Thetownend.com

Just thought I'd remind everyone we're playing today!!!!!

And now you've condemned us to a loss by starting the thread in the wrong fucking forum! NICE ONE

good job you did, totally forgot. If you can't get excited at a Tuesday night game,  at the end of the season, away at Oldham then what's the point. I'll have a word with myself.

If you could have a word with me too, when you get the chance. I would, but I can't be arsed :)

 A point would be very welcome, but highly unlikely.

Oldham will know, that it's a must win game for them, and atm we're probably the team you'd most like to see visiting.

Really? Not Crewe or Doncaster?

Got a feeling we'll lose comfortably tonight. Oldham are scrapping for their lives and our lot just aren't up for a fight at the moment.

Well Oldham have Crewe the penultimate game at home....they'd probably prefer that then to now.  They lost to Donny. No it just seems they're getting us at a very good time....if the game had been played when scheduled, we were on a decent run, now we're struggling, and Sheridan has turned them round somewhat 

They had a break at the weekend, their pitch has deteriorated further etc. and we look a shambles.

They had a break at the weekend, their pitch has deteriorated further etc. and we look a shambles.

And playing 2 games in 4 days is a little hard for the poor soles.

I don't know whether to admire or feel sorry for anyone who travels up for this game tonight.

Yes....doesn't do much for the heels and toes either.

3-1 defeat, Ajose for us

That really would be shocking....Oldham haven't managed 3 in a league game at BP all season.

 :-[

6 0 defeat. Oldham ain't no Fleetwood.
All the usual passion that our side is known for, missing.
On the up side, their will be lots of sexy, sideways, pointless passing.

If we try to play our 'passing it out from the back´game on their mud heap of a pitch, it'll be asking for even more trouble than usual.

Can only see a defeat.

Yeah they're even worse!

What the fuck does that mean you hairy cunt?

Could be but have you ever seen a worse display than Fleetwoods strikers? They could of been 3 0 up at half time but for their crapness, certainly not that our defence was keeping them out.

Pre match indifference in the Picadilly Wetherspoons.

Sixth visit to Ice Station Zebra. Previous five, all lost so zero expectations for this evening.

Over 12,000 turned up for the 1990 game, probably less than 3.5k tonight.

Oldham have spent far too long in this league and would benefit from a spell in League 2,
so a win to help send them on their way would be very good.
Can't see it happening though.

Time for another beer.

3-0 defeat - without even trying, and that's just Oldham.

I like your attitude sir.

If we win, will all game threads be in Nev's forum from now on?

Our last 3 games should be in NSFW.

Never felt confident playing at Oldham - I think Saturday was a turning point for the better so this will be a draw 1-1

I will be more than happy with a dull, scrappy, dour 0-0 draw.  I don’t think I can be accused of having unrealistically high expectations...can I ?? :hmmm:

Expecting a clean sheet might be a bit wild.

Oldham have a player called Palmer on loan from Burton....dear old Roger scored 6 in a variety of games against us in the late 80's. He was a sort of James Hayter/Will Grigg type, which means a certain inevitability. It will do my head in completely if Matt scores tonight.

We've lost 6 out of our last 9 against Oldham - could see that being 7 in 10. Would be more than happy with a draw, safe journey to fans travelling/travelled up

The fact that I'm staying in Manchester until Thursday but can't summon up the enthusiasm to jump on a tram to go to the game demonstrates my apathy towards this season.

Roll on May....

Like us they have injury problems and we will play differently on their dirty chewed up pitch.
No tippy tappy.

We will turn the corner tonight - 3pts.

3-0 courtesy of an Ajose hat trick

No Ajose or Obika tonight

2-0 from Wobbly Bob then, as he appears to be the only one who's going to be there

Town starting XI: Belford, Barry, Sendles-White, Branco (C), Turnbull, Ormonde-Ottewill, Rodgers, Thompson L, Doughty, Iandolo, Hylton

Possibly one of the worst Town sides to start a game for many years

Frightening how weak that is.

I reckon Reg is older than all our subs combined

the bench has an average age of about 18, Subs: Henry, Brophy, Marshall, Balmy, Evans, Cooke, Young

If only we hadnt loaned out our other strikers :D

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:
Probably better in some cases too!

What's been reported on Ajose absence?

I would struggle to come up with a weaker one - and I remember the dark days of the early 1980s.

That front line is awful. Just stuck some money on Oldham -2. Very confident

Ditto.

I now await the inevitable draw.

Fuck me that's frightening. How many goals have that lot scored between them?

10 this season.

Fucking hell that is a weak line up....hope I'm shocked by the result...

No Ajose, you wonder where the goals will come from. Hopefully Doughty has his shooting boots on and maybe Branco can head a set piece in. Must be our youngest bench. Lets hope the boys and I mean boys perform tonight. COYR

Think latics relegation rivals will be a bit upset at that line up

why not start with Cooke?

Juiie is deceased non? Does she have a successor?

Cooke struggled to get a game for Glos City. Where is Traore? Marshall to come off the bench for Rodgers to show us what we've been missing? Please!

This feels ominously like Preston away last season. Except Oldham are hopefully less good.

1-0 (Kelly)

Going to be a long night for the kids

And now we hit the bar.

Another goal coming down our right. Barry has to be the worst full back I can recall in my 20 years.

Not great at defending. Adds more than some previous full backs attacking wise.

I'd say his priority should be defending.

Yes. I'm not sure we do much in training on that though.

In other news, yeah I know it'll change, but the shitheads are currently only 3 points above the relegation zone. We can but hope for a regional division 3.

You're assuming we stay in division 3

 Fleetwood ahead....so 7 points off the drop with 7 to go as things stand....somnambulism, let's hope for a favourable change.

I'll get back to you after we get an injury update on Ajose/Obika :)

We may already have enough points...And I think we'll get a couple more.

I hope so mate

attn 3730 (177 Town fans. Fair play.)

I cashed out just in case, £10 returns £15. Wish my bank did that.

And the Adver think Bedwell's in goal.

Hats off to that.

Wasn't expecting to break 100 when we have little to play for (yes I said it Reg)

We need to turn this around fast or we'll be in for a few nervous weeks

shambles

Pfff. These kids can't put up a fight even to save their careers.

Why?

I think we ARE in for a few nervous weeks!

Statistically speaking, is Belford our worst ever keeper in terms of goals conceded per minute played?

One more win.

I'm sure that's enough...

Because in the space of a few games, we've gone from being 12 points above the relegation zone to 7 or something similar?

I don't get the nervousness. For me the season was dead after the Wigan defeat.

Lots and lots of 'Meh, this is shit', I get that. But nervousness... nope. (Cue Reg with stats from the 50's)

Yet again Marshall sits on the bench all night! He can't be rated by the coaching team.

Town don't sound as if they will get another point this season. Will 51 definitely be enough to avoid the last relegation place?

And because we currently look like we're going concede every time the opposition gets anywhere near our box?

Although that said I think we've got enough points in the bank. Just.

To be fair, I've not even listened to tonight's game so I'll retract my remarks.

Still not at all nervous though... yet.

I wasn't feeling nervous prior to tonight.  However, if Obika and Vigaroux are missing for much longer, we could genuinely be in trouble and have to rely on those below us matching us in terms of shitness.

To be honest, I'll be glad when this season ends. It started poorly and looks like it's going to end in the same way. Hopefully our good run will get us over the line.

Ajose - sore/tight hamstring - had scan...should know more end of tomorrow. Happened at end of training yesterday.

Difficult for Ellis, lack of experience makes it hard. Hylton tried to lead line but probably needs more experience along side him too.

Disappointed with lack of concentration allowing space in the box.
Second one needs to look at again, but ...doesn't want players not concentrating - getting involved with bickering/pantomime.

Even Rafael - most experienced player in back line - we've had to defend a lot - looking fatigued because of it.

We were able to get some control on a difficult pitch, needed to being lightweight up front, but we didn't create enough...didn't look composed. Missing Ajose's calmness and Obika's power. Has some good spells but didn't do enough with it.

...yeah its an obvious conclusion we need more experience...but with that comes a bigger price tag and they get snapped up quickly. We've shown in the past we can recruit young and develop..

..optimistic that before end of season we'll see a dominant performance and pick up a win.

Vigs - Liverpool taking control of rehabilitation - won't know until Thursday but don't think he'll be involved in immediate future.

Obika/Robert - may be involved on Saturday. Not starting...

Traore - tight groin - constant injury needs work to avoid in future.

Will not compromised style even on dodgy pitch.

Bury at home in a couple of weeks. We can both play out a draw like Austria vs West Germany in 1982 and both move on to 52.

Genuinely starting to get a bit worried now. Need players back ASAP, excuses are concerning, as is the lack of momentum for next season even if we do stay up (which is likely).

The players are not filling us with any confidence while I agree it's unlikely we will go down but I don't know if this squad at the moment has a another win in it. I'm sure if we're 4 points (or so) off the drop zone by close of play Saturday a lot more fans will get edgy.

Obika may be back Saturday. If he's back, we will get a win.

Squad hasnt been good enough all season really. Too much dross. I blame Power. He handles the recruitment after all. Lack of options upfront is a joke.

We nearly got away with it, but the lack of Smith replacement is hitting hard now. Obika seems a bit susceptible to injuries so hope we don't fuck about like this next season.

This Sam Jewell chief scout geezer hasnt found us any players yet has he?

On the other hand, if he worked out quite early that we had just enough to stay up, he did quite a clever job of offloading a few salaries on loan to save money for a full-blown assault next year.

Right?

Half right :)

Storey isnt god but he has to be better than inexperienced youngins ..

Squad build is threadbare this season.Hope some lessons have been learned.I doubt it

No. Of the teams with us in the relegation battle for probably 1 place, Shrewsbury look have the most difficult run in, but it's now looking increasingly possible that the last game of the season may decide. We've also managed a -11 GD in the last 4, effectively throwing an extra point away on most of the other candidates. 

The budget gets cut every year which is why the squad has got worse. Getting rid of 2 strikers and not replacing them is a massive risk. If Obika got injured a few weeks earlier we might be in trouble now. The result of not replacing is a threadbare squad...from experience in October id have thought Power might have got a few more in to avoid this very scenario.

Easter and onwards is always the time that tends to sort out which way teams are heading and our current form is pathetic regarding points and goals conceded and has put us in a not very good situation.

The chances of us getting anything at Bradford probably hinges on our "better" players being available but even then I do not hold out any great hopes as they are on a roll currently and it may be too soon.

Just another win would help certainly and I will be glad to see the back of this season that is for sure.

I think he binned this season weeks ago, and would have gone for a loan if Obika had got nobbled a couple of weeks earlier. Might be quite canny. I just don't know when we get to see the payoff.

It will be interesting to see how we run next season as the emergency loan window is closing, so we can only do business in the summer or January. Do we stock up on players in the summer and replenish in January, or do we go with what we have and use the youths?

As far as I'm concerned, 21st is still very much a possibility and I'm surprised how relaxed a lot of people are about this.

Well done, everybody. I'm still nervous.

Agree with this, although I'd probably go back further than a few weeks. The payoff will be next season. We'll either have a more diverse squad who challenge, or we'll continue to have a threadbare squad who struggle with inadequate replacements when they're needed. Perhaps we'll have exactly what we've had this season, except half the squad won't get injured and we won't have a manager/coach who despise each other, and we'll reach the play offs. I do think there are more factors at hand than just the fact that Obika is injured and everyone else is short.

I was quite pleased we only conceded 2 actually  :pint:

About time for another PowerHour I think...

Seems pointless to me. I think most people have already made their mind up about him and won't be swayed - and if they are on the fence, a few leading, Garth Crooksy questions from Hodgetts isn't going to help.

I think he should have us all round for a cuppa.

At least people will have more to talk about than the food kiosks!

Post match large medicinal vodka in progress.

Well that was expected. Oldham did enough and not much to get excited about.
Decent in the first half, good tempo and attacked well down the wings,
BOO in particular and Rogers moved the ball quite well.
Improved display from Hylton.
Top teams don't concede goals like the first one, either the cross is stopped,
or its then dealt with in the box or the keeper saves it.
Oldham pressed more in the second half and a few of our lot faded.
No real threat from the youngsters up front but good experience anyway.
Still maybe need another 3 or 4 points to be absolutely safe.
Hopefully the return of NT and maybe Jon can steady the ship
on Saturday.

Highlights up

http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/competitions/league-one/10231859/oldham-2-0-swindon

Looking at the goals it looks like more shambolic defending and poor keeping. First goal a free header but looks to be very close to the keeper so should be doing better. Second goal lots of half arsed clearances and keeper in no mans land to get lobbed from 6 yards for the final finish. We really are just giving away goals at the moment!

Betfair offering 200-1 on us to be relegated. Time for a Brian Hillier insurance bet to cover cost of a season ticket.

I think we probably need a couple of points to be sure but generally 51 has been enough... I was relaxed, now I'm a bit nervy. If Obika and Vigs are back soon (+ NT's returning on Saturday) I think we'll be able to get at least one more win.

I doubt that we will see Vigs back any time soon (if at all).  So I'm not getting my hopes up for anything other than another defeat at Bradford on Saturday.

I see that we picked up another 6 yellow cards last night! Does anyone know if we are getting close to suspensions?

Not another Hodgetts love-in!!  Scared to ask any meaningful questions in case he gets a media ban and his little claim to fame will be gone!

You should be nervy,  51 may well not be enough this season, all the teams between us and Donny, have shown recent evidence of form just at the time we've lost it...we have to play 2 of them.

The game v Bury, may be shit or bust.

Must say I'm getting a bit nervy, teams below all picking up points and were playing awful for the last 4 games conceding 13 goals in the process. We need obika back asap

Here are our rivals run ins....

Blackpool (45):  2 home games v ColU and Wigan. 3 away v Dale, a massive game v Fleetwood, and Posh.

Fleetwood(45): 3 home games v Oldham (massive) Blackpool (massive) and Crewe. 3 away v Sarfend, Millwall, and Walsall.

Oldham(44): 3 home games v  Walsall, Crewe and Cov. 4 away v Barnsley, Sarfend, Fleetwood and Millwall.

Chesterfield(46): 3 home games v Sheff U, Donny and Bury. 3 away v Barnsley, STFC and Bradford

Shrewsbury(46): 3 home games v Bradford, Sheff U and Posh 4  away v Millwall, Gills, Walsall and STFC.

Bury(51): 3 home games v Donny, Millwall and Sarfend. 3 away v STFC, Scunny and Chesterfield.

Of those, there are none who cannot make a reasonable case for getting to 52/53 points given current form.

Blackpool look the most vunerable. This Saturday's visit of ColU for them is a must win.

Hard to have any perspective after the run we've been on (although I think draws v Millwall & Cov were not bad results and Wigan are smashing everyone at the moment) but if you took 3/4 best players out of any team they'd struggle to get results.

The only thing we can hope for is that Power/Williams learn their lesson from this year and invest in some decent squad depth. Power made a bold claim saying that next year they'd go for it.

You just hope that this year we've done just about enough. Realistically 53 will keep us safe and we should get 2 draws in our last 6. It is starting to get surprisingly nervy though.

Highlights were very depressing.
Lost count of how many of our poor little mites were wearing gloves, in APRIL  FFS !!!!!!!!!!!!

Last couple of times we've been in League 2 have been great fun, why the nerves?

Both times we've had to throw money at it to get out...won't happen this time.

soapy tit wank, though in all seriousness we've got out of division 4 by spending. Even SSW/Di******s did that. can't see that being repeated.


anyway we aren't going down..

edit: oh God. I've turned into reg

Sweepstake on our finishing position? I say 18th.

I’d imagine we’ll only need one point due to the number of teams involved, I’d imagine we’ll get another 4.
As Tails said, any team losing 4 good players will struggle. This won’t be the case for all 6 games.
Defeat Saturday. However we’ll beat one of Bury, Chesterfield or Shrewsbury, or get at least two points from those.

For those who, every once in a while, proudly state that "it is never boring watching Swindon Town", I hope that you are happy.

Personally I would have been quite satisfied with the dull mediocrity of 6 "dead rubbers" to end the season.

Hey ho.

On the bright side, Oldham's run-in looks tough. Some decent opponents in Walsall, Barnsley, Southend, Millwall, and even a battling Fleetwood for good measure.

 Cant see too much from our remaining away games but if we lose at home to Bury, Chesterfield and Shrewsbury then we deserve to get relegated. With Obika, Thompson and Ajose back I don't think we will fail to at least draw a couple of them

Sadly even with my pint glass half full optimism I am starting to have a fear to what the end of season holds. Realistically it looks like one spot in the relegation zone is a potential pitfall and my fear is in many divisions the tail end lf a season sees a team which is thought to be safe suddenly get sucked down the trap door and I have a big fear it may be us unless something dramatic changes in the next 3 games. Its unclear how long Obika and Ajose will be out but we have struggled without Obika and to lose the leagues top scorere is a hammer blow especially as we seem incapable of defending, conceding goals at an alarming rate.

To have an attacking way such as the fabled "Swindon Way" is admirable but behind that you have to have some basic defensive capabilities to give you a platform to attack and win games. There are times we give away goals beacuse of defenders bringing the ball out and losing it and spaces then being exploited. First and foremost a defender should be a defender, deny your opponents opportunities on your goal with good positional play so why isnt that the case, why cant the forwards and attacking midfielders do their thing, why do they need the defenders to join in as well, let defenders defend. Then the second element of defending is marking your opponent properly and having the determination not to be beaten whether thats competing for a challenge or desperately trying to block a shot or cross, yet i see neither currently.

This football club simply cannot drop down into league two, I dont anticipate us ever being a championship club unless another Andrew Black appears and we get a top line manager but I do feel we should be a top line league one club fighting each year in and around the play off spots giving a higher percentage of enjoyment than despair to us the fans at the bottom end of the table as has been the case this season.

There needs to be a balance between investment and sustainability so I applaud on one hand the chairman trying to sort the club out so we dont go out of business but at the same time there needs to be some investment to give the club a balanced and competitive squad. Thats not easy but he has stated he is a businessman and a man with many football contacts so I dont see why he cant deliver this.

I will be at the home games and maybe an away game before the end but cant see me making that long haul to Bradford as thats a lot of effort and personal expense for what I sadly think at the moment could be a very horrible day given their form and our form and team available.

To finish on a positive, it was nice to see a few of the academy players in the fold, I just wish they had a few more experienced players alongside them to guide them

Has there ever been a more predictable scoreline.we are far too bad to only concede one,with ajose out no possibility of notching and oldham are far too crap to score 3.should have broken my own rule and bet against us

Post of the season for me.

Very considered and 100% accurate.

Power claims he is a business man - though I can't find much about him in that regard, and he claims to have contacts in football. Despite him being a journeyman footballer and never having achieved anything approaching success in his career as a player, he seems to make some fundamental mistakes, like not bringing in cover in the transfer window and relying upon the inexperienced opinions of his newly appointed rookie manager.

I wonder why Mr experience didn't overrule his manager in that instance?

Personally, I don't think we will get relegated this season as when we have a few bodies back we'll pick up the points that will see us over the line.

However, Williams is obviously very inexperienced with zero in terms of scouting prowess and Powers 'football contacts' don't seem to be providing much fruit for us this season ( I wonder why Spurs aren't helping us out any more...), so where are the cheap players that we can polish and then sell-on going to come from for next season?

Powers model for a sustainable club is built upon selling players, and that's fine to a point, but only if the entity that provides a platform for them to shine on actually allows them to do so. If we continue like we are at the moment, that platform will soon be L2 and I remember how tough it was trying to attract players last time were there - with loads of money and a very high profile manager too.

Still, the happy-clapping gang have got it all sussed out, and if all else fails, I'm sure they'll have some smart-arsed comments and in-jokes ready, and that will always divert attention away from what is becoming a grim reality for those that have their eyes open.

My way of thinking is that we have had alot more success with Powers methods than failure. I look at it and think he has had one good season and one quite poor season. I will judge him on next season.

If it carries on like this then yes i will start to panic but let's wait and see

I would disagree with the first paragraph in that power has shown he is a businessman by not bringing anyone in January, we didn't need to and still don't, why waste money and bring in players that arnt needed, we're not going to go up were not going to go down, so would be in my opinion a waste.

Not needed?

Not fucking needed?

So you think it's OK to shortchange fans for the last 8 home games by fielding the heap of shit we've been forced to watch lately?

And how many fans are being turned away now by the distinct lack of anybody actually giving a fuck

You beat me to it.
We should be building for next season at least.

What player will leave their current club with an eye for next season?

Doughty maybe.  Who knows but you could at least fucking try.

Why do any players leave their clubs during a transfer window

I'm confused. Did you mean sign players for this season in January or for next?

It's all fine margins isn't it? If x, y, z player doesn't get injured we probably would have been pushing top 6 this season. Last season Power was a genius. This year he's a crook. I get the impression this was always going to be a season of rebuilding due to the sheer volume of outgoings last season. I don't blame Power for selling, the downside of having a good team full of players performing is that it draws attention to them, which has always been the case and we've ALWAYS sold players / managers. We're a third tier club, in the division we belong, and players can and should do better. And whilst I won't claim to know the ins and outs, I know we run at a loss and those losses have to be covered.

It's easy to say the recruitment policy failed this season, we certainly didn't land all the players we wanted to, but it's obvious there was an eye on 16/17. In that respect, there is a lot more pressure on Power this summer. The loan market is being restricted so he will have to bring in players permanently and the only way we can attract anyone decent is by promoting ourselves as a stepping stone. That was going to be difficult in January, although I do think that there should have been some more bodies in add some depth.

3 years of Power. 1 pretty decent (8th), one very decent (4th) and one awful (TBC - fairly confident we wont go down). You're only as good as your last result (or season in this case) so I can see why a lot of supporters will be frustrated and throwing their tantrums... But there are reasons to be optimistic. Williams has shown himself a good coach (development of the likes of Byrne, Gladwin, fuck he even helped turn Williams into a 20 goal striker) and I think he can get another decent season out... But there are lessons to be learned. We need a strong summer, if anything to get fans back onside (although the petulant nature of many means that some have made Power a villain and that won't change).

A little perspective is needed here though isn't when it comes to signings. Take a look at the following and give an honest opinion on your initial feeling when we first signed them.

Louis Thompson
Nicky Ajose
Jordan Turnball
Fabien Robert
 
We also were very unfortunate with Stewart and Williams from liverpool. These players are good players where we went wrong is filling other key areas with very poor players. You can't replace Kasim with Rogers and you can't replace Toffolo with Boo for example.

That's why like i said let's wait until the summer after 1 good and 1 bad pre season

In a business perspective they are not needed,
If he was here for the fans and have unlimited funds then it wouldn't be a problem, he had written off this season when cooper went.
Your not forced to watch anything btw, it's the shape of things to come unfortunately. Crew springs to mind,

For me there is only one question that needs addressing.

How on earth are we ever going to get a defence that doesn't give away so many chances/makes so many errors game after game.

Without that we are going nowhere - even with the calibre of players such as Luongo, Byrne etc we couldn't hack it. And what's the chances of recruiting that quality of player again any time soon.

Williams hasn't filled me with belief he can organise a defence

That's the problem, though.

It's obviously just a business to Power but it's a passion to thousands. And really, your attitude of 'if you don't like it don't come' is hardly a successful model for any business let alone football.

Lots can agree with you that it's the shape of things to come - hence the dwindling crowds

We had fewer than Blackpool, Saturday and they've got Oyston in charge.

It's not my business, I'm only saying what is happening people arnt liking so there not going, it's very sad let's hope next season is better, if it is it'll be better for everyone,

A passion for thousands who demand their money back when results don't go the right way? Who constantly say "I'm not going again this season" because we hit a bad run of form or they don't believe the owner is spending enough? Give me a break, the amount of times I hear "I pay my money so I'm allowed to boo". Our fans act like customers.

Besides the point anyway. Football is a business. Every football club is run as a business.

They're not. Very few are anyway. Most are complete basket cases as businesses, even at the very top of the game. In fact, especially there

Rory/Audrey/Kerry Red meltdown imminent.

Newcastle made 32 mill last season...I get the feeling that Mr Power and Mr Ashley would get on well.

Think my biggest issue with Power is supporters being taken for fools by the drip feed into the media of news of young up and coming decent players we supposedly bid for but were turned down like Bradshaw, Mawson, Nicholls, Centre half from Shrewsbury who went to Brighton. The bids, if they actually happened were never, ever in a million years going to be accepted so we then make do with signing a load of triallists plus young untried freebies from the likes of Maidstone, Redditch, Edgware and Hamilton Accies.

Luke Williams has been here a while now so we are shortly going to run out of contacts like Kasim, Branco, Barker, Rodgers and Barry who passed through his care in youth team at Brighton. Since Powers' mate Tim no longer runs Spurs Youth team, and Anton's dad has left Liverpool where are the next batch of players coming from? Guess we will shortly find out what Paul Jewell's son has been up to as chief scout?

The normal method when you've no contacts is to rely on agents.....which can get you a Robert, Traore, Bangoura or Balmy, also the Prem released lads have kickabouts, in order that watching coaches/owners can see if there's anything they fancy. I'd imagine that's how we got BOO.

Has our one-time target (PR or otherwise) Tom Nichols actually scored for Posh yet?

Bullet dodged, I reckon.

1 in 6. Too early to tell, maybe he's just wrong club, wrong time. Ajose was crap for Posh

in fairness Power says we have some deals agreed in principle for next season, so we'll have to edit and see.

that's not to say concerns raised here aren't valid. there is just no way of knowing whether they'll turn out to come true.

We have an option on Kasim, Branco has another year, Barker - thought he left at end of last season, Rodgers is here for another year (sadly) and not sure on Barry!

Branco has another year?! Jesus christ

Odds on account deletion?

I still don't think this team is as bad at the one that went down in 05/06 and the club as a whole is in a better place than it was a decade ago.

I haven't made it to many games this season but have definitely noticed that the ground is looking tired and scruffy - steps in the DRS in need of a bit of paint for example - and I think this is indicative of our team as well: strong foundations, rough around the edges. Recruitment this season has been poor and uninspiring and i honestly don't think we're a million miles away from where we were 12 months ago.

The early weeks of the summer will be key in people's perceptions. A wall of silence from the CG will unsettle many and as evidenced in this thread our fans have a tendency to cling to this perceived inactivity. Equally, if the club publicly speak about targets then they are slaughtered when we miss out. A couple of 'marquee' signings and especially no significant departures could set the tone for August and beyond.

A solid centre back, experienced keeper and anyone who is better than Rodgers will set us right.

I honestly think a few players getting slated on here are just victims of being asked to perform in a style they are not capable of playing.

Why this isn't addressed by the powers that be or just plainly ignored is a huge ongoing problem.

There was a football documentary on today about the Leeds Division 1 winning team of 91/92 (I think). The next season was the introduction  of the back pass rule and their defenders which were fundamental to winning the league the season before couldn't cope as well with the ball now being passed out short to them from the GK.

Yes, back pass rule changed for 92/93 the 1st Prem season.

I remember being at Twerton Park, early that season, when a ball pinged off Colin Calderwood in a scramble, going in the vague direction of Fraser, who was unsure if he could pick it up so opted to try and chest it as he was prostrate on the deck.

You could see the idiot ref was dying to give a free kick with his new power. The ball brushed Fraser's arm as it came off his chest...Rovers scored from the subsequent free kick.

I'm sure a few of us were playing then too. It was a bloody confusing time for amatures and pros alike.

Liverpool would have been buggered if they hadn't already been shit, the masters of killing a game by a thousand back passes.

Williams scares the shit out of me to be honest. I don't doubt he's got the makings of being a decent coach, but he was naive beyond belief to admit that he was wrong not to bring players in during January.

Some may argue that he was just being honest, but he made the mistake of grandstanding at the time, the message being that he'd rather work with fewer players than bring anyone else in. As we all know, that decision came back to kick his backside, but his inaction and subsequent admission of the error just demonstrated his lack of experience and created serious doubts about him for many of us.

Looking at the broader picture, many have said before that this is a small town. People talk. Many fans know players and staff who work at the club. As we all know, the vibe from within the club is not very good at the moment.

Power clearly thinks he knows football inside out. He's comes over as an old-school geezer who thinks that the fans will simply shut the fuck up if the team are doing well, and he's right, to an extent.

Problem is, some of us have seen all this before: Shit football, second-rate players, tatty stadium, lack of investment, shit PR, arrogant Chairman, selling players, patronising bullshit about the club having to stand on it's own two feet.

History tells us that Administration and/or a CVA usually follows a sustained period where conditions such as these prevail.

I wonder how many fans will drop off the season ticket radar next season? How many casuals will simply find something else to do? How many dads just won't bother taking their kids along any more as the product on the pitch is so fucking mind-numbingly depressing and boring?

I'm sure a few of us were playing then too. It was a bloody confusing time for amatures and pros alike.

Liverpool would have been buggered if they hadn't already been shit, the masters of killing a game by a thousand back passes.
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Might sound far fetched, but you've just smashed the nail on the head with a sledge hammer.

Liverpool were so good at passing the ball out from the back, teams of that era couldn't cope. Even when they tried to emulate it, they couldn't.

Move on 20 odd years and Barca with Guardiola played the same way, most likely influenced by watching the way that Liverpool side played, or recalling those tactics. Whether that be a scout or the manager, that Barcelona team from emulating the old Liverpool side has changed format currently, fundamentally. For the time being anyway.

this for me. especially the last sentence.

This  :clap:

Delta Incline spot on.  I will not be renewing, lads who have been going years will not be going....how many others will be in similar position?  The product on the pitch is depressing, who on their right mind will part with hard earned cash to watch any if the remaining home games?

Me  :toocool:

By openly admitting his mistake should mean that he has learned from it, and he is effectively reassuring the fans that he will not make that mistake again. Hopefully.

I was not going to renew but I thought what else would I do on a Saturday afternoon so i decided to renew mine and one of my sons the other does not want go anymore he just finds it boring. Lets hope that Power sees this season as the disaster that it has been rather than unlucky with injuries etc. I am hoping Power can unearth a couple of gems for next season but he will need some experience as well

This highlights the 'customer' approach to being a supporter. Surely it is all about being able to accept that sometimes, being a fan of a 3rd division club means that there will be some pretty crap fare to endure. It was ever thus. It is not about renewing your fan status when the 'product' satisfies your sensitivities.

The highs I've experienced as a Town fan are only meaningful because they relate to the bad times.

This isn't about being 'happy clappy' and accepting everything that the club throws at us, it is just about putting what it means to be a football supporter into perspective and being able to cope with some less than average players, some rubbish performances, and the odd depressing season.

If we do go down (I don't think will happen) should Williams be sacked?

No.

Me too. And I don't think our gates have ever dropped to 2 yet, have they?

100% yes. Coaching and management ar not the same thing. Luke may be a decent coach, but I suspect he himself has doubts as to whether he's a manager.

Our results over the last couple of seasons v Div 4 sides illustrate that Div 4 really is no place for too much football, so wins at Luton and Newport, followed by a draw at Rodney Parade and defeats to Cheltnum, Plymuff and Exeter.

A manager will make sure this prospect doesn't happen by making sure we eke out te necessary couple of points.

Yes.

The club needs someone who knows how to attract players and to set up a side in the right way to get points on the board.

Clearly, we're awful defensively when we haven't got front players available who hold the ball up. Williams insists on playing 'the Swindon way' no matter who's available - which is just plain fucking dumb. Even expensive premier league sides adjust their style of play to suit the opposition on occasion.

I think we'd all probably settle for route 1 football if it brought safety, a bit excitement now and then and a modicum of hope for the club.

Williams may be one for the future, but massive schoolboy errors early in his managerial days tells me that he's really not up to the mark for a L1 club.

There are plenty of cheap managers in the same mould as Martin Ling out there with the experience and contacts that would benefit us.

Trouble is, could any of them work with the dictatorial knob long enough to make a difference?

Don't think there's too much wrong with the philosophy of trying to play out from the back, but it needs to be tempered with some pragmatism.

Doing it there will be occasions when you come unstuck as we know, but I'd guess more of our goals conceded are from balls into the box, either from headers or scrambles.

So nothing wrong with sticking an El Abd type in there to put a head in or get a block even if he's unlikely to bring it out from the back too often.  The Sainted Glenn had Shaun Taylor to do that for him. Further the wing backs should be encouraged to harry and block balls coming into the box.

Or a Sendles White type even

I've yet to see anything from JSW that suggests to me an old skool defender who sticks his head in, or gets a ball in then bollocks making a last ditch block.  OK with a ball at his feet, mind.

My main concern about Williams is the fact he's unable to set us up defensively for the past 3 seasons.
It only appears to be getting worse and the blame must be shared equally between Power & Williams.

Power for his poor recruitment, Williams because his defensive coaching is clearly not up to scratch and because he told Power in Jan the squad was big enough when every man and his dog knew it wasn't. We've had youth team players on the bench for every game this season, which is fine if they are good enough but LW clearly doesn't rate them highly enough as he makes the same substitution game in game out and they don't get a look in.

I still reckon Branco would be a decent, Flint-type CB, if he was allowed to be. A kick it, head it away old fashioned centre half. He's got a bit of talent on the ball, too.

But, as has been said before, asking him to  play like Beckenbauer is a bit too much for him.

The absence of Byrne is also part of the defensive problem. When he played, opposing players stayed back to try and counter his breaks. Without him, or more truthfully,  with BOO and Barry they don't give a shit about bombing forward.

Just no. He literally cannot mark anyone. To even put him in the same realm as Flint is an insult (to Flint - vastly under-rated by most of our fans).

Branco needs to be a back-up CB at best.

If Branco could tackle and head the ball well enough, consistently then yeah sure. He's too much of a liability in my eyes.

At times Branco has looked like a player...I wouldn't write him off just yet, as central defenders can get better with age.

A classic example being Wes Morgan, by a long way the best English born defender in the Prem, now 32.

One of Woy's laments is that England are a bit thin in the CH department, especially left footed, however I'm fairly sure Morgan wouldn't have been called up to the country of his birth, even if he hadn't opted for the Reggae Boyz a few years ago.

No we have to have John Stones, who strolls about and looks like he'd slot in at the CG, for comedy defending.

Stick Wes Morgan and Robert Huth in our side, playing the way we do, they'd probably be shite,  too.

It's all horses for courses.

Burton have shown what can be achieved by sticking to basic lower league principles, of decent keeper, defenders who defend, and some terriers in midfield. Stick a work horse up top...and you can have a good season.

However they don't have players who'll fetch large sums on the market, like us when we sell Ajose.  Who may be the first player to get relegated having topped the divisional scoring charts.

This is their squad. Not exactly amazing on paper is it?

1    GK    Jon McLaughlin
2    DF    Phil Edwards
3    DF    Shane Cansdell-Sherriff
4    MF    John Mousinho (captain)
5    DF    George Taft
7    MF    Callum Reilly
8    MF    Robbie Weir
9    FW    Stuart Beavon
10    FW    Lucas Akins
12    MF    Calum Butcher
14    DF    Damien McCrory
      
No.       Position    Player
15    DF    Tom Naylor
17    MF    Marcus Harness
19    DF    Anthony O'Connor
21    FW    Mark Duffy (on loan from Birmingham City)
25    DF    Kelvin Maynard
28    GK    Sam Hornby
30    DF    Tom Flanagan
31    GK    Stephen Bywater
33    FW    Mason Bennett (on loan from Derby County)
34    MF    Hamza Choudhury (on loan from Leicester City)
—    FW    Tyler Walker (on loan from Nottingham Forest)

They are going to get torn apart in the Championship.

Having said that, Franchise, who like to play are going down and Preston who are old skool are staying up easily.

I had a look at the league the other day and Preston aren't a million miles away from getting into the play-offs.

Last season Preston were solid defensively (had the second best defensive record in England behind Chelsea) and had pace up front.   A bit like Leicester in some ways.

Most teams that do well don't let in a lot of goals, or have real star quality up front.

It;s unlikely that we are going to have the latter, so need to find a way to be solid at the back if we want any kind of success. Even Di Canio knew this, hence we hardly conceded a goal at home when winning Division 4

Some really good points raised over the last few pages and it does seem that the majority of people have the same concerns.

When Cooper was sacked, Williams quite openly said he didn't want the manager's role on a permanent basis, as he wanted to stick to the coaching side.  I can't help but wonder what changed his mind.  Did he enjoy it more than he thought he would when he was caretaker, as surely he couldn't have been offered a huge salary increase?  The length of contract he was given was a big risk for a manager in his first role.  Unless Power put in some sort of clause that he gets no pay off if sacked, he'll be our manager for a long time irrelevant of how we're performing.

I just hope we've got enough in the bag to scrape over the line and lessons have been learned from the pathetic recruitment policy and squad capability this season. Having come out and said we'd really go for it next season, Power will look a bit foolish if there isn't significant rebuilding in the summer especially defensively.

I'll ignore the 'when' remark. Ross McCormack could also qualify for that come the end of the season if Fulham go down.

A simple 442 would do for starters. Full-backs that can overlap out wide and a midfield that works its bollocks off supporting the front two and back four. Oh, and four defenders that can actually defend would be useful.

Too right....the back four we ended that season with was superb:

Caddis-Flint-McCormack-McEvely

Would rival any at this level also.

I think his contract is that is performances aren't up to scratch then he'll just revert back into his coaching-only role. So regardless, the club wanted him on a long contract. He is considered a 'prize coach' with his quality.

My thoughts too.

Apart from coaching anything defensive

I was under the impression Williams was already on a 5 year contract anyway before he was appointed manager

Terrific back four at that level. Complented each other so well too!

Williams isn't our Manager, he's 'Head Coach'.

That might sound like splitting hairs, but it gives the club the ability to bring in a 'Manager' or 'Director of Football' at any time without having to be seen to publically demote Williams and with minimal loss of face.

he's the man who picks the team and faces the media.

Job titles men nothing - if you bring in anyone else to do that it'll be a demotion, even of it's self instigated if he thinks it's not for him after all.

Watching the Burnley game....pre match Michael Duff was asked, what makes Sean Dyche a good manager?

Duff who's reasonably articulate, answered, "well he does all the modern coaching stuff, but is old skool, like how he played...professionalism, discipline, punctuality...those sorts of things"

I'd hazard a guess that Burnley players don't ingest Nitrous Oxide.

If I was to gamble I'd say they probably have. They just didn't film it.
They got a bit giggly for a minute or two, they didn't even do a Wilshere. That would be disrespectful.
Throughout his time at the club players have been complimentary of Williams' coaching ability. Not only that, but I think the way we've come back from defeats shows he must command some respect from the players. I don't think our current predicament is anything to do with a cognisant lack of respect for LW.

The performance yesterday backs that up as well.

The only problem that nearly all can see is the squad is too small, and lacks real experienced cover in key areas.