Tranmere v Swindon pre match chat and match day thread

[Peter Venkman]

So on Sat, unusually for them they had to chase te game, and despite having a scorer in Norwood, couldn't do it.

Thats because defensively we were better than them and marked Norwood out of the game and cut out any supply to him giving him only a single chance, which he duly took.

[Reg Smeeton]

Thats because defensively we were better than them and marked Norwood out of the game and cut out any supply to him giving him only a single chance, which he duly took.

Therefore we now need to start being better defensively than sides at the CG... starting on Saturday, but althoug Crawley are poor on the road, they did win at Lincoln, so nothing should be taken for granted.

[Peter Venkman]

Therefore we now need to start being better defensively than sides at the CG... starting on Saturday, but althoug Crawley are poor on the road, they did win at Lincoln, so nothing should be taken for granted.

No team should be taken lightly, at this or any level.

Put them under a lot of pressure early on as we did to Tranmere and they should crack, but don't get frustrated when we don't score but keep the pressure on them.

In the away game Crawley were very poor and we should have crushed them after going 2 goals up early, in the 2nd after the stupid sendings off of Toums and Dunne they put us under a lot of pressure but never looked like scoring right up until the equalizer in the 98th minute penalty when our players looked mentally and physically drained.

[Bob's Orange]

No team should be taken lightly, at this or any level.

Put them under a lot of pressure early on as we did to Tranmere and they should crack, but don't get frustrated when we don't score but keep the pressure on them.

In the away game Crawley were very poor and we should have crushed them after going 2 goals up early, in the 2nd after the stupid sendings off of Toums and Dunne they put us under a lot of pressure but never looked like scoring right up until the equalizer in the 98th minute penalty when our players looked mentally and physically drained.

And that was moments after Alzate broke free and was brought down on the edge of the box for a professional foul seeing them down to 10. It was a stupid challenge by Marc Richards but an absolutely courageous effort that night.

I'm going to the Crawley game, probably one of the first times in ages I have been to see a League 2 side home and away.

[Peter Venkman]

Crawley fans not enamoured with their manager Gabriele Cioffi.

Come on lads he surely has to go. He clearly has no clue how to set up a team. His record speaks volumes! Got to go!!!

Shocking tactics today. Absolutely clueless!

I'm sorry to say I think you are on the money. I hoped he would prove the doubters wrong. He hasn't. Us and Notts County for the drop

His record is dreadful to say the very least. His post match conferences spout the same old spiel on “how we had chances” , “we go again” etc, but we are running out of games against winnable opposition.

Three very tough games coming up, which I don’t think will yield anything and by then we could be in the mire.

We are absolutely dire and the only way we won't go down is if two sides are even more crap than we are, just 6 points between us and Macclesfield now and still 17 more games to go, at this rate we'll be lucky to win another game this season

Agree he has had long enough we look more clueless every week

this squad has more quality and experience than any we have had since we left league on..Cioffi has turned them to dross.

We have the worst away record in the football league so I am not holding out for any points from the next two games and then we have some very hard home games and if we play like today then we are well and truly in the smelly end of the league. Todays performance was the worst this season no citing edge and the team selection shows that he does not know what is his best team. HE HAS TO GO.

By the way I’m not blaming Cioffi; he’s tried his best and given us some good performances but the form we’re in is a real concern. I suppose the question is do we stick (as Yeovil have done with Darren Way; they won their last two games) or get a replacement (as Macclesfield have done; they’ve also won their last two).

I don't blame Cioffi for this, although frankly his results have been pretty dire. The questions need to be asked off the field - absentee owner, who is running the football side of the club and so on.

Could be a good time to play them it seems with their current League form being

DLLLWLLDWWLLL

[Reg Smeeton]

Crawley fans not enamoured with their manager Gabriele Cioffi.

Could be a good time to play them it seems with their current League form being

DLLLWLLDWWLLL

You could look at that and think they've yet to lose 4 in a row.... meaning although they're not very good, there's enough in the squad to pull out the odd decent result, to keep their heads above water. 

However you want to look at it, and after Tuesday it may look a bit different, if we are to continue the upward momentum, Saturday is a must win.... which adds pressure to what is a very inexperienced group of players.

[Exiled Bob]

When Thierry Henry went to Arsenal he had a record of 1 goal every 5/6 games but with the right coaching turned into one of footballs greatest ever goalscorers, he never really started scoring goals until he was 24.

That and playing him as a forward. When he started out he was played as a winger (by Arsene Wenger as it happens). He only started playing as a forward after joining Arsenal.

[Peter Venkman]

That and playing him as a forward. When he started out he was played as a winger (by Arsene Wenger as it happens). He only started playing as a forward after joining Arsenal.

Exactly, Anderson arrived as an attacking midfielder and Woolery played his only full season as a winger with FGR before joinging us.

[Reg Smeeton]

That and playing him as a forward. When he started out he was played as a winger (by Arsene Wenger as it happens). He only started playing as a forward after joining Arsenal.

An example of a winger who changed a bit when playing more centrally, at our sort of level was Garry Nelson. He played LW at Sarfend and had 17 goals in 129 games... we bought him as a winger and he scored 7 in 79, then he got played more centrally at Plymuff 20 in 74, then on to BHA 47 in 144, then Charlton 37 in 185.

Wrote a couple of good books about life as journeyman footballer.... definitely worth a read.

[ferret]

I'd go so far as to say that Crawley is a must win game. If, despite all of the positive signs and some excellent away form, we still manage to cock up what should probably be the most straightforward home game of the lot, we're not going anywhere this season.

The result is all that really matters, but with the type of home games that remain, we also need to try to recall the feeling of a standard low-key 2-0, or such like. The sort that should not be a rarity for a promotion chasing team. We have won 2 of our last 51 home games in all comps by more than a single goal, and, given that most have been in L2, and others have been versus feeble cup opposition, that really is a shocking stat.

[Reg Smeeton]

We have won 2 of our last 51 home games in all comps by more than a single goal, and, given that most have been in L2, and others have been versus feeble cup opposition, that really is a shocking stat.

A good stat... although is it quite accurate?

I'm guessing they were probably 3-0 ers v Dale and Charlton in Luke's relegation season.  Hill bemoaned a Tueday nighter, down south after a trip on the Sat, and Charlton bemoaned having to play a Sky game whcih would have been postponed ordinarily as they had a few on international duty, but we beat Accy 3-0 last season.

[ferret]

A good stat... although is it quite accurate?

I'm guessing they were probably 3-0 ers v Dale and Charlton in Luke's relegation season.  Hill bemoaned a Tueday nighter, down south after a trip on the Sat, and Charlton bemoaned having to play a Sky game whcih would have been postponed ordinarily as they had a few on international duty, but we beat Accy 3-0 last season.

Afraid so.

This season - 19 home games in all comps.
Last season - 26 home games in all comps. Beat Cambridge 2-0 and Stanley 3-0.
16/17 - Beat Gills 3-1 in Feb. Further 6 home games followed this.

[Peter Venkman]

Goal scoring at home has been a long time problem for Swindon.

[Reg Smeeton]

Afraid so.

This season - 19 home games in all comps.
Last season - 26 home games in all comps. Beat Cambridge 2-0 and Stanley 3-0.
16/17 - Beat Gills 3-1 in Feb. Further 6 home games followed this.

Fair enough.... I'd prefer to view it like this, league games only, which over the last 2 and half seasons would yield 5 wins, the 3 you mentioned and Dale and Charlton which would give 5 in 60.  Clearly nowhere near good enough.

[ferret]

Fair enough.... I'd prefer to view it like this, league games only, which over the last 2 and half seasons would yield 5 wins, the 3 you mentioned and Dale and Charlton which would give 5 in 60.  Clearly nowhere near good enough.

Yes, and I suppose another way of looking at it would be to say we've won 2 of the 37 L2 home games by more than 1 goal.