Wycombe Wanderers V Swindon Town FC - Official Matchday Thread

[REDBUCK]

There's 39 points to play for, and we are just 5 adrift, having come through a horrible run of tough games. We have a much 'easier' run ahead of us, with the odd exception.

It is far too early to be writing us off.

Out of the shite sprouts a rose

[Tails]

Thought we played quite well, going forward at least. The last two performances have been much, much better and we seem to have a better balance in the squad. Individual mistakes cost us and also I think the tactic to sit back and counter was wrong, but hindsight is great isn't it? Anderson and Woolery both should have scored, RCC and Lancashire both should've done better.

A lot saying we couldn't handle Bayo, which is true, but he was manhandling everyone and got away with it for the whole game. Still, putting Lancashire up against him was a mistake. There was a guy in front of me who derided us for hoofing (despite the fact we were actually knocking the ball around quite well) and then went on to say Wycombe were a good side... Quite odd considering they were extremely "hoofy" to say the least.

Generally I feel quite encouraged by the last few performances. Hopefully Preston isn't out for too long because the back 3 with him in looks MUCH better. Knoyle did well again, Taylor also (what a feckin hit that was). As I said in another thread, if we can keep up this level of performance we will win most of our remaining games.

[Flashheart]

Was there any confirmation on Preston?

[Batch]

yes, he's got a very swollen knee, has had scan and is due to see specialist Friday if swelling subsides.

it's not looking good, suspect medium term injury, but obviously will want confirmation/opinion from specialist

[Reg Smeeton]

yes, he's got a very swollen knee, has had scan and is due to see specialist Friday if swelling subsides.

it's not looking good, suspect medium term injury, but obviously will want confirmation/opinion from specialist

Might be helpful, probably means he'll miss the rest of the season, and so be out of contract in the summer.

 I've wondered why we haven't looked to sign him up for longer, but given the way he turned down Saddlers, his agent probably thinks he can do better than Div 4.   There's every chance we'll be in Div 4 next season, so he may need to accept another season with us, given the injury.

Give it a few more games and we can start to think about how Flitters can strengthen ready for a go at autos next season

[Batch]

If we don't go up I'm not sure he's (Flitcroft) going to be here. Harsh, but such is the way of the football world.

[Ticker45]

Not too much made on it here but I thought the referee was another one who was just not up to the type of game he was supposed to officiate in. Wycombe played him just right, falling over at the slightest touch, any so called "injuries" stretched as far as possible to break up play and turning a blind eye to blatant pushing (Akinfenwa especially for the first goal).

[Reg Smeeton]

If we don't go up I'm not sure he's (Flitcroft) going to be here. Harsh, but such is the way of the football world.

We haven't been too far of this season... halted the slide and been mostly competitive... we've got BPV and Chesterfield coming up as a reminder of how easy it is to slip from Div 3 into the Conference relegation mix.

The squad hasn't been quite deep enough, and long term injuries to the likes of Conroy and Hussey haven't helped.

Another problem is that there seems to be nothing coming up from the youth ranks... a run of games like we've just had, is an ideal opportunity to give a kid a chance, if you think they've a chance of a career. They won't play more than maybe 7 or 8 games but give you fresh legs. PdC did it a bit with Billy Bodin, Sturrock had Lukey Dukey.  It seems that the boy Young who looked likely, is just not strong enough, which is a shame.

[pauld]

Another problem is that there seems to be nothing coming up from the youth ranks... a run of games like we've just had, is an ideal opportunity to give a kid a chance, if you think they've a chance of a career. They won't play more than maybe 7 or 8 games but give you fresh legs.

Is the problem that there's nothing coming up or that Flitcroft just doesn't like playing youngsters?

[Power to people]

Is the problem that there's nothing coming up or that Flitcroft just doesn't like playing youngsters?

Flitcroft keeps harping on about not wanting 'projects' in the team, so I suspect even if there was any ready and able he would not play them as they would be a project, hence 2 or 3 of our decent youngsters being shipped out on loan rather than staying here and able to fight for a place.

On another note what has Woolery & Mullen got to do to get a start Norris has been poor for the last few games and I'd suggest deserves a spell on the bench as he does not seem to be bringing a lot to the team at the moment even off the ball, so surely it is time for 1 of the mentioned 2 to be given a go.

[Reg Smeeton]

Is the problem that there's nothing coming up or that Flitcroft just doesn't like playing youngsters?

Well Elsnik is 19 and Mayo 20.  Iandolo is 20 and had a few games. 

I don't watch youth or reserve football these days like I used to, so it's a bit speculative but when we've had a lad in recent years who appears handy like Will Randall, they've been moved on pdq.   Randall played a bit for FGR this season but now back at Wolves

[chalkies_shorts]

 I'd put Mullin up with Richards and give Norris's injuries a bit of a rest. I'm not convinced by Woollery - far too raw and at his age he shouldn't be. He flatters to deceive.
As for last nights ref, I feel he should have booked their keeper for time wasting. As for Akinfenwa getting away with it, he might well have done but he wasn't really nasty or dirty- just solid and clever enough to know what he could get away with. We've got enough experience to know how to deal with him but Lancashire failed miserably.

[RobertT]

Like Landalo you mean Reg?

The problem with the younger players not being used beyond him is likely that they were recruited and trained based on a very different style of play.  They probably need a while to get used to the neck ache they get in training this season.

On the Ref last night, he didn't seem that bad to me.  Sure Akinfenwa plays on the edge, but he's cuter at it than Norris who will just launch his arms out when battling for a high ball.  The home crowd were clearly unhappy, so if he was bad, he was bad in equal measure and I still am not 100% sure what the goal was disallowed for.

Overall, last night was not a "bad" performance, it just pinpointed precisely where I don't like Flitcroft for me.  There was a clear tactical change after we scored, and it changed the pattern of the game in an instant, it was that evident.  We bypassed the midfiled at every opportunity trying to get the ball over the top I assume, but Wycombe just stretched the game, dealt with the long balls to three men falling over themselves in the same position and lumped it back ouor way to a much more effective target man.  Our switch in tactics might be advisable if we had Akinfenwa, but we don't.  Taylow barely made it past halfway after the change and he was our threat.  Elsnik didn't really get a touch in the final 20 minutes or so.

It sort of suggest to me that the good stuff is not completely by design, the patches of good play where they pass it through the team are more likely off the cuff.  Yes, Flitcroft signed the players, and I've mentioned four who are good signings, any Manager should get credit for that.  It just looks like he has to meddle, he has to be in charge or seen like he is making a switch.

Anyway, Play Offs has been where I have had us pegged since about the 3rd or 4th game, and I see no reason to change that view.  We'll have a few like Saturday and a few like last night, probably end-up mid 70's in points and take our Roulette football to a gamblers paradise.  On the plus side, I can't see us rolling over at Wembley if we get there with the team we have, Flitcroft can take the credit for that if it happens.

[Tails]

Or maybe he knew Wycombe would go for it and wanted to hit them on the counter - a tactic we've used successfully away from home on many occasions? It didn't work and it was the wrong thing to do - but if Woolery put the chance away (which he should have) then we are lauding Flitcroft.

Seems a bit of a dick move to say the bad shit is down to him and the good shit isn't. Its quite clearly deliberate as we've played the same way for the past 4 or 5 games.

[ferret]

We've been shit at bringing youths through for 20 years, so that's nothing new (3 lads this century have been at Swindon on their 15th birthday and gone on to make 12 or more league starts for the club - Thompson x 2 and Pook).

But, even with injuries, our squad is big enough. We had several capable unused substitutes yesterday. Mullin for Norris would have been the most glaringly obvious one. Iandolo for Elsnik would have been fine (Elsnik did well again but was understandably fucked by the end). Dunne could have done a job for the final 15/20. Even Robertson, on the basis of how well he did up against Stead, would have been a sensible replacement for Lancashire, who was all over the place vs Akinfenwa.

Flitcroft is evidently just too thick to notice that, on the back of Sat-Tues-Sat-Tues-Sat-Tues, most of them against promotion rivals, half our players are dead on their feet.