Saturday 4th and Tuesday 7th December

[coronakopite]

Last night was shite, but the boys (and Duff of course) have enough credit in the tank for a performance like it. I'm seeing some people go a bit OTT on Twitter and the like, but I'm over it already.

There's no point Duff lambasting the players straight after the game, they knew they were shite and him screaming at them will make no difference.

My biggest disappointment of last night was that we didn't even get the basics right. Sean Long, a player in the running for player of the season, couldn't pass to a player a couple of yards away. Are they a bit jaded, were they just not cut out for the conditions? Who knows? But we dust ourselves down and move on to the weekend.

That's the great thing about League Football, if we win 1-0 on Saturday last night will be a distant memory.

I have to say that in the lead up to half time your lot looked a bit weary, a bit confused and the body language wasn't great. I was fairly confident we'd see the second half out and probably come away 2-0, having started the game hoping for a draw. Certainly didn't expect you to crumble so completely.

There were a few occasions when defenders clearly wanted the keeper to hoof the ball but they were having to try to play out from the back because that was Plan A and there was no Plan B or CF/winger that could compete for a ball anyway.

George Williams has become a bit of a fans favourite on the Habbin. He likes a tackle, is well schooled in the dark arts and is always lifting chivvying and directing the young lads in front and alongside him. Another thing in his favour is that Joey Barton didn't rate him and Mark Bonner definitely did.

 

[FGR Stroud]

I couldn't disagree more. We've lost 2 games in 10 (the last two). We had a dodgy spell last season, and even one this season when we got pumped 5-0 by Sunderland.

Duff is quite clear in his ambitions, but also his family life. His wife is from Cheltenham and they've moved home so she can be closer to her family. If he's going anywhere it will be relatively local, and to a non-basket case club. The only step up locally is arguably Bristol City. If they sack Pearson, I'll be concerned. Until then...

Okay, lets agree to disagree.
But I've never seen Duff so downbeat in interviews until last couple of weeks.
He repeatedly said that there is no money for marquee signings.
It may well be that he considers he cannot take the team further forward and leaves on a high.
Yes he wed a Cheltenham lass but she has lived outside that area for most of her married life, which indicates that she might be prepared to move away from Gloucestershire.
I suspect both man and wife will happily move if the right job was offered.

 

[longmover]

I usually check out Duff's pre and post match interviews and for the past few weeks he appears to have lost his air of confidence. This is the first time in his managerial career that his team are experiencing a poor run. He does not look a happy man.

Okay, lets agree to disagree.
But I've never seen Duff so downbeat in interviews until last couple of weeks.
He repeatedly said that there is no money for marquee signings.
It may well be that he considers he cannot take the team further forward and leaves on a high.
Yes he wed a Cheltenham lass but she has lived outside that area for most of her married life, which indicates that she might be prepared to move away from Gloucestershire.
I suspect both man and wife will happily move if the right job was offered.

I would not be surprised if he cuts and runs.

Why does this concern you so much? Believe me no CTFC fan gives a jot about the fgr manager in any way.

 

[SVH]

Why does this concern you so much? Believe me no CTFC fan gives a jot about the fgr manager in any way.

He’s just giving his opinion on a football forum. I doubt he cares that much but forums are all about opinions...

 

[FGR Stroud]

Why does this concern you so much? Believe me no CTFC fan gives a jot about the fgr manager in any way.

Perhaps not now but CTFC were obsessed with Mark Cooper, FGR's previous manager.

Michael Duff [Cheltenham] & Rob Edwards [FGR] have both started their senior managerial careers at either club. Both men had previous experience with younger players. Duff has done well and won EFL2 last season while Edwards is doing better than okay this season.
So a lot in common. But as I pointed out Cheltenham's progress of late has stalled so it is interesting to try and discover his explanation for that in order than Edwards can perhaps veer a different course.

 

[Si Robin]

I'm confused by this assertion that our progress has stalled. As Duff said today, we're at our highest ever position this far into a League season and have had two poor games. We've lost 2 in 10 (our last 2, one of which was a League game) and 3 in 14.

We've done this without any of our first choice centre-backs since the beginning of September.

His explanation was the same today as it was on Tuesday night - the players had a bad couple of games, they get back to the basics and go again Saturday. As I said, win on Saturday and we won't even remember Tuesday night.

In fact, Duff is so grounded he did something on Tuesday that I loved - the game was gone, we were 4/5-0 down with 10 mins to go, instead of chasing a game that was gone he put on a defender who is coming back from injury just to give him some minutes. I love how his mind works in those situations.

 

[ShrimpsMeltdown]

We can't defend to save our lives, selling Lavelle on deadline day looks an awful decision currently (he wanted to leave and he'd leave for nothing in the Summer if he stayed)

We were just pathetic at Sunderland, it was like a training session for them.

If Cole doesn't score, we really are turd and look lost. I'm not sure what's changed or if we've just been found out quite quickly, because we looked alright at the start of the season. Big transfer window for us coming up.

 

[Bobbin']

We can't defend to save our lives, selling Lavelle on deadline day looks an awful decision currently (he wanted to leave and he'd leave for nothing in the Summer if he stayed)

So not an awful decision then?