Tuesday 1st October Fixtures

[iesty wfc]

We were pretty poor tonight at Shrewsbury, second to everything first half, 6 changes probably didn't help, we looked like strangers. Managing to nick one before half time obviously changes the game.

Second half better and any away win is a good away win.

Shrewsbury worked hard but they didn't have a shot on target at home and we weren't at it, so I'd be pretty worried if I were them.

If we play like that against most teams in this league we won't get anything, never mind a win.

Randomly was in attendance at this game courtesy of some freebie tickets in the posh seats.

You rested a lot of players. You were lucky that Shrewsbury are a team with no confidence and as a result are overly cautious in their performance. That obviously wasnt your first choice team last night. Bate appeared to me idolising Rossiter with all his back passes. You did look reasonably comfortable first half though. I also forgot how slow Fraser Horsfall was, any other team would have targeted balls behind him all night long.

Ref had you in his back pocket with all your play acting too

I knew as soon as you made that 4 (4!) man substitution that it would change how the game went, Wootton was a danger as soon as he was on the pitch, and Barry showed he shouldnt be in L1. Shrewsbury are weak at set pieces and you punished them for it both times.

a good 1100 following from you lot too.

 

[DaveBirm1875]

Beat Huddersfield 1-0, first 20 mins a slow start from Blues yet again, Town started brightly and caused a few problems, once we sussed it we grew into the first half and should have led at half time, for May that one was harder to miss and somehow he missed it. Stanno and May for the most part left their shooting boots in the dressing room.

Second half was total domination and we showed the patience that was needed, pulling Town side to side and creating space, great winning goal unseflsh from Stanno and May with a tap in, then we peppered but Chapman in goal for them played well.

One sided 1-0 should have been a lot more but another 3 points, on to the big smoke Saturday now

 

[masi51]

Mansfield were very direct last night. It was a game plan. Launch the ball into the channels and our defenders couldn't cope. Its a by product of playing 3 at the back and no full or wing backs. We are so powderpuff. Pretty football looks great but we just get knocked off the ball. We are one of those sides that everyone says that they play too much good football to go down.
Will Swan stopped running last night. He makes a run, the ball is passed backwards. Makes another run, ball I passed backwards. Regains his position. Ball switched to other side of pitch and hoofed to no one. After 50 minutes of that who can blame him.
The Roles sub hindered us more than helped. One of or better bits of play all night was with Quiterna down the right. Roles positioned himself right behind him making he didn't get another pass all night.strage choice.
61% possesion and we didn't threaten your goal.

I would have sent Darcy off for hitting the Mansfield player but if the ref had been doing his job properly he would've blown for a foul on Darcy because the Mansfield player deliberately barged into him and then grabbed him. That's two of our players in two games that have reacted in this way. Blocking ain't allowed in football but you see it a lot.
The penalty incident was down the other end of the pitch. You could hit each other with shovels down there and I wouldn't be sure what happened.
Interesting challenge from a Mansfield defender. A two footed jump in that got player and ball. The ref and lino looking right at it didnt even give a foul! Officials got lots wrong tonight for both sides. I was hoping they'd be a step up from league 2. Oh well.

New bloke has a lot to sort out. Not so much the last managers fault, more the recruitment teams.

Casey

We turned you over Saturday because we also got behind the 3 centre backs and Charles give you all sorts of problems
You have a lot of the ball but seem devoid of ideas in the final third, your new manager needs to get you playing with either a flat four or wingbacks asap

 

[Gassy]

Half the league is our bogey team now. We've been playing like that for a while now so a result like that was always coming. 3-2 scoreline glosses over how poor and unentertaining that game was and us scoring 2 late papers over the cracks of our inability to attack.

You definitely deserved the win but that game wouldn't have looked out of place in Sunday League.

Was chatting to a Charlton supporting mate at work last night about it - we both said the exact same about it being NL.

Ironically, the highlights of the goals will make rovers look like Barcelona.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

I was shocked by how bad Charlton were given their league position and players at their disposal. We weren't great but a lot better than we have been.

We won the midfield at last, makes such a difference!!

Need to follow that up on Sat rather than be another flash in the pain

 

[Bobbin']

It went pretty much as I expected it to.

Saturday is going to be a massacre.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

Charlton always seem to have the players (players id have liked here too) but never seem to get them playing as a team. Definitely the biggest underachievers in L1

 

[Casey]

Crawley reminded me of a bit of harrogate were the first times we played them in league 2, absolutely no quality but relied on physicality and dirty tactics to gain the advantage - that was offer in spades from Crawley last night.

Second time someone has said we are over physical after we have been pushed around all day. The players are reacting to being bullied (mostly fairly). Three of those bookings were due to reacting to a Mansfield player which is getting done by the dark arts more than being physical.

You overpowered us yesterday. It was a smart choice by the manager. The long balls in behind work because we ask our wide centre backs to take on the full back role. There's tons of space behind them and our central back is 21 years old.

Good win for you last night.

Casey

 

[E10rifle]

Disagree.
Especially in the context of the game before.
I was getting sick of being the nice guy and losing, so winning horrible suits me fine.

Genuinely baffled why you can disagree about the red, unless you literally haven’t seen a replay.

We could do with winning a game ugly. No point being one of the best 6 or 7 ‘footballing’ teams between the boxes when you’re shite when you’re in them.

 

[Stocky]

Mansfield were very direct last night. It was a game plan. Launch the ball into the channels and our defenders couldn't cope.

Casey

It's anti-football from Clough this season it seems. But my god does it look like it's working. How many wins on the spin now?

"Hit big Lee Gregory" written on tactics boards around away dressing rooms up and down the League One Nation.

It's refreshing in some ways to see such a long ball, direct outfit like Mansfield. I'm finding all the needless passing out from the back from every side a bit tedious tbh. Stevenage had the same direct style last season under Evans and were the most successful promoted side in the end.

We're trying to keep developing the passing out from the back shite, I'd love to know the stats but I'm sure most of our goals this season have come when we've suddenly decided to be a bit more direct, it's then caught opponents out. Two set piece goals last night for us at Shrewsbury and not lots created in general play despite a lot of the ball.

 

[thewwfc]

Crawley reminded me of a bit of harrogate were the first times we played them in league 2, absolutely no quality but relied on physicality and dirty tactics to gain the advantage - that was offer in spades from Crawley last night.

Nothing against them, i just thought it was really poor fare from them last night, i’m pleased we’ve a manager (despite his yellow) who can adapt and rise above that stuff.

Those tactics aren’t enough in this league which would be explained by crawleys winnless run.

Disagree, direct football and spoiling does work in this division - we got to the Championship that way - but you can’t get any further than that, playing that way.

And you have to have players who are damn good at either taking, or scoring from, set pieces.

 

[LordJord]

We got dealt with by Bolton who played some good stuff at times, but cut through us with embarrassing ease, why we played such a high line ill never know. The scoreline made it seem closer than it was.

Combined with what looked like a really bad hamstring injury for Luke Mbete who has been fantastic for us so far (our 3rd LB who is likely out for several months) and it was about as poor as an evening as I could expect.

 

[Spanishstag]

It's anti-football from Clough this season it seems. But my god does it look like it's working. How many wins on the spin now?

"Hit big Lee Gregory" written on tactics boards around away dressing rooms up and down the League One Nation.

It's refreshing in some ways to see such a long ball, direct outfit like Mansfield. I'm finding all the needless passing out from the back from every side a bit tedious tbh. Stevenage had the same direct style last season under Evans and were the most successful promoted side in the end.

We're trying to keep developing the passing out from the back shite, I'd love to know the stats but I'm sure most of our goals this season have come when we've suddenly decided to be a bit more direct, it's then caught opponents out. Two set piece goals last night for us at Shrewsbury and not lots created in general play despite a lot of the ball.

Mansfield and long ball think,your way off the mark with that one we play so much possession football l usually ,but if needs must then we can adapt its why clough got manager of the season last year horses for courses as they say

 

[Stocky]

Mansfield and long ball think,your way off the mark with that one we play so much possession football l usually ,but if needs must then we can adapt its why clough got manager of the season last year horses for courses as they say

Clough was EFL League Two Manager of the year which is voted for by EFL affiliated sponsors.

Challinor was LMA League Two Manager of the year which is voted for by his fellow managers and certain ex managers who are on the LMA panel.

 

[AdamStag]

It's anti-football from Clough this season it seems. But my god does it look like it's working. How many wins on the spin now?

"Hit big Lee Gregory" written on tactics boards around away dressing rooms up and down the League One Nation.

It's refreshing in some ways to see such a long ball, direct outfit like Mansfield. I'm finding all the needless passing out from the back from every side a bit tedious tbh. Stevenage had the same direct style last season under Evans and were the most successful promoted side in the end.

We're trying to keep developing the passing out from the back shite, I'd love to know the stats but I'm sure most of our goals this season have come when we've suddenly decided to be a bit more direct, it's then caught opponents out. Two set piece goals last night for us at Shrewsbury and not lots created in general play despite a lot of the ball.

It’s where he’s clever in that in league 2 we could outfootball teams but also pace wouldn’t be such an issue so going gung-ho was less of a problem - in this league we can’t do either really, or certainly less so.

As such we’ve played a slower game but been happy a different game and adapt.

As for Lee Gregory - local lad, but he stared when he came he wanted to play for Clough, why wouldn’t you?

Are we going to finish anywhere remotely close to where we are now? of course not - it’s still 33 points to go to 50, but it’s a nice start before the harder times come in november/november

 

[Spanishstag]

Clough was EFL League Two Manager of the year which is voted for by EFL affiliated sponsors.

Challinor was LMA League Two Manager of the year which is voted for by his fellow managers and certain ex managers who are on the LMA panel.

So not disagreeing with the long ball team refutal then fine

 

[Conker]

It's anti-football from Clough this season it seems. But my god does it look like it's working. How many wins on the spin now?

"Hit big Lee Gregory" written on tactics boards around away dressing rooms up and down the League One Nation.

It's refreshing in some ways to see such a long ball, direct outfit like Mansfield. I'm finding all the needless passing out from the back from every side a bit tedious tbh. Stevenage had the same direct style last season under Evans and were the most successful promoted side in the end.

We're trying to keep developing the passing out from the back shite, I'd love to know the stats but I'm sure most of our goals this season have come when we've suddenly decided to be a bit more direct, it's then caught opponents out. Two set piece goals last night for us at Shrewsbury and not lots created in general play despite a lot of the ball.

I know it’s a wind up, but we’ve become more tippy tappy this season if anything - probably due to struggling to break down teams quite as easy due to the higher standard. Against Lincoln for example we found ourselves playing really nice triangles in the final third but not doing anything with it.

61 goals this year playing attractive, attacking, CloughBall

 

[Casey]

I wasnt bemoaning the more direct style of Mansfield. If you look at a team and they leave acres of space behind them you'd be foolish to not to go direct.

To be a success at any level you have to have a style you are good at but when the opposition has a weakness you have to be adaptable enough to exploit it.

Casey

 

[denzel ecfc]

Genuinely baffled why you can disagree about the red, unless you literally haven’t seen a replay.

We could do with winning a game ugly. No point being one of the best 6 or 7 ‘footballing’ teams between the boxes when you’re shite when you’re in them.

I was there and I've seen the replay.
I've seen worse, there were worse in that game. He got the ball first for a start.

I didn't see much evidence of your footballing prowess either.

 

[folletto]

I was shocked by how bad Charlton were given their league position and players at their disposal. We weren't great but a lot better than we have been.

We won the midfield at last, makes such a difference!!

Need to follow that up on Sat rather than be another flash in the pain

Apart from the Bolton game, we've been pretty poor in most games but have managed to hold firm and nick a goal. In the game against you, you score two cracking goals to go 2-0 up. We give up too much space on the edge of the box, allowing teams to shoot. We've conceded a fair few from distance this season as a result but in games we've won, they've not scored from 20 yards out, we've been crap but managed to steal a goal. I really expected better from Jones tbh, his tactics this season have been really off the pace. On paper, the squad is decent - especially the midfield but time and time again it gets completely bypassed - both going forward and defensively.
I'm hoping Jones can turn it around but he's been stubborn so far in changing his tactics and already seems to be having a mini meltdown: dropping the captain, shelving players who had been starting games from the matchday squad etc

 

[folletto]

Charlton always seem to have the players (players id have liked here too) but never seem to get them playing as a team. Definitely the biggest underachievers in L1

I've come to accept our status as a mid table league one club now. 8 of the last 9 seasons. Apart from one season with Bowyer it's been a bleak decade.

 

[thewwfc]

The Charlton situation always seems strange to me, I know there’s been season after season of instability behind the scenes, but they really are the Bradford of L1, in terms of being a club that you’d be expecting to do a lot better given the fanbase/resources.

But any shit ownership situation can screw over a club in short order, there’s been too many such clubs to count.

Could be any one of us, at any time.

 

[folletto]

The Charlton situation always seems strange to me, I know there’s been season after season of instability behind the scenes, but they really are the Bradford of L1, in terms of being a club that you’d be expecting to do a lot better given the fanbase/resources.

But any shit ownership situation can screw over a club in short order, there’s been too many such clubs to count.

Could be any one of us, at any time.

There's definitely more stability from the new owners who came in last season but you never know with owners it can go tits up rapidly. Things won't fix themselves overnight but to consistently hovering around the clubs worst ever finish is never fun.