Saturday 3rd September

[dedwardp]

Ours gone even further and said we have a play off budget. Based on yesterday both sets of fans are having the piss took out of them. You were the worst side I've seen this season, granted we are probably yours as well.

To be fair, I would tend to believe him - he's been open enough in the past couple of seasons to say it had been cut to one of the lesser budgets in the league so he couldn't be too disgruntled with us performing badly, so it does seem to mark a lift in expectancy again this year if he's . Players like Luke Chambers, Alan Judge, Freddie Sears, John Akinde, Emyr Huws etc aren't going to be cheap, it's just not been good value.

Prior to covid we always had one of the better budgets and, subsequently, were always in and around the play-off picture - usually even in and around the top three at Christmas time. It was cut throughout covid and just staying up was then the aim, but it seems we're looking to work our way back to pre-covid expectancy levels... just failing miserably at the moment.

 

[Casey]

How did Kwesi do for Colchester?

Casey

 

[Ellis]

Good 3 points for us but Wimbledon are shit.

 

[ForzaCounty]

(Fair warning for the pillock who wets himself every time someone points out the lack of gulf in standards between this league and the NL, you'll need to put your nappy on because that's what I'll be doing, again)

Yesterday's first half was the first time this season I've seen County play like the side that won the title last season, an actual team performance that would have troubled most teams (aided somewhat by awful opponents, but more on them later). If we'd managed that earlier, instead of being a bunch of individuals playing like a shadow of their former selves, we'd easily be another 6-7 points better off by now. Ollie Crankshaw was unplayable; I'd rather be waterboarded than be a defender facing him. Camps was a maestro in the middle, keeping everything ticking along. Even Wootton, who's frustrated me by his shyness during games, was the opposite and did everything you'd want a target man to do up front. Fantastic crosses were coming in left & right, and a smart striker like Madden could have tucked a few chances away. In fact that's the only criticism I could make, County really should have made the score reflect the dominance of that first half.

Second half was quieter and we never rebuilt that tempo, but still looked solid. Aside from that there's little to mention, except for the dying moments of the game when the ref faced his first real test of the afternoon, and screwed it up so badly you'd think he was doing VAR for the Premiership yesterday. The ball comes in to the right of our box, trickles along but Lewis decides he's going to shield the ball instead of actually play it. Unsurprisingly the forward behind him has plenty of time to win it off him, tries to take it toward goal only for Lewis to pull him back. You might not see a more blatant penalty this season, everyone in the ground saw it, except for the chap in black who was ten yards away and staring right at it. Quite why he decided not to give anything it's impossible to say.

Whilst the 4-500 Wimbledon fans can rightly feel aggrieved about the decision, overall nobody could argue they deserved anything from the game because they were pretty awful. Not quite Colchester, who were worse than anything I saw in the NL, but probably the second poorest opposition I've seen this season. They just had nothing about them whatsoever.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

I think the ref got some really big decisions wrong.

Your penalty was soft at best, but then didn’t give the one down away from us which on closer inspection does look a penalty.

Ours was also questionable tbh, one where you could be like, i can see why he’s given it but on that basis there could be 5 a game.

I’ve given up looking at the ref’s for an excuse because at this level they are all shite. He made some real bizarre decisions, all I can say is he didn’t affect the result

 

[GTFCfish]

Good 3 points for us but Wimbledon are shit.

Cracking analysis you should be a sports reporter.

 

[Ellis]

Cracking analysis you should be a sports reporter.

sometimes there isn’t much more to say than that.

 

[ForzaCounty]

Cracking analysis you should be a sports reporter.

Soccer Saturday and Fivelife prefer a bit of brevity tbf...

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Nice to bounce back with a win after a defeat last weekend. Not sure we really deserved it, first half we just weren't at it. Previously composed players looking panicked, going in with stupid tackles, far too many misplaced passes, nothing was sticking up top.

Crewe led 1-0 at the break and it probably should have been more. They had a penalty after 20 minutes, Vancooten needlessly taking out Agyei, probably an overreaction to being drawn out of position moments earlier. Definitely a penalty. Was a good save by Ashby-Hammond to keep it at 0-0. Their opener came from a corner, poor from us defensively, for a side with so many strong aerial players we've looked vulnerable from corners this year.

We managed to get to half time at just 1-0 and Evans made a couple of tactical tweaks and we instantly looked better for it. We managed to level through Jamie Reid, was a scrappy goal, the ball was fed into Taylor who did his best to get a shot on goal, the blocked effort then fell to Norris who guided the ball towards the bottom corner, not sure if the keeper was unsighted but he parried the ball straight into the path of Reid who tucked the ball home unmarked with the goal at his mercy.

Reid went close with another effort before he grabbed the winner. Not sure if you'd blame the keeper for the first but he was definitely at fault for the second. Earley played the ball into a crowded area, keeper comes to claim it but only succeeds in taking out his own defender and getting a limp fist to the ball, helping it into Reid who guided the ball into an empty net.

Was a scrappy game which probably should have finished a draw. Plenty of positives though, won despite being below par, great spirit to bounce back from both the loss last weekend and from a losing position today. Nice to see the manager alter something and for it to help change the game, spent the last few seasons watching like for like substitutions and no plan B.

Fair assessment. I also believe Stevenage should've been reduced to 10 men in the first half for a last man foul outside the box on Sambou. Only a yellow if it's in the box and he's tried to play the ball but if it's outside, it's still a red card.

First half we should've been out of sight. But we put in a trademark shit second half performance. Board are to blame for not backing the manager with further bodies on deadline day given our squad depth is abysmal. 1 second half goal scored all season means we won't be troubling the Top 7 and it'll be mid-table at best.

First goal we conceded wasn't the keeper's fault at all. Did very well to save a certain goal, wasn't helped by the fact 3 of our defenders decided to ball watch rather than pick up Reid who immediately slotted home the rebound whilst Okonkwo was recovering from the initial save.

Second goal was a collective error. Keeper didn't shout, defenders went for it thinking the keeper wouldn't. A real comedy of errors and we concede at least 5 of those types of goals every season yet I think we've only scored 1 goal like that in the past decade (and that was against Port Vale!).

Stevenage didn't even have to work hard to get the win and they'll be pissing themselves they've come away from that game with 3 points. We lost the game through our own sheer ineptitude and got exactly what we deserved. Sod all. Not good enough from us and a lack of depth and cutting edge will cost us dear this season.

 

[EricSabin]

Nice to beat Barrow after the end to last season. Also pleased to see Scunthorpe rooted to the bottom of the national league table.

Felt like an important one to win, getting back on track after last weeks defeat.

 

[GTFCfish]

Nice to beat Barrow after the end to last season. Also pleased to see Scunthorpe rooted to the bottom of the national league table.

Felt like an important one to win, getting back on track after last weeks defeat.

I get the Scunny bit but what happened with Barrow?

 

[Monkey Tennis]

I get the Scunny bit but what happened with Barrow?

The solitary goal we scored on the last day of the season handed Bristol Rovers promotion.

 

[GTFCfish]

The solitary goal we scored on the last day of the season handed Bristol Rovers promotion.

Aha right. Without that Bristol Rovers would’ve probably just gone and scored again anyway though.

 

[BarraMatt]

Nice to beat Barrow after the end to last season. Also pleased to see Scunthorpe rooted to the bottom of the national league table.

Felt like an important one to win, getting back on track after last weeks defeat.

A tad harsh, you expected us to roll over and get our bellies tickled that day and we did exactly that.

 

[AnotherStagsFan]

The ref was dreadful for both sides again in our game, when will we have some accountability in the game for it?

 

[F!RTHY]

The ref was dreadful for both sides again in our game, when will we have some accountability in the game for it?

The level of officiating I’ve seen this season has been atrocious. The standard just keeps dropping.

The FA really do need to take some form of action.

 

[F!RTHY]

Poor pen from Johnson, that.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1566758048697393153

 

[Conker]

All makes sense why we let him go out on loan now

 

[Cas]

Poor pen from Johnson, that.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1566758048697393153

I thought he was poor all-round. Not a patch on Cook

 

[Razzmachaz]

I find Danny Johnson an interesting one. Will score goals at this level and the one below. We gave him his football league breakthrough. Scored lots of goals but offers nothing else. Won't beat players with the ball or have the strength to hold the ball. Literally just arrives late and shoots. He's the sort of player who will be found out at league 1 level despite his goal record in League 2 and below. I thought we'd miss him when he left but we haven't at all and our style of play up front improved upon his departure.

 

[GTFCfish]

Poor pen from Johnson, that.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1566758048697393153

Could do with seeing it from 1 more angle just to be sure.

 

[EricSabin]

I get the Scunny bit but what happened with Barrow?

No ill feeling towards them, just nice to beat them

 

[EricSabin]

Aha right. Without that Bristol Rovers would’ve probably just gone and scored again anyway though.

Exactly, the 15 minute delay meant they’d have got 10 if they needed. But no I don’t pin it all on Barrow or anything like that, it was just nice to get the win after how last season ended.

 

[EricSabin]

A tad harsh, you expected us to roll over and get our bellies tickled that day and we did exactly that.

Calling my post harsh is a bit harsh

 

[loz]

Calling my post harsh is a bit harsh

That's a harsh reply(beat you to it BM)

 

[EricSabin]

That's a harsh reply(beat you to it BM)

Harsh to beat BM to it