Saturday 4th February

[UppaTowen_ITFC]

So apparently Ipswich are staying in Cambridge tonight ahead of our game tomorrow. Obviously with the early 3pm kick off, they needed to avoid the excessive one hour journey from theirs to ours tomorrow.

I’m not saying it’s right or wrong but McKenna introduced our lot staying in hotels before every away game. Something in it about team bonding he got from his time working under Pochettino at Spurs and Mourinho at United. Both managers apparently thought there was something in it with the side having breakfast together on the day of a game.

 

[oakroader]

deleted,wrong thread

 

[stevowanderer]

I’m not saying it’s right or wrong but McKenna introduced our lot staying in hotels before every away game. Something in it about team bonding he got from his time working under Pochettino at Spurs and Mourinho at United. Both managers apparently thought there was something in it with the side having breakfast together on the day of a game.

We are the same. Evatt introduced it when he came in as well. It’s becoming the new norm higher up the pyramid. We have a hotel partnership for the hotel at the stadium with Radisson. I’d be very surprised if that partnership didn’t include away match day accommodation. (Not sure if it does but we are missing a trick if it doesn’t).

 

[LancashireTrotters]

We are the same. Evatt introduced it when he came in as well. It’s becoming the new norm higher up the pyramid. We have a hotel partnership for the hotel at the stadium with Radisson. I’d be very surprised if that partnership didn’t include away match day accommodation. (Not sure if it does but we are missing a trick if it doesn’t).

Bolton have been doing it for years, as have most clubs in the top two tiers.

Neil Lennon took it a step further during his reign, making players stay in a hotel before home games too to ensure they weren’t out/up late. Ideas like that were probably why we lost so much money.

 

[stevowanderer]

Bolton have been doing it for years, as have most clubs in the top two tiers.

Neil Lennon took it a step further during his reign, making players stay in a hotel before home games too to ensure they weren’t out/up late. Ideas like that were probably why we lost so much money.

I should have said reintroduced. That all stopped during admin etc. didn’t it? When Sharon first came in we were travelling on the day of the away game and having pre match food in a hotel weren’t we? Staying in a hotel for home games is crazy though … on top of the cost surely the players get a better night’s sleep at home. And the ones going out the night before a match shouldn’t be in the team. I listen to a lot of the undrthecosh podcasts and all the players that had to do it said they hated staying in a hotel for home games unless they lived a decent distance from the ground. It surprised me actually how many players don’t live close to the training grounds etc and commute hours every day. Evatt regularly commutes a few hours to and from Chesterfield doesn’t he?

 

[Laker]

I’m not saying it’s right or wrong but McKenna introduced our lot staying in hotels before every away game. Something in it about team bonding he got from his time working under Pochettino at Spurs and Mourinho at United. Both managers apparently thought there was something in it with the side having breakfast together on the day of a game.

I get it for away games where there’s a decent journey. But Ipswich could have met at their training ground at 9 this morning, had a lovely breakfast for an hour, had a kick about for a bit, had lunch, left Ipswich and still made it to the Abbey for 1!

And I don’t get it for home games at all for so many reasons.

 

[valefan16]

I get it for away games where there’s a decent journey. But Ipswich could have met at their training ground at 9 this morning, had a lovely breakfast for an hour, had a kick about for a bit, had lunch, left Ipswich and still made it to the Abbey for 1!

And I don’t get it for home games at all for so many reasons.

Could be worse, Man United took a flight from Manchester to East Midlands Airport to play Forest the other week. I mean what’s that 10-15 minutes in a plane?

 

[Super_horns]

Could be worse, Man United took a flight from Manchester to East Midlands Airport to play Forest the other week. I mean what’s that 10-15 minutes in a plane?

Didn’t Arsenal once fly to Norwich - took 12 minutes!

 

[valefan16]

Still no strikers to start. Taylor, Wilson and Ellis all absent.

 

[Andy Proctor]

Still no strikers starting for vale. Only at vale could we sign a striker that's injured to join all the other strikers that are injured. Just going online now to bet 2 nil to Wycombe.

 

[valefan16]

Still no strikers starting for vale. Only at vale could we sign a striker that's injured to join all the other strikers that are injured. Just going online now to bet 2 nil to Wycombe.

Be a tough ask now for sure. These are solid at the back and we have no strikers so one goal probably does it.

Must have some back for Tuesday as that’s looking must win now.

 

[masi51]

Been banging on how deep our squad is....8 out today either injured or suspended yet i would say thats our strongest 11 we have put out all season.....no excuses today

 

[The Jovial Forester]

The Big Dunc miracle begins today. He's even threatened to try one of our burgers if he wins.

 

[Essex2Wessex]

Scousers singing about Big Dunc and what they call "Forest Blue" evident in downhill Nailsworth earlier....

 

[thewwfc]

Be a tough ask now for sure. These are solid at the back and we have no strikers so one goal probably does it.

Must have some back for Tuesday as that’s looking must win now.

well, our best CB (Mawson) is out and we haven't got much defensive cover on the bench if any of the rest get crocked.

Agree it'll probably be a tight scrappy affair though.

 

[stevowanderer]

Been banging on how deep our squad is....8 out today either injured or suspended yet i would say thats our strongest 11 we have put out all season.....no excuses today

I’d have Johnston in our strongest 11 but yeah I’m happy with that. Looking forward to seeing Adeboyejo from the start.

 

[leedsvaliant]

Better team so far and of course Wycombe score off their first move forward. They look poor but we will never score 2 with no forwards on.

 

[valefan16]

Masters of self destruction, concede from our own free kick in an attacking position and miss an absolute sitter. We are throwing this month with no fit strikers!

 

[leedsvaliant]

These are shithousing already. Long afternoon.....

 

[ProfessorGreen]

This is a disaster.

1 down after 5 minutes and Scarr and Cooper off injured.

Could end up any score without those 2 at the back, we need to hope to hang on and take a chance if it comes.

 

[leedsvaliant]

Referee falling for it too....I repeat, these are dreadful, just booting it forward and then throwing themselves over at every opportunity. Pathetic.

 

[stevowanderer]

Nothing happening in ours so far other the Cheltenham wasting time at every free kick, goal kick, throw in and even got a booking for blocking one of our quick free kicks. Stopping us gaining any momentum at all.

 

[GTFCfish]

Hey Cheltenham fans, cheers for George Lloyd that lad can fucking play!!

 

[denzel ecfc]

I’m not saying it’s right or wrong but McKenna introduced our lot staying in hotels before every away game. Something in it about team bonding he got from his time working under Pochettino at Spurs and Mourinho at United. Both managers apparently thought there was something in it with the side having breakfast together on the day of a game.

Working well then..

 

[denzel ecfc]

Charlton took the lead against the run of play but then we had a calamitous ten minutes. Game changed since Mitchell came on, feel we are unlucky to be behind at the break.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Second best but in it; O'Keefe must have run the ref's cat over, he's getting nowt and an undeserved card. Barely threatened but the odd positive sign and Bakayoko winning some decent stuff in the air. Might nick something.

 

[valefan16]

Frustrating, last thing we could afford was to give a goal and we did with a bow tie and everything.

We’ve had chances but no one to put them away and there are Westley level shithouses and we never do much against sides that do the dark arts so probably game over.

 

[leedsvaliant]

We've been dreadful the last 20 minutes. This is ideal for Wycombe....they're a poor outfit who just launch it forward and wear down the clock. But they've won the game now.

 

[masi51]

I’d have Johnston in our strongest 11 but yeah I’m happy with that. Looking forward to seeing Adeboyejo from the start.

As would i and maybe lee and Bodvarsson but that team looks strong on paper but up to now weak as piss on the pitch

 

[thewwfc]

Better team so far and of course Wycombe score off their first move forward. They look poor but we will never score 2 with no forwards on.

We have a seriously makeshift back line now Tafazolli's gone off, with precisely none of our first choice CBs on the pitch.

Vale still well in this, decent interplay between the forwards and you're having a lot of joy down your left side, but just lacking that finishing capability.

We'll be trying to turn this into an attritional midfield scrapathon, spoiling every chance we can get and trying to protect the back line.

Suspect we'll be bringing on another holding midfielder if we make it through to 70 minutes-ish without conceding.