Notts County vs Swindon Town Official Matchday Thread

[chalkies_shorts]

From what I've seen this season so far...

We look like a mid-table side, the football on offer from both us and other teams is truly dire.
I didn't expect such a big difference in quality between League 1 & League 2 but the gap appears to be massive.

I think that's a bit unfair to the visitors at Swindon this season. Exeter looked quite tidy and Barnet and Crawley played some really good stuff once their confidence was up. Its just a shame it was against us.

[RobertT]

I think that's a bit unfair to the visitors at Swindon this season. Exeter looked quite tidy and Barnet and Crawley played some really good stuff once their confidence was up. Its just a shame it was against us.

I agree on Exeter, the other two were aided by our decision making.  First we vacated the midfield, then we lost a player and provided the space.

[Chrystovski]

I thought Crawley and Barnet just looked like 2 typical counter attacking sides. Exeter were a better team but I still think they looked direct.

To me other than the gap in quality, it's exactly what I expected from League 2. Direct, bypass the midfield and look for route one.

[RobertT]

If any Psychologists had any ounce of dedication to their profession, they'd watch a season of L2 to see what pressure does to the mind.  Some, no many, of the players will have at some point not been that far away from a top league career, yet, on any given Saturday they can barely manage to control a ball without the urge to then whip it 50 yards forward.  A complete lack of faith in their skillset occurs at this level and it amazes me because when they are younger they are usually very cock sure.  It's why I was so intrigued by our efforts a few years back, when it seemed to be working, because we were asking players to do something that clearly becomes far less easy to do as you drop down a level or two.  That appears to be the difference in many cases, a simple implosion in the mind.  I imagie that is also why some players can rise through many leagues without looking out of place (Britton, Vardy) - they somehow recover, unlocking that should be the goal of some decent analysis.

Once watched a sports psychologist type guy explain how he worked with Darren Clarke, who had dropped to 150ish in the PGA rankings.  He mentioned how Darren had essentially lost his marbles and it was all down to being able to correct his mential state so that when the pressure came on he had belief in ability again - he went on to win a major I think.  he said it was common in sport because everyone thinks everyone else is better than them - why is that?  I have no issues believing I am the est at what I do :-)

[London Pride]

Just got back after an overnight stay and have to say I am somewhat surprised by Flitcroft summary of the game I can only assume he was at another match. It was 100% a penalty as all us could quite clearly see from where we were sat. I have watched every game this year home and away and my confidence in us getting promoted at the first attempt has started to fade. We are clearly not a very good side with some very average players and a manager whose tactics are extremely questionable. The mindless aimless hoof ball that was on display last night which is seeming to become the norm is extremely embarrassing to watch. The only way that we will ever make the playoffs this season is if there are 18 other teams more crap than us.

[sir windon]

The only way that we will ever make the playoffs this season is if there are 18 other teams more crap than us.

I agree but, to be fair, that is always the way to make the play offs.

[Reg Smeeton]

I agree but, to be fair, that is always the way to make the play offs.

Not true... it would only require 17 teams to be worse than us.

At this early stage of the season, we haven't yet seen enough to know how things will develop.

[RobertT]

And it is entirely possible there are 17 worse teams over the course of a season, depressing as that may be, and equally as exciting.

[Reg Smeeton]

And it is entirely possible there are 17 worse teams over the course of a season, depressing as that may be, and equally as exciting.

Atm there are 10 teams below us in the  league football pyramid. Is this a fair reflection of where Power has taken us?  Have we bottomed out? Is there worse to come? 

At least Yeovil, FGR, Cheltenham are below us in the worst team in the South West/West Country stakes.

[Red Frog]

Highlights up. How anyone thought that wasn't going to be a penalty... naive, much?

[Exiled Bob]

Just got back after an overnight stay and have to say I am somewhat surprised by Flitcroft summary of the game I can only assume he was at another match. It was 100% a penalty as all us could quite clearly see from where we were sat. I have watched every game this year home and away and my confidence in us getting promoted at the first attempt has started to fade. We are clearly not a very good side with some very average players and a manager whose tactics are extremely questionable. The mindless aimless hoof ball that was on display last night which is seeming to become the norm is extremely embarrassing to watch. The only way that we will ever make the playoffs this season is if there are 18 other teams more crap than us.

Can't disagree with any of that. I've only seen 3 games so far (one live - Exeter) and 2 on iFollow (Barnet and Notts County) as well as the end of the Luton game, but I've seen nothing that suggests we are anything other than a poor Div 4 team. Dreadful, aimless long balls. And why, when they play a short pass do they kick it so fucking hard? I lost count of the number of times one of the halfwits smashed a 5-10 yard pass to someone only for it to bounce off his shins because it was hit too hard.

I watched last night and thought we were awful - with the exception of Gordon when he came on, Conroy and Norris, who at least ran around looking like he gave a shit (one thing about Norris is that, despite his dubious finishing skills, he rarely gives the ball away). The likes of Woolery and Anderson, supposedly our star players, didn't look like they cared. Woolery was particularly poor. And WTF was Lancashire thinking for the penalty. It's infuriating when players do things like that, especially as there was no real need for it. Makes you wonder what they have for brains...

The only positive for me is that Notts County are 2nd and didn't look that much better than us. Just a bit less shit.

[Exiled Bob]

....The fastest Taylor moved was when he was subbed....

He couldn't get off quick enough could he?

[horlock07]

Highlights up. How anyone thought that wasn't going to be a penalty... naive, much?

Striker was backing in well.

For anyone who went, seeing the 'highlights', was it just 90 minutes of each team taking free kicks on the edge of the other sides penalty area.

[RedRag]

Lancashire preventing striker from jumping. Pen. 

Starting to look like the first 1/4 of the season will have been underwhelming.  Next 4 games quite important in setting a tone and this Saturday a key, key component.

Robert T's comments on sports psychology and League 2 were interesting.  It is pleasing, so far, that one of our lesser "footballers" is starting to overcome a 'mare of a debut season through sheer bull-headed belief and effort - others should start helping Norris.

[bilko]

Lancashire is a fucking idiot that was a needless penalty to give away. Refs are giving penalties this season for shirt pulling and wrestling players to the ground. What's annoying the ball and the player we're going nowhere it was a fucking ridiculous bit of stupidity by Lancashire that's two games now he's done it and DF needs to drum it in to our defenders to stop gifting teams goals. After all the good work we did on Saturday we should have been kicking on and should have got a point last night. Notts county are nothing as a side but if you gift teams like we did & give them the advantage DF needs to start stamping it out.
We've lost to three crap sides already and Saturday we need to get the three points & try and get maximum points from our next four games