Swindon v Exeter pre match chat and matchday thread

[Bob's Orange]

But can someone explain to me why Saturday, of all days, we chose to go long with every kick, rather than playing it out like we have all season? I can't remember a single short goal-kick. It was perverse how much the ball was in the air all afternoon in fact.

I'm no tactics guru but I think Exeter pressed us quite high up the pitch generally not giving us this option. Perhaps Wellens thought that REG was too much of a risk to try and play out from the back?

I did notice this as well RF.

[theakston2k]

But can someone explain to me why Saturday, of all days, we chose to go long with every kick, rather than playing it out like we have all season? I can't remember a single short goal-kick. It was perverse how much the ball was in the air all afternoon in fact.

Simple, if you play short and get boxed in you have no out ball as the wind will limit the effectiveness of clearances. Also the wind increases the chances of mistakes so the last thing you want is to get penned in.

[Red Frog]

I'm no tactics guru but I think Exeter pressed us quite high up the pitch generally not giving us this option. Perhaps Wellens thought that REG was too much of a risk to try and play out from the back?

I did notice this as well RF.

Simple, if you play short and get boxed in you have no out ball as the wind will limit the effectiveness of clearances. Also the wind increases the chances of mistakes so the last thing you want is to get penned in.

Yep, I think you're both right. The combination of their high line and relative quality, REG's inexperience and the conditions might well have led to the instruction to play safe and long. I remember when people used to say Wellens didn't have a plan B.

[Peter Venkman]

A few posts during/after the game on the Exeter forum, as normal.

"another late tackle by Doughty but no booking".
Dirty barsteward. Wish we had a Clive Whitehead or Graham Parker to sort that **** out.
 
Criminal that Doughty can take our captain out of the game, not even get a booking, and then they bloody score

Swindon are ripping us to pieces, they could be 3 - 0 up.
Our back line is being exposed for it's lacks of pace. Sweeney, Martin, Parkes and Moxey sadly isn't the answer against better quality teams.

Disappointing that Bowman got booked for that when some Swindon players have hammered ours with some challenges in this half without anything.
 
very deserved lead for Swindon, Jaiyesimi has caused us a lot of problems.

A freak goal cause by the wind, their second could have been prevented

Very strong attacking half from Swindon but we have made too many misjudgments at the back. They could have literally scored five this half with more clinical finishing, which at least gives us hope. We misjudged the wind very badly, you can't keep thumping the ball into the air towards the half way line when it comes back to you. Playing against the wind isn't always a disadvantage in this league but it has been so far for us. We need to use it in our favour second half. I'm sorry but I honestly can't see us causing them problems unless the team shape changes.

Massive Hand ball then off side with their move with cross straigh after that for their 2nd. Can't play against that. Very Bad Refereeing and everyone in stand agrees.

All I'll say, we would been 3-4 down if Maxted had been in goal. Ward instills confidence in the defenders

Very very poor performance, lucky to be 2 - 1 down rather than 4 or 5.

Defensively we have been very suspect, midfield has been very average and going forward we have done next to nothing. Apart from Williams goal we have looked totally toothless.

Shame Swindon scored a goal that should never have stood. Clear handball in build up.

Looking at the replay, it's one of those handballs that would definitely be given under the current rules strictly speaking. The player that plays the ball into the box collects the ball after it hits his arm and it very much helps him get the ball under control. Not deliberate but technically a handball under current rules. And as you say "massive" in the sense of obviousness and contact with the arm.

Still a lot of games to go, we wont meet many teams as good as Swindon.

Randell Williams was excellent all the way through this game for me, but otherwise we weren't good enough to win this game.

Swindon were a good side, the wind was obviously a huge factor in the game and Swindon handled it better on the day.

Swindon with their strike force.....the Championship must now be theirs to lose.

We move on Swindon have been top for a long time and are there for a reason

Lost too many 50/50s and second balls today. Never gave ourselves the opportunity to play. Swindon sharper all round.

To lose away to the team that is top of the league, that had extra mo with their 2 goalscorers back, that had 11k fans behind them and a ref who failed to send off their dirty barsteward Doughty is no shame and there's no need to panic.
But the brief but implausible rumour that Stockley was coming back makes you realize what we're missing.

I did find it interesting how so many of the Swindon fans on various forums berated Newport for their tactics, yet in the 2nd half there was rarely a ball boy in sight and their keeper was runing the clock down from the 46th minute. their time wasting tactics were so blatant and the ref just let it all happen.

we did give it a right go in the second half but Beaten by the better side - adapted to the wind better than us - and our final ball and crosses were generally poor. They saw the game out in a way that we never seem to be able to at home against average teams.
 
Swindon battered us with the wind behind them first half... We couldn't exert the same pressure 2nd half. I think basically because they're a better side. One or two of our players seem to be not quite at their best at the moment

Referee had a shocker today. Was surprised when I realised he was the same ref we had against Plymouth when he gave us a very soft pen. Must be a homer!
Also my Swindon Supporting uncle was right behind the handball in the build up to the goal and he said it was a clear handball.

No doubts that Swindon are a good side and will be promoted. Couldn't believe it when they

I think with such a potent strike force of Doyle, Yates and Hope the league title is now Swindon’s to lose.

I don't think Swindon will drop away

They’re a good side who will win the league, on to the next one...

Matt Taylor disappointed that City didn't compete and were 2nd to the ball all over the pitch...

The there was all the shit about Power being laughingly described as a sugar daddy, no need to post the vitreol idiotic comments from a lot of Exeter fans about that. Comments like "you end up crying in their beer when their club finds itself on the brink of extinction due to financial mismanagement and reliance on one individual. Join you? No thanks."

Good atmosphere. Swindon fans were good all game I thought, behind their team.

The Swindon ‘keeper did not have a meaningful save to make despite the wind assisted possession the Grecians had.
A missed handball in the build up to the 2nd goal was ultimately the difference between the sides.But in truth the home side created & squandered many opportunities in the first half.

Never thought I would see it.Ballboys that take the pi55 more than the goons at Home Park !

Not wanting to sound bitter as Swindon were clearly the better team today, but I'd almost say it's cheating to design your ground to be a wind tunnel. Because that's what it is.

Losing against Swindon away considering all the circumstances is not a disaster

Obviously the conditions played a big part in the game yesterday with Doughty and Jaiyesimi showing everyone inside the County ground how to put a ball into the box with the wind how it was....practically every corner or cross they put over was extremely difficult to defend and looked like something could come of it with Doughty coming close to putting two or three corners into the top corner himself.....and then second half what was so disappointing for me City failed to put a decent corner or cross into the Swindon box all half most of them under shoulder height

I thought that given everything that was stacked against - injuries, unsympathetic ref etc - we actually competed against Swindon pretty well and weren’t blown away by the team who look like finishing as champions.

I think Swindon will won the league but the other 2 spots are right up for grabs.

[Bob's Orange]

On the whole only a couple of ridiculous statements from those Exeter comments. Most of those was pretty fair and measured. I picked out some of the more silly ones.

"Massive Hand ball then off side with their move with cross straigh after that for their 2nd. Can't play against that. Very Bad Refereeing and everyone in stand agrees."

The hand ball was a hand ball but it bounced up and Caddis didn't know where the ball was so clearly accidental. That said, if the shoe was on the other foot I would have been annoyed. That said, what offside is he referring to though?? Also, how does he know if everyone in the stand agrees, has he asked them all? Finally who cares if they agree or not!!

"All I'll say, we would been 3-4 down if Maxted had been in goal. Ward instills confidence in the defenders"

No, just no. Their keeper was a nightmare.

"Not wanting to sound bitter as Swindon were clearly the better team today, but I'd almost say it's cheating to design your ground to be a wind tunnel. Because that's what it is."

Clearly this one has been on the toilet duck.

[Bob's Orange]

I also have a bit of sympathy with the fans that mentioned about Doughty. He got a booking and then made a couple of niggly, silly fouls that probably didn't warrant a yellow, but had Exeter made a bit more of a meal of things he could have seen red.

[singingiiiffy]

Even GP himself said he didn't get a touch of it in his postmatch. Clearly the ball swerved in through the sheer force of his charisma.

With talking about the exeter forum, on there is a 360 video highlights package with a view on the "doyle" goal from the angle of the dugouts. it goes over his head by miles and literally no where near. i hate mates get paid out on skybet for doyle being credited. quite funny, the commentator of that video said yates headed it onto the defender to throw another name in the hat

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

Pretty fair comments overall (cheers for posting JJ)...although the Power/Sugar Daddy comments were pretty funny - football fans can be so bitter sometimes (and our own fans are no different).

And talking of bitter...

Not wanting to sound bitter as Swindon were clearly the better team today, but I'd almost say it's cheating to design your ground to be a wind tunnel. Because that's what it is.

This is the most unintentionally hilarious comment from an opposing fan I have ever read  

Not bitter? No, not much - Very bitter and very, very stupid

[Exiled Bob]

I also have a bit of sympathy with the fans that mentioned about Doughty. He got a booking and then made a couple of niggly, silly fouls that probably didn't warrant a yellow, but had Exeter made a bit more of a meal of things he could have seen red.

I thought at the time that he was lucky. He did one just after he'd been booked and was lucky (and you could see he knew it too) that the Ref played the advantage. And shortly after he did another silly little foul.

[Tails]

Just sour grapes isn't it. We deserved to win the game and did so.

[Red Frog]

It went in off his aura.

This hasn't got the credit it deserved. Brilliant comment! 

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

Just sour grapes isn't it. We deserved to win the game and did so.

I think in fairness though most of them are saying that...

[Audrey]

Well, if they think Doughty should have had a red what about Bowman(?) who was very late in on Frenchie and left him in a heap - I was sure that was going to be a red.

Saying that, Doughty does seem to have been in a raw meat diet lately.

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

Well, if they think Doughty should have had a red what about Bowman(?) who was very late in on Frenchie and left him in a heap - I was sure that was going to be a red.

Saying that, Doughty does seem to have been in a raw meat diet lately.

Ironically, I think he's a vegan....(or am I making that up? Nor sure)

[Audrey]

That Quinoa must be strong stuff, then!