Match Thread Mansfield Town (H) @ 15:00 26 Feb

I no longer identify as plastic, I'll have you know.

 

Gotta say impressed with you guys today. Organised, gritty, love a bit of the rough stuff, defensively sound and a nice expansive play. Thoroughly deserved win.

Oates was a bit of quality today but I was taken by Stephen Quinn. Bit of oomph.

 

The biggest disappointment for me was that they had a striker at full-back and we didn't target him!

 

That is no surprise at all. You seem very confused.

 

Let us know how the curry goes Staggo

 

They are spending serious money . Loanees from Man U, Newcastle , Hibs, Birmingham,….etc These Prem and C C squad members are on serious money, which clearly Mansfield invested in the transfer / loan window. Compared to what we picked up…… other than Walker, all are journeymen loaned in the cheap.

What is clearly evident… Bass, Songo, O’Connor dont make a like a defensive spine, Slow, lacking technique and poor quality made us suffer. They need to go! Daley shocking , whereas Cook was easily pulled and pushed about by a journey man centre back . Robinson……meh.

Who came out with credit and showed the new boss passion, Cooke, Watt, and to a lesser extent Gilly.

I’ll credit Hughes …he brought a number of players on “ Just to have a look” Lavery being one.

Were Mansfield much better? They had a lucky break with the second for sure, the first excellent finishing but really only Longstaff, Oates and Bishop 2/3 expensive loanees actually stood out.

It shows the crowd potential of the club big style and must give Hughes optomism. Probably the owner needs to learn a serious lesson. You don’t invest properly you don’t progress.

 

Il be honest Dave I thought we were a bit better than of late but I still thought Mansfield deserved the win. Thats how low the bar has been set at Valley Parade. I have no reason to believe Mark Hughes cant be a success at Valley Parade but even Pep Guardiola couldn't get a rise out of this squad.
I'd go as far to say this club is such a shambles it will take Hughes into his last year of his contract to make us a promotion candidate.

 

Il be honest Dave I thought we were a bit better than of late but I still thought Mansfield deserved the win. Thats how low the bar has been set at Valley Parade. I have no reason to believe Mark Hughes cant be a success at Valley Parade but even Pep Guardiola couldn't get a rise out of this squad.
I'd go as far to say this club is such a shambles it will take Hughes into his last year of his contract to make us a promotion candidate.

 

Like him they aren’t supporters.

 

It'll be even more of a challenge next season, there are some moneyed clubs who might be joining our pack.

Alas, if only we had a wealthy owner.

 

As much as many of us have complained about certain things that have gone on at our club Ryan didn't appoint Adams thinking it would not be the correct call, same again with Mark Hughes most are happy with that appointment.
It seems a strange one for sure, rather than Ryan approaching Mark it was Mark who approached Ryan, that for me is a plus.
We don't know what's gone on to get him here to the club I would sincerely hope for Mark to come here he has had some guarantees with regards backing from our owner otherwise if he works under the same conditions as our previous 3/4 managers then the same outcome could be expected.
I genuinely feel that Hughes will have better financial backing next season and our self sustenance can be put aside for at least one season, we've seen today how fans have turned up in numbers when they see anything with a little positivity about it, I hope that's what Ryan is pointing out to Stefan.

 

I suggest he already knows that. We certainly do!

 

Hughes clearly has contacts at the highest level. It'll be interesting to see whether we leverage that in the summer.

 

Daly has been such a disappointment, have to be honest I thought he would add to our midfield but very underwhelming

 

Not wanting to be pedantic but Exeter made more noise than you before you scored. Not sure if your fans were nervous or apprehensive but it took the goal to bring you to life. Looked like a proper away end by the finish of the game though. No complaints with the result, you look like a well drilled and deserved the victory.

 

Paudie, are you serious? He was awful …three times in the game he passed the ball to one of their team INSIDE OUR BOX. He won’t stay simples…..

 

Its a strange one, because on the face of it, I could see Hughes getting at least a Championship level job. Why come to League 2? Does he genuinely just want the challenge? Have promises been made? Is investment forthcoming? I just worry that Hughes has the same flawed assumptions about the tools he'll be given, or that he's been given the same bullshit 'we're not accepting mediocrity' level of backing that Adams was given.

I'm sick of seeing tin pot clubs brush us aside, with meek 'yeah but Mansfield have a massive budget' type concessions.

 

Only if we can match the investment they made in Prem and CC squad loanees. Longstaff will easily be on £20k a week at Newcastle?

 

Think the error was Hughes’ son thought he was sending an application to Barca not Bradford and they were more confused when the car brought them to VP and not LBA.

 

Why the surprise. I said yesterday different manager but the deckchairs are the same, plus injuries. We should not have expected anything different?