Thetownend.com

The Opponent:  Coventry City

In cultural terms, Coventry could be described as the Dresden of the West Midlands. The city’s landscape remains scarred by the mass bombings of WWII, carried out in revenge for the allied firebombing of the similarly medieval German city (as recorded in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five). Coventry was decimated by the attacks and much of its heritage was wiped out in a single night. Consequently, much of it had to be rebuilt in 70s-style modernist concrete, turning much of it into a Ballardian horrorshow, complete with criss-cross inner ring-road where cars take a daily death race and subway underpasses connect isolated grass roundabouts, some of the only green inner-city space, floating within the orbiting traffic belt.

There are many reasons to dislike Coventry: it has a regular listing in Crap Towns, an annual compendium of the worst places to live in the UK; the people are depressed in every sense because career opportunities are declining day-by-day to the extent that a nervy Midlands Today presenter could quite easily sigh deeply into their chest, fold up their papers and blow their brains out on live TV, rather than have to report another downturn in the local economy. The city also has one of the highest uptakes of food parcels from the Trussell Trust because people cannot get by on their benefits alone which threatens to further increase the number of homeless people living in the subways and under the notorious/iconic ring road. So severe is the uptake of food parcels in Coventry that the city was the subject of report by the BBC and a lengthy article by the Orwell Prize-winning Guardian journalist, Amelia Gentleman. There is also the high crime rate, ranging from the serious to the ridiculous, such as the lady who famously put a cat into a wheelie-bin.



Where the opposition gather –

http://www.skybluestalk.co.uk/threads/44286-Tomorrow

Last 6 – LWLLDL (15th in League 1 on 49 points)

They have served us both –  Dave Bamber, Trevor Benjamin, Leon Clarke, Terry Gibson, Paul Heald, Lukas Jutkiewicz, Brian Kilcline, Kevin MacDonald, Jamie McMaster, Lee Middleton, Graham Oakey, Ted Peers, Abdul Said, Arthur Beadsworth, John Stephens, Paul Trollope, Dave Bennett, Jake Findlay, Ady Williams, Ben Woolhouse, Derek Hall, Richard Key, Ernie Hunt, Kyle Lightbourne, Tyrell Bedford, Brian Borrows, Tim Flowers, Gary Marshall, Ken McPherson, Alan Moore, Fred Hawley, Johnnie Jackson, Ken Keyworth, Dennis Wise, Danny Ward, Tope Obadeyi, Frank Peters, John Smith, Miles Storey, Adam Willis, Roy Wegerle, David Thompson, Jack Starsmore, Albert Powell, Lilian Nalis, Barry Lowes, Terry Merriman.

The Odds –  Coventry 6/4   Draw 12/5  Swindon 19/10  If he starts, get on Troy at 33/1 to open the scoring for Town, I can feel it in my water.
 
The Son Says – A simple and easy 2-1 victory. I expected no less.

The Prediction – We will make the nearly 2/1 odds look silly and crush the homeless club 1-0, TAH with a towering header in the last minute, Mark Cooper runs across the pitch with a jubilant Louis Thompson in hot pursuit. 4’444 in attendance with 999 from Swindon.

And Finally –  Coventry is well known for the legendary 11th century exploits of Lady Godiva who, according to legend, rode through the city naked on horseback in protest at high taxes being levied on the city folk by her husband Leofric, Earl of Mercia.  According to the legend the residents of the city were commanded to look away as she rode, but one man did not and was allegedly struck blind. He became known as Peeping Tom thus originating a new idiom, or metonym, in English.

COYR COYR COYR

The best thing about Coventry is every single fucking road out of there.

3-1 to us. Crowd of 3,557 with 1,087 from us

Except that Dresden was fire-bombed over four years after the blitz on Coventry.

Twat

Comment is free, but facts are sacred...C.P. Scott

He may be a twat, but he's an accurate twat.

Why's that, nice bloke?

2-1 defeat.

2-0 us with smith and troyyyyyyy scoring!

What gets me is that they flattened Coventry, and we flattened Dresden.  Here are a few pics from Coventry and from Dresden.  Who do you think did the better rebuilding job?

Coventry

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Coventry_precinct_and_spire.jpg/220px-Coventry_precinct_and_spire.jpg)   (http://s3.freefoto.com/images/1047/08/1047_08_4_web.jpg)

(http://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/cathedrals/oldandnew.jpg)


Dresden

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6101/6298439334_280bcec5f4.jpg)

(http://travelwritersdiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Frauenkirche.jpg)

Coventry looks like cavvy square from those pics.

I think what you have there is the differing impacts of high explosive vs incendiary bombs.

Cavvy looks beautiful since the rebuild, you can stock up on white cider and king size rizla on the way back from doing the school run  :)

...because they're German?

Also probably because they didn't rebuild it in the 'modern' 60's/70's style that is now universally regarded as grotesque. Whoever thought pebble dash was attractive?

Football, guys!

Smash and grab 0-1 with everyone's hero, Smith, bagging the winner

Oh for a last minute winner & the sight of Mark Cooper steaming down the pitch to celebrate with his players in front of the Town fans.

Not going to happen, just hope that as we have little more than pride to play for we show some & have a go to win the game.

Why is he a twat? His statement, that the bombing of Coventry took place several years before the destruction of Dresden is a fact that should be well known by any year 8 pupil currently at school.

Foderingham, Thompson N, Stephens, Archibald-Henville, McEveley, Branco Byrne, Luongo, Gladwin, Pritchard, M Smith

subs: Belford, Barthram, Cox, Harley, Barker, Storey, Waldon

Where's Louis?

Picked up a knock in training mate

I got all confused for a minute as to which day it is. Then it clicked that it's Good Friday (It's not celebrated out here)

Don't forget next game on Monday too.

What formation is that? 4-2-3-1 with wing backs?

6-2-1-1?

Conga?

Cheers, I would have forgotten about that as well.

Cheers Fred!  You ok mate?

Up and down mate, today is a good day

Yes!

Get in....Pritchard!

I'm listening to this game in the library.

It's quite hard to not celebrate.

If only we'd won at Carlisle...

Dull game then I take it?

No it sounds quite lively, nearly all Swindon, Wes not had a save to make.

Well that was against the run of play 1-1.

I disagree. Last 10 Coventry have upped it a bit. We were in total control until then.

I was only going by Steve White on t'radio who said that was their first proper attack.

It sort of was, but they'd gained the momentum.

Ooh, only 5 out on the away support. Do I get a prize?

Edit. 3091 (1092)

No.

That is all :D

Coventry started much better this half not giving us many chances by the sound of it.

York one up at the wrong end of the A420 -  :cry: :cry: :cry:

Get in Michael Smith!

Yes!!!!!!!!! Smith!!!

One to shut up the boo boys!! Well in Smithy

Fair play to the lad.  Was it literally the last kick of the game?

Get in!

Also, Oxford 0-1 York :)

Ha ha rapidly turning in to my favourite ground :)

Yeah it was, they just kicked off after it when the ref blew up :)

I like sixfields

Four page match day thread by game end - is this a record....

Well played Town  :pint:

I think everyone has been sidetracked by the off field shenanighans!

Brentford promoted unless Rotherham score twice in the next 5 mins.

which they did do but let wolves score again immediately after 5-4!

I couldnt listen today, what we really need to know is did Cooper run the length of the pitch to celebrate the last minute winner?

6-4 now!

No but Wes did! apparently Cooper went over to the Town fans after the game though.

Cooper "got a bit excited!" after the game thats why he went over he said in his post match interview.

Four points off sixth......

Flash will be happy then.

Most of the game was ours, we had five or six  proper chances compared to their three.

Was it out best performance? Probably not. But who cares.

Not far out  :)

Corrected for you.

6th is Posh's to lose. They could right royally fuck up though.

Weirder things have happened in football, although I am not optimistic that they will fuck up as they have won 4 of their last 5 games, all we can do is keep that pressure on them.

A defeat tonight will make things interesting on Monday. They have Carlisle at home, hopefully the Jock's desire to win the points to help them towards safety outweighs that of an inconsistent Peterborough.

Wishful thinking I know  :)

There were less than 6,500 Oxford fans there today.  Still, big if you're Oxford, I suppose.   ;)

Just need Bradford to help us out twice in 2 days.....

Oh for Christ's sake, how many times have I given up looking at the table this season, only to have hope thrust back upon me? We just don't know when our season's over do we?

After Monday's games we could find ourselves 1 point adrift with 2 games to play.

I'll just leave that thought with you  :)

Oh piss off FH! ;)

When was the last time the match day thread was only 5 pages long an hour after kick off??

If it helps the post count my tgi Friday monster burger was nice, but the onion rings were a little well done.

[trick question] How was the lettuce? [/trick question]

No, but Wes did :D

Only just home, so didn't see all the other bods mention it

crispy.

Oh damn.

Go straight to jail. Do not pass go.

I had one of them. Not worth the extortionate price i paid for it.

Was gutted at the end. The two miserable old fuckers sat just across from me that spent the whole game slagging off Michael Smith had left early so I couldn't give them dogs abuse when he scored.

As others have said, I like going to Northampton. Fun things seem to happen :D

I terrified a pub full of people by jumping and yelling after we scored - I was working behind the bar. Good fucking day.

So, playoffs?  :D

Great win by sounds of it and more drama at Sixfields for us  - who knows what could happen with regards to the last few games between us and Posh...

Not bad for couple of ex-Conference teams

I went for the Bruce Lee burger.

I agree there. I was fucking hank marvin so it went down a treat. But the once great TGI Friday is no more - not worth the premium and in the same mould as Frankie and Bennys and chiquito .

Had better food in the Merlin.

bloody enjoyed that-troy phenomenal, luongo back to something like his  best and smith, seconds after winning the ball on the edge of his own box to score the winner.still some grumpy fans tho, who wanted Smith off right from the start.Much credit to cooper for selection and tactics.

Not for long though :(

Bradford are 1 up...just saying..

Stop giving us hope, you bastards.

Down to 10 men now.

Who?

Peterborough.
Karma.

Ooh.

FUCKING COME ON BRADFORD

Just about deserved the win. Troy was great and good performances from Luongo, Stephens and Thompson. Special mention to Smith though for stuffing it up the moaners who again miss the effort he puts in even when things are not going his way, no way should he have been subbed. Gladwin yes and even more so today Byrne. Also things turned again when Storey came on to give Smith some proper support up front. Hope Cooper realises two up front is really our best option.
Last minute winners at Sixfields are fun aren't they.

Especially when they're in front of the Town fans...

Ajose substituted, Bradford 10 shots compared to 10 men Posh's 4, you know this is going to end up a Peterborough win.

Byrne was falling over quite often again today.  Maybe he's tripping over his low-slung shorts and needs to pull them up a bit. 

Thought Troy was immense today.

...and the OS is still reporting a 2-1 win for the home side...come the fuck on ::)

Full time, Peterborough lose 1-0.

Troy the new Kaiser.

Delighted Smith scored the winner. Those who thought Smith/Storey was an either/or option just showed their prejudice against Smith. As soon as Cov equalised, Smith was the target of criticism by some by me! Not a word against him before-hand. Of course he has his faults, but get crosses into the box and he can prove his worth.

Hopefully Bradford will be so exhausted by their Herculean efforts this evening they'll still be exhausted on Monday ...

Carlisle still have everything to fight for on Monday.

Carlisle need to win, don't they owe us one anyway?

Really enjoyed that, we looked fairly good but Coventry looked awful. A proper team performance and difficult to single anyone out but having not been since December, I was impressed with Gladwin and Branco. The criticism towards Smith regarding his first touch is more than deserved but the abuse he was starting to receive was unnecessary and calling for Storey to replace him was a stupid idea. Storey didn't change the game when he came on. He didn't even touch the fucking ball.

A bizarre day even by STFC standards...my body clock is telling me it's Saturday, which just adds to the strangeness.

Play offs are ON. Make no mistake.

Yes, this is puzzling.

It's been a couple of years since I've been able to fully appreciate a double bank holiday weekend, lovely.

Indeed it has.  I'm even more confused because my son has a match tomorrow morning instead of Sunday!

So, apart from Carlisle on Monday, anyone know who Posh have got for their last 2 games?

Shrewsbury and vale

I'm not sure everyone was calling for storey to replace him. Neither play the loan striker well. Having both on the pitch is the best attacking option, but at the expense of possession in midfield.

My opinion is Smith is slow with a dubious touch, but he can score goals and works incredibly hard. About right for division 3

Fuck

Vale are dangerous. Shrewsbury are woeful and look to be headed down without a fight.

The majority around me were moaning at Cooper for not taking Smith off and bringing Storey on.

Anyway, I personally think it's more helpful to chant for Smith when he's out on the pitch than for Storey when he's not. It's not Smith's fault he has square feet

Got to say well done to the team though for keeping a bit of interest going for so long.

Be nice if we could take it to the last game and have a full house abusing the fat boy

This is exactly what happened from sections of the Arkells in particular last Saturday.

Easter Saturday? Blimey they're keen! Who's he play for, out of interest?

He plays for Swindon Rangers.  The game is away to Marlborough.  Apparently they play all their games on Saturday, because the rugby is played on Sunday.  We've got no subs tomorrow, because a few of the team are away and my son has gone to bed feeling unwell.  I hope he's ok in the morning, as it will be too late to cancel due to not enough players.

Well that was good...hopefully see the goals later...

Just got back, coventry have given up and don't blame them as Northamptonshire ground makes the county ground look like the old Trafford . Smith was shit but I think he cannot play the lone striker,storeys introduction totally changed our shape and attacking intent. luongo was immense today his double tackle led to our goal,Also Troy is now the best central defender in world football.

Great result today. Shame so many of our fans were silent and actually getting annoyed when people joined in chants, fuck right off.

Not seen it mentioned but Rovers have a huge game away at Pompey tomoz! Didnt realise how badly they were doing :clap:

WEEEEE STILLLL BELIEEEEVVVEEEE

Presume Troy will be out for Monday

I would assume the same

Yes, I'd imagine your insistence about 5 weeks ago that we were likely to have a close shave with relegation, feasibly winning no games at all prior to the end of the season, is adding to your sense of confusion. Spectacularly wrong :)

That's a bugger. In my sons league Forest Green are playing Highworth on Easter Sunday! Stuff that..

Hope he's feeling better this morning and raring to go!

Well let's be fair. Out of the last 13,14 years that I've seen of reg posting
, either here or on MOS he's predicted doom. We've been relegated twice...

So not exactly a great percentage ratio.

Au contraire, my point was that if the current form continued we may have been sleepwalking into trouble....as I've acknowledged though, the management, and I'm including Power in this saw the possibility and did something about it, bringing in Stephens, bringing back TAH and tweaking the system. The turning point was the battling point at Ashton Gate....

That it can happen look at Hartlepool...a month ago they went to play the Scum on a Friday night happily sat on 49 points knowing a win could shift them to the fringe of the PO's.  Surprisingly they lost, 5 straight defeats later, they're still on 49, but now 2 points off the Conference.

I was so confused yesterday, that I failed to notice that we had a Friday statement  :pint:

Not really raring, but having been dosed up with calpol he played and did ok.   They drew 2-2 conceding a silly goal right at the end.  Frustrating game as they should have won easily and beat them 9-1 a few weeks ago.  It was bloody freezing as well, the pitch was on a slope and couldn't have been more exposed to the biting wind!

A few other points:

- Luongo's tackle in the build up to the goal could have been the most important moment of the game as Coventry would more than likely have gone up the other end and scored.
- How did Storey change the game without touching the ball once?
- I never managed to figure out the formation yesterday.
- Stephens looked absolutely thrilled at the end of the game and we've lost 1 of the 7 games he's started. If we can get him next season then I'll be as thrilled as he was yesterday.
- Some guy sat behind me was obsessed with Jay McEveley getting sent off. Everytime Jay went near the ball he was moaning. I have no idea why.
- That guy in the East stand really did look a lot like Alan Pardew.

Forgot about the pardew chant!

I think we were playing 4 5 1, but with Byrne and pritch bombing on when we attacked. I think.

It looked a lot like 3 at the back to me! I always find it quite difficult to see where players are positionally when at pitch level.

Lone ! it's Lone !

Lone! It's lone!

3-4-3

http://youtu.be/EqXQfrtqEoU

Thanks for the link ;D

Can't watch YouTube in Turkey for some reason! :(

Proxy it mate.

http://www.hidemyass.com/youtube-proxy/

Because Erdogan banned YT and Twitter to reduce opposition comms ahead of his massive re-election a month or two ago. He seems to have forgotten to reopen access.

Twitter works but yt is still not available!

Tough tits BO, you shouldn't go on holiday during the season  :)

Highlights up, for everyone but BO.  :)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqXQfrtqEoU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqXQfrtqEoU)

The old grey haired chap going ape shit is excellent!

I thought you didn't bother going

Our son got right to the front of the celebration, was well chuffed :)

Bu internet sitesi (youtube.com) hakkında 5651 sayılı kanunun 8. Madde 1. fıkra (b) bendi ve 4. fıkrası uyarınca Telekomünikasyon İletişim Başkanlığı tarafından İDARİ TEDBİR uygulanmaktadır.

(The ADMINISTRATION MEASURE which has been taken for this website (youtube.com) based on the subparagraph 4 and 1/b of article 8 of Law Nr. 5651 has been implemented by "Telecommunications Communication Presidency".)   


http://www.tib.gov.tr | http://www.guvenlinet.org | http://www.ihbarweb.org.tr *

Despite me being 'down with the kids' and wearing hip shades and can clearly see the old geezer on the you tube clip.

I assumed he was calling you a grey haired old bloke.

 :nod:

I have more grey hair than flash  :(

But less belly flab on last inspection..