Thetownend.com

Hand on heart, never have I seen such a more vile team play here.
All they did was cheat, bleat and apply the dark arts all game and Flitcroft has the nerve to moan about the referee - who was absolute awful.
I'm glad we got the penalty decision and their crap following were crying hard done by.
It was karma for their teams lack of class.
We were slow starting but outplayed them second half and that equaliser will have crushed them.
All to play for - glad they have written us off.

100% agreed. They did it in January and last season at ours. Their number 6 is a big lad but goes down like a hooker down the docks every time somebody is within a yard of him.

Horrible footballing side. Thugs, bullies and play acting and time wasting like like I've never seen before. Almost every clearance ball they were making a conscious effort to boot the ball out of the stadium to waste time. Watching the highlights we had some great chances to win that game. We have nothing to fear up there.

Sadly such cheating and lack of integrity from both players and managers often gains rewards because of referees' lack of the b**** to penalise it.

They certainly went down very easily but were quick with a very "robust" challenge.
Lots of moaning, the importance of the game doesn't make for a beautiful game but they were constantly trying to con the officials in my opinion.

Flitcroft and his brother played that way also, disgrace to the game with their play-acting and bad sportsmanship. He was bombed out of Swinetown and had a big budget at Mansfield this year and really should've got them promoted automatically with the quality loanees (Walker and Grant) he's had this season.

Disgusting side , and up there with Lincoln when it comes to getting away with murder.

I always see them as the worst team in the league for this kind of thing.

What a horrific team in terms of fair play

Nice.  Glad Flitcroft left.

I presume he's still playing the knock it up to a striker with no ball control and see if it hits his knee and bounces off in the right direction style?

He still plays similarly but now he has a fast striker with control who knows where the net is...hence why they are in the play offs and not where we are, 1 decent goal scorer.

*awaits Reg’s arrival in thread*

 ;)

He still plays similarly but now he has a fast striker with control who knows where the net is...hence why they are in the play offs and not where we are, 1 decent goal scorer.

He still plays similarly but now he has a fast striker with control who knows where the net is...hence why they are in the play offs and not where we are, 1 decent goal scorer.

Have I interpreted the misery correctly?  ;) :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

5 of the 7 teams who won automatic promotion this season within the FL had a striker who scored 20+.

Amazing

No guarantees in football.... our best post war 20+ goal man for a season was Simon Cox with 29 in 08/09. We stayed up in Div 3 by winning at BHA with 5 games to go, and then sealing the deal with a battling point at Brunton Park with 3 to go.

And 12 didn't....

And 12 didn't....

12 of the 7?😒

So, if I have this right... some people are saying that having a player that will score more goals than others will increase their team's chance of being successful?

Bear with me if I'm being slow, it's a difficult concept to grasp.

Horses for courses. We had a worse side over all back then than we do now. With 20 goals extra this season we would have got automatic promotion.

Cox scored 29 of our 68 goals, without his goals we would have been relegated with THE lowest goals total in the whole league of just 39 goals.....Cox saved us from relegation almost single handedly.

This season if we havd Cox score 29 goals then we would have scored 85 goals, more than anybody in this division....Cox (or similar) would have got us promoted.

Its really not rocket surgery to see that is it? or am I being Thicky McThick?

Tbf, I think Reg is trying to say that having 3 players scoring 10 each is better than 1 scoring 30. So as the chances are low of picking up a prolific striker in L2 Wellens needs to improve Anderson and Woolery’s goal return.

So, if I have this right... some people are saying that having a player that will score more goals than others will increase their team's chance of being successful?

Bear with me if I'm being slow, it's a difficult concept to grasp.

If only football was that simple... if you look at total goals scored, for example, you see that Franchise got 71 for 3rd place and had a couple of goalscorers in Aneke and Agard. However Carlisle and Oldham both managed 67, pretty similar to Franchise, Oldham had Lang on 13, they finished below us, and Carlisle had Hope on 14, the same as Kane Hemmings for Notts, they went down.

Your analysis would be better off, looking into the effectiveness of goals scored in terms of points won.... by which I mean, you can get goalscorers whose figures often include good days when they rattle in a few in a game which is already effectively won., so they may get 20, with a number of peripheral goals, whereas someone who scores perhaps 8 may have got those all as winners in close games.

This is fun! 

So, if I've got it right, some goals scored are superfluous.  If so, what a good thing that 'goal difference' (or, even, 'goals scored') never have any significance.  :)

You seem to be saying that categorically don't need a 20 goals striker no matter what or where we are in the table.

I am saying that our chances of promotions would be massively increased if we have a 20 goals striker.

I think thats pretty simple.

Yes of course we could get promotion without one, but surely having one in the team to supply another 20 goals a season would be a benefit to the rest of the team and our league position.

Is that not clear enough, honestly? I think you are arguing for the sake of an argument.

When even the manager says he wishes we had a striker who could score 20 goals but only you disagree with him saying that would be a bad thing, which is what your arguement comes over as, then I am afraid you are pretty much on your own. That is unless you actively want us to fail and not get promoted? turning every positive into a negative at every turn.

At no point has anybody ever said that we definately won't get promotion without a 20 goal striker, all we have ever said is that promotion would be far easier with one, yet you ar sayign we definately don't need one when even the manager of the actual team says we do.

OK then.

Your analysis would be better off, looking into the effectiveness of goals scored in terms of points won.... by which I mean, you can get goalscorers whose figures often include good days when they rattle in a few in a game which is already effectively won., so they may get 20, with a number of peripheral goals, whereas someone who scores perhaps 8 may have got those all as winners in close games.

Remember no-one has more time to argue the toss than Reg, ever.

My impression has been, notwithstanding the penalties factor, that Doughty has scored a number of point winning or saving goals.

Your analysis would be better off, looking into the effectiveness of goals scored in terms of points won.... by which I mean, you can get goalscorers whose figures often include good days when they rattle in a few in a game which is already effectively won., so they may get 20, with a number of peripheral goals, whereas someone who scores perhaps 8 may have got those all as winners in close games.

I think we have reached peak Reg here......

I think we have reached peak Reg here......

For te gamnes played a decent yield, will ned the same next but more games played.

I think that categorically puts an end to your argument once and for all about importance of goals

I think we have reached peak Reg here......

You're becoming increasingly incoherent....

Nobody is arguing about the importance of goals.  Unfortunately your analysis doesn't hold up.... how do you define goals winning games... scoring in a 1-0 is obvoius, scoring the second in a 2-1 similarly, scoring the 4th in a 4-0 less so.

Callum Lang at Oldham who finished below us, has a similar record to Walker.... 7 wins and a draw.  Hallam Hope at Carlisle had 8 wins and a draw, comparable to Michael Doughty, but not sufficient on its own.

I thought he said that it was games where they scored the crucial goal, so without their goal it would have been a draw or a defeat.

The logic is basic - the team with most goals wins a game.  The team at the top won some of their games because they had near 20 a season strikers, and you can pinpoint some games where their goals specifically got those points.    It's illogical to suggest having a goalscorer is not a good thing - that is always set against further context - how many goals can the rest of the team score between them and how do they do in defence.

So for us - you say we don't need one and won't get one.

I say we don't have the players to fill the gap without one and we don;t have a blank check to replace everyone.  So assuming we keep what we have, the best option Wellens has is to find a goalscorer., or he is going to have to find four or five players who can get to double figure to supplement what we have, and maintain the defensive qualities at least to where they have been since Jan.  It's probably thougher to do the latter than the former, but both are not easy.

Nobody is arguing about the importance of goals.  Unfortunately your analysis doesn't hold up.... how do you define goals winning games... scoring in a 1-0 is obvoius, scoring the second in a 2-1 similarly, scoring the 4th in a 4-0 less so.

Have you checked?

Exactly what I wrote in my post.

I counted points won by the team with each player scoring if they were -

a. the sole scorer in a match

b. they scored a single goal in a game that was decided by a single goal e.g. 3-2 win counted as 1 point ganied and not 3, if they scored 2 goals in a single goal win then that goes down as a defeat.

c. scored a goal in a game drawn.

Any game where they scored and their goal was not either a draw or single goal defeat then is discounted.
And yes I have checked before you question it again.

I don't get b. esp the bit in bold.

If they won 3-2 and the player scored two, then it would be a 1-2 defeat without them.

Bringing the thread back on topic...

Tranmere to get a healthy win tonight please.

Back to the original thread.

Mansfield away following last night just 286 thats utterly appalling for a 167 mile trip.

I bet even Vegan Rovers will get more tonight at Tranmere a trip of 155 miles each way.

Yeah, W4 D4 v the teams in the play offs.

W2 L8 v the teams from 8th to 12th.

Then chuck in beating both Bury and taking 4 points off MKD it’s easy to see where we cocked up

Yeah,  no 20 goal a season striker.  :girlgiggle:

I don't get b. esp the bit in bold.

In which case why count goals scored in drawn games? 

If a game finished 3-2 when they scored 2 goals then it goes down as a 2-1 defeat, not rocket science.
Because if they scored a goal in a drawn game then it would have been a loss without it - therefore 1 less point, now you are just being silly and arguing for the sake of it.

All any striker can do is score when presented with a chance. Are you saying that a player who scores 20 goals a season, but all of them scored when the team is already winning is not worth having?

Opposing teams don’t set their plans around ignoring a striker because all his goals are superfluous.

Oh god, is this still rumbling on? It's like turning on the radio to discover they're still talking about Brexit.

I reckon Reg is trying to filibuster this debate out of time.

I would want to look at them and wonder if they were to use cricket parlance " a flat track bully ".   Of course in modern football many gaffers don't want a goal hanger, which is why Nicky Ajose never does  much other than at STFC. They want someone who holds it up, can defend set plays effectively, and will get a a few goals. Think France... 2 WC's with centre forwards in Guivarc' and Giroud who never scored a goal.

Extrapolating his time with us he’d be near enough a 20 goal a season man - 7 in 16.

Yeah, I mean they had those two strikers but also had Henry & Mbappe respectively

Oh god, is this still rumbling on? It's like turning on the radio to discover they're still talking about Brexit.

I have presented the facts which have chosen to be ignored by just one person. My work here is done and my point proved. :)

So is it 1 x 20 goal striker we need, 2 x 10, 3 x 7, 4 x 5, 5 x 4...

...or do we just need to get out of this fucking awful division? I think the building blocks for a successful season (up front) would be more confidence in shooting on sight. Most keepers at this level are a bit wobbly (not Wobbly Bob) when faced with a long range shot on target and generally always fumble or gives you possesion back via a corner, etc. Even the self proclaimed "Chile's No.3, remember that" Vigs, is suspect to a lack of confidence when faced with a "rasper". Not quite on RC-C levels but it's pretty basic. Force the keeper into a half decent save at this level and sting his fingertips. He'll be thinking about the next one before it's happened.

I still hold the opinion that Power won't sanction the 2 20 goal men you crave, however desirable. Further, we could have a decent season without 2 men or one for that matter getting 20 goals.... let's see how it pans out.

Salford it is then
 :suicide:

Yep. Shit.

Nice to have a billionaire behind you

I’m surprised at you. You must be delighted to be able to rub shoulders with your kind of people at both fixtures. You can share pictures of your whippets, pidgeons, CIU clubs you’ve been to. Union marches attented. Hatred of anyone with a few bob, tattoos of communist hero’s. A day out to wank over. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I’m surprised at you. You must be delighted to be able to rub shoulders with your kind of people at both fixtures. You can share pictures of your whippets, pidgeons, CIU clubs you’ve been to. Union marches attented. Hatred of anyone with a few bob, tattoos of communist hero’s. A day out to wank over. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Celebrations ruined IMHO by that opportunist twat Beckham swanning around.

You need to check your
Percentages. Lam owns 40% now

Think the building blocks should start at the back....

I said the building blocks for a successful season up front would be to shoot from range/edge of box more.

Indeed and it'll most likely lead to another promotion and then some tasty Man U cast offs

Doesn't he (part) own it?

Yes, but let's build the front on top of what happens at the back.... get that as a solid foundation firstly and it see where it goes. Notts had Hemmings on 14,  not a bad total for a striker, similar to Akinde's 15 which won the league... yet they went down. Reason...terrible defence

Totally agree with you Peter.  I've been saying for ages that the play off final should be played at a neutral venue suitable for both clubs.
It would also be more cost effective for the fans and potentially a bigger crowd and a better atmosphere.

Kane Hemmings scored 14?! I'd think L2 is his ceiling, that's decent for him.

You’re probably right. Stockley hasn’t done much at Preston, Eisa doesn’t get a look in at City. The problem then is if they need to drop down to recover form their wages are too high.

Some players need to decide what is important to them - regular game time or money and not even on the bench.

You’re probably right. Stockley hasn’t done much at Preston, Eisa doesn’t get a look in at City. The problem then is if they need to drop down to recover form their wages are too high.

Some players need to decide what is important to them - regular game time or money and not even on the bench.

There is still the odd Div 4 striker who can cut it higher, James Collins would be an example. Certainly good enough for Div 3, but his mate Danny Hylton has been less effective this year, but I suppose at only 30 would still be able to get a Div 3 club, if he leaves Luton.

A Div 4 club, would have to pay a premium, and I expect Salford not to mess about and sign up the sort of quality needed to piss Div 4.

Hylton has been injured for a lot of the season and still scored 8 in 25 games.

Injuries are a fact of life for a footballer.... although, there are still clubs who'll take a chance on a sicknote, like Oxford with NSSJO.... I'd be surprised if Hylton is getting a regular gig in Div 2 next season. No idea of his contract situation.

Hylton is out of contract and has been offered reduced terms, Oxford are said to be lining up a move for him.

re-sign?

Mansfield don’t look a very good side in the play off game. Newport much the better side based on that first half.

Straight from the Pat Nevin school of bollocks.

Think you paid a fair bit for him?  Apart from Walker, who's alreday at a higher level club, don't think there's too many Div 4 strikers this season who could play much above...

I was reading that earlier. Sems they reverted to aimless hoofball in the second half of the season. shock.

Ahahahahaha lets all laugh at a team who finished 12 points & 9 places ahead of us.
lolololololol

Ahahahahaha lets all laugh at a team who finished 12 points & 9 places ahead of us.
lolololololol

Ahahahahaha lets all laugh at a team who finished 12 points & 9 places ahead of us.
lolololololol

Perhaps he is a man of little intelligence (& little integrity)

Ahahahahaha lets all laugh at a team who finished 12 points & 9 places ahead of us.
lolololololol

Of course you wanted them up Reg, as it would allow you to continue to peddle the line about your old pal Flitters being some kind of lower league managerial genius.

That said, I’m sure you’ll continue with that regardless...

Newport should have been out of sight by half time. Up until the penalties Flipflop had had more lives than a cat.

Newport dominated the bulk of that game - a much better football team, probably because their manager knows his arse from his elbow.

I really enjoyed that shootout. A highlight of a barren season. Hope that horrible wanker gets sacked in the morning. Because, as he’s been quick to point out in the past, nobody has any patience any more  :smugfu:

Interesting that both of these comments seemed to back up my one about Newport being the better side in that first half that forced "Mother Brown" to comment that I was in some Pat Nevin school of bullshit or something.

Seems he has a bit of a hard on for me, weird character.

Strange isn't it.... personally I was rather hoping Mansfield went up last day, as it would have meant Franchise not

Strange isn't it.... personally I was rather hoping Mansfield went up last day, as it would have meant Franchise not

yeah. and I was hoping Tranmere would spoil it for both of them. but they didn't.

Strange isn't it.... personally I was rather hoping Mansfield went up last day, as it would have meant Franchise not

yeah. and I was hoping Tranmere would spoil it for both of them. but they didn't.

Seems he has a bit of a hard on for me, weird character.
As my late mother used to say, there is someone for everyone, you lucky man 🤣🤣

Similarly not overly keen on Mansfield, due to brick through the window of Rimes' coach in 60's and Thatcher's paramilitaries in the 80's.

You have lost me, what has that got to do with MTFC?

The Police in 1986 attacked Swindon fans attending the match at Mansfield, a Police force who were thugs with a metric shit ton of anger pent up inside who normally fought miners on the picket lines who vented their frustrations on Town fans attending the match.

The Police in 1986 attacked Swindon fans attending the match at Mansfield, a Police force who were thugs with a metric shit ton of anger pent up inside who normally fought miners on the picket lines who vented their frustrations on Town fans attending the match.

Oh I know about that, not sure how the blame is being laid at the feet of the club though, bar a desperate need to shoehorn Thatcher into every bloody comment.

We all know he secretly fancied her anyway!

doesn't look like it's his lucky jumper

The Forest Green captain has only not been booked because he is the captain. Prize bell for having the nerve to shout in the linesman's face whilst wearing some kind of ponytail.

No issues with Mansfield, glad Flitcroft missed out*
No issues with Cooper, glad Forest Green missed out*

It's good that FGR are hanging about.... although arguably now a bigger club,  in league games, :secret: they're not Numb.

This reminds me of the cold, wet, miserable Boxing Day afternoon I spent standing behind a clown away at Rushden & Diamonds who kept repeating, endlessly, that R&D were a bigger club than STFC.  They were the future, apparently - properly funded and with a cracking stadium - and would leave us in their wake.  I'm not even sure if they still exist.

This reminds me of the cold, wet, miserable Boxing Day afternoon I spent standing behind a clown away at Rushden & Diamonds who kept repeating, endlessly, that R&D were a bigger club than STFC.  They were the future, apparently - properly funded and with a cracking stadium - and would leave us in their wake.  I'm not even sure if they still exist.

This reminds me of the cold, wet, miserable Boxing Day afternoon I spent standing behind a clown away at Rushden & Diamonds who kept repeating, endlessly, that R&D were a bigger club than STFC.  They were the future, apparently - properly funded and with a cracking stadium - and would leave us in their wake.  I'm not even sure if they still exist.

Glad Mandfield failed, glad FGR failed.

Tranmere to win the PO final and rightly so with the leagues leading scorer winning them game son his own. 30 goals says it all.

Just need Portsmouth to dish out some play off heartbreak to Our Friends in the North Sunderland.

So Leeds miss out again,   the only thing guaranteed in the play offs this year is red cards !!.

Bamford booked for diving yet again. That, the debacle against Villa and the whole spygate episode are more than enough to want Leeds to stay down. Not to mention the whole 'WACCOE' thing and the general attitude of the fans. Well in Frank and co.

The 'Stop Crying your heart out' song that Leeds fans sang towards Derby and Lampard backfired a bit didn't it?

I have no love of Leeds (although seeing Bielsa in the PL would have been worth it!), however reading social media last night #Lampard was trending at a higher level than either Leeds or Derby so stand by for an absolute wankfest over 'Frank Lampards Derby' if they get promoted, further exacerbated by his mates on the punditry panels.

Yep

https://twitter.com/dcfcofficial/status/1128789541807112192?s=21

With Leeds, Mansfield and FGR all out, and Bristol Shitty having missed the cut, nearly all boxes are ticked as far as I'm concerned.

I'd slightly prefer Tranmere to beat Newport, but otherwise am not at all fussed and can enjoy the finals.

A fairly healthy dislike of Sunderland.
Not so much because of 89-90,.although one of their fans advised me after the game that "you were lucky".
Yep, deflected goal aside, very lucky not to score another 4 or 5 on top of that.

No, it was the end of season game in the 90's when their lot were allowed to buy tickets in the home stands.Rikki Hunt brainwave I think.
So I had some guy behind me in the DRS screaming "mickey mouse club" in my ear.
I remember thinking at the time that this is not the way to support your team.

The game at The Valley brings back good memories.

Nine years ago today...

I'm going for Tranmere, Charlton & Villa this weekend.

Tranmere, Sunderland and Derby for me.

Well I call that one right. Sunderland next I feel. Then AV.

Think you're spot on with all those, albeit of the two ties, Sunderland most likely to fuck it up.

Think you're spot on with all those, albeit of the two ties, Sunderland most likely to fuck it up.

And they have.

Think you're spot on with all those, albeit of the two ties, Sunderland most likely to fuck it up.

After all that wankfest about the mackems 'taking over' Trafalgar Square.

Do you think Sunderland are beginning to think there is some sort of curse over them in the playoffs?

Wonder what their 1990 manager Denis 'I have always been a lucky man' Smith make of it?

Sent from my HTC U11

Those from the north-east of England always bottle the big occasions. It's in their blood.

Stay classy  :)

I'm going for Tranmere, Charlton & Villa this weekend.

I've done Villa, Charlton, and for some reason Newport in a treble.

Bastard Newport

These opera singers caterwauling the national anthem at Wembley are really beginning to piss me off.