Thetownend.com

First game of the new season, looking forward to it.

Anyone in the merlin before hand?
Oh and im going for 2-2

I shall be attending, my first one this pre-season.

merlin axs?

aye. 6ish.

 I'm going...I've always quite liked the Baggies in a neutral sort of way.

Think we'll lose 2-0. Is that Cameroon triallist Berlin likely to feature?

i'll see you there.

ill be hoping to see some goals today



wats the odds of coxy gettin a hat trick haha

i'm not sure you'd get odds a friendly

Im off to total body conditioning instead - have a splendid time!

goodbye xxx

im going for a Newcastle 6-1 bashing

Town 1 - WBA 3

i'll be there. dunno bout merlin.

Could anyone tell me if the game is available online please?

Gonna be a 1-3 home defeat, Cox will score at least 1 and our goal will be scored by Douglas with a crowd of 3,123.

That is all.

I thought about it,but really cant be arsed.I think ive OD on Cough medicine.Ive felt spaced to fuck all day  8)

I can't be arsed either, hopefully it'll be another boring 0-0 so I don't regret not going.

I'm not going :( Need the rest instead.

Seasons long enough as it is....mine starts at Gillingham a week on Sat.

Im NOT going because i am cool like a cat

1st game I can make is Southampton   >:(

Sounds like BBC RS is not even covering the match at all without even updates tonight by the sound of it :(

Like watching paint dry but it's updated by the minute.

http://www.live-internet-football.com/Football_Results.aspx

Where's the pic of the mystery (insert nationality here) striker? We had a plan ... didn't we?

Or this one too......

http://www.flashscores.co.uk/

You wouldn't be allowed anyway. Haven't you got an Arkells ban still in place?

...a bad day at the office for Flora Paide - a 5-0 loss at home to Trans Narva. Their fans will be furious.

anyone chanted swindon reject at cox yet?

I did ... hope it carries.

Anyone have any idea how we are getting on...other than being 0-0 from the flash scores update :D

Match updates from Swindon vs WBA even though they are covering MKD vs Wolves live.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/bbc_wm/

So far Swindon all over WBA 2 good chances with one saved well by Keily. Cox playing well but Swindon having the better chances.

Let me guess, with a decent pair of strikers we'd be winning easily by now?

Cheers for that. even if it is the wrong game, football on the radio is great.

Greer just had a shot saved. Beattie just shot one over the bar (i think thats what he meant)

No doubt :D

TEF man Greer scores

1-0 Swindon Greer with a header from Maccas cross.

Ta JJ ... 1 - 0

Half time 1-0 Greer from a Macca corner, the WM report says we were deserving of our lead and the better team so far, sounds good.

Berlin is worse than useless, his highlights so far involve getting hit in the face with a football and falling over after missing the ball

One for the future then? Perhaps with rigorous training he can become the new Sammy Etoo?

berlin

Swindon have had 9 corners. Paynter just headed straight to the keeper.

WBA not that impressive (but its just a pre season) according to the radio

Swindon just had their 10th corner and nearly scored from it.

Whats the current corner count?

No update as yet.

WBA doing absolutely F all still.

WBA coming back a bit but JPM missed a good chance from 5 yards out, hit into the ground and over the bar.

Still 1-0

Cox beat the offside trap, tried a chip but it went wide.

Any mention on cox's reception?

Useless! We're laughing getting so much for that donkey!!

And how many have turned up tonight?

3,000 odd crowd there as well not bad for a mid week friendly really.

What makes them odd? Did they all go dressed as ballerina's shrieking 'Ostrich' every 5 seconds?

Boom Boom :D

Wish i could of gone. I wont get to go to a game until September. If i get the job im after i wont get to until next year.

I want a STFC beach towel like someone else bought earlier too (different thread)

Game over 1-0 :) good result again a strong team.

Good to know our defence is holding firm now.

Who needs strikers ;D

Good result, another clean sheet....

That's pretty impressive, Cardiff and now West Brom without conceding.

I wonder if the mystery trialist was in the directors box?

Well done lads! Good confidence booster and every game helps with regards to fitness,
match sharpness and team organisation/understanding.

ooooh matron.......

OUI R GOIN UP

nice to see the whole team gelling togeather and the defence looking tight.

well done lads  :D


also i was talking to the man who dose the sports page for west broms newspaper and he said "from what the fans have seen of cox they have not been to happy about him" i said you have got to give him time but there obviously not very patient up there   :chuckle:

no doubt some fans will get carried away by this result.
these fixtures mean fuck all

Looked good tonight.

Lucas claimed and caught everything. Did what he had to do well.

Amankwaah decent steady game over lapped a fair bit

Greer was solid as rock as the back and looked dangerous from set pieces, good goal to. It is vital he stays fit all season.

Morrison decent at the back, didnt seem overally troubled.

Lescinal looked very good at left back. Much better than he did against Scunthorpe last season.

I'd say thats our first choice back 4 sorted. I'd be very surprised if that back 4 didnt start against the Gills.

McNamee usually stuff, some nice skills some good crosses. Over did it at times and some naff crosses. Set piece deliver was alot better and consistent.

Douglas got stuck in and broke up play. Kept it simple

Timlin same as Douglas really

O'Brien quick as fuck. Dont think I've ever seen a white boy run so fast. Just knocks it down the line and runs. Didnt get too many crosses in though.

Again, like defence I think thats our midfield sorted. I think those 4 will start at Gillingham. The only change would be an extra man - striker depending.

Paynter played well I thought. Won some flick ons, linked play well but will never be any good as a loan striker. On more than one occassion tonight he did a really good job of tracking back and winning the ball back. Its alright doing this but it leaves us short up top - even shorter when its a one man striker force.

Berlin looked ok, didnt do himself any harm ran around got stuck in, some nice touches some poor ones. Worth another look purely because we're desperate!!

Subs: Macklin looked decent, pacey and headless chicken like. Get him making the right decisions and he'll be a top player.

None of the other subs really made much of an impact. Cuthbert played the last 5 mins at right back.

We looked solid at the back, decent on the counter attack but the most improved thing was set pieces. We looked solid defending them and dangerous attacking them.

I think Wilson has his team almost sorted for Gillingham. I know he's given both keepers full games so I think that position is still up for grabs. I expect Amankwaah, Greer, Morrison, Lescinal, O'Brien, Timlin, Douglas, McNamee & Paynter to all start against the Gills plus one of Smith or Lucas and either Easton or a bloody striker.

Cox was pants.

Anything to report on Cox DV?

Just out of interest and all that.

Cox had a quiet game, got fuck all service and didn't really do anything. Got a bit of a clap at the end.

Big Kev didn't fill me with confidence, needs some more time to settle.

O'Brien is very quick but I'm worried he will be a big disappointment when it comes to actual end product.

Berlin ain't got what it takes.

Just got back , very encouraging display. O'brien is one of the fastest players I have ever seen at Swindon just needs to find the final ball. The trialist is worth another look he won a lot of headers first half for a smallish guy. Some of the link up play between Douglas and the wingers was very good.
cant wait for the start of season.

Other than that I'm pretty happy with the way we lookekd so comfortable knocking it about the pitch, defence , keeper and midfield generally worked well together.

I like Berlin. He seems up for it, and his 360 degree airkick was awesome, as was his attempted bicycle kick. I hope we sign him up, he has the foundations for cult status.

Cox got a pretty good reception, especially when his name was read out at the start. But it was also pretty loud when O'Brien was subbed off, that bloke is quicker than Macca!!!

Berliln nearly flung his own leg off when he airkicked, he's shite.

i think he is probaly worth keeping as a back up player.

I'd rather stick with the likes of macklin.

Good showing. Passed the ball well, defended well and looked solid, scored from a set piece and looked dangerous from them. Was impressed with O'Brien. Looks like a lot of defenders will really struggle against his pace this season. If he can get his crossing up to a good standard he's going to be a hell of a player. Berlin I thought did well. For his size he looked composed at times and held the ball up quite nicely. Wasn't afraid to challenge. Made a few decent runs. Just a shame that I think he tried a bit too hard hence why he made himself look stupid when he missed the ball completely.

Lucas was commanding and made a couple of good saves. Totally missed a cross good and proper mind.

Amankwha normal self. Mostly good with a couple of dodgy passes/getting caught.

Morrison was largely OK. Dodgy back header nearly let in Cox

Greer was Greer. Dominant and faultless.

Frenchy (never get his name right) did OK at left back. Quite strong on the ball. Will be interesting to see Cuthbert challenge when fit.

Timlin and Douglas both did fine. Good breakup play and some neat passes as you'd expect in a friendly.

O'Brien is lightening. Didn't get many crosses in as already said.

Macca had his normal preseason game. Looked quality in the most and put in some good corners.

Berlin is awesome. A great mix of physical presence and  comedy genius. The air kick was good, but the (what looked like) kicking his own head whilst trying an overhead kick was sublime. In between he tried hard and showed some good touches, but I have doubts over his quality.

Paynter picked up where he left off last season and had a good game. Needs help up top though.

JPM missed a sitter drilling the ball into the ground while unmarked from a cross to the back post.

Macklin - I don't now why, he was just OK, but I think he's going to come good at some point.

Marshall had a few neat touches when he came on without being that threatening.

All in all we had the majority of the possession and created the most and the better of the chances. There were one or two moments when I thought West Brom looked dangerous on the break, exposing our defence, but you'd expect a bit more from them.

Then again this is pre-season. We all know pre-season is not an indicator of anything at all.
------

Cox had a total and utter lack of service and started to look frustrated towards the end, he was dropping deep.

Lucas did well. The back four were pretty solid, although Amankwaah was probably the weak link. Mind you, if Cuthbert is any good it won't matter. The midfield did well today. Douglas bossed the centre of the park and we got good balls out to the wings. Macca did ok, O'Brien was lightning quick but needs to find an end product. Marshall and McGovern didn't have a lot of time on the pitch but did ok. Paynter played well too, but I think we need somebody better than this Berlin guy to partner him if I'm honest.

No it won't - Cuthbert is a right back and "Frenchy" a left back.

Pah, details. He or Amankwha could play there.

Happy with that, without getting carried away. Apart from the obvious striker problem the squad has abit of depth and variety and you can see why Wilson bought in each player.

Starting at the back.

Lucas dealt with everything and as I said about the Luton game how good is it to have a keeper that shouts at the defence constantly for 90 minutes, he had the loudest gob in the ground by a long way.

Both Centre backs were solid and relatively untroubled apart from once when Morrison tried to play a cocky backwards header that went horribly wrong and put Cox clean through who missed although to be fair Lucas closed him down very quickly.

Amankwaah was OK he has a habit of losing his man but generally is OK.


Lescinal seems to be getting better and better, he's a very good athlete, strong in the air and seemingly is very good at defending he never lets a player get away from him and even if they do he's soon back on their case, could be a bit of a find by Wilson if he continues to progress.

I say that's pretty much gonna be the back 5 we start with and apart from maybe Cuthbert slotting in at right back that should do pretty well for us.

Middle of the park Timlin and Douglas were relatively quiet but efficient and worked well together.

O'Brien had a slow start as you would expect this early on, but after he got to stretch his legs for the first time that got him going and had their fullback in all sorts of problems pace wise.

McNamee was the usual really, definately worth playing at home, away may be different and I wish they would give up on the 'clever' short corners. Everytime we did a proper corner we caused them problems, the couldn't mark Greer for shit.

Paynter worked hard but didn't really have any chances. Linked up well though and kept the ball flowing which is what he seems to do best.

Berlin ......well maybe I being too kind but there's potentially something there, he's a bit raw but he has the basic ingredients. When he wasn't trying to hard and kept it simple his link up play was actually pretty good and he made some good runs and is suprisingly good in the air. He just seemed to try too hard at times and snatch at shots and do stupid things like try and shoot from the half way line. It must be hard being on trial though  I wouldn't much fancy it.

All in all a pretty good game, Cox was quiet......had a couple of chances but I hope for his sake he hits the ground running and doesn't lose confidence.  Little things like kicking the ball around on his own during the warm-up seem to suggest that he hasn't really settled in yet either,

Must admit I'm a bit confused as to why Wilson wants another full back when we've got Lescinel and Kennedy on the left and Cuthbert and Amankwaah on the right, when they've said they wanted to cut down on the squad.

If they've got money to burn they should push the boat out on a couple of strikers instead.

I thought Berlin played as well as could be expected. He held the ball up well, was nicely composed and strong under pressure and showed some nice touches imo. I've notice a load of people critising O'Brien's end product, which i find puzzling. When he crossed, which he did with both feet (like Macca and like Marshall) they were bloody good, but that's what makes forums interesting, everyone sees a different game.

The Olé Footbal at the end was ace and during that period Marshall, along with JPM, Manky and Macklin looked amazing with their one touch Malpas sexy football.

I enjoyed that - was very entertaining. We could rip some League 1 sides to shreds like that.

Enjoyed watching a good Swindon performance tonight. Things are looking good I think and hopefully a few more signings to come including a good striker.

Can't see us conceding many this season back 4 looks decent!

O'brian rapid down the wing and macca had a good game too.

Glad coxy missed that chance aswell :D

Unfortunately it's something which seems to happen very rarely during games when pressure and what not is involved. Which is a shame, because you're right. If we did that in League one, we'd absolutely destroy the league and piss all over it.

Yeh, players do tend to be more careful in competitive games. And it should be said that the quick passing wouldn't have been necessary if West Brom hadn't been hassling and chasing every ball down in that corner of the pitch.

dissagree with Glos Robin on Douglas and Timlin. I thought they were solid tonight. Linked up extremely well and was always there for a pass back and to tidy up the lose ball from the fowards. Very impressed with that pairing.

Paynter worked his socj off and Umbongo i thought did well. Trying too hard at times but maybe there is something there?

All in all was a good run out. Should have had a pound on the goal as i called it before the corner was taken.

Cheers for all this btw guys, I couldn't make it tonight but it's always useful to read everyone else's thoughts and opinions.

Even if some of them are complete shite ;) . Looking forward to seeing the new boys in action.

I think yes there might be something there for umbongo, give him time and things will turn out well. But even If he is signed up, we need another decent striker

????? I thought they did well.

edit: I see your sneaky edit :)

Thoroughly enjoyed that. Not getting carried away, pre-season means nothing and all that, but we had by far the best of it. Really liked Douglas - very effective. O'Brien also caught the eye, I think we'll see better end product on those runs and he'll scare the bejasus out of League 1 defences. As IOB said, Berlin looked OK for the first 20 minutes but then looked like he was trying too hard, although not convinced we haven't already got better back-ups. But we should sign him anyway for the entertainment value - the 360 kick was quite something.

And I see now what people mean about Lucas shouting - he sounded like a walrus!

All in all, good team performance, not getting carried away, West Brom never really got in gear. Felt sorry for Coxy - he looked a lot like he did playing for us all too often, trying his best but just got absolutely zero service. Their midfield was shit.

Going by what's been said tonight do many of you think the opposition are no longer going to be able to double up on macca like they did last season,in return we could see the best yet of macca if he's allowed some freedom.

I didn't say they didn't play well, they were both efficient yet unspectacular exactly as they should be :S

It's certainly nice to have some pace in O'Brien. Even if they still double up on Macca they'll hopefully leave gaps for O'Brien to exploit with that pace.

 :spoton:

Two solid performances in a row  :)

I think you can see the extra confidence and calm throughout and the team seem to defend as a unit, through the central channels I don't think WBA were given much time on the ball or room to play it.

Berlin is officially ace  :D .....from the pirouette (sp) through to getting a ball straight in the face (not a flinch). He did seem a bit over eager, but he showed he can win a lot of balls in the air, can turn very quickly and held play up when he was on his own. Be nice to see him get a chance.

If we play with those 2 on the wings, the opposition will have to double up on both. I have a good feeling though that it'll take quite a few games for the opposition to hear of O'Brien so they'll double up on Macca, allowing O'Brien a free run. Then they'll shit their pants at half time and double up on O'Brien... Thoughts like that make me wet. :)

I thought the first 20 minutes were ok.

I quite enjoyed it.

What struck me was the improvement in several players since I'd last seen them. Macklin seemed to have far more confidence, Kennedy looked a v good prospect when he came on, Marshall just looked like he thought a lot more about his passing and caused a few problems - he will no doubt get better to.  Whatever Wilson is doing he better keep doing it as tonights game showed what quality we now have in the squad and we must use it next season.

Just saw Germaine's goal again on Sky Sports. Bullet!

Blast my lack of tv. Anyone know if its on youtube?

My thoughts on the game last night

Simon Cox: Gash now, glad we got rid ;), Infact it didn’t look as if he could be bothered against us, that said he really didn’t get the service….

David Lucas – My god does the boy shout? Leadership from the back, this is what will keep Phil Smith out of the number 1 shirt.

Gordon Greer – Signing of the Summer, took his goal well, looked even better on Sky Sports this morning, Is going to improve our defence and make Morrison an all around defender.

Sean Morrison – Reminds me a bit of Shaun Taylor, Gets on with it, takes no rubbish and just plays the game, is going to be very good.

Lescinel Jean-Francois – Has really impressed me in both the Cardiff and WBA game… Could be a key player this year.

Alan O’Brien – Runs quite quick, give him that. Problem is he runs so fast when he gets to the corner there is no one up there for him to pass the ball too!

Oompa Loompa Ndembe – Very raw but something about him, don’t think he is a striker but perhaps a decent winger, The kick where he fell on his ass was just cringworthy but turned well on the ball and wasn’t afraid to get stuck in. May be worth a one year deal but not convinced he is best suited to be a striker.

Saw an Franchise Scout at the game, can only assume he was hoping to see Jerel Ifil in action as a possible replacement for Sean O’Wanker who is out until January.

happy times until the last minute :(


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLA9_J8AnBQ

"Saw an Franchise Scout at the game, can only assume he was hoping to see Jerel Ifil in action as a possible replacement for Sean O’Wanker who is out until January."

More likely to be watching us as a team we play them twice first week of the season.

Oh yeah forgot about that.... :D

That Roger Malone was a right tosser!

Nah, but I found this predatory strike against Hibs, which should bring a smile to Bobs Orange's face...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bALINpESTjg

Nice clip, cheers KOT - I went to that game, one of two away fixtures that I've attended which included 2 penalty misses for the opposition, the other one being away at Sunderland in Terry Butchers first game in charge. I was in the home end and was mighty popular as you could imagine.. as their second miss was in the last min.

Can't think of any others, help Reg?

Nothing else springs to mind...it might later when the effects of last night's beer wear off.

I do remember us missing a couple of pens twice, one being v Leicester around the late 80's early 90's, first Zippy, then Tommy Jones had a go which barely reached the keeper.

The other recentish v Rochdale....their keeper made a couple of very good saves. I'm sure there must be others.

Beer going quite quickly....Brezovan debut saved 2 pens v HPool.

usual pre-season fare but fairly enjoyable. impressed with most of the team except for berlin and am unsure about o'brien - he's fucking lightning but didn't get the ball in the box enough. not seen lescinel before and thought he looked quite comfortable at left-back but i thought the same about casal this time last year.

i think the best thing about all of this is the fact that all of our four signings so far have come from teams above us.

Interestingly the Franchise "scout" was Paul Mitchell, ex STFC loanee.

They weren't for the same side, but in 90/91 (I think) when we beat Newcastle at home, there were 3 pens in the game, 2 missed, 1 for them, one for us, and Hazard scored the other.

I think Huddersfield away that season (may have been in a tinpot cup) they missed a pen (Hammond save?), only to have it re-taken, and then that was blasted over the bar, all in the last minute.

I did think that and thought "nah" I know he retired through injury.

I forgot about that, I think it was Kieran O' Regan who missed.

Just to say, I thought defensively O'Brien was excellent. He covers the ground very well and made a couple of great interceptions tracking back. He pushed a ball past a WBA defender one way, and ran the other, havnt seen a Swindon player pull that one off for a while! He's not a finnished article, but I think he'll be great to watch this season. Someone for the fans to really get behind, get his confidence up. He'll pull a lot of sides into shapes and formations they dont want to be in. Id start Macklin on the other side (he looks improved, stronger), I dont think L1 sides can cope with that sort of pace. McNamee will end up being second best again this season.

Its a big season for Timlin. If he plays hard with commitment there will be nowhere for opposition midfields to run this season. Douglas won't be dominated.

Paynter, Amankwaah and Morrison all look in good form.

We need to spend some money on a striker though.

Good point I'd like to think Timlin could push on, and make the most of playing with Douglas..he does have some talent, unfortunately last night he still did what he often does, which is to waste the ball with too many misplaced passes. Not sure he'll ever be able to get that out of his game, which means he'll never be more than a L1/L2 operator.

Thought Lescinel was great at left-back. Linked up well with O'Brien and got forward himself too. Good motor on him.

One thing I will say is that Macklin is going to be one hell of a talent once he's bulked-up a touch.

Good point on Tims but consider that with two wingers bombing on you almost want the lads in the centre to be a little more on the conservative side to keep the shape. Douglas didn't seem too shy getting forward mind you.