Thetownend.com

Crack on.

I want to complain about the urinal cakes used in the bogs.

They’re just not lemony enough.

Fucking disgrace.

Nice one 4D :emo:

I want to complain about crisps. You buy a packet of crisps and there’s fuck all inside it. A lot of promise, but when you open it up, it’s just all air and fuck all substance.

…….. awful ain’t it

The other thread was about the board, I'm not sure what you're expecting. It was a place to debate the new regime. It isn't hard to avoid.

Completely not needed.

There is a more relevant long standing thread for that.

Fuck off, cunt

Oh cripsy 💔

The only thing that makes me fucking happy Is drinking lots of beer and watching Swindon away

Can we just make it a general off-topic thread that all the other threads turn into anyway?

Looks like you’ve rocked the boat a bit here 4D.

Have they announced the matchday prices yet? I note *some* of the proposed increases from the already published prices have been decreased - but no details yet  (younger/"student" I think).

Bored

 :pint: :pint: :pint: :pint: :pint: :pint: :pint: :pint: :pint:

Yeah, and they don’t get much of a lather when you scrub your goolies with them.

We get the same moany bollocks on here every pre-season.

Can't wait for the season to start so I can read about how shit we are at football again.

Avoiding any penalty shoot outs.

A serious post...

Last year, on the first day of the season, I thought Scunthorpe played quite nice football. They seemed to have some decent players, who passed the ball around well. Unfortunately for them, we were able to rip into them and won comfortably. However, I felt that had they had a threat up top, it might have been a different game.

As the season progressed, we saw what happened to Scunthorpe.

My fear for us is that we may end up being this year's Scunthorpe. There is a fine line between playing nice stuff and winning and playing the same way and losing. I'm hoping that the last couple of signings in the 22/25 squad will make the difference for us.

we haven't signed any strikers yet NMH. That's going to be key

I am genuinely very concerned.
More so than this time last season - We knew what we had, this season we don’t and the team looks considerably weaker with less experience.

We have lost Hunt to add to the exodus.
Desperately need Payne and once again the lottery of loan players.
Last season we got them spot on with no guarantees this season we will get it right again.

Can only hope the new lads are far better than expectation.

Only had one decent striker last season in Simpson.
If he got injured we would have struggled.
Can only imagine how much better we would have been with one extra Striker that could have  scored around 15. Clearly irrelevant now but was hoping after the free hit season this one we would kick on.

And what's with the plastic sieve things they have in urinals now.

The irony is that we actually had a better PPG record after Simpson left.

Admittedly mostly due to Harry’s form in the second half of the season, but maybe we don’t need a decent striker.

Hopefully we do get one though

We obviously do need a striker or two. We don't necessarily need a 20 goal striker. But, a big fella to hold the ball up and bring others into the game is required

But players like that don’t come cheap,  Clem is going to have to realise we are not going to get players like Simpson for free every season, personally, from what I can gather Simpson would be happy to return,  so instead of three or four cheap/average players, bite the bullet Clem, whatever he costs he can make the difference plus could return a nice profit in a season or two’s time.

I would prefer a smaller squad with quality players rather than a squad of 25 where many just don't cut it. If we're unfortunate with injuries we would have to promote within.

That’s because Davison still got goals for us.
He wasn’t the perfect striker, he had flaws and certain aspects (or lack there of) of his game cost us massively in the play offs imo (as did our lack of options)
…however…it seems most of our fans would turn our noses up at Davison coming back.

I personally think he’d be a good addition to the squad but also think it would be a mistake going into a season with Davison as our first choice and only striker…but…Garner was obviously a fan and now he’s the Charlton manager so can’t imagine Davison is going out on loan any time soon anyway.

But that simply is not the case whatsoever. We have vast amounts more experience than this time last year and a striker who scored over 20 goals. I am staggered that it is being classed as an exodus, it really doesn't help

Conroy-Fans are a bit meh about
Akin-Hunt-Egbo- 3 right backs that not one was a regular starter. Egbo you can argue we desperately wanted to keep but the other 2 in no way would have been starters if he stayed
Wollocott- Wasn't even first choice keeper

This whole no experience absolutely staggers me i have to be honest, we have around 6 starters in our team over the age of 25 with so much experience

Rob Hunt played in 37 league games last season.  Conroy 35, AK 35

not as starters all the time.

now we have a much younger and less experienced rear guard (squad) , although shade at least matches last season's totals

that's where the concern comes from.

not unreasonable. but not necessarily  with foundation.

The newbies are unknown quantites. The fears will be gone if they get a couple of good performances in early doors. Same as it ever was.

However I'm really struggling to see where the budget uplift is being applied so far.

Bit harsh to claim Wollocott wasn’t first choice keeper. He was for the majority of the season & only got dropped because of his contract situation.

I’ve made my point on experience. We don’t lack experience per say but lack game management. We need to add someone with good game management skills whether they are 20 or 32.

Also, the lack of game management may have been down to the manager.

good point. bit if both I reckon

Has it been confirmed that Hunt has left?

No, someone just saw his car.

Same with Payne - I guess.

Until any of the following happen I guess there is still a possibility they return.
1. Club announce the contract offers have been declined or rescinded
2. Player announces they have left the club
3. Obligatory shirt / scarf pic of said players at another club

Not a fact, just a theory.

JW played 39 games for us in all competitions before being bombed out... I wonder if his contract triggered an extension after 40games and Garner to Charlton was in the works for a lot longer than we think. Probably nothing in it but it's strange how he couldn't get a look in then signs for Garner at the first opportunity.

*Waits to be shot down and dismissed...  :D*

I think the issue I’d have with that is…if we’d have played him and triggered it we’d either have Wollocott under contract for another year or we’d be due a fee for him.

I’ve assumed we had no trigger clause. Offered him a new deal, he declined so we moved on and dropped him *shrugs*

If it was all a plan from Garner to not trigger an extension to then sign him on a free - I’d imagine Clem might have stepped in at some point? It would have been in the clubs best interest to trigger an extension if that option existed

Still a little concerned at the back, lightweight in midfield and desperately short up front.
I know we will look to bring in at least 4 loans, can only hope they fill the gaps mate.
Just don’t feel we have enough to make a challenge yet. I hope so 🤞

Payne signing though would give me a massive lift.

Hunt is a quality league 2 right back.  Very rarely makes a mistake, never gets injured and allows the right winger to bomb on.   He's never going to rip someone a new one or create many chances but would be an asset to any league 2 team

Like alot of players he's been living away from his family though so may just want to move closer to them.

Do also need to consider the loans that we lost as well mind - Davison and Barry in particular played every game in the run in, Tomlinson, O'Brien also contributed. Sure we'll get more in, but it's not just as simple as the out of contract players.

no, and you can never say never.

But it was given the strong hint that his future lies elsewhere in one of the pods. Can't remember which, or if it was Sandro or Linsey that said it.

agree there. But he did get injured at just the wrong time last season

Taking all the emotion out of this.
Reading between the lines didn’t Lindsey say he wanted more width and attacking pace?
Hunt is far more of a full back, compared to a player like KKH who had pace to burn.

…or the right time depending on how much you think Egbo contributed to our late season form

I think so. it was clear Hunt wasn't really a fit for Garners style either.

true.

though both played at Harrogate. So maybe playing in front of Hunt would have worked too.

He'd certainly have been a good option for Vale away.

But no point in paying a decent wage to someone who didn't fit the normal system I suppose

Yeah not the greatest but my main point was we have bought in a replacement and would he have played this season? Agree we will need good loans which is why i don't get the concern as such yet 

You have actually highlighted a reason for going the route we have. Those players did play a healthy amount last year and were a big part in an absolute shit show of a defence tbh. We used the loan perfectly last year and were just unfortunate with the Cooper injury.

good job we didn't give the defensive coach the managers job then

(disclaimer : this is a joke)

Hasn't it been mentioned that Lindsay will coach the defence (as he did last season) and his new lieutenant will coach the midfield (assuming nobody coaches the strikers)

I'm sure this was mentioned in an interview

So just seen the new match day ticket prices for next season and notice there are stealthy increases on all prices except the headline £25 price compared to the March literature. I know it was getting sounded out but did I miss the announcement confirming the increase in ticket prices?

I'm not sure anything has been confirmed until the article just released. I have put it on the advisory chat as I would like some feedback from the trust.

Don't think you missed it, they've just announced it in the article. Club seriously need to start showing their intentions in the market now as they will lose alot of people with this. These sorts of things are ok when fans see the changes happening on the pitch but this summer weirdly feels worse than last summer in terms of feel gpood. I personally think the club will come good but they need to get a move on if they want to keep the fans onboard

Announced in the small print at the bottom of the article, not trying to bury the news or anything. I would have thought such an increase would actually warrant a proper news article making it clear there have been increases.

My confidence is eroding. At least the honeymoon period is.

This, the increase I had the year after donating my season ticket money, the Man City mugging.

It just means I'll game the system. My eldest qualified for an U18 ST. On the games he can make I'll let him use my youngest sons U18 season ticket and buy an U18 match ticket for the youngest.

The way I see it the U18 ST would have been valid had we bought one for him. So its valid to transfer .

Happy to have that argument at the turnstyle.

Fill your boots  :)