w/e Saturday 16th September

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Play beautiful attacking passing football, undersized and struggle defending set pieces???? You've just described the side currently sat in 2nd to a tee.

 

[Republic of Womble]

Really winnable game for us on Saturday and got to be attacking AFC Wimbledon from the get go. Very surprised they've started well given how poor they were second half of last season and I was surprised they didn't sack Jackson too. But he must be doing something right now!

I think we'll gain our third successive win and go in to a home game with Colchester high on confidence that we can make it four in a row. We're playing some excellent football at the moment but I'm not getting too carried away. We didn't win a game in October at all in the last two seasons and, over the last 20 years or so, history tells us it's a month we've often struggled in for one reason or another. The rare times we tend to do well in October have ultimately led us towards battling for promotion or consolidating ourselves at a higher level.

It's a pretty critical game for us on Saturday I think. Either we react to our first league defeat, or we continue getting in to bad habits, throwing away leads and underperforming, as per the last 2 seasons.
A lot of personnel has changed since last season, I was happy to see a lot of them move on, they had got too used to losing. The squad is deeper now, we have more senior, experienced pros, and less lightweight 18 year olds on loan from Prem/Championship academies. I agree, JJ was fairly lucky not to be sacked in the summer, he's been backed by the club and the squad is pretty much his own signings now, so he needs to deliver.
The team should be stronger than the one put out against Stockport, Ali Al Hamadi and Lewis should be back and hopefully Currie and Bugiel are fit enough to start. Crewe seem to be in a good place at the moment and have every right to feel confident coming in to this, it should be a good game.

 

[AR27]

Hughes will hang himself if he doesn't start with a back four and Derbyshire is leading the line.

 

[F!RTHY]

Harrogate (h) - hoping to have some more bodies back for this one. However, just heard Sam Stubbs might be injured. Jonathon Tomkinson might make his first start in this case.

How we do in this game really depends on Hughes. If he reverts back to his preferred 352/532 formation, I expect another long, boring, dull game until we go a goal behind and he’s forced to change it.

No idea whose back fit, other than Gilliead and McDonald. Never thought I’d say this, but I think we’ve missed Gilliead in midfield.

GK: Harry Lewis

RB: Brad Halliday
CB: Jonathon Tomkinson
CB: Cieran Kelly
LB: Lewis Richards

DM: Ritchie Smallwood
DM: Alex Gilliead

RW: Bobby Pointon
AM: Jamie Walker
LW: Chisom Ofoka

CF: Matt Derbyshire

Must win game already. 7 games in.

 

[womble76]

Haven't won't back to back away games since 2021 and haven't won back to back away games in back to back games since 2008.

Wimbledon will be tricky though, lost their unbeaten record yesterday and haven't won at home yet, but got a lot of quality in that team, plus they'll have the likes of Lewis, Evans and Al Hamadi back. Being greedy, but I'd love to get another away win. Probably would take a point now if offered, although with Wrexham, Salford(poor start but still a good team) and Crawley away after this, would be great to win again.

We have one 4 home league games in last calender year. You should aim to win. I have a feeling this one won't end in a draw.

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

Probably 1-0

 

[GTFCfish]

Hughes will hang himself if he doesn't start with a back four and Derbyshire is leading the line.

I felt a bit sorry for Derbyshire on Saturday as you could see his legs had completely gone and there were a couple of through balls played to him that he ran a couple of paces for and then just stopped running and gave up.

 

[JJ1990]

We have one 4 home league games in last calender year. You should aim to win. I have a feeling this one won't end in a draw.

Funny, we've won 3 games so far this season and all 3 were by 2 or more goals. We haven't seen how the manager will approach things if we're leading 1-0/2-1 late on.

You say it probably won't end in a draw, yet you've drawn 9 of your last 26 home league games since the start of last season, whilst we've drawn 11 of 26 away games. So statistically, it's the most likely outcome.

 

[F!RTHY]

I felt a bit sorry for Derbyshire on Saturday as you could see his legs had completely gone and there were a couple of through balls played to him that he ran a couple of paces for and then just stopped running and gave up.

I bet he’s still the best finisher at the club behind Cook, but when your legs are gone, they’re gone.

He’s a poacher. Someone to bring on late on, not someone who starts games. But when you’re last seasons equivalent of Mansfield, what you supposed to do.

 

[Conker]

I bet he’s still the best finisher at the club behind Cook, but when your legs are gone, they’re gone.

He’s a poacher. Someone to bring on late on, not someone who starts games. But when you’re last seasons equivalent of Mansfield, what you supposed to do.

Mansfield are last season equivalent of Mansfield.

Maybe try Northampton.

 

[Meadow]

We have one 4 home league games in last calender year. You should aim to win. I have a feeling this one won't end in a draw.

I've been at 4 matches so far this season. 3 at home plus Newport away. I've not seen us win yet.

The last win I saw was in January.

 

[Pilot_Phonic]

I've been at 4 matches so far this season. 3 at home plus Newport away. I've not seen us win yet.

The last win I saw was in January.

I came down to your place at the start of the season and thought you played really well against us, and got a decent enough point at home. Thought you might kick on from that...

 

[Don Caster]

Ordered tickets for the lad & me for the bamboo boys away on Saturday, I must be fucking crazy

 

[AdamStag]

Will be a really tough match down at colchester given the distance and it’s another away game, though they’ve got off to a slow start i’m sure colchester will come at us early so will see how it pans out.

Would take a point

 

[Stocky]

Currently got 6 knee injuries in the building. Rydel the latest sounds like an ACL. I genuinely can't think of one player who hasn't been injured for us at some point this season barring the goalkeeper and we're only a month in. The amount of knee injuries are just bizarre. All the modern pitches, great training facilties, strength and conditioning etc.

 

[ForzaCounty]

Nobody's had this many knee injuries since '80s Belfast

 

[EnglishRed]

Challinors motivational technique after Stockport lose a game

 

[GTFCfish]

Challinors motivational technique after Stockport lose a game

View attachment 19155

Christ he’s really let himself go.

 

[Beechdale Saddler]

It's a tough game for an ex manager and the team that want to put one over on him, so i will go for a 3-2 win for The Saddlers !

 

[Crewelad87]

We're in good form and are looking better and better by the week. The recent wi s over MK and Forest Green were particularly impressive. Still abit concerned by our starts and falling a goal behind, as we seem to do that every week but a very good at coming back, but I fear this will catch up with us at some point, and those games we've been able to turn around week in week out will stop.

Wimbledon home form looks very patchy, but with a bigger than usual crowd in they will be up for it, hopefully ours will aswell as we should have a decent following down there, sold over 500 tickets so far.


My prediction:
Wimbledon 2-2 Crewe Davison, Pell, Baker-Richardson, Demetriou 9,044 (650 Crewe)

 

[AdamStag]

Currently got 6 knee injuries in the building. Rydel the latest sounds like an ACL. I genuinely can't think of one player who hasn't been injured for us at some point this season barring the goalkeeper and we're only a month in. The amount of knee injuries are just bizarre. All the modern pitches, great training facilties, strength and conditioning etc.

Look, i’ve told you once, and i’ll say it again, moaning about injuries has already been copyrighted by Mansfield.

Keep moaning and we’ll have to sue for infringement

 

[Greenacres]

If ever we needed a home win it is tomorrow...since I last saw us win a league game at home, against Sheff Weds, we have played eight games....lost seven and drawn once, a drab 0-0 against Fleetwood...can't remember when we last scored twice!

 

[dan_wrexhamafc]

Not too confident about tomorrow. Grimsby often have our number.

3-1 Grimsby

 

[GTFCfish]

Not too confident about tomorrow. Grimsby often have our number.

3-1 Grimsby

Haha no way are we scoring 3 because if we go 1 up it will be every man and his dog defending for the rest of the game.

 

[jacobncfc]

We’ve absolutely murdered Salford for 45 there but missed chance after chance to kill the game, probably end up hurting us.

 

[Optipez]

Good first half from Notts, really should be more than a goal up. Salford will surely come out livelier second half.

 

[Gi Dalor]

Notts County well in control against Salford. Their early league positions seem fair. Really expected Salford to be better, but County stifling them with possession. Still only 1-0 though.

 

[Optipez]

Notts County well in control against Salford. Their early league positions seem fair. Really expected Salford to be better, but County stifling them with possession. Still only 1-0 though.

That's the thing isn't it, one isn't enough, we don't do many clean sheets.

 

[jacobncfc]

It’s weird playing a team who look more like passing the ball into their own goal than we do.

 

[BarraMatt]

You fear for the Salford manager, yet no one knows what his name is and therefore you wouldn't know if he was sacked anyway.