March 2nd fixtures

[Soup Ladle]

Can't watch the midweekers because of work/time zone etc, Challinor furious at the side for the second half. Says we should have a lot more points than we currently do. Problem is outside of Armstrong our forwards are impact subs at best really.

Fans saying we were shite 2nd half and overall draw probably about fair. Frustrating we can't kill teams off when on top. Take a point, it's not a bad result. Move on to Torquay on Saturday, got to be game of the day that.

 

[B2TF]

Completely agree. Think this season will end up as a write off but with a bit of luck next season with injuries and some smart recruitment in the summer we have the making of a good side.

Christ give yourself a fucking break, there's half a season to go yet and you 2 have written it off! So, watcha gonna do now then? Go shopping on a Saturday? I mean, there's no point is there, our season is over, why bother? How do you guys get out of bed every day? No point is there? Day's over at lunchtime anyway, innit?

Jesus!

 

[springerbfc]

Most red cards in single appearances.

Good point. We’re definitely in line for most red cards from debutants - think we’re on two so far, with Adeloye sent off on his home debut.

Sign of champions.

 

[BornUnderTheElmslie]

Totally under the cosh for the last 20 mins of our game last night, but credit to Maynard and Saunders who got the shape and game plan right. With games every Sat and Tues right now, contact time on the training ground is minimal so it's difficult for the management team to implement a new shape and system other than through the matches.

Wood looked very dangerous in those closing stages but that was also down to us retreating and being dead on our feet. I was surprised how easy it was to nick possession off such as powerful side and how vulnerable they looked at the back.

 

[rudebwoyben]

Good point. We’re definitely in line for most red cards from debutants - think we’re on two so far, with Adeloye sent off on his home debut.

Sign of champions.

Three! - Fox at Dorking, Judd against Borehamwood and Adeloye on his home debut last night. How many matches did Wordsworth play before his sending-off against Stockport County?

 

[Aberstone]

Totally under the cosh for the last 20 mins of our game last night, but credit to Maynard and Saunders who got the shape and game plan right. With games every Sat and Tues right now, contact time on the training ground is minimal so it's difficult for the management team to implement a new shape and system other than through the matches.

Wood looked very dangerous in those closing stages but that was also down to us retreating and being dead on our feet. I was surprised how easy it was to nick possession off such as powerful side and how vulnerable they looked at the back.

Absolutely, plenty of wayward passing from Boreham Wood but as I mentioned last night, the lack of communication between goalkeeper and centre backs will be their undoing. We definitely should have capitalised on one of those mistakes.

 

[Hollywood Red]

Well after last nights results it doesn't appear apart from Sutton that anyone wants to go up.
We are preparing for next season yet we are still in 5th, with our present team shows how poor the quality is this season.
In addition: Torquay,Stockport,Eastleigh,Notts C,Bromley,Yeovil,Solihull and Chesterfield have still got to come to our place.So we will have a big say on who goes up this season

 

[Kenneth Dodd]

Yeah its bonkers, 9 goals now since he's joined us. Think its 9 in 14?

We wondered what the managers were doing taking a player on loan who wasn’t getting a game two leagues below the North then first game he scored a hatrick against Darlington and has never looked back since.

 

[AJS]

Christ give yourself a fucking break, there's half a season to go yet and you 2 have written it off! So, watcha gonna do now then? Go shopping on a Saturday? I mean, there's no point is there, our season is over, why bother? How do you guys get out of bed every day? No point is there? Day's over at lunchtime anyway, innit?

Jesus!

I’m not saying we are crap by any means. We clearly aren’t. However, what tells you we are going to put a run together of 4/5 wins on the bounce to make the playoffs? You only need to look at the table and we are averaging out 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss pretty much across a 3 game period.

I’ll carry on watching the games but it’s going to require a huge turn in luck/consistency to make the playoffs. Its not been a bad effort considering all the injuries. Don’t mean to be harsh, just being realistic

 

[CFC91]

You look at a 1-0 home win and it suggests a bit of a cagey/tight game but I thought last night was one of our best performance under Rowe. Completely dominated the game, completely in control and Eastleigh would have been done for 3 or 4 on another night. They just didn't seem to have anything in attack or upfront, but defended bloody well, like frustratingly well the amount of blocks or deflections they managed to get in.

Rowe took a big gamble making 5 changes to a side that has 2 defeats in 14 but it paid off, and credit to him for that. We needed fresh legs and swapping 3 of the back 5 was a risk but Kerr and Gunning slotting into the back 3 + Whittle coming back in a wingback worked really well - meaning we managed to rest key players like Hollis, Taylor + McCourt.

Another big game against an inform play off rival on Saturday but really happy with us after last night.

 

[Wooderson]

Still can’t believe we conceded an injury time equaliser to a side that has furloughed half their team and had a 50 year-old on the bench. Thought Carey was excellent for KL, the type of performance we could do with at the moment. Full of legs and energy. Thank God for Kyle Wootton right now - if he gets injured we are in trouble, especially if his replacement is Effiong, who looks useless so far. I’m still shaking my head in despair at the free kick he gave away for the goal last night.

We still have a very good squad and I’m still pretty confident we will make the play offs, but we need a change in approach from Ardley if we’re to go up. As said above, long way to go yet but Sutton looking like the only ones likely to win it at the moment.

 

[B2TF]

I’m not saying we are crap by any means. We clearly aren’t. However, what tells you we are going to put a run together of 4/5 wins on the bounce to make the playoffs? You only need to look at the table and we are averaging out 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss pretty much across a 3 game period.

I’ll carry on watching the games but it’s going to require a huge turn in luck/consistency to make the playoffs. Its not been a bad effort considering all the injuries. Don’t mean to be harsh, just being realistic

Christ, what a soulless, joyless existence you have. If you can't travel in hope, what's the fucking point? Following a football team is all about the hope. Hoping you'll score in a minute. Hoping you'll win, this week and next. Hoping you'll make the Play Offs. Hoping you'll win them. Did you never wonder why You'll Never Walk Alone is an anthem for football? You know, that bit about how you'll never walk alone if you walk with hope in your heart? You've chucked the towel in with half the season still to play? Have a word with yourself.

 

[OneDecentLester]

You look at a 1-0 home win and it suggests a bit of a cagey/tight game but I thought last night was one of our best performance under Rowe. Completely dominated the game, completely in control and Eastleigh would have been done for 3 or 4 on another night. They just didn't seem to have anything in attack or upfront, but defended bloody well, like frustratingly well the amount of blocks or deflections they managed to get in.

Rowe took a big gamble making 5 changes to a side that has 2 defeats in 14 but it paid off, and credit to him for that. We needed fresh legs and swapping 3 of the back 5 was a risk but Kerr and Gunning slotting into the back 3 + Whittle coming back in a wingback worked really well - meaning we managed to rest key players like Hollis, Taylor + McCourt.

Another big game against an inform play off rival on Saturday but really happy with us after last night.

Yep agreed, we never let them out and suffocated their midfield whenever they tried to play out/counter attack, keeping their attacking players isolated which led to sustained pressure from us for pretty much the whole game (other than the start of both halves which were a bit hectic!)

Rowe said in his presser yesterday that he thought it was the most complete performance he’s seen from any side he’s coached/managed at this level in terms of the dominance, and was good to see opposition manager Strevens give us credit too (especially considering he’s been very critical of us in the past!!)

 

[Wooderson]

Yep agreed, we never let them out and suffocated their midfield whenever they tried to play out/counter attack, keeping their attacking players isolated which led to sustained pressure from us for pretty much the whole game (other than the start of both halves which were a bit hectic!)

Rowe said in his presser yesterday that he thought it was the most complete performance he’s seen from any side he’s coached/managed at this level in terms of the dominance, and was good to see opposition manager Strevens give us credit too (especially considering he’s been very critical of us in the past!!)

From what I’ve seen at this level since we came down, a lot of success seems to be derived from playing with real energy, pressing the opposition, not letting them settle for a minute, then capitalising on their mistakes when they give the ball away. Chesterfield did it very well to us at our place, and it sounds like they did it well again last night. We basically do the opposite to this, and hate it when sides do it to us.

 

[MrGloverLover]

Well after last nights results it doesn't appear apart from Sutton that anyone wants to go up.
We are preparing for next season yet we are still in 5th, with our present team shows how poor the quality is this season.
In addition: Torquay,Stockport,Eastleigh,Notts C,Bromley,Yeovil,Solihull and Chesterfield have still got to come to our place.So we will have a big say on who goes up this season

We want to go up now, it's just a shame we didn't seem to want to for the first couple of months of the season

 

[TheShayWay]

Christ give yourself a fucking break, there's half a season to go yet and you 2 have written it off! So, watcha gonna do now then? Go shopping on a Saturday? I mean, there's no point is there, our season is over, why bother? How do you guys get out of bed every day? No point is there? Day's over at lunchtime anyway, innit?

Jesus!

What point of our season so far has told you we are capable of stringing 4 wins in a row together? It's called being realistic. If you think we are going to carry on and be anything other than the inconsistent team we have so far proved to be then thats your look out.

 

[Soup Ladle]

You look at a 1-0 home win and it suggests a bit of a cagey/tight game but I thought last night was one of our best performance under Rowe. Completely dominated the game, completely in control and Eastleigh would have been done for 3 or 4 on another night. They just didn't seem to have anything in attack or upfront, but defended bloody well, like frustratingly well the amount of blocks or deflections they managed to get in.

That's what I thought about Eastleigh when we lost at theirs. I thought they were very strong at the back even though they have Andrew Boyce who was shit for us in L2, maybe there's hope for Fraser Kerr, actually probably not. It was our own mistakes that cost us the points but you can see why they are up there.

 

[CFC91]

That's what I thought about Eastleigh when we lost at theirs. I thought they were very strong at the back even though they have Andrew Boyce who was shit for us in L2, maybe there's hope for Fraser Kerr, actually probably not. It was our own mistakes that cost us the points but you can see why they are up there.

I see Kerr fitting into our side perhaps more than I thought. We tend to play 3 centre halves under Rowe with wingbacks. We've been playing Hollis (a big stopper in the centre of the 3) and Evans and Maguire either side who tend to get the ball down a bit more and get it out side. Evans is a very limited right centre half on the balls where Maguire is very good on the ball, so could be Evans days are numbered + Kerr comes into as the right sided centre back of the 3. He certainly looked better on the ball and more suited our new style of play.

Early days but I fancy us to make a good crack at the play offs on current form.

 

[CFC91]

From what I’ve seen at this level since we came down, a lot of success seems to be derived from playing with real energy, pressing the opposition, not letting them settle for a minute, then capitalising on their mistakes when they give the ball away. Chesterfield did it very well to us at our place, and it sounds like they did it well again last night. We basically do the opposite to this, and hate it when sides do it to us.

Agree, it seems to work for us and some of the performances have been very good. We've had a couple (Alty and Stockport) where we've looked really tired and not been very effective so when it doesnt work it makes us look a poor side but on the whole I rate what Rowe it trying to do.

I've got a mate who's a Barnsley fan and he says their new boss is doing something very similar for them which obviously looking at their form is working higher up the pyramid

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

Mitch Rose is looking like a better option than either of our current ones.

Literally all they’re good at is recycling possession in games when we have all of the ball. No goal threat, too slow to support counter attacks, absolutely picked off defensively by any midfield with a bit of energy, mortally offended any time someone tries to press them. Hopeless.

These were literally all the problems that were so ruthlessly exploited by Harrogate at Wembley. Those and the walking problem which is Ben Turner. It’s partially the manager’s tactics. It’s partially his choice of personnel.

I’ve long accepted that Ardley is never going to get us promoted. The most important point is when the owners start to think this as well. If they’re not already doing so.

 

[OneDecentLester]

From what I’ve seen at this level since we came down, a lot of success seems to be derived from playing with real energy, pressing the opposition, not letting them settle for a minute, then capitalising on their mistakes when they give the ball away. Chesterfield did it very well to us at our place, and it sounds like they did it well again last night. We basically do the opposite to this, and hate it when sides do it to us.

It’s an interesting point because I think that style of play (gegenpress, high block, counter press, whatever fancy name they wanna give it on sky etc...) is a trend that seems to be at the forefront of many of the top coaches/clubs in world football at the moment... you think of the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp who are clearly big advocates of that style, and I think that’s then filtered through the lower leagues and influenced many coaches to try and adopt that style.. and I think as fans it’s the style you wanna see your team playing because obviously that’s the way the top teams are playing and seen as the ‘in thing’ !!

I’m sure in 5/10 years time there will probably be a new trend across football as that seems to be how things work when you look at recent history and how certain styles are now seen as ‘outdated’ when they were once the way everyone wanted to play (the likes of pep’s slow build up tiki taka possession football that everyone raved about 10 years or so ago, and Mourinho’s defensive counter attacking masterclasses etc..)

Going back to us though, it’s been a breathe of fresh air having a young innovative (and motivated!!) coach at the helm willing to implement this style, considering that for years our style of play’s had no identity whatsoever to the point where I genuinely don’t think the players were coached anything under likes of Sheridan and Allen and was just a case of winging it on match day

 

[B2TF]

What point of our season so far has told you we are capable of stringing 4 wins in a row together?

How about the bit where we won 3 in a row? Why do you both think 4 on the bounce is some kind of magic number? What if we won 2, drew 1, lost 1, won 2 more, drew the next 2, lost again, drew 1 won 3, lost 2, won 3...... why do you assume we'll get the same or similar points over the second half as we did over the first? We might get more. We might get less. Nobody knows really, do they? That's football. So I'll ask again, if you can't live in hope, what's the fucking point?

 

[Wooderson]

It’s an interesting point because I think that style of play (gegenpress, high block, counter press, whatever fancy name they wanna give it on sky etc...) is a trend that seems to be at the forefront of many of the top coaches/clubs in world football at the moment... you think of the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp who are clearly big advocates of that style, and I think that’s then filtered through the lower leagues and influenced many coaches to try and adopt that style.. and I think as fans it’s the style you wanna see your team playing because obviously that’s the way the top teams are playing and seen as the ‘in thing’ !!

I’m sure in 5/10 years time there will probably be a new trend across football as that seems to be how things work when you look at recent history and how certain styles are now seen as ‘outdated’ when they were once the way everyone wanted to play (the likes of pep’s slow build up tiki taka possession football that everyone raved about 10 years or so ago, and Mourinho’s defensive counter attacking masterclasses etc..)

Going back to us though, it’s been a breathe of fresh air having a young innovative (and motivated!!) coach at the helm willing to implement this style, considering that for years our style of play’s had no identity whatsoever to the point where I genuinely don’t think the players were coached anything under likes of Sheridan and Allen and was just a case of winging it on match day

Uh-huh. And has Rowe signed new players to implement this system? Or just got the old ones to adapt?

 

[OneDecentLester]

Uh-huh. And has Rowe signed new players to implement this system? Or just got the old ones to adapt?

Mixture of both, but 14 new signings tells you he didn’t like what he saw in the first couple of weeks in training... and can’t blame him from what I saw that group of players serve up under pemberton

 

[GTFCfish]

Halifax v Halifax FRACAS.

 

[Fyldefan]

How about the bit where we won 3 in a row? Why do you both think 4 on the bounce is some kind of magic number? What if we won 2, drew 1, lost 1, won 2 more, drew the next 2, lost again, drew 1 won 3, lost 2, won 3...... why do you assume we'll get the same or similar points over the second half as we did over the first? We might get more. We might get less. Nobody knows really, do they? That's football. So I'll ask again, if you can't live in hope, what's the fucking point?

Ha ha ha you’re like the guy at work that knows it all. You’d start an argument in a one man tent

 

[Bee sting]

How about the bit where we won 3 in a row? Why do you both think 4 on the bounce is some kind of magic number? What if we won 2, drew 1, lost 1, won 2 more, drew the next 2, lost again, drew 1 won 3, lost 2, won 3...... why do you assume we'll get the same or similar points over the second half as we did over the first? We might get more. We might get less. Nobody knows really, do they? That's football. So I'll ask again, if you can't live in hope, what's the fucking point?

Won 3 in a row? We have only managed to win 1 in a row 3 times.

 

[B2TF]

Ha ha ha you’re like the guy at work that knows it all. You’d start an argument in a one man tent

If you were following this you'd know it's the others who are claiming to know it all, they're even predicting the future. I'm saying nobody knows!

 

[B2TF]

Halifax v Halifax FRACAS.

They're not really Halifax fans, they've only turned up here since we made the play offs, I was here when we were shit.

 

[B2TF]

Share the points Saturday?

Nah, were coming down there to give you a good seeing to.