Thetownend.com

The Opponent:   Franchise FC:

Some poetry from Milton Keynes,

Is there poetry in the parking lot?
In the grid like lines of Milton Keynes?
Behind the scenes the dead wind rustles and shakes water's sea-ward dreams
Is there poetry amid the reeking refuse and overflowing bins?
Here is a flutter of wings as the flyer burns with freedom's fire and turns upon the wind to the sound of the evening choir
'And what about you? Is it in you too? ' it sings.

Is there poetry in the harsh reflections of the glass
In the regimented streetlit boulevards?
Underground the village ghosts turn and float their frosted lips across the cars
In stars and patterns etched along each stretched out hand of every tree
And lace-like silhouettes where startled birds take off in muted moon-like light
Turning to the sun mid-flight
'And you? Is it in you too? ' they cry.

Surely they have just got an old Simon and Garfunkel song and twisted the words a bit?

Last Time Out –  Franchise 1 Sheffield United 2: League Cup: Substitute Michael Higdon scored two dramatic late goals to beat Franchise and put Sheffield United into the League Cup quarter-finals. Benik Afobe put MK in front from the spot after Craig Alcock had tripped Dele Alli. But Higdon headed in Robert Harris's cross and then slotted in at the back post to complete a remarkable turnaround.

They have served us both – Sol Davis, Gareth Edds, Jimmy Gilligan, John Gorman, Ryan Harley, Paul Heald, David Hockaday, Paul Ince, Albert Jarrett, Junior Lewis, Jon Paul McGovern, Danny Wilson, Dave Partridge, Gary Waddock, Adrian Whitbread, Sean off to a bigger club O’Hanlon, Alan Navarro, Paul Mitchell, Anthony McNamee

The Odds –  Franchise 11/10  Draw 12/5  Swindon 5/2

The Son Says – Confident of a repeat scoreline from Tuesday night, he thinks we will win 0-3, and probably will think this for every game for the rest of the season.

The Prediction –  Fantastic game of football on Tuesday night it must be said. I hate feeling confident on just the 1st day of November. 2-1 win, goals from Obika and Williams, 7’988, a travelling support of 1’120

And Finally – Bletchley Park, the site of World War II British codebreaking and Colossus, the world's first programmable electronic digital computer, is a major component of MK's modern history.


COYR COYR COYR COYR

We will win.

Win

Are people boycotting the match day thread because it's Franchise or something?  ???

2-0 Smith, Williams

No kids football today so will listen in on the radio.

scrappy 1-0 win.

Hopefully a 2-1 win for the Town, but I would still be a little happy with a draw.
First of a few big tests for us in November

If you have to go to this one, please break something to more than the value of your ticket. That is all.

This will test my theory that we are better when we play the better teams.

Can't see us keeping a clean sheet today - but when you score 3 who gives a fuck.

Byrne, Turnbull and Obika

Last minute decision to go to this. Direct train for me from East Croydon so would be rude not too.

Should be a good game between two good sides, I would be happy with a point.

Tough one to call but given the Chesterfield result have to stay with the confidence that brings - clean sheets I think not, could be a cracker with Red Army scoring one more - so that`s 2-3 - bloody marvellous.

Would really like to win this one. I've said it before but Winkeleman's got a face for a fist and I'd like to see Town take that smug inane grin off his chops. I won't be going funnily enough but there may be a shout or two around the old Bristol Rovers ground today if we score / win.

Fuck Franchise.

3-1 Town.

Just getting ready to leave, an entertaining 2-2 I reckon, although I'd love to do em!

One of those odd statistics that when a team has lost their last home game a draw is often the next home result. Will take that no problem although a win would be better.

I see a draw as well
2 each Williams brace
8210 with 1090 town
All in a 30k capacity bowl  ::)

2-0 defeat today sadly.

Get into 'em, fuck 'em up.

1-1 draw.

Just not Nathan please, don't want to pick up that extra yellow.

Tuesday he will pick that up, so misses Cheltenham.
Or is that being cynical

I think that's being forced to play the game Modern Football has seen fit to give us.

I'd be disappointed if that didn't pan out

More than happy with a draw but if Obika has his shooting boots on then3-1 with an Obika brace and Luongo. 8798 crowd with 914 from Town

Hope for a win 2-1.   Looking forward to the radio commentary, after watching a very boring first half   at Newcastle.  Not a decent goal attempt from either side.

Same starting XI as Tuesday

I can't get Radio Swindon on FM or DAB today for some reason, anyone else struggling?

It's OK on FM in Old Town

It's ok in Didcot.

Early save from Wes
C Roberts on co commentary today so expect a few gaffes

nothing is ever ok in Didcot :)

I had to blu-tac the aerial to the wall and now it's fine. Odd.

I'm not the one that needs blue-tac to receive BBC Wiltshire...  :)

yeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss!

Get the fuck in.........

GET IN!

(http://i.imgur.com/4gevmaS.gif)

One nil woohoo

Get the fuck in.

waheyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!

Lovely.

Great start!

scorer, whose the  scorer

Obika

Unselfish assist by Smith  

I reckon we've scored too early.

Afobe sounds like a handfull already.

Foderingham two good saves in the first 10 minutes...

first post; long time reader.

feel free to call me a cunt.

great start today COYRs :pint:

Cunt.

Too soon...  Make him earn it.

P'boro 1 nil down

Notts Co losing. Few results going our way at the moment.

Bollocks, nearly 2-0 but Smith denied by block after initially rounding keeper.

Storey scores for Pompey

PNE one nil down

Preston 1 nil down

That'll please Thor

Ahahaha, wonderful. Let's keep this up please Town. Some good results around us if things stay as they are.

Preston 2 down

PNE now 2-0 down at Rochdale

Chris Martin again!-why was he so shit for us?

Thor Thor what's the score?

He's irritating the fuck out of me already!!

I wonder if Rochdale was also scared of them !!

He looked unfit when he was here.

(http://i.giphy.com/9aXNIJ22JQpvG.gif)

Been very quiet since the goal?

Unfit

With a view to next week, Cheltenham are 1-0 down at home to York

It's all plastic at the moment

oh Christian

hahahah Robbo just said bollock on the radio!

HT 1-0

soapy tit wank

h/t

My player is still not working SO I HAVE MISSED THIS GLORIOUS MOMENT

This will please my York city supporting friend

Another good save by Foderingham

FFS 1-1

Cunts

Sounds like it's been coming.

Another early second half goal, disappointing :-(

I'd take a point away at franchise but winning would be sweet. Hideous fuckers.

Shitty go 1 up

Oh dear

Fuck 2-1

Charlie Austin scores equalizer at Chelsea

Austin scores against Chelsea

Oh no.

Bollocks.
2-1.


Austin equalises v Chelsea.

Deary me

It's been a bad few minutes...

Peterboro have equalised.

Oh fucking fuck sake-beat these fucking fucks!

Toffalo on, Bell off

Wake up FFS!

Preston getting dicked 3-0

Pox losing :)

Pox 2-1 down

Big test for this side. Dongs on top now :(

Pox, like us, go from a winning position to losing.

Looks like you were right. Sounds like we have created very little since scoring

Good, 1 hour too late

When did we last beat this vile outfit?  We always seem to lose or draw.

Disappointing to now be losing from a winning position.

Not sure why Cooper is persisting with Bell, seems to have given the ball away alot again.

Posh 2-1 down

Williams will come on and score a brace, don't panic

Scores all turning around, we've gone from 7 to 5 again without doing anything

Seem to always lose at Franchi$e! Hope we can nick a point!

Roberts has kicked the cable out.

Great...a break on the feed and then he got the score wrong

Hodgetts sort it out, Hodgetts Hodgetts sort it out..

you lot get quite stressy don't you

Perhaps BBC Wiltshire need some blue-tac...

I've had to reattach my aerial to the wall at least four times. It's been a disaster.

Gladwin on for kasim

6 minutes time added on., COME ON!

Sounds like we're under the cosh...

Oxford miss last minute penalty.

FT 2-1

ugh.

Expected to lose but annoying we went a goal up and end up with nothing.

Let's batter Preston on Tuesday!

Balls.

was always going to be a tough game.

Bollocks!

Huge game Tuesday.

Not the best start for a difficult run of games.  It's a slight concern that we can't seem to hold a lead recently as well.

I hate Franchise and they've done us again!

"Power spend some money or we are in big trouble...."

OMFG  :suicide:

Presume that was a text?

Cock RE:the result, but it doesn't really count anyway as Franchise shouldn't exist.

Coops say anything post-match?

Correct.

Didn't hear Cooper.

Edit: He's not been on yet.

Sounds like we were beaten by the better side. Sometimes it happens.

Our recent home form has been a bit poor recently so hopefully Tuesday night we'll get back to winning ways.

Cooper not been on yet.

Much as I hate the fuckers, Franchise have a good team. Its disappointing, but no more.

I thought we were shipping far too many goals this season (19), but its not particularly true. The fewest is 14, and City have shipped 17. We also need to acknowledge that our 31  goals  for is second best in the league.

Sad to hear 1200+ travelled for this one, at least we won't hear the ridiculous argument "but if we boycotted we might not have got 3pts there" this season  :doh:

Its an empty fixture. I've only ever set foot in that stadium once to support AFC.  ::)

Not great.

But I am looking at my team only losing three games all season. One loss a robbery (they happen) and two defeats against two very good teams.  I am satisfied with that.....

Roll on Tuesday, would like to see us beat Preston on Tuesday before 'that annoying team down the road' turn City over...

Interesting to hear from those who went.

That was a text...... Beggars belief....

You get 3 points for winning it so it's just as important as any other league game

I'm mostly annoyed at the thought of those plastic cunts celebrating a win.

Except we didn't, we got 0 points.

But they did get 3 points

 :doh: I know, right. :crash:

From BBC report....

The striker hit his late spot-kick way over the bar and into the car park, following Sam Wood's foul on James Roberts, leaving Michael Appleton's side five points above the relegation zone.

 :)

Stephens IMO is the weak link of the back three he is too slow and gets turned inside out,happened today and happened against Colchester.Branco in and Stephens dropped to bench me thinks.

Stephens was superb last year. Maybe a back 3 is not to his strengths.

I still think he is a better bet than Branco myself, difficult one.

Just think Branco would add a bit more pace and a lot more physical presence.not to say Stephens can't do a job just needs time on the bench and more coaching with regards to the sytem we play.

Just got back , a great start and really should have gone 2 up but they were a decent side . Bell had a shocker and Byrne was not up to his normal standard, kasim and Luongo were very good again but we just did not click up front today. The ground is ridiculously to big for them and it just feels soulless and drums should be fucking banned from football grounds

Yet, if we had drawn at Chesterfield and again today most people would have been happy.

But we are 1 point better off than that.

Looking forward to Preston on Tuesday

A good way of looking at things.

On train back, very frustrating game especially second half. Great start and if smith takes his chance to make it 2-0 then it's a very different game.

They are clearly a very good side and we struggled to cope with them at times. Bell and Bryne had particularly poor games. I thought Toffollo had something about him when he came on, seemed a lot more comftorble with the ball. Seemed to be a lack of movement compared to our usual game. Smith and Obika struggled with little service into them.

Pleased to see the other results though, it's incredibly tight. Tuesday is a huge game for us.

Decent turnout by town fans, horrible place to watch football, such a soulless bowl and it doesn't help that it's always empty. And drums really are fucking horrible.

And whoever thought of putting grounds in the middle of nowhere should be shot, miles to walk to the nearest train station and fuck all around. Ah well, positive to see that we can compete well with the better teams in the league. Roll on Tuesday.

Pretty much 2nd best once we scored,  Dongs are a quality side. Ref was embarrassing.
They kicked Byrne out of the game pretty quickly and he never got going after that. Cut a very frustrated figure in the 2nd half.

Oh yes how could I forget the ref, what an absolute cunt. Completely inept, giving a foul on kasim when he just played the ball out wide was comical and summed his performance up.

He needs to get used to it and man up then otherwise we'll be losing some effectiveness every week.

 :pint:

The franchise were NOT 3 points better than us today.  We had much the better of it for almost all of the first half and should have scored more than once.  They ripped into us at the start of the second half and we were half asleep.  We pretty much gifted them two goals - for the first, Luongo tried to play himself out of trouble but lost possession on the edge of the box in front of goal and Ali put his shot away well.  For the second, it was the usual story of not defending a set piece properly.  That said, Franchise had plenty of chances later in the game after it opened right up when we were playing three up front and chasing the game.

They roughed Byrne up early on and he wasn't his usual self afterwards.  Stephens was lucky not to get a red card when he got into a pushing contest with one of theirs.  Nathan Thompson and Kassim were very good.  The referee was very bad (a total arse).

k

Summed up well.
One other point that shit ref complete utter shite.
So many wrong decisions.
......ban drums from football.
Appears that they are now rife in league 1.

Whereas I'm pretty much in agreement with most of what I've read on here, one of my biggest frustrations is our reluctance to get the ball in the mix from set pieces.  Franchise 2nd goal was a relatively flat free kick that found its way through the melee and they scored, we, however, continue to knock our freekicks sideways or backwards to build another attack, sometimes its best to launch it into the box.

Some great saves from Wes again, although he nearly got caught out playing about today.  I feel a bit sorry for Bell, he's out of his depth in this league and today wasn't one of Smiths best.

Franchise came out 2nd half on a mission, to their credit they closed us down quickly and didn't let us settle, we lost our way a little & consequently lost the game.  They're a good side, disappointing but not the end of the world.

We need someone like Byrne on the left, our attacks are so lob sided as there is no threat down the left most of the time. If Byrne has an off day then we don't have options on the other flank as bell isn't L1 standard imo

Thought Toffolo looked bright when he came on, added a left sided option that has been missing for a while.  I reckon Cooper should start him on Tuesday, lets be honest he can't be as bad as Bell.

Poor goals to concede and a very annoying defeat... Been to Stadium MK several times now, don't like it all. One pub inside the ground + it's built on a fucking retail park. Shit.

As nothing has been said on here about Cooper, can I assume he didn't have a lot to say of any importance. Or didn't he talk to the Press.

Here you go:

http://www.swindonlinksport.com/swindon_sports_news/cooperseeoutspells

...oh, and

http://www.swindonlinksport.com/swindon_sports_news/cooperrefsss

If yesterday's Referee was "one of his best", I wouldn't want to see one of his worst!

Cheers!

Which town players were out discreetly on the piss last night and smoking the shisha vapour? They had training today too. Tut tut

And no one on this site has ever gone in hungover to work regardless of what they earn .And Roy Keane and tony Adams premier league winners medals should be taken away too ?

Young lads in their early 20's going out on the piss on a Saturday night.
Burn them.

Well, we do have a game Tuesday, so probably not that great for them.

As far as I am aware, nobody on this site is a professional athlete.

So any actual evidence or facts or names.

No
Some bloke posted some stuff on an internet forum
arriba. But that's probably not his real name. Unless he's a mis-spelled insurance company. But that wasn't what you meant. You meant of the players allegedly involved in the alleged thing that may or may not be a thing. No. Not yet. And probably not at all. Not unless the mis-spelled insurance company chooses to dish.

None of which means that he's not right of course ...

Interesting comments from Dongs 'fans' about our distain for their beloved drum here...

http://www.concreteroundabout.co.uk/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=12158

He'd be really upset on my views of the fucking brownie song they sing; "everywhere we go...".

Be gentle, they've only known about football a few years, they don't know what utter retards having a drum makes them look yet.

One thing that annoyed me most about Saturday...

Why do our players keep over reacting to fouls?? Now I can sort of understand the frustration, as the ref let so many bad challenges go on Saturday (particularly Lewington who could have had about 5 yellow cards) but still, it's already hurt us this season and it will continue to do so. Stephens & Smith both went apeshit at their players after being fouled, full pushes in the chest and all. They were both lucky to get away with yellows.

As for the game, already been covered really. It could have gone either way. Ref was pretty dire, their second goal should never have happened as we'd had about 3 fouls on us before.

MK are a very good side though. We limited them well for 2/3 of the game but a few seconds of being slack cost us. Their number 10 Reeves is a very good player,  if we were to sell Luongo or Kasim for hefty fees I'd be tempted to put a cheeky bid in for him (although Kasim did turn him a number of times).

Stadium MK makes the County Ground sound like a hive of activity as well. Completely dead atmosphere.

It's due to the general pussyfication of football.

Every contact foul that results in the tacklee going to ground must be reacted to by grabbing ones shin and rolling around as if you have broken your leg.

Every contact foul that does not result in the tacklee going to ground must be met with a reaction that shows the ref the tackler was trying to break his legs.

Their opinion on this, and indeed anything at all to do with football, is utterly irrelevant.

The players diving and rolling around as if they are seriously hurt is really irritating these days. Swindon are as guilty as any other team.

The Man U defender Rojo dislocated his shoulder on Sunday, which I am sure hurt like a bastard, but why did he need to be carried off on a stretcher? His legs were perfectly functional, unless dislocating your shoulder affects them somehow?

I was in an Irish bar yesterday and they showed a club Gaelic Football game from Norn Iron somewhere and it was refreshing to see the players try and kick the shit out of each other and not roll around under contact. Also, there were 2 red cards but the players just accepted the decision and went off the pitch. Great game GAA!

This is filtering in to kids football now, and it makes me seeth.

There is a massively talented midfielder in my older son's team, who acts like a complete prima donna every time he is tackled, even if the tackle was completely fair. Last week in a friendly he told the ref that he needs protection from bad challenges.

My son is a defender and takes everything (sometimes litereally) on the chin, but will generally figure out a way to quietly and robustly get his own back later in the game.

On the other hand, men's Sunday football, at least where I've played, is full of cloggers who identify the most skillful player on the field very quickly and then attempt to break their legs as regularly as possible. We folded our University team in the end and stopped playing Sunday League because too many of our better players were ending games in hospital, often without so much as a yellow card being shown.

I'd much rather have the diving and whinging in non-professional football where everyone has work to go to the next day, ideally under their own power.

This comment from "Saint Don" commenting on (mostly Town End) Swindon comments on game is why every right thinking football supporter, and in fact human being ought to despise his "club"

This. If fans of deadend go-nowhere nonentity clubs, that play in crumbling piss-soaked ruins in back-end of nowhere shit-hole towns like Swindon want to spew their twisted envy and resentment at the fastest growing club in the country, playing in one of the very best stadiums in the country, in one of the most prosperous and fastest growing towns in the country, well then frankly: who cares? Let them. The more hypocritical, self-evidently self-deluded and nonsensical the bile the better/funnier in fact. Just keep the money coming into us lads as we climb up the leagues in the years ahead. We'll give you a little wave down to League 2 from the PL in 10 years' time. If we can remember you even exist by then.

No seriously: it just doesn't get any better than the usual "I hate Stadium:MK with it's excellent facilities, comfortable seats and great views of the pitch. I'm much happier at our ground that smells of faeces, crammed in behind a concrete pillar, sitting on a splintered park bench with my legs wrapped 'round my neck so I can fit, and having to piss against a brick wall wearing waders at half-time" comments, it really doesn't  :soapy tit wank: Keep 'em coming you bitter, jealous yokel livestock botherers. :soapy tit wank:

If football is not about money and comfortable seats then what is it about?!

And to be fair, they're much much closer to the PL than we are. One point closer in fact. We'll ignore Swindon's game in hand. We'll probably lose that, because our ground has a couple of pillars, and the away end is a bit tatty, and there are some farms in Wiltshire.

Hmm, I would like a more comfortable seat...  :hmmm:

I guess the plastic, prawn munching, concrete cow bothering former Londoner used to support Southampton, due to the 'Saint' in it's username? It must have supported some other club at some point, it's the way it works in that soulless dump.

PS,  the seats can't be that comfy in the taxi they use to travel to away games.

Not with a drum in with them for sure, perhaps we're doing them an Injustice, and its a taxi with a trailer?

Maybe he's just showing off about his impeccable standards of behaviour?

They've blown every chance of promotion they've had in recent years.

They are serial bottlers and this season will be no different.

Utter cunt!

I have no envy for them as I value history,tradition and ethics.

They lose on ALL counts.

Interesting their fans saying that Powell hasn't been that good this season. Every time I've watched him he's looked a class act. Skinned Stephens for fun Saturday.

I thought he was a lot better than their wonderboy the press keep spouting on about. In fact, bar his goal which to his credit he took well, I thought Alli (sp?) was pretty shite.