rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Feb 6, 2024 18:15:37 GMT
link - TUFC preview. I don’t hold out much hope for this one but thankfully I am out this evening, so will just be keeping an eye on the score….
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Post by stig123 on Feb 6, 2024 18:31:49 GMT
Anything other than another loss would be a surprise.
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on Feb 6, 2024 18:49:48 GMT
Anything other than another loss would be a surprise. I’d be surprised if they don’t beat us by at least 2 goals ☹️ |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Feb 6, 2024 18:59:04 GMT
link - TUFC preview. I don’t hold out much hope for this one but thankfully I am out this evening, so will just be keeping an eye on the score…. Part-timer. Pay your £9.50 and suffer with the rest of us! So we had just 14 "fit" pros on Saturday. Moxey and Jenkins Davies return from suspension, but Craske is probably out. So to scrape a full bench, we need one of Ofori-Acheampong, Stobbs, Marshall, Hanson, Dawson, Jarvis and Craske in the 16. Whether we are 3-5-2, 4-3-3, 4-4-2 I expect we will be pulled to pieces if we set up yet again without a holding midfielder. It would be nice if we at least made Maidstone work for it. I expect the score will be determined by when Maidstone make their declaration. I reckon they will declare on three but accidentally score a fourth. So I am going for 4-0. Anything less will feel like a win. We might even get close enough for Gaffer to claim that if all their goals had been disallowed and we'd been given a penalty we would have won. That would convince George Edwards he is right in declaring Gary Johnson the best man for the job. Mind you a 10-0 thrashing would probably draw the same conclusion. Not looking forward to this evening, but dreading Saturday even more! Come on you Yellows! |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Feb 6, 2024 19:47:37 GMT
New loanee defender Jude Boyd starts as do Hall and Ofori-Acheampong.
Ash, Collins, De Silva and Archer give us loads of attacking options on the bench.
Looks like we ARE thinking of firming up the midfield in a 5-4-1. Or will we play Lapslie and Hall up front?
Stream on!
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on Feb 6, 2024 19:58:40 GMT
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chelstongull
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Favourite Player: Jason Fowler
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Post by chelstongull on Feb 6, 2024 19:59:54 GMT
One nil down after 4 minutes… |
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chelstongull
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Favourite Player: Jason Fowler
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Post by chelstongull on Feb 6, 2024 20:10:03 GMT
One nil down after 4 minutes… Bugger me, one all |
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Post by stig123 on Feb 6, 2024 20:18:43 GMT
And we still have 11 on the pitch!
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on Feb 6, 2024 20:31:13 GMT
And we still have 11 on the pitch! Marshall on a yellow 🎫 |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Feb 6, 2024 20:53:29 GMT
First five minutes looked like here we go again.
Much better after that.
Makes a difference having a physical presence up top.
Daft booking for Marshall. What odds a mistimed tackle leading to a red?
4-5-1 rather than 5-4-1 with Moxey orthodox left back.
I would still be pleasantly surprised if we come away with a point but at least we get to half-time with that being just about possible.
Stream back on.
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Post by stig123 on Feb 6, 2024 21:47:00 GMT
We lost again.
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on Feb 6, 2024 21:49:29 GMT
The only surprise is that it was only by one goal, but never the less… |
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Feb 6, 2024 22:00:03 GMT
Plucky NLS underdogs lose out to the odd goal in 5. Recent additions Booth, Jude-Boyd and Archer looking alright pre-Torquayfication. Archer probably unfortunate not to get a start, but the overall team performance seems to have been a lot better than many recently. Can’t bring myself to look at the table until we next win.
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Feb 10, 2024 14:04:52 GMT
Well I had "priced in" a 4-0 defeat, so 3-2 not as bad as expected.
But that is just a sign of how unacceptably low expectations have fallen.
In effect, this was a real six pointer. A win would have seen us in the top 7 and 3 points off the top 3. As it is, we are in danger of slipping out of the top half.
Positive number one was seeing what appears to be a fit-for-purpose right-back - even if we had only just picked him at Reading Services. Getting on for two years since Ben Wynter left and nobody close to being an adequate replacement since.
Positive number two was some physical presence up front for the first time since Jarvis was injured. I challenged Gary Johnson quite hard pre-season on his ridiculous failure to have a striker on the bench all of last season. In return he tried to mock me with "I know you all want me to sign Harry Kane...". No. I want you to sign a player of the appropriate standard to create a nuisance up front off the bench rather than having four defenders on the bench. Somebody like Duane should have been in place before the season began to replace Jarvis when he tired, stand in for Jarvis when he missed a game and give the option of playing alongside Jarvis.
Two obvious improvements, but a competent manager would have sorted these in July not in February.
Six changes in all. Tomlinson and Craske injured and four "lightweights" consigned to the bench. Not sure why, given injury doubts re defenders selected, we did not have Thomas on the bench and three lightweight attackers - you can only use three after all.
Moxey and WJD back after suspension, Hall starting, Marshall and Ofori-Acheampong back after injury and a right back picked up at the service station en route.
Buy the way, it looked a 4-4-1-1 in my book. Moxey left back and Martin left midfield, then Martin replacing Moxey and Archer replacing Martin. The usually reliable Dom at Torquay Talk had it as a back three with wing backs.
And we could have won couldn't we? Bad luck? Not really. Sloppy defending yet again. Individual errors are punished because there is no shape or discipline to cover individual errors - which happen at this level.
Archer should not have messed around where he did - and he will learn that. But he was wide on the left, well out from goal. Plenty of our players behind the ball to win it back and save Archer's blushed. But none of them did
The game was close enough for Johnson to be able to trot out all the old excuses - which even he could not do against St Albans.
We want results not excuses.
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