Swindon Town FC vs Crawley Town FC Official Matchday Thread

[Pax Romana]

so is this a theory you've conveniently developed in the last month or were you spouting it as we marched to top spot.

Yes this is a theory I've conveniently developed in the last month or so.  

In the first half of the season our intricate passing/ball retention style achieved a lot of success, helped by it not being a style that 3rd tier teams are used to playing against.  As our success grew in the latter part of 2014, however, clubs started taking more notice of us and visibly adapted how they play  against us.  Crawley were a typical example; they're a poor team who played within their limitations to counter us by dropping deep, working hard and avoiding committing themselves in the challenge.  We kept getting into good attacking positions around the penalty area and then, faced with a passive massed defence, turning away and re-cycling the ball in order to keep possession and avoid giving the ball away.  As a result we dominated the territory and possession stats but created nothing, particularly in the first half.  It improved for a while in the second half when we were more aggressive and started attacking them with pace but once we equalised we reverted to possession football with no real penetration.

Your comment suggests that you think we need to keep our nerve, keep playing the way we were when we were successful, and this blip will end and we'll start winning consistently again.  You may be right.  

I think even poor teams have now learnt to counter our play too effectively and we need to refine our tactics to become more aggressive in the final third; encourage the players to take the defence on and deliver more killer balls into the box, even at the risk of conceding possession.  Otherwise we are going to keep dominating games but dropping too many points against crap teams.

[Bob's Orange]

I had forgotten something from yesterday.

Nathan Thompson's ridiculous booking for a superb clean tackle in front of the DRS. Sometimes you think refs are just their to annoy the crowd.

I think my idiot friend in the DRS may be starting a comedy world your soon. When Turnbull got booked he came out with the classic 'did he call you a bald cunt ref'! Oh how we laughed!!

[Flashheart]

Ah, the olde 'we've been found out' card that gets rolled out from time to time.

Here's a crazy idea. Perhaps, maybe, our players have lost form and aren't playing as well as they can? Bah! What am I thinking, that's just nuts. It's not as though such a thing happens to most teams every season.

[The Grim Reaper]

Everyone expected an easy win yesterday. Crawley scored after their first attack of the game which wasn't part of the plan clearly as our players produced the most mediocre football we've witnessed all season. 2nd half much better with the type of attacking football that put us at the summit of the table. The goal inevitably came and from that point only one team should have won. Yet once again defensive errors have proved costly and somehow we've managed to snatch defeat from the claws of victory against Crawley. Fucking Crawley. A team who at no point ever looked like winning. They really have mugged us off this season and shows why we can't afford to risk the playoffs. Over the 2 games against them this season we would have lost 3-1 to them on aggregate despite whatever the stats show.

[Reg Smeeton]

A team who at no point ever looked like winning. They really have mugged us off this season and shows why we can't afford to risk the playoffs.

Plenty of work to do to make the PO's...if we get there, then who knows.

[chalkies_shorts]

Just seen the goals again and they look even worse than I thought. How the fuck did we conceded the second one. Cooper can say it wasn't a free kick as much as he wants but who the fuck scores from that starting position. Our defence was always ropy but we covered well, got luck and got some good blocks in now its a total fucking shambles.

[kerry red]

Certainly appears our defence has been the problem during our slump.

We're back in the position where we need to score 3 to win a game.

The fact that our defeats - Blades apart - have been against teams that aren't really much good is worrying, too.

[Reg Smeeton]

Certainly appears our defence has been the problem during our slump.

We're back in the position where we need to score 3 to win a game.

The fact that our defeats - Blades apart - have been against teams that aren't really much good is worrying, too.

I don't think this notion that opposition teams "aren't much good" helps. Generally most teams in Div 3 are reasonably similar, unless you get a Prem fall out like a Wolves last year, or a basket case for financial reasons....they're likely to be made up of a few Div 3 old hands, some own youth players and a clutch of loans from Div 2 or Prem sides.

Outfits like Scunny and Oldham who've beaten us recently, have prob lost 3 or 4 more than us over the season so far.

Over the course of long attritional season, it will be the sides with that bit extra in terms of squad strength, know how and impetus at the right time who make the top 2.....atm my money would be on Franchise and Preston.

[DiV]

The club, top to bottom just isn't mentally tough enough to see in a successful promotion run in, out of this division.

Same thing happened two years ago (for many different reasons) and we are starting to do exactly what we did under Wilson in 2010.

We haven't got the stomach for high pressure games any more. Just can't get over the line in the play offs.

[Reg Smeeton]

The club, top to bottom just isn't mentally tough enough to see in a successful promotion run in, out of this division.

Same thing happened two years ago (for many different reasons) and we are starting to do exactly what we did under Wilson in 2010.

We haven't got the stomach for high pressure games any more. Just can't get over the line in the play offs.

Agree with your general point, but the Wilson season was a bit of a curio, given that from memory any of 5 teams could have got auto going into the final game...that side in this league would probably go up.

No, we're doing OK to maintain Div 3 status, given the circumstances around the club....the season so far definitely a pleasant bonus, from the expected struggle.

[Batch]

Just seen the goals again and they look even worse than I thought. How the fuck did we conceded the second one.

Really poorly defended from Turnbull, and no cover..

Can only hope the inclusion of grass on our pitch will confuse Bradford.

[DiV]

Agree with your general point, but the Wilson season was a bit of a curio, given that from memory any of 5 teams could have got auto going into the final game...that side in this league would probably go up.

No, we're doing OK to maintain Div 3 status, given the circumstances around the club....the season so far definitely a pleasant bonus, from the expected struggle.

We got to top spot then had home games against Walsall and Exeter (from memory) we didn't win either when we really should have. Did all the hard work to get there, could t hang on when we did...

Perhaps we're actually better chasing?

[theakston2k]

On reflection I think now is where we are really suffering with a lack of experience on the pitch and within the coaching staff. We just seem to lack game management skills on and off the pitch, I like Nathan Thompson but is he really a captain, I think there is a lack of a presence on the pitch who can manage the game and organise things. You just need to look at how weak we are at set pieces to see we lack someone to organise things.

On the pitch very few of our players have played a whole season of pro football let alone been in this position before. As is to be expected from youth a combination of arrogance plus mental and physical tiredness has kicked in. Some of the players have listened to the hype and believe they are better than they are and can just get through games without doing the hard work. Personally I can't help but think some have also been tapped up as well and their minds aren't entirely on the job at hand here.

Within the coaching staff let's be honest this is the highlight of Coopers managerial career thus far. He's good when things are going well but as I've said before he struggles to turn things around when things aren't going so well as it's often been said he lacks a plan B. He has a tendancy to tinker but on the flip side he seems slow to change things during the game with subs often not being made until it almost seems too late. Cooper also comes across as slightly arrogant and doesn't seem able to accept criticism, I found it quite bizarre for him to say he though we played well yesterday...
I can't help but feel we lack someone on the coaching side who's been there and got the t-shirt either as an ex-player or manager and can offer a bit of advice.

This seasons going to be a huge learning experience for everyone involved regardless of what the final outcome turns out to be...

[theakston2k]

We got to top spot then had home games against Walsall and Exeter (from memory) we didn't win either when we really should have. Did all the hard work to get there, could t hang on when we did...

Perhaps we're actually better chasing?

We went 2nd after beating Leeds 3-0 away and then fell apart with the results you mention and a 2-2 draw away at pretty much relegated Wycombe wasting all the hard work. Norwich ran away with top spot.

[Reg Smeeton]

We got to top spot then had home games against Walsall and Exeter (from memory) we didn't win either when we really should have. Did all the hard work to get there, could t hang on when we did...

Perhaps we're actually better chasing?

Think we got to 2nd after winning at Leeds, and then beating Tranny, but fucked up at ColU, then failed to win the 2 home games.