Thetownend.com

We're playing today.  We'll probably lose.  Should have lost against them earlier in the season.  They looked pretty good at the county ground.

Obviously if we do lose we should definitely have a traditional TEF meltdown.

I had a dream last night that we lost 6-0.

Not completely infeasible, but i'll go for a 3-1 defeat.

Bah, just started one too!

Someone delete mine, please? Cheers

Poor players, poor tactics inspirational talk from Luke Warm.
I'll go for the 6 0 defeat.
Bed we can hope for is a...... No score bore.

I can't see past a defeat, sorry.

Fuck it, 3-2 win. Walsall have an amazing chance to get 2nd as Burton play Wigan, they will choke under the pressure and Ajose and Obika will take full advantage.

But yeah we'll still concede two as they have some decent strikers.

I was positive in the other one.

4-1 defeat. Walsall have a great chance to go 2nd as Burton play Wigan and that will spur them on to spank us silly. Branco will do something stupid. In fact he'll do a lot of stupid things. Balmy to score our goal and celebrate by pretending to do laughing gas.

You've been on thisis! Can see that nickname sticking unfortunately.

Can't see past another defeat but stranger things have happened. Will be listening in,more in hope than anything COYR

2-0 loss

This is our only hope...however I'm basing this on it being what we tended to have done when getting a sniff of auto a few times recently.

The last couple of games we've at least been keeping the defeats down to a goal....it's important to maintain this as we don't want to hand Blackpool and Donny an extra point through goal difference.

We will lose, the internet will explode, there will be posts regarding 'where has the money gone' there will be clamours for Storey and Marshall to play, Branco will be shit.... Have I missed anything.....

We will lose, the internet will explode, there will be posts regarding 'I'm a fuckwit' there will be clamours for Storey and Marshall to play, Branco will be shit.... Have I missed anything.....

Yeah rodgers will return and be a match winner

Lower midtable side with nothing to play for (despite the doom-mongering from some) away at side in third pushing for auto? Only one result - score draw. We owe them for this: http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/MatchCentre.asp?MatchID=20100143

Not now that you've put it under both threads, no. (Unless I start a 3rd matchday thread)

First thing to do when starting work in the morning is to get my filing in order....  :D

We are still gonna lose.

3-1 defeat

3-0 defeat

ooooh, 2 threads.

Same result. 3-0 defeat.

oh good, game day. we will lose narrowly after a spirited resilience is crushed in the 82nd minute

No Ajose tonight

Please will some one with the power to do so remove this one.  Pointless having 2 threads.

Pre match study of Yam Yam phrase book in The Wellington.

Hopefully no glove wearing slummocking on the pitch tonight.

Ultimately this result will not be worth blarting over, given the season as a whole.

Hard fought 0-0 and the restoration of some pride will do.

Pointless is what we anticipate being at the end of the evening.

Indeed.  But at least David M. Coe financial planning have extended their partnership with the club.

Fantastic news.  Read all about it on Fanzai.

What's the matter with him Audrey?

Ah, I do miss my old moniker!

Same problem that kept him out before, apparently. Not sure where I heard about it

Edit: popped up a friend's kennels this morning, one of his dog's owners mentioned it. Got to be true!

Probably as reliable as most media sources covering us at the moment!

It's the only source!

They will piss all over us but we will win at the death...

Season binned.

Merged the threads, sorry for any confusion.

We generally have a good record at the bescot, there is very big pressure on Walsall tonight and aren't they going to be without Bradshaw?

I see us nicking a point here 1-1.

Millwall v Fleetwood and Chesterfield v Doncaster is where I'm hoping for the right results for us.

Realise most people are confident we're safe and that likes of me are panicking unnecessarily but I can see us losing all four games (if they matter).

Donny lose and there are 3 teams that can't catch us.

Fleetwood lose and there are still 2 further teams with work to do to get to 51 points.

Would be very very pleased to be proved wrong asap

They have Jordy Hiwula who is a pacy striker so he is likely to be a big threat against our defence.

2-0 unfortunately - losing at home to Bury at this stage of the season is unforgivable and I don`t think we will win another game let alone score a goal so actually I have changed my mind 3-0

I re-wrote that for you

Kasim in for Iandolo in only change. Robert not even on bench. Think it's safe to say we won't see him in a Town shirt again. Massive shame imo.

Im feeling a red card for Nathan.  Last ditch tackle to save a goal after Branco does something a bit shit. 

Is Shaun Hodgetts stuck in the loo on his microphone today?

And with that comment....he goes back to normal.

Kean, Branco, Thompson N (C), Turnbull, Barry, Kasim, Thompson L, Doughty, Brophy, Ajose, Obika

Subs: Henry, Sendles-White, Rodgers, Iandolo, Hylton, Cooke, Young

no I haven't done thisis since the days of Kingy. Its just an obvious moniker having heard him on the radio. I can imagine a lot of snoring during his pre match drone.

Probably our strongest first xi apart from BOO. And I'd have Robert in the side as well but that doesn't seem likely now unfortunately.

Bring back Gerry Stilton i say

what's happened to Robert? injured?

Your sauce was rather wrong on that one.

Walsall miss easy chance in second minute - going to be a long evening!

Donny already 1 up

peaked too early (with luck)

1-1 now.

Shrewsbury 1-0 down.

kiss of death...

we are sounding quite good so far

Obika to Ajose, just wide.

Town putting up a good showing so far by the sound of it.

At half time Oxford find themselves in the automatic places on goal difference.

I'm sure they'll spawn a winner, but the battle for the remaining autos in that league is tighter than a nuns chuff.

Looks like the Pikeys are bottling it too. 1 down at Dale

Also, AFC are in the play-offs. Will we see AFC v Franchise in the league next season...

Righto!
I'm here now.
Whats been happening?
What scores do we want elsewhere?
Is anything going our way?

It all sounded quite positive (0-0)
Donny are drawing, the Shrews are losing.

Shrews 1-1

Just over 4,700 home fans for a team in 3rd place with a great chance of automatic promotion with just 4 games left......thats pretty shit TBH.

297 from Swindon which is an hour and a bit up the road....

Indeed, I'd suggest thats more shocking than Walsall having 4700. Usually we always take a fair few even on a Tuesday

What could possibly posses people not to go I wonder...

Gooooooooooooooooooooal Town. Doughty after good work from Beeks.

WTF

Walsall 0-1 Town (Doughty)

Woot

Wow

Can we still make the play offs

Goal GIF https://twitter.com/ScotM87

Deflected shot into the path of Doughty.

I remember us only taking a couple of hundred to them on a Saturday in Kings last season. Only took 400 to them in Coopers first season so not really much of a surprise.
Anyway lets hold on to this and even Reg will admit we are safe!

Yip yip coyote!!!!

I think 297 for a team with nothing to play for sitting in 16th place who have not won in 8 games and lost 5 of the last 6 games is about right.

I went to Walsall back in the early 80's for a Saturday fixture and we only had 250 fans there.

5,300 average for a team that have been top 5 all season is really poor.

to be fair if we had Wolves, West Brom, Villa and Bham within 10miles of us i doubt we would do much better.

Kiss of death probably but we sound as though we're playing well at the moment

Booo! Power out!!!!

1-1

bollocks

You're banned!!

fuckety fuck >:(

We'll lose.

well, it's a point gained over Blackpool and shrews. an unexpected and excellent point at that

We didn't ;)

Are we safe now?

 That's a good point, safely secured our league one status with that tonight

Great point that, 7 points above Blackpool with 3 games left. Not too concerned about us going down now we have everyone back and a decent sounding performance tonight

no. Blackpool need two wins and a draw to draw level on points. but I'd be surprised of that's not it now.

Mathematically no, but as good as. 7 points ahead of Blackpool with 3 games left.

Im impressed.  Maybe we're not totally shit after all.

Im going to go all out there now, we're going to stay up.  Not technically safe.  If Blackpool win everything and we dont get another point they can over haul us.  And Oldham, Chesterfield, Fleetwood and Shrewsbury have to win a load and overhaul us for us to go down.

good result and well earned point

Oldham are only a point behind us, Chesterfield two and Shrewsbury have a game in hand and have to play us yet!

But I'm confident now. Blackpool play Fleetwood next, somebody's going to lose points

Well happy with that, and looking at the stats (we had more shots & more shots on target) it would suggest it was a deserved result.

Kept away from the radio and sky, so was pleasantly surprised when I turned on at the final whistle.  Very good point and should see us safe.  Relieved more than anything.

Oldham looked down and out a month or so ago and are now only a point behind us.

Very hard earned point, gutsy and well fought performance. To be fair to Branco, he was actually very decent tonight - one of the best I've seen him play.

If it wasn't for Obika and Ajose being quite rusty we probably would have nicked that.

A welcome point from what sounds like a half-decent performance, but I'm not going to relax until Reg comes on and tells me it's now okay to.

We could do with doughty on a permanent basis

Did the same, and when i clicked on L1 scores on BBC there was 1 or 2 minutes left, but our game was hidden. I waited until all of the others finished before scrolling down. Nice surprise thank fuck.

Could do with Obika for sure next season

Gutted.

Thought we might nick a win.

Blackpool now have to dish up Title winning form.

Vital point.

Also like to think that our last gasp equaliser v Millwall stopped them from the autos...horrible bastards.

Last game of the season for them v the pikies is a conundrum..

Blimey el abd on the bench

Charlton confirmed down then.

Well def get at least 5 southern teams next season, that should even it out a bit.

Twice as many, if we get relegated  :yay:

Interestingly lots of people more worried last few weeks about relegation, understandably, but no one took me up on my bet 2-3 months ago. Luckily for my blood pressure!

It's all gone predictably quiet over there. He's all over the forum like a rash within minutes of a defeat. Sad, really.

We played well and deserved at least a point on balance - we've got a happy record up there. The final ball let us down. Yaser controls the midfield in a way that few others at this level can, and he also put in quite a shift. Proof, as if we needed it, that something approaching our first 11 is very competent. Yes, the squad is wafer thin (I don't think I'd have made a substitution either), that needs to change, and all eyes are on Power.

Credit to Branco - he's always up for a battle and was really dominant in the air when the going got tough in the 2nd half. Sure, we've had better, but he's nothing like the circus act that some on here make him out to be. Also a shout out to the underrated Turnbull. If we get him here for good I'll be a happy man.

Nobody has gone down with 52 this century. Which is encouraging, however it is possible to go with 52 as we've managed it ourselves in 81/82.  Donny are now out of the equation...so althoough not quite out of the mire yet, we can at least breathe a little easier.

To me, Doughty is 'a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a vest'. On the one hand, he's scored some vital goals without which we would, quite frankly be going down and he clearly is a player with some ability. A goal scoring midfielder is invaluable to any team - that's 'Good Doughty'.

'Bad Doughty' on the other hand, gets pushed off the ball too easily, stays routed to the spot instead of moving to help a team mate (particularly noticeable at throw ins on Saturday) and strolls around for large parts of games.

If we were to sign him, maybe 'the-best-coach-I've-seen-in-25-years' can get a better, more consistent level of performance from him. If not, I can see him being one of those 'marmite' love him/hate him players who polarizes opinion.

It wouldn't surprise me if he was one of the players Power has a deal lined up with.*

*Not ITK, just a 'feeling in my water' kind of thing.

Valid points but that's the baggage you get with league one players. They can't and won't be all Deli Ali

Surely with Blackpool playing Fleetwood this weekend only a remarkable set of results in the last 2 assuming we don't get a point at least Saturday and then lose the last 2. Fleetwood have Walsall away and Blackpool have Wigan to play in the last 2.

Full squad we've shown we can match pretty much anyone. Now they are all back we'll get between 3 and 5 points from the last 3.

agree completely re Doughty being a marmte player - You can veer between frustration and elation within minutes with him. Millwall for example where I thought he was poor until he popped up with a 94th minute equaliser. . Only 2 goals in 74 games - most out on loan - before this season suggests, that for him as well as us, the chance of a regular start and some goals might be an incentive to join in the summer. The wages we might be offering in comparison with QPR might well put kybosh on that though

Knowing the way Power operates a couple of deals already lined up probably involves season long loans for Turnbull and Louis T. What exactly are the new rules regarding loans for next season?

My observation is we see bad Doughty when he is in the middle with Anton Rodgers. He basically has to do the job of 2 people and ends up dropping alot deeper than a player of his quality should

You could have something there.

I haven't been to as many games as most but I have been impressed with Doughty everytime I see him. Its great we have someone who offers goals from midfield if Ajose/Obika aren't scoring. I'd love for us to sign him on a free if he is available. I think its clear Robert is off, so potentially we can use his wages to try and sign Doughty?

Walsall fans and staff very complimentary. Interestingly a few on their forum seem to really rate Brophy! I still struggle to see why so many on here think he is turd. First season in league football and he's improved considerably, I predict that in a years time we'll all be pissed off that he's about to be sold!

I agree with you and OST on this, he is so hit and miss, sometimes brilliant and sometimes very poor, but never as poor as every time I have seen Rodgers play.

The team does carry Rodgers and Doughty always covers a lot of ground even when playing poorly but he does need somebody good alongside to get the best out of him, he gets in some great positions too going forward just needs a bit more composure, but thats why hes playing for us and not QPR at the moment.

A lot of praise for us over on the Walsall forum, with Brophy being picked out by a few as our best player.

I think Brophy is a lot like Byrne when he first came to us, not sure on his best position and looks way out of position at times, doesn't find defending comes easily but is good going forward. He is more of a winger than a wingback for me but I think hes come along well this season and don't understand the stick he gets either.

Lets hope he does a Byrne and comes into his own in the next two years in a more forward role (if given and extension of contract).

I can understand, and expect, L1 players not to have the quality of those higher up the leagues.

But what really pisses me off is the lack of application. Any player can put effort in tracking back or just putting his body between an opponent with the ball to slow them down - you don't need talent for that, just willpower

Marry that to a bit of talent and you've got a chance.

A Fleetwood win would do very nicely thankyou.

I was about to post something similar.

http://www.upthesaddlers.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=49191&start=120

Refreshing to see honest praise from opposition fans who must have been frustrated last night given where they are in the league.

Which is why he's signing for an average L1 side rather than sticking in the Champ (apparently).

Would be a great signing for us.

he's been a bit part player until now, you have to give him half a season to see how he goes. he's having a bit of a run thanks to bonggate

Saddlers fans have always been a decent lot.....

As for Brophy, I'm not wholly convinced, but he's gone from park player to something better in his first season so who knows.

But like a lot of these lads, showing improvement because they've started from such a low base doesn't mean they'll necessarily become effective players.

Luongo, Byrne and Gladwin, have shown you can be a top end player in Div 3 but some way short in Div 2....and our young lads are some way off those 3 still.

Brophy looks better now than Gladwin did at the end of his first season.

Interesting that the Bury boss David Flitcroft said in the Adver that Brophy was one of our most talented players.  I've been impressed with him apart from his crossing and final passing which might come with time and training. A bit lightweight as well, but he'll get tougher.

Has a deceptive turn of pace and some guile, but only really works as a LWB (which is fine if that's what we're playing I guess). Needs a summer of conditioning, power and strength work and has a decent shot next year of establishing himself as a pro - but equally could fade away quite quickly.

Matter of opinion....I always thought Gladwin had something about him, mainly being big, reasonably mobile, and good with the ball.  This season his bank balance will have improved but he's wasted a year.

Brophy's main attribute is running with the ball, quite an old fashioned thing and not to all coach's taste..a bit like Gladwin, it's quite difficult to know what is his best position.  I think we'll give him a new contract just in case...

I reckon he will probably end up as the left sided of a middle midfield 2. He reminds me of John Moncur a little, but that might just be the build. Certainly worth keeping.

Feel a bit sorry for Gladwin. By all accounts he was very reluctant to leave.

I'm not sure that sentence would make sense in the eyes of your average footballer.

When opposition fans say you're team has played well then you know you really have and when opposing fans and manager alike single out a particular player, you know he must have something about him.

Brophy is very deceptive - he's built like a match with the wood shaved off and he's not particularly quick. However, opposing defenders seem to find it really hard to defend against him. He does that funny little swervy, shimmy type thing and it seems to work 9 times out of 10. The next stage is that he needs to learn what to do after he's done that because he looks a bit unsure of himself at the moment. If he can get into the habit of hitting the bye line and whipping a decent cross in, we'll be in business.

If he can build himself up a bit, get a full pre-season in and generally build his confidence up we've got an extremely promising player there.

If he's going to play LB or LWB, he needs to improve massively on the defensive work..atm he hasn't much of a clue.

If he can find some end result maybe he will be relieved of any defensive duties as they  eventually did with Byrne.

In some respects he is very Byrne like starting out. I remember not rating him much at first

So he can't defend, doesn't make chances or score goals, other than that though, he's a good player.   :hmmm:

Points like 'he's deceptive' remind me of Blair Sturrock being 'too intelligent' for our midfielders to play the right balls to him

I happen to think he's quite good Reg, yes. I may be proven wrong, only time will tell.

Well he was pretty bloody good last night. He even defended well, even put in a last ditch tackle at one point.

Was it not him who got skinned for the equaliser...

I think it's his potential that's the point here, not his current ability.

Yeah, could/should have done better. I was talking generally over the 90minutes though.

WB is a very difficult position to play...I'd imagine an analysis would show that a high proportion of goals scored against us have been caused by the gaps in behind the WB, or by lack of defensive ability on balls going beyond the middle 3.  You can accept you'll ship a few if that is offset by the attacking contribution and here Bradley Barry for all his defensive frailty has done well, in terms of assists. The left side, mainly BOO occasionally Brophy not so well is my feeling.

Whether to persist with 3-5-2 next season is something which Power wil have to think long and hard about.

Yay! I got quoted in the Washblog...

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/swindon_town_2014/14440712.THE_WASHBLOG__Unappreciated_Yaser_is_the____luxury____Town_really_miss/

This has to be clearly the greatest single achievement of my life.
Just for the record I wasn't mis-quoting Churchill, I was directly quoting Lisa Simpson.

I rule  8)

(https://cdn.meme.am/instances/400x/56047364.jpg) ;)

A bit late to respond, I know, but Tuesday's totally committed performance lifted the spirits. Any scouts there would have Brophy and Branco down as worth watching again. Early on, the 352 looked as though we would concede from crosses almost every time the ball went wide, but the work rate of the whole team meant that Walsall soon looked more worried about us dictating how the game was played, rather than us having to respond and cope with how they wanted to play.

I'd be more than happy if Doughty was signed - a goal scoring, box to box midfielder who would do more right than wrong in a game. I very much doubt we could afford him though.

I may be just pissing in the wind here but I would have thought that Doughty needs to take a step back (and pay cut which would result from that step back) to progress in the long term. With that in mind I reckon we could afford him.

I didn't go on Tuesday but I would think it emphasized how important Kasim is to us. He makes the team in general and Doughty in particular, way, way better. We would see far more of Good Doughty than Bad Doughty if he had Yaser along side him.

I am guessing there is no chance whatsoever of us keeping Kasim and replacing him will be extremely difficult but it has to be the absolute top priority in the summer. If we could somehow replace him with an experienced old head who's been around a bit in the top two divisions and maybe has a couple of seasons left (Power occasionally needs to say "bollocks to the model") that would be amazing. Easy - over to you Lee  8)