Swindon vs Hereford Official Matchday Thread

[Dozno9]

On Ritchie, I was sat right next to a Cardiff scout today not really letting on who he was making notes on but talking an awful lot about Ritchie. Also Know Fulham were at today's game looking at Matt. Doesn't mean he is going but definitely in the spot light of a few bigger clubs.

Yesterday wasn't his greatest game so hopefully they'll back off a bit.

[phelpsieboy]

Rather than playing pretty football, we need to learn how to win by any means , whether that is more direct, more defensive, more counter attacking, whatever. Just need to start pushing up the table

[Dozno9]

For me it's 3 steps forward and 2 steps back at the moment. 3 points off playoffs with a team that is no where near playing to their potential isn't too bad. Our players are continuing to improve and the odd hiccup here and there shouldn't send us spiralling into meltdown.

It's all a big learning curve for players and manager and I'm quite enjoying this season tbh.

[Benzel]

Whilst Lanzano was at fault for the first... how a foul on Abdulla was not given is beyond me.

[Batch]

But...there's a chance it may take a little longer.  Failure to go up this season will, in a number of ways, be inadequate.  But there's also a chance that PDC may take a full season to learn the ropes...and then have a cracker in 2012/13.  I'm biding my time...and, unless it's clear his temperament just isn't right for the job, will not be calling for the axe if we narrowly miss out this year.

I kind of agree. My main worry, based on no fact whatsoever, is that the resource advantage we have this year may not be around next year. Will the board continue to fund such a massive squad - then again, do we even need one I suppose.

As Leefer (I think) said earlier, there is a long way to go. But at the 1/4 way stage I'd give PDC a 'C' for attainment and an 'A' for effort.

[Keroooosh]

As good as Mccormack as been at the back he isnt a defender and the other 3 are all relatively small, we need a big brute of a bastard back there to be able to sort out set pieces and get his head to the ball and get it away from our fucking goal!!

Would still like to see Flint back in defence as well because although he was in the team when we lost 4/5, you would hope that the team is 'bonding' more now and actually improves. Results unfortunately havent and I think Flint should be back for the Accy game!

Lanzano has me on the edge of my seat all game, dont feel confident with him in goal even though he did play well against Exeter and wasnt that bad yesterday.

After this shit result, whats the odds on us winning at Accy and Plym? 

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

Duce...it's Duce  

Heh! heh!



My bad Reg

[Batch]

Having seen the goals today I thought only the first goal Lanzano could have done much with. It wasn't the goals that worried me about him yesterday. It was the rushing off his line trying to catch/punch the impossible. In keeper terms he's young and will learn, but thats not good for us now.

On team selection I'm still not sure having Flint on the pitch would have helped with the goals. It should do, but we conceded a lot like that when we did play him. What was strange was having 2 strikers and no centre back on the bench, neither Fint nor Comazzi.

Jervis looks quite mobile and runs the channels quite well. Also a bit slight in physique and got knocked off the ball a couple of times. I wouldn't have changed the Kerrouche/Connell partnership myself.

Not sure why we brought in the left back. Not seen him play enough to conclude anything yet mind.

[Spencer_White]

Pissed off. We drew yesterday for the same reasons we lost to the scum.

Defence needs sorting fast or we have no chance of getting out of this league.

The ref did favour them, but that is no excuse. We lost our way at 2-0 and stopped taking the game seriously. But to concede that third goal is just rediculously poor and sloppy. We are not losing away games by some kind of fluke. We are poor at the back and we dont score enough goals to overcome that.

Fans also poor. The STFC thing ruins 'we are Paolo's Red and White army'.

Need to win at Accrington to get some direction back into the season.

[LittleRed]

I must admit I did not enjoy this game as much as others but then maybe it was because i was expecting to much as i knew Herefords league position. The atmosphere was not that good even when we were two nil up and to some extent i think we alienated the ref even though he had shocker. Rather than cheering for more goals we seemed to be more focused on getting on at the ref, it did seem very negative despite being two nil up.

Ritchie had one of the worst games of the season for me. He got clattered early on by their left back at it seemed like he hurt his back and from that point on he seemed very quiet up unitl the end where he had a thunderous shot saved and he perked up a bit.I just wondered if he was worried about comming off and finding it hard to get back in the team as seems to be the case for others.

Magera was and is totally pants in my view he seems like one of those players that frustrates the crowd with his play and by the amount of free kicks he concedes. Jervis although he did not score did enough for me to win my view that he is a decent talent and showed a good first touch. I do however agree that if a striker was to come off then it should have been jervis instead of koruche and would have brought on connell instead megera.

Caddis i thought had a decent game and had some good runs down the wing. I could not talk about whether he was at fault for any of the goals as I was sitting too far away for that, likewise with Lanzarno.

Devitta I also must mention as i thought he had a good game, certainly one of the best ive seen him play and he took his goal very well

I do agree that Flint should have been in the squad by now and partnering devera and not comazzi who i think looks dodgey at best and have macormack there to fill in if necessary. I take the point that even when flint was at the back we did not have a good start but he was one of our best players and a lot of the times he was partnering comazzi and not devera who i think is now showing a decent run of form and does not deserved to be dropped.

I must agree that i think di canio is trying to be too clever in this league and that smaller squad with more quality would have been better but as someone has already mentioned it is dicanio's first season and i think we will have to be patient. With our budget and gates it is only a matter of time before we are seriously competing at the top i just dont know if it will be this season. A bit peeved that some of the dross he has brought in are with us for at least two years.

[LittleRed]

Just one other thing i forgot to mention. Their second goal should never have been allowed. The push on Ahmed was horrendous and it should have been a free kick. Certainly on par with the penalty decision that went against us versus macclesfield. Also I wondered if the refs have now got it in for us due to comments about players diving.

Gonna have to change jobs soon, the grief im getting from the poxford lot is terrible at the moment!!!!!

[the washbag]

Our match report: http://thewashbag.com/2011/10/10/swindon-3-hereford-united-3-rampant-bulls-frustrate-town/

[london_red]

Thought Saturday summed up our season really. Unable to convert extended periods of dominance into the required 3 points. Undone by a few defensive lapses, particularly from set pieces and balls into the box.

Positives - Some of the football we played in the first half was magnificent. The interplay between Ferry, Ritchie and Caddis (nothing between the two Celtic boys for MOM in my opinion) particularly was of a very high standard indeed. Becoming more impressed with J. Smith and De Vita all the time - the latter particularly in a new position. First time I'd seen Jervis and thought he brought something to the table.

Negatives - Same old story, our defence which barely gave Hereford a sniff seemed to break down on a couple of occasions. After some improvement again marking on crosses seemed to lapse. Surely an issue which can still and hopefully will be addressed by the coaching staff.

Not sure I agree with all the criticism of Lanzano, he's a bit flappy but far from the calamity some people seem to be making out.

PdC needs to find a way to keep that first half performance going for 90 minutes but overall despite the disappointing result some confidence must be taken by the quality of our play for the first hour.

[limpwrist]

Watching the second half crap sucked the life out of me.
this team, no matter what starting 11 he puts out, is mentally weak.  We had a poor hereford side on the ropes without getting out of 1st gear.  Then threw it away.
This sqaud is expensive and if we don't get promotion and we wont, the cost of this season will haunt us for a long time.
This of course is only my opinion and I'm not privvy to any facts not in the public domain.

[juddie]

couldn't really bring myself to read this after the game, too annoyed. Felt like a proper kick in the balls, but then Hereford deserved it with the way they attacked us in the second half. We simply shat ourselves. We were complacent, too, which is unforgivable.

I can understand the logic in the team selection, with PDC persisting with McCormack, but after Saturday maybe it's time to nudge him forward alongside Ferry and bring Flinto back in. Although I thought Smith and Ferry looked tight in the middle. I'd maybe switch Ritchie and de Vita, as it can be predictable at times. Both players deserving to start, but think some teams may wise up to us at times. Would defo have Gabilondo or Easyjet on bench, a proper quick winger would have murdered Hereford IMO.

Not convinced by Lanzano at all. My sphincter retracts every time the ball gets pumped into the area.

I think we're really close to being a good side. Really close.