[HaslandBlue58]

Johnnyspireite7, on 18 April 2025 - 04:45 PM, said:

Yet you want one of the players who try getting rid of for slapping a jumped up little scroat who was giving it the big 'I am' to him when he was on a quiet night out with his partner. Thank you Mr Puritan, The Mayflower is calling.

And has the afront to put location as 'Chezvegas',aaaaaaaagh!!

[ronpowellsbutler]

dart in the crossbar, on 18 April 2025 - 04:17 PM, said:

LM?

Liam Mandeville. He plays for us.

[Tha Knows...]

dtp, on 18 April 2025 - 04:57 PM, said:

Careful, Chris, tha’ll be classed as a Cook critic next!!!

Any road up, some might class today’s result of a draw away from home against 5th in the league as a missed opportunity.

I tend to think the actual missed opportunities today were -

Colchester at home against 10 man Crewe for over 50 minutes and missing a penalty just before full time. Had they won they would have gone 5 points clear of us.

7th placed Grimsby exciting their fans by slipping to a mere 0-4 defeat at home against Tshimanga’s Swindon. Had they won they would have gone 6 points clear of us.

Salford also lost at home against Accrington. Had they won they would have been 2 points ahead of us.

So, these results serve to remind us that anything can happen in the final run in. We have two home and one away games left. Let’s hope we don’t slip up as the others have or the others slip up more than us.

I think the headed chance Col U missed from 3 yards out in added time must have been easier than the pen!!

[Tha Knows...]

paulwardle, on 18 April 2025 - 04:21 PM, said:

We just stopped playing football with 15 minutes to go. I just don’t think Madden is at it and we lack pace taking off Pebble and Olekigbe.

Never got the ball to Colclough when he came on.

All in all disappointing against a team who are one dimensional with long throws but not much else.

Id have liked MO and WG on together. I'd also have liked us to gamble a bit more and maybe be really daring and push 2 up top after 70 minutes!
But, because of other results, the point is a decent outcome. Now to capitalise and beat Bradford...

[trickytrevsfanclub]

Hibbo98, on 18 April 2025 - 03:44 PM, said:

Any competent defence shuts us down with ease

And yet we are third highest scorers in the division so how does that work?

[BLUE SINCE 62]

trickytrevsfanclub, on 18 April 2025 - 05:31 PM, said:

And yet we are third highest scorers in the division so how does that work?

Its a crap league.

[dart in the crossbar]

Go on then. An alternative and more upbeat take on today.

It was a good point against a competitive side that can defend and is in the play offs. Cook and the management did especially well to secure the draw given that only 2 of our 11 starters are in contract for next season (speculative, I know but seems about right).

I'd go with this analysis, but I still can't help from thinking that we ought to have done more to test their keeper even with these positives. COYB

On Mandeville; my MOTM today.

[Trigger]

dart in the crossbar, on 18 April 2025 - 05:45 PM, said:

Go on then. An alternative and more upbeat take on today.

It was a good point against a competitive side that can defend and is in the play offs. Cook and the management did especially well to secure the draw given that only 2 of our 11 starters are in contract for next season (speculative, I know but seems about right).

I'd go with this analysis, but I still can't help from thinking that we ought to have done more to test their keeper even with these positives. COYB

On Mandeville; my MOTM today.

In addition to this we are top of the last 10 games form chart with 21 points losing only once.

[Exharboroughspireite]

It’s been a strange season. We have scored lots of goals and the stats in terms of shots on target put us quite high in the league. However, today shows the reality of possession based football - it’s often quite dull and for us supporters of a certain generation (I’ve been watching since 1988) it’s quite strange to see so much possession and not many attempts. I think lots of football supporters think this way - passing for passing sake trying to create space is not that exciting. It’s ok to admit this, and ok to admit that lots of teams are doing the same thing. It’s rare now to see 2 up front. Football seems to be about preventing goals rather than scoring them.

[Brookie]

We just lacked that bit of quality in the final third today. Olakigbi’s final ball is often poor. Pepple battles hard but doesn’t bring in the other players around him. Colclough had one of his anonymous days.

As I said earlier we really missed Dobra today, it needed someone to run at them and induce panic.

Defensively I thought it was one of our better displays.

[gordon_brittas]

Exharboroughspireite, on 18 April 2025 - 05:53 PM, said:

It’s been a strange season. We have scored lots of goals and the stats in terms of shots on target put us quite high in the league. However, today shows the reality of possession based football - it’s often quite dull and for us supporters of a certain generation (I’ve been watching since 1988) it’s quite strange to see so much possession and not many attempts. I think lots of football supporters think this way - passing for passing sake trying to create space is not that exciting. It’s ok to admit this, and ok to admit that lots of teams are doing the same thing. It’s rare now to see 2 up front. Football seems to be about preventing goals rather than scoring them.

Agree with you entirely. I think the think we’ve learned this season, is getting the all important second and killer goal when you are 1-0 up. Take those daft dropped home points to Swindon, Salford, Cheltenham, (6 points), the Bradford away game we dominated and should have been 3-0 up at half time, (3 points), that’s 9 points for a start, we’d be on 72 points and 4th, in with a shout of the top 3.

The possession football is fine, it’s the killing the opponent off first that needs fixing.

[Tha Knows...]

Defence was decent, especially considering the shake up. Will it be same on Monday?!

[Mr Mercury]

Considering where we were after the Tranmere loss and Gillingham draw it’s a minor miracle we’re within 3 points with three to go. All to play for but for gods sake let’s inject some get up and go, some pizazz and take it to the opposition in the last three games.

[Hoare (400)]

Took my little girl to her first gane today, hooked already! Dear god what have I done lol.

Thought Macfadzean and Fleck coasted through it but made Boot MOM. Mandeville is wasted at Full back and needs playing more central for me, If he ticks so does the whole team.



Hoare (400)

[dtp]

ArcticSpireite, on 18 April 2025 - 04:24 PM, said:

What I'm saying is even they figure out how one dimensional we are on the basis of just one match. Christ on a bike we're not battling relegation here we're chasing a play-off spot, there's no need to be so apprehensive and play like such a bunch of pussies.

How did you and they analyse Wimbledon’s performance out of interest?

I mean, they are not battling relegation, they are at home, they are chasing an automatic promotion position, they shouldn’t just be settling for the lottery of a play-off slot should they? There’s no need to be so apprehensive and play like such a bunch of pussies.

[hilly81]

Mr Mercury, on 18 April 2025 - 06:56 PM, said:

Considering where we were after the Tranmere loss and Gillingham draw it’s a minor miracle we’re within 3 points with three to go. All to play for but for gods sake let’s inject some get up and go, some pizazz and take it to the opposition in the last three games.

We certainly tried today. We started really well and should have been at least 1 up by the 20th minute. They gradually got to terms with us and both teams mostly cancelled each other out for the rest of the game. A lot of football fans seem to forget there is an opposing team doing their utmost to try and stop us having shots on target and scoring goals. We will never, ever have any game all our own way and perform how some of our halfwit supporters think we should. That’s not how sport works.

[BlueRodneyFern]

Hoare (400), on 18 April 2025 - 07:04 PM, said:

Took my little girl to her first gane today, hooked already! Dear god what have I done lol.

Thought Macfadzean and Fleck coasted through it but made Boot MOM. Mandeville is wasted at Full back and needs playing more central for me, If he ticks so does the whole team.



Hoare (400)

I agree Fadz and Fleck were quality today always talking and guiding the players around them where to play the ball

[Ladybrook Spire]

Just back from the game. Far from a thriller but nevertheless a solid performance against a team who get it forward and in the box at any opportunity. I see one or two aren't happy but I'll take the positive that defensively we looked relatively solid when often we've been used to the jitters, even without a recognised right back, and a point isn't the end of the world.
One gripe I have is that Coco should be on the left where he's far more effective but it sounds from Webbs interview that they wanted him tracking back to defend.
Finally, our support was terrific, even though there were 2 sections singing different songs at the same time.

[LondonBlue]

Ladybrook Spire, on 18 April 2025 - 09:22 PM, said:

Just back from the game. Far from a thriller but nevertheless a solid performance against a team who get it forward and in the box at any opportunity. I see one or two aren't happy but I'll take the positive that defensively we looked relatively solid when often we've been used to the jitters, even without a recognised right back, and a point isn't the end of the world.
One gripe I have is that Coco should be on the left where he's far more effective but it sounds from Webbs interview that they wanted him tracking back to defend.
Finally, our support was terrific, even though there were 2 sections singing different songs at the same time.

It was a very even conquest with few chances. A draw a fair result. My only gripe today was we didn’t really test their keeper.

[Zigsuk]

Agree Mandy was motm. First half in particular the way he twisted and turned to keep possession and make a positive pass was superb. Pity he missed that header, but has he ever scored a header?
It isn’t a coincidence that our two best players Dobra and Mandy have the best close control in the squad. Mandy definitely needs to play in his best position and the team needs to be built around him and Dobs next season.