Boxing Day: - 26th December

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Well looks like we are heading for 6 defeats in a row to balance the universe.

That's it? That's all you are going to give me. Any thoughts on the game? It was a collectors item of a Notts win at MK after all. The first!

 

[RavenBish]

Is it? I fancy us to win games, doesn't mean I'm expecting us to roll teams over, even those a massive 4 points ahead of us in the table.

We've lost twice in 15 games and have failed to score once since 28th September. We could well be set for a battering, but we've only lost by more than 1 goal once all season as well.

As I said, we're functional and battling - not overly exciting, but we score goals and go right to the end in every game.

Nah course not, your form recently is good and it’s not been an easy run of fixtures so every reason to be optimistic.

‘Functional and battling’ are the teams we struggle with as well so I’d probably take a draw from our side

 

[RavenBish]

Well looks like we are heading for 6 defeats in a row to balance the universe.

Are you lot expected to ‘go big’ again in January?

 

[Coalite]

Are you lot expected to ‘go big’ again in January?

There's nothing bigger in this league than being above Notts in the table...

 

[loz]

It’s obviously a cracking hit either way, but the ‘keeper should definitely be saving it.

Goalie was too far off his line to save it and Cook knew it. He has done that before. I particularly remember him crashing one against the crossbar v Stevenage from even further out. I wonder how many better strikes Tom Pope managed.

 

[クレイグ]

Goalie was too far off his line to save it and Cook knew it. He has done that before. I particularly remember him crashing one against the crossbar v Stevenage from even further out.

Jealous coz they've never seen Jatta score one like that #TapInMerchant #Overrated

 

[Son of Cod]

Clear gaps opening up between bottom half, top half and then Walsall. Looks like a 6-7 team shootout for the other two auto spots (I don’t include us in that). Nice to get a narrow win today because we have 4 tough matches coming up, 3 of them against fellow top halfers.

Improved second half today but we created very little up front. Oh for a decent striker and a fit Charles Vernam. The good thing is we have a decent set of midfielders with different abilities, it’s just finding the right system each game. Jayden Luker is a good player will feature in a higher league next season - not tearing it up each week but he’s getting better and better.

The second half improvement was encouraging as it's something we've struggled to do throughout Artell's tenure.

Could have been a different story had Harrogate not spooned over an open goal from two yards, mind you, Cass definitely did a job putting their guy off. Not sure how their CB hasn't seen red for his arm around Gardner when he would have been in on goal either. Shockingly bad officiating.

Second half we came out much stronger and deserved the lead. Great ball from Luker (?) for the JDS goal, who despite having a couple of decent games of was definitely in need of a goal and he took it really well. He did get himself absolutely needlessly booked though. Slightly tarnished victory by it not being comfortable in the end. Superb freekick to be fair. Overall, Harrogate seemed to lack a bit of their usual aggression I thought. Usually they're right up in your faces pushing you about and trying to shithouse everything. Hard to say off just one performance but if they aren't doing that then it's hard to see them not being sucked right into the relegation battle.

 

[jacobncfc]

Jealous coz they've never seen Jatta score one like that #TapInMerchant #Overrated

Only goal the big fella is scoring from that distance is a header.

 

[Limerick Mariner]

The second half improvement was encouraging as it's something we've struggled to do throughout Artell's tenure.

Could have been a different story had Harrogate not spooned over an open goal from two yards, mind you, Cass definitely did a job putting their guy off. Not sure how their CB hasn't seen red for his arm around Gardner when he would have been in on goal either. Shockingly bad officiating.

Second half we came out much stronger and deserved the lead. Great ball from Luker (?) for the JDS goal, who despite having a couple of decent games of was definitely in need of a goal and he took it really well. He did get himself absolutely needlessly booked though. Slightly tarnished victory by it not being comfortable in the end. Superb freekick to be fair. Overall, Harrogate seemed to lack a bit of their usual aggression I thought. Usually they're right up in your faces pushing you about and trying to shithouse everything. Hard to say off just one performance but if they aren't doing that then it's hard to see them not being sucked right into the relegation battle.

Yes, Betty's Boys really need to be hassling and niggling, whilst getting the ref on their side much more than they did yesterday. The ref just bottled the red. Previously, they've forced errors, got ahead, and then made us resort to aimless punts up to the big man up front that we've never had. As you say it could have been different if they netted that early chance though. Especially after confidence knocking fiasco at Swindon.

 

[RavenBish]

Jealous coz they've never seen Jatta score one like that #TapInMerchant #Overrated

Seen McGoldrick score about 5 better this season though

 

[Cloudy]

Clear gaps opening up between bottom half, top half and then Walsall. Looks like a 6-7 team shootout for the other two auto spots (I don’t include us in that). Nice to get a narrow win today because we have 4 tough matches coming up, 3 of them against fellow top halfers.

Improved second half today but we created very little up front. Oh for a decent striker and a fit Charles Vernam. The good thing is we have a decent set of midfielders with different abilities, it’s just finding the right system each game. Jayden Luker is a good player will feature in a higher league next season - not tearing it up each week but he’s getting better and better.

Clear gaps? You could throw a handkerchief over most of them. Closest league for donkeys years. Any of the top 15/16 are in with a shout imo.

Other than Walsall most sides can’t string much together, PortVale haven’t won in decades yet are still 2nd.

The league shows that any team who hits a run of form and strings some wins together are likely to be promoted. Who those teams are, is anybody’s guess.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

There's nothing bigger in this league than being above Notts in the table...

What about winning a playoff final?

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Jealous coz they've never seen Jatta score one like that #TapInMerchant #Overrated

The one set of fans who shouldn't think the Gambian Prince is overrated is Bantams#canthandlethebigman#terrorises

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

.

 

[OneDecentLester]

What about winning a playoff final?

Winning a league maybe?

 

[クレイグ]

What about winning a playoff final?

1996 was a good one. One of my favourite memories in football.

 

[クレイグ]

The one set of fans who shouldn't think the Gambian Prince is overrated is Bantams#canthandlethebigman#terrorises

Stat padding against Aiden Baldwin innit.

Great player though. Much better than League Two.

 

[womble76]

You’re kidding re the poor ref? I thought she was excellent apart from the indecision at the end re “the goal”. I would have been disappointed if we had scored that goal and it had been disallowed, however, it would have been daylight robbery as I thought we were by far the better side. That’s 4 points against 2 playoff chasers in the last 2 games for us which gives a reason for optimism

Well she did ok but and yes it would have been daylight robbery butnl the fact remains her.poor decision cost us 2.points. Especially as she and the linesman fave it and then she seemed to change her mind.

 

[Gladders]

Clear gaps? You could throw a handkerchief over most of them. Closest league for donkeys years. Any of the top 15/16 are in with a shout imo.

Other than Walsall most sides can’t string much together, PortVale haven’t won in decades yet are still 2nd.

The league shows that any team who hits a run of form and strings some wins together are likely to be promoted. Who those teams are, is anybody’s guess.

Exactly, and last season wasn't as close as this, and at this time last season two of the teams to make the play-offs were in the bottom half, and the team in second didn't even make the play-offs.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

1996 was a good one. One of my favourite memories in football.

Exactly not much if anything beats a playoff final victory.

1990 was the first
1991 the best
2023 the biggest relief.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Stat padding against Aiden Baldwin innit.

Great player though. Much better than League Two.

I was a Baldwin fan until last season when I ran out of energy to defend his mistakes.

The Platt for Baldwin swap has worked out very well for us, just what we needed. He's been very very good for us so far. So consistent and no nonsense.

 

[codaplenty]

Proper poachers goal by Kian Harratt.

Tired looking performance from us 2nd half IMO. I think I'd be giving some of the fresher players goes next game even if they are kids, some of these players are running on fumes and it's showing later in games

Managed to misplaced my phone, literally just found it. Big 3 points for the Cods today against a good team. Terrific away support which made a great atmosphere. Stunning goal from Harrat and as Paul Cook said, it was Fleetwood's day. Class from Banks who at the end of the game shook hands with all the Fleetwood backrooms staff . Onwards and upwards, well maybe...

 

[クレイグ]

I was a Baldwin fan until last season when I ran out of energy to defend his mistakes.

The Platt for Baldwin swap has worked out very well for us, just what we needed. He's been very very good for us so far. So consistent and no nonsense.

He's spent a lot of the season injured here. He just looks bang average. Not had one of his massive mistakes yet. Probably due one against Chesterfield.

I liked Platt. Really solid.

 

[Bianconeri 1862]

Winning a league maybe?

Wasn't really any competition with Notts and Wrexham not there , free hit.

 

[Bianconeri 1862]

That's it? That's all you are going to give me. Any thoughts on the game? It was a collectors item of a Notts win at MK after all. The first!

Here you go, off the mk forum, Lester will love this essay

Despite us being utterly woeful, I thought they were brilliant. By far the best team to come to StadMK this season. Their movement and passing was tearing us apart and it looked easy for them. Our players should be embarrassed about how the Notts players made them look.

They had a game plan and the quality of their players made it work. We looked like an average L2 team and didn't have the answers to the threats they posed.

They were superb until the final third. Should've been 6.

They were very good. We just couldn't get out for the vast majority of the first half.

I don't think we have ever been dominated as much that in L2 in Le Stad

 

[OneDecentLester]

Here you go, off the mk forum, Lester will love this essay

Despite us being utterly woeful, I thought they were brilliant. By far the best team to come to StadMK this season. Their movement and passing was tearing us apart and it looked easy for them. Our players should be embarrassed about how the Notts players made them look.

They had a game plan and the quality of their players made it work. We looked like an average L2 team and didn't have the answers to the threats they posed.

They were superb until the final third. Should've been 6.

They were very good. We just couldn't get out for the vast majority of the first half.

I don't think we have ever been dominated as much that in L2 in Le Stad

You think anyone’s reading that you boring b*stard?

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

 

[Scum.]

That's it? That's all you are going to give me. Any thoughts on the game? It was a collectors item of a Notts win at MK after all. The first!

General consensus on our side was we were entirely outplayed, out thought and could have been 0-3 or 0-4. Not sure what’s happened to us in the last 3 games. New manager dip after the bounce I guess. Hopefully back on track against Chestefield and Crewe - helpful to be playing two teams above us so we can claw our way back in and every team in the league apart from Walsall seem unable to sustain any sort of form currently so we are somehow still able to sneak back into the play-offs with our two games in hand.

 

[Scum.]

Are you lot expected to ‘go big’ again in January?

I’d be surprised if we didn’t. It will be the first opportunity for our new Kuwaiti owners to flash the cash a bit so if they didn’t I would be a tad worried. Also Lindsey’s first transfer window to start building his own team.

This recent poor form should hopefully shoot a rocket that we aren’t the finished article too (think everyone was getting too comfy after our 6 game winning streak). The aim has to be automatic promotion this year.

 

[jacobncfc]

I’d be surprised if we didn’t. It will be the first opportunity for our new Kuwaiti owners to flash the cash a bit so if they didn’t I would be a tad worried. Also Lindsey’s first transfer window to start building his own team.

This recent poor form should hopefully shoot a rocket that we aren’t the finished article too (think everyone was getting too comfy after our 6 game winning streak). The aim has to be automatic promotion this year.

I’m amazed to hear so many of your fans still linking you with Crowley, it’s just one game but that looked to be the last kind of player you need. The one constant criticism of him is he slows everything down, but you made us look like we were playing on fast forward for most of the game. It’s not very often we play a team that makes us look like we move the ball quickly.