chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on May 29, 2011 9:15:35 GMT
The day started so well, on the road by 0730 with Stu, Jon, my youngest on route to Coventry to pick up James. Doing well time wise with our ETA at the Samual Platt being 1300 (ish). Then disaster struck with a nasty accident on the M6 (Junction 12/13 - hope all is well as there were a very large amount of emergency vehicles on the seen) leaving us stranded for 90 minutes (not a good omen) and worried that we'd miss the match. Not to worry accident cleared and we parked up a side passage near the ground just before 1400. We all had a burger and whilst talking to the owner, she mentioned that it was a bit quiet - she was at one of the Nevills testimonial last week and she was told 30,000 would be there. A laugh and a joke and were on our way to Old Trafford. Nice to see some familiar faces - Big Roger Basingstokegull, Barton, Capitalgull, Harboursidegull, RomfordKev and Merse. 15 minute delay and we kicked off at 1515 Thought that Stevenage started well and had done their homework - send two fast wingers against Mansell and Nico. A very big team who were surprisingly quick. Stevenage carved out most of the first half chances and as we backed off and backed off (I had heard that we were the South West backing off champions!) and their 21 ran in and hit a shot on the edge of the box 1 nil. Stevenage were at the top of their game and we just had 'one of those days' (again). Stevenage were playing the ball on the deck down the wings, through midfield and the long ball. Thought that O'Kane had agood first half - not sure if we tested their 'keeper at all. I think by playing all four forwards from the start we then have a bench with not a lot of fire power on it. Kee is not a winger and I wish then he'd play him somewhere else. Second half started with Torquay 'taking it' to the Boro from the start and it looked like we would score - Robinson skimmed the bar, Branston had a good header saved and then smashed the ball over the bar. Stevenage then adopted their time wasting tactics, although in fairness not that many times. There were quite a few injuries in the second half and coupled with 6 subs I cannot fathom where the grinning idiot Mr Deadman only got 4 minutes off added time. Although in fairness if it had been 20 I don't think we would have scored. I haven't seen the Yellow Army outsung by the opposition for a long time. Full time and we had lost the best chance of going up - good to clap the players off and I think we were beaten by the better team. Not sure if all this transfer talk, lack of contracts and where Bucks would end up unsettled the team had any affect, not sure it helped. Zebs had an off day and in all fairness the subs of LRT, Oastler and Stevens were not going to change the game. Now starts the serious end to the season - Are we to end up with Bucks as our Manager with Branston, Stanley etc or will it be Buckless and a few key players missing. If Buckle goes it will be a BIG BIG BIG blow for the club and I for one will miss him. Pictures to follow and one of Jon's enormous dinner. Yours disappointed from Chelston  |
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Post by harboursidegull on May 29, 2011 13:03:33 GMT
Fuming ..... on the Harbour !!!!! Just typed up a mother of a write up on yesterdays events ... got to the end of two and a half hours of typing ..... pressed spell check for a final look ..... Laptop Crashed ... and I've lost the lot .......  |
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Post by loyalgull on May 29, 2011 13:10:32 GMT
an eventful day in more ways than one,i think the match reports already done cover the whole game as such.I really think the build up to this game,was a tale of two clubs with contrasting weeks.Stevenage,a team who do the basics well,coupled with a stable management set up and contented players and fans who got what they wanted ticketing wise with no issues,and a manager in westley who was happy for buckle to get all the plaudits.Then there is us,is he staying is he going? the manager situation has blighted our week,branston outspoken regarding no contract talks,and the ticketing fiasco,all of which took its toll,inside and outside the club,in a very negative way.Buckle has done a good job for us,but maybe its time to say goodbye,his inability to or refusal too give resounding yes or no to leaving has not helped one bit.As for the way we played yesterday,extremely disappointing,but not surprising,we have popped up with dire performances like this in big games at times season.Ok,i would of taken all we have done this season at the beginning,but surely no greater motivation than playing the likes of exeter,sheff wednesday,charlton sheffield united etc,sadly stevenage wanted it,and we were not the least bit interested in it,on that decrepid performance.A bad week i am afraid,and i think next week could be a little worse.In the wake of PBs almost certain departure,our next management appointment is going to be very crucial to our league stability for a couple of years,the cheap and cheerful option could be absolutely disastrous
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rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on May 29, 2011 14:24:21 GMT
Fuming ..... on the Harbour !!!!! Just typed up a mother of a write up on yesterdays events ... got to the end of two and a half hours of typing ..... pressed spell check for a final look ..... Laptop Crashed ... and I've lost the lot ....... Ouch! Not a good 24 hours then. Would still love to read your views on the match, even if it is a condensed version.  |
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Post by stefano on May 29, 2011 14:59:41 GMT
Well having just watched the first half of Huddersfield Town v Peterborough United if those two teams are League 1 then I'm glad we're staying in League 2! |
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rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on May 29, 2011 15:30:21 GMT
Well having just watched the first half of Huddersfield Town v Peterborough United if those two teams are League 1 then I'm glad we're staying in League 2!  Are you saying that if we had won yesterday that you don't think we would have finished top of league 1 next year! ;D |
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Post by Budleigh on May 29, 2011 15:44:56 GMT
It isn't the end of the world that a loss to Cambridge would've been two years ago...
The team isn't league one standard and maybe this gives the club a chance to step back, take stock and come out with a plan to move forward. I believe next season will prove to be as exciting, if not more, than one we may've had a division higher.
Our new grandstand will, hopefully, get off the ground, on top of which we have some cracking games to contemplate
Looking forward to welcoming Wimbledon to Plainmoor but not so sure about the return of Evans & Raynor, although it'll rouse plenty of interest (I can just see the fixture list coming out and the last game of the season being home to Crawley and when it gets played we need a point for promotion!)
Plymouth home and away is guaranteed to get the blood going, with games against Swindon also in the offing.
And then Bristol Rovers with all the recent intrigue... wonderful stuff!!
No, it isn't all lost. We didn't really turn up at Old Trafford, but what another entertaining and heart-stopping season United have served up for us. Bring on the next one.
Let's be honest, we don't do boring...
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Post by stefano on May 29, 2011 16:13:38 GMT
Well having just watched the first half of Huddersfield Town v Peterborough United if those two teams are League 1 then I'm glad we're staying in League 2! Are you saying that if we had won yesterday that you don't think we would have finished top of league 1 next year! ;D Yes they are two very good teams. They can't all be that good though so I think we would have finished 6th. No one will ever know though!! |
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on May 29, 2011 16:14:41 GMT
It isn't the end of the world that a loss to Cambridge would've been two years ago... Too true, I would think that we'd still be there. |
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Post by harboursidegull on May 29, 2011 17:30:23 GMT
In a nutshell ... a superb day ...... nearly spoiled by a game of football in the middle Well yesterday morning arrived early and as many other days in The Bay lately there was a chill wind blowing up the town as I headed past Tesco's resplendent in my TUFC top and two scarfs around my neck Met our mate Lloyd in Pimlico he was already exited about the prospect of Big Sam heading for the Hammers ....he is a West Ham fan but he does rock up to Plainmoor on occasion.... bang on 7-30 Stepdad arrived in his new motor..... a quick moment to adjust scarfs in back windows and then we were off Up North.... First hour flew by with me and SD chatting away and Lloyd in the back content to have his headphones on listening to his discman. we were passing many coaches and minibuses and tooting at them all Before we knew it we were fast approaching a place known as Cribbs Causeway ... I believe its a place where married people like to spend their weekends. Asda was to be our breakfast venue of choice.... as its fast and cheap .... well it was ...... but could we find Asda ? could we hell as like ... so after at least 15 minutes of tooing and froing we decided to cut our losses and head for Morrisons Sadly by the time we hit Morrisons all the married people were already in a huge Que ready for a feed .... if we stopped here this would kill our time ... so we decided to ask someone "wheres Asda" ......... and so it was that The Cribbs Causeway Three made a second attempt to find Asda ....... and so in the end.... we did find it ... but of course by now it was rammed also ..... Doh ! As we headed away from Cribbs with empty stomachs and lost time..... I vowed never to return to such a behemoth to consumerism.... The second part of the journey went well we managed to miss the crash that caused chaos by minutes ... if we had stopped in Asda we would have been doomed, listening now to Danny Baker and then Fighting Talk.... and soon enough we hit Manchester took a few wrong turnings here and there .... I believe there's a place in Manchester called fuckarewe and we spent some time there. Bloody Hell is Old Traff hard to find or what ... no signage or anything ..... any way we eventually found a pub car park to alight in ... guess what ..... designated Stevenage one ... who cares..... gave the nice man £6 quid and were away across the road to a greasy spoon. Three robust breakfasts ....SD had chips and everything, together with great slabs of white toast and steaming mugs of proper tea .... Mmmmmm beautiful. And so to OT we got there about ten past two and took some time mingling by the statues, it was here where we departed with Lloyd as he had my ticket ( the one I got from work ) it was in the Executive seats ... so he was about to enjoy OT's Euro Suite ... with hot and cold running women ... complimentary teas n coffees,and programs and gert big piles of biccys and the odd celeb thrown in to. Meanwhile SD and I headed for the Sam Platts.... and in the end we found it ... paid our quid and we were in like flynn, We gathered in the marquee for a bit of a sing song and saw plenty of old friends ... the first to jab me in the ribs was either Jon or James Lane ... if you dont know these guys ... they are identical twins, I went to school with them and I still cannot tell them apart, we headed on wards and soon more greetings Clarkey and his boy, Matt Lear(spider), Trev, and Drakey's lady freinds who were wonderfully attired, and then clutching our cans of 1664 it was off upstairs to meet the man himself .... The Drake My old mate was in fine form and we had a fine chat, but soon alas it was time to go and head to the game ..... SD and I were in the concourse leading to the North Stand and we were amongst some fine singing that was echoing off the the tunnel walls ... that was a spine tingling moment !, and then we were inside ... we had time for SD to place a bet and then to find our seats ..... Old Traff is a fine stadium but sadly was nearly empty ... never mind... as we were taking it all in I heard a shout down to my left ... it was Chelston ... Phil about 30 feet away, we exchanged the thumbs up salute and smiles all round, then Jon appeared for a few words ... lovely stuff. Well ... they were out numbered but we were out sung not our fault. The Stevenage song was like a great Zulu war chant and it hardly stopped ... did it spook our boys ? ... doubt it As for the game ... well you know what happend ... so I wont add anything.... but just to say any impetus we had gained in the second half was lost in a flash by two substitutions. Also in the second half I was delighted to find Helen Chamberlain sat right behind me ... I got all bashfull and didnt say hello ( silly boy ) At the Final Whistle ... we gave the boys a brief applause and then we were off... out of Old Traff quicker than shit through a goose... Rejoined with our mate Lloyd ... who had had a wonderfull time in the Euro Lounge The way home was soothed by many texts and the music of Del Shannon and The Beatles no 1s Sobering news of Tom Daleys lovely dad brought every thing sharpley into focus We were back in The Beautifull Bay by 9-30 thanks to Lloydys most exellent driving, I then had an hour to kill awaiting The Champions League Final highlights ........of which we had managed to avoid any news...... at least in that game ... the right team won...  |
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on May 29, 2011 19:45:50 GMT
The Stevenage song was like a great Zulu war chant Thought the same and very impressive it was. |
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Post by Budleigh on May 29, 2011 19:46:48 GMT
Just seen the Stevenage goal... what a cracker.
Missed it at Old Trafford as I was otherwise engaged in the 'Gents'.
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chelstongull
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Favourite Player: Jason Fowler
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Post by chelstongull on May 29, 2011 19:52:18 GMT
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seventyseven
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Post by seventyseven on May 29, 2011 20:51:51 GMT
Match report:
Left Kent at 6am.... arrived in Manchester 11am... bought a programme...
...put it in the car..... went for a couple of pints (shandy)... son bought a scarf...
...set off home.... got a KFC at some services near Oxford... arrived home at 9.30pm...
...watched a re-run of Messi and co. destroying the mighty (sic) Man United.
Fell asleep.
Woke up this morning. Stevenage promoted.
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Jon
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Post by Jon on May 29, 2011 22:45:00 GMT
A great day out ruined by ninety minutes of football - if I had a pound .....
Thanks to Stu the driver, James the navigator and Chelston the musical director. I provided the post-match entertainment by making an extremely large plateful of assorted meats disappear - a trick I had practised on an appreciative audience of one at Shrewsbury and so felt ready to perform to a wider public.
All went to plan until we spent ninety minutes (which would have been our socialising at Samuel Platts time) stuck on the motorway. We were extremely relieved that we finally moved off when we did - giving us time to park up, grab a burger, do a quick lap round the stadium and say hello to Barton and a few others before going in to the ground.
Saw loads of people in the ground, so won't list them all. It was funny to see little Andy Charles (9'2") totally dwarfed by Big Rog (9'4"). Good to catch up with Merse again.
The first half was a real anti-climax - we didn't impose ourselves on the game at all. I was just thinking "I'll be happy to get to half-time at 0-0" when we backed off Mousinho and he took full advantage with a cracking finish. It seems that everybody I have spoken to since was just thinking exactly what I was thinking at exactly the same moment.
We were much better in the second half, but we lacked the one piece of sheer quality that Mousinho had produced and so that ended up being the decisive moment. I always expected the game to be tight and to turn on one incident - thinking it more likely to be a crap decision from a referee or linesman or a cock-up from a defender or a keeper than a piece of skill.
Fair play to Stevenage they were strong, organised and disciplined. They certainly wasted some time in the second half and I was shocked to see only four minutes added on. But I didn't think they pushed it too far - "professionalism" rather than anything more sinister and certainly nothing like Crawley. Good luck to them in League 1.
I was gutted at the end, but possibly slightly short of absolutely gutted -nothing like the way I felt in 08. This was a huge game for us and a 50% chance of playing in League 1. I know the gulf between the two divisions will not be anywhere near as massive next season as this with Plymouth, Rovers, Swindon and Wimbledon as a consolation prize, but I wanted the Sheffields, Charlton, Exeter and Yeovil. You have to crave success and bettering yourself. So near yet so far hurts.
But I don't think the match was as make or break as the one at Wembley two years ago which would totally decide the direction we would take from there - or the Crewe 87 or Barnet 01 games for that matter.
In many ways I think the Crawley defeat and loss of the subsequent windfall had a greater effect on our medium-term future - heresy from someone who always values league success over cup success. Money from the FA Cup tie that never was would have bankrolled the club for a couple of years and would have made all the problems we now have to face head on disappear - promotion or no promotion.
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Are you saying that if we had won yesterday that you don't think we would have finished top of league 1 next year! ;D
