Home vs Swindon Town 5th October

It’s important to look back to last season, most of not all our losses we were well beaten. It was difficult after a game to see where we had a chance of winning. Look back on this seasons draws and losses, we’ve been in every game and look back through each game and you’ll find moments where we could have won each one of them, it’s already a stark contrast in a short period of time considering just how bad we were.

No doubt we have to look at ourselves why we haven’t taken the chances to have even more points on the board, but there’s definitely plenty to work with here and it’s still early days. Complete opposite to last season when we’d often capitulate. My first away game of last season at Blackpool being a prime example, the team had no fight or spine.

 

Friday the squad usually train around the back, under the railway bridge, a steady 10 minute walk from the car park at the front just follow the path along side the river.
I'd take a pair old shoe"s or even wellies as it can get very muddy on the pathway.

 

I take it that "misfield" wasn't actually a typo..

 

Never seen so much Horse dump on one pavement walking up to the station. Added 5 mins to my walk all the side stepping.

 

The pitch shouldn't need watering this week at least. Many times this season it's been too heavily watered to the point of the players losing footing constantly and spoiling the game.

 

Absolute rubbish IMO. Saturday was 2 points dropped 100%. I don't see your logic with a point always being a good result either. I'd much rather win 1 then lose the next, rather than draw 2 - we'd have an additional point....also Swindon aren't flying high, they are hit & miss, and have lost 2 of their last 3. At home we should be attack attack attack, just like the 2nd half against Carlisle, they couldn't deal with the relentless pressure. The first few games of this season, particularly at home, we have given FAR too much respect to the opposition. Far too negative by GB. Hopefully we've turned that corner and put it to bed

Onwards & upwards, and here's to 3 points on Saturday

 

Not so sure about the PO situation - Bearing in mind there will be no R-E or Vaughan for this match (as you say ). I always want a win, but feel this time a draw would be good ........ But somehow, I sense a defeat in this game. Time for Bowyer to show show his 'expertise' in game management, yes ?
Whatever the result ..... THAT result will show US how good GB really is - OR expose our squad for what it actually is.
For all a defeat won't define our season - It will be yet another result that should have been better, per chance City 'deserve' promotion.

 

Sorry, but Swinedon are NOT flying. NOR are are City.
THIS is a game I (personally) will not be placing a bet on.

 

Same prediction from me, AP NOT that we want it, but there ya go, huh ?

 

And this is where MY % games points per game / season comes to hand. Points both gained and lost. Split this up into monthly 'time zones' reads like a 'form table'. Hard to ignore when you are chasing, but easily accepted when leading

 

YOU failed on just ONE (or two) points Jon .......... Errrrrr, Crewe ? (THEY were better !)
DO the City players feel the same, or GB, for that matter ?

We ALL want to win, each time we compete, but sometimes, the inevitable occurs ...... and we fail.
SO - The Manager, or mindset of the players ?

Me thinks the former (HE (GB) decides the game 'plan'), or is it true that some players can't cope outside their 'comfort zone' ?
30 years ago, Managing was so easy ............ I couldn't and wouldn't want want to cope with todays goings on.
I couldn't deal with any player who thought his own wage packet was way superior than than his poor ability.

 

Got to be 3 points on Saturday if we want to be competing for the top 3. Home form is the foundation of any good season.

I wonder if we will switch to 433/4231 this weekend with McCartan in an attacking midfield role behind CD. It should allow us to control the midfield better although I worry that playing CD up front alone we will have very little goal threat.

 

You worry about goal threat then suggest playing McCartan in the same paragraph?

Oteh and Donaldson for me in a 4 4 2. At least they are both actual strikers and the formation has given us the better results this term.

 

The real problem for me, Northern is the lack of of MF options, not to mention the top two. SO McArtan might not be a poor choice afterall ?

 

"The lack of midfield options" so you want to choose 3 of them instead of 2?

The only midfielder we have out is Palmer so we simply play one of Devine, Akpan or Anderson there. Im not sure why we need to overcomplicate it?

And before someone says they are all poor, we're talking about altering the whole shape of the team to play McCartan instead.

 

The issue is that we are consistently outplayed. We’ve got results with 442 but rarely have we been convincing. Now we have some quality wingers I think playing 433/4231 may be a good option to try and control games a bit more.

 

Consistently outplayed? Those games have mysteriously passed me by then

 

I’d go with McCartan as a 10 sat a little deeper, even as a 442 Donaldson and Vaughan don’t exactly link up a la Wells and Hanson and Don is capable of staying up there alone-ish with McCartan behind when also able to help out an expectant over run midfield.

 

The only time we've looked threatening going forward this season has been whe we've got it wide and put balls across. Why on earth would we want to negate that?

Also, we've tried 3 in the middle on more than one occasion. Guess what, we still didn't control the game, the only difference being that we lacked a cutting edge and inevitably either lost or drew.