Thetownend.com

Morning...

I'm going 1-1 with this.. Luke Norris to score.

Will take a point.

I'd certainly take a point but I think that Billy Sharp and co will have a bit too much for us to cope with.  0-3 defeat.

9 man Bury held them to only a 1-0.. and that was scored in the 93rd minute... I'm clutching on to that.

A shellacking.

They seem to be having a bit of a blip at the moment. In the last 4 league games, We've conceded just one more than they have while we have scored 2 more. This includes our 4-0 loss at Rochdale.

I expect a comfortable defeat so a draw would be a welcome result.

Performance of the season - 3.0 Town

We have a terrible record up there so probably a comfortable win.

Sneaky away win with Luke Norris scoring. :wink:

Not easy to predict anything but a loss so I ma going for a draw as there form hasn`t been so good and ours is improving - come on town surprise me.

By counting the PO game and last season we're undefeated in 2 at Bramall Lane  :)

Blades home form is up there with Rochdale and Scunny as some of the better in Div 3, so another tousing very much on the cards.

I haven't checked but my gut feeling is that we're usually a bit undercooked after our mid season break...which probably won't help as we're meant to be refreshed.

Pre match greasy chip butty in The Benjamin Huntsman (inventor of crucible steel).

Read somewhere that their L1 budget used to be 7 million with players on 10-12k a week.
Now running at 3 million with a 4k cap.
We are all in the wrong job if that big fat centre forward of theirs from a couple of years back was one of the big earners.

A continuation of the form from last two league games would be good.
Keep that up in the majority of remaining games and we should be ok.

Remember getting up at stupid o'clock (bit like today) for a Sunday morning kick off here in Dec 87.
A young Chris Wilder played that day. We lost.

Wonder if Seen Been will turn up today, we might have a Sharpe in the squad and they have err a Wildling as manager.

Who are you referring to?

Michael Higdon. Now with Tranmere.

Was he that fouling cunt who should have been sent off?

I'll never forgive Bean for breaking the Fellowship of the Ring  >:(

Jean Luc Picard did once beam down from the Enterprise, to attend an Uddersfield visit to the CG.

Yep, that's the one.

"The Beast" from quiz show The Chase is also a Blades fan apparently.
Turned up at the CG for the game last season.

There a strange one, the Blades. It is usual for the big fish in the division to attract a certain level of animosity yet, apart from their local rivals, I'd imagine most fans quite like the club.

Maybe it's because they have more than done their time in this godforsaken league. Had a good laugh with their fans over the playoff games - shame our twatty contingent spoilt things somewhat.

Anyway, can't see past a defeat I'm afraid. 2-0

I've stumbled upon him lots of times in the quiz world,  before he was on TV. Always seemed a decent enough fella....the upper echelons of UK quizzing is a weird place.

RB makes a good point about Blades.  There are some clubs whose fans seem a decent lot and others where they're complete cunts. This somehow is reflected in the perception of the club.  I've always found West Brom fans a decent lot, Wolves fans....no.  Similarly Blades over Wendies. Charlton over Millwall.

Didn't he get in a strop on set having been beaten recently?

Its my birthday tomorrow so making a weekend of it.

Not going to let the result ruin the weekend, just hope we can at least make it difficult for them

To avoid defeat would be a right result today.

TOWN STARTING XI | Vigouroux; Furlong, Rossi-Branco, Jones, Ormonde-Ottewill; Rodgers, Thomas; Goddard, Doughty, Norris; Obika (C)

#STFC

TOWN SUBS | Henry, Smith, Evans, Sharpe, Murray, Delfouneso, Hylton.  

#STFC 🔴⚪️

Looks a fairly attacking line up for an away game.

This new lad we signed in the week, what position is he?

LB mainly also fills in CB.

Thanks JJ.

Welcome mate :) short term contract which apparently even Luke Williams doesn't know the length of, which seems a bit wierd.

That's very odd...

Not a great bench mind

Apparently it's 3 pages of A4. HTH :)

 ??? I'm not doubting you but I do hope that he is never needed at centre back. Imagine the equivalent of BOO playing centre back with an aimless hoof instead of trying to dribble out of danger and losing the ball that way.

Doubt anyone really expects a result but anything is a massive bonus. On paper it's not a bad starting 11 and there is no reason why we can't win if they all play to their potential. Norris, Doughty, Obika, Goddard SHOULD have goals.

As long as it hasn't got any splinters then I recon it will be fine for sitting on :)

Murray, Delfouneso and Smith aren't bad options Hylton has his moments and the new bot Sharpe may or may not be good.

TBH its stronger than it has been a lot of this season.

No idea as I haven't seen him but thats what Williams told the Adver when he signed....

Sounded a nice start for us, nearly scored from a free kick.

And Rodgers upsets Dave Hockaday with his lack of effort! :D

Its a game of opinions I suppose. Smith is a good prospect, at least he gives 100%
Delf and Murray have been hugely disappointing to me. Not game changers (watch that bite me later).

Sounds like we are doing OK TBH, always vulnerable at the back of course..

Last 10 mins we have sounded shaky at the back on the counter attack against us.

Sounds like we're being pulled over the place at the moment.

yeah, as soon as I said it sounded like we're doing well it switched to sounding like we'll concede at any minute.

when will I learn.

We are really struggling at the moment.

Get in at 0-0 please, Town.

Sounds like Rodgers is having a bad day.

0-0 I will take that

I don't think anyone has told Rodgers we aren't in red today

From the sound of it I would bring on Smith for Rodgers 2nd half.

h/t 0-0, I'd settle for that all day long.

the chances of it staying that way however....

We're good for another 15 minutes at least..

With regards to Murray, didn't he have get a fair few assists when he first joined? When I've seen him play I thought he looked decent. Much better option than Rodgers

Yes, early season he was pretty good.

He's gone right off the boil the last couple of times I've see him though.

Hylton coming on?
Blimey.

Be nice to see Hylton finally click and get a couple of goals. I seem to remember him impressing in the play-off games against Sheff U a couple of seasons ago?

On for Doughty :(
Hope he's not too badly injured

Doughty off.

Presumably that is just a fitness/injury concern. Especially considering how poorly it sounded Rodgers was playing first half.

Phew. Let off.

How the fuck did they miss that

I can't believe we've made a sub and Rodgers is still playing

Got to be injury related.

Started skipper on Tuesday and was one of the worst players on the pitch. Got subbed at half time thankfully, comes to a Saturday and he starts again and same shite performance? Can no one else play his role?!

Sound like we started this half as we finished the first half :(

(http://previews.123rf.com/images/kaidevil/kaidevil1412/kaidevil141200250/34873196-football-on-traffic-cone-preparing-for-play-the-game-Stock-Photo.jpg)

Bllocks. Inevitable. 1-0

0-1

Fuck.

Sounds like Rodgers was lazy in the build up to the goal.

Without wanting to make him a scape-goat, he's had two seasons of consistently average/below par performances here with only brief glimpses of ability. He's been given enough time and from what I've seen he's not good enough.

Bllocks. Inevitable. 2-0

Same old Swindon, falling apart

0-2

Double fuck.

We need to not concede any more, damage limitation, Sheff Utd sound on fire.

Even by his admittedly low standards Rodgers has been total dog shit today

He struggles to pass to his own team most of the time.

We would probably be better with 10 men if he was sent off

Once a team get up a head of steam against us we have no plan to stop it happening and the inevitable goals come.

It's all very predictable the way the games go.

Rodgers is one of the worst tacklers and chasers I've ever seen in a Swindon shirt, and has been all season. His good points don't make up for this IMO and I wish we'd get rid of him.

We are fucked.

3-0

(http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/movieposters/14569/p14569_p_v8_ah.jpg)

Who in their right mind would want him ??

Yup. It's that drum that we endlessly bang, but some experience is needed. There just simply is not enough bollocks in this team. Nobody takes responsibility and we get walked all over.

5-0 if we're lucky.

I'm going for another hammering in this one now.

Time to turn the radio off and do something more constructive I think.

like re-organising the sock drawer.

Frankly, we are lucky to have nil

That good then...

Got them right where we wanted them...

I'm picking up a vibe of mild dissatisfaction from you today :)

Rogers is shit but he's been no worse than Thomas or Murray in midfield.

Depressing thought.

Puts our misery into perspective. Poor lad.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-38275409

Listened to 30 to 45 and we didn't touch the ball.

Coconut shy defending, relieved to get in at halftime at 0:0.

Unpacked the shopping...bang, bang, bang!

It's over.

Had a fake text come through climbing Hylton came on for Doughty....I can do without that.

That and I read about the 5 year old terminally ill Sunderland lad today too. Brought a tear to the eye and, even if it lasts briefly,  brought a realisation of what we call "shit" really isn't. :(

He has been useless. BUT he is now captain so all good. No need for me to add what others have said but he really is an example of how bad we are at the moment.

Must be bad - even Hockaday is starting to think we are shit.

All season I have thought we would turn the tide and go up this table.
Realism, relegation fodder

:D Has Hockey ever commentated on a Town win?  :hmmm:

Hammered. 4-0

Nothing funny about this shit pile flash.

Seems a lifetime since ANYONE commentated on a Town win !!

Fuck this.

Spineless wankers the lot of em

I saw a tweet from the STFC account saying they were going to try and sort out a car for him from the club.

Fucking shite performance today though by the sounds of it!!

So, so frail.

Sounds as though Rogers has had a shocker even by his standards.

When I turned the radio on in the car at the start of the game and realised he was co commentator, I knew it was a dead cert loss!

I get the impression that like most of us, he has no time for Rodgers. Quite scathing with some of his comments.

Absolutely pathetic how we just crumple though.

Looks like it will be another massive attendance for the Fleetwood game.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!

Just remembered I can't make next weekend's game :)

Unfortunately true on all counts.

I'm fed up of getting pissed after nearly every Swindon game and not enjoying it.

FUCKING EMBARRASSING !!!!   :no: :no: :no: :hmmm: >:(

On the plus side, it sounds like it could have been 6 or 7

Hockey said 8 ;)

fuck me 19 shots on target for them, 1 for us. Glad we put out an attacking line-up Otherwise we'd look silly..

:) :)

FT 'only' 4-0

:D

Hope the coach breaks down.

Both of them.

Yeah Luke Williams always sounds a bit tearful on the radio!

Those, myself included, who thought we had decent players poorly led, will have to rethink that one .

The small number of adequate players we do have are being negated by the much larger number of absolute dross they have to play with.

Unbelievably, there seems to be a handful of other teams that are just as useless.
 
  

Watched the BBC scores for the first half, went for some food for the second half,  come back to the scores and we are 4-0 down. This team are a bunch of shysters.

Not seen NMH around so I'll try and paraphrase Williams in this post if he appears:

How much did we make them a good side?
- started brightly
- then let sheff u get on top
- not acceptable after good start.
- catalogue of errors leading to a shot
- mentally group not strong enough
- need to show us a stronger mindset
(3 times now, is it a case some aren't good enough?)
- nature of game, if they can't step up the transfer window is looming and they must be wondering if they'll be replaced
- never gives up on a player...
---
- Still in it at half time, clear it was one way traffic from the start of second though
- talks abut a Vigs "mistake" (I missed that)
- Two central defenders can hold head up (soapy tit wank)
- Players are hiding, but some got lost in the thick of it and opposition was too good for them.
- Will go through video but already have a good idea..If they repeatedly don't 'do it' then they'll be replaced
- Doughty "not well" can't seem to get clear bill of health and his energy levels were down...
- Ellis Ilando has tight hammy.
- If we had 11 Thompsons....

'Young boys blah blah blah'

'Got to be stronger blah blah blah'

'We'll get on the training pitch blah blah blah'

'Tim Sherwood makes me dress up like Harry Kane and leads me round the training ground on a leash and I think I kinda like it...'

:)

He wasnt even angry!

He has said in interviews before that he doesn't get too angry with the players when things don't go well he leaves that to Ross Embleton...good cop bad cop blah blah.

Comes accross sometimes as not really caring much whether he is or not actually.

It's not his job to be angry. That's Tim's.

Can't take him seriously, ever since someone commented that he sounds like Noel Fielding...

More like Fenella Fielding

Got this through..

 Today was wholly predictable. We've seen enough already to know this side can collapse, at one of the decentish norvern  home sides.... eg Scunny, Dale and now Blades.  There's probably a few more to come, unless somthing changes pronto.

 Given this knowledge and that we've been in a relegation battle for a couple of months now, today was something of a free shot. 

 It will be the games v fellow strugglers and midtable mediocrities that decide whether we stay in Div 3, or continue our 21st Century trend of being a Div 3/4 yo-yo team.

 Next week is a horrible game, Fleetwood aren't great on the road, but have scored in every game....we know at the CG if the opposition score we cave in and lose. However to maintain such a scoring run over a long run of games is difficult, so maybe just a chance. 

 Bit of a mixed bag from fellow strugglers, Bury, Cov, Chesterfield all losing, but good win for Shrews, a useful point for Oldham, but sadly Franchise winning.

 I have zero hope, based on the recruitment of Sharpe, that Power will take the needed remedial action in Jan, rather than just try and chug along with what we've got.

Williams says he will use the video nasty to identify those players hiding...

Fuck me...it's taken to December to try and find out who is shit!?!

Never in doubt with this ragtag bunch of misfits.

I tend to chalk off Bramall Lane as a loss in August but it's the same old issues.

As bad as today was, we'll win next week.

Yup. Its the nature of the defeat/continuing mental fragility that makes this more than just the defeat itself.

Suppose expecting them to suddenly come good just because Tactics Tim turned up was a big ask.

To provide some sort of perspective on the nature of our shitness, I've been going well over 50 years and this is the first time we've conceded 4 or more on the road 3 times in Div 3 by the turn of the year. 2 is quite rare, we managed it last season at Barnsley and Fleetwood, again 2 norvern outposts.

If Sherwood fucks up the transfer window we could set a really (un)impressive season record then.

Competed ok in first half.
Nothing in the second half.
Vigs with usual saves to keep the score down.

Honeymoon is over Timbo and William's stats take the hit.

And the fucking cunting train is late.

It should be fairly obvious to anyone with an ounce of nous about lower league football, where our deficiencies lie, so hopefully it ought to be reasonably easy to rectify.  I just have doubts that Power will be prepard to fund what's required rather than do it on a wing and a prayer....namely a couple of kids loaned in.

Win more fucking games.

Amirite?

You could be on to something there.

My mother always said I had a gift.

you'll never come up with a formula for winning games, and don't blind us with your 'score more they that do' pseudo science

I expected us to lose today so I'm not deflated by that defeat to be honest. Would be different if I was there I know but.. Meh. The important thing is to get wins in games we can conceivably compete in, rather than pray something mad happens and we beat anyone big or in form. I hope those who did go have had a decent day out given that it's Sheffield though. You're all soldiers COYR

I've been thinking and I reckon it's really about making sure they score fewer than we do.

It's a work in progress, but I think it might have some legs.

Pfft! Like that's a thing!

I did say it's a work in progress.

I follow Professor Barry Fry's theory: put the ball in their net. Stop them from putting the ball in your net. Unfortunately Professor Fry's equation seems a little advanced for our club.

These "legs" you speak of sound quite interesting too. We've been having a few problems there  :hmmm:

Everyone's a critic.

OK, back to the drawing board.

Ffs, we should be able to compete in every game. Effort, sweat, application. Combine a lack of that and also the seeming inability to actually play the game to a competent standard sees us where we are.

Even if we avoid the drop, this bollocks of a recruitment policy will not improve things.

In 2016 we've now had 23 away games under Luke. In other words the equivalent of a whole season, we've won 3.  Seeing as the home form isn't completely reliable, an improvement on the road is needed otherwise it will be Div 4 next season.

We should but we can't, that much is evident. So for the sake of my own sanity that's what's focussing on. I'm usually pretty optimistic but I find myself wavering between meh and "hopefully" during pre match lately.

It's been done to death, really, in terms of where we've gone wrong. Recruitment/ownership/transfer/players/coaching, there's like a little pie chart everyone has where the blame has varying sizes. But what is true is that there's absolutely fuck all you can do about it. So without wanting to go full Reg, I have pretty much written off some games and look to others as 'better' fixtures.

Regarding player effort though, Hockaday certainly wasn't impressed with that. Which is unsurprising given our own set pieces so often leave us vulnerable. That's one of those things I can't comprehend. It truly is pathetic.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

It's when you see Rodgers being first pick that gets you thinking of conspiracies as to why. Fans aren't stupid, they can tell the difference between a decent player just having a bad patch and a useless twat.

Admittedly he has had some terrible games, but I think Rodgers has become a bit of a scapegoat for some. He's had more than enough games where he's been the worst player on the pitch, but he's also had games where he wasn't, and others just don't get picked out as much as he does. If you expect a player to do badly you'll noticed every misplaced pass a lot more, even though it happens all the time. I guess that's a marker of how bad we are right now, we're disagreeing over who is the worst!

He works bloody hard, I think that's why I'm inclined to stick up for him. I don't think you can say that for every squad member who's had a bad game.

Where's the conspiracy? Expecting an influx of Celtic players or just with the Liverpool ones previously?

I don't agree he works hard. he ambles through and is half arsed at defending. look at Smith for genuine hard work

But aside from that doughty was/is Ill, kasim is injured/sulking, Murray isn't the player we were hoping (yet anyway) Ellis L and Smith have promise but are inexperienced/lightweight and inexperienced/injured (not now).... Goddard blows hot and cold.

you see the problem. in an ideal world Rodgers wouldn't be a first choice starter. but... well, there's no real absolutely obvious better alternative right now .

Though personally I'd start Smith, it's not necessarily just Anton whose place would be under threat - all of them would be .

We've got to stop this Landolo stuff, it's becoming the new Paolo.

(And I've got to stop reading Ellis as Ells, although it's mostly complimentary, cheers)

According to Dave (bad idioms) Hockaday today he wasn't even making an effort to track back. He's normally quite positive is Dave, but he sounded livid today.

I'm confident we won't be seeing much of Rogers once the January transfer dealings are done.

Every game that I have seen play I would say him not working hard is the biggest critisism. You can take a misplace pass once in a while if they bust a gut to get it back and press the opposition. To me he just trots around

I can never remember his name spelling, so he's Ellis :)

Rodgers is in on merit and that is exactly why we are in the shit. He's no more shit than some others. His work rate albeit shit is no worse than some others. His tacking is non existent just like a lot of others. His positional play is fucking woeful just like a lot of the others. He has the occasional decent 5 minutes just like a lot of the others.

Basically this yeah.
AND he can take a decent free kick.

I've said it before but I'll say it again....the majority of our players when they leave will be lucky to pick up a Conference club.

The main disconnect between club and fans, seems to be the existential question of what the club is for. To a lot of fans the purpose should be about building a squad that can compete at the top end of the league, and give a good account of itself in cup competitions. This doesn't seem to be the view of owner and management....to them it's about hoping to stay in Div 3 and maybe finding an odd player to sell for a decent amount. From that point of view last season whilst viewed by fans as dire with historically poor home form, would be viewed as successful because some money was made on Ajose.

This season for the fans is again dire, and not looking too clever for the management, as there's not much to sell.  Maybe one of the 2 keepers or the kid Young might generate something.

I'm surprised gates have been so high. Most home games have been boring turgid shite with players who either don't give a fuck or if they do can't do much with it.

420 went up today which surprised me somewhat.

Great post Reginald.

Rogers: He has no heart or desire. Trading off the back of his old man as a player, he's only here because Power got Brendan as a contact with the chance of getting some decent players here. The fact that he's number 2 on the team sheet whenever golden balls Thompson is fit ( or #1 when he's not) just speaks volumes about the quality of our squad.

The fiasco with Sherwood managing by proxy is typical us under Power and is now contributing to our decline. It's all slimy cockney bullshit designed to deceive the fans. Most of the players are shit, but how the fuck can they work with a loser like Williams sitting on the bench watching games with his bottom lip gone, while his erstwhile #2 Embleton prances around dishing out orders whilst listening for commands from Tim, who's up in the stands, via a fucking Bluetooth connection?

Hockaday had it right today. Shame his new false teeth don't fit properly. He did a great Sshhean Connery!

 

TBF, those that go these days don't go expecting to see a win. If it happens then it's a bonus, more of a day out thing. My niece goes with her son, his cousin and the cousin's grand dad. They don't expect much, but enjoy the social side.

the issue isn't about quality of the players to me, it's the mental strength (Hockaday talked about it after the game).

When we score first we are full of confidence and put teams to the sword, when we go behind though the majority just stop trying and become sloppy and we just end up conceding 3 or 4 goals.

Some of the players don't put a proper shift in (Rodgers) and he would be one I would like see moved on has he hasn't improved one bit in his time here but the others, you can't teach confidence, you can't teach mental strength, you either have it or not and at the moment that is our problem, we have no real leaders in the team who can jump on the backs of the players when we are losing to make them keep going.

January needs to see us bring in 2 defenders and a midfielder at least, they need to be experienced and they need to know what it means to avoid relegation, we don't have any like that at the moment and I think the confidence issue is down to our defence, once a team scores 1, they believe they will score again and again.

Only 3 weeks till the window opens, we need to get in there early and fast with some reinforcements.

No striker?

Yes you can:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/the-agony-and-the-ecstasy/2016/jul/01/sports-psychologist-jeremy-snape-rugby-cricket-football

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/boxing-carl-froch-turns-to-olympic-psychologist-for-george-groves-rematch-9194869.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2016/08/10/rio-olympics-2016-how-british-swimming-was-transformed-after-lon/

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyclingteam/article/20150529-gb-cyclingteam-news-British-Cycling-appoints-lead-psychologist--for-the-Great-Britain-Cycling-Team-0

Oh god, not the psycho-babble again!

I don't work in sport I know (swimming is boring) but I still work on that principal yeah.

Me: so do you feel psychologically strong right now?
Them: no not really
Me: you're doomed then gtfo

I know let's get the one the England Footy team used in the summer.

That's why I make the normal 8 hour round trips, football is shit but the social side makes up for it!

"The one"! If you're talking about psychologists they're not interchangeable you know.

Eileen Drury did a job.  I wonder where she is now?

It's obviously all bullshit but if she brought Hoddle with her I'd welcome her anywhere in football.

watching the meltdown on the facebook group - did people really expect us to go to sheffield and pick up 3 points??

The people on that group want us to pick up 4.

Quite a few kicked off that we only got 1 point a Southend.

As a limited footballer I don't think Rodgers works hard enough. Perhaps I'm being overly harsh but he always seems to be more lacklustre than our other group of lacklustres.

We desperately need a central midfielder who can shift! Rodgers, Thomas and Doughty has to be the slowest midfield 3 in the division, not made any quicker when Kasim comes in! Once a player goes past them there's absolutely no hope in Rodgers or Thomas putting in a recovery challenge - they can't catch up

From a distant observation we seem to have assembled a group of young players who have little appetite and sound almost complacent with their places in the team. That's quite an achievement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV2buWbzmkQ

Also applicable to about 400 town fans yesterday.
But as Reg mentioned, these days it's all mainly about the day out.
The good times will come again, they always do, trouble is it could take years.

For me an away game has always been about the day out and not the result.

Even when we are doing well I never EXPECT us to win.

That probably comes from watching them in the late 70s and early 80s when the County Ground was a stronghold but we rarely picked up 2/3 points away from home, right up to Macari anyway.

What I do want as a fan is effort from the players, to not have their heads drop when we concede a goal but keep fighting harder, if they give everything they have and we still lose then there will be few complaints. When players duck out of challenges for fear of injury, when they don't chase a seemingly lost cause of a pass and just give up, when they don't argue between themselves when we let a goal in...then theres a problem.

What most (FB twatgroup excluded) Town fans want is commitment and effort, ability is a bonus and few players have all of that of late it would appear.

Several of the players, it seems, hearts are not in it for a battle, they love the "youngest best passing side in the division" compliments they often get in the media like when Sky cover a game, but that doesn't make you a footballer.

A lot of that is indeed down to mental fragility, when we go a goal up we look like we could beat anyone in this division, when we go a goal down then we look the worst side in the league, never have I seen such a Jekyll & Hyde side at Swindon.

As for Rodgers, every time I have seen him play (only about 10 games so far) he has not put in a shift, yes he takes stunning free kicks at times, Premier League standard, but at times he looks lost and runs away from the ball or often not even bothering to run at all, he ducks out of headers totally and his tackling for a midfielder is very poor when he can be bothered to put in a tackle.

He could be an asset in a team for his free kicks alone if we could afford one passenger in the team, if the others around him pass, fight and tackle for him....wherein lies the problem...they don't!

This!!  Sadly there has been so much bullshit written about how good our passing game was/is that the players tend to believe it . . . . obviously the super coach cannot get it through to the players there is another, more nasty, side of the game and they do not - apart from rare occasions - want to battle it out.

Spot on PV, just a bit of effort will make a huge difference (look at Charlie Henry)

The thing that worries me about this group is what does relegation actually mean to them.
Those on loan just go back to their parent clubs.
Those that are decent will get a move somewhere else

They need a coach/manager to instill some pride if they don't have it themselves, I fear we have neither

Very much this.

If this squad is what you can get for a, supposedly, £1.5m budget, God help us when it does get slashed.

We've near on played everybody once in this Div.  So noticeable patterns are starting to form....with us, on the road, it's any half decent side oop north we get stuffed, anything like a derby which requires bottle we get stuffed. If it's a bit more southern we can get a point....the good news is that the norvern turkey shoots are now reduced to Bolton, Bradford, Fleetwood and possibly Port Vale and Rovers in the derby.

Back at the time of the Eastleigh debacle, I suggested that we had an unpleasant run of 7 games ahead, until any transfer action could happen in Jan, 5 away games and 2 at the CG, further a realistic haul would be about 6 points, which would keep us in touch. So far we've got 4. We now get to see the missing 3 sides, starting with Fleetwood. 

Another pattern is at the CG if the opposition score we lose if they don't we win....Fleetwood have scored in all games this season.

Millwall, requires bottle, just can't see anything from that.  Franchise, new manager, before yesterday hadn't won at home, a point ought to be possible.  So we might pick up the 2 or so points to keep in touch.

I posted before that in this very poor division, the better sides I've seen have been the ones who put a better shift in than the opposition. A bit of organisation and wanting to do the simple things better than the oppo can be enough to at least get a draw. Individual creativity and skill can make the difference but it has got to be underpinned by 100% commitment by the whole team.

Any side that seemingly gives up when the going gets tough are just asking to get relegated.

Which is why even a poor side like Oldham can, and do, battle away for the odd point here and there. Shrews won away at 'Wall yesterday.

Chesterfield look cooked to me, as do Berry. Coventry appear to be our mirror image.

As crap as we are we should just about manage to avoid the drop. But that's not really the point. Until, and unless, there is a seismic shift in how we recruit and the type we recruit, we face this bollocks every season.

It'll catch up with us eventually.

I don't go with this 'northern outpost' thing (Oldham 0 - 2 Swindon). It is like the nonsensical 'we haven't won there for x years, so why should we win there now' argument - how historic results involving completely different teams and managers are supposed to influence current events baffles me. Town are just crap away from home currently, regardless of whether the game is played in the south, midlands, north, east, west, in midweek or on a Saturday.

A point away from home ought to be possible anywhere this season. Unfortunately, a right gubbing, not just a battling defeat, is just as likely, even at Millwall and Franchise.

I don't think it's worth worrying too much about the future, beyond the next game and its implications for the season. 

The relegation battle has always been the backdrop to this season, given the limited squad finishing 19th/20th will be an achievement.

I did make the point about half decent: Oldham 1 home win and only scored 4 at Boundary Park all season.

Of course logic should dictate historic results have no bearing, yet take somewhere like Priestfield weve been there 36 times in the league since 1930 for 1 win.  When that 86/87 side won there 3-1, you knew it was a special side. We have got a few useful points like this season.

I don't agree with the 'always' bit, Reg. The supposed mid-table budget, the signing of Vigs, getting Doughty back and keeping hold of Beeks were, for me, real positives and outweighed the loss of Ajose. I think a mid-table finish was a justified stance to take at the beginning of the season. For the past couple of months, we've definitely been in a relegation battle, and will, I think, still be for much of the remainder of the season. Until we can string a couple of wins together, or go on a four or five match unbeaten run, there's nothing to suggest otherwise.

Fair enough....I can understand a new season brings a bit of optimism, but ours quickly unravelled, with CG performances of utter incompetence sadly redolent of last season's historic ineptitude, this backing up losing 3-1 at Chesterfield in the first away game. The alarm bell started to be dusted off by mid September.

Just seen the highlights, goals look terrible as usual

As with the majority of goals we concede, every single one yesterday can be attributed to an individual piece of bad defending.

I haven't kept up with threads, has it been brushed under the carpet again? Or has anyone come out and said yup. we're shit, soz boys and girls?

What do you reckon?

I reckon yes, and they've offered free tickets for home games, but everyone declined..

Tactics Tim gave a great post match interview

He did, he played a blinder, said it how it is, pulled no punches, not a single word of a lie came out of his mouth to the media.

fixed it for you.

botched appointment if you ask me, obviously forgiven if he pulls a rabbit,  a striker, a couple of defenders and a midfield general out the hat in January.

You don't want much ;)

And we stay up

I think we'd give any new manager the benefit of the doubt until they esembled their own squad.

...but this sort of is Tim's squad (including Luke Williams)... I think... I dunno.

This is silly.

Relegation means nothing to anyone other than the fans.

I could suggest the perfect manager for installing some pride but we didn't like him either...

Surely as young players- higher division, higher wages, ambitions for success, threat of being released and not finding another club means that relegation would matter to them. Maybe as a collection they just aren't good enough! Some young players would blossom in a decent team, these are all much the same and the lack of experience and leadership in the team is simply too much to make them work as a team

I'm no expert but I cant imagine the wages fluctuate that much in the bottom two divisions. I bet there are L2 clubs paying players more than we do.
Plus, how relegation effects their wages depends on their contract. If it's expiring they can probabLy go else where for the same money (if not more) and a signing on fee. If their contract isn't expiring then they'd be on the same wages as the previous season.
If they're contract is expirng and we are releasing them - then staying up wouldn't have changed that decision.

Shit manager, shit players, inexperienced players, no leaders, no mental strength are all the ingredients for relegation. I'm amazed there are still teams below us.

Who is the manager?

I'm not judging him on results/squad, that's stupid. like you say - not his squad. Even after January hell need time to change things long term.

What I am judging him on is his lack of public  involvement. Behind the scenes he may well do everything. In the public eye though he may as well not be here.

To me this was a chance to start again and unite and engage a rapidly disinterested fanbase. To get that new manager effect both on and off the field. To communicate new ideas and give a bit of hope. This I feel is an important step, particularly as results aren't going to flip to brilliant overnight.  People point out the atmosphere at the CG is a bit crap and toxic, yet we waste an opportunity of a temporary respite.

But nothing seems to have changed. We still get Williams trotted out spouting the same stuff about what went wrong that nobody believes he can influence change over.

That's why I think it's thus far a bodged appointment. And yes I , and I suspect the wider fan base, are fickle enough to proclaim it a genius move when we start moving up the table :)

Oh and DV - I looked up wages the other day in relation to the EFL futures BS.

In 2011 average was about 38K L2, 74K L1 and 200K Championship. Doubt its changed much

Not sure our own wage structure follows "average" mind.

The more I think about it the more I think that Sherwood 's appointment hasn't actually changed anything

It has been suggested by Power & Williams that he was around the club before he was appointed, and the fact he's here with no contract makes me think the idea was just to take the pressure off Williams as he didn't really want to be manager.

I'd guess he was available to Williams for advice (including team selection) before

I think it was just announced as a lever to keep the fans on side as they were getting grumpy

I see it as Power trusting Sherwood to do what he was essentially doing, allowing him to spend his time on Waterford/Montenegro.

But I suppose that's the problem - nobody actually knows what the dynamic at the club is.

Fuck has Power bought and entire County now?

Dynamic isn't a term I'd associate with STFC atm.  We may not quite be at early to mid 80's atrophy yet....but it's going that way. January is going to be very much make or break. Luke says we'll be getting bodies in....I have zero confidence that they'll be the sort of thing required rather than more Rhys Sharpes.

Its odd how Sherwood is supposed to being charge but does not face the media even when they request interview with him and always wheel out Williams win lose or draw.

I expected the communication to improve with the appointment of ASD as press officer, he knew what fans are wanting and may be able to try and put his own stamp on press offerings, and then with Sherwood and inviting the adver back was hoping things may change but at the moment nothing has, don't even know if Sherwood is at the club daily / weekly / at all

Have the club ever said that Sherwood is in charge?

If rumours are true, there are non-league teams paying some players more than we pay some of ours

I think he's doing his best. The problem was never with Tom Obswhatski (his predecessor).

I find ASD a little over enthusiastic at times but he has to serve his paymaster on what he's allowed to do. He's upped online player interview content (and lots of pointless dot emoji too :) ).

I do share your views on same old/SNAFU. But as I said earlier - all will be forgotten about the appointment if things go well in the January window. I don't yet share Reg's  view on the type of incoming recruitments - though it has to be said, everything that's happened up to now suggests I should do!

Define "in charge". That's my interpretation of Power saying


at least - on the football side of things anyway.

Forest Green and Eastleigh certainly do!!

To be expected - I doubt they are doing it on breakeven, we (allegedly) are.

Power did. Said he'll be responsible for recruitment, training, picking the team, tactics.

Sounds in charge to me.

Yep, sounds like it to me as well. I couldn't remember that!

But what's to be gained from Tim's 'invisibility'.

If we didn't actually know Sherwood was at the club, nothing seems to have changed one jot.

That's my point!

It could be that everything has changed on the football side behind the scenes. Just don't think the fans buy into it/see anything to give a bit of hope to without him doing some talking.

Is there actually any club where the DoF does come out and do the interviews and faces the media etc. Lots of clubs have Directors of Football that people have barely even heard of such as Jon Rudkin at Leicester, Txiki Begiristain at Man City etc. Even at our level Paul Trollope and Lennie Lawrence go everywhere as first team coach and DoF and it's primarily Trollope that does the 'manager' duties.

Yeah, but their duties don't involve training and tactics. They aren't resonsible for things on the pitch
O

I can't imagine they are completely absent as clubs increasingly have a blueprint of how they want to play which coaches are supposed to follow. But anyway there's obviously been a division of duties and part of that appears to be that Williams does the media duty i guess.

Stat courtesy of The Washbag

'Perhaps the most striking stat is that we haven’t won a league game in which we have conceded a goal, any goal at any stage, since February 2016 – versus Peterborough United.'

Wow!

That is a surprising stat, I didn't know that.

You'll be getting in trouble nicking their stats.  Here's one to ponder....we've kept 7 clean sheets this season....it took 44 games to do that last season  :hmmm:

Well, maybe just maybe, those combined stats points to a capable team that could easily be 'turned' by the addition of a few hardened characters.

Those 3 games where we conceded 4 goals, all 4 were conceded in about a 30 minute period. Another wow! stat.

So, if we concede at any time we may as well head for the exits.

Fleetwood have scored in every game this season....so maybe best not to bother in the first place.

Doesn't even warrant a mention here http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/club/whoswho/

I think Power should've saved a few quid by promoting the Club Chaplain to Head Coach.

And what the hell is the Centreplate General Manager?

Centreplate  is catering

Tim Sherwood is Seamus Brady.

Us bad my arse  is an anagram of Seamus Brady.

A couple of anagrams of Tim Sherwood are...

dirt somehow (theres always dirt to be dug)
mid w shooter (the striker we need)
woods hermit (explains why he doesnt do interviews)
other wisdom (exactly why he has been brought to the club)

No mention of Alan Mac either.

The only thing i don't get is everyone who wants to hear from Sherwood will only ask for that after a defeat. Didn't hear anyone screaming to hear from him after Bradford.

Fair enough. But you tend to think happy thoughts after a win. That doesn't mean you agree Williams taking press conferences/post match.

To be clear I'd like  to hear from Sherwood and stop hearing from Williams win, lose or draw.  I'm fairly confident that's the case for almost everyone.

I can see how you may be mistaken in thinking there is a vibe of wanting Sherwood to fail. I can assure you that's the opposite of how I feel. A bit sceptical of the 'setup' sure, I'll admit to that.

But its pointless hearing from Williams now. He can't cut it, proven. Lets get some optimism going with some proper new ideas.

2 seasons ago v Fleetwood, we had over 10,000 due to the efforts of the Trust. Last season, but this year, the decent turn out at the Ricoh.  Now the Trust seems to have run out of steam and ideas. Not surprising being caught between the rock and a hard place which is Power and SBC.

The sad reality is that there are only 6 clubs of the 92 who have lost more league games than us.

This makes optimism difficult.

And yet we're outside the relegation zone. Cause for optimism?

As if, we could be top and Reg would struggle to find cause for optimism.

Well, we would be relegated the next season!

3 of the 6 are currently below is in Div 3, so it may prove helpful come May, but we can't rely wholly on others.

I think we may have to, tbh - there is some proper crud in this league and I'm fairly certain there are 4 worse than us.

Name and Shame please.  This board needs cheering up

A quick look at the BBC Sport League Tables shows us at 10 losses.

With that said, the 6 with more losses than us are:

Rotherham - 14
Bury - 13
Chesterfield - 13
Shrewsbury - 11
Orient - 11
Exeter 11

I think I've got that right.

What have SBC done which has caused the Trust to run out of steam?

Not cooperating with getting a roof on the bank I would imagine.

They don't have to have done anything, they're just on Reg's standard shit list of people to blame for everything bad, along with the Tories. (Although to be fair, he does have a point)