Thetownend.com

1/1 this season and still unbeaten may as well keep going.

8th v 10th 2 points separate the teams. Similar to us the imps struggle for consistency, their most recent wins however have been against chesterfireld and Barnet with a 0-0 last time against Cambridge. Based on that we should be confident and must get the needed win to push us back into the playoffs.

Il be going tonight, can't see many however with champs league on and the unconvincing home form.

Got my wish last week with mullin and Goddard starting, be surprised if flitcroft changes.

Same again, 3-1 town. Sub 6000 crowd

Heading to Swindon tonight for this. Managed to catch two wins in a row so feeling mildly confident we can get a result tonight. Think it depends which side shows up, for both teams. We're probably due a draw so I'll go for 1-1.

We have the best away form in the league, we really need to start winning at home  (only 2 wins from 6 home games thus far).

If we can sort this out we will be there or thereabouts end of the season.

A hard fought 1-0 victory tonight in front of 6,200.

Two wins from the next two games and even Reg will be dreaming of a top-half finish*

I will take 4 points from 6 starting with 3 tonight. 1-0 (Anderson)




*He won't tell anyone that   ;)

We haven't beaten Lincoln at the CG since 1982... only played them once mind and we lost that, just after Wise and Gus walked out.

It's a shame it's not a Saturday, Lincoln get more than us now at home games, so would have travelled in good numbers for a Saturday game.

So far this season, we've found midweek fixtures difficult... loses to WHU stiffs, Norwich, Coventry and Notts.  So that suggests tonight could be a struggle.

Are you saying a renamed County Ground isn't going to fool them into thinking we are away then?

Time to build Gazza's wall around the CG, to make it look like a new ground... that'll fool 'em

Is Vigs available?

If so, 2-1 to us. If not, 3-2 to Lincoln.

4 match ban wasn't it? Only served 2 so far.

I thought it was 2 for some reason.

Yeah it was 4 games ban.

I'm going tonight hoping for a win, say 2-0. 

I'm there tonight too, I've seen us beat FGR and lose to Coventry so far this season so will take any sort of win tonight.

2-1.

Is the new keeper really so shit that he would costs us 2 goals on his own ?

If he continues with his current form, Vigs will be bench warming for a while, until he leaves in Jan.

To answer your question no.

Can someone kindly move this to Match Day Action?

I haven’t seen him play but yes

That was uneventful. The end.

If pinball was played with a bouncy ball and it moved a bit slower, this would be that game.  Awful, but not unexpected, and again, if Anderson gets on the end of the chance that fell on a plate for him at the end of the half we are infront.

Bless all those souls paying full price to rock up and watch this season though.

Would multiball help?

Quite worrying that I completely forgot we were playing tonight. Only made 1 game this season, need to get the buzz back. Looking at that first half, might take a while.

0-1

Well , didn't see that coming  ::)

Fucking adver twitter put it as Swindon 1-0 Lincoln..  I did the statutory "Get in" and then they tweeted the correction..

Cunts..

Having only been up to Morecambe so far this year, interested to know why are we so shit at home?

We do concede late goals regularly

Lincoln were terrible and losing to them is pretty embarrassing. We don't seem to want to attack or maybe it's players out of position. Either way our set up at home needs to change, I can take attacking and losing but this really is awful to watch at home.

Another stunning display of abject mediocrity by 22 players paid to play for a living.  Same story as the rest of the season really, no different, no worse, no better.  I don't see it as being poor at home, we are playing to roughly the same level every game, it's just a combination of luck and our front line that switches the wins from losses and vice versa.  Preston joined the idiot defenders club today in attempting to take a guys head off in the box, then copied it outside the box a few minutes later.  Linganzi offered them a chance on a plate they missed, Anderson missed the ball when all he had to do was touch in the first half - our approach and that of every other team means every game is a toss up to some degree.

Felt positive after Saturday. The lack of consistency is worrying.

What's most worrying is a 5,600 home crowd being amongst the lowest in a generation and the big money signing not managing to justify a place in the starting line up of a poor side in League 2 - I know money is no guarantee, but am I wrong to think they must have thought he was going to be a lynchpin of this side? Something isn't right.

I wonder if Power is going to sit and watch this for long or pay out for someone who will kick start these players in to action.

One thing that would improve us is having a forward who can bully a defence.  Norris is trying hard, and it seems odd given he is top scorer (although Penalties weigh heavily in that), but he doesn't make much stick.  That means the trickier players are less likely to get on the ball upfront so it really is hit and hope.  As we seem intent on playing it direct, having that target man would work better and improve our chances.

We may as well go all out attack at home as we are no less likely to lose than with this approach. 4 defeats from 8 is shocking and crowds will continue to fall at home as everyone now knows we are terrible at home.

I think the only difference is that away the spaces are bigger when the balls bounces off Norris or their defenders, giving us more opportunities to get on the front foot with the 2nd ball.  At home teams probably sit in a bit more, meaning they can hoover up more of those long balls.  It is really fine margins.  I still haven't seen anyone play us who looked better than us bar Exeter.  We had two losses where huge tactical errors/player errors cost us, outside of that it has all been games like today.  Luton being the exception thanks to them being down to 10 men.

I can't really disagree but we have to try something different as the evidence is starting to mount that our approach is perfect away from home but at home where the opposition are more conservative it just doesn't work. Their keeper didn't make a single save all game which speaks volumes.

Hence my big lump upfront suggestion - we won't be changing style, that much is certain, so lets change the players. I'd also suggest moving Goddard more central and having Anderson and Woollery playing off a big man upfront either side of him.  Forget about the wings, nobody bar Taylor crosses the thing anyway.  Maybe try the lad at right back as the middle should be solid enough - nobody is going to try and pass their way around us.  It's a tweak really, but it could be more effective at getting some control at times from the knock downs and maybe the odd flick on may occur - literally can't remember us having any.

Maybe, we certainly are playing too many players out of position for my liking. Flitcroft worried me a bit tonight though as in his post match interview he suggested we created lots of chances and well we just didn't. He has a big problem brewing as 80% of supporters only see home matches and our home form and performance level is relegation standard so he will come under pressure before long rightly or wrongly.

Yeah, TEFs back, can have my post match therapy and go to bed.

First 10 minutes Lincoln battered us, thereafter we slowly got back into the game. We finished the half on top but were probably second best overall after clearing off the line.

Second half we really did restrict them much more, and we edged the half. BUT...while we lumped a load of balls into the box, some with menace, we never looked lie getting onto the end of them. One Taylor ball along the ground was A-grade quality, yet nobody got within three yards.

That said I was quite impressed with Lincoln, in the context of Division 4 anyway. Organised, big, strong and did whatever they could to gain advantage. We were a bit unlucky to lose in the end, but they were as worthy winners as we would have been had we nicked it (and we could have).

I know Rob was disappointing in aspects  of Norris play, but I was equally disappointed in Anderson. He looked nearly a good player. He nearly had a good touch, nearly got into good positions, and nearly looked dangerous. But failed. Was expecting a bit more, hopefully just one of those days - only seen him play three times so far.

Also thought Goddard showed why he may not quite go to a higher level. Tried to do all the right things, has good skill, but just missing that bit of pace, strength or sharpness* that meant he had no end product. (*he's been out a while mind).

Thought the defense did quite well with determination and some brave blocking... except  on that sodding corner where the scorer ran unchallenged and scored. FFS.

Our prolonged combination of patchy home form and lack of more cultured football is starting to hit attendances now :(

We really didn't create, I agree.

He made it sound like we had lots of clear cut chances, thought for a moment I had fell asleep.

Agree on Goddard, really frustrated me tonight. He had the freedom of the left wing 2nd half but just repeatedly did the same move and run inside and lost the ball every time. Very predictable.

Why is it embarrassing. This is the level we are at, mid table Div 4 all in wrestling.

Because the ball spent 90% of the game in the air, the standard was so poor. Rob’s description of pinball with a bouncy ball is pretty much spot on.
For the opposition keeper not to have a single save to make is a bit embarrassing.

Apart from those times he went outside and won a few corners or linked with Taylor to get crosses in

At times in the second half he had 20 yards of space to himself and just ran into trouble every time, Just runs down blind alleys as doesn’t have that extra bit of pace. He’s another player that I have no idea where he should play but he’s certainly not a winger and wouldn’t say he and Taylor linked up, he just occasionally passed it back and Taylor would whip in a cross. Taylor’s crosses were our only threat and for no one to get on the end of that cross across the goal mouth in the 2nd half was criminal, a strikers dream.

Next goal wins game tonight.

Unlucky not to get a point.

Linganzi did my tits in....plays lovely 30 yard balls and then fucked up three yard passes...should of gone off.

I would of put woolery on a lot earlier tonight and played into corners.

Goddard good but no end product....I would like to see him cut in and let fly...not do ten step overs and lose it.

Disappointed but not gutted.

Lincoln looked well solid but got away with few scares....just didn't fall in the box for us tonight.

Lack of consistency at this stage means we are where we are..mid table.

I think Norris has done ok, just don't think he works at home playing as we are.  Away the space we get means he doesn't need to be such a focal point.  Anderson is feeding off scraps as a result and he tries too much.  Just think at home you could have a target man so Anderson and another can buzz around them or go beyond for flick ons or balls that go through because that target man is making a mess of the defence.  A Wayne Allison if you will.

First half - total toss of a game. I thought the one we cleared off the line was over. Second half we tried to play a bit more on the ground but our decision making / final ball was crap apart from one peach by Taylor. Anderson put in a performance any of our players from last season would have been proud of - plenty of room and running and no end product.
We could really do with a Bostwick - was excellent last season against us and again today.
This was a game to forget to go along with every other home game this season bar Coventry.
I can see crowds going right down as we just serve up dross after dross at home.

Sat here in sunny Oz and I put off finding out the result as feared the worse an so it was. Got to say that our home record is abysmal and seeing the comments it is apparent that Flitcroft needs very quickly to take a long hard look at himself/coaching/tactics/players as this season could rapidly turn into a gigantic foul up.

Thought the result was harsh. Lincoln started time wasting at 0-0 so obviously they'd settled for a point. Needed more creativity in the box, if it had been there we would have won it. Dunne did ok (best I've seen him anyway) but Linganzi was terrible..

Overall I think our performances are improving. Preston makes the defence more solid and RCC looks just as capable as Vigs. Long way to go still but looks like the top 3 chances may be diminishing. Top 7 certainly within our reach.

There is a long way to go, but we are starting to see the development of certain obvious patterns. Some of these are desirable, others less so.

I still think our bus rather than being parked is still hanging Italian Job style... we haven't quite halted our slide yet.

Saturday now becomes significant, Wycombe are away specialists, they can unleash the Beast.  A point in the present circumstances would be acceptable.... a 5th home defeat hugely damaging, meaning we'd already lost as many at the CG as in our previous 3 Div 4 seasons.

It seems I was lucky not to be able to watch or even listen to this yesterday.

We just can't seem to win at home for some reason, usually thats a mental block, weak leadership on and off the pitch.

Our fitness and conditioning levels still don't seem to be where they need to be, which I think is partly why we seem to concede late goals often. It could also be a concentraition problem for some players.

Its obvious that we have players that are capable at this and higher levels but they seem to not have gelled into Flitcrofts way of playing, after 17 games that would suggest that they never will adapt to it - so its either new players (which again take time to gel as a unit) or we change our style of play to suit the players that we have.

Use Woolery and Andersons pace, down the channels to exploit fullbacks/centre backs who are not as quick as them.

Don't hit high balls up to Norris to win, the way any target man would, hes hugely improved but he is not a target man, hes not enough of a bully and not great at winning headers from balls pumped up to him.

Elsnik and Goddard are our best players with the ball at their feet and getting it forward so don't just hoof it over their heads in an inane attempt to get the ball forward as quick as we can for Norris to lose it and again we are back under pressure, mix the play up more.

Dunne and Linganzi are probably too alike in style to play at home together, keep them for away ties when we have to sit more defensively.

It is now that we do find out how good a manager Flitcroft is, will he change our style to suit our players or will he persist in as style that does not suit our team (currently).

I don't think Power will do anything silly like get rid of him so soon, that would be foolish, but Flitcroft needs to see his deficiencies as well as the teams and work on changing them and also get us fit so we can play for the full 95 or so mins that most games go to now.

'Entertainment' is overrated. I think you can get away with dross if you are winning the vast majority...but...yeah...

Clearly not in the team for his ability to pass three yards. I'd have taken him off too. But to try and find a positive he does do OK breaking up play in the air I suppose.

Yup. Did I imagine it, or did he also show a bit of pace on occasion. Probably just used to seeing dog slow defending rather than normal speed :)


He did spill 'that one', maybe saw it late, but otherwise he looked impressive and commanded his area well. His kicking is more consistent that Vigs too.  Keep this up and Vigs will be getting splinters on his ass.

We've lost all our midweek games this season, which suggests we can't do 2 games a week, and allied as you say to conceding late goals suggests a fitness concentration thing. This is why I say tinkering with formations and wanting flair isn't as important as improving basics like the above.

The daddy side for late goals was Danny Wilson's decent outfit... had they been able to cut that out we'd have pissed the league, the 96th minute equaliser for Charlton at the Valley when they had 9 men still wakes me up at night from time to time.

At present I don't thing any of our own players are good enough for the level above... of the loanees, perhaps Hussey might be Div 3 and Timi has some potential, and too soon to judge. Keshi will probably go back to non league.

Flitters is doing OK, he's taken on a difficult job, a bumpy ride is to be expected. Could go either way, but he's still got some credit in the bank.

For me fitness wise Macaris side took some beating with many of our wins coming from late goals, surely fitness is a fairly basic attribute for a professional footballer? but then I guess there is fitness and then there is "Macari fitness" which is the next notch up.

I think Flitcroft had no idea when he took over the magnitude of cleaning the club out on and off the pitch.

He has started OK, as you say it still could easily go either way but often when a team is better away from home than at home there isn't TOO much wrong, just tweaking of things.

Di Canio/Wise fitness wasn't too shabby either.

Indeed, all were well respected by the players and all had super levels of fitness, and each of those - Macari, Wise, PdC we got out of this division under.

Thats not a coicidence.

I think we would have won the league had Wise remained.
We just made it under Sturrock despite the change to a neeps and tatties diet.

I am 100% certain we would have walked the league had Wise stayed.

And it was stotties apparently not neeps and tatties ;)

For me, the big question is whether this is Flitcroft's preferred style. If it is and we do manage to get promoted it’s going to get us nowhere in L1. Plus, how many fans would we have lost along the way.

He may be the man to get us out of this league, but not to take the club forward. We’ve shed 2000+ fans over the last season and a bit. It can’t continue.

Audrey is exactly right - I said this to somebody after the Cheltenham game. The thing is, the style of football might just get us out of this division - but that is about it. And you cannot bin off a manager after promotion

King dragged us into the 4k crowds, so we can go further!

I'd agree to a point on the style thing - clubs have done well in L1 with this style, but better players would be needed.

I disagree on fitness - I don't think it has much to do with anything, we are just playing football in a way that makes the result dependent on fine margins.  We cannot exert any control on a match if we lump it forward with such persistence, same goes for the teams we are playing against.  That in of itself means that every 15 seconds or so possession changes hands and the other teams has a go.  Under that approach, it's open to a lot of chance and people can score for either side at the drop of a hat - the old less than 5 passes lark that Wilkinson used to spout.

I continue to maintain we should reach the play offs, and that is because I think the players we can select at the top of the team are ever so slightly better than most of what we play against, which just tips the odds in our favour a little, plus we can put in a good set piece on occasion.  Those will mean we probably end-up with a smidge over 1.5 point per game over the course of 46 matches.

No he's exactly wrong... we're in Div 4, so need to play Div 4 football. Needs to be effective Div 4 football, worry about Div 3 if and when we get there. Right now our focus needs to be on Wycombe, a form team undefeated on the road, who will doubtless bring a few, with a large drum expecting an easy win.

Flitters needs to devise a way of at least avoiding defeat...it matters not if it ain't pretty.

This isn't a dig at you but a point I've raised a few times.... The fans got exactly what they wanted!

"Passion". Doing away with the 'identity'. Signing experienced players. A 'proper' (ie - not a yes man) manager in full control of who we sign. Getting it Forward.

So no excuses really to the ones who stayed away for those reasons. Maybe if we had a support that didn't look for reasons not to go, or who don't do this "who cares the least" competition then perhaps we'd do a little better at home. Who knows. Personally I enjoy this year more than I did the last two years simply because its nice to see a bunch of players who actually give a shit. They looked gutted at the end and didn't deserve to be booed.

The only time I've known Town fans to really be happy was when we were freely spending a shit load of money and winning every week. So that's the minimum criteria for our fan base to be content.

I do slightly agree with your point about Flitcroft not being the answer in League One.. But you can't say until it happens - he may never even get us there but if he does he deserves a crack at it(as long as we're not getting dicked every week). The style of play has been successful for a fuck ton of teams in L1 - you just have to do it right.

Or it may be that Flitcroft is just being pragmatic and will adapt his style depending on the resources available to him and the context in which he has to deploy them? i.e. he might be savvy enough to realise that works in L2 wouldn't work in L1, just as Power was to realise the opposite was true

I doubt it, his history suggests otherwise and he doesn't openly believe this is long ball stuff.  It seems so on purpose to me as to suggest a tactical/strategic vision - he does like those types of descriptions.  It is what it is, given the league we are in it will work provided our players have that little edge over the rest of the teams, and we do on most, sufficient enough that a corner meets a head and goes in, or ball falls to an attacking group who create a clear cut chance, more often the opposition.

Oh, and if you can't tell, it annoys me :-)

Only because I paid to watch every damned one of the 46 games that will play out this way.  I won't be moaning about it if we go up though.

 As regards current expectations, it's worth considering that only 6 teams in Div 4, haven't been in the Conference or below relatively recently.

 That's the 4 who dropped last season and Crewe and Notts, both of whom flirted last season.  Chesterfield and BPV are struggling this year.

 This is the level to which Power has taken us, and it's going to be difficult to arrest the decline.

Sturrock got us out of division 4 and his standard of football was nowhere near as shite as this season thus far

Sturrock was a noted purveyor of direct football, but successful. When he landed the gig at Soton, his first signing was Peter Crouch, such was the stick from Saints fans at the perceived anti football nature of Sturrock's methods, which the Crouchmeister seemed to signify Luggy was soon sacked. Soton rapidly found themselves in Div 3, enabling their fans to reconsider, Crouch is still knocking them  in the Prem.

Be interesting to know if the crowds would be bigger if our away form and home form were reversed. If the 84th minute goal was scored by us last night the performance would have been identical - dreadful viewing.

Winning just isn’t enough for a lot of people to justify forking out £23 on a regular basis. God knows what Power’s breakeven figure is - but we must be miles off

The style of football played I think is on a par with others is L2 it is direct, it is ugly but it is what works and I hope it is what can get us out, but what frustrated me last night was we was crying out for a little bit of creativity in the middle so we didn't just lump it forward just someone who could play a pass in sometimes so we had a different option.

I noticed at the end Norris was holding his shoulder again but there seem to be no movement from the bench to either get him off or try and get a sub on hopefully that means nothing serious as the way we are playing we need a big man up front cant imagine lumping it up to Anderson or Woolery

As I left the ground last night, a very disgruntled man shouted at me," League 4 shite, not worth £24 . " I replied "It's better to watch than last years shite"  but the guy said he wouldn't be coming back again.

As others said, it's more like what we were asking for last year, and what can you expect with a completely new team to bed in?  If Flitcroft keeps us comfortably up I shall be happy, as I did expect the worst in pre-season.

I do wonder whether a lot of our issues with fans relates to those who started going in the PDC years and expected the club to continue to piss money up the wall.

Cards on table I thankfully haven't seen us in the flesh this year, but reading threads on here it seems that 'stop passing it around and get it forward quickly' has been directly replaced by 'stop getting it forward quickly and pass it around'?

Whilst others get the baby oil out at the prospect of a 'I told you so' relegation fight....

Is it your fault then?

Yep and by the same people from what I've heard (at the ground, not on the internet)

 I guess at the end of the day, Lincoln's line up was better than ours.... Preston, Lancashire being unable to compete with Vickers, Long, Dickie........ Knott, Green

Didn't think yesterday was too bad. We had the ball and were on the front foot for the majority. Taylor was mom his deliveries caused havoc and it was unbelievable how none resulted in a goal.

Just couldn't get the ball under to get a proper shot away.

Charles-cook had nothing to do, his kicking is an improvement on vigs. Quite small for a keeper

Preston again looked Good, turn of pace and won everything. Best iv seen purkiss play, I usually count how many hoofs he makes but tried to look for feet unlike Lancashire.

The problems were linganzi, he does the same job, need someone to drive the ball forward and create from cm. Anderson had a shocking game, missed chances from losing the ball, nothing came off unless you count his shin. Norris was ok felt sorry him based on Anderson. Goddard in my eyes should be the number 10 role.

Result was harsh but didn't get those shots to proper deserve the win. Would be nice for flitcroft to analyse these mistakes and try a formation change or change of personel to actually rectify them instead of the same performance.

Utter nonsense.

I don't really buy into the implied "Swindon fans are crap" tone of this thread.

- Crowds decline when results are poor and club gets relegated
- We want winning football when they're losing which requires a complete change of the current style
- We want more entertaining football when they're winning (whilst still winning of course)
- The players (i.e. temporary employees) disgracefully don't appear to care for the club as much as we do
- If we lose the players get booed regardless of how much effort and passion they showed
- Referees are shit and have cost us countless games (whilst gifting us none)
- We consider that we are a bigger club than we are and deserve more success than we get
- A lot of our fellow supporters are morons
- We are so disgusted that we're never going again despite having not missed a single game for the last 120 years

All of that could be describing the fans of any football club in Britain and it's hardly surprising.  Supporting a football club and voluntarily investing emotional energy in something you can never have any significant control over is patently irrational so why should anyone expect rational behaviour from fans? 

It's admittedly based on ad-hoc observation rather than any empirical evidence but I would say that Swindon's fanbase, on average, is better than most.
   

Do we have a similar problem to England where players are played generally out of position in order to try and get them onto the pitch?

For example I have read that Goddard, Mullin and Woolery are generally deployed on the wing, rather than their preferred positions. Goddard is a number 10 and Mullin and Woolery are strikers and not wingers.

England are trying to shoehorn Rashford and Sterling onto the pitch in positions where they are not playing for their club sides and they look generally out of sorts.

Is it just a case of round pegs, round holes?

Spot on BO, guy behind moaning at Goddard saying that all he can do is cut inside!  I asked him what he thought he should do as a right sided player out on the left wing!!  Mullin is not a winger either, he needs to play down the middle.

Paul Scholes.....

Just a shame Luke Waterfall never got on.....

Elsnik should be back Sat which will make a big difference.

Wycombe being undefeated away makes me think a nailed on home win. It's very Swindon thing to do, before getting thumped by struggling vale the following sat. 

I would say broadly speaking, that it is more or less the same as most other Clubs' fan bases but definitely better than some on here would have you believe. Our away support in particular (again purely observational but based on 30+ years of attending away games) has only ever ranged between good and excellent and is certainly much better than the majority of Clubs in the lower two divisions.

Crap football in a crap league with crap results is only going to result in a miserable outcome and bad feeling amongst fans. The problem is fans have watched boring/turgid/inane/impotent performances for 3 season ticket cycles.

The second half on Tuesday, whilst frustrating and lacking quality in the final half/third of the pitch at least showed we were trying to play around a bit and we created more opportunities. More of that and we'll win more at home and we should see more attacking accuracy, luck and results.

However, it's hard to keep the faith and hope we can start building up consistency. It's still early season so fingers crossed I will turn glad all over and resign this post to the archives and chomp down my words, but prospects don't look great.

Despite the fact the football has been dross I will still take this season over the last 2 - at least its honest. The last 2 really did my head in and if we hadn't changed I think there was a realistic chance we'd go out of the league.
This is no longer a worry. We've now got a bunch of journeymen who will do ok in this division. So far, we're shy of a challenging team. it may happen but I don't think it will. We don't have a leader out there or a midfield.
The bigger problem is that I'm probably in the minority. I'll still turn up but others have already drifted off. We're pretty much where I thought we'd be albeit in a different way. I expected us to be strong at home and crap away. For me, this season being mid table is enough for me. I know the division is crap but so are we but last seasons team would have gone straight through so I think there has been progress. Others will see it differently.
Expectations are high and not being realised. Its the home gate that pays the bills. People have every right to stay at home if they don't like whats on offer. Its an entertainment industry and we're not currently entertaining.

Another factor is the state of the economy, it will be interesting to see if gates are generally down across the lower Divs. When people have to tighten their belts, something like football seems an expensive luxury

The plain truth is that against Exeter we had 7000 home fans. That has quickly eroded to 5500 fans. It’s not the cost per se, it’s the crap on offer sadly. Surely there must be some middle ground between Luke’s Lullaggers and Flitcroft’s Hoofers

That's not really the 'plain truth' though is it as you are comparing apples and pears....

Exeter is not a million miles away with good train links and on a Saturday, Lincoln to Swindon is a ball ache to do probably not possible by train on a weekday evening, which I suspect also puts off a lot of home supporters... I know when I used to do home games reasonably regularly I used to train it as frankly I need a drink to watch Swindon and thus never did midweek games.

Looking at this, Purkiss is the only player who has started every game this season, in fact he is the only player who has featured in ever game this season, suggests that Flitcroft still not altogether sure what his best team is...

http://swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Squad.asp?Season=2017-2018

Even leaving away fans out of the equation as the effect is marginal in L2, midweek vs Saturday is a big difference for home fans - time off work, other commitments, transport issues etc all more of a consideration than a Saturday fixture. If Audrey wants to compare like for like, Saturday's gate will be more telling. I suspect though it will bear his point out, albeit not as sharply.

It's pretty much always been the case that you get a decent turn out for the first home game, tends to be pleasantly warm and folk have been starved of football through the close season.  We didn't even manage a pre season friendly at the CG, or and open training session for fans to have a look at essentially a complete new squad.

For many their enthusiasm is short lived, they can see same shit different year so pick and chose. A good example would be the PdC Div 4 season.... 8000+ for the opener, lose 4 in a row including to Oxford at the CG and you've shelled 2000 in a month.

Win some games, and many will return.

I wouldn't be confident about that.

I have a 140 mile round trip and normally bring 3 others, we have not been to the last 3 home games and have no intention of going in the near future.
A game of golf seems to be the order of the day now on Saturday mornings followed by a couple of pints.
It's cheaper than watching that rubbish.
When I was younger I would go and watch whatever our position in the league or style of football, as you get older (in my case and my colleagues) you think - no. It buggers up the weekend watching that dross.

I sit in front of Sky Sports Gillette now on Saturday afternoons, seems a much better option than forking out money to seeing players who are not good enough in my opinion for league two playing hoof ball.

Woolery is not necessarily an out an out striker, and was used out wide by FGR before he joined us. I pointed this out when people were bemoaning his strike rate when he first joined.

If we were winning every game at home we'd be getting 7000+ each game. Style is irrelevant if you're winning.

And people say our fans aren't the problem.....

It isn't compulsory Tails.  People have always dropped in and out of fandom, often the most vocal and opinionated are the first to drop off. 

That we can still get around 5500, despite our decline under Power is actually a tribute to those that still bother.  You only have to go back to the early noughties to see that things could get worse attendance wise.

Under power we have dropped from the 3rd to the 4th division, its hardly fucking Leeds or Portsmouth

I'm not saying it is.

But "I'd rather watch soccer Saturday" doesn't really wash with me. I'm not claiming I'm a super fan - I don't go every week mainly because I genuinely cant and it costs too much, but I go when I can. It's a 100 mile round trip for me as well. I'm genuinely flabbergasted someone would rather sit at home. I'd rather travel, watch us play shit and lose then have a whinge on here and twitter than sit at home and not be involved at all. That's what being a football fan is!

I've said it before - we moan when we're treated like customers but that's exactly how a lot of us act. If this is the attitude of our fan base then quite frankly, we deserve shite div 4 hoofball.

Until this year, I have been a season ticket holder for as long as I can remember, hardly ever missing a game at home and watching at least 6 or 7 away games a season.
I do not use 'twitter' and the only forum I belong to is this one, and I do not post very often either.
I am not one to moan at a game and shout abuse at players or boo players.
If you read my first post I stated I would attend through good or bad in the past, but quite frankly being a pensioner I do feel the cost of watching this kind of football is worth it.
All the best.

I spent 9 years living elsewhere, a lot of my Saturday afternoons I'd go and watch the local side. Town would be away games close at hand and high days and holidays.

There are some fundamentalists, who when I've explained to them, I've gone to watch say Spurs getting a 0-0 draw at The Dell, to secure a 3rd place promotion to the top flight, rather than going to watch Town, regard this as heresy for which a stake, some kindling,  a pile of brushwood and flint and steel would be merited.

And now you've turned your back on it all. What a waste.

I'll see you when the 'good times' are back.

I can fully understand why people don't go when the 'entertainment' on display is dross. Especially when money is tight.

What I don't buy is the the 'losing our soul/club' crap that people pull. Clubs go through ebs and flows. When the football gets good again, and it will, the same people will be returning to the same club that is still there, and always had been there.

This.

Unless they get a big foam hand and go to the Ice Hockey whilst making a big song and dance about it in the Advertiser....

Bit harsh Tails? Each to their own and all that?

Whilst I take your point about about ebbs and flows but I think football has changed a lot over the last few years.
The money now, is very top heavy much more so than it has been before. I think the gap between the 'rich' and the 'poor' is getting bigger.

Therefore, I'm not sure the ebbs and flows still exist in game. Even now, I can't see another Swansea or Bournemouth run from bottom to top. Even getting the elusive millionaire backing, so many teams have them it's not even a huge advantage.

I guess we will see what the future holds.

...on...fans and attendances. People will turn up for winning football. Always have and always will. I've never bought it as an entertainment business and even if I did - the most entertaining bit was always the winning. I've left plenty of boring, dire games which we've won happy. Never left a thrilling 4-3 defeat with a penalty, a red card and a fox on the pitch and thought, we lost but that was entertaining so I'm happy.

However, what do I know. I think Kevin MacDonalds first game in charge was the last game I went to. Not going every week (...or any week) was actually one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Huddersfield have lived the "fairy tale" as well, and Brighton over a slightly longer window.

Yeah course he's entitled to do whatever he wants with his time. I just think its dumb and I don't tend to have much of a filter :) Preferring Soccer Saturday to watching it live... Still completely befuddled by it.

Perhaps he just has a thing for Jeff Stelling?

Following Swindon is akin to a form of natural selection. It's all in the phenotype.

Agree with that. The games I don't go to, I listen on the radio (or stick 5 live on the radio if out of Wilts) and get on with doing something. Couldn't stand to be stuck in front of the telly on a Saturday afternoon, but again, that's just me. Each to their own.

I do envy you lot who are able to listen to match commentary whenever you like.  I've not been able to for many years.  Bugs me that reception for other local BBC Radio stations (incl Oxford, Berkshire etc) seems to extend over a wide area...but BBC Radio Swindon/Wiltshire (or whatever they are calling it these days) cuts out by the time we pass Membury on the way home.

This, BBC Wiltshire has shocking coverage in the South, even though I am only just over 30 miles out of the Southern boundary of Wiltshire there is no reception at all, but I can get BBC Wales clear as a bell and thats 50+ mies away as the crows fly.

You can listen, you just need to pay.

It's local radio, for local people
(http://i4.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/incoming/article10478750.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/CD257034.jpg)

Surely what he said was he preferred to spend his money playing golf and having a couple of beers instead of watching Town because he finds it more enjoyable right now. The Soccer Saturday was just a way of keeping an eye on it?

At least that's how I read it.

And whilst it doesn't happen to everyone I see his point. 10 years ago I'd never dream of not watching a Town game. Now if it wasn't for location and kids I may well be a 'pick and choose' attender.

As DV pointed out its changed, I think the prospects of reaching the Championship and staying there are remote. If there is no hope what's the point. I've lived through and watched proper shit Town sides and felt defiant not defeated. Maybe its me that's changed.

But as I say these thing creep upon you.

I could always get BBC Wiltshire clear as day in bath