Swindon Town vs Shrewsbury Town Official Matchday Thread

[woolster]

 
 
It needs totally ripping up and starting again.
[/quote]

Orange Juice - Rip it Up (Official Video) (1983) via @YouTube 

[FreddySTFC!]

Where was Tom Smith today? I presume he's injured. From the brief glimpses I've seen of him how he isn't getting more game time ahead of Rodgers & Thomas is unreal. Rodgers, even by his low standards, was fucking awful today. I don't agree with the sarcastic cheering/clapping when he got brought off but he needs to come out of the side for his own good, if nobody elses, asap. Thomas was equally shite & I'd be looking to bin him in the summer but that'll be nigh on impossible with 2 years left on his deal.

[garethgillman]

Where was Tom Smith today? I presume he's injured. From the brief glimpses I've seen of him how he isn't getting more game time ahead of Rodgers & Thomas is unreal. Rodgers, even by his low standards, was fucking awful today. I don't agree with the sarcastic cheering/clapping when he got brought off but he needs to come out of the side for his own good, if nobody elses, asap. Thomas was equally shite & I'd be looking to bin him in the summer but that'll be nigh on impossible with 2 years left on his deal.

problem with players with no experience like Tom is they put too much effort in to get noticed, run round like a headless chicken for 60 minutes and then end up pulling a muscle and are out for weeks. We need to be using players like him more BUT they need to be put in the team sporadically to build up their experience so they can learn how to manage themselves. It's a big step going from youth games to L1. We have some good young talent coming through but we don't use them enough imho.

The thing that pisses me off about the team isn't quality, it's passion, very few will put their head in where it will get hurt, won't stick a leg out to win a 50/50 ball etc...... They are here to get paid, it's not about stfc, it's not about wanting to play football and be the best, they are collecting their wage with sometimes as little effort as they can muster.

[FreddySTFC!]

problem with players with no experience like Tom is they put too much effort in to get noticed, run round like a headless chicken for 60 minutes and then end up pulling a muscle and are out for weeks. We need to be using players like him more BUT they need to be put in the team sporadically to build up their experience so they can learn how to manage themselves. It's a big step going from youth games to L1. We have some good young talent coming through but we don't use them enough imho.

The thing that pisses me off about the team isn't quality, it's passion, very few will put their head in where it will get hurt, won't stick a leg out to win a 50/50 ball etc...... They are here to get paid, it's not about stfc, it's not about wanting to play football and be the best, they are collecting their wage with sometimes as little effort as they can muster.

I agree totally with all of that but the midfield looked far better against Rochdale at home with Smith & Iandolo in it than it does at the moment with Rodgers & Thomas. Unfortunately we aren't in the luxurious position of being able to gently ease the likes of Smith into the first team because putting it bluntly, we're fucking shit. He's better than what we've got so needs to be playing when fit imo until/IF suitable replacements are bought!!

[RWB Robin]

Well, reading all this is quite depressing!!! I was there too and it was one of the worst games I have seen. But it wasn't all bad in my view. We began (once we had settled down) quite well...some fast tight attacks, just missing the final touch. For me (like others) the key problem is Rodgers. To begin with he was moving the ball forward effectively. He then began to make his usual errors in defensive areas and from then on lost it, ending up always facing and passing in the wrong direction and usually putting the defence under pressure. Both centre backs are ok in defence but without Nathan there just isn't the ball skill to move the ball forward...either they pass to each other or they try to run with it and then lose it. I thought Obika worked hard and won alot but his passing was off. Brophy was foolish but at least had some adventure to him. Norris took a lot of stick from Shrews. The worst bit was the complete meltdown after we took the lead....it was deeply worrying....

[RedRag]

Fair play to Branco who had me going "oooh shaun taylor!" for a brave second half header that looked the Shrews' keeper's all the way - shame he couldn't keep it down but a show of guts and desire in that team really stands out.

For quality, Vigs once again, who cleanly collected umpteen corners, even in hostile company even though he was given little else bar a couple of good saves over the 90.

[chalkies_shorts]

Its still early days but vigs is working his way towards downsborough, fods and diggers rather than Findlay, spearing and sheffield

[DiV]

For whatever reason, Sherwood didn't give us the lift we needed. I still don't know what role he has effectively taken.

Time for new back room staff full stop. It's the only roll of the dice we have left.

Team full of chihuahua's when we need lions.
Led by a chihuahua when we need a lion.
Roar.

[tans]

Awful game with two shite sides. Spineless and pathetic.

Rodgers was terrible, pathetic performance. Needs to be taken out of the team for his own good.

Connor Thomas not much better.

Brophy extremely naive with the two bookings. He'll learn from it.

Kasim obviously not fit, why play him? Summed up by him losing the ball, making no effort to track back and Hylton running 50 yds to make the tackle to clear up the mess he made. Was expecting Jordan Stewart to come on, alas no.

Norris and Hylton only bright sparks to be honest. Goddard gets a little bit of praise for the goal, im convinced he will only get better.

Vigs was Vigs, getting better and better.

What was worrying was taking a step back when the Shrews went down to 10, ffs take advantage of the extra man and attack.

Williams spouting bollocks in the interview. 3 draws is a win? Fuck off pal.

Was quite angry at the end, only really calmed down.

Hear Timmy says 5 signings this week, as others have said, believe it when i see it.

Bolton next week, play like that and we'll get buttfucked.

Time to open another stella.

[Christy]

Two home games to start a new year and maybe it's natural to be reflective.    A walk along the Shrivvy Road, three generations of us who've known no better, who know well enough not to expect but just enough still to hope.  It occurs too that I've been coming to the County Ground, hoping, for 43 years; so young that I remember almost nothing before climbing the terrifying, rickety steps of the old stand.  So there's no place - no home or school or workplace, nowhere - that's been such a constant through my life, and meeting family for a drink beforehand reminds me of those constants and gives me something to treasure, and for a moment, I'm glad and reassured to be here.

-------------

Soon, I'm looking at that green rectangle, trying in vain to hope whilst contemplating how Rodgers and Thomas are wearing our red shirt again.  And others too of course: just how did it come to this?  On Monday, I'd raged at our first half lethargy - playing a team with a day's less rest and no particular intent - this was a scandalous approach.  True, the second half had developed into something much more purposeful with Vigs, Branco and Jones all excelling.  

Today, Shrewsbury came out with that 150mph madness, that only the truly desperate can manage - if only we run around like this maybe they won't realise how hopeless we are.  It didn't take long for the truth to out, and without being especially incisive, in the first 25 minutes we created opportunities at will.  Sorry for those judging the game as a whole, but Rodgers was often an early catalyst for getting the ball forward quickly and creatively.  Obika alone had four efforts, each of which I thought he should have done better with.  And this is my biggest concern with the Williams years, it feels as if it just doesn't matter enough.  I genuinely support our playing and developmental philosophy, but it has to be aligned with being desperate to win football matches.  So SJO has his half-arsed efforts (that's harsh, but you know what I mean, fine margins and all that), and sloppiness and poor decision making creep in all over (and never go away), and the visitors realise they've not actually been hammered yet, winning their own corners and even having a header that went somewhere towards goal.

At half time I thought the few boos were borne out of frustation - we'd created plenty and really should have been ahead.  And back crept the hope, surely we couldn't not beat these?

In a sense, I'm not bothered the game swung one way and the other based on strange officiating.  I've not seen the highlights, but the incident that led to the penalty and red card followed a strange passage of play, with Norris (less involved and effective than of late) waiting for the spinning ball to settle before he was possibly hacked down.  Their's looked a goal through 90 yards of mist and the wrong angle, whilst Hylton's was surely a penalty.  I am bothered though at our approach - we've abandoned the pure Williams high risk 'Swindon Way' and regressed to sub-Cooper pure mess.  The players - at best hugely lacking in quality and depth - look utterly bereft.  For those not there, this can not be emphasised enough, the last 20 minutes were absolutely abject.  It would feel cruel to pick on individuals, suffice to say that the collective (they are a team, after all) mentality, application, execution were soul destroying.  Thanks to those who in some shape or form have shown the guts to front up afterwards - Vigs, Goddard, Embleton, Williams, Brophy.

Times like these are tough, and I'm as guilty as plenty in sometimes feeling hopeless, in saying that these are the worst players ever.  However, in reality, most of us have seen and supported us through worse times...and things do, somehow, get better.  Problem is, this is now, and finding hope walking back down Shrivenham Road this evening feels impossible.  But give it a couple of weeks (and eight new players), it'll be back.  

Here's to the next 43 years.

[inept and tiresome]

Are you Albert Brind?

No I'm not. Do you have a spare ticket against the piss stains?

[tans]

No I'm not. Do you have a spare ticket against the piss stains?

I dont think you will struggle to get one judging on todays performance

[inept and tiresome]

I'm desperate not to give Power any money but really want to be at this game. Any takers? Anyone? I'll pay the face value, preferably in the town end but anywhere in the ground will do.

[tans]

LW says being booed off has "become normal" and "a part of life"

WTF??? Disgusting they are accepting this

[chalkies_shorts]

Williams is now a figure of fun. He's our very own comical Ali. In a way its quite sad as hes a young bloke finding his way but he's so completely out of his depth. I've no doubt he's a decent man but there is nothing positive in his after match quotes. There is no tactical insight. There is no upbeat message. I think hes shot. He needs to go.
I actually think I'm at the stage where power needs to be seriously challenged. I actually think his approach is right but it has to be grounded in pragmatism and this is where it is lacking. You need experience to bring the youngsters along.
This is a massive transfer window.