Swindon v Hartlepool Matchday Thread

[Reg Smeeton]

On reflection after a night to sleep on it, what really worries me about last night is the lack of energy. Now I'm really hoping that's just the usual complacency/failure to get up for lower sides etc, but with at the start of a run of back-to-back Tuesday/Saturday games, I'm worried it's just that they're not fit enough to play two games a week. So for once I find myself hoping that they just weren't good enough/couldn't raise the interest, because if it is lack of fitness, we're going to be proper in the crap come the end of March.

[url width=250 height=254]http://collectingtokens.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/eeyore_rain.jpg[/url]

[axs]

ooh, revenge!

[Reg Smeeton]

ooh, revenge!

 

[pauld]

haha good one Reg. And that picture pretty much sums up how I felt this morning too

[Reg Smeeton]

haha good one Reg. And that picture pretty much sums up how I felt this morning too

It's been a puzzle to me all season as to why we're that bad. I keep harking on about the 05/06 season, but it's fresh in the memory....then it was obvious from the outset, we'd struggle, we'd lost SSP...replaced him with Cureton, who hadn't scored for a year. We had too many loan players...Roberts was out at the rehab clinic...and we had a dodgy board.

This season...aside from the loss of Roberts, and I suppose some might argue Aljofree, we've been quite fortunate with injuries etc. We've one of the better strikers in the league, and a largeish squad of up until recently, our own players...we've now a decent board.

In 05/06 we had the worst run of defeats in our 85 year FL history...yet we are now a point worse off than at the same stage that season as we enter the final third.

I know a lot blame Malpas, but the pattern has been maintained through Byrne into Wilson, of generally getting decent results against the better sides, and being woeful against the dross.  Throw in the maddening loss of points to very late goals, and it leaves one scratching one's head.

This is why I've been suggesting we're in trouble for a while...not because I'm over negative...but there just seems no end to the pattern.

This run of games v teams below at home does now fill me with foreboding....the likes of HPool Carlisle and Yeovil have turned up with either terrible away records, or chronic shortage of goals, and we haven't taken advantage..there's nothing we've seen so far this season to think it will change.

[Batch]

If it were early in the season at least you could put it down to complacency. But that can't be the case now since, as you point out Reg,  we keep on fricking doing it and we are over half way through the season.

We have stopped giving away as many idiot goals (yes, I know, last night...), but we keep on giving late goals away.

The only conclusion I can come up with is that they are a bunch of bottling gutless bastards  without the ability to have at the opposition.

---

[DV]

I dont think the amount of chopping and changing has help either.

Last season the team was pretty consistent

Brez, Comminges, Ifil, Aljofree, Vincent, McGovern, Easton, Peacock, Zaaboub, Paynter, Cox

then after injuries, loans, new signings

Brez, Smith, Ifil, Aljofree, Comminges, McGovern, Easton, Timlin, McNamee, Paynter, Cox

Brez and Smith have both had spells in goal

Jack Smith & Big Kev have played right back. Ifil, Aljofree, Kanyuka, Morrison, Vincent have all played centre back. Casal, Smith, Amankwaah, Timlin, Kennedy, Francious, Vincent have all played left back. McGovern, Amankwaah, Easton, McNamee, Kanu on the right. Easton, McGovern, Pook, Allen, Peacock, Timlin, Nalis in the middle. McNamee, McGovern and Kaun on the left.

[Reg Smeeton]

 Not so sure about that DV...last season we used something like 34/ 35 players, changed managers, with a spell of caretaking....I don't think we are so different this season, the line between staying up and going down can sometime be very fine...with us it will look like points lost to 90th minute goals.

[Bennett]

because timlin seems to drop short at every opportunity

no no i mean when we get the ball and go forwards, timlin is about the only person who can actually pass (occasionally) in our midfield, him going short makes sense...but kanyuka going from holding to spliting the strikers (ohh-err) seems a bit strange, especially when he's completely apathetic about running back

[DV]

32 last season
28 this season

of course using more players doesnt always mean more chopping and changing. Obviously you cant play the same 11 each week because loss of form, injuries and suspensions will come in.

Maybe its just my perception for the most part I thought we had a very settled team.

[DV]

no no i mean when we get the ball and go forwards, timlin is about the only person who can actually pass (occasionally) in our midfield, him going short makes sense...but kanyuka going from holding to spliting the strikers (ohh-err) seems a bit strange, especially when he's completely apathetic about running back

after watching Kanyuka closely last night, all he can do in midfield is pass it sideways to Jack Smith. He can do that but if that ball isnt on he will lose it.

[Bennett]

does he flip out? i wasn't watching him that closely?

[THE FLASH]

It's been a puzzle to me all season as to why we're that bad. I keep harking on about the 05/06 season, but it's fresh in the memory....then it was obvious from the outset, we'd struggle, we'd lost SSP...replaced him with Cureton, who hadn't scored for a year. We had too many loan players...Roberts was out at the rehab clinic...and we had a dodgy board.

This season...aside from the loss of Roberts, and I suppose some might argue Aljofree, we've been quite fortunate with injuries etc. We've one of the better strikers in the league, and a largeish squad of up until recently, our own players...we've now a decent board.

In 05/06 we had the worst run of defeats in our 85 year FL history...yet we are now a point worse off than at the same stage that season as we enter the final third.

I know a lot blame Malpas, but the pattern has been maintained through Byrne into Wilson, of generally getting decent results against the better sides, and being woeful against the dross.  Throw in the maddening loss of points to very late goals, and it leaves one scratching one's head.

This is why I've been suggesting we're in trouble for a while...not because I'm over negative...but there just seems no end to the pattern.

This run of games v teams below at home does now fill me with foreboding....the likes of HPool Carlisle and Yeovil have turned up with either terrible away records, or chronic shortage of goals, and we haven't taken advantage..there's nothing we've seen so far this season to think it will change.

Everytime i see light at the end of the tunnel it turns out to be a bottom six side with a request for three points!!

If this season was a cup match you would be thinking our name was on the Trophy!

I am very worried!

[Crozzer]

Survival viewing from high altitude very simple, keep doing what we are doing away from home, but change what we are doing at home.

Losing at home to teams like Brighton, Yeovil or Hartlepool will obviously relegate us.  There is a mental barrier to winning the six-pointers at home, and more generally playing against poor sides.  The poor sides seem to dictate the game to us, but with the better sides we seem to make the opposition play below par.  Losing at Leicester, "it might happen, no pressure on the team (per Wilson)".  Losing at home to Hartlepool , something of a disaster (pressure to not make mistakes is huge, Malpas may as well be in the dug out).

How do we dictate the game to poor opposition, who will run and chase and try and nick something.  Possibly have have two midfield set-ups, so that 90 minutes of effort are put in for 45 minutes for two players, who are subbed for two players to do the same at half time.  We have a big enough squad to do this.  Also, Cox and Paynter running ragged isn't a good idea if there job is to score and hold the ball up. There has to be a 'minder' for Macca, Bobby Charlton needed Nobby Stiles.  If two or three players surround Macca, surely there is room for a "minder".  Macca seems to be o.k. for 45 minutes but not typically for 90 min.  The Easton of last season is now a necessity, what went wrong is it niggling injury?

The back four and front two just about pick themselves, that midfield does not.

Finally, lack of production at set pieces has to be a mental thing.  I am sure this has been worked to death on the training ground.

[THE FLASH]

http://www.football.virginmedia.com/page/Football/League1/VideoIndex/0,,12555,00.html

It just makes me angrier!!!