Swindon v Crewe - matchday thread traditionally created on the match day

[THE FLASH]

Im up to giving him a crack at a whole season.

The lack of a decent striker has meant we are, where we are, as Flasheart says, so many draws could of been wins....woulda, coulda, shoulda...im not a football manager by any means but the majority could see where we lacked...frustrating.

[Bob's Orange]

I don’t think we are much worse than Tranmere or FGR but they have Norwood and Doidge (yes I know he missed a chunk of the season pissing about at Bolton) who are both goalscorers and are comfortably play offs.

We had Richards who is basically a 1994 BMW 3 series that has failed its MOT and needs to be scrapped.

[DiV]

First good post you have made, yes your opinion doesn't matter.

You yourself say you don't watch Swindon any more so how can you have an opinion on somebodys team that you haven't even seen play, stop talking out of your arse, Wellens is a recently retired pro who has played at a decent level with well under 1 season as manager.

Actually watch the team before basing your opinion on reading match reports from others.

I think Wellens will do OK.

Results are there for all to see.

[horlock07]

Well, left back is clearly a priority position still.

Bennett didn't follow his man there, think he is probably to blame, but it's not a coincidence that side of the filed is our problem child right now.

Actually, following that Bennett utterly vacated the left side again, allowing them another break.  He's turned into a ghost in defence again.

Bennett did exactly that throughout the first half of the Carlisle game, made the LB (cannot recall who was playing there) look absolutely shite, but he had zero protection from midfield and two men running at him constantly!

[Panda Paws]

Bennett did exactly that throughout the first half of the Carlisle game, made the LB (cannot recall who was playing there) look absolutely shite, but he had zero protection from midfield and two men running at him constantly!

Coincidentally, it was Knoyle that day too.

[Reg Smeeton]

I don’t think we are much worse than Tranmere or FGR but they have Norwood and Doidge (yes I know he missed a chunk of the season pissing about at Bolton) who are both goalscorers and are comfortably play offs.

We had Richards who is basically a 1994 BMW 3 series that has failed its MOT and needs to be scrapped.

For sure if you can find a golascorer then well and good, but a small analysis of the stats reveals you can do OK without one.   Just looking at Lincoln who pissed the league and their leading scorer has 2 more than ours, both take pens, tells you that.  Akinde has played more or less twice the games of Doughty.

Tranny strength has been home form... yet they've only scored 4 more than us, it's been their defensive resilience... 12 conceded v our 26.  basically it means for their goals scored there's more value, the source doesn't matter so much.

Dodge has scored fewer for FGR than Doughty.

In many ways you're better off without a headline scorer for the simple reason, chances are they'll be buggering off at an inconvenient time.... it happened to us with Austin and we went down.  Stockley and Doidge have both done it this season. If you're over reliant on one player you're fucked.

This is why I prefer the Flitcroft 17/18 approach, stock up with numbers, so he went in with Anderson, Woolery, H Smith, Norris, Mullin, none of them particularly been prolific but gives options, he then replaced H Smith with Richards.

With Richards problems, we've effectively been 2 men down, at a cost of maybe 8 potentially important goals.

[horlock07]

Coincidentally, it was Knoyle that day too.

Was it..... Not saying that Knoyle is a particularly good LB, however as someone who played as a full back when I did its nigh fucking impossible if the midfielder in front of you just permanently fucks off and plays in the middle, Bennett might be worth keeping as a midfielder but he is a liability if he isn't playing in the middle!

From recollection at Carlisle McCourt got injured, Anderson came on and they reshuffled with Bennett going into the middle and Anderson on the left and we looked a different team after that!

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

As piss poor as we’ve been for much of this season, a win yesterday would have left us 2 points off 7th.

To me that tells you all you need to know about the underlying shitness of this league. Believe me, it ain’t going to take much tinkering/recruiting to get to the POs. Anything better than that would be pushing it, I reckon.

[Reg Smeeton]

As piss poor as we’ve been for much of this season, a win yesterday would have left us 2 points off 7th.

To me that tells you all you need to know about the underlying shitness of this league. Believe me, it ain’t going to take much tinkering/recruiting to get to the POs. Anything better than that would be pushing it, I reckon.

By definition Div 4 is never going to be a high standard... the last 3 times we've been in it then auto, has followed.  That's what we should be aiming at.  Reaching the PO's isn't really success in Div 4, you have to get through them and we know how difficult that is.

[Bob's Orange]

For sure if you can find a golascorer then well and good, but a small analysis of the stats reveals you can do OK without one.   Just looking at Lincoln who pissed the league and their leading scorer has 2 more than ours, both take pens, tells you that.  Akinde has played more or less twice the games of Doughty.

Tranny strength has been home form... yet they've only scored 4 more than us, it's been their defensive resilience... 12 conceded v our 26.  basically it means for their goals scored there's more value, the source doesn't matter so much.

Dodge has scored fewer for FGR than Doughty.

In many ways you're better off without a headline scorer for the simple reason, chances are they'll be buggering off at an inconvenient time.... it happened to us with Austin and we went down.  Stockley and Doidge have both done it this season. If you're over reliant on one player you're fucked.

This is why I prefer the Flitcroft 17/18 approach, stock up with numbers, so he went in with Anderson, Woolery, H Smith, Norris, Mullin, none of them particularly been prolific but gives options, he then replaced H Smith with Richards.

With Richards problems, we've effectively been 2 men down, at a cost of maybe 8 potentially important goals.

Doidge’s goals recently have been the difference between FGR being in the play offs and not in my opinion - not that I have done masses of research to back that up!!

[Shrivvy Road]

I am genuinely worried about Wellens. Probably totally wrong but i just can't get away from the impression he just falls out with far too many people. You really can't do that at this level. What has happened to Broadbent by the way? when he was first dropped they said he needed a little break. 6 weeks later he starts and gets slated in the press.

I was quick to give credit to Wellens after a good run it's only fair to question after a dodgy spell

[Panda Paws]

I am genuinely worried about Wellens. Probably totally wrong but i just can't get away from the impression he just falls out with far too many people. You really can't do that at this level. What has happened to Broadbent by the way? when he was first dropped they said he needed a little break. 6 weeks later he starts and gets slated in the press.

I was quick to give credit to Wellens after a good run it's only fair to question after a dodgy spell

RW didn't slate Broadbent - he said he was off the pace and looked like he'd been out the team for a few weeks. Perfectly fair and reasonable.

If he brings in his own players, and then falls out with them and slags them off, all while failing miserably, then I'll worry. It's clear he thinks this squad is a few players short of a competitive side, which is a fair enough assessment I think.

[Peter Venkman]

Doidge’s goals recently have been the difference between FGR being in the play offs and not in my opinion - not that I have done masses of research to back that up!!

I think we should make an offer for Danny Rowe of Fylde when they don't win promotion again this season from the National League.

Yes hes recently turned 29 but he has scored 27, 28, 48, 31 and 35 goals in the last 5 seasons and knows where the net is thats for sure, they turned down a bid of £50k in Feb this year for him from an unnamed ex Premier League club and said it was derisory, I think £150k would get him and he still has a good 4 or 5 seasons left.

He scores goals from all over the pitch, hardly any are penalties almost all come from open play and is exactly the type of finisher we need.

He probably doesnt fit the Power type of player what with is age but he does suit the Wellens type of player, as he has gone for Rose, Bennett, Robinson and Broadbent since he arrives, all in the 27 upwards age bracket.

[Reg Smeeton]

Doidge’s goals recently have been the difference between FGR being in the play offs and not in my opinion - not that I have done masses of research to back that up!!

For sure in the last 4 games he's scored 4 v Crawley, Macc and Cambridge, which got 3 wins for FGR, but that's more or less half his goals for the season. Definitely handy and had we had someone who could have perhaps done similar in the previous 4 drawn games, things would look better.

We need to find something like Bryan Wade who we got from Trowbridge Town, who wasn't great but had a knack of bundling in important goals in the promo sesons of 85/86 and 86/87 as a squad man.

Wader's finest hour was scoring 4 for Brighton on home debut v Newcastle, coming back into the game after a stint on the dole. It didn't last.

[Flashheart]

Wellens' said Broadbent was rusty. I think he was defending him more than anything.