Saturday 6th August 2022

[The Jovial Forester]

Well, nearly got back into it but after that one got chalked off from the corner Ipswich got a grip again and while we were at it, never really had them rocking. Overall second half had some promising signs, shame we left ourselves too much to do being ponderous first half, though credit to Ipswich's press.

 

[kieran_vale]

Think your being too kind, we comfortably beat that side 1-0 a few weeks ago and it’s barely changed then put that in today. That’s huge regression. Big big week needed as the positivity has been smashed there from the last few weeks, not arsed about Rotherham but need players fit and attacking options for next weekend.

I’d have the defenders running tomorrow rather than a day off as well!

That game was an utter irrelevance to what happened today not least as the player who scored for us that day was out injured. If anything it probably worked against us in terms of them wanting to prove a point to us. I'm not going to over-react to one bad day at the office and against what is a very decent Exeter team. I think everyone at the club knows there's work to do in the window but that was as true after Fleetwood as it is today.

 

[Tea Towel]

Can’t grumble too much with a win and a clean sheet at MK Dons. Stockdale was excellent but the defence overall was shakey again.

 

[LancashireTrotters]

Absolutely superb performance, played some outstanding football.

Roll on next week.

 

[valefan16]

That game was an utter irrelevance to what happened today not least as the player who scored for us that day was out injured. If anything it probably worked against us in terms of them wanting to prove a point to us. I'm not going to over-react to one bad day at the office and against what is a very decent Exeter team. I think everyone at the club knows there's work to do in the window but that was as true after Fleetwood as it is today.

No but the issue is again second half we’ve ended up using it as a “friendly” to get players fit as we don’t have the players to come on and change it for us. Ones barely played in two years and one’s been out since January, just feels like we’ve ballsed up pre season with a lack of friendlies and not enough movement which has left us essentially with over half a squad unfit, one available striker and having to play a youth midfielder up front.

it’s far from ideal and i get wait until deadline day and they want the right players in but we now have two games that with all respect look far tougher than today on paper and could be playing catch up by the end of the month.

We need a huge reaction at the very least next weekend.

 

[Craig]

3 points all that matters.

 

[thewwfc]

Can’t grumble too much with a win and a clean sheet at MK Dons. Stockdale was excellent but the defence overall was shakey again.

I thought your lot (maybe not you personally) all thought he was crap and you need to get rid immediately as of last week…

 

[Essex2Wessex]

Ipswich really were a cut above us, barely letting up the press at times, but we played some skilful football even before we stepped up the attack after half-time. We won't piss this league, not this year, but if we keep up like this, and avoid injuries and suspensions, can't see any reason why we won't stay up, maybe even respectability.

 

[Tea Towel]

I thought your lot (maybe not you personally) all thought he was crap and you need to get rid immediately as of last week…

He was probably up against it before a ball had even been kicked with people writing him off due to his age and looking a bit heavy. Last week he should have done better with one of the goals which won’t have helped him but as I say, he was excellent today and credit where it’s due. If he plays like that most weeks he will have no problem changing their opinions.

 

[TractorBoys]

Jesus christ. That goal for FGR came from nothing and for the next 5 minutes I was watching thinking WTF is happening. Felt aside from that 5-10 minute period we were in complete control and looked good. We really should have won by 3 or 4.

That said, FGR will stay up, comfortably, based on that.

 

[Luke Imp]

Outstanding result for us today all things considered. No real attacking options, even fewer than last week against Exeter, so we were only ever to get something from the game with a 0-0 and we did just that.

Last season we'd have gone down there and tried to play the Appleton way despite being depleted and limped to a 2-0 defeat or something.

 

[LeonTheGreen]

Fairplay Fleetwood, sounds like we were crap today. Couple surprising results, but what an awful start and game for Burton. Red card inside a minute and then Evans scores from the freekick!

 

[UppaTowen_ITFC]

Forest Green won’t go down on todays evidence. Came at us second half after your goal and for ten minutes we were hanging on. Disallowed goal looked about right but seems like the linesman miss that every other week.

Thought we were excellent first half and 2-0 was fair. Morsy is some player ain’t he. Every week for the last year we’ve asked ourselves why he plays in league 1. Even ignoring his worldie, he ran the game from start to finish in midfield. When you scored it gave me horrible flashbacks of Cambridge away last season when we were 2 up and cruising when they scored from nowhere and ended up getting a point after we collapsed. But to our credit, at no real point in the 9 minutes of added time today did I think we were under massive pressure. We just calmly kept the ball down your end of the pitch and passed it around for the points.

On balance, I think we did enough to justify the points but a decent game in nice weather and an early win to get the season under way (unlike last year under Paul Cook when we needed six games to register a victory). Can’t really ask for much more than that.


Edit - This was supposed to be in reply to The Jovial Foresters post but it appears I’ve just posted it as a normal reply.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Fairplay Fleetwood, sounds like we were crap today. Couple surprising results, but what an awful start and game for Burton. Red card inside a minute and then Evans scores from the freekick!

They were probably better off giving a penalty away (it was right on the edge of the box) as the guy wouldnt have got sent off as well.
Evans does that routinely, pure class.

 

[YEO YEO YEO]

Outstanding result for us today all things considered. No real attacking options, even fewer than last week against Exeter, so we were only ever to get something from the game with a 0-0 and we did just that.

Last season we'd have gone down there and tried to play the Appleton way despite being depleted and limped to a 2-0 defeat or something.

Absolutely. Far too many tame defeats last year. Lets hope we've got a resilient team, that is not afraid to dig deep for each other this season!!

 

[masi51]

Wycombe have had 1 or 2 decent chances but for the most part we have been sensational today. Could have scored 3/4 at least. On this performance Conor Bradley should not be playing in league 1. He is absolutely levels above. He’s defo got a chance or making it at Liverpool. I was quite disappointed we didn’t get Fossey back but this lad is an upgrade for sure.

not a chance in hell will he make it at Liverpool a Burnley,Brighton all day long class

 

[Gassy]

You will still win tomorrow. Don’t fret.

Yeah, fair enough

 

[Bartonyellow]

Where to start with today.
I left at half time - got a taxi into town and had a few beers.
Still not calmed down. Never seen our fans so animated and angry. Thought the guy by me was going on the pitch.
If he is not gone by tomorrow there will be a protest next week.
He has lost the fans. Fucking clueless.

 

[masi51]

Deserved defeat then. Bolton look like a good combo of attacking quality, physicality, and a solid defence.

We didn't help ourselves by fluffing our lines in attack with the few decent chances we created - if one of them had gone in then maybe it's a different game, but shoulda woulda coulda...but didn't.

So take it on the chin, move on - if Bolton can do that every week then I see them being up there.

No.....If we could do that every week we would be promoted come March
Did you hit us on a good day................certainly
can we replicate today week in week out......we will see

 

[Bartonyellow]

Yeah, fair enough

I did tell you. This guy is a joker. Sack him now.

 

[kieran_vale]

Wow, wasn’t expecting that in the slightest. Sounds like we were excellent and could have score a few more. Jevani and Nombe up front will be huge for us this season. Also a massive call from Taylor giving Kite his first start of the season, which worked out great.

To get 4 points on the board so early is huge as it give us confidence moving forward. We still need more bodies, which hopefully will come soon but all the signs say we should be fine this season.

You could have. Just before your third Nombe fluffed one when through on goal where it looked far harder not to score. Got a good team but knew that already about Exeter. Can do nothing other than say well done on the win and performance.

Thought DC seemed very measured after the game and I think he hit the right tone. Don't think with these players they need anyone to tell them they fell short today and against a decent opposition this will happen to you. We'll cop some other hammerings no doubt at some point this season and possibly dish out a few ourselves, it's going to happen now we've stepped up a league. A tough but maybe a needed lesson today.

All the best to Exeter though I hope we repay this one with interest when you come to VP later in the season

 

[leedsvaliant]

4-0 flattered them a bit, particularly first half, but Exeter by far the better team on the day. I knew they would still be a good team but I didn't expect us to capitulate in the manner we did.

I was concerned as soon as the team came out. It looked weaker than the team we put out on the last day of last season, which is concerning when it's the second game in a higher league. We gave a debut to Robinson despite the fact that he didn't play in league 2 and had a 17 year old up front.

Proctor had his worst game in a vale shirt. It's one of the first times since Clarke took over that we didn't look up for the fight and basically gave up.

Concerning that we finished with no strikers on the pitch and a bit of a makeshift team at the moment. You can get away with it in the league below but not in league 1. We need to have our best players available and at the moment we've got probably 7 or 8 either coming back from long term injuries or not fit enough. We're playing players that would have been back up in league 2 and it showed today.

I think the playoffs have derailed us a bit. We don't look prepared and we certainly didn't have enough pre season games to get up to speed. It feels a bit like we're writing the first month of the season off and any points are a bonus. Not much compensation to fans who have travelled down a long way though.

It's very early days and sometimes you get these results early in the season but I worry what it will do to our confidence, especially with a very strong Bolton side next week.

Bad day all round from the manager through to the players.

 

[Chris FGR]

Yeah Ipswich were better then us, played some quality stuff at times but we did well second half to make a game of it. Not sure how that wasn’t a red at the end, looked pretty blatant last man etc.

 

[codaplenty]

Fleetwood dug in really well for a deserved win against a good side. Some excellent performances out there, Dan Batty is just on fire, 5 goals in 5 games. New signing Brendan Wiredu had a cracking game but there was energy all over the park. Great subs at the end, not just Garner scoring the winner but 3 of our academy lads, White, Hayes and Johnston who all acquitted themselves well
Great support from Argyle fans and sure they will be challenging for play off places

 

[SVH]

I can’t believe we lost that one. Could and should have won it.

 

[nelsonpfc]

Couldn't get going today. No real quality. Apparently had a sickness bug through the camp this week. It showed. Desperately need some creative wide players with pace as that was too easy for Lincoln to just sit in and defend.

 

[Gassy]

I did tell you. This guy is a joker. Sack him now.

What happened? Last we were in L1 he signed a load of good players and took you from relegation certs to a solid L1 team.

The early red didn’t help you today but you were absolutely terrible. Honestly playing like some of the lower league 2 teams we faced last season tbh

 

[eric read]

I can’t believe we lost that one. Could and should have won it.

We weren't great, but you didn't have a shot on target and your keeper was Man of the Match.

You came to stifle us, to a degree it worked, but the best team won in the end.

 

[Grumpy Grecian]

Don't fret too much Valiants.

At a similarly early stage of last season we also stuffed 4 past the Gas at SJP.

But, by the following May, it didn't end up too shabbily...for any of us!

 

[SVH]

We weren't great, but you didn't have a shot on target and your keeper was Man of the Match.

You came to stifle us, to a degree it worked, but the best team won in the end.

Give over!

We were the much better side in the first half and should have had a penalty. On reflection a point would have been a fair results but no way were you the better side today.