Northampton v Swindon pre match chat and matchday thread

[Shrivvy Road]

For the record: I categorically am not saying that we cannot play these passes at all, so you don't need to go there anymore.

And I don't care what the stats say. I watch the games myself and I know what I see.

You said

Yet, most of the other players playing for other teams in L2 "for a reason", are able to make simple passes?

I read that as you were saying we can't make simple passes like other teams can, the stats are quite important in what i was replying to mate.

[Flashheart]

I repeat:

"For the record: I categorically am not saying that we cannot play these passes at all, so you don't need to go there anymore."

I don't think I could be any clearer.

[JBZ]

In addition to focusing too heavily on certain stats, watching matches exclusively on ifollow can mean that one misses out on subtle nuances that are apparent when watching live.

[Shrivvy Road]

I repeat:

"For the record: I categorically am not saying that we cannot play these passes at all, so you don't need to go there anymore."

I don't think I could be any clearer.

You said that after though mate ffs. If you had actually said that before i posted i wouldn't have responded to you saying we couldn't surely?

[Flashheart]

You said that after though mate ffs. If you had actually said that before i posted i wouldn't have responded to you saying we couldn't surely?

So?

At no point did I say what you keep on insisting on what I said. That's your strawman.

I don't understand why you're persisting with this. I've clarified my position.

[Shrivvy Road]

So?

At no point did I say what you keep on insisting on what I said. That's your strawman.

I don't understand why you're persisting with this. I've clarified my position.

Ha i am not persisting. I am responding to you saying what you said. You didn't mean it in the way you posted it, thats fine. Like I said I wouldn't have responded initially if you had posted you weren't implying we can't pass 5 yards as well other teams before I posted.

No need to get so dramatic every time mate, someone disagrees with you, it's fine

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

Before I comment on the game I would like to address two very frequently made points...

a) I don't care what happens this season, I'm just just thankful to still have a team to support

b)We had no pre-season

I agree and endorse the above comments 1000% BUT...we move on, things change. We have a new owner thank God (pretty decent one it would appear). We've brought in some very decent players for our level so whilst I'm delighted to still have a team to support, I wouldn't be at all happy with finishing third from bottom (and I'm sure we won't)...and as for the 'pre-season' thing, we're 10 games in now, in addition to the few actual pre-season games we did play. So we're well and truly past that. The above points should not deflect any criticism away from the players and coaching staff.

You also hear people saying 'We're still gelling as a team'....I'm not buying that either. As far is that goes I'd say we've gelled pretty well. That's not the reason we can't play a decent, incisive ball in the final third, or get to the byline and get a decent cross in or quite simply HAVE. A. SHOT. AT. GOAL....rocket science it isn't. Am I imagining it or was Kaine Kessler Hayden's only decent game for us up at Scunthorpe on the opening day? It's the same sort of situation as with Williams and Gilbert. It's like any positive instincts or intentions they may have is being coached out of them. Posession is a national obsession and seems to be something Garner subscribes to but it means sweet FA without an end product.


The only thing stopping us making the play offs or better is 'Garnerball'...he acknowledges that we're not good in the final third but time and again he does nothing about it. Those first 20 minutes which he thinks were 'brilliant'...Northampton only had to stand there while we huffed and puffed. He mentions the final third in passing as an aside but it's the be all and end all Garner FFS...

I had high hopes that Williams and Gilbert starting would give us more direction and a cutting edge but they just seem to have fallen in to line with how the rest of the team are playing. And I thought Williams was a winger? He just seemed to be wandering around in the middle not doing much of anything.

Yeah...a point's a point, we're lucky to have a team to support, we have a new owner who has done and said all the right things to this point and fair play to him.

We could be doing so much better though.

[DiV]

pass completion % is entirely pointless without context.

it could be 100% when not under pressure, and 2%  when trying to open the opposition

but I don't know what/how statistics are interpreted by the club. you think they would break it down far more than the single figure us fans get.

it's sure to show that the first half was ploddy, and only the spell after the goal really showed what we are trying to achieve

Similar to possession percentage. Absolutely pointless stat on its own. You break it down into thirds and it it’s slightly better data. I’d imagine the large majority of our possession is in our own third.

[Peter Venkman]

I agree totally OST.

[DiV]

On a separate note though i do think we need to start seeing a bit more from our attacking players. We are crying out for a midfielder who can carry the ball through the middle at the moment. I thought Williams was very poor yesterday

Don’t get the hype with Williams.
One run and cross against Mansfield but little else so far.

Be interesting to know how many of his former clubs rate him.

[Peter Venkman]

I’d imagine the large majority of our possession is in our own third.

I would say that more than 50% of our total possession is in our defensive 3rd, probably nearer 75% in our own half.

[DiV]

I would say that more than 50% of our total possession is in our defensive 3rd, probably nearer 75% in our own half.

Certainly feels like it. I don’t suppose that information is readily available though.

I’d say it’s probably split about 60/30/10 and a chunk of that 30 in the middle is just outside are third and the ball being passed back into it.

[Peter Venkman]

Those figures sound close to what I would think too.

[Batch]

But the thing is that the stat, whatever the breakdown, must be available to the coaching staff.

In which case there is a chance to address it.

well, hopefully.

[DiV]

Before I comment on the game I would like to address two very frequently made points...

a) I don't care what happens this season, I'm just just thankful to still have a team to support

b)We had no pre-season

I agree and endorse the above comments 1000% BUT...we move on, things change. We have a new owner thank God (pretty decent one it would appear). We've brought in some very decent players for our level so whilst I'm delighted to still have a team to support, I wouldn't be at all happy with finishing third from bottom (and I'm sure we won't)...and as for the 'pre-season' thing, we're 10 games in now, in addition to the few actual pre-season games we did play. So we're well and truly past that. The above points should not deflect any criticism away from the players and coaching staff.

You also hear people saying 'We're still gelling as a team'....I'm not buying that either. As far is that goes I'd say we've gelled pretty well. That's not the reason we can't play a decent, incisive ball in the final third, or get to the byline and get a decent cross in or quite simply HAVE. A. SHOT. AT. GOAL....rocket science it isn't. Am I imagining it or was Kaine Kessler Hayden's only decent game for us up at Scunthorpe on the opening day? It's the same sort of situation as with Williams and Gilbert. It's like any positive instincts or intentions they may have is being coached out of them. Posession is a national obsession and seems to be something Garner subscribes to but it means sweet FA without an end product.


The only thing stopping us making the play offs or better is 'Garnerball'...he acknowledges that we're not good in the final third but time and again he does nothing about it. Those first 20 minutes which he thinks were 'brilliant'...Northampton only had to stand there while we huffed and puffed. He mentions the final third in passing as an aside but it's the be all and end all Garner FFS...

I had high hopes that Williams and Gilbert starting would give us more direction and a cutting edge but they just seem to have fallen in to line with how the rest of the team are playing. And I thought Williams was a winger? He just seemed to be wandering around in the middle not doing much of anything.

Yeah...a point's a point, we're lucky to have a team to support, we have a new owner who has done and said all the right things to this point and fair play to him.

We could be doing so much better though.

Very good post.
Early day but Garnerball feels like a hindrance rather than a positive.
I mean Garnerball is a good way to go but we need more. Garnerball + more attack or Garnerball but 30 yards further up the pitch or slightly less Garnerball and bit more agriculture or Garnerball up a gear.