Swindon Town Vs Chesterfield Official Matchday Thread

[Gnasher]

Their right back had a great game to be fair. Although how you can think McEveley was shit is beyond me.

McEvely wasn't shit but he did lose the ball in vital areas at times. Most of the side were really bad today, so we just have move on and make sure we beat Rovers.

[RWB Robin]

Well there we go....we all see things differently.  As I said before I didn't see everyone playing really badly, just not very well.  and as several have said, Chesterfield knew what they had to do to stop us and they did it effectively.  It didn't make them look good, but they scored twice, which is all it takes to win a match.  My worry is that, with the emphasis on playing good football (Arsenalesque, as was mentioned a way back) we don't really know what to do when our flair players are closed down.

[Panda Paws]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17419742

I am not convinced that the lass who wrote this attended the game or did any homework at all!!

She was there and I have to stick up for her - she's a very good reporter.

[gingernuggets]

She was there and I have to stick up for her - she's a very good reporter.

Well she didn't report that very well did she?

[Nemo]

Not particularly great at research though apparently, or she might have realised that Caddis is a full back and Risser is not our captain.

[DiV]

Did Holmes take all of our corners today - were they all from the left?

Why we didnt think to try an inswinger to mix it up at any point I dont know.

Short corners not a fan, as we usually dont end up getting the ball in the box. Today we did but found a blue head each time.

[LucienSanchez]

A half-hearted synopsis from where I was (sat next to a mental woman, who got in a sulk and left 15 minutes before the end because I asked her to stop touching me):

 - Ferry was good when we used him
 - Set pieces have been mostly poor all season - we need to do something about that, as there are decent half chances to be taken
 - Connell's OHK was unnecessary - should have kept it simple and scored
 - Bostock was woeful
 - Ritchie had a number of one on one chances with the fullback and wasn't up to it... he was worryingly flat
 - It shouldn't be surprising that Risser ballsed up - he lets the ball drop and looks shakey in defence, it wasn't even one of those own goals where you could sympathise, it was just shite
 - Holmes looked good in patches, but again, delivery was poor
 - Murray - not based on just today, but he needs to be sent back - he offers nothing, and will never change the game when required
 - Atmosphere was half decent where i was, and the weather was ace
 - McEveley was steady although on today's showing didn't look markedly better than Cibocci
 - We didn't really deserve to lose (or win)... it was only after Risser fucked up that Chesterfield looked dangerous, but that was by catching us on the break as we over-committed forward
 - Ref made some stupid decisions

[DiV]

Ritchie also needs to try going outside his man.

He turned in every time today - so easy to defend against. At least mix it up, Holmes at least went inside and outside and gave their full back something to think about.

[Processed Beats]

A day that promised so much, in the end delivered very little in terms of football.

We are at our best on the wings and from the word go our wingers weren't given the time or space to run at their man or whip in a tantalising cross. Holmes did marginally better than Ritchie against the impressive Hurst, but both weren't allowed to get into the swing of things which obviously worked massively in Chesterfield's favour.

Only players who played anything like their usual selves for me were Devera, Foderingham and Ferry. The rest were way, way below average. The goal came in the cruellest of fashions in the form of an own goal, but they really did create the more clear-cut chances, with our lack of a cutting edge up front oh so evident. The new boys were both utter shite; McEveley looked so unconfident and uncomfortable it's unreal, while Bostock made his fair share of mistakes in a short cameo. It's their first appearance, so I'll wait to pass judgement on them properly though.

The thing that really pissed me off was the hoards of people leaving after the second goal went in; without these players on the pitch, we wouldn't have got to Wembley so, despite a sub-standard performance, they still deserve our appreciation and support.

But hey, we move on and now focus on the title. Every time we've lost recently, we've really hit back and displayed a true bounce-back-ability. Let's hope Bristol Rovers are in for a thrashing!

[wiggy]

What a load of old bollocks that was.

I had a bloke who hadn't showered for a couple of days to my left, and a kid who couldn't handle his beer effing and jeffing through the whole game behind me. I wouldn't have minded the swearing if the kid had a clue what he was talking .

Chesterfield pressed us and kept their shape and discipline really well. We played good football in patches but sometimes you just want a player to put his laces through the ball (both in attack and defence).

[fatbasher]

Been back an hour. Just watching the re run. Missed Rissers own goal getting a hotdog for my lad.

Poor, but that is based on the high expectations we now have. Will review my opinions once I have watched all the game. Consoling myself with a cup of Earl Grey and some mini eggs given a present for my birthday on Friday.

Onwards and Upwards.

[Bathtime]

I thought that getting there, finding a good pub, finding the parking place I had booked all went too smoothly, something had to go wrong. It just wasn`t to be today and Di Canio decision to play the new players signed this week didnt work. They both looked very average. Chesterfield looked there to be beaten but we didnt have the ability to sort out the final ball. Too many average performances, unfortunately. So pleased it wasn`t a play off final...disappointing but not the end of the world. Di Canio is going to be hero or villian and today he got it wrong. How he copes in League 1 only time will tell. Cant bring myself to watch the recording I made of it.....

[Peacocks-Lucky-Coat]

Thought Ferry was our best player by a mile today, those balls he kept pinging out to the left wing were pretty much spot on every time. He looked composed on the ball and most of the attacking play from us was through him. Overall a poor performance, but it's hardly the end of the world. Mcevely didn't offer much offensively, but was pretty solid at the back and didn't make many slip ups. Cibo was terrible when he came on.

[Cibocchi_Is_God]

I dont really understand a lot of the posts criticising the performance? Yes the performance was below what you would expect in a cup final but saying the players were woeful and pathetic is a bit over the top. Had that been a league game we would be saying it was just a matter of taking chances and that we were unlucky. It seems the cup final has marred some peoples view on the game. Both teams were nervous to begin with, we began to settle into the game after about 20 minutes or so and a town goal looked forthcoming. We didnt take our chances and they punished us after a slow start in the second half. That was about it for the whole game really, the second goal was because our players pushing forward trying to equalise, had we got the first goal im sure it would have been a similar story! We knocked the ball around well at times and Chesterfield did what they had to do to nulify the threat. It was by no means an embaressment or a let down, those players worked hard to get to the final and worked hard in the final itself. At the end of the day one sloppy piece of defending decided it.

On individuals, there were a few that were better than others but again no-one was a 'let down'. Suprised to see Mceveley in the starting lineup and although he wasnt bad he wasnt great either. Devera, Ferry and Foderingham had good games. The others were OK, and collectively below average. That's why we were beaten. The point im making is that some fans shouldnt over exaggerate about what happenened today, the players lost that game after a tough battle and when it came down to it the Chesterfield team were better equipped for a battle. They won, we lost. Let's move on and win the league! 'Que sera, sera...'

[ronnie21]

My take on it:  hated the way two new players came straight into the squad and both got on the pitch, have a horrible feeling it could well hit the togetherness we seem to have - if you were good enough to go to Exeter or Southend and see us through then you deserved to be in the squad for Wembley.  Shot yourself in the foot doing that PDC.  Should have won the game in the first half when we were well on top, sadly no takers in front of goal and why try the spectacular when a simple pass will do.  Half time and I still thought we could go on an win it, one minute into the secondhalf and disaster!  From there on we totally lost the plot, PDC being the worst culprit with some strange substitutions, why the fuck was Ritchie left on the pitch, thought he was totally ineffective today - as he has been since Caddis has been injured, oh how he missed him.  We seemed to starve Lee Holmes in the second half, hardly a decent ball going out to him.  Playing three at the back was always going to be a risk when we were chasing the game, sadly they got the second right at the end, although in truth they could have had one or two more.  The worst thing for me was that the game was there for the taking, they were not a good side at all and I believe if we had got the first goal we would have gone on and win it comfortably.  Still cannot believe that squad selection!!  Flint looked very dejected at the end when he came onto the pitch and Ritchie showed today he has a bit of an attitude problem that is best kept back on the training field. Goo day out, wrong result!