18th Jan match thread

[Conker]

Could be a banana skin game tomorrow. Mansfield have underachieved this season but they’ve got some very dangerous players going forwards. I expect us to have the majority of possession, hopefully young Luke Jephcott can add to his 4 goals in 2 games

‘Could be a banana skin’ pretty much every week that’s said on here regarding Mansfield

I suppose one of you lot on here will get it right eventually I suppose.

 

[FGR Stroud]

We're playing Salford at a bad time given how they've suddenly decided to go for it.

Agree and it is noticeable with the FGR predictions.
At start of week all gung-ho for a home win but lately a few predict home losses and draws.
I retain my confidence in a home win but admit I'm wavering.

 

[Bottega Don]

We have nobody fit and we're playing like shit anyway, big loss coming our way.

 

[GTFCfish]

Grimsby are a bit of a bogey side and have been signing players for fun this week. Not confident. Take a point.

The last couple of games at your place maybe but the last 3 against you at Blundell Park we’ve not even scored a goal.
0-3 0-1 0-0.
Pretty sure there will be at least one penalty tomorrow as it seems like there is one pretty much every time we play Exeter.

 

[Sydney Posse]

Grimsby away just when they look to have turned a corner!!. It's my wedding anniversary today so 3 points would be the cherry on top UTC

 

[The Jovial Forester]

With a bit of luck Salford's new signings will need a game or two to bed in, though quality like Andrade might well hit the ground running. Our more modest recruits have added something IMO so I'm pretty positive and reckon we'll win it.

 

[JJ1532]

A point wouldn't be a disaster for us, especially with a few winnable games until the end of February. A win would be fantastic, a defeat potentially see us as low as 7th.

I'd probably take a point as Cheltenham are very tough to beat.

 

[Gladders]

Big home crowd expected for Ollie's first home game and we never play well in front of big crowds so Exeter win

 

[BlackHaddock]

We have virtually sold out the home stands, such is the 'Ollie effect', so unless we start absolutely crap (not unheard of) the noise should push us to a decent result. Although, as Frealaf mentions above, we often balls it up when we get a large home gate.

We haven't been good at home to Exeter since our return from the abyss, so hopefully that will change. May even have a new midfielder or two, although there hasn't been much time to blend them into the free flowing footballing system we are renowned for. At least there is hope again where fear and trepidation stood before Christmas (undefeated in five, even won two of them and scored a goal in each).

 

[AdamStag]

‘Could be a banana skin’ pretty much every week that’s said on here regarding Mansfield

I suppose one of you lot on here will get it right eventually I suppose.

Not today, I’ve written Plymouth and Bradford off as losses - it’s what we do in that run afterwards when we’ve Oldham, morecambe, Carlisle etc all together

 

[LS Bantam]

We have nobody fit and we're playing like shit anyway, big loss coming our way.

Don’t underestimate how bad we are, on a shocking pitch too.

 

[Valeite]

Don’t underestimate how bad we are, on a shocking pitch too.

It is surprising that such a massive club have such a bad pitch. It can`t be a great spectacle for the 20.000 that are always there to witness football on a ploughed field. Would the season ticket holders be willing to pay a little bit more so the groundsman could buy some grass seed?

 

[valefan16]

It is surprising that such a massive club have such a bad pitch. It can`t be a great spectacle for the 20.000 that are always there to witness football on a ploughed field. Would the season ticket holders be willing to pay a little bit more so the groundsman could buy some grass seed?

It’s always been fairly poor hasn’t it? Assume those huge stands on two sides don’t overly help it get the natural sunlight and so forth and it’s sat on almost a cliff edge so possibly not that easy to drain?

Vale have similar issues in the clay it’s sat on and the mine shafts underneath (those being the reason the Lorne Street costs spiralled and 23 years on it’s still complete!)

 

[Stripes]

I think a draw is most likely result against a bolstered Salford. Meer vegans can't compete with the carnivores of this world, a bit like Steak vrs Chips. Maybe our non-league striker addition will come good Come on you plucky underdogs

 

[Bottega Don]

Don’t underestimate how bad we are, on a shocking pitch too.

Rumours are George Miller is starting up front today, if you lose to a team with him as lone striker you deserve go out of business. I don't think we will be able to field a bench today.

 

[LS Bantam]

It is surprising that such a massive club have such a bad pitch. It can`t be a great spectacle for the 20.000 that are always there to witness football on a ploughed field. Would the season ticket holders be willing to pay a little bit more so the groundsman could buy some grass seed?

We have nearby a top ‘turf supplier’(?, they’ve supplied/worked on World Cup pitches) who looked at it a few years back. To fix it properly you’re getting on towards a million quid which obviously we won’t spend/afford. The above about the big stands restricting the light is spot on but there’s also part of an old stand underneath the pitch which would need to go. Our mad ex-chairman supposedly spent a bit trying to cure it two summers ago but 18 months on its as bad as ever.

 

[LS Bantam]

Rumours are George Miller is starting up front today, if you lose to a team with him as lone striker you deserve go out of business. I don't think we will be able to field a bench today.

Return of the ex, he was dire for us, might stick a quid on him scoring.

 

[Bottega Don]

Return of the ex, he was dire for us, might stick a quid on him scoring.

The apocalypse will come before he scores a goal

 

[Big Bird]

Looks like we're playing beach footie at Newport. Not good enough really.

 

[Trapdoor]

At least that's better than the usual Newport swimming pool.

 

[Stagat]

Cheltenham at home. They've picked back up in recent weeks so it will be a tough, tight game. Hopefully now we've brought in a defender Wintle can go back to where and what he's been best at in midfield.

I'd go for

Jaaskelainen

Ng Nottingham Hunt Pickering

Lowery Wintle Ainley

Powell Anene Kirk

Crewe 2-1 Cheltenham (Powell, Anene, May) 4,755 (380 Cheltenham)

First time ever a player has lined up alongside his own postcode.

 

[Bottega Don]

Our top two has 0 combined goals this season, be very afraid Bradford.

 

[valefan16]

Couple of changes today. Atkinson for Conlon is ok, Cullen as a lone striker is a strange one as it’s not really his style needs support from Amoo and Woz!

 

[LS Bantam]

Our top two has 0 combined goals this season, be very afraid Bradford.

Bowyer’s response - play three centre halves (five at the back) and three centre mids, the tactical dinosaur.

 

[Bottega Don]

Bowyer’s response - play three centre halves (five at the back) and three centre mids, the tactical dinosaur.

We've lost our last two games to 5 at the back, think you'll be alright.

 

[kieran_vale]

Couple of changes today. Atkinson for Conlon is ok, Cullen as a lone striker is a strange one as it’s not really his style needs support from Amoo and Woz!

Will see how it goes with Cullen. I know that's the conventional wisdom with him but I'm not sure he's really had the opportunity to do it for us before for any decent length of time to judge. In theory his superior movement off the ball should work quite well in that role. At least it will reduce the temptation to launch it in the air.

I think its absolutely right to sit Pope out at this time in his career in any case.

 

[Conker]

Already had our weekly ‘1v1 sitter’ that we missed.

 

[kieran_vale]

Both teams could easily have got a couple of goals each at least already.

Pure entertainment even allowing for it still being 0-0 somehow.

 

[F!RTHY]

Bradford City 2-0 Scunny

I haven’t gone, but Akpan and Vaughan with the goals. Doyle also scored but it was ruled offside.

Vaughan was also awarded last weeks goal, so he’s now on 11 goals for the season.

 

[Conker]

According to twitter and Stagsnet we should be a few up by now, that’s not gunna come to haunt us at all, is it.