Thetownend.com

May as well start a thread.

Can we kick on after yesterday, or will Kennedy revert back to the under performing team he has put out lately?

Will their pitch be fit to play on after their game with Reading was postponed yesterday for being unplayable?

Can we win for the first time in the league and cups at Waddon Road? we have not won there in 9 meetings with just 3 finishing as a draw.

Town have sold out their small allocation of just 1,520 at their tiny little 7,000 capacity ground.

The last time I went there was the last time we won there, back in 1987 when Dave Hockaday scored the only goal in a pre season friendly win.

Time to banish that hoodoo but I dont have much faith that we will TBH.

Too dry was it?

We'll lose, it's Cheltenham (A). It doesn't matter how we play or who we pick.

True.

(http://www.quickmeme.com/img/6d/6d7bfed71e523843202b8b47bf9f6b49a54c7a79c519f12cd56702eeb5a0c0cf.jpg)

1 : 1 draw, Drinan and Glatzel up front, Ameen on the bench.

Would like to see a midfield three of Ofoborh, Kilkenny and Butterworth or McGurk.

It will be one of those as Cotterill is unavailable.

I think it will be McGurk on the bench unfortunately, coming on for the last 20 or 30 if we're struggling. It's time to put the hoodoo behind us though. The last time I went Andy King described it as the worst night of his life.

I have a spare ticket going if anyone is desperate to witness our first competitive win there.

Now on sky+ if it goes ahead.

Why wouldn’t it go ahead?

They had their game rained off last night

Thankfully weather looks a lot better tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. Cool but dry

Lots of Clem out chants in the away end please

Please.

Morfuni is fair game but I hope the fans support the team. I will be. The "We're f*cking sh*t" chant really isn't the way to go.

Agreed. Could kind of understand it more if 4-0 down, but while still in the game...no

I agree with you. Always hated that chant, helps no one.

But chants directed towards Clem and Hall I think everyone should get behind now.

Which leads nicely to the Trust's point last night : they don't have an alternative.

I think it fairly unlikely Mourfuni walks away by choice having so much cash tied up. But there is no alternative waiting in the wings.

That said, maybe pressure forces changes under Mourfuni for that very reason.

Not sure I'd believe it was genuine change at this point though.

I hear Kiely and Standing are looking to own a club....

and when we're winning "how shit must you be?" its fucking cringe.

As always the fans that still attend direct it everywhere but where it should be directed at their messiah.

There was though. He priced someone out earlier in the year.

From several trusted sources I have heard that we have had no actual bids come in for the club so far.

There has definately been interest from at least 3 seperate consortiums but none have even got anywhere near a bid, yet.

looking to ? ;)

(yeah, I know nothing really).

Thought they already did ;)

Perfect solution - after watching England tonight give Kennedy the England job - stats fantastic, lots of sideways and backward passing, very little penetration and play people in the wrong positions- absolute match made in heaven.🤣🤣
Mad Gav can come back as temporary manager and  Clem and his dodgy cling-ons are also happy (while watching attendances continue to tumble downwards)

…and to think - people were talking about Harry Kane being past it at the Euros and how he should retire from international football…

Well, that’s what you get without Kane upfront: no strikers & absolutely nothing.

My son has a single spare adult ticket available for the Hazlewoods stand (behind the goal) which he is happy to sell for face value. As he is travelling from Bristol would need to meet up outside the ground. If you want it please DM me and I will put you in contact with him. Thanks.

Spot on Deev. Kane gets those 2 sitters that Gordon and Palmer missed we win

I presume you are going, so why don't you start them

2-1 defeat

I have so fecked up.  Anyone know if ticket office opens in the morning as I forgot to collect my tickets  for tomorrow

If not they'll be taken to Cheltenham. You can collect theiry. Not sure where I saw it, I'll have a look.

https://x.com/stfcfeo/status/1844071397599089091?t=1-nbV8DUo_yjRvOl1-foTQ&s=19


In a follow up:

Legend many thanks  :banana: :banana: :banana:

What pub is the majority going to tomorrow?

It's Cheltenham. 1-0 them.

Cheltenham 1-0 Swindon

We're going
We're going

Hurry up Harry, come on.

We're going down the pub...

Cheltenham 1 Swindon 2
He's going to shezza it

Pre match Reg will be watching this one from above in The Moon Under Water.
Always good to return to The Shire, now for that historic win.

There always seems to be something highbrow on the go in Regency Cheltenham.
It's the literature festival at the moment.
Sadly, my entry “Wasted: The Illustrated Piss Art Chronicles” was rejected by the festival committee.
They didn’t like the choice of crayons & maybe school textbook wasn’t the right target market.

An invasion by 1500 Town fans could be seen as somewhat lowbrow culture by the locals but then again, I’ve been on a train full of Brummies heading for the racing.

Fandom brings with it a different kind of culture, one that can still be vibrant even when everything is shit.

Who knows, Football Phil or the goggle jacket brigade could be browsing the classics in dusty bookshops even as we speak.

So, today and just another reminder that it's P9 W0 D3 L6 F7 A19 in all competitions here.
My favourite was the 5-0 in the FA Cup.
Suffered at all of them bar the first couple and the two carriage cattle trucks back to Swindon were always something to look forward to after another failure.

Five carriage trains now so at least the misery can spread out a bit.

The mind-numbing experience of Harrogate won't be fully exorcised until we next win a league game at home.
However, feeling quite chipper ahead of the game today which is unusual.

The nature of the win in midweek did help, facing Flynn should hold no fears particularly if they play like we did last season and all irritating bogeys are eventually dug out, toyed with & flicked away with disdain. Why not today.

A midfield of Kilkenny, Ofoborh, Butterworh / McGurk has a pleasing balance to it if employed correctly.
Would expect Butterworth to start though.
Glatzel should start, as should all of those subbed on Tuesday.

Depends if Smith is fully recovered and back to his fighting weight, preferably not literally this time if he does play.

Hoping for a fast start & an early goal to get the away end moving.
Wouldn't want it to turn toxic & hope it doesn't outside of expressing dissatisfaction with the ownership.

If STFC were a reading list it could be something like Brave New World & Great Expectations followed by Crime and Punishment, Hard Times, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest & Les Miserables then rinse & repeat.
We don't really do and they all lived happily ever after endings, but such is the nature of the beast.

Anyway, I'm off to take inspiration from what has been achieved at SN1 over the last 3 and a bit years & then dive straight into a dog eared copy of Leaving Las Vegas..

There’s no way they can’t start the same midfield as Tuesday, surely.

Very much like the idea of Reg watching from The Moon under the Water. The last time I walked with Reg in Gloucestershire was when I took him to view the stained glass windows in the church at Selsley, near Stroud. Reg bought some postcards of the windows - to remember what was William Morris' first commission. Reg will today remember William Morris and then toast Harry Morris and would then observe that the Robins can't lose today.

You'd like to think so wouldn't you? :hmmm:

Hold my 🍺

Just going by who was subbed & who wasn't on Tuesday then I'm guessing that Butterworth will start.

Hope to be proved wrong or failing that, at least McGurk gets enough time to try & make a difference if he does get the call.

 :pint:

Last time I went to the Literature festival was to see John Cooper Clarke!

He was supported by some woman who did loads of poetry about her fanny and menstrual cycle! 😮

Our local pub is doing a bus trip to the Deya brewery in Cheltenham today. Had i been more aware I could have signed up, got cheap bus transport into Cheltenham and back and fucked off to the football. As it happens I've signed up for an 8 mile walking pub crawl around the canal.

Which means we'll win today as I won't see the game. No need to thank me.

After a ticket for me and my lad today - any spares going?

No Botan Ameen in the u18 squad today…

Good! Let’s hope he isn’t an unused sub.

Surely if MK isn’t worried about goals, he can afford to play a 17 year old centre forward who must be thrilled and excited at scoring on his debut against a (shite) L1 side.

Only found out recently that Deya were based here, not far from the station as well.

Looks like some Oktoberfest thing going on at the Racecourse today which might explain the lederhosen on display in the pub at the moment.

Have a good one BO & don't fall into the canal.

Sounds great WB. Have a good one yourself squire.

Pam Ayres?

In the moon under water. Banoffee beer is.. Unusual

I am also here with Wobbly Bob although not has the banoffee beer yet.

Nope. Not quite that mainstream. But it was when she was popular.

It was on the same night the Smiths played Gloucester Leisure Centre and Morrissey walked out.

I spent a gentle afternoon having a few beers in the Old Road Tavern with JCC and Phill Jupitus in Chippenham just before lockdown. 2 absolutely lovely intelligent and interesting people.

I do wonder if Dr JCC's ou est la maison du fromage was inspired by the TEF but likely predates the predilection with cheese by a good number of years.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GZr6wyTWYA0QMeZ?format=jpg&name=large)

Bit unfair on Ameen and McGurk IMO.

Is that Butterworth up top or a formation change?

I would guess it is that.

Tshimanga,Smith and Drinan all missing?

Drinan not even on the bench, ill, injured or just dropped completely?

Ollie Clarke starting?

He cant be match fit surely? Didnt even play the other night?

Watching Notts County Vs Chesterfield. These two teams look really quite a lot better than us. Probably because they are.

All injured apparently.

Which makes dropping McGurk even more concerning, same with Ameen who did not put a foot wrong on Tuesday but with 3 injured strikers I would have hoped he would start.

No Bycroft as well.

Or Smith is patient zero?

We'll have to make do.
Microscope on Clarke.
Run around, do something man. Justify your presence.

Didn't notice that, is he ill or thrown his toys out of the pram?

Fairly sure it's the former, Kennedy was glowing about him again in the presser. Wish I had anyone who spoke as highly of me as Kennedy does of Bycroft!

It is odd playing an unfit midfielder ahead of our best playmaker midfielder who is fit.

Also what the hell more does Ameen have to do to start up front when he scored a goal and had a hand in 2 goals on Tuesday but still gets dropped for a midfielder in Butterbeer.

I think we will pack the midfield.

                            Barden
           Sobowale    Wright     Freckleton
McGregor       Kilkenny    Ofoborh            Cox
               Clarke          Butterworth
                          Glatzel

Or we free illness going round the camp. That's my guess

I'm guessing your right, especially after Smith's illness.
Wonder if they haven't said anything as there are a few who are not 100%

Looks to be a good turn out, going by games there previously looks like 5k+.

Kinsella starts today.

Judging by how much it seems to have affected Harry Smith, let's hope that isn't the bug going round or we could have teal issues.

Weirdly the teams kits almost clash.

 I haven't weighed in with a prediction. 3-0 defeat.

Wood be just our luck ;)

Yeah I can only assume that the normal away kit is a colour blind issue because for regular vision it would be far less of a clash than this.

Sobo a little lax at the back so far.

Great tackle McGregor, heart in mouth moment there.

Scrappy start.
Good tackle by Mcgregor.

Good tackle by McGregor there.

Definately looking like just Glatz on his own up front today. Not his best role.

Decent corner by Cox but its a little deep.

Cheltenham are niggly in the box pushing Glatz and Ofoborh.

That was a foul throw by their player he lifted his foot well before throwing it.

1st 10 mins this is scrappy as fuck. 2 teams lacking in confidence and quality.

Was watching Chesterfield Notts County earlier and it looked like a two divisions higher. Which it may well be next year.

Easy high claim by Barden.

Unfortunately very true.

That was never a foul by Ofoborh. Let alone a yellow.

Booking should have been against the Cheltenham player who went in late.

Blimey Sobo has a great turn of speed.

How can he say it was a foul when Ofoborh was sliding in from 5 yards away before Kinsella dived in.

If either team have strung three passes together yet I missed it happen.

Bowman is winning almost every high ball played up to him so far.

We did about 3 mins ago, we strung about 20 passes together in a row but that was it.

Glatzel lay off to Ofoborh but his shot from 20 yards is weak.

This formation is not working at all, the game is passing Butterworth by totally and Glatz is having no chance with the balls played up to him.

Aimless long passing by us out of defence is just shit.

Butterworth looks totally surprised that he has got the ball at his feet and just watches as the defender robs him.

Nearly and OG by Chelteham, saved on the line. Defender kicks the back against is own player and the keeper nearly takes it into the net.

The cause own goals plan nearly pays off again.

This season top scorer.

Kinsella is a diving moaning twat.

We cant seem to deal with Bowman in the air at all, luckily that free header was weak and wide.

This is so poor!

No quality on either side.

Great break by Numb but luckily he doesnt have the skill to get a shot on target and it goes wide.

We do have a bit of a line in dragging teams down to our level. The problem is we don't then seem to beat them with our experience, to complete the phrase.

Im sure Kennedy will notice and make decisive changes.

1-0  Cox almost unmarked volley from a Sobo cross.

Hurrah

 cockles has been a great addition to the team

Brilliant football

What a cross

Not convinced, think Own goals might be claiming that one ;)

When we pass it on the deck we look much better.

Great cross by Sobo and finish from haircut..

Possibly! it was close.

Sobo beaten in our box and the shot is wild and high from a great position.

Lovelt break by Mcgregor, beats 4 men and wins a free kick just outside the box.

2-0 Wright far post from a FK cross.

Goal Machine

Lovely enterprise from MC Gregor. 

Free kick

Goal.

More quality football. What a delivery!

Suddenly we look a decent team!!

Marking for Cheltenham reminscent of STFC last season.

I wonder if there's a common thread...

When we pass the ball on the deck and run at them we do look decent.

Decent delivery into the box will always cause problems at this level and we have done that twice now

Will Wright 12/1 to score at any time! What a steal!

Booking for their player and FK to Town 40 yards out.

Clarke finds Wright but his shot is high and wide from 18 yards.

McGregor and Clarke and linked up impressively down this right hand side, McGregor streets ahead of any of our other RWB's this season

Absolutely he is. As he was last season too in his 3 games.

Just 3 mins added time.

Ofoborh also makes a massive difference if he is played in his correct position in there, doing all the nasty stuff

He carries on like this & we can safely say McGregor will not be a town player next season.

Ofoborh has hardly put a foot wrong again so far.

Yellow for Cox for a weak foul.

Corrected.

Kinsella hits one miles over the bar from 20 yards.

HT 2-0

McGregor and Sobo attack together like UGM and Hutton did at their best last season.

Good half, not perfect but good enough. Cheltenham look like a Michael Flynn team after September.

 :
 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

This.

He is the new Grant.

Only plays a tad further upfield

Partly due to his younger age and fitness being much better than Grants.

Our midfield looks a proper unit. Fair play to Clark who's return has been seamless. McGregor outstanding. Seems like Barden gives us stability as a defensive unit.

Yes. A shit manager!🙂

E I E I E I O

Kennedy could go down in history as first Swindon manager to get 3 points at Cheltenham

3 subs by Numb at HT.

3-0 McGregor.

Those paid off

Cox is so much faster with less hair.

Love to see Ameen and McGurk come on to get some mins

Would be fun if we had a season of exclusively winning 4-0.

Good corner by Butterworth and we have a scrambled shot saved on the line.

This.

My Southampton supporting mate just said this very thing to me.

Numb have a shot wide from an angle.

2 more good chances for Town there, both quite close.

Yellow card for something the ref (and us) clearly haven't seen there

Cox good pass to Butterworth but he cant control it on the edge of the box, could have been another good chance.

Numb hit the post with a weak header.

Minturn on for Clarke.

Ok then, odd.

1-3

Looks like Wright is going to central midfield.

Annnd here we go

Well left boys

Soft goal.

That was really poor defending

And Kennedy is trying his best to lose a game from an easily winning position.

That is a mad substitution, bring on a midfielder for Clarke, not take your best CB out of defence!

Unmarked at far post.  Poor.  Freck?

I imagine his instructions weren't 'do leave crosses to go in lads'

No idea what the formation is now though mind.

Freckles and Cox.

You sure? :D

Same formation but Wright is playing middle of midfield 3, Minturn now middle of the back 3.

Odd.

So is Will Wright in midfield now?

Again

Kennedy makes strange sub

We concede.

Why fucking change the defence when we've looked solid.

Solid stop by Minturn.

Why put a defender in midfield when you have 2 midfielders on the bench?

The benefits of having Wright (our best CB) in defence far outweigh the benefits if him in midfield.

Ameen on for Oforborh????????? What?

Ameen on for Ofoborh

WTAF????

Ofoborh subbed.  He was slowing this half tbf.  Ameen on.

Another odd choice. Nice to see Botan but surely for Butterworth?

Kennedy trying to lose!!

Ofoborh my MotM today.

Best player sacrificed again!

Would make way more sense.

Well I tuned in for the second half and thought, wow...have Town become somewhat a passing side and playing to their strengths. It almost looked a bit like a Wellens side.

Safe to say Kennedy needs to be kept away from any subs or tactical decisions...

The latests odds are in:

Town bottle this 1/50
Town hang on for a draw 5/1

Nice to see Ameen come on but not sure bringing Ofoborh off. There's now a gaping hole in both midfield and defence. Hopefully Town can score 6 and fend off any onslaught  ::)

Has Freckleton actually stopped any Cheltenham forward passes?

Awful performance and yet is still on the pitch!!,

Glatz inches away from setting up Ameen.

We'll still win, Cheltenham are mince, but it's an underlying worry.

Hopefully, yes they are, yes it is.

Butterworth chips the keeper just over the bar.

Good chasing by Ameen there to set up the chance.

Reports suggest that Cain and McGurk are at Cheltenham bus station ready to beat the rush home.. 

Dodgy Keeper!

Cheltenham keeper is in the Jordan Pickford stakes for pissing about with the ball/shite distribution.

Edit: Here we go. Minturn OG

Kennedy is a tactical genius...  :crash:

2-3

Fightback is on.

The substitutions have made us so much fucking worse as we could have all predicted.
Every change has been wrong.

If we don't win this, I think he's a goner

This.

This is beyond a joke!

Kennedys subs again ruin what looked like a comfortable win.

I would put money on us losing now!!

Updated to 1/100

The game literally swang the moment Kennedy made the first sub.

I fucking hope so, I have lost almost all my faith in him now.

Hes doing his best with bad subs.

Cant see anything more than 3-3 and prob 4-3 loss

This. It was such a stupid decision to make. Keep Wright in the heart of the defence, not add the liability Minturn next to the disaster that is Freckleton.

Longelo on for Cox.

But the worst player on the pitch Freckleton is still there!!

Delaney on for Butterworth.

So we now have 7 defenders on the pitch
Wright
Sobowale
Longelo
Minturn
Freckleton
Mcgregor
Delaney

Soft FK given away by Sobo 25 yards out in the middle.

More numbers dont always mean better defensively, Kennedy should know that.

This is like the Alamo.

I'm only a Sunday League manager but I'd never change my back line if we were winning 3 nil. And I'm a Minturn fan

Minturn our best attacking threat says it all.

It's not a formation so much as a vibe

Sensible.

What that we have a team of dildos?

Numb going for the jugular.

We'd be much more popular with female fans if we did.

Fucking nieve managing this.

I hate supporting Swindon. Never ever easy.

It's as if he believes it's in the rules that he has to use all the subs.

So he pulls a name out a hat for who's coming off.

And another for whose coming on....

It's that random

I blame Wobbly “I will always take a point away from home” Bob who said it’s game over at 3-0.

Mcgregor Sobowale Minturn Delaney Freckleton Longelo
                    Kilkenny Wright
                     Glatz.
                     Ameen

I think this is what we are playing?

5 mins added time.

Fuck knows, Kennedy doesnt know either or the players.

Its no coincidence that Ofoborh goes off and it turns instantly to shit.

Well done Ameen

Well done Ameen there

It's nothing like as coherent as that.

Thanks ref

Well done to the players, lots of good performances there, good to finally get an away win.

Each substitution was entirely wrong. We won that despite Kennedy, from 62 minutes on, I've not a fucking clue what he was trying to do

FT 3-2

We fucking won at Numb for the first time.

More by luck than judgement.

Feels a bit like Accrington last season, a good win and one you'd have been delighted with before the game, but with a giant fucking asterisk against it because of the way it played out in the second half.

We win despite the manager. FUCKIN GET IN!

Never in doubt.

Yay.  3 PTS away.  And at Numb.  Well done lads.

EIEIEIO

Crazy to think two of our absolute worst managers in Sheridan & Kennedy have managed to end our Oxford & Cheltenham away winless runs…

Yep. Totally down to the manager

Fuck me Kennedy tried to lose us that game!

Still need Kennedy gone, and the board with the hangers on.

Great win, shambolic managerial display..  well done lads.  McGregor my MOTM

And there hopefully ends the retrospective re-assessment of Flynn. Awful manager. Ours, unfortunately is no better

Kennedy's subs were nonsensical.

However, ht MOM Oforboh, was blowing out of his arse.

Kennedy in defensive subs shocker

A win is win however far less comfortable than it should have been.

I actually feel sorry fir the players who are forced to play in a certain way when Kennedy makes his ludicrous subs..

Those first 2 subs very nearly cost us that game. Kennedy would have been completely to blame if they'd got back to 3-3.

However, credit where it's due the last sub saved the win. Longelo completely stopped Thomas' threat down that side once he came on.

Me too. He was outstanding

Ofoborh best player on the pitch, turned to shit when he went off. McGregor excellent too.

Yes, that was a good, if late, sub.

Can't wait for Kennedy to come out to speak to the press in all a lather, saying something like:

This is what we're trying to get the lads to do. I formulated that win. One win is three draws so we'll take the three points.

---

A win is a win but a side should never be in a position of potentially losing. Which all started with the manager making an unnecessary change...and then another one. They were alien changes that not even an unseasoned coach would have made.

Cox took his goal well and there are some good players that can be developed upon. I'm not sure the infrastructure at Town is the place for them to flourish if I'm completely honest.

Not to take away from the eventual result but the Cheltenham keeper was absolute gash so a better side may have scored a good 5 or more. Still, the dizzy heights of 18th...get those PO Final dates in your diary  ::)

Kennedy is a liability

Taking Ofoborh off was ridiculous we lost the plot then and nearly cost us 2 points when we were cruising

It's not even the substitution of Ofobohr as such it's the unnecessary rearrangement of the back line when you've been hitherto untroubled. Absolutely baffling to move Wright even though Minturn did well

Exactly, anyone could see he had to come off its the lack of thought in moving your best CB out of position that is baffling

Interview will be interesting, love to hear him asked..." what were you thinking?"

I'm now convinced that Freckleton is promised 90 mins as a part of the loan

He must have a 'play every game' clause in his loan.

Can't see how he is still in the starting 11 without it

It's because Delaney hasn't been fit all season. He wasn't meant to be a starter, I'm sure of it. The first choice three was pretty clearly Delaney, Hall and Wright.

That said two of those three have significant injury histories so it's hardly a shock.

He doesn’t - he’s back up for Delaney. Give the guy a break

I cant imagine we've singed Delaney, who will be one of our highest earner, to play backup for Freckleton.

I would also like a penny for McGurk's thoughts. At 3 - 0, it was the perfect time to bring all of the lads that did well the other night. So McGurk, Ameen and Cain should have come on for Kilkenny, Butterworth and Cox. The defence needn't have been touched {even with the weak link of Freckleton}. If Ofoborh is to be subbed with maybe 10-15 mins to go, you pop Longelo/Delaney on.

The timing of them was all wrong. Town weren't being forced into a change, yet the tactical shuffle that happened was a direct cause to conceding straight away. Especially taking your fucking captain off is an awful decision as well.

Who knows, maybe Clem has Kennedy on a lose bonus  ::) {it's sarcasm}


NB: A note on Clem's message earlier in the week regarding targeted and continued online abuse. Whilst it's something I'm against, unfortunately the current board have created an environment tacitly, by surrounding themselves with undesirables, who have criminal records and bullying would probably be one of their softest crimes. The ''owner'' is a joke - a horrible narcissistic joke; if anyone is a ''bully'' it is he.

So Kennedy is singing the praises of Gavin Gunning...and then says he won't give minutes to players no matter how much people say they should be getting them...I bet McGurk is on the phone to his agent tonight ffs.

I'm all for giving Freckleton a break. The thing for me is he's no better than our own. He's not been good enough in my opinion

Yeah. Agreed.

Delaney coming back surely sees the end of him though

Where was Drinan and bycroft then? Ill or injured?

I understand clarke coming off as back from injury but subsequently moving wright into midfield, square pegs round holes, when cain could have played in midfield was an atrocious decision.

A win, which was fun for 65 minutes, and secured despite the manager, rather than because of him. Credit to Ofoborh, Wright, McGregor, Glatzel… the subs didn’t work and everyone around me called it immediately. Kennedy is displaying all of the qualities of a complete clown, and needs to learn from his mistakes, fast. I fear he’s too impressed with his own ability that he won’t ever learn. Our best performers are the ones that he has tried to remove or at least downgrade at some point in his short tenure - and I fully expect Sean McGurk to be the same. Someone Kennedy seems intent to not use, who deserves a more prominent role.

Football was fun again today (25 mins aside). But with Kennedy, I really struggle.

Is he in a huff again and not interviewing?

I was told Bycroft is ill, assume the same for Drinan

Yes, surely the ideal sub would have been McGurk for Clarke and move Ofoborh as more of a sitter alongside Kilkenny. Wright to midfield was bananas.

The best managers keep things simple. Especially at this level.

Cheers

we won, fuck off Cheltenham

Need to see all the goals again to make a judgement but from the away end we looked to be very in control at 3-0. In classic Swindon fashion once it was 3-1 it became a much less comfortable experience. At 3-2 I thought we would draw at best and maybe lose but we managed to hold on. 3 points on the board but more painfully earned than expected given the score earlier in the game. Nice to be able to cheer the team off at the end with a largely positive away end. I am not a Clem or Kennedy fan but always want to succeed so this is a welcome change compared to what I was expecting.

While I agree that the numbskull Kennedy nearly fucked it up with his subs, it’s not just him. Both Gunning and Flynn did the same - appreciably weakening the team with bizarre and haphazard changes. Those last 2 never learnt from it and continued to bollox things up in the 2nd half of games.

I have little faith that Kennedy will be any different. He’s a disaster - pure and simple.

Att: 5,561 (Swindon not announced yet)

And Kinsella is still anonymous

Bah, never in doubt.
The stars aligned & it was our day regardless of a feeble comeback.

Absolutely delighted.

Now must build on  it on Saturday.

I agree, if Clarke had to come off then yep, pop McGurk on for 30mins and do as suggested. If Ofoborh then needs to come off, then Delaney/Longelo could come on. That means you can still give mins to Ameen {for Butterworth} and Cain {for Kilkenny} even if just giving them both 20mins to have the freedom to show what they can do. At three zip, this should be some luxury substitute making. I don't buy Kennedy stating that they were compromised and forced to make changes or that it was difficult to give McGurk mins...his side were three nil up and had kind of like for like changes available. He tinkered and fucked it up. Thankfully the team had put enough in the onion bag to save the blushes of the manager.

The concerning thing was, that bringing Wright in to midfield was an actual game plan that they had discussed. So it wasn't even as if it was a desperate moment of tactical madness - he'd planned to execute that movement all along. What an absolute melon.

Bycroft ill
Drinan injured. Got a kick at Carlisle & playing against Harrogate aggravated it.
Smith still ill also

 nice to get 3 points . perhaps this is where the consortium start to come good and the tide starts to rise again

So that's Newport, Bristol Rovers and Cheltenham we've beaten. Unfortunately we now don't play anyone nearer to us than London until the new year

Get yer blah blah bahs out of the way people.
This was a magnificent victory & the ownership are still very much well below sub par. Nothing changes.

We move onto a much sterner test on Saturday regardless of the intervening blarney.

I’m excited to see us put it on Gills!

More Blarney....can't stand listening to him...

The bloke really is a fucking idiot, isn’t he?

This is the conundrum isn’t it. I’ll be honest, I wanted us to get spanked on one hand and win on the other. If we get spanked, it puts more pressure on the regime, if we win, it papers over the cracks and prolongs the agony.

1,520

I'm so happy. For a few hrs, I'm putting the Morfuni/MK nexus of incompetence out of my mind. And I'm going to enjoy the win.

Do this again, repeatedly, and the dial moves. Wouldn't it be lovely if that happened?

Probably my only away game this season and not only do we win but I meet Rockin Robin too! Living the dream!!
Shit game quality-wise but for now I care not. You Redssss!!

Good to see you today my friend!!! (And no I’m not Rockin Robin)

Absolutely. We can only dream right? Is that 4 unbeaten?!  :D Donny on Saturday may well be the unsolicited piss on our short lived parade.

Don’t get that - I never want us to loose. If we are winning and successful there is no agony.

I don't know. There was some real quality in our first 2 goals

Superb away win! A vital 3 points! Can someone with a bit more footballing nouse then me, explain what them substitutions were? We were cruising, I don’t understand the thinking behind it, did he get questioned on it after the game?

This.

He did. I had the interview on whilst driving with a very chatty 6 year old in the back so might have missed bits.

Clarke wasn’t fit to do a whole game. He was always going to come off. One of the plans if MK thought the game required extra height was Minturn on & Wright into midfield (which is what they did) [not even gonna get started on how the other week Minturn was struggling to defend set pieces & this week you bring him on in a game you think the opposition are going to go direct chasing the game]

Just the physical nature & the fact we were defending as they bombed forward he felt it wasn’t a game for small technical players hence why Cain wasn’t used & neither was the Wizard Sean McGurk (you could argue that in a game when you’re under the cosh players you can keep the ball or run forward with it help)

I don’t remember him saying much (or rather being questions much) about the other subs but it’s possible he did & I missed it.

Assuming that Clarke was taken off because he has just come back from injury & they didn’t want to risk him for more than 60mins, and Ofoborh was blowing out his arse. The weird thing was moving Wright into midfield

I have to disagree on some of that, I thought Ofoborh looked still perfectly fine to carry on and he seemed angry that he was taken off too.

As for moving Wright to midfield that was stupid when you had McGurk AND Cain on the bench, both of who are natural midfielders.

Again Kennedy tries to square peg a round hole, very poor management IMO.

Then overloading the defence rather than playing our natural game, defenders were getting in the way of each other causing confusion.

Also, please dont play Glatzel again as a lone striker, winning balls hoofed up to him is not his game, he did well considering but thats just not his style especially when you had Ameen on the bench as a natural partner rather than the innefective Butterworth who only started playing when Ameen came on.

When we kept the ball on the deck we looked a level above Cheltenham, the thing is though we only played that way for short spells then resorted to hoofing it up the pitch again.

Kennedy pretty much threw the players under the bus and blamed them for the goals.

Was pressed on the subs but insisted it was already planned.

If I was Cain and Mcgurk I would not  be happy that the plan was to put 2 central defenders into midfield.

We were very comfortable and Cain sitting with Mcgurk running at them would have scared them even more....

Absolutely no sense in putting our main defender and a dodgy 20yo centre back into midfield..

I havent read back.

What a relief! A result at Numb!

Superb performances from Glatz (scrapped for everything) and the new Diamond in the coal, McGregor.

Should of been a walk in the park but once again, made hard work of it!

The subs troubled me....either Kennedy is naive, perhaps foolish or there is a directive from up above ...either way it almost cost us the win and the much needed points.

Anyway, im well happy with that result strange feeling on a Sunday!


Hoping for a League side in the draw tomorrow!

Won fouls and then bitched when we bought one of him...

This

Delighted with the victory though neither my Son or I (or the people all around us) could fathom out the substitutions.
Understand Clarke but not Ofoborh and putting defenders in midfield.
I don’t want to throw any player under the bus 🚌 but particularly second half Freckleton looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights. No composure - attempted to hoof any ball at his feet, stood like a statue when the cross came in for goal one and had totally disappeared from position when cross came in from his side for second goal.
If Delaney is now fit I hope he comes in and Freckleton is taken out of firing line.
Still convinced the players are good enough for a challenge at top of table but not with stats driven waffling data coach Kennedy. 
Without going over old ground who would come in other than Mad Gav so a proper director of football NOT Russell would be in place with proper ownership and sort things out ….
Chatting with Cheltenham friends last night in the pub and they are convinced Flynn will be sacked before Kennedy but will be replaced by Lee Johnson with his Dad already in the background as Cheltenham director of football !!!!!!

We’ve changed manager enough times recently- need to stick with it.
Look at Carlisle since they changed manager(apart from the first game bounce) they have a decent budget and brought in lots of players.

We needed that win so badly. The consequences of going down would be disaster. Not that this win proves we won't, it proves there are some terrible teams in this league that aren't us.

I can sort it see why he wanted more solid players in midfield. But it plain didn't work. That momentum totally swung and thankfully Cheltenham were just bad enough not to take advantage.

Onto what are three tricky games coming up. Even if Salford aren't pulling up trees ... Away on a Tuesday...

I somewhat concur.

If Kennedy had put on Cain & McGurk then Cheltenham were still coming at us and we concede two people are moaning he didn’t put on more solid players.

We put on more solid players (in theory) & still conceded two so people are moaning we should have put on midfielders in midfield.

Both are somewhat valid & logical but the proof is in the pudding. We shut up shop & win 3-0 it’s the right decision.

Im not sure bringing on Cain & McGurk would have made that game any safer.
Leaving Ofoborh on probably would have though…

On the three tricky games front, what a weird league. Just caught up with other results.

Morecambe and Accrington both won yesterday, beating in form Barrow and Gillingham.

Carlisle are now bottom of the league...

Our left hand side in the second half was a complete car crash.

They had absolutely acres of space, and were allowed to drive pretty much freely into our final third.

At 1-3 I called the next goal would come down that side in the coming minutes, and sure enough it did.

If I can see this coming, why can't Kennedy?

I'm really sorry to single out Freckleton, but he is just half a yard off the pace in all aspects. I lose count the amount of times a ball is clipped over his head and he mis judges it. Or when he's favourite for a 50/50 and loses out. He is a bit of a calamity. Other teams know this and prey on it. We have no left side alternative because Delaney is never fit.

Sheffield United probably can't believe their luck. They're going to get 46 games out of Freckleton and he will be much better for it. Unfortunately, at the moment it looks like it'll be at our expense.

I have no issue with our club being a guinea pig but only when it's obvious the player coming down is quite clearly too good for the level and is here to build experience. Think Brandon Cooper, Jack Stephens and the like.

Yet in the first 10 minutes he made a fantastic last ditch tackle/interception to stop a Cheltenham player being one on one with the keeper inside the box.

Well that's alright then!

Freckleton we must assume, was never meant to play so many games. We have had lots of injuries at the back, that has meant that he has had to play.

I think he has done generally quite well with just defending (I think he has got worse in the last 3-4 games though), its more the forward looking play, he gets caught with the ball or passes to no one or refuses the best forward ball.

I'm not sure who else we have that can play LCB, that has been fit.

But there's no excuse in my opinion why he gets in above Minturn. I'm not having that left foot business. It's no good if you keep giving the ball away. A Pro footballer should be quite capable of being right footed on the left of a back three

It also make sno sense from a club point of view

Surely we are better developing Minturn, giving him 40+ games then flogging him.

Instead we are doing the same thing with Freckleton except he isn't ours.

Do you think there's a clause where we have to pay a % of Freckletons wages if he doesn't play?

For years now loans have been like that.

The fee and/or % of wages is agreed at x but for every game started the price drops by z amount.

So, the more they play the cheaper they are.

I'm not sure. Why would you take Freckleton on loan with the (commonly applied) % fee clause when hall, Delaney and Wright were signed?

I know hall and Delaney have a history of injuries but even so.

I suppose we could be so brassic we'd have to play him just for cashflow reasons. But that's speculation

btw, I found it interesting that up until his injury in January, Freckleton played almost all of his games at Chesterfield as a left back.

This might explain a lot.

I’m not sure why you’d loan him just to be back up?…and why would his parent club want him loaned out as back up (unless they’ve completely written him off)

Is he in the last year of his contract?

Fair point DV

The few times that I've seen Minturn play at LCB he hasn't done well.  I think Minturn is better in the centre of the three.

We would be better off playing Minturn if it was just about development of the one player and not the team.

You’d think so, but I recall FBT starting a game as the right sided CB and he was really poor, so can imagine a younger player struggling even more

Fair few moaning about freckleton on the way out yesterday too.

I don't think Kennedy did him favours with his interview the other week.

Lads confidence is no doubt fragile right now.

Definitely not writing him off having a good career. He's adjusting to the grind of league football, to a more expectant crowd and the other harsh realities he's had limited exposure to.

That's not helping us right now though. Hopefully if he is playing the on/off availability of Hall and Delaney will help him through.

Oh absolutely no question Freckleton will go on to have a career in the EFL. Absolutely no doubt.

It's just similar to Kovar, we are the ones who are going to spend 6 months putting up with his mistakes whilst he learns his trade.

I would rather Minturn made all the mistakes instead.

The plan may have been for him to compete as LWB when Delaney was fit. However since we have signed Cox and McGregor has proved Kennedy an idiot for ignoring him, i dont see how Freckleton plays. He was better first half yesterday, but second half the oppo players kept going past him like he wasn't there. It was very bad.

Not convinced Freckleton has much of a career myself honestly.

Mildly amusing that Swindon are arguing about whether the LCB needs to be left footed whilst England keep playing a succession of right footed defenders as the actual left full back.

My personal feeling is that it's ideal for the LCB to be left footed, but they do have to be at least nearly as good as the right footed alternative. Picking Freckleton to start the season was perfectly reasonable, but he shouldn't be undroppable either.

The point about the interview is correct I think - fans react badly to players clearly being held to different standards and it does seem like he, for whatever reason, is.

I assume at England level you’d be more two footed/ talented so maybe foot preference doesn’t matter as much.

Don't know if anyone's read Flynn's post match interview. Don't know how to post a link but read it if you want a good laugh! What a sap!

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/defending-nowhere-near-standard-required-9627909

I've got a feeling Freckleton will be one of those that's not great for us but in a few years ends up as a decent Championship defender.

Watching a Michael Flynn side completely unable to defend did bring some PTSD from last season. The guy doesn't have a clue how to organise a side defensively at all.

He reckons they've been working on defending in training and therefore should never have conceded from a cross ever again! Cue 2 goals from crosses!

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D90PCF0vZs