Most liked posts in thread: Home V Cheltenham 28.01.20

I might be in the minority here but I dont want Warnock. Sure, he's successful but it'd be another short term appointment of a man who just wants to reach a milestone.

We need a long term plan which includes the right manager being able to build something on the pitch for the future and Warnock isn't that man.

I'd go all out for Nathan Jones. He is absolutely what we need - style of play, vision, ability to build a squad for back to back promotions, recruitment, young player development.

 

Anyone who watched that can only give credit we came out with a point, unlucky to not get 3.

A dramatically improved performance in the first half and think the formation and personnel looked good.

Silly challenge from Devitt, but he was good up until then so shame we’ll lose him for a few games.

This doesn’t repair the dreadful performances recently, but it’s a good step in the right direction. Perhaps tonight we can give it a rest and give credit where credit is due. Now the hard work to follow up with a big performance on Saturday at Oldham.

 

I've had a season ticket for 24 years and went to every home game. I wont be going Tuesday and it's been the case quite a few times this season. Bowyer has killed any enjoyment in going to watch City for me.

 

We asked for effort and there was no lack of it tonight. In the circumstances a pleasing result

 

Right, so my thoughts overall after attending tonight:

The lads were a credit to themselves, they caught Cheltenham off guard with a high press, Devitt, Connolly and Donaldson actually looked like a unit, harassing their defence and making sure they didn't play.

Devitt's first booking was a poor challenge, his second utterly stupid - the fans clapping him off should give their heads a shake - he had an impact and negated it by picking up a second yellow in the first half. Ridiculous.

The second half was all one way traffic, we chose to park the bus, and there was little chance of a breakaway - Connolly, however, was most likely to make something happen, his pace is electric on and off the ball. Oteh was awful, but up front on his own is never going to work out (issue with letting Vaughan go).

Aside from that, the lads put their bodies on the line time and again and refused to let Cheltenham have a free moment inside the final third. Yes, they had all the possession and moved the ball around unchallenged for the most part, but our area was manfully guarded.

As for Cheltenham, boy howdy were they poor - shots and crosses sailed over the bar or wide with embarrassing regularity, and if I was one of their fans I'd have been ashamed by the lackadaisical way they went about breaking us down. They were dross!

The goal was a scrappy one, unlucky on our part. Didn't feel Cheltenham deserved a point, though they did have endless chances and the law of averages probably says a goal was on the cards.

Can't really knock the players, and while you can question Bowyer's decision to go super-defensive, it actually made sense watching the game. It was frustrating watching Oteh flail about like a dying fish, but given what's happened this week, there is nothing to complain about in my opinion.

And I was expecting a car crash.

 

Looking like scoring again? Sorry I must have missed the saves their keeper had to make. You see this is always the problem with your view, theres no balance to it. In isolation it was a good point in the circumstances. But let's no kid ourselves here, a point for them here is more valuable than a draw for us. With two games in hand on us it helps them more than us in a game where a draw was as fair a result as you'll see.

 

Can’t fault the effort of the players, but second half that was tactically one of the worst 45 minutes I have seen. Cheltenham were appalling in the first half so instead of still trying to play in the second half we default to attempting to just defend for 45 minutes and invite the opposition to have as many attempts as they like at our goal. Donaldson as our only out ball in the squad was only ever playing an hour so at least we should have tried to play for the first 15 minutes of second half and try and get a second before we just defend!!!! We weren’t playing Barcelona there was no need to stop even attempting to play any sort of football for the whole second half. Absolute joke.

 

I understand your frustration but please don’t want or even think that. You are a city fan, don’t let a failing manager change your wish for City to do well.

 

Can you not see why?

No win in 5
Lost 3-0 to the side 20th
10 shots on target in 6 games
2 top scorers set to leave
Out of the play offs
Performances terrible
Manager blind to all this
Board seemingly without a plan

Should i go on or are we done?

 

If City had played like Cheltenham did with an extra man i'd have been fuming. It was pointless football from them, City let them have the possession and regularly let them out wide knowing they had little intention to create anything. Just a shame they couldn't hang on.

 

Anyone suggesting anything other than last night was a complete mess by GB wants their head read.

We've seen plenty of teams, including ourselves go down to 10 men before but never have we seen possession statistics like those. We've also seen 10 men attack, score goals and indeed play full parts in a game.

Yes we nearly got away with it but if we'd have gone 4 4 1 or similar and actually tried to compete, AT HOME, TO CHELTENHAM, perhaps we'd have come away with more than just a very lucky point.

 

I feel the same sadly. It will be a massive relief when he goes.

 

Based on points averages, we're not in the play offs.

We're there because Cheltenham played a few cup games.

The pressure was on Bowyer due to his style of football, now it's on because he's turfing out goalscorers when it's him that should leave.

Bowyer's time is up, and so it is for Rupp and Rhodes for their dreadful leadership.

 

All the fight missing from the last 4 games was there tonight, and we were unlucky not to hold on. Tbh just before the goal I didn’t think they’d score in a month of Sundays. That said we still lacked quality on the ball even 11 v 11 and if not for a penalty wouldn’t have been scoring. We’ll see how the next 3 games go and who Bowyer brings in, because may as well accept he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

 

I know our standards have dropped of late but Chelmsford Town? has Bowyer taken us down to non league?

 

Couldn't agree more. I just want to leave a game feeling we've really given it a go and done everything we can to win a game. I just can't stomach what is getting served up at the minute. I'd happily clap them off after a defeat if they have given their all and made the other team work for the 3 points. Bowyer Ball I can't stomach as it's just dropping point after point without any value from a fans point of view. If you are going to provide turgid football it has to be winning football and frankly it's not even close to being acceptable. The interviews by Bowyer amaze me. He's either so arrogant that he thinks it's how the game should be played or he's just burying his head in the sand and not wanting to take responsibility. He seems a bit of a shirker to me. Never accepts the responsibility of a bad performance, always blaming the pitch or players or playing up the opposition. Really strange manager with no ambition. I don't understand how the board are letting him get away with it. The empty stands speaks volumes. Do the board think he's really worth backing when they lost 50% of the attendance last night?

 

They will still have 2 games in hand over us.

It's gone past just home wins now.

 

Agreed @Bronco but its not defeats that causing the concern. Its the performances. I could stomach another defeat if we bossed the game for 90 mins. Doyle, McCarten Vaughan et al had a hatful of chance but we were beaten on a breakaway goal in the 90th minute. Or it was a 3-4 with both teams going toe to toe. That I could take.
What I can't take is the dull flat lifeless performances we've been subject to in recent months.
One of my favourite City games was a 2-3 defeat at Maine Road back in Kammy's time. We lost but we fought tooth and nail from the first to the last whistle. The team were roared off the pitch at the end. They'd given their all and we knew it. You couldn't ask more from the team.
When was the last time we could say that this season?