Thetownend.com

....the Yeovil game already be seen as a relegation six pointer?

  On our present form we'll accumulate 46 points which is not enough to stay up.....of more concern is that we now haven't scored in an away game for 5 consecutive games, since Grunt Sniff's header at the Dongs.

 These are the kind of stats you can only find in disaster seasons like 73/74 and 99/00.

 I know the games span two different seasons, but do point to a weakness that King hasn't properly addressed over the summer.

NO!

after 4 games???

now let me think.

definitley NO

If you do a bit of research over the seasons of the 21st Century, then the points total , gathered after 4 games extrapolated does give a reasonable correlation of how the season ends up......of course its not a perfect match.

Nice use of long words, but the answer is still no! :mrgreen:

What like the Peterborugh game last year. :P Nah.

Id like to add that I dont think Yeovil will be relegated either.

I said at the start that Yeovil would be ok this year and i still think they will be alright apart from Saturday of course. :)

I was not at the game yesterday but having seen the football league review it looked a stone cold penalty for a challenge on Rory.

I wouldnt say  it was a 6 pointer, but definetley a 3 pointer :roll:

No chance.

No.

Ive was interested so have taken a look at the tables back to the 00/01 season and was quite suprised to see how our position at the end of August (I realsise its not yet)  relates to our final position

04/05

In August we were 11th and finished 12th

03/04

In August we were 8th and finished 5th

02/03

In August we were 18th and finished 10th

01/02

In August we were 14th and finished 13th

00/01

In August we were 23rd and finished 20th


So bar 02/03 where we were placed at the end of August is near enough where we have ended up.So it would seem that this game is a six pointer after all for both teams especially when you consider that the team at the bottom in August has been relegated  4 out of 5 seasons over the same time.

Yeah but

1996/97 In August we were 8th, finished 19th
1997/98 In August we were 4th, finished 18th
1998/99 In August we were 2nd, finished 17th

and Bristol City were 20th in August and finished 7th and Blackpool and Franchise were in the relegation zone but neither were relegated. So it doesn't always work like that.

I don't see why the past is relevent at all.

Obviously Ben nobodys saying it definite,I was looking at  postions for when we have been in this league and you can't argue that there is a trend there.

Yeah there is, in that case though I reckon the yeovil game is a 30 pointer because the result will decide whether we're up the top of the table or near the bottom.  :shock:

:D All those suckers that have bought season tickets.

If only they knew that the final league postitions were decided at the end of August.I bet they wouldnt have bothered.

  Top stuff Yeovil.....I did make the point that the correlation was for this league in the 21st century.

 I'm surprised they've started poorly, as I fully expected them to be challenging, I was also fully expecting them to turn us over on the first meeting like Cheltnum did, as King doesn't seem to be able to motivate players as to the importance of these games.

 Not sure what to think now, other than than Fallon looks better in an STFC shirt than a hooped Yeovil one.

I think the answer is NO!

It is a three-pointer, or maybe a double one-pointer?!

But it is too early to say who is going where just yet!

Excellent thread, the facts are there all to see, so YES, it is a 6 pointer.

 I'm liking the concept of the double one pointer.....haven't got a clue what it means, but will think about it.....in the continuing shortage of Johnoisms, I suppose this might be the sign of incipient  R4Eisms (pronounced Arffoureisms)

If its a draw,will we get 3 points each?

If we beat Yeovil we will definitely go up.

If we lose we will definitely go down.

I would have thought that was obvious.

 A couple of seasons back after a win at Grimsby in September I confidently predicted promotion....OK never happened but it wasn't too far away.

 Incidentally the goals that night Gurney and Mooney.....the sort of awkward buggers who'll dig you out something on a wet w
Wednesday in Cleethorpes.

I was at that game and it was actually very warm and humid.

It was a corker of a goal from Gurney in fairness.

 It probably wasn't Wednesday either, but making the point by describing it as a balmy late summer evening on the Lincolnshire Riviera, somehow doesn't work.

Very true.

jesus youve all lost the plot, get a grip. :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

 

 We'll forgive you.

:D oh yes reg you are the enoch powell of the forum with your usage of quotes, come and join us mentalists tomorrow 8)

If we can beat Notts Forest, anything is possible!   :old:

Mid table finish this year then. Have to say given the £250k off the budget I'm happy with that. Lets hope we can build on that next season.

You'd be happy with a point this season!

I wouldn't be happy, I want playoffs, or we've underachieved.  You can't have thew players we have and be satisfied with mid-table obscurity.  If you aim for mid-table, you finish in the relegation zone.

Yep it was a vital 6 points......be encouraging to score an away goal in the next couple of games, but I  can't start to imagine how King will line up at Tranny and Walsall.....today we had 4 loan players, which must be a record.

 By my estimate Gurney will have played more games for STFC, when he came on than the rest of the side put together, which may also be a record.

But you have to realise that with our budget mid table wouldn't be underachieving.

Anyway there is actually one game left this season on monday so we do still have a small chance of making the play offs, although it is one of the seasons hardest games. If we made the playoffs this season that would be a miraculous achievement to be honest but I would love it if we did.

A win at Tranmere would be a strong indicator of doing something this season....but sadly it wont happen just by wishing it to.

 Think King has to try out the Migs, Whalley axis if its an option to him......Pook can come on when one tires.

We've got another midfielder coming in from Fulham on-loan which could do the business, particularly if the Migs Whalley combo is too lightweight...

Build on what.....end of the season we'll have to slash another 250k of the budget.....we cant build on anything because after one season it all gets ripped apart to cut costs

If we cut another £250k off the budget they'll be pretty much nothing left. :| Not to worry if half of the team's wages are paid by other teams.

Just as well we won the six pointer with Yeovil otherwise we'd be bottom tonight.....I fucking hate relegation struggles.....but the indicators are there.

  A lot will want to see King walk.....but I'm not sure its the answer.

Do you think we have the quality to see us through a relegation fight reg? I've only managed to get to the Yeovil game this year, and although a good result I thought Yeovil made us look a lot better than we were. I too, feel a struggle on the horizon  :(

I can't see us being in a relegation struggle at any point this season, unless of course King persists with 4-5-1.

I've been looking at thisisstfc tonight, it's manic over there, people are rabid.

Kings head wanted on a stake no doubt ?!?

I don't think they're too fussed on the method of delivery  :shock:

Just had a look through, same old people saying this though. Who do they seriously think we could/would get instead? He's what we've got and IMO its pointless droning on with the King out shite, espescially after reading about the game today, seemingly although people didn't agree with the formation we were very unlucky not to get a point. I know Warsaw are nowt special, but to be fair neither are we at this point in time!

Don't fancy our next 4 games much...

Southend home (Win)
Bournmuff away (Lose)
Bradofrd home (Draw)
Donny away (Lose)

Bottom by October at this rate!

Ps sorry to be so optimistic!

 I think we're already in it,  all the indicators are there...poor away form and no ability to score.....difficulty winning home games,  being outplayed for long periods.....lots of young players and loans, and short term contracts suggesting a lack of commitment....losing straight away in a cup competition, when being outclassed by a team from a lower league...who've not won since.

 Getting injuries to important players ....Reeeeeves, Evans, O'Hanlon.

Yep we've got it bad. God its all doom and gloom here! Lets hope by some miracle we win our next 4, then we'll be talking about playoffs  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

I need cheering up. Its sat night and sat in front of PC's cos can't have a drink as I broke my thumb playing cricket last night, might have to have a pin in the fucker so I am dosed up on pain killers at the mo. Shit all on TV, girlfriend working in pub....woe is me!

Relegation struggle......no chance....we wont struggle

We're be bottom by miles....

Changing the manager would help, but wont be done because when it comes down to it, the board judge King on cost cutting not football. So the only time they will sack him, is if the attendences take a massive decrease...

The only saving grace is that although we're crap, we're still above Shitty....and O*ford have won less games than us and lost to STFC again.

 Now those seasons and we've had 2 or 3 are horrible....like 99/00 when relegetion is inevitable around October....and your just really fulfilling the fixtures with no hope of being properly competitive....I'd be surprised by one of those in this league, but rather see more like 82/83....our only relegation from this league, when we got 52 points and went down 4th bottom.

 Similarities an early run of 4 games away with no goal, lots of young players and seemingly quality strikers (Rowland Rideout Quinn) who couldn't score because of poor service.

Swindon under King have had some good streaks.  Teams get relegated, often, after losing confidence, even with good ability.  Teams that don't look like they are trying, aren't necessarily lacking fitness, players are concentrating on not making mistakes, or being too ambituious.  Some players, in a struggling side, don't want to get in positions to receive the ball.  

I read Clough's autobiography, he made sure the players had no worries, and were totally relaxed on match days.  They all had to go together on the bus for away games, for example.  Nobody was allowed to drive to an away game.  O.K. so Clough was manager when Forest got relegated.  He wrote that he didn't listen to his coaches about a central defender who kept playing them into trouble (can't remember his name but he played for Swindon on loan).

Looking at the Walsall and Tranmere games, according to the reports, the players put in good performances, but the final ball was lacking.  Going 3:4:3 to chase the game produced nothing.  Confidence, or ability does not seem to be the issue, but if you play 4:5:1, how are you going to keep more than one striker sharp.  The team, I believe is better than last year's, but with a whole group of new players, including more strikers than we are used to, why not stick to 4:4:2, at least its a familiar way of playing.  Also, if you state that you put much of the wage bill into goal scorers, why not play them.

Yeovil will stay up, and upset several of the top teams in the process,  They'll sort it out.

Carl Tiler?

we wont go down, with a bit of luck we would have won today, and our luck will change, we played walsall off the park today but they got the rub of the green, it wont always be like that.

Reg, you are not human, Carl Tiler it was.

Dont know where everyone is getting this 'we went 3-4-3' from

Against Tranny we did, once Ben Wells came on, against Walsall Cureton and Roberts were playing too wide and too dep to be classed as strikers

You were at the game and King calls it 3:4:3 (Tranmere after match interview), so that's obviously correct.  Against Walsall, per your description we must have stayed 4:5:1 or gone 4:3:2:1.  

I guess the point is play your strikers, get in front, then exploit the other team chasing the game, otherwise contain.  We seem to be in the contain, then chase the game, mode away from home.  

I just want them to play 4:4:2, an inherently flexible system, you are 2:4:4, with the ball, and wingers (left or right midfielders) and full backs up, and then 4:4:2, when you track back without posession.  O.K., you shift over a bit, so it isn't quite that simple.  One central midfielder may be tasked with covering the back four (Pook, or Oolitt's job), and another may be tasked with supporting the strikers (Andy King, himself as a player, a good example).  We play 4:5:1 presumably to get more posession, being a sole striker worked for Linekar (or that German guy, Rumeninger(sp?), but you have to have pace, mobility, and great ball control, to find space among four defenders, and retain posession. Also, you have to play the ball from midfield  to the lone strikers feet, while he is making a run.  Fallon isn't Linekar,and Stef. isn't Hoddle.

We seemed to have dumped 4:4:2, because Shakes and Nicolau, were not getting accurate crosses into the box. Surely, crossing a ball is a much easier skill to perfect than inch-perfect through balls to a lone striker.  If the cross isn't perfect, but it's in there, all needs for a sloppy bit of defending and you could be on the scoresheet.  With one striker, you might get away with being sloppy in defence all afternoon.


If we aren't good enough to compete with two strikers awy from home, why are we in this league?  Why was the wage bill directed at strikers, and we leave them on the bench.

Id agree with most of that, like I said Cureton and Roberts were both certainly hugging the touch line, when really they should have been more central if they were playing as strikers in my opinion.

Well put, and it seems so obvious. It worries me that Mr King seems to have more regard for not losing heavily than trying to win each game, regardless of home or away, or the perceived strength of opposition.

If this is true, it is a relegation mentality which is not acceptable. I hope and trust that he will turn it around and always start decisively with 4-4-2 before Fallon is dead or pissed off.

The thing is I'd hate to go down playing such negative football away from home.  If we're gonna struggle this year, which I'm not saying we are, let's struggle on with all guns blazing.  PLaying attacking football.  Some sides in this division wouldn't know what's hit them if we turned up going for it.  

Instead of turning up packing the midfield, tall man up front alone looking for any scraps.

"Let's play ball guys" as my american mate would say.

Sadly, I think King turns up and says "let's play with our balls guys" or "let's balls it up guys" or the most probable "let's play balls guys"