Thetownend.com

Losing to Histon was disappointing, but I wasn't surprised. My reaction was one of, 'well, it happens, just a shame it was us', which I guess is an indictment of how I feel about the attitude of our players at the moment. Honestly, I was more excited by the prospect of last night's game, a game – and a tournament – I felt we could have at the very least, created a bit of excitement by edging towards the area final and Wembley. Some say the JPT is mickey mouse, not me. Having got this far we realistically could have got to the southern final - and imagine the lift we would all have had if we had that to look forward to...

The result last night was rubbish, but it is the post-match interview that really depresses me this morning. Different game, same excuses, it's wearing thin, and I'm not even a member of the Malpas out brigade.

I've neither been pro or against Malpas in the past, my general feeling towards the guy has been 'meh' - he has never excited me – but I felt he should be given time to try and amend where we've been going wrong. I was concerned by our league form but saw enough in the last three games to think we'd be ok. Yet one guy on the adver forum has made some pertinent points I agree with:

1. Brez and Smith, both played well last season, are making mistakes week after week. Why?
2. Ifil is not even making the bench and is out of form, why?
3. Mo Mo described Peacock as a striker and Pook as as being redundant, they now form our central midfield pairing. Was this an oversight? Luck?
4. Why our none of our new signings playing? If they're better than what we've got, which is what we were told when we unveiled our transfer policy, then why aren't they playing? And can you honestly tell me Kanyuka is better than Ifil/Aljofree or Morrison?

I can accept mistakes, but not making the same ones week after week. We need to be learning from these experiences, not repeating them.

It's mid-November and I honestly feel the season is over, and I can assure you I am not a pessimistic kind of fan. Can anyone, honestly – hand on heart – tell me they hope to make the play-offs this year? It'll be win two, lose two, win a couple, lose a couple. I need more hope than that... Or am I over-reacting?

Juddie They are my sentiments entirely, after witnessing yet another surrender to a brighton team last night I feel very disillusioned.

I know we are only swindon and yes I have been going for 30 years and I know the majority of those years we are shit BUT

even in the years we have gone down I felt like we were trying, we were just rubbish, the main reason Im feeling disillusioned is the knowledge that this team can be really fucking good, we've seen it. However well below performances get trot out week on week and I really cant be arsed anymore. Im coming up to Leicester because I have already bought my train ticket but I dont think you will see me at the county ground again before xmas.

top post juddster

Great post. That should be your 442 blog written for next week then.

nah needs to add a bit about the advertiser picture cards and forum members mums.

that should do it 8)

Point 1 - Brez and Smith (touch wood) have stopped the mistakes recently. Unless they made some clangers in the last two games

Point 2 - Is more than fair enough

Point 3 - Managers are allowed to change their mind. Perhaps the two players in question got their heads down and worked hard. Perhaps he saw something in training

Point 4 - Harshish. We wanted better players than we already had, doesnt mean thats what we will actually get. Although I must confess all his signings appear to be piss poor. Casal, Nalis, Amankwaah and Kanyuka for the most part have all been poor at best. I think Kanyuka is the worst of the central defenders.

don't worry Paul, it is!

I don't like being a doommonger but honestly...

I'm used to us being consistently inconsistent, but even under King I used to turn up on a Saturday and think 'we can win and win well today'. Being a Town fan I go in hope more than expectancy, but this week I've lost a little of the hope that's een me ride out bad times before.

I just don't feel that it at the moment, and I'm not sure if it's because I'm disillusioned with the manager or fed up with a team who don't share my passion for the shirt. This may be harsh given we've won two and drawn the other of our last theree games, but for me the season ended by going out of the two cups. I honestly feel we could have won the JPT and even though we'd never win the FA Cup, a full house for Leeds in round two would have done the financial coffers the world of good. It's all about momentum and having won two and drawn one, if ever there was a chance to build and move on, this week was it.

I believe in this team but we're allowing excellent, money-spinning and exciting opportunities to slip us by.

Good post, Juddie.

Another point about Malpas that I was thinking about last night is that, unlike other managers, no-one seems to want to play for him.

That may be unfair because there was precious little transfer activity in the summer, but with Sturrock & Wise, and with other managers like Harry Redknapp, there are always a bunch of players that you know want to play for them and that will move with them. With Sturrock, there was a complete back room staff as well, ready to move and follow Sturrock. Before you say it, I know that they left their 'previous employer' at the same time as Sturrock, but you just get a sense of excitement around the likes of Sturrock that people want to be part of what he is up to.

With Malpas, not even the guys who had played for him at U21 level wanted to come and play. I know you will argue that was because we are only lowly D1 Swindon, nowhere near jockland, but there just is no sense of excitement or anticipation around Malpas that people want to be a part of what he is up to. And I think that is reflected in the players that we managed to attract.

Its not just us supporters, it seems to be the players as well.

I was really impressed with the week we beat Northampton/Oldham and drew with Scunny, I thought fair play Malpas, you've turned it around. Some say we were lucky in those games. Maybe, but to get seven points from nine when there was such a negative feeling around took guts and balls, and Malpas made big decisions in order to get us there.

So how have we managed to digress again so badly?

I just don't get it, I really don't. In the space of two weeks we've gone back to the 'same sh*t different day' that preceded those league wins.

DV Re: Point 3.

Its not that changing his mind is the problem, its the seemingly random way that he hit upon a combination that seemed to work.  We'd had various cominations of Nallis, Easton, Timlin, McGovern & Peacock (did i miss anyone?) changing on an almost weekly basis before he stumbled upon Peacock and Pook as a partnership.

It dosnt really give me any confidence that he knows what he is doing, its more like he was in the process of trying every possible combination and hoping one worked eventually.

I can see your points and you could be right but on the flip side Malpas could have been at training and seen something that convinced him Lee Peacock could do a job same with Pook.

I dont suppose any of us knows what Malpas thinks. Im trying not to defend him (i know it seems lik it) but there are potentially different versions of the same story.

He could have lucked onto it or he could have tried it in training.

Same with Timlin at left back - fuck knows how that came about. That shocked just about everyone but its worked. Luck or Malpas?! anyone know

timlin has played left back before, its not as if malpas noticed he had the attributesto play there

he probably did, but the question is why did it take 2 months of shit form for him to see it and change it?

Timlin at left back was a bit more obvious I suppose, Ie vincent injured, casal is shit, Timlin is left footed and is reasonable in the tackle

I'm trying hard not to be anti malpas, but I'm struggling more and more. Our form has perked up a few times under him, but it always seems to quickly settle back down to utter shite.  I appreciate every team (even good ones) will have their ups and downs over the course of a long season but the problem is our shite periods last a lot longer than the decent ones.

Sorry but even as a season ticket holder, this Saturday ................

Working > Swindon v Leicester

I think that sums up my thoughts at the moment

I've got similar sentiments fred. Only 2 letters different.

Maybe it is doing him a disservice, but that is certainly how it appeared from the outside.  More luck than judgement.

And I hope I am wrong and Malpas rubs it in my face by genuinely turning it around. The alternative is he doesn't have a clue, which while we are only 3 points off the relegation zone is a worry.

I agree 100% with you Juddie! All of your points.

Top Posts!

My major concern and I know its one that Reg bleats on about is the cost of getting rid of him. Ironically the two losses could work in his favour. If you combine lower season ticket sales, lower than anticiapted gate money, some non take ups of 2nd part of season tickets and the player budget being over then add in being kocked out the 1st round of the CC, the FA Cup and the loss of a televised game against Shrewsbury and potential gold at Wembley then thats a fairly toxic cocktail. I would have thought that unless Fitton dips into his own pocket then that leaves one of three options. One Malpas stays. Two Malpas walks. Three he's sacked and a player ( Cox, Morrison ) is sold to pay him and possibly Byrne and Williams off.

Well I was quite looking forward to this weekend. I haven't been to a game for a while and Leicester at home was pencilled in early on in the season. I have paid over 250 Euro for my flight and have paid a further 20 quid for my match ticket, I have paid similar amounts 4 times this season and each time have left the county ground dejected.

I pray this weekend might be different, but reading these posts makes me wonder if I should carry on travelling over.

fuck it come over and meet me and we can get pissed as cunts before the game.

Good shout Juddie.

Somebody in my shoes appreciates informative posts like yours.

Sadly though it does not make for happy reading.

good point chalkies shorts. I guess if we lose this weekend though, the board will have to asses what will be the bigger cost for the three-year plan: getting rid or dropping a division? (I sound like Bart!)

I don't know, I gave Malpas credit two weeks ago, but having seen an upturn in fortunes and to lose so alarmingly twice is appalling.

I like walking too Ben

malpas had strong comments prior to yesterdays game in the press.how the fuck he can carry out his threats i dont know.
we are a disjointed team who have offered glimmers of hope this season on the odd occasion, but alot of absolute dross more regularly.

I've become so disillusioned that I'm hardly coming here any more ... Which is dreadful because you all make me laugh!

Swindon are just hopeless at the moment. Can't be bothered to go. Can't be bothered to listen. Can't be bothered to read Mo's weekly "we were robbed"/"our defence is shit"/"our midfield is shit"/"it was the goalies fault".

When is he going to say "it was my fault"? It's a bad workman that blames his tools (so to speak).

2 of his signings play almost every game.

I have to say my efforts to completely ignore the last 2 games has worked a treat because just seeing the result means you don't really appreciate the performance or lack of.  So I go into Saturdays game nice and refreshed.

To me, this season is much like last season but without the spite in the Boardroom, so I'm enjoying it actually, especially as I can afford to go without cutting out something else for a change.

This is just a repeat of half or more than half of the seasons since I've been watching Swindon, since 1981.  And yes, I mean that, it's no worse than many seasons of shit we've been served up, not better.  At no point did I really believe we were any good last season, same this.  I'd like to think with a bit of luck we could manage around 10th with the squad we have, that's about it.  Most of the period from 1996 onwards has been the same bar one or two at a push seasons.  In all those years the same moans have been made about passion etc, even in the one good one until around Christmas.

I'm enjoying it actually

RobertT I fucking envy you mate, I really do.

If you're enjoying the garbage being served up under this third-rate idiot, then you either have phenomonally low expectations or you're some kind of masochist.

It's a bit of both - he didn't even complain when the strap fell off his new gimp mask before he'd tried it out properly

I miss the spite in the boardroom.

I think its time to turn on Fitton.

How long do we have to be gratefull for all this "saving the club" crap anyway?

Screw you Fitton you big bummer!!!

Does someone still have that coffin which we paraded around the ground? That should be put in an even bigger coffin and paraded around the ground. It'll be symbolism gone mental. Also the big coffin should be made out of zinc.

Im in,as long as there are pitch forks.

Only if you wear a big woolly jumper.

see Triseros at half time, Yeovil

I found a pitch fork in the cupboard at the sports centre me and Laura were getting out the Christmas tree in the dark and it poked her in the bum

Was she wearing a woolly jumper?

ummm no - I think it may have been a cardie?

Did the cardigan have a representation of a sheep or other farmyard animal on it?

um - no - but it may have had a representation of the Calne Leisure logo on?

I think it's still in the Trust office.

Did the pitch fork have a proper wooden handle or was it plastic?

Its wood!! it even had dirt on it

I have no idea what use a pitchfork is in a leisure centre 


oh with the logo did you mean the logo on Lauras Cardie or did you mean on the pitchfork?

It's all good, I meant on Laura's Cardie.

Did the pitchfork have a logo on it then?

Im not sure - I could venture back in the cupboard tonight before circuits?

Nah don't worry. Some mysteries are best left unsolved.

OK thanks - Im not sure I ever wanna go back in that cupboard sometimes I see the Ressie-anne dolls and think they are alive

Are Ressie-anne dolls the ones you practise first aid on?

Yes - my spelling is V bad

We have a baby and a child and a man - The baby is OK but they rest have no limbs - I imagine them dragging themselves around the centre when we have all gone home.

Once I got up in the night to let the cat out and I thought I saw one sat in the office chair and It scared me so much I fell down the stairs 

The baby sounds like the worse. Can you turn it's head all the way round?

Don't worry, they're armless

No - its a girl baby - it has a pink stripy romper suit on
[url width=100 height=83]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e99/Jamiesfuturewife/babyann.jpg[/url]

but imagine if you had a devil child come in to practise mouth to mouth, and it used it's devil breath to give the dolls demon life. Then they roamed around taking down the calne leisure centre workers one by one with their unholy pitchfork.

Good times.

Does the baby girl doll have a farmyard animal on it?

  Things are not good, although the season is far from over, there is the small matter of retaining our L1 status.

  I think YR is right it's time to call to account Mr Fitton and his backers...it's 10 months since he's been in charge, and what has stability done for us....no silverware, no promotion and disaffectred supporters.

 Clearly they've failed by any objective test, and should put the club up for sale.

OMG - Im NEVER going in that cupboard again!   :eek:

and no the baby (lets use her real name - Little Ann) has no motifs at all

I had no great expectations for this season.  I'm on record as saying, mid table and a good cup run would suit me just fine and to that extent I've not been disappointed.  
I will always accept lack of skill but this lack of effort really sticks in my craw.  
It's come to a pretty pass when the ox scum feel brave enough to come out of the depths and take the piss out of us.

When was the good cup run?

I think fB and JFW deserve some credit for attempting to hijack the thread. Sadly it was to no avail - 2/5, must try harder.

Good point
I was thinking along the lines of

JPT being a good cup run compared to the league and FA Cups and of course mid table could be asking a lot at the moment.

What annoys me is the below, is a very good team. Obviously it's not always the same players as below but never far off. I just can't see where it's all going wrong. At one point, he had argubly the best keeper, centre back, left mind and striker in the league. It's just all gone wrong.
..........Brezovan
Smith..Ifil..Aljofree..Timlin
McGovern.Easton.Peacock.McNamee
..........Cox..Paynter

boooooooooo and after Ben has mentally scarred me as well!!

haha, bar cox, no way in a million years are any of them the best in the league

I would agree with you.
But if you went through the forum, you would find plenty of posts saying such things.

I had to wander off to see if I could find any change. I just went through all the sofa's and didn't find anything. :(

I've got loads of beer to drink but no cigarettes. Bad combo.

id say if everyone was judged on their best day, Brezovan, Ifil, Macca & Cox are up there with the best in the league in their positions

But the only one from those that is pretty consistent is Cox. Brez, Ifil & even Macca to a certain extent, have as many bad days as good..................

Bar Cox and McNamee at home we have a middle of the road bunch of also rans.

Last season before Christmas - we looked gutless (so said people)
Middle period the year before - we looked gutless (remember Barnet)
05/06 - we looked gutless
04/05 - we looked gutless from Christmas onwards
03/04 - we looked gutless until Christmas
96-03 - we looked gutless

You see, generally, for all that time we look pretty average at best.  People have spent 12 years moaning about the lack of passion, lack of effort, how we'd be much higher in the league given the players we have etc.  It hasn't changed, it's just that we got rid of such a bunch of wankers and some money come in and thought it would be ok again.  For bits of last season we looked OK, but for most we were average at best, same as the season before once our good start had come and gone.

Accept it - for a while yet, this is what we will get.  We also have not had a team putting in 100% effort and commitment for years, we've not had a good team for years.  There is no period in tha past 12 years bar about 12 combined months where we've been any good.

Get over all that, enjoy the pub before the game, and all of a sudden it's o much easier to live with.  Once you ignore hope, but don't wallow in despair, it's all good.  Even when Hoddle was here, I remember spending a good 15 mins of one match watching a game taking place behind me on the Bank because we were being served up shit on the pitch.  Think it was against either Watford or Charlton.

we,ve not been financially stable for years,wich was half the reason of gutless performances over the last 5-10 seasons.Have you gone to work having not got payed?this season was about a new dawn, looking forward,getting excited about saturdays again.what we,ve got is a nieve manager who had 8 losses out of 8 in scotland with no knowledge of english football,little or no contacts south of the border.A man who doesn,t know his own mind,with no man management skills,tacticaly inept,bores the shit out of me in his post match apollagies.
some may be happy to be wankered before a game ,but i go with my father and two sons and its hard to convince the boys its worth the embarresment in front of mini plastics at school because a village team outside non league cambridge humbled us in the fa cup.
wake up ,it doesn,t have to be this way at this rate we,ll be back in league 2 and i think we are a lot better than that.

Malpas's post match interview at Brighton was utter shite as he contradicted what he'd said in his pre-match preamble - ie; anyone who doesn't perform tonight will be fucked off and replaced with someone who gives a shit. We were consequently shit, yet Malpas chose to take positives from said shit performance :doh: 

Compare and contrast his comments with any other under-performing football manager in the country; same shit, different face.

There are only so many sound bytes and quotes that can be trotted out off the back of countless defeats and embarrassing performances. In the end, someone has to call an end to a shit management tenure, sad as that may be for the unfortunate individual concerned.

Fitton, Wray and co have been very quiet recently, despite the mini revival, which makes me think that they are possibly poised to boot him out anytime soon. I can't see him even making it to his desk on Monday morning if Leicester turn us over at the weekend. 

 

Stop talking shit! No fucking or cunt though; you're slacking.

Good original post though juddie.

And there ends my input to this thread....