Thetownend.com

Confident? Nervous? Predictions?

Think we are more than capable of going there and getting the win but it's all on the day. Scoring a goal at the triangle would be nice for starters.

About time we right a few wrongs of the recent past against these fuckers.

I fully expect us to lose. We'll play very nice, patient football against an up-for-it-blood-and-thunder opposition.

Lock thread.

We'll dominate the game, not take our chances and come away with a draw or defeat I reckon.

I'm nervous about Saturday. Wedding day!

Couldn't give a flying fuck about the game though.

It's like the spirit of DMR had drifted lovingly into the soul of DV.

I can't believe you found a girl to marry you.

That is a sweeping assumption  ;D

Sexist.

Luke Warm and his players totally unprepared for a derby game and what it means to the broader fan base.
Looking like a defeat, 2 0.

:zzz:

We'll fucking muller them 5-1.

Fair appraisal

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37301210

Please mods find a suitable autocorrect so we don't have to pollute our eyes with the TEF's weakest joke again.

I like Cool Hand Luke.

No failures to communicate.

Apart from the 'Michael Appleton's side are unbeaten in League 1 this season' bit.

Lucky Luke would be good enough for me.
(http://i1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj571/frenchreds/clip-art-lucky-luke-479933.jpg) (http://s1268.photobucket.com/user/frenchreds/media/clip-art-lucky-luke-479933.jpg.html)

Why do I get the feeling that they "will want it more"?

Me neither.

To be fair, can any of us males? Knowing what we know, and they don't ;)

Female Vicar ?

Has the triangle become a square in time for Saturday?

Obviously hope we humiliate them.

My gut says 2-0 defeat and Thompson gets a red card.

This is how I feel. But I also have never seen us beat them and I'm not going this time - for the greater good. Fingers crossed.

Will take a point, as always for an away game.

Would fucking love a win though. Of course.

I've learned from the last 15 yrs to expect nothing from this fixture.  It's the best policy.  They have never failed to raise their game vs us during that period, and I expect them to do so again.

The 4-1 County Ground thumpings and the Steve Robinson double at their place are now distant memories.  I would love something similar to update these.

Don't worry. We'll keep the ball well and frustrate them to the point where they end up getting a man sent off fairly early on. That'll do it.

Oh, hang on a sec.....

Distant memories, yes, but oh so good memories 😀😀🖒

Sent from my SM-G935F

I was there for 'that' Turbo goal. Good memories indeed.

Went to the game in League 2, only time I've been to the Kassam. Wished they had 4 stands when I could see their fans lapping it up as we had to sit in the ground for hour and a half afterwards

I think I've said before but the kassam reminds me of that big soulless bowl in north London which we also have a terrible record at. I'm hopeful for a change of fortune, and I'd take a draw to end their run against us.

Does anyone else miss the Manor Ground?

The Manor Ground was a great little stadium. Oozing character and made for a great atmosphere.

7(?) stands, all different. Plus the slope.

Of course at the time it was looked upon as a heap of shite, which it was in many regards.

I'm not going tomorrow, the wife always takes me away for the weekend for this fixture.

(her geography is crap, we are actually spending the weekend in Wallingford - her choice, I assume she thought it was in Devon or the Lake District !)

Anyway, good luck to the Town, and for those that are going, here's something to cheer you up beforehand !
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-35960200

I have a lot of cousins in Wallingford. They follow the dark side. I don't speak to them.

Expecting an under whelming performance similar to but not quite as shit as last season.

2-0 defeat, with LW and the players 'apologising' to the fans for another 'disappointing' derby defeat.

You really are a fucking moron.

The Manor Ground was class albeit a bit intimidating. The alleyway behind the away end was a little bit scary as a kid. The Turbo 2-0 was a good way to sign off!

The Oxford fans take the piss out of our 'shithole' but I'd choose the County Ground over the Kassam every single time.

I think most of their fans, if they're honest, would also take the County Ground over the Kassam every time.  The Kassam has always been a textbook example of how not to develop a ground.  Wrong design, wrong location.  I think most of their fans are quite up front and honest about it, to be fair to them.

The County Ground's a good stadium. It's just old.

...and critically, the location could not be bettered.  (Not in Swindon, anyway.)  It's right at the heart of the town, where it belongs.  Not relegated to the periphery, at the arse end of nowhere, miles from town outside a ring road, and miles from any decent local pubs & businesses.

Sorry can you delete this please, I can just see them wanking themselves  silly that we have likened their grossly over expensive unfinished shit hole to Wembley!

You forgot the sewage works?

I guess it's all part of the "everything about your rivals is shit" spiel.

Although I always admitted I loved Ashton Gate (pre makeover). Quiet as anything usually but a decent ground which allowed the away fans to make lots of noise. Still full of shit mind.

Another reason why their fans have such an inferiority complex, is precisely this, the club has never really been that important to the City. Fair enough they try, but Oxford just isn't a football town. 

Even when they had the Maxwell swindled few seasons in Div 1, the gates were poor, in fact, they hold the record for the least attended Manure post war fixture.

It's also why they do a bus tour for finishing 3rd in the Conference.....a sort of look at us for all the tourists and students in the city centre.

What time are people getting the train for those that are going?

10.45 from Reading for me.

I thought they did that every time they played us.

Used to live over the road from the Manor Ground in the early to mid eighties.
That was when they were on the way up through the divisions and we were treading water in Div 4.

Probably the only period when they were relatively more successful until we met again in the second tier.

The victory in the AMC there in 84 was fun though.

I'm shocked and a little hurt. I've always held you and your thoughtful, insightful posts in high esteem.

You confuse me. How do you manage to cover the gamut from retarded to post-ironic?

Enjoy this classic from everyone's favourite Oxford fan - Eric read

Posh Red said: ↑
I'm obviously a few years behind you two.

My first game at Oxford was in 1980, and have been half a dozen times.
Have to say in all my visits I don't recall getting any trouble from the locals.
That was after segregation came in and the away fans were put in the Cuckoo Lane End. Strange thing with Swindon was, we used to scour the city for you before the game, but never saw a soul until we got to the ground, and there you'd all be in the away terrace as if transported there by magic. We used to joke that there must be a secret tunnel that led from Swindon straight to the Cuckoo Lane! One year a group of us pretended to be Swindon fans and got in the Cuckoo Lane five or ten minutes after kick off. We stood in the middle of you and up went the chant of Oxford Oxford, and you've never seen 1,000 people scatter so quickly! We really had the Indian sign over you. And all that happened to us was that we were marched back to the London Rd to a hero's welcome. Was late seventies, a different world to today.

In the earlier part of the seventies, when it was every man for himself, I'm afraid to say you were a massive let down and never showed in Oxford. We were always in your town in numbers and took the Town End twice, although we usually lost the bit on the field, while winning the bit off of it.

Oxford have always had this kind of support, and still do, and on Saturday you will see 16 to 60 year olds clad in designer clothing, frothing at the mouth with hatred toward you.

Enjoy...............

Who's going to break it to him that "Primark" isn't generally considered a designer label?

Be that as it may, I can do without the adulation of an adult that says Luke Warm.

Different world indeed. That is one of the most pathetic things I've ever read.

If that is winning I'm glad I'm a fucking loser

I'm not following that post... his first game was in the 80s but he was there in the earlier part of the 70s?  **disclaimer*** 3 pints at lunchtime

I remember our last performance at their place they frustrated us all over the pitch and were quicker into the tackle not giving us time on the ball and we had no answer as we could not play our football - the only way we can play

I've seen Oxford loads of times against us and never witnessed all this bollocks they bring out everytime we play them. Seen objects being chucked and a lot of arm waving. That's it. Even in the cuckoo lane end I thought I was in a non league ground. Wonder if they have a funny flag ready?  ;D

Ooh...how you must have laughed!

I just parked up in a housing area behind and walked up that alleyway into the ground. Don't remember a tunnel  ??? I remember that stand on the left that held about 150  :-[

I reckon Eric should write his memoirs.

There were about 9 stands on the left hand side :D

Clearly, he's a Swindon fan taking the piss.

Eric is very special.

Ah, yes.  The 'Blue Peter Stand'.  So named because it looked like it was constructed from empty cereal boxes and sticky backed plastic.  :)

Am i right in thinking all trains from Swindon will need to change at Didcot, then onto Oxford?

that is correct

Eric is a lying cunt. About 20 or 30 of them came in with red and white dotted on them. The away terrace was pretty empty, mainly families and the quiet ones, all of the "boys" were still in the pub as it was still 45 mins before kick off, and proceeded to swing at everyone in range. I was 15, my mate a qpr fan same age was at his first ever game got a broken jaw, never been to one since. So yeah very big and hard they were. I also decided never to go there again, and have stuck by that, so i wonder how much the "heroes" have lost from that? In some small way i hope the slightly less money they had helped them spiral down out of the league.

Parked there a few times as well as the hospital car park.

Sent from my SM-G935F

I think we can win tomorrow but I also think we can lose.

What times everyone getting to the boozer tomorrow?  :pint:

The name Eric Read was derived from the ref who was hit on the head during the smoke bomb game at the County Ground.
As for the 1000 Swindon at the Simod Cup game there was hardly a few hundred Swindon fans.
Been to all the home and away Derby games since the 70's and never witnessed Oxford fans in the TE.
In fact Eric doesn't remember when the London Rosd End was split for home and away fans and Kammy scored twice to claw us back to 3-3.
How old is this bloke?

Rabies.

Didcot station was the only place I got caught up in nastiness, receiving a bit of a shoeing after a defeat. Despite the edgy atmosphere at the Manor I, thankfully, never witnessed violence, although I have heard of innocents having been on the receiving end after games on their way from the ground to the coaches.

Hope all goes well for those (Town and Pox) who go on Saturday only wanting to experience a decent derby.

Depends on when ln the 70s you started going.
Pre segregation ,which must have been 1974 ish, I can recall Pompey,Villa,Cardiff,Brizzle city fans and god forbid even the scum being in the Town end :eek:
Mind you , Swindon skins took the East end at Trashton gate in 1970

I was involved in a fight between Swindon and Oxford fans once.

I say 'involved', it was more chanting stuff that made me look hard. Or at least that's what I thought at the time, I must have only been about 16/17. And I say 'fight' it was actually quite comical....

It was on the bit of grass behind the Stratton Bank. The two groups came together and were just about to go for it and then there was a bit of pause when everybody collectively realised that, for whatever reason, there were no police present. Everyone realised that they might have to actually fight, or something. There was a bit more (less enthusiastic) chanting from both sides again. Lots of "come on then"... from a safe distance.

A couple of the older guys sort of clashed with fists and legs up in a woosy defensive manner more than anything, and then looked at each other as though they were not quite sure of what to do next.

Then, to everybody's relief, a couple of coppers came around the corner. Thank god for that, it meant that we didn't actually have to fight after all.

Of course we went back to being all well-hard with lots of enthusiastic chanting again. After all we were going to kick the shit out of them if only there were not a couple of policemen stopping us.

It was talk talk scrapping wasnt it

Come to think of it....

I remember those days. Oxford did get in the Town End once - they arrived early before all the Swindon boys. Someone I know actually ran at the Oxford fans on his own and they all parted before he got arrested!
It was common in those days for away fans to 'take' the home end early before any home fans arrived. At Swindon everyone would gather on the corner of Shrivenham Road and the Town End and gradually push the away fans to the side of the stand and 'retake' the Town End.  

Since 1975 and never missed a derby.
Therefore by my reckoning Eric must be at least in his 50's?
Married, girlfriend, kids or what? ........

I thought people grew up after their teens/twenties. Its all a bit laughable tbh.

When Eric is mentioned it makes me think of.........

http://youtu.be/ETqncRvQHWk

I agree, I stood and watched the Swindon fans 'welcoming' Bristol Rovers fans the other week and kept thinking how stupid it all was. Grown men shouting abuse at each other. Definately a teen thing

I can remember that stuff about the  away fans early in the town end, used to well confuse me. Said away fans would then be taken to the bank, and then the town enders would walk round to "pay their respects" All very exciting for a young lad, who was on the bank anyway and saw it all unfurl.

In hindsight it was far better then, none of this wanky keyboard heroics. I'd much rather be chased through Wolverhampton, than pulling up dmr for being a hairy handed attic dwelling parent sponging twat who imagines he knows the score ;)

Looks like history repeats and we learn no lessons - let alone look at scout reports