Thetownend.com

Been a while, however I am unbeaten so thought it would be a good opportunity. I think everyone would take a draw.

Hoping Goddard and mullin start tomorrow, will take and be happy with 1-1, Norris to score first.

1-1. More extreme hoofing and lack of quality in the final delivery

From what I've seen this season, I don't get this "extreme hoofing" criticism. Yes, there's more getting rid as opposed to arsing about at the back, but it's hardly been John Beck tactics.

Looking forward to an away day today, so I'll be happy to eat my hat if I witness a hoof-fest.

We're too unpredictable to predict a result but I'd be happy with a point. Consecutive defeats is always a bit grrr.

Don't suppose we'll take as many coaches as on the championship clinching day of the Macari era!

I’m going for an exciting 2-2. My biggest worry is keeping a lid on my enthusiasm if and when we score. I’ll be sat with the homies today with an ex work colleague. Still a few beers tonight an a CIU affiliated miners club listening to ripping yarns about the miners strike, their hatred of Tories and southerners should make for an interesting weekend. This ought be an orgasmic night out for Horlock and Smeeton I would have thought.

Glad to see someone post this and that it's not just me. Anyone who had not seen us play and just went by the posts on here would think we've been playing like Cambridge circa 1992 to use your comparison or indeed Swindon circa 1985-89. And we haven't.

I'll go for...

2-1 Anderson, Woolery

You'd be best quiet on that subject in Notts, which of course was regarded by most other areas as Thatcherite and a hotbed of her Guardia Civilesque paramilitary police, as the heads of many Town fans discovered in 86.

Best stick to Brexit... they were dead keen on it. Be interesting to see if they still share your enthusiasm...

I'm out on the piss tonight, so a guaranteed win as I'll be missing it.

2-0 defeat unfortunately, can't see us having enough quality through the team to get a win up there.

I dreamt that I tried to make a bacon sandwich in a toaster.

2-0 Mansfield

Stags 1 Robins 2 and a bacon butty for Sonic at half time.

What a day out that was. One of my best memories for an away day. We ran a coach from Faringdon. Stopped by the police at the services who wanted to turn us around. We had to empty all the alcohol from the coach which filled two full black bin bags. Then we clashed with some minors who were on strike as they tried to brick our coach and smashed one of the windows on a dual carriageway going into Mansfield, the whole coach emptied as we turned then over.
Then we packed the away end with more than it should hold. To win the championship there and the players coming back out to celebrate with us. Brilliant day out. Don't get days like that anymore.
Back to today which is the topic. Difficult game but I'm confident we will go on a winning run. So let's hope it's today.
2-1 to the Town. Norris and Anderson. COYR

And Nottinghamshire’s finest keep their truncheons to themselves this time. Fuck me, that was a rough day.

1-1

Pre match aggressive flying picketing in The Widow Frost.

Living in the shadow of Steve Evans overhang at least means that old miners lamps are still put to good use here.

An assured performance, similar to Luton, is needed today.

No chance. Cambridge in 1992 and Swindon 85-89 were good at it, with some good players. This team would love to be able to emulate them I'm sure.

3-0 Mansfield. Evans will have them pumped up to show us what we missed out on.

Now why would fatty Evans want to beat a circus team ????

Can't see past a defeat either, 1-0

I fear disappointment today.

never fear the inevitable.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DMGay7GXkAAwZxd.png:large)

Now, with the available players, that is just about the best XI we can put out. Still not convinced Flitcroft knows his best XI.

Like to see Knoyle get a bit of time.

The only changes would be Hussey at LB when fir and Vigs in goal when he has served suspension.

Lets hope we can gel and control the game, yes Knoyle needs a bit of game time to prove his fitness.

I think Flitcroft knows his best side and it dependant upon who we are playing against, he does and always has liked to use the squad, not convinced he can read what is needed though.

2-0 defeat

Nice to get a pat down when people old enough to be a son are let through on the nod.

Maybe drinking amongst the locals for a few hours has given me that look of forlorn desperation.

Anyway, the smoke cannisters etc are normally secreted up the back passage, a place where even the most jobsworth, of less than minimum wage, stewards are unlikely to venture. :)

That must be why the flash normally walks in with a smile on his face.  Always thought it was wind, now the secret is out.

It's not quite Cambridge under Beck, but is certainly ala Howard Wilkinson and Graham Taylor in it's making.  We even have our own Carlton Palmer crica League Two standard in midfield.  The front four is set up to have more nouse than Beck would have gone for, he was kick it to the corner, grow the grass long and let the ball stick, then get a big cross in for a lump of a forward.  We are much more bypass midfield and if the 2nd ball falls to our player then play.

Goooooal, good ball in from Taylor and a tap in from Carlton Linganze

i, it's i

We are usually ok when we score first (famous last words)

CarltIn Lenganze then


(yeah, yeah, linganzi)

https://twitter.com/jiff1967/status/919202516272861184 (https://twitter.com/jiff1967/status/919202516272861184)

Linganzi 0-1

A finish 3 yards out that Lineker would have been proud of :D

Good chances for Norris and Mullin. Grrrr/

https://twitter.com/jiff1967/status/919209195928514560 (https://twitter.com/jiff1967/status/919209195928514560)

https://twitter.com/JD_STFC/status/919211284087951360

Get in 0-2 - Goddard.

2 assists from Taylor

get in!

fgr 2-0 down to Newport.. cooper must be thinking about having Christmas off..

Well I never. 2-0

HT.

https://twitter.com/jiff1967/status/919212850316566528

0-2

And not a hoof in sight. Lovely goal that.

You could always rely on Palmer for a few.

That was another half of sheer mediocrity, broken up by two perfect balls from Taylor - set pieces specialist is maybe a tad unfair on someone who has had a long career in the top flight, but it really is about as much as he offers generally.  In this league, with our system, it's worth a goal every game or two.

Last week we lose, this week we go in at half time 2-0 to the good.  It has and will continue to be the story of the season as we continue with Roulette Football 2017.  Play Offs continue to be my prediction, might just wear an eye mask as I've still got over 30 more games like these last two to watch!

If they lose today I think he will go.

The FGR fans have lost confidence in him, he blames everybody else other than himself for defeats, he has a go at his own fans for not getting behind the team, has been criticised for having absolutely zero personality in interviews and never tries to galvanize fans and the team.....that all sounds very familiar.

 :pint:

At this rate it seems we dodged a bullet by not getting in fat Bobby Davro this Summer :D

Penalty to Town.

3-0, get the fuck in

Norris 3-0.

soft penalty, but frankly, who cares

Paolo is probably still asking himself who on earth fatty Evans is

Same stuff every week, getting a bit tedious reading about it

https://twitter.com/jiff1967/status/919221132733112320

Penalty

My word thats a weak penalty shout.

https://twitter.com/jiff1967/status/919220351158177792

0-3

Surely now an ideal time to give Knoyle 20 minutes?

Certainly at least 10 mins.

At a bare minimum, five.

523 travelling Town fans, not a bad turn out.

and Woolery would be ideal for Anderson, but he's brought in McDermott.

I guess 'what we have we hold'

What was Reice's yellow for?

Timewasting i think

Ta!

Great result even if the performance wasn't memorable.

Didn't think the performance was all that bad, last 5 aside. Nice second goal too..

We always looked in control to me. Got lucky with the penalty mind.

Think we played them at the right time. Doesn't look as though all is well behind the scenes. Wouldn't surprise me if Evans gets that Gillingham gig.

Full games I've seen this season (in Flesh or 'other')

v Carlisle (W)
v Stevenage (W)
v Cambridge (W)
v Mansfield (W)

I'm 100%..In October...It's not me, its you fuckers.

I'm going Tuesday too...

Well, that was memorable. Tidy profit from a straight win and a win at 1-3. Evans will be gone by Christmas. Never really troubled. For you that moan about the idiots shouting all sorts of things like “shoot”,  “get it up there”, I can attest sat down pitch side at the far end of the main stand today’s Sesame Street was bought to you by the words ‘Tart”, “Slap and or Hit ‘im” and a plethora of fowl language not suitable for the family enclosure.

So basically giving Mansfield the bird?

Couldn't of been very pheasant for the family!

Great result that.

We would probably of been happy drawing both away games but we now have three points.

Great result, can really kick on now with 2 home games. If we could put a 4 game win streak together we’d climb very quickly.. just need to start finding that consistency

Nah, I gave £18 to my mate for the ticket, £3 for my programme collection and £4 for two coffees.

Tidy, professional away football. For the vast majority of it we were sensible and disciplined, and attacked with purpose when the chances arose. I wouldn't say we dominated the first half on play, but we did on chances, and we took 2 of them very well.

We soaked up a bit of early second half pressure, then hit them again when we managed to get forward. After that we played with confidence and composure, and didn't give much away until the last few minutes when, to be fair, we could have conceded more than 1. I'm really not impressed by McDermott. But that's a minor gripe.

Special mentions to Preston, who shouldn't be in Div 4 and is the best we've had since Flint, and Mullin, who selflessly ran himself into the ground. They'll both become very popular. Taylor is now ticking the box, and Linganzi is another one who could comfortably play higher up the ladder than this.

We're getting there.

ํYay.

My head is spinning. Off to bed

Never set foot in a CIU affiliated club, so cannot comment, probably due to my being a member of the metropolitan elite...

As for hatred of southerners never heard of experienced that in any pubs up this way (Scotland is another thing), perhaps it's just you, northerners from my experience tend to be very perceptive?

Surprised at how easy it seemed yesterday.
Timing of the goals, good defensive shape & organisation, lack of threat from the opposition?
Probably a combination of all of the above plus some nice football played at times.
Hint of an extra gear if needed in there somewhere. All very encouraging.

Pity we couldn't hang onto the clean sheet.

Mullin, great work ethic & decent ability, appears to make a difference when he plays in these tricky looking away games.

Locals were complimentary after the game.
Had to laugh when someone wondered "what shite was Evans going to come up with in his post match interview this time".

Interesting to watch the shooting practice in the warm up with LV trying to keep everything out.
Anderson looks like the best finisher, followed by Mullin.
Norris goes for power which can affect accuracy.

Good day out, if a long one and continued great support away from home.

Probably a bit soon for the oles.... 

Yeah, I tried 'we're shit and we're sick of it' at 3-0 but it didn't catch on.

Still, chin up, we're only 16 points above the zone 🙂

That's the spirit - Always look on the bright side  :nod: ;)

Looks like Charles-Cook had a pretty decent game yesterday. How long is it since we had 2 decent keepers?

Brezovan and Smith? Not everyone rated Smith but I thought he was decent.

Smith and Lucas?

Brezovan was never the same after the arm break.

Still think Wilson should have started Smith at Wembley in 2010. He kept us in that semi final at Charlton after coming on as sub. Not sure he would have come for the ball like Lucas did which eventually lead to their goal either, but...

This from a Mansfield on how we dodged the Evans bullet

‘How lucky are Swindon by the way?

Evans was made their number 1 target for the job, and was accordingly made favourite with the bookies.

They were told no by JR, and had to go with option 2...David Flitcroft.

A manager who won't have spent anywhere near what Evans has, and is proven to play easy on the eye, successful football.’

Well, I saw myself on telly during the lead up to their goal and i’m Just about visible in an official MTFC foto during the game. I’ll need an agent surely.

People have got themselves onto Celebrity Big Brother for less...

In 2011 - 2012 we had 3.

Smith, Fodders & Lanzano..

Can still get us to win the league at 50/1. Don't see anyone running away with it but if we manage to improve our home form I don't see why we can't be in the mix come May.

Luton still look a good bet. They can score goals for fun!

I tend to take random opposition fans' comments with a pinch of salt... much like many of our own fans'

Mansfield are on a bit of a high atm it wasn't that long ago, that they were in the Conference and locked out of Field Mill.

They spent 5 years down there only returning in 2013.  I'm pretty sure they'll have seen some ugly football, and I don't suppose they complained too much when Stags dispatched Notts County 3-1 a couple of weeks back.

I don't think even the most ardent Flitters fan would describe our football as "easy on the eye" relative to some our recent fayre.

In the same way we always lose at Cheltnum, Fatty seems to have a problem with STFC.

Weirdly in the final 3rd some of our football is very very good. It's getting that balance right though, looks like we may have got a stroke of luck with the signing of Preston as he has a bit about him.

What is frustrating is i think Conroy and Preston could be a bloody good pairing

In the situation Flitcroft came into then first principles had to apply... namely keep it simple, make yourself hard to beat, and try and compete physically.  Absolutely the right thing to do but it means it won't be pretty.

Some might think, that as it develops we might get a bit more expansive have a bit more flair, and yes there might be a place for a Jonny Goddard, but I reckon the emphasis should be on improving the basics.

Try and be competitive without getting cards, try and be physical without conceding daft penalties and free kicks. It's striking that nearly all our games seem to have a pen either way.

Tomorrow we've Lincoln, having seen them on the box last year, they looked exactly the sort of side who'd have rolled over Lukey's shower... if we are to do owt this year then Flitters needs to sort a way of beating outfits like this at the CG.

If Conroy hadn't have got injured we wouldn't have got Preston, so that pairing would have never of happened anyway.  Perhaps next season if Conroy comes back the same, and we can convince Preston to extend.

I reckon there'll be a clause that we can extend Preston's contract if we go up.

That's purely guesswork though, of course.

On limited evidence, a Conroy/Preston CB pairing has the makings of something acceptable at League 1 level (unlike Robertson, Lancashire).

Did we sign Preston until end of the season or until January ?

End of season