Carlisle v Stevenage

[cufc17]

Another important game, and one we should be winning. Stevenage have struggled this season, and are still in the relegation scrap, whilst we remain on the fringes of the playoffs with a couple games in hand on those around us.

Jabo is available after his red card was overturned, whilst young Comley returns from his one-match suspension. Grainger and Miller are still injured, however.

I'll go 3-1 Carlisle.

 

[hellogregory]

Scrappy 2-1 win.

Dire game of football after which we'll all be walking out saying... "it's all about the result", "playing shit and still grinding out a win is a good sign", "have to improve if we want to make the playoffs", "we need a left winger".

 

[daviejones]

If ever there was a chance for Curle to try and take us back to a cleaner, passing football style, this must surely be it. I wouldn't have minded Ibehre being out for this one as it would've forced him to play Hope up front with Wyke which would sort of force at least a small shift from long-ball. As it stands I'd put Ibehre back in but give Hope a go up front in place of Wyke. Also a shame that Grainger is still out for this one as seem to be missing him and his set pieces more and more each game. My team would be:

Gillespie
Atkinson Raynes Ellis McQueen
Gilliead Comley Kennedy Sweeney
Ibehre Hope

Was thinking before how good this team would be if we'd somehow managed to keep Dempsey. Imagine sticking him in midfield with someone like Joyce to do the dirty work, would've been amazing. Potts would've transformed the team at the moment too, such a shame that both decided to leave.

 

[hellogregory]

Ibehre is actually better with the ball played into feet. He can hold the ball up far better with the ball at his feet and link up the play. Playing direct football doesn't suit him despite his size and that's partly why the goals have dried up IMO.

 

[daviejones]

Ibehre starts. It would be fantastic if he grabbed a goal having had his red card rescinded. Fancy Wyke to notch too.

 

[daviejones]

If the second half is the same as the first then it's time for us to liquidate.

 

[Carver]

We've just had our first meaningful shot!

 

[Carver]

JABO IBEHRE JUST SCORED 1-0

 

[daviejones]

YESSSS!!

 

[Carver]

Stevenage keep missing sitters, we need to wake up!

 

[daviejones]

What a hilarious win. Given the chances each team had it should've been 3 or 4 for Stevenage. Move on to Wimbledon - another big match, if we can win that then we can start talking about building momentum going forward. Pleased for Jabo to get his goal.

 

[daviejones]

Any fellow Carlisle fans just hear Jabo's interview? His high pitched laugh is the best thing to come out of today.

 

[cufc17]

That was such a terrible performance. 1st half in particular made unpleasant viewing, not really acceptable. It didn't get too much better, though there was a 15 minute spell in the 2nd half where we actually looked like a professional football team.

Stevenage had the better chances; hit the bar, missed two absolute sitters and brought a great save from Gillespie. They weren't a bad team, and I thought O'Connor had a good game.

HG was partially correct, leaving the game I was thinking 'well, at least we've got the 3 points'. I expected a lot better than that today.

Happy for Jabo getting his goal, but I was impressed with Hope once again - my MOTM.

 

[hellogregory]

That first half was disgusting.

Second half was a bit better, but yeah could have been 4-4.

 

[hellogregory]

Scrappy 2-1 win.

Dire game of football after which we'll all be walking out saying... "it's all about the result", "playing shit and still grinding out a win is a good sign", "have to improve if we want to make the playoffs", "we need a left winger".

Apart from the scoreline, this was a pretty accurate prediction from myself.

 

[Carver]

Any Stevenage fans on here?

 

[shoddycollins]

There's Brox

The result of that match was disgustingly unfair... But that's football for you. If we hadn't been so wasteful in front of goal late on, once Stevenage started to leave gaps at the back and we had several golden opportunities the score line could have been even less of a reflection of the way the game went.

 

[Carver]

There's Brox

The result of that match was disgustingly unfair... But that's football for you. If we hadn't been so wasteful in front of goal late on, once Stevenage started to leave gaps at the back and we had several golden opportunities the score line could have been even less of a reflection of the way the game went.

We so badly need a good left sided midfielder, even getting one or two new players in on loan or a free just to freshen things up and get that spark back that we had before everything went to hell in December. If we make the play offs there is no way we will get promoted playing like that.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

An extremely undeserved result today, reminded me of a bloody Football Manager game with Stevenage managed by the player who would afterwards be shouting at the computer that it is deliberately trying to cheat them.

Stevenage were alot more crisper, faster, knew what they were doing, had a good gameplan, played much better stuff, made good moves, did every single thing correct in the game and were better than us all across the park.........apart from up front where their finishing was woeful.

1st half display by us was one of the worst i've seen for quite a long time, we did absolutely nothing at all, not one single thing worthwhile to mention. Stevenage on other hand should have had 3 goals. Second half we at least had 2-3 chances created, but again stevenage had 3 sitters and flogged them.

somehow we scraped an extremely undeserved and unearned win as Jabo headed in a good goal from a rare attack, but its a tough game to describe, on the one hand Stevenage were 100% robbed and we certainly did not at all deserved ANYTHING, but on the other hand they should have scored 6 goals, they had 6 great chances and 3 of them were what i call 'sitters' if you have 6 great chances and you fail on all of them...........you don't have much else to blame but yourself.

but very worrying times, we are really really poor at the moment, its not as big a worry to many right now as we're still scraping draws and wins while playing dreadful, but i think a losing run is coming soon if we don't improve.

 

[cufc17]

I've only just remembered midway through the second half after we scored, when a Stevenage player went down injured and the rest of the team came over by the manager and they huddled for a team-talk!

 

[Carver]

but very worrying times, we are really really poor at the moment, its not as big a worry to many right now as we're still scraping draws and wins while playing dreadful, but i think a losing run is coming soon if we don't improve.

If right now are very worrying times, then what was last season? If we were really really poor then we'd be getting hammered every match and have a squad of players who are very weak and would not care about the club one bit.

I think on the pitch we are fine and to finish the season fighting for the play offs would be a good job done this season, I'd be more worried of what is happening to us off the pitch with our chairman Jenkins not ever selling the club to anyone no matter how trustworthy they are, he won't budge! How old is he now? What 92?

 

[hellogregory]

but very worrying times, we are really really poor at the moment, its not as big a worry to many right now as we're still scraping draws and wins while playing dreadful, but i think a losing run is coming soon if we don't improve.

We didn't scrape a draw on Tuesday at Accrington, we were absolutely excellent to be honest. Looked a really good, hard working, balanced side despite playing the full game with 10 men.

 

[daviejones]

We didn't scrape a draw on Tuesday at Accrington, we were absolutely excellent to be honest. Looked a really good, hard working, balanced side despite playing the full game with 10 men.

Also worth noting that the players will surely have been shattered after that match. To play as well as they did - for the most part dominating the match - with ten men would surely have taken it out of them, so to get a win today regardless of how deserved it was is somewhat impressive in itself.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Never went last season Carver, but by worrying I don't mean we're a terrible side destined for relegation, moreso that we've been playing poorly now for 2 months, we have been covering that by still scrapping draws and odd wins and being hard to beat...............very good positives.

but they are still covering some big glaring faults in our play and if we do not soon look to sort them faults we could quite easily go on a large bad run....we play like a side which could lose afew games in a row.

Left side is a priority its in a joke state at present, we started game with a right back at left back and a right footed striker at left wing....it hasn't worked now for 2 months, or when they play right footed central midfielders there either.

The usual line ploughed out of 'only signing better' but if we cannot find someone for left wing better than square pegs in round holes then we're either paying nothing or scouting crap.

 

[Carver]

but they are still covering some big glaring faults in our play and if we do not soon look to sort them faults we could quite easily go on a large bad run....we play like a side which could lose afew games in a row.

Left side is a priority its in a joke state at present, we started game with a right back at left back and a right footed striker at left wing....it hasn't worked now for 2 months, or when they play right footed central midfielders there either.

I think the characters we have in the dressing room now will not let us go on a bad run, it might not be pretty at times but they won't put their heads down.

As for the left midfield we have Angelo Balanta but he never gets picked for whatever reason, Curle extended his contract but he has never played since and he hardly ever makes the bench either.