Swindon v Yeovil pre match chat and match day thread

[Flashheart]

Win Tuesday and we could be 1 point adrfit... assuming Exeter lose. They're playing Macclesfield though so that's unlikely. If we win and Exeter win, We'll be 3 points adrift.

[Flashheart]

The problem’s in our heads. Our lot think they’ve won every home game before we start. Never the same energy and focus as when we’re away. We could all see it coming but they’re powerless to up their game.

I think they get nervous. Every time there's a bit of a buzz about the playoffs, the performances suffer.

[Nijholts Nuts]

I think they get nervous. Every time there's a bit of a buzz about the playoffs, the performances suffer.

Aka bottlers. Not unlike many other STFC teams of the last decade, barring PDC era of course.

[Quagmire]

We haven’t got the bollocks, I’ve just tweeted the same. I think this is the 4th time we’ve got within 4 points and not won.

[RobertT]

I think that is very likely the reason.  Last weekend there was nothing to lose and they kept going today we come in at half time, completely in control and in front, the expectation is we on to win and they slip into a much more cautious protective mode before they realise the opposition are now getting a foothold and finish the game looking like a team trying to avoid conceding.  If we'd just decided to play, we'd have won that comfortably.

[Flashheart]

Aka bottlers. Not unlike many other STFC teams of the last decade, barring PDC era of course.

Yep. Could do with a strong captain/leader to help keep their heads in it.

[RobertT]

Assuming we miss out this season, I think they'll be better placed next year though, what we are seeing is a building of something - we've looked the better team in most games recently.  If we are up towards the top, I think the confidence is a different beast.

[RobertT]

Yep. Could do with a strong captain/leader to help keep their heads in it.

The missing link, as was pointed out by Wellens, is those players in their late 20's with a bit of nous about them but not yet on their last legs.

[Red Frog]

No-one was good in the final third today. Robinson couldn't do a thing right, with his regulation one-on-one the biggest miss of the match. Woolery didn't seem to take anything forward from last week. Anderson and Koiki were constantly wasteful. Knoyle delivered nothing. Maybe nerves, but fuck me, this is hardly the Stadium of Light.

[tans]

Maybe nerves, but fuck me, this is hardly the Stadium of Light.

Been the stadium of shite the past 4 years

[RobertT]

To be fair, we haven't lost in 6 at home and really should have won that one today.  It's annoying, but it's the result of several years of crap.  I am hopeful, that with the right additions over the summer we do seem to be turning a corner.  At the mid point of the season we'd lose that game, I think with more experience and a growing run of more wins than losses, we start to get the confidence we can push on in that type of game.  It's a shame we wasted a year and half before we got to where we are right now.

[Reg Smeeton]

Pretty much as expected..... at no time this season have we looked a team capable of winning a game when not playing particularly well.  That's Wellens challenge for next season, can he get that bit extra out of the players, when the pressure comes on. Of late we've done OK in what might be described as free hit games. 

However we need to realistic, we're still scuffing around in historic poor season territory and to progress that is likely to require some significant investment in new players.... and no real sign of that being something we can expect.

Back in the summer, it looked like we were recruiting for mid table which is exactly what we've got.

[RobertT]

Which at least beats your expectations as the season commenced.

I think the recruitment in January showed a bit of step change.  If we repeat that in the summer I think we look well set-up to make progress.  Broadbent looks a very good capture for example.  Robinson, despite putting his boots on the wrong feet today is certainly a top half of this league type of player.  Koiki is a step up in a problem area for us, and assuming he sticks around for a full season I think he will be a big plus for next season.  Wellens has identified the weaknesses in the squad and does seem to be starting to get some juice out of the attacking players more often that not.

Clearly a lot depends on retaining the right ones and adding, but Wellens is gradually growing on me.  By and large he seems to make the right types of calls and while we still have an inept second half in us like today, we also have the first half and the previous couple of games.  The foundation is better - we find ourselves in trouble less often.  If we were 10 points better off when he took over I think we'd be pushing on now, instead we were just a bit too far behind and it's hard to build the confidence in the players to sustain it in every game.

[Bogus Dave]

Carrol and koiki are fucking awful

[Batch]

Vigs text wellens at 9.37pm on Thursday evening that he'd be at a funeral on Friday.