rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Aug 8, 2017 7:20:43 GMT
After a tough start we travel to Aldershot who were ironically beaten by Tranmere in last season's play off semi final. They had a good start on Saturday with a 0-2 away win at newly promoted Halifax and will be going into this match with confidence.
Nico was very complimentary about Chaney filling the left back position for the injured Liam Davis and should continue in this role. Would not be surprised if we start with the same side.
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Post by loyaltygull on Aug 8, 2017 7:25:26 GMT
3 0 aldershot
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 12:21:12 GMT
Along with rjd, I would think Kev might keep the same starting eleven, unless anyone has picked up a knock. Is Jezza being over optimistic in thinking we can go to Aldershot and score 2 ? I understand the point he makes about the fair distribution of midfield labour, and equal opportunities for all strikers etc, but with our leading shirker having departed for Bromley, it's a bit more tough to convince yourself that goals are guaranteed. Incidentally, and I have no idea what the average is, but I was slightly alarmed to read that this evening's Ref shows a red card once every three games, and almost topped a tonne of yellows from only 21 games. Referee:Tuesday’s referee is Alan Young. Last season he took charge of 21 National League matches, showing 96 yellow cards and 9 red cards. He did not referee any of Aldershot Town’s matches in 2016-17. link- Shots Preview
Those figures might actually be quite average for all I know, with Saturday's official Sam Allison already on track to beat them. But let's hope that later it's the football and the players that are in the limelight, rather than a Ref determined to show that 'The night is Young'
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 16:11:57 GMT
0-5
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Post by frankfurt gull on Aug 8, 2017 17:04:57 GMT
Is that Aldershot 0 Torquay 5 Aussie?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 17:24:19 GMT
Is that half time or full time Aussie ?
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simonb
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Post by simonb on Aug 8, 2017 20:53:12 GMT
Oh well - long season ahead!
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Aug 8, 2017 22:21:01 GMT
With correct decisions from the officials, we would've beaten a decent Aldershot 3-2 at their place tonight. We need to start the halves a bit better than tonight. Early goals, leaden footed. Reid and Chaney pissing around with the ball on our left gifting Fenelon a run in and decent cross for their second at the start of the second half. Young's equalising free kick was a corker. Their first looked like a good save from Clarke and rebound straight to their player in a crowded goalmouth.
I'm not sure what the deliberation was about our disallowed 'equaliser'. It seemed to go on far too long. If it was offside, I can't see how that could be. It looked like he headed it straight in from way out. If it was a player being impeded, why take so long talking about it? No doubt it was an active this and that debate by a couple of poor officials who thought we paid an entry fee to watch them. Any uncertainty as to whether I was paying to watch officials was confirmed when they bundled in 1950's style for their third. Fair play to Pittman for a decent third goal, but by then we knew it wasn't to be our night. We'd been shafted already by those two decisions.
Clarke 7 Good presence. Could do nothing about goals. Think he was booked after the final whistle for telling the ref he was a useless ginger. He was right. Higgins 8 I like him. Very good. Nicked the ball nicely a few times. Anderson 5 Lumbering. Extra timber being carried. Hope Gowling is ok. McGinty 6 Had a decent run through, with the clueless Reid outside him not giving him an option. Defends stoutly. Chaney 5.5 Would have been more but his 'link up play' with clueless Reid gave them goal 2 Young 7 Good free kick. Adds a bit of spark. Klukowski 6 Solid. Need him in there Lee 7.5 Quality. Shouldn't have come off. Reid should have. Reid 4 No brain. Doesn't give his full back an out ball as he runs next to him. Play Gosling there. Not Reid. Or Chaney when Davis is fit. Not Reid. Impact sub only. If that. Gray 4 Anonymous. He's no Williams, but probably will track back the same amount. Keating 5 Energy. Raw. Won't score many.
Subs: Pittman 7 Looks good. Might score 10 or 12 this season. Gosling - 7 Didn't notice too much from him. May have crossed for both the allowed and disallowed goals, but unsure. Did more than Reid in that short time. Certainly crossed for the allowed goal. Was spitting feathers Reid was still on the pitch, and officials ruined the match so things got foggy. Is he this year's Williams for Nico? If so, can Reid please spill tea over the gaffer. Sharpish. Fallon - Don't think he touched it. Big fella.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2017 8:23:39 GMT
I got the amount of goals right just in the wrong order!
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petef
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Post by petef on Aug 9, 2017 10:21:40 GMT
Nice report Rob. As seems the norm these days the game changing decisions always seem to go against us and going by what I witnessed on Saturday the standard of officials has deteriorated even further. No excuse though and although I still believe as a squad we have improved there is still an plenty to work and improve on if we have ambitions to challenge in the top half. I was somewhat surprised by the team selection though I noticed on Saturday at the end of the match Gowling limping slightly and looking uncomfortable so wasn't surprised he was absent. Lathrope I thought would start as I would have started Gosling and JP but the manager makes the call and he has far more information at his disposal - all the knocks and niggles from a tough game on Saturday. With such a small squad it would be foolish to risk any player so early in the season with players still getting up to speed with such an intense first period of five matches in a fortnight - seems crazy to me. It's a bit unfair to critcise Anderson as he has not had any match time since the end of last season and was bound to look off of the pace. Nicholson though did have another option there with Klukowski back there and Lathrope in his place in front of the back four. I was surprised at his starting line up though Lathrope may have been tight or had a strain from the weeknd we just don't know.
Its a little deflating to come away with nothing but these two openers couldn't have been any tougher though we desperately need to get a first three points under our belts before the belief and confidence drops off and the usual suspects, the armchair "experts" once again start calling for the head of the leader.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2017 10:57:57 GMT
Excellent report from Rob, and I don't think anyone other than Aussie expected it to be a five goal affair last night. As we see the lower leagues become more professional, looking at the set-ups and money at Forest Green and Eastleigh over recent seasons, the structure at a club like Tranmere with the resources to bring in a wealth of talent....or looking even further down the chain, with wages, possibly as much as £3000 a week going to Jermaine Pennant at a Bostik Premier League club, it becomes increasingly clear that the standards of Officialdom aren't improving to keep pace......that is if they're improving at all.
Whatever preparation you make for a match, we've seen our opening two fixtures become a bit of a lottery because of wild and wacky, and sometimes down right unfathomable decisions given by officials. At the very time when there were plenty of reports indicating that we were struggling to see an adequate batch of referees come through, the Authorities made the Match officials job more complicated. Was player X active ? was player Y seeking to gain an advantage ? did you hear a speech crime ? Frankly at out level and below, the linesmen like their predecessors, are capable of putting their flag up when someone is in an offside position and keeping it down when they're not. Fathoming out further intricacies only adds a level of complexity that the top professional officials can deal with, but that at lower levels under dodgy floodlights just becomes opinion....and as we saw last night, opinion that is easily swayed.
Just watching on from the stands on Saturday, I was asking myself with every other tackle whether there wasn't a degree of simulation involved from the player who lost out in the challenge. My mind really did wander back to ITV Saturday afternoon wrestling, but rather than Dickie Davies sending us over to Stockport Town Hall, the arena for the play acting was Plainmoor. A different sport, but the Ref adding his unpredictability to the feigning, diving, conning, and sly cheating.
At the top level with multiple camera angles and the technology to inform a Ref within a few seconds if he's got something wrong, as well as newly introduced panels to mete out punishment to those most probably 'simulating', the officials may well receive enough additional aids to cope with the current circumstances. At the lower levels, given that the Refs are less able to start with, I don't see indications that things will improve anytime soon.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2017 11:25:58 GMT
petef Have a heart pete . They've had a tough time of it. Taking into account the 'Great Escape' and the good results at the end of the season, they couldn't criticise too much for a wonderfully brave performance going down by the odd goal AWAY at Champions Lincoln, so in effect they've really been waiting to get their teeth back into the Manager since we lost a competitive match against Chester on the 1st April. That's over 4 months of simmering frustration. The season's first defeat was always going to be the cue to unleash that pent up fire and fury and rain it down upon Nico. Most of us will ignore it, and the 'experts' will feel much better for it, so no harm done .
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petef
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Post by petef on Aug 9, 2017 14:07:34 GMT
Indeed Alpine These days I just scroll right past the "experts that have all of the answers", you probably know who I mean. I did try to but I've simply lost all respect for their self serving views.
Nothing wrong at all with justified constructive criticism and I will always have time to listen to those who put over their arguments but who also have respect for other viewpoints. Unfortunately football forums are full of "armchair experts" without all of the facts who get a kick out of dominating the argument with the intention of feeding their own ego. All it achieves is to creates a negative atmosphere among the fan base. Cant change that but I have the intelligence to see right through it these days.
We are all frustrated by the lack of success over recent seasons but I believe we'll soon turn the corner with the structure and behind the scenes organisation improving by the week so I live in hope and will remain objective, supportive of the manager and as and positive as I can be.
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on Aug 9, 2017 20:02:28 GMT
We are all frustrated by the lack of success over recent seasons but I believe we'll soon turn the corner with the structure and behind the scenes organisation improving by the week so I live in hope and will remain objective, supportive of the manager and as and positive as I can be. Wish I could share your optimism Pete... Early days yet and I guess the level of the glass (well mine!) will be revealed after the Woking game. 7th game in, with 15 points still to play for...
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Aug 9, 2017 22:09:32 GMT
These first three games were always going to be difficult ones. Of course, they all are. The run of games after that look like a better barometer for any mid table or play-off sneaking ambitions supporters may have. If anyone harbours automatic promotion expectations, I wish them well, of course.
Reid had a stinker and I was rather harsh in my assessment last night, but he will contribute positively at certain points in our season, for sure. More likely than not from the bench I expect. Pittman looked a good addition. Gosling and Gowling seem early fans favourites. Ryan Clarke and Ryan Higgins look absolute quality.
There are plenty of positives from that showing last night and the Manager called it right that those two decisions swung it. Aldershot looked the better side, because imo they are the better side and will finish above us. I expect the same of Tranmere as well. Might not be the case, but I would expect so.
Aldershot have kept a good squad from last year together, and Bobby Joe-Taylor and Okojie (as well as a rejuvenated Fenelon) have come in to supplement with an immediate impact after their key departures of Kanu and Benyu in the summer. Their number 18, Rowe, was very impressive.
Although we don't have the requisite firepower for my liking, this squad shouldn't trouble the relegation places if fit and organised well. Fingers crossed we get our first win soon to really get us going for the season. Stranger things have happened.
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