The L2 Playoffs

[Agombar stool]

Procs wasn’t fit. Had injections but wasn’t risked. Changed the game when he came on and we need to wrap him in cotton wool for Thursday.

Ah fair enough then! Yeah I'd agree we didn't look comfortable at all with Proctor. That said I was far from impressed with Hall and Martin, they look lumbering and clumsy and I think/hope we can take advantage of that on Thursday.

 

[valefan16]

Ah fair enough then! Yeah I'd agree we didn't look comfortable at all with Proctor. That said I was far from impressed with Hall and Martin, they look lumbering and clumsy and I think/hope we can take advantage of that on Thursday.

Martin has been better recently, Hall has been outstanding all season in fairness, would be player of the season had he signed in the summer and a proper roller of a centre half.

Off day slightly today although don’t think he was too bad, Smudge had a shitter though.

Mal Benning was mint when he came on so that’s the change I’d be making, although not for a centre half!

 

[Back in the DHSS]

Quite enjoyed watching both 1st legs as a neutral with both ties set up nicely for the 2nd legs. No one has embarrassed themselves in front of the cameras.
Will be interesting to see how Nigel Clough and Ben Garner set up tactically away from home because I think neither clubs strongpoints is protecting a lead.

 

[kieran_vale]

I’m in two minds about how we go about this on Thursday. When we did increase the tempo in this game we were giving Swindon problems but with it only being one goal in it there’s no need for massive urgency. I’m almost certain Swindon won’t go for a 0-0. I’m not sure they could actually pull it off if they wanted to as it’s not really their strength.

Nice little journey over from where I live in Bucks and didn’t catch hyperthermia so that’s got to be good.

 

[valefan16]

I’m in two minds about how we go about this on Thursday. When we did increase the tempo in this game we were giving Swindon problems but with it only being one goal in it there’s no need for massive urgency. I’m almost certain Swindon won’t go for a 0-0. I’m not sure they could actually pull it off if they wanted to as it’s not really their strength.

Nice little journey over from where I live in Bucks and didn’t catch hyperthermia so that’s got to be good.

Yeah it’s game on for me; as DC says we are bang in the tie and the black and white of it is we need to win a home game. No reason why we can’t if we perform so its far from done.

Don’t think we have to rush and can be patient at 1 goal but the first goal is going to be critical, if we score first on Thursday then all of a sudden momentum is with us being a two legged tie and the place will be rocking.

Also big shout out to this classy Chelsea/Swindon fan whatever he is…

https://twitter.com/x/status/1525836656087031810

 

[Indian Dan]

Think the score line will play to our strengths. No way will we shut up shop. We’ll go for it.

 

[Spanishstag]

Four closely matched sides everything still to play for i personally think any advantage going into the second legs could be massive so i will keep my gob shut and ponder the imponderables

 

[leedsvaliant]

It panned out how I thought it would. Swindon better technically but once we upped our workrate and brought Proctor in we looked more likely. 2-1 about right.

I feel it's all about determination on Thursday. Players like Payne and Williams won't fancy a battle but if we give them room on our big pitch they'll batter us technically.

Swindon manager seems to think it's a foregone conclusion, so we might as well not bother on Thursday.

Thought we all (players and fans) got caught up in the McKirdy circus. The guy's a first class prick but don't give him the ammunition. If we win on Thursday's then that's the time to give him pelters.

That goal back could be crucial. Coming back from two goals down feels tricky but 1 is anybody's. Play like we did today in the first half and we may as well not bother but up the quality on the ball by 50% and I think our workrate could win it for us.

 

[Spanishstag]

Just seen the goals McKirdy might be a prick but hes delivering this season fair play to the little shit

 

[Agombar stool]

Just seen the goals McKirdy might be a prick but hes delivering this season fair play to the little shit

Yep, this is very much it. He's an absolute gobshite on and off the pitch and his histrionics really do wind up fans but 24 goals is a superb return for a free transfer.

 

[valefan16]

It panned out how I thought it would. Swindon better technically but once we upped our workrate and brought Proctor in we looked more likely. 2-1 about right.

I feel it's all about determination on Thursday. Players like Payne and Williams won't fancy a battle but if we give them room on our big pitch they'll batter us technically.

Swindon manager seems to think it's a foregone conclusion, so we might as well not bother on Thursday.

Thought we all (players and fans) got caught up in the McKirdy circus. The guy's a first class prick but don't give him the ammunition. If we win on Thursday's then that's the time to give him pelters.

That goal back could be crucial. Coming back from two goals down feels tricky but 1 is anybody's. Play like we did today in the first half and we may as well not bother but up the quality on the ball by 50% and I think our workrate could win it for us.

Yeah their interviews after the game suggests they feel it’s job virtually done which maybe their inexperience. It was surprising but they were banging on about their away form however we’d lost as few as they had away and lost away today so means nothing in a play off tie! Plus we’ve lost as few at home as they have away.

It’s only half time and had we won 2-1 DC wouldn’t have us even considering it was close to being done.

We’ve got to put in a massive performance Thursday now, it’s a nothing to lose scenario so can’t leave anything in the dressing room and hope with a partisan home crowd we can carry us through.

Win the game in 90 and worst case it’s ET and go from there. I expect DC to have us fired up for it but need to channel it correctly and put the high press on. As I say first goal is crucial if we get it then we should have tails up coming back from 2 down.

It’s all a bit weird this 2 legged business, think the last time we had one of those was probably the LDV area final in 2001! But I’m not too downhearted at the moment. Just want to crack on with the second leg now! Going to be four long days!

 

[valefan16]

Just seen the goals McKirdy might be a prick but hes delivering this season fair play to the little shit

I think the issue with McKirdy is when the going gets tough… Swindon are attacking and it suits him but is he going to dig in if say next season they are in L1 and struggling… that’s when I guess you will find out as it turned pretty sour at Carlisle for instance.

His ability has never been the question.

 

[Chief Rocka]

I think the issue with McKirdy is when the going gets tough… Swindon are attacking and it suits him but is he going to dig in if say next season they are in L1 and struggling… that’s when I guess you will find out as it turned pretty sour at Carlisle for instance.

His ability has never been the question.

I wait to be corrected here but I'm sure I read he ended up on the receiving end of 'homophobic abuse' from a section in the stands at Carlisle during his spell there.

Probably hard to give a toss in those circumstances

 

[kieran_vale]

I’d be going for every trick in the book now for the second leg. Get Speedy to leave the hoses on the pitch for the next few days and get the pitch to cut up badly and then see if they can beat us at our game.

I just hope Thursday doesn’t follow the same pattern as the last couple of times we have had big crowds. The players should be used to it now. Hopefully we strike early and then make it into a very uncomfortable night for Swindon.

 

[leedsvaliant]

Strange coverage from Sky and fairly biased. Basically making out that Vale are a bunch of heathen cloggers and Swindon are the Man City of League 2.

Additionally, Swindon players and management seem to think it's job done. They might be right but it doesn't half give our team talk for us.

I thought Swindon had some technically better players than us but as a collective they weren't that good, McKirdy the difference really. We didn't play particularly well again today but we're still in the tie. They certainly don't like the physical side of the game (I'd seen Williams in that Sunderland documentary, so I knew he was a fanny but Christ a good breeze would knock him over). If we're at it and with a bit more quality on Thursday I feel we've got a chance.

 

[valefan16]

Strange coverage from Sky and fairly biased. Basically making out that Vale are a bunch of heathen cloggers and Swindon are the Man City of League 2.

Additionally, Swindon players and management seem to think it's job done. They might be right but it doesn't half give our team talk for us.

I thought Swindon had some technically better players than us but as a collective they weren't that good, McKirdy the difference really. We didn't play particularly well again today but we're still in the tie. They certainly don't like the physical side of the game (I'd seen Williams in that Sunderland documentary, so I knew he was a fanny but Christ a good breeze would knock him over). If we're at it and with a bit more quality on Thursday I feel we've got a chance.

They had Sam Parkin on to be fair who was bound to blow smoke up their arses, I thought both sides lumped it at times, ironically we had more possession today which I didn’t expect.

Don’t get the miracle play off achievement for Swindon though they kept plugging, Williams hasn’t signed for them for a bag of peanuts has he! They’ll have a decent enough budget and have to be fair made some decent signings for this level.

 

[Gassy]

They had Sam Parkin on to be fair who was bound to blow smoke up their arses, I thought both sides lumped it at times, ironically we had more possession today which I didn’t expect.

Don’t get the miracle play off achievement for Swindon though they kept plugging, Williams hasn’t signed for them for a bag of peanuts has he! They’ll have a decent enough budget and have to be fair made some decent signings for this level.

Agreed, I think it was more the speed at which Garner put a team together tbf.

No doubt their budget is decent

 

[EricSabin]

Strange coverage from Sky and fairly biased. Basically making out that Vale are a bunch of heathen cloggers and Swindon are the Man City of League 2.

Additionally, Swindon players and management seem to think it's job done. They might be right but it doesn't half give our team talk for us.

I thought Swindon had some technically better players than us but as a collective they weren't that good, McKirdy the difference really. We didn't play particularly well again today but we're still in the tie. They certainly don't like the physical side of the game (I'd seen Williams in that Sunderland documentary, so I knew he was a fanny but Christ a good breeze would knock him over). If we're at it and with a bit more quality on Thursday I feel we've got a chance.

I thought the same watching it. Also thought the coverage was heavily slanted towards Mansfield yesterday too.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Looking forward to tonight watching muppets in silly costumes acting clownlike to the cameras to then be given strange decisions by those in charge.

Then I might switch over to eurovision.

Rovers, in the form we were in, would have beaten all of these. No Coutts and we still won 7-0.

Swindon the best ive seen too though but id love Garner to fail

Get over it mate. Time to move on and concentrate on your season in League 1

 

[Dirk Diggler]

He came into a winning team who were 4th in L1 at Christmas and destroyed it by brining in absolutely terrible players who were young and not ready for EFL football. (Signed people from youths of other clubs).

He had a huge amount of pressure and budgets, which at yours has been the opposite. He’s obviously learnt from his mistakes as well tbf to him, because my god - he would refuse to admit he got anything wrong after losing 5-0 at home and that his game plan was working.

Guy was deluded. In fact, so bad that I still think you’re the outsider in seeing him do ok. Let’s see what he can do next season with some actual budgets and pressure

The point is that Ben Garner doesn’t have overall control of any transfer budget. The DOF Ben Chorley will have that with some minimal input from BG

 

[Conker]

Mansfield have never had media slanted even remotely towards them. We can barely get our local radio station on board for Christ sake

 

[EricSabin]

Bloody hell ive heard some shit in my time but this takes the biscuit ,bet you watched the wimmins cup final as well

Yeah I see the correlation there. Good one Spanish.

 

[EricSabin]

Mansfield have never had media slanted even remotely towards them. We can barely get our local radio station on board for Christ sake

Danny Webber picked you as favourites to go up after you’d drawn at Salford haha

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Get over it mate. Time to move on and concentrate on your season in League 1

John *cough* *splutter* Sheridan....

I did say you were the best ive seen of the 4 but hey ho you are still Swindon.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Strange coverage from Sky and fairly biased. Basically making out that Vale are a bunch of heathen cloggers and Swindon are the Man City of League 2.

Additionally, Swindon players and management seem to think it's job done. They might be right but it doesn't half give our team talk for us.

I thought Swindon had some technically better players than us but as a collective they weren't that good, McKirdy the difference really. We didn't play particularly well again today but we're still in the tie. They certainly don't like the physical side of the game (I'd seen Williams in that Sunderland documentary, so I knew he was a fanny but Christ a good breeze would knock him over). If we're at it and with a bit more quality on Thursday I feel we've got a chance.

You didn’t play particularly well today? I can tell you that in comparison To the previous 4 games we were relatively poor today. Haven’t seen any interviews from after the game but would be surprised if we have given the impression that the tie is over, moreover that we have confidence that we can finish the job. Remember in 23 away league games we have only lost 6 or 7 meaning that a result similar to the other 16 or 17 will see us through.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Strange coverage from Sky and fairly biased. Basically making out that Vale are a bunch of heathen cloggers and Swindon are the Man City of League 2.

Additionally, Swindon players and management seem to think it's job done. They might be right but it doesn't half give our team talk for us.

I thought Swindon had some technically better players than us but as a collective they weren't that good, McKirdy the difference really. We didn't play particularly well again today but we're still in the tie. They certainly don't like the physical side of the game (I'd seen Williams in that Sunderland documentary, so I knew he was a fanny but Christ a good breeze would knock him over). If we're at it and with a bit more quality on Thursday I feel we've got a chance.

They cry like babies when you rough them up a bit

 

[kieran_vale]

You didn’t play particularly well today? I can tell you that in comparison To the previous 4 games we were relatively poor today. Haven’t seen any interviews from after the game but would be surprised if we have given the impression that the tie is over, moreover that we have confidence that we can finish the job. Remember in 23 away league games we have only lost 6 or 7 meaning that a result similar to the other 16 or 17 will see us through.

To be honest this is for all intents and purposes now a one off cup tie so can throw home or away records out the window. Going into today we had the second best away record in the league and still lost. Going to be a very intense night on Thursday. My feeling is at least one of these two ties is going the full distance to pens and it’s possible even both do.

 

[Indian Dan]

How come you didn’t manage to beat us then?

 

[Indian Dan]

Strange coverage from Sky and fairly biased. Basically making out that Vale are a bunch of heathen cloggers and Swindon are the Man City of League 2.

Additionally, Swindon players and management seem to think it's job done. They might be right but it doesn't half give our team talk for us.

I thought Swindon had some technically better players than us but as a collective they weren't that good, McKirdy the difference really. We didn't play particularly well again today but we're still in the tie. They certainly don't like the physical side of the game (I'd seen Williams in that Sunderland documentary, so I knew he was a fanny but Christ a good breeze would knock him over). If we're at it and with a bit more quality on Thursday I feel we've got a chance.

I saw the post match interviews. God knows where you got the job done vibe from. Just about everyone - McKirdy and Williams plus Garner all said it’s only job half done.

 

[Dirk Diggler]