Swindon Town v Oldham Athletic Official Matchday Thread

[JoeMezz]

Just got back.

Pros
-the Thai Green Curry in Fjortoft's before the match was actually quite enjoyable, despite my reservations.
-The four/five lads in the DRS who sang the 'Thompson chant' (to the tune of no limit) for about ten minutes straight without a rest. Good work boys.
- TAH looks like he is actually pretty good, despite his constant moaning. Pleased to have him back in the squad for his playing ability. Was better than most of our midfielders going forward.
-Fods made a couple of great saves in the 2nd half

Cons- Everything fucking else.

I'm going to the pub.

Was involved in this - must say myself but this was the highlight of the game for me too.

[THE FLASH]

Nathan Byrne was woeful on the wing today.
I know I should not single out any individual but not one decent cross into the box, out muscled every tackle, actually I felt sorry for him and should have come off.
Worse home game of the season and their keeper had nothing to do all game.
It was absolutely garbage.

But at least he tried Duke, that other fucker over the other side was woeful.....trap the ball, pass sideways/back......two big and decent headers of the ball send the ball in quick!

Byrne just hit it in to the first man or took nine touches too many and fell over.

[TheMajorSTFC]

I'll read back later...Byrne was fucking crap today, as for Luongo he gets worse every time I see him! Harley was bollocks and we were just pretty shit overall! Some positives, Wes made a few good stops, TAH good to see him back and at least he tried to enforce himself on the game! No passion from anyone else, and felt like a waste of a Saturday afternoon! We'll win Wednesday though - all on the JPT for me! Personally feel we've been lucky to win the last few home games, but we've got it done, however all 'runs' come to an end and for me a good job we've got so many points on the board as we have looking forward!

Anyways off for a curry and a few (more) beers! 

[JoeMezz]

One thing for me that the team is lacking has to be ball winners. A lot of half-hearted players in our starting 11 today (Harley, Byrne, Barker and Rekord and Luongo to some extent) - most of them looked scared of making a challenge. Thompson brothers proper footballers, even if Nath didn't have the best of games today. TAH looked good to be fair, and showed a lot more desire than everyone else!

About Luongo - don't know what it is but he looks a shadow of what he was at the start of the season, maybe knackered, is his first full season and has played majority of minutes.

[Reg Smeeton]

One thing for me that the team is lacking has to be ball winners. A lot of half-hearted players in our starting 11 today (Harley, Byrne, Barker and Rekord and Luongo to some extent) - most of them looked scared of making a challenge. Thompson brothers proper footballers, even if Nath didn't have the best of games today. TAH looked good to be fair, and showed a lot more desire than everyone else!

About Luongo - don't know what it is but he looks a shadow of what he was at the start of the season, maybe knackered, is his first full season and has played majority of minutes.

Tackling is largely going out of the game, which is why we haven't got any....as for Mass, Div 3 is a place of hard attritional football...you need some hard seasoned pros, to compete properly, rather than sporadically, we haven't got any besides Ward, and so are always going to be erratic. What we must hope is that these lads, can come back a bit more battle hardened and street wise next season.

[Nomoreheroes]

Based upon what I've read here today I have the following comments:

1. I'm surprised that anyone has been considering playoffs with the 'youth' signings we have made this year and the culling of experienced and expensive players.
2. JPT is our only chance of any glory. Kasim was 'rested' because of a niggle and to save him for the JPT. I'm happy with that as Harley 'should' have been an able deputy. Kasim appears to make our side tick or at least more cohesive. If Harley couldn't do that then no wonder we struggled.
3. We were missing Mason and Pritchard who are our two most creative players. Any surprise that there was no spark? Couldn't bring Reis on because of other needs - Not sure whether he would have been the answer either as ?I dont think anyone has seen enough of him to judge.
4. Luongo went off with tight hamstrings according to Cooper. Barker for Ranger was an obvious change if he was ineffective. Smith probably stayed on the pitch as he had gelled with Ranger in the last 2 games.
5. TAH given 45 mins to get him game time and give Ward a rest. No problem with that. The comment about him not wanting to play for Town was a joke based upon the fact that he has not featured for 13 months due to constant injury.

Finally, this is what being a Town fan is all about. Following a team that in between brilliance and shockingly shitness which battles for a mid to lower half table finish. Defeats are hard to take, but need to be put in context.

I'm looking forward to seeing us on the box - I always do. However, the majority of the time (over the years) we never do ourselves justice or I just end up disappointed.

[4D]

TBF I haven't been to a single game all season,  but we don't sound as good a side as we had up until November. Swindon historically go to shit during the winter,  I think our fans (me included)  assume we should at least be a mid table championship side and therefore should be in with a shout,  but then again we haven't been in the championship for a long time. More a case of nearly but not quite,  I suppose that is what makes it so frustrating.

[JoeMezz]

Tackling is largely going out of the game, which is why we haven't got any....as for Mass, Div 3 is a place of hard attritional football...you need some hard seasoned pros, to compete properly, rather than sporadically, we haven't got any besides Ward, and so are always going to be erratic. What we must hope is that these lads, can come back a bit more battle hardened and street wise next season.

Agree with that, Cooper is learning a lot throughout the season I expect too. What today also showed is how much we missed our 3 best players on the ball in the team - Pritch, Mason and Kasim. Can only hope that we replace the 2, and possibly 3, that are likely to not be here next season.

[sonicyouth]

We've barely come close to being a Championship side in the time I've supported the club. Realistically, play-offs is the pinnacle for me.

I have doubts that we could sustain ourselves any higher than this.

[Nomoreheroes]

'Today has taught me that one or two players can talk a good game but can’t back it up.'

Thought that was an interesting comment from Cooper. Presumably has to relate to players that haven't been starting lately?  Hartley? Reckord? Byrne?

[deltaincline]

My first match day post for quite a while.

What a fucking shitbag cunt of a performance that was today.

Pro's: Troy - fucking monster of a 2nd half cameo. Rusty? maybe.

He's obviously grown wayy bigger knackers than some of his contempories while he's been fucking around on the Playstation / Twitter account for the last 18 months though, and was the best centreback and midfielder we had on show all game.

Fods: Top drawer saves to keep the score respectable. Kept himself alert all game (a nailed-on 'must do' with the geriatric old cunt Ward playing in front of him.

Gladwin: Showed some bollocks going forward despite a shaky start to his town career. Got into the game and showed some good movement and passing going forward.

Cons: The most insipid, lifeless, gutless, cluless, gay fucking gordon performance I've seen out there for many a year.

Special mention: I fucking hate picking on players individually, but does anyone else see the uncanny resemblance that Harley has to Matt 'The Fairy' Hewlett??

Waltzing around the pitch, half-hearted tackles, posing touches to no one and generally looking like he's doing something, but actually contributing fuck all in reality.

Up yer game Harley, or we'll send Andy Gurney round to see your missus...

And if the rumours are true about Ranger arriving at the ground half an hour before the match, well, he fucking deserves to fail miserably in football, let alone life in general.

That said, somehow I think a decent manger would actually get his respect, so I think he probably considers Cooper to be a bit of a knob and therefore worthy of his disdain.

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

I know we had players out today but Coopers selections really baffle me sometimes. Barker is a small striker. Why on earth is he being played out wide? Should have played N'Guessan but then I guess he has pissed Power and Coops off and wont play for us again.

[Reg Smeeton]

Agree with that, Cooper is learning a lot throughout the season I expect too. What today also showed is how much we missed our 3 best players on the ball in the team - Pritch, Mason and Kasim. Can only hope that we replace the 2, and possibly 3, that are likely to not be here next season.

Yes...that is a bit of a concern, not sure what Mason's contract situation is , but he's a long way from the finished article and could probably do with following the Luongo road to the CG full time. Pritchard, reading between the lines we'd be unlikely to get. At the appointment stage, I was against Cooper getting it, but I think he's doing OK...as long as that continues, all well and good.

[lardy]

Question: When Ward was subbed for Troy, who was giving the Captains armband ??

[FormerlyPlymRed]

That was fucking shite. 

Ah well off to Peterborough and then Port Vale next