League 2 General Chat Thread

[GTFCfish]

Our month or so ahead...Exeter (a), Mansfield (h), Palace (a), Macc (h), Lincoln (a), FGR (a), MK Dons (h), Newport (h). We will need our current home form to continue here as points are gonna be incredibly difficult to pick up on the road.

Fuck me thats a horrific run of fixtures, the only team not near the top being Macc at home and they beat us here every year anyway.

 

[GTFCfish]

We’ve won our last 5 at home and Mansfield are unbeaten away, mmm my crystal ball tells me that something’s gotta give here.......

 

[MrGloverLover]

Well it's getting tight now! Not a classic at the Park, but two great goals and a bit of a scramble to win it. Yeovil only seemed to play when they went behind. Three in a row but we need to keep wi ning and I'm sure Grimsby will be tough.
Denied a 6000 gate by Yeovils poor travelling support.

Not a surprise given that we're shit and a laughing stock.

 

[MrGloverLover]

What a difference 10 days make. 3 wins in a row and suddenly we’re looking up at there them automatics.

Holmes’ goal was top drawer, as was James’ goal for Yeovil, which gave Pym no chance.

We probably deserved 3 points and Stockley was on hand in the right place to knock it home after a bit of a scramble in the box.

Yeovil’s away following was awful...only 500 or so made the journey, which is a shame but I guess that shows how much they’re not behind Way.

On to Grimsby at the Park on Saturday

That's exactly it. Why support a man who says belittles the fans and tells bare-faced lies all the time?

 

[Luke Imp]

Terrible from us yesterday by all accounts but that's our first loss since October, so another run like that, please!

Another missed opportunity with MK and Colchester losing but as you were, but a good day for the Stags.

 

[Optipez]

Well, we're off the scale bad.
Reading this thread and it doesn't feel like we're in the same league, not even the lower mid table teams, Port Vale, Yeovil, Grimsby, it feels like a different division.
We've become detached, in our own personal doom loop. We will pick up points all teams do but I honestly could not tell you where from.

From the teams I've seen us play so far Yeovil were the best. On the night back in August they were free flowing, exciting and a joy to watch. Colchester on the opening day also looked good and Stags proficient.
Oldham and Carlisle probably the most pedestrian.
Obviously we are by far the worst team I've seen this or pretty much any season.

 

[shoddycollins]

Fuck me thats a horrific run of fixtures, the only team not near the top being Macc at home and they beat us here every year anyway.

Newport have been on the slide and unless they turn it around they will be in thoroughly mid table obscurity by the end in January. Indeed they might even be beneath you in the league if you keep winning.

 

[MrGloverLover]

Well, we're off the scale bad.
Reading this thread and it doesn't feel like we're in the same league, not even the lower mid table teams, Port Vale, Yeovil, Grimsby, it feels like a different division.
We've become detached, in our own personal doom loop. We will pick up points all teams do but I honestly could not tell you where from.

From the teams I've seen us play so far Yeovil were the best. On the night back in August they were free flowing, exciting and a joy to watch. Colchester on the opening day also looked good and Stags proficient.
Oldham and Carlisle probably the most pedestrian.
Obviously we are by far the worst team I've seen this or pretty much any season.

I was there that night and it feels a million years ago compared with how we are now. We scored over a third of our total league goals this season in two games.

 

[darren gregory]

Port Vale are a typical one dimensional Aspin team. Absolutely dire at times. We didn't manage to get the ball moving between their kick and rush, but we did dig deep and work hard for the majority of that and the match was won by the only glimmer of real quality. Superb goal by Thomas who is enjoying a great run of form at the moment and becoming a real favourite. Pringle struggled immensely, not his type of match at all and I'm hoping he is going to get back to the form he was showing a few weeks ago when we come up against sides that have a bit more about them than Vale. Back to back matches of not playing well/needing to get out of 2nd gear but 6 points from them and +5 in the GD column, so can't grumble about that. Can only beat what's in front of you, at the end of the day.

And the award for the most condescending post of the year goes to SOC.
' we didn't manage to get the ball moving between their kick and rush '.

Fuck me drunk when did you turn into Barcelona ?
You won with your only reasonable effort on goal and easily amongst the worst 3 sides to visit here.
We are absolutely abject, maybe deserved a draw but it's hard to get the ball off such a free flowing team like yourselves .

By all means take the piss but don't make out you are something that you are not.
I'll wager you a thousand pounds to the others chosen charity that you don't finish in the top 10. Brave enough ?

 

[Dan_Macclad]

And award for over reaction of the year.

 

[Son of Cod]

Well we are in top form and putting teams aside rather easily lately, oh and undefeated away from home all season

Yep, hence snapping your hand off at a win if offered. We are second in it right now though, to be fair. Can't see us being there after Exeter mind.

Newport have been on the slide and unless they turn it around they will be in thoroughly mid table obscurity by the end in January. Indeed they might even be beneath you in the league if you keep winning.

Newport have got two ex-Mariners up top though, who are both bound to score so we'll have to score at least three to get a win in that one.

And the award for the most condescending post of the year goes to SOC.
' we didn't manage to get the ball moving between their kick and rush '.

Fuck me drunk when did you turn into Barcelona ?
You won with your only reasonable effort on goal and easily amongst the worst 3 sides to visit here.
We are absolutely abject, maybe deserved a draw but it's hard to get the ball off such a free flowing team like yourselves .

By all means take the piss but don't make out you are something that you are not.
I'll wager you a thousand pounds to the others chosen charity that you don't finish in the top 10. Brave enough ?

Well, we do play decent football at times. Just ask the Lincoln, Tranmere, MK Dons and Colchester fans. Not saying we're Barcelona at all but we're a better footballing side than you lot from what I've seen so far this season and having seen plenty of Aspin's sides down in the Conference it's not hard to add the pieces together and figure out how you've accumulated your points this season. I'm not knocking that either, as it can be effective but I'm just calling it as it is. Plenty of Vale fans moaning that we're the worst team that has beaten them this season. Fair enough, we didn't play well yesterday but we still won so I'm happy.

We won with our only reasonable chance? Clinical mate. That's how games are won. Even you have to admit it was a goal worthy of winning a match, though?

A grand on the Mariners as well?? Hahahaha get real. I don't really have a clue where we will finish this season. Jolley seems to have a habit of getting us going on decent runs and then suffering slumps so we could end up anywhere from about 6th down to 20th, I reckon.

 

[darren gregory]

I actually applauded the goal and I'm no Bobby bullshitter. That was worthy of a clap though a couple of people glared at me.

Port Vale football club have a habit of making people like Steve McNulty and Harry Davis appear to be the new Franz Beckenbaur .
We often make others look great.
The best team I've seen by a country mile are Bury, they absolutely murdered us and we won 1-0 .
The worst team is ourselves and I genuinely think it'll be a close call again.
2 of our next 3 are against teams in the top 4 so we can dismiss those.
A matter of time before we become Chesterfield

 

[Tranmerewhite]

Not a surprise given that we're shit and a laughing stock.

Yeovil terrible away.. visiting fortress Prenton Park. Nailed on Yeovil win then.

Edit: Steve McNulty is that good though. Statistically the best CB in the league. Something like 33% more tackle/interceptions than the guy in 2nd.

 

[Son of Cod]

I actually applauded the goal and I'm no Bobby bullshitter. That was worthy of a clap though a couple of people glared at me.

Port Vale football club have a habit of making people like Steve McNulty and Harry Davis appear to be the new Franz Beckenbaur .
We often make others look great.
The best team I've seen by a country mile are Bury, they absolutely murdered us and we won 1-0 .
The worst team is ourselves and I genuinely think it'll be a close call again.
2 of our next 3 are against teams in the top 4 so we can dismiss those.
A matter of time before we become Chesterfield

Yeah Bury took us to the sword, 4-0 at Gigg Lane. We didn't help matters by looking absolutely shit scared of Danny Mayor and backing off him until we were in our own area every time he got the ball. Paid £10 for the pleasure of watching that on my phone too.

You'll be alright this season too, enough decent players in your squad to stay midtable/lower midtable in my opinion. I suspect we'll be finishing not too far from each other, either way. Don't think Aspin is the right man for the job though, unless he can unearth and quickly utilise some Lee Gregoryesque talent in the window.

 

[darren gregory]

I can Trump that I paid 20 for that shit yesterday !!
Saturday could be my last for a while, don't enjoy it any more. I got called a dick for saying I'd of preferred to of lost 3-2 at Macc on Saturday just gone instead of 0-0.
At least have a go and give some entertainment this current fare on show is utter dog turd

 

[valefan16]

Grimsby were the worst side to beat us on the day I stated not that they are the worst side overall. Oddly as mentioned by far the best team down Vale Park we beat in Bury in similar fashion to Grimsbys.

The annoyance about us is we’ve actually scored a couple of great footballing goals recently so can do it when allowed too, the first v Cheltenham for example and the one against Stoke with Mannys flick. He’s majorly gone off the boil playing with Kay.

The squad is decent enough but it’s being led by an inept tactician. Play with a little and large partnership or if going the old Notts County two target man style of last season chuck on two wide men.

Aspin set his mess out though brining the width of the pitch in at Vale Park, by far the best aerial striker in the league and he makes us narrow!

 

[Valeite]

We should have won yesterday by 3or 4 but thats football, a lot of overreaction going on as usual with my fellow sufferers.

 

[Dan_Macclad]

Aspin seems to be in last seasons survival mentality.
Vale will never progress while he's in charge.

 

[Gladders]

Didn't see the game so can't comment but we were shockingly bad against Notts and won 4-0 so if we were as bad as that then it says something, and weren't that much better against Swindon.

However if we keep playing crap and winning I'll be happy. Though with the run of games coming up we can't keep playing shite because we will soon face a good side who will punish us for it.

 

[EricSabin]

Sol Campbell working his magic at Macc it seems

 

[Vanni]

Luckily Crawley (with the team they had on the pitch) were as bad as I've seen this season apart from the U's on too many occasions to mention. Enjoyed little Luke Gambin's touches and Camara's occasional efforts but essentially they were as toothless as us.

Their goal was a Xmas gift from our two (After you Claude) fullbacks. If Dimi had been keeper, he'd have probably come out and got a red whereas Forde was never going to get involved - so some blessings for being too slow to catch cold.

Our first goal was high quality, admittedly aided by the training ground dummies in the Crawley defence. We huffed and puffed in the second half, with continued dire shooting, got the win with a touch (or two) of class from Amoo - one of the best wingers in the Division (for 30 minutes anyway) and a classic fox in the box Jabo finish.

Some trepidation at the prospect of Lincoln, with a full South Stand and South Habbin, up next - especially with Deegan suspended after his 10th yellow. Today 121 stalwarts travelled with Crawley for one of our lowest Boxing Day crowds for a long time (4,601).

I must have somehow missed your comments Alan, and I think Jabo's late strike and that feeling of actually winning a game is the reason why.

I get you I really do: we're poor so if we get to beat the other side then that's down to them being more poorer than us. That may well be the case sometimes (most of the time?) but it wasn't yesterday and I think you're being a tad harsh on Crawley. For starters, they weren't the poorest side to come to the Abbey this season and I thought they looked better than the likes of Macc, Yeovil and Grimsby because I thought they actually carried a goal threat going forward unlike the others, while missing their main striker.

Admittedly, they did sit a little too deep but isn't that what 3/4 of sides that have come here have done? I thought their defending was decent as for all the possession we had around their box, we only worked their keeper a couple of times. And anyway, If I were a L2 manager that's exactly what I'do - let the U's huff and puff with no end product and then hit them on the break when they run out of gas and /or self implode. Just about everybody knows by now that that is what we always do.

The U's were well up for it yesterday, and I can't think of one player that had a below average game. It was clear they had to win the game at all cost, so I wouldn't be too harsh on Crawley. In fact, they were my tip (plus Port Vale and Crewe) to get dragged back in it during the second half of the season but now I'm not so sure.

ps- by the way, I'm still no wiser as to what Halliday thought he was doing with that headed pass back to Forde from the halfway line!

 

[Trapdoor]

Maybe Devon Lad will reappear now you’ve started winning again?

Let's hope not.

 

[gijsbert_bos]

The Grimsby play off push started today, up the mariners

Just quoting this so I can find it on Saturday.

 

[GTFCfish]

Just quoting this so I can find it on Saturday.

You don’t actually think he’s being serious do you?

 

[AdamStag]

Let's hope not.

Bit how UTS went quiet after bury lost to us haha

 

[ShrimpsMeltdown]

Colchester away tomorrow. As of this morning it looks like our players haven't been paid over the Xmas period yet, they were also paid late last month. It looks like our financial problems haven't been solved as previously thought.

Tomorrow could be a rout then.

 

[dedwardp]

Colchester away tomorrow. As of this morning it looks like our players haven't been paid over the Xmas period yet, they were also paid late last month. It looks like our financial problems haven't been solved as previously thought.

Tomorrow could be a rout then.

We haven't scored more than one goal in a game since mid-October, so I wouldn't be expecting much of a rout. Could do with a few goals again, though.

 

[pontoonlew]

You don’t actually think he’s being serious do you?

I think he does, quite a weird one to get excited about quoting.

Anyway, we’re going to get absolutely hammered tomorrow. No defenders and Exeter have learnt how to play footie again.

 

[JJ1532]

Hard to know what to make of Stevenage tomorrow. On the one hand, they are almost certainly going to be a mid-table side and we need to be beating teams like that at home if we want to avoid a nervy 2nd half to the season. But they did get a decent win at Colchester and have shown they can compete with the best teams when they want to.

Doesn't matter if the performance can't match the Lincoln levels, grind out a win by whatever means necessary. Would possibly take a point if offered.

 

[Son of Cod]

I think he does, quite a weird one to get excited about quoting.

Anyway, we’re going to get absolutely hammered tomorrow. No defenders and Exeter have learnt how to play footie again.

Patch the centre of defence up with a player out of position or throw a 17 year old in against Stockley et al, then? The fact that Pollock didn't come on for Davis on Saturday suggests that Jolley isn't going to use Pollock, but perhaps that was because 3 points were very much on the line.

For me, I'd give Pollock a run out. I don't think anyone will blame him if he has a stinker and if he believes in himself then he'll be able to pick himself back up. We've wrapped our kids in too much cotton wool over the last decade or so and I think it is a bit OTT at times. We've got two CBs fit and we play four at the back. Use them both.

Also just read on The Fishy that we've still got Embleton for the Mansfield match on New Year's Day. Anyone know if that is correct?