Harrogate vs Swindon Town build up & matchday thread

[Nemo]

I have absolutely no reason to think this, but I have this weird feeling that we are heading in the same direction as the 2010/11 side with regards to there being fractions in the dressing room, like when Prutton signed.

If there are fractions, that might explain why were so much worse in the second half

[molepar]

If there are fractions, that might explain why were so much worse in the second half

It finally makes sense why we struggled with the final third!

[@MacPhlea]

I have absolutely no reason to think this, but I have this weird feeling that we are heading in the same direction as the 2010/11 side with regards to there being fractions in the dressing room, like when Prutton signed.

When you build a team based on data, fractions will play a major role….

[Shrivvy Road]

The whole data thing is making me smile. Our better players saturday were actually are newer signings i thought, not last seasons lot.

[Batch]

Bit early for f(r)actions, lack of a bond isn't it?

Obviously if we lose Saturday he's lost the dressing room

[Quagmire]

I’ve no idea what any of you are on about… 

[RobertT]

The whole data thing is making me smile. Our better players saturday were actually are newer signings i thought, not last seasons lot.

Really, which new signing played well that started the game?

Better is also relative, I'm struggling to remember a game last season where we looked as lacking in talent as we did at the weekend.  Worse performances maybe, but nothing about this weekends fixture provided any sense of hope that more was to come, that just a little bit better application/effort or tactics could improve.

That could of course be far from the reality of the situation, but nobody who was new to the team looked like they had something else in their locker that we might see, maybe McDonald aside.   At least with McKirdy, Reed and Williams we know that they can be better than that (although I wonder if they and Gladwin can all play together).

Harries, Brennan and the two wing backs worry me - it didn't look like they were lacking fitness, it seemed like they were just bang average quality players.  Please let me be wrong.  I'd also rather hope we didn't have to rely on using Baudry very often.

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

Really, which new signing played well that started the game?

Better is also relative, I'm struggling to remember a game last season where we looked as lacking in talent as we did at the weekend.  Worse performances maybe, but nothing about this weekends fixture provided any sense of hope that more was to come, that just a little bit better application/effort or tactics could improve.

That could of course be far from the reality of the situation, but nobody who was new to the team looked like they had something else in their locker that we might see, maybe McDonald aside.   At least with McKirdy, Reed and Williams we know that they can be better than that (although I wonder if they and Gladwin can all play together).

Harries, Brennan and the two wing backs worry me - it didn't look like they were lacking fitness, it seemed like they were just bang average quality players.  Please let me be wrong.  I'd also rather hope we didn't have to rely on using Baudry very often.

We were an absolute shambles and we’ve lost quality in the team.
On that showing alone and the fact that our best player was performing for Chesterfield in the National League it gives me reasons to be concerned.
Our pre season schedule was weak and if these players were signed on having “potential” then I can only hope the potential is released sooner than later. Equally if we are adrift from the chasing pack after a quarter of the season then this may not turn out very well.
The “we are lucky to have a club card” surely can’t be played anymore after the backing it received last season.
The next game can’t come soon enough to wipe away the gloom of that Saturday. Can only hope we see a different Swindon Saturday and some belief and hope is returned. I for one remain nervous on what I witnessed on and off the pitch Saturday.

[Shrivvy Road]

Really, which new signing played well that started the game?

Better is also relative, I'm struggling to remember a game last season where we looked as lacking in talent as we did at the weekend.  Worse performances maybe, but nothing about this weekends fixture provided any sense of hope that more was to come, that just a little bit better application/effort or tactics could improve.

That could of course be far from the reality of the situation, but nobody who was new to the team looked like they had something else in their locker that we might see, maybe McDonald aside.   At least with McKirdy, Reed and Williams we know that they can be better than that (although I wonder if they and Gladwin can all play together).

Harries, Brennan and the two wing backs worry me - it didn't look like they were lacking fitness, it seemed like they were just bang average quality players.  Please let me be wrong.  I'd also rather hope we didn't have to rely on using Baudry very often.

Well that's a weird response, you have basically just twisted what i said to create a totally different argument. To make it very simple though i thought

Brennan,Khan,Wakeling Shade played better than Reed Williams ,MacDonald Baudry   . Now i know you said starting 11 but not sure it makes any difference. Our so called more experienced players were really poor imo and poorer than our new signings

[Honkytonk]

'kin hell you lot we lost the opening game of the season, the first one since 2012/13, it was coming just by law of averages.

People saying Mckirdy is gone and Reed is too, MacDonald doesn't want to be here, rift in the dressing room, managers lost it, there's Rats in the chips, bar staff are pissing in the beer at the legends lounge, office staff are having fistfights daily over who had the last timtam Clem brought in.

Cats living with dogs, mass hysteria.

The game might have been shit but let's us not turn into Rovers fans overreacting at every little thing.

[Shrivvy Road]

'kin hell you lot we lost the opening game of the season, the first one since 2012/13, it was coming just by law of averages.

People saying Mckirdy is gone and Reed is too, MacDonald doesn't want to be here, rift in the dressing room, managers lost it, there's Rats in the chips, bar staff are pissing in the beer at the legends lounge, office staff are having fistfights daily over who had the last timtam Clem brought in.

Cats living with dogs, mass hysteria.

The game might have been shit but let's us not turn into Rovers fans overreacting at every little thing.

Said months ago i see this response coming. If we are 10 games in then I totally get it but we just have an element of our fanbase that are desperate to be proved right, even at the detriment of the club it seems these days. I am actually not looking forward to Saturday just have a feeling the atmosphere is going to be shit with all the prematch talk being about random made up rumours

[JBZ]

Just bought tickets for Saturday. Seemed to be quite a few available.

[RobertT]

Well that's a weird response, you have basically just twisted what i said to create a totally different argument. To make it very simple though i thought

Brennan,Khan,Wakeling Shade played better than Reed Williams ,MacDonald Baudry   . Now i know you said starting 11 but not sure it makes any difference. Our so called more experienced players were really poor imo and poorer than our new signings

I was careful enough to add caveats - that I hope my view is very wrong.

I thought Brennan showed some technical faults that are unlikely to improve with match fitness - namely his desire to ping balls into midfield that created pinball effects at times and, along with all the other defenders, a hopeless turning circle.  All three starting defenders look far too easily turned and beaten down their sides, and Harries continued that when he came on.  Of all of them, McDonald seems most likely to improve that with fitness.  Harries actually really worries me, and I know it's a snap judgement based on next to no playing time that I have witnessed.

The forward looked well off the pace, not just physically but in terms of knowing where to be and when.  That one you can put down to not being around the players.

Both wing backs looked poor to me, certainly not up to last seasons best players in those positions (KKH/Tomlinson, when here and fit).  Both very tentative/passive.

I am by no means writing the season off, or stating we will even struggle.  Just saying the team looked very poor, much worse than the first game last season.  Assuming we don't add to the squad, that's the real problem for me.  Cooper/KKH/O'Brien/Tomlinson/Simpson/JoJo and to a lesser extent Payne & Barry - nobody we have added looked up to that quality, yet.

And all of that comes with context, which in my case is the expectation that we should be going into this season as serious top 3 contenders.  No if's and but's, no post season happy to still be here vibes of last year.  We've had a year of 10k crowds and a play off squad to work with.

[Shrivvy Road]

Not that I would disagree with any of that but my point wasn't about any of that, I was simply saying they were still better performances than our supposed better players.

[Legends-Lounge]

Bit early for f(r)actions, lack of a bond isn't it?

Obviously if we lose Saturday he's lost the dressing room

Looks like he’s lost the social media crowd already.