Bees v Stags

[BeesKnees]

Big 6 pointer to decide which team gets a go at the play offs.

Team selection is tricky, ideally
Vickers
Pearson Nelson Santos Johnson
J.Taylor Weston
Vihete Bover JCR
Akinde

 

[WH_Stag]

We've conceded one goal this year, the best defence record in the country if you ignore the fact Everton have only played 3 games.

Hoping it can continue, if we play like we did at Cambridge we will win.

Excited to see MacDonald on the wing, best winger I've seen at this level for a long time. COYS

 

[nick_stags]

Looking forward to this one. Never been to The Hive before, so another one to tick off. I think we'll line up as follows:

Kean
White Pearce Bennett Benning
Whiteman Collins Byrom MacDonald
Coulthirst Rose

Macca coming in for CJ our only change from Saturday.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Just realised why Barnet are spending some £££ this last month. £25 a ticket, Looks like the dog isn't being fed this week.

Expect this to be a good test, our defence has been solid since the turn of the year and are rightly getting the plaudits but we've not come up against a decent striker yet. Akinde will smash Pearce/Bennett about so will be good to see how they handle him. Pearce is notorious for giving away pens and Akinde for winning them.

 

[BeesKnees]

Away tickets are £23 last I saw.
Looks like we will be without Pearson, Weston and Jack Taylor. So looks like Vihete and Champion in midfield again.

 

[AdamStag]

I think Barnet will be a very tough game indeed, and if we were to win this then I genuinely would start thinking things could happen, but 1 game at a time.

Not been to Barnet since we did that joint protest against Klounhurst (or whatever the chairman you had at the time) and Haslam - that your chairman was nearly as bad as Haslam was madness - seem to remember Barnet were in an equally similar situation - god knows when that was though.

2005 or something? either way, we were shit and lost - i think it was the game we ended up with 9 men when the ref turned up in Barnet colours

 

[barnet_pls]

Very doubtful that it was a protest against the chairman (Kleanthous), more likely against the Council (London Borough of Barnet).

 

[AdamStag]

Very doubtful that it was a protest against the chairman (Kleanthous), more likely against the Council (London Borough of Barnet).

Maybe it was.

I was drunk and it was a long time ago

 

[rudebwoyben]

It was back in 2005/06 and it definitely was against Barnet Council and not Tony Kleanthous!
Last season's home match against the Staggies was a bit of a nadir for us, I think we'll be a fair bit better this time although it won't be easy with J.Taylor, Pearson, Weston and Akinola all out.

 

[George Reilly's Hairpiece]

According to the interview with Rossi and Henry yesterday, Curtis was back in training so should be back unless he suffers an adverse reaction.

Looking forward to seeing Ruben Bover tomorrow. Hopefully the new Luisma, who we all know was the new Iniesta.

 

[Hamez]

Coming down on the train for this one, looking forward to it...

Hopefully we'll carry on our recent good for & get us closer (or even better, in) the playoffs.

 

[Baratheon]

Even though we have been excellent at the back recently, I just can't see us keeping Akinde out for 90+ minutes. I think it will be 1-1 but I would take that, especially with the two home games coming up, both very winnable.

 

[Urban]

Think this ref has seen some texts from Big John on his misses' phone or something. He can't breath without 'fouling'

 

[AdamStag]

Well I didn't expect that

Happy days with that win, won at Cambridge a few weeks ago and won here now.

That's 5 won and 1 drawn this year with 1 conceded.

 

[Urban]

That was a performance which reminded me of the many I endured in our relegation battling seasons. Offered absolutely nothing and looked physically weak next to a much cleverer side.

Nana, Weston and Santos all had shockers.

 

[Ban Fat Stan]

Beaten by an average but competent Mansfield. Offered little but took their chances.

We just huffed and puffed but could not find the killer pass, didn't have any luck.

Ref fell for the play acting of Mansfield players who took to rolling around, especially the keeper who I thought had been shot by a sniper....instead it was a cunning plan to imply Akinde had fouled him....naughty naughty!

So many new faces we will take time to get it together but I think mid table is our true position

Good support from Mansfield fans cheering them on.

 

[WH_Stag]

Beaten by an average but competent Mansfield. Offered little but took their chances.

We just huffed and puffed but could not find the killer pass, didn't have any luck.

Ref fell for the play acting of Mansfield players who took to rolling around, especially the keeper who I thought had been shot by a sniper....instead it was a cunning plan to imply Akinde had fouled him....naughty naughty!

So many new faces we will take time to get it together but I think mid table is our true position

Good support from Mansfield fans cheering them on.

Average? were actually quite a good side and its starting to show what standard were currently at beating the likes of Cambridge and barnet away. One goal conceded all year and no defeats. This stags team is on the up and is such a difference from before evans took over.

Better team won, Barnet just go long to akinde most of the time, Were coming for those play offs!

 

[AdamStag]

It all depends, I wasn't there so I can't comment specifically on the game, but I remember under murray being particularly annoyed at losing to what I deemed "poor sides" - one of those were Barnet who won 1-0, and akinde got the goal.

The fact of the matter is whether you are or not "average" Barnet deserved the win at field mill that day, and if we've been fortunate enough to play "average" and win 2-0 at a diffcault place then happy days.

There's lots to play for and lots of sides involved, so time will tell how things pan out. For now I'm happy not to have to worry about relegation, delighted to be in the top half and pretty ecstatic about our form, manager and chairman.

Privately I harbour great aspirations, but aspirations aren't fact or reality and this needs to be remembered.

It's easy for our fans to get excited or ahead of themselves as this isn't the norm for Mansfield. A win at Barnet (as I'd suggested above) does set the mind wondering though.

Happy days.

 

[Urban]

Hard to say how good you were as we were very shit. You only had to be average to beat us today, so in a way it's not a slight towards your team.

Your defence were a joke today though - completely relied on the ref behind 'anti-Akinde' at every opportunity. He was constantly being pulled back by Pearce and the other CB, to the point where he was frustrated at having another blatant shirt pull ignored and pushed the CB, earning a yellow. The ref would ignore all the underhand ways you were containing Akinde with, but then he was straight on him the moment he used any physicality at all (which is his his biggest weapon really). Very disappointing performance from the referee. I also thought he was weak in his controlling of Evans, who was noticeably irate and giving the 4th official shit all game.

You played well enough to beat us without leaving 2nd gear. We offered nothing and had too many players who weren't up to scratch. Very worrying performance and I'm starting to get a little fearful - we've invested a lot into the team and while we won't get relegated this season of course, if it goes tits up now next season won't be pretty.

 

[northstandexile]

Every team we beat and their supports saying that they played very poorly and that we are just average.

Perhaps Stags just make their opponents look poor.

 

[Urban]

Maybe so, although when 90% of your gameplan is focused on deceiving the referee or some measure of time wasting, it doesn't leave much time for pretty passing or really effective football.

Why give a shit about whether other fans think you played well? You got the three points which is the most important thing for you.

 

[Flaxman's Alibi]

Poor if you win, looked a decent side if you lose. It's a default argument that most supports use in the disappointment of defeat, or the cosiness of victory; including our own lot.

Some of us should stop being so precious and just be happy with another very welcome 3pts, against a side challenging at the business end.

 

[AdamStag]

Poor if you win, looked a decent side if you lose. It's a default argument that most supports use in the disappointment of defeat, or the cosiness of victory; including our own lot.

Some of us should stop being so precious and just be happy with another very welcome 3pts, against a side challenging at the business end.

Quite.

There was a lot of talk on stagsnet before the Cambridge game of where folk were saying the playoffs were only 5 points off, were on a good run, can we do it.

As in here, I pretty much shelved the idea purely as I didn't see us winning either away game.

As it was we beat Cambridge and Barnet seemingly quite comfortably. The win against a hapless orient side was pretty much a given.

Hartlepool and Accrington at home next, interesting

 

[Richard Cranium]

Same as Cambridge I don't think we were outstanding but we were organised and everyone was a 7/10 with Whiteman and Collins being the exceptions. Another very good 3 points on the road and against another top half side. 2 very winnable Home games coming up so let's see where we are after those.

Don't envy you Londoners paying those prices though, one round cost me £26!

 

[Urban]

£4 a pint is actually fairly decent for London prices!

 

[Conker]

Two quid for a pint of Mansfield smooth where I'm from duck.

 

[Urban]

Two quid for a pint of Mansfield smooth where I'm from duck.

If I wanted to pay £2 for a pint of piss I'd go to every Mansfield home game

 

[AdamStag]

If I wanted to pay £2 for a pint of piss I'd go to every Mansfield home game

It's good stuff

 

[Conker]

If I wanted to pay £2 for a pint of piss I'd go to every Mansfield home game

Nowt wrong with a Mansfield Smooth shag.

 

[AdamStag]

Nowt wrong with a Mansfield Smooth shag.

Mind, it's more Pimms and champagne down there