rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Aug 6, 2018 22:22:13 GMT
So the first home game of the season which happens to be the club that our manager came from early last season. Both teams are still looking for their first win with Bath going down at home to a late penalty.
After the struggle of last season Owers will be looking for a good start and hopefully with a strong home support and a good pitch we can get that all important win which will see us in line with expectations looking at the top of the table as opposed to seeing us in the bottom half with all the resultant pressure. Goals are the name of the game and something we have struggled with. The sooner Wright is fit the better as he could be part of the answer but it will be interesting to see how we measure up to league opposition.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2018 9:44:47 GMT
So, the first home game of the season and we're flying high...well we're not actually are we! Yet again, our forwards are firing blanks so I'm not overly optimistic about tonight. Is it all to do with our forwards though...has it got something to do with what Glen Hoddle once said, and a certain poster on another TUFC site...all will be revealed! Finally, we say goodbye to Barry Chuckle, who has kept the Remainers happy for many years!  Sadly, his brother Paul has now given away all his belongings, without getting anything in return...'To you ~ To you ~ To you!' Finally finally...what about the oldest Chuckle (86) who is now married to a 26 year old girl!  He'll be having a chuckle, and hopefully isn't firing blanks like our forwards! |
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Post by loyalgull on Aug 7, 2018 11:15:21 GMT
Can see it being another drab 0 0 misfiring frontline and no plan b or maybe owers can surprise us for a change
Something he failed to do most of last season
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petef
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Post by petef on Aug 7, 2018 14:18:18 GMT
Have to start making Plainmoor a fortress and tough for other teams. Its been such a long time since that was the case and will be key to any success.
Tonight should be an indicator of what to expect in the coming months though anyone can have a bad start and improve or otherwise.
Last term promoted Tranmere were struggling for months but their quality finally shone through.
I still see this as being a very tough season.
In all honesty I'm not overly confident, every team will see us as the big scalp to take its whether were good enough and able to rise above it and be ruthless at the end of the day.
Just where are the goals going to come from?
Are we good enough?
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Aug 7, 2018 17:37:49 GMT
A good solid defensive performance at Chelmsford, but have we got the firepower to be a genuine title challenger rather than scrape into the playoffs material?
On paper, Bath seem to have a lot more genuine goal scorers than us.
I do not think Reid and Williams is the answer up top. Williams has the potential to score regularly at this level but I don't think we will get the best out of him if he has to carry the weight of leading the line.
I think Wright would be the best of what we have up top, but Owers seems to have said he is not fully fit yet. Could he put in an hour? If not, Keating? He doesn't really have the technique to hold the ball up. Outside bet - Regis up top with Nabi coming in to midfield.
Let's hope for three points - I don't care how scrappily obtained.
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Post by loyalgull on Aug 7, 2018 19:34:10 GMT
Another blankety blank 45 minutes bath getting stronger as half time approached has the messiah owers got the know how to spark a rare win?
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Post by tjgull on Aug 7, 2018 21:11:35 GMT
Another blankety blank 45 minutes bath getting stronger as half time approached has the messiah owers got the know how to spark a rare win? Yes. |
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Post by Swanny on Aug 7, 2018 21:32:27 GMT
Well it was great to see a win and the crowd has gone happy. It was largely an unconvincing performance however and you could argue it was an undeserved win. A decent crowd of 2,100+, sponsors MOTM going to Ryan Dickson.
There were some poor performances out there tonight and Williams had a golden chance within the first 5 minutes. Reid threaded the ball across to Williams clear in the box but blasted the ball well over the bar. Torquay’s early promise subsided and Bath looked the neater and more cohesive team. In fact the longer the half went on the more ragged Torquay became.
Our front 2 Reid and Williams kept losing possession and our wingbacks seemed incapable of delivering decent crosses. Wynter had a particularly poor match and we were not creating anything. We do have a very solid back 3 and Sokolik did very well replacing Essuman tonight. It was my first viewing of keeper MacDonald tonight and I really like the way he is vocal and assertive coming out. It is good to have an extrovert keeper. MacDonald made an outstanding save before half-time as Bath were taking control of the match. Bath shot powerfully at close range on our right when clean through but MacDonald showed great reflexes and tipped the goal bound ball over the bar.
Bath continued to be the better team in the second half and hit our cross bar as Torquay looked ragged and were hanging in there. However, Torquay’s 2 half-time substitutions made an improvement. Keating showed more presence up front replacing the woeful Reid and Nabi looked our best player in the second half in midfield with his control on the ball and passing.
Torquay had their best spell of the match half way through the second half with some sustained pressure and it was like they had finally woken up. We finally had our first shot on target from Dickson that was easily saved by Clarke. But the game evened out again and Bath looked the most likely again. However, Keating got the ball through his persistence, crossed the ball low that was deflected to Davis at the far post who hit the ball first time into the net. It was a decent finish by Davis. Torquay saw out the rest of the game and won 1-0.
Most of the match was painfully boring to watch and seemed to be a continuation from last season. We had good shape and looked strong in defence but looked toothless up front for most of the match. The goal gave us confidence and we saw some glimpses of some good build up play. Let’s hope we can improve from here, tonight’s win glossed over a pretty poor performance in the main.
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rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Aug 7, 2018 21:36:35 GMT
Let's hope for three points - I don't care how scrappily obtained. I would say a pretty scrappy three points but at the end of the day it was matches like that last season that were lost! It wasn’t the best of first halves but Williams actually had 3 half chances in The first 25 minutes. The best was when A defensive error just over the halfway line from Bath city allowed Reid to get on the ball, draw the last defender and put Williams clear but his shot from just outside the area was not on target when perhaps he should have done better. Shortly after, Davies manage to get clear on the left hand side and his cross into a crowded area came to Williams but again although it was a sharp chance, he scuffed the ball. Finally Williams had a header that looked over Clarke in goal but which he managed to tip onto the bar. However, it was not all one way traffic and MacDonald made a good save when Bath managed to attack from the left. Owers felt The need for a double substitution at half-time indicating that he wasn’t overly happy with how that half went with Keating and Nabi coming on for Reid and Regis. Although we very briefly started the second half well, Bath had a good spell and were unlucky not to score when a pinpoint cross was met by a diving header that just came off the bar and would have been an excellent goal. They then had a great one on one opportunity that we somehow scrambled away. However we had a good spell of pressure as well with a number free kicks and corners where we seemed to be getting closer to breaking the deadlock. The goal when it came was courtesy of a Keating cross that seemed to have been impeded by the defender’s hand right on the edge of the area and amidst calls for a penalty the ball was not cleared and came to Davis who made space to slot home from just outside the six yard box. It was a nervous last 10 minutes but the clock was wound down effectively enough without too much trouble. Early days yet but at least we have got points on the board which will give confidence to a new team trying to gel in the first part of the season! |
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petef
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Post by petef on Aug 7, 2018 21:50:58 GMT
Oh dear piss poor for long periods tonight and then snatch a winner near the end when Bath City should have been out of sight long before we scored.
Even saw Chelston wearily shaking his head as he swapped ends at half time.
First half was grim to watch with very little quality full of poor first touches dreadful passing - for a good while we looked like a clueless bunch of strangers. Bath city continued to look sharp and passed and moved well creating a number of chances that should have buried us. Then we finally get the ball bobbling around there box and score a winner.
The introduction of Nabri and Keating was the right move Reid I'm afraid to say was dismal and living up to all of the criticism being dished out from the terraces.
Regis is a big chap but so many passes were going astray and he really wasn't having any effect on the game. Nabri brought more composure and some better passing even though he still doesn't look 100%.
Positives MacDonald really impressed looked aware and sharp unlike many of his team mates. Thought Keating ruffled a few feathers and looked a better bet than Jamie Reid who had a shocker of a first half though he wasn't alone. A bigger crowd than I expected.
Felt a bit for Bath City they outplayed us for long periods but didn't take their chances.
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Post by rjdgull on Aug 7, 2018 23:15:04 GMT
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Post by chelstongull on Aug 8, 2018 8:36:07 GMT
Oh dear piss poor for long periods tonight and then snatch a winner near the end when Bath City should have been out of sight long before we scored. Even saw Chelston wearily shaking his head as he swapped ends at half time. Very poor alround team performance, no different to pre-season. It was like the team met just met prior to kick off. Bath City passed the ball well and we didn't. Not sure how many 'Get out of jail with a lucky result' cards Owers has, but still we're only two games in  |
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petef
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Post by petef on Aug 8, 2018 15:58:30 GMT
If I were to make a guess as to where we will finish after watching that performance last night I would say no better than half way.
Trying to think of the positives and there weren't that many to be honest but to play that badly and win must surely be an omen.
Positves were 1 The goalkeeper Mac Donald -its going to be difficult to drop him - Owers may have a problem there.
2 We didn't concede - two clean sheets in a row - some quality desperate last ditch tackles when it seemed certain that Bath would score.
I seem to remember Buckles troops were good at last ditch body in the way defending.
3 Thought Asa Hall grew into the game and got better Reminds me of Chris Hargreaves in style and Dickson gave everything.
4 Keating looks hungry and ruffled feathers when he came on.
5 A well taken goal from Davis who had a pretty average match by his standards and like many tried to do to much with the ball on many occasions.
6 Amazed how the crowd stuck with team for the duration - Other than the usual Reid abuse from certain sections.
7 Ref was acceptable and a better standard than I thought we would get this season.
Not much else really the list of negatives far outweighs the above - Poor passing poor first touches and unable to compete in the last third of the pitch until we got a break when a couple of players lifted their
game, Williams, Keating and Nabri who looks composed and talented though has no pace and I do like the look of Cameron who I thought was the pick of the back line. Wynter is a an enigma already makes some great
tackles and then plays a dumb pass or loses possession. A word for Sokolik who looked fine after not playing much football in the last year. Saw him feeling the back of his right knee a couple of times not sure
if he still has a problem.
Oh lastly that Asa Hall free kick just outside the box first half. WTF was that all about!
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Post by loyalgull on Aug 8, 2018 18:17:33 GMT
Feel sorry for you folks coughing up good money for what seems continued tripe on the pitch 2158 or so last night wont see that gate again this season.And i still stand by what i have said since owers got here a clueless wassock of a manager
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Post by frankfurt gull on Aug 8, 2018 18:22:09 GMT
Aren´t Bath and most of the CLS parttimers? As a fulltime professional club we should walk this league!  |
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Sadly, his brother Paul has now given away all his belongings, without getting anything in return...'To you ~ To you ~ To you!' 
