at once, with no kick-offs between them.

Can see this being bit of a struggle along lines of Barnsley. Hopefully it is us who sneaks late winner this time.  2 1 to us. Scorers- Obika and Robert from the bench in 89th minute.

If we can sneak a scrappy encounter 1-0 (Ajose) that will do for me.

We don't play Blackpool too often and games are rarely memorable.  11 of the last 14, since the classic 6-2 defeat under Lou, which finished Lingy's first spell with us, have been draws.  Of the three others all 1-0, 2 to them, including this season, and our only victory the minor classic of seeing McMahon's sourpuss, when young Alan Young, of all people, notched his only STFC goal.

Blackpool are the most goal shy travellers in Div 3, we've yet to keep a clean sheet....another draw would be OK especially if 0-0.

Sounds like you had the highlights.

A defeat, some side to side passes to raise the atmosphere.
Expecting nothing so anything from a no score draw upwards is a bonus

We've scored the 8th most goals in the league and 13 in our last 7.  We've also conceded the fith most, so a betting man wouldn't be going for 0-0.

draw wouldn't be disasterous today, saves them from making ground. going 3-0 ajose obika x2

Sendles-White starts.


XI: Vigouroux, Sendles-White, Thompson N (C), Turnbull, Barry, Traore, Doughty, Robert, Ormonde-Ottewill, Ajose, Obika

Subs: Belford, Thompson L, Balmy, Marshall, Iandolo, Hylton, Cooke

Who the fuck is Sendles-White? Did I miss something?

No, Branco just wanted a posh sounding British name so changed his name by deed poll.
He's Raphael Rossi Sendles-White.

We had him on trial in the summer, he ended up at Hamilton Accies who released him a couple of weeks ago, we signed him.

I like Ginginho's explanation better. I cant work out what formation that is now. 4-4-2?

2-1 to Blackpool.

2 doubled barrelled named players in the starting line up is a recipe for disaster.

Goodness me, already behind.

Great start

Rubbish at the back again.  Free header.

Gooooooaaaalll

Great up the front again, great finish

Ajose is a class act isn't he. Would have slotted in very nicely last year.

Yeah, if somebody could post the score rather than just "behind again" and "goal", that would be great.

No.

Half time

It's cold, wet, windy & a bit shit

good recovery from the worst possible start. ok the equaliser was a gift, but we grew into it. wind is a git and was with us so it remains to be seen whether it'll hinder us after the break.

we do look far from solid when they break, so it would be surprising if it stays 1-1, but we can win this.

So a run of the mill Div 3 game at the CG, nothing to get worked up over.

here's hoping for a win.

Goal!

The time was 1620, Costanza cooly refreshed his Twitter timeline to discover that Swindon Town had gone 2-1 up with little under half an hour to play through Nicky Ajose's second goal of the day and 17th in L1 this season.

Costanza mused, 'I wonder whether samdy gray will be happy now?'

Costanza returns to Twitter to discover that Blackpool have a penalty.

It's scored 2-2.

oh, bollocks. silly wrestling for the pen

(https://media.giphy.com/media/U1XhGr8CWqvVC/giphy.gif)

Barry thought he was on a rugby pitch.  Ridiculous foul for the penalty.

Don't we have a habit of 2-2s with Blackpool?

3-2. Ajose hat trick.

No.

Get in 3-2!

.

And Pox concede a late goal against 10 men..

Yes!!

9 points clear of the relegation zone.

Mid-table obscurity never felt so good....

Two defeats on the bounce for them now.

Wobble, wobble.

Sounded as though the new guy did OK.

Good win that, ajose upto 18 for the season I think now!

Yeah, Sendles-White did well, fitted into the system well straight away and didn't do anything wrong.
Iandolo looked very lively when he came on, was impressed with him.

Game was ruined by the weather in terms of quality which seems to have been a regular occurrence this season. Other than set pieces Blackpool offered very little in terms of a threat, their isolated 1 up front allowed Nathan Thompson to basically operate in midfield for a lot of the game. Both goals were gifts from set pieces, we just don't have the organisation and strength in the term when it comes to defending corners. The new guy has a bit of height and was reasonable on the ball but doesn't seem the type that will ever boss the defence.

Other than that we were poor in the first half but much better in the 2nd half and should have won more comfortably but a wins a win. Ajose is literally just a goal scorer and only really comes alive in the box which alongside a workhorse striker like Obika works perfectly. I would make him odds on to finish top scorer in the league now.
Special mention to Blackpool's time wasting all game it was pretty obvious and embarrassing at times but only served to fire up our players so ended up working in our favour.

Bit early to judge surely?? Let him settle in first...

I get that feeling also.....it would be good to get to 52 asap, then be able to play some sexy football, in the spring sunshine.

I didn't mean it in the negative, he's another ball playing centre half not the big dominant type that we have been lacking for a while. That said with our style of play that's not the type we'd go for.

A real bunch of cunts weren't they? When they weren't time wasting they were falling over in the area.

Hilarious to see the carthorse right back ball juggling at a throw-in at 2-2 only to have his head in his hands at 3-2.

Not sure what to say about that. The wind was a git, we made a shit start, and Blackpool's striker kept waving his arms about every twenty seconds.

But for some reason despite this not being a classic, I rather enjoyed it. Even when they equalised and before our winner.

Branco for all his faults, (he wouldn't be with us otherwise, and there's a dearth of defenders about) will stick his head on the ball, and battle physically.

Enjoyed that game after the dour Barnsley game, we were unlucky not to win by more . I thought the new guy was pretty decent on the ball could be a bit more commanding in the air, Ajose is a real goal poacher and I suspect we may have interest in him in the summer. Although Ajose got MOM I thought Nathan Thompson was our best player.

Deserved to win against a Blackpool side who offered very little apart from time wasting and physicality (is that a word?).  Sadly I thought it was a poor game to watch, we were painfully slow in the build-up preferring to go backwards instead of going for the jugular - they didn't seem too clever at the back!  Conditions were awful which will never help matters.  I guess Ajose was the correct choice for mom after a hat-trick but some decent performances out there, the two wing backs have come on a lot since the start of the season and Nathan looked good.  I guess the substitutions of Robert and Traore were due to fitness - I thought they were running the game for long periods.  But it is another three points in our quest for 52, doesn't matter how they come, just let them keep coming!

my no score draw was well out and we played well in parts.The weather was dreadful and Blackpool was poor.

Highlights

http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/competitions/league-one/10175495/swindon-3-2-blackpool

Shortest match day thread ever

I really enjoyed that today

Particularly Ajose's third goal for his hat trick

Sublime  8)

Bloody brilliant to see Yeovil Red at a match and in the County after too  :D

Flash was going for it with the tunes

I love matchdays

After seeing those highlights I reckon the match fixing commission might be looking at their goalie :)

The first goal was pathetic from the keeper and you'd have to ask questions about the winner, looked like he could have done better.

Check out the Millwall v posh highlights, the 45 yard back pass that the Millwall keeper is forced to acrobatically head over his own bar, top draw keeping!

Yeah I saw that, that was pretty neat.

Glad I don't have to do a match report for that. The new fella looks quite good, and thank god we won. That's about all I can come up with!

Have to see the highlights for the penalty - was never one from what I saw, but I didn't really see a lot. We've seen a lot of goals at the CG this season at least.
:coyr:

At the time I thought it was a penalty, nobody around me seemed to disagree either.

Having watched the replay, it was harsh, these grapples happen in the box pretty much every fucking corner and we had one not long after that wasn't given.

Just glad we won.

First half we were poor, the passing was far too slow & we didn't really cause them many problems.

The second half (not for the first time under Williams) was much better, we played at a much better pace moving the ball quicker, only disappointment was giving away a needless penalty when we're on top. Really think we would have won more comfortably if we hadn't.

Still, shouldn't complain about a home win

Blackpool manager Neil McDonald on Nicky Ajose (he's 5 ft 6 and scored a hat-trick).

Iandolo looks like he has some real potential. Just had this calmness about his play and came across as just a naturally talented footballer.

Not been much this year. Fantastic Day out apart from the weather. Think we looked potentially strong in all departments. Ajose seemd to take for ever to get his shot off from where I was standing / shouting ( Townend ). Think I shouted out  "greedy hatrick seeking cunt  / lay it off". Peterboro next week who have coceded 7 in 2. Fuck 5K to COV. How baout 2K to BORO. Gonna be quiet next week. We are not going down but next week is really crucial for a play off push. If we make it we will be the form team going in on the basis just cannot see much else below us that has a chance. Rather be in playoff in form than out of sorts like last year.

A game like last week that we would of lost earlier in the season.

That result keeps us safe in my mind. I'm relaxing...

Still don't know how two of them went in.

Just read back.

This seems spot on.

Sometimes keeping the ball and stroking it about is a good thing but yesterday we needed to be a bit more direct....not hoof it but whip the ball in quicker from the wings. They shit themselves every time the ball came in.

I was a bit pissed...

Banned from the pubs is one of my favourites...

During the build-up to the game I heard interviews with both Brad Barry and Luke Williams who stated we were going to start at a fast pace and dominate the game from the off - I shall now put those two in the same category as David Cameron who tells us what we want to hear but does the opposite in reality!! 

Enjoyed the game, particularly the second half. Think we'll be fine for a top half finish, but playoffs probably out of reach. Great last goal from Ajose and nice for my lad to see a win before he's posted to Germany next week. (The lucky sod).

Army? Squaddies only have a few more years of that perk left now.

yes Brad Barry has come on a lot, but how many penalties has he given away so far this season? that one yesterday looked pretty needless

I think the player got song side of him and he pulled him back. clear penalty for me.

he's got a way to go on his defensive side, come on leaps and bounds further up the pitch.

Cert pen from the TE view I had.

Needless as above....just wasn't turnbull...

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, is our shitness from corners.

We've had windy games just about every home game since October, so whenever we're attacking SB, we should be putting the opposition under pressure, but are corners are shite, and don't get me started on the fucking short corners. They are normally under hit, and cannot get past the front man, and I've lost how many times that the opposition has broke on us and nearly scored...after a shit corner. And don't get me started on our defending on corners. as proved yesterday. Blackpool hardly had a chance...yet they scored twice.

Rant over.

Yep, Artillery. I think he said they'll all be out by 2019.

It does look like we do the square root of fuckall training on set pieces to be fair.

Set pieces are for those ugly long ball brutes

Can we create a new record and go through a league season without a home clean sheet?  I don't get people saying this is a dull campaign.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IQKULV_dR3E

To be honest at all levels of football the basic ability to clear the first man on corners has became a dying art!

Ajose obviously man of match but thought Fabien Robert had one of his more effective games. Flattered to deceive far less than normal and big threat running at Blackpool, and passing generally pretty incisive too. Although Blackpool penalty came from corner given away after his trick in midfield gave away possession after not coming off, and presumably was the reason for his substitution.

Nicky Ajose made the League One team of the week in "The Football League Paper". Plays for Crewe according to them. Shame.

It certainly goes a long way towards safety, as we should be capable of picking up 10 or so points from the last 14.

It's interesting that after the first 16 games we were joint bottom with Crewe, on 13 points. Which means we've accumulated 29 points from the next 16....quite an improvement.

Yeah, and according to the twat doing the commentary for Channel Five's shit show, Vigouroux was playing in goal for Blackpool.

Not far off 2 points a game, almost promotion form... Same form for the rest of the season would see us get to around the 67/68 point mark which is borderline play-offs. Blatantly not going to happen and we are nowhere near good enough to go up but does go to show the impact that our long injury list had on our season and despite all the hysteria over the lack of signings we have actually got a competitive team.

A bit of a strange comparison but there is a lot similar with what happened to us and man Utd currently. LVG trying to cope with 13 first team regulars injured, playing the kids who are struggling. Same debate we had, will changing the manager have any effect? The new manager will still have the same players available but when fit results should improve. Lots of ifs buts and maybes as always in football, I strongly believe getting rid of cooper was a good thing but at the same time I looked at the team of players he put out at our worst injury level and had sympathy.

Fuck him.

The first 16 were with limited involvement from a certain Mr. Williams.

People can mock him all they want, but since his 'return' our form is promotion level.

The season could have been very different if it were not for all those injuries and/or Cooper seemingly wanting to do things differently. Oh, well. There's nowt we can do about that now. After all the bitching and moaning about recruitment it seems we actually have a pretty decent squad that might do something with a couple of good additions. It's almost as though Power and Williams know what they're doing and know more than the fans. Imagine that.... football professionals knowing more about football than non-football professionals!

As much as I'd love promotion I can settle for a 2 year cycle. Other clubs, often bigger than us, also want promotion but there's only 3 places available. If people think that we should be challenging for promotion every season that they're fucking deluded. Even clubs on a large budget can need time to get a settled squad.

Had the first 16 matched the next 16 we'd be right in the mix, but it didn't. When we hit 2nd bottom, then it needed PO form to get us out.

As for the 2 year cycle, that ws always going to be difficult given the turnover in the summer, and we have made a bit of progress, so that ideally we get to 52 asap, then can enjoy the rest of the campaign and give opportunities to some of the kids. 

The signing of Nicky Ajose has been a huge catalyst and the front 2 Ajika partnership is thriving.

I think Brad Barry after a difficult start has looked pretty decent. If he can improve the defensive side of his game he will be a very useful wingback as he is probably our assist king.

Brophy has looked good in patches and Iandolo seems to be a decent talent also. I think Louis Thompson and Doughty are very good central midfielders and Vigs is a great shot stopper and has great reflexes but could be better with the ball at his feet.

If we can sign Vigs and Doughty for next season, I think this will be a great basis for a much better squad next season.

This is a very good point, if you think we can be disapointed with how this season has gone, how should likes of Shef U and Posh (assuming the table stays same) feel?

Hopefully this is a slightly more disappointing version of 2013/14, and next year can be a more successful version of 2014/15. Given who appears to be coming down from the Championship, I don't think this division will be particularly tougher next season compared to this -And certainly it'll be weaker than last.

If we keep the squad, Yaser aside, together and add wisely, I think we can hopefully challenge

Looking at the potential teams coming down/going up, the geography could be pretty good next season as well. Charlton is a great away trip and although they have picked up recently there is a change Bristol City could come back down.

From league 2 there is a feast of southern based teams scrambling to come up - Northampton are walking the league and then you have Plymouth and our yellow friends in 2nd and 3rd. Competing for the play-offs are Rovers, Pompey, Orient, Wycombe, Wimbledon and Cambridge, so there could be some better away trips next season as well.

Problem is the budget will likely have to be reduced next season if the amount of people not renewing season tickets on here is anything to go by.

This season we've averaged about 7,000 next season it may well be down to maybe around 6,000. Nevertheless, Burton, Gills and Walsall, have mounted viable campaigns on similar or fewer, so it can be done.

Naughty naughty painting a pessimistic picture. Actual average is 7484.

Which to be fair, is actually not that bad for a team in 15th in league 1.

I was taking a median figure, most weeks there are about 7000. Either way not too bad...

Probably one for Reg but what is the most number of times in a season we have come from behind to win, we must be close to some kind of record this season. I make 5 times so far; Bradford, Southend, Crewe x 2 and Blackpool, in recent years it's always felt a bit of a rarity for us to turn a game around to win.

That figure was budgeted for, taking into account it is largely a Northern league. Despite the normal witterings of discontent, I would not be surprised to see average attendances rise a little next season considering the league should be more balanced geographically. We'll just have to wait and see.

It has skewed it this year for sure. I don't know what the average away attendance is this year but doubt its more than 350/400

Regardless of who comes up from L2 / down from Championship, there are bound to be substantially more away fans visiting the CG over the season.

For starters, Charlton, Northampton and Plymouth all look likely to replace Burton, Colchester and Crewe. Average crowds might well increase if we end up with City, Oxford and / or Rovers.

It's as though when the injuries started clearing up, our team improved.

Fascinating.

Not had the usual one game this season where we get a full bank so the lack of that alone probably lowers the average by around 150 for the season. Last season we had the City game, season before we had Wolves and City, those sort of games do make quite a difference.

If only we had a roof on it ;)

Renewed this morning.

Me too.  At least I'll have someone to wave to across the vast empty spaces that people on here are predicting.   :D 

I will renew mine when I get around to it, so you can wave in my general direction too

I renewed mine today along with 2 others and signed the kids up for junior red memberships for the first time. Arm and a leg spring to mind.

About the game. I thought the new lad in the back looked decent. Did not see enough about his aerial ability but he looked composed on the ground.

Vigs, Turnball, Doughty, Thompson, key part of the back bone of the squad at the mo, could easily not be here next season. Bear that in mind before we start getting excited for next season, just saying

Other than the fact that your suggestion wouldn't stand up to any scrutiny. Changes of personnel and formation have pretty much been a constant throughout the season.

So for example the side which lost early doors to Blackpool, who had maybe one home win in something like 9 months, contained 12 of the squad on show on Saturday.

3 missing  from the away display included Branco and Kasim, both who'd have probably played on Sat if fit. As Tails said a more convincing reason, is the shedding of Cooper and getting Williams back into the fold.

It's a good question but mighty difficult to do.  

So for example Banyard's site gives scorer's times back to the start of the 80's; for earlier seasons you'd need to trawl the Adver/Pink microfilms in the Central Library.

An enjoyable pastime, in the days of the old Ref, but sadly no longer, as the kit is near to the computers and their "users" who seem to spend their time conducting shady business deals on mobile phones...the days of a stern "shhh" from the bespectacled, bun haired, lady librarian long gone.

I am interested in the least clean sheets for a season, we're currently on 4....yet to do a thorough search, but my guess that the Prem season might be the one, confirmed a similar 4.  I'll do it if that holds, hopefully it won't starting at Posh.

I think Vigs and Doughty will probably be here, Liverpool have got LOADS of keepers and I can't see that he's Championship ready yet, similarly I think Doughty would have made the break through to the QPR first team by now if it was going to happen.

Turnbull and Thompson are less likely...

Kasim will be gone, but I'm also worried about Ajose, sure to attract some suitors with his scoring record this term.

Mate of mine who is a QPR season ticket holder couldn't believe we had been able to get Doughty. Seems highly rated there by many if not the manager

Ah, but thanks to the Football League Paper, they'll all be putting bids into a bemused Crewe so he'll be going nowhere :)

Quick question, all you people who say they have renewed , have you had any official notification from the club yet?  I haven't, the st holder who sits with me hadn't heard anything but my grandson's mum has had an e-mail?

Have you checked all of your email folders including spam?

Got an email on Saturday morning.  It was only a copy of the page from the OS.

Yes mate!

I can't really answer that as I paid at the club shop this morning. Unlike last year, a new card will be available to collect in July rather than an immediate updating of my existing card (I wonder if it will have Fanzai advertising all over it?). I did get a paper receipt for the £345.00 I handed over. My pessimistic nature means that I will have a lot of minor fretting to deal with until the moment the new card is in my hands.

Which it's not.

Interesting to note on the official highlights the commentator twice references our fans becoming too easily frustrated, quick to get on the back of the players, shouting "get it forward"...

Our fans being cunts? Well I never!

There's an old boy who sits a couple of rows in front of me in the DRS who goes everywhere following Town, but all he does is moan about the team. Even when we're 2 or 3 up and seeing the game out he complains that we aren't pushing forward to score more goals.

You dont sit SB end of the DRS do you? Some bloke behind me does exactly that. Annoying bastard/

Nope, just TE side of halfway.

But I don't doubt that there's more than one of them

they are strategically deployed in every section.

I'm hoping to work my way up to getting the role in the next 15-20 years.

You're showing promise Batch  :)

Says Yoda to Young Bluke ;)

Ha, I got verbals from some old bloke a few years ago because I was stood in the gangway in the drs. I was stood in the gangway because I was trying to leave but the cretins who hovver around the exits were blocking my route. Gave him the bird.

Well obviously Tails has made a very good point but no longer having 13 injuries hasn't played a part? Whatever you say.

Several of the injured like Williams and K Stewart, and then Wes Thomas, partly connected to the loan issue, never came back. We had a couple of games with Ajose up front on his own, like Donny away, which was hardly ideal, but we still managed a point because Super Jon was on the bench.

Lingy made a thing of picking 2 up top when he took over.