rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Apr 10, 2012 21:07:18 GMT
After the best home support of the season on Good Friday, this penultimate league game at Plainmoor has been made all ticket with another bumper crowd expected against promotion rivals Southend. They are in the strange position of not needing much to guarantee a play off position but where winning all four remaining matches may still not be enough for the automatics.
Following a great start to the season, which included a comprehensive 4-1 home win over ourselves at our lowest point, Southend have stuttered in the second half losing 10 of the last 23 matches and even over the last six it has been won 3 and lost 3! They have brought in some additional striking options to bolster their run in, in the form of their ex player, Freddie Eastwood from Coventry and our ex player Elliot Benyon who unlike Rendell had the good grace to get himself suspended so as not to torment his old club! ;D They have also signed another veteran defender, Dailly but he is out injured.
Although Southend are the only team with a better away record than ourselves, they have lost their last two games on the road to Bradford and Bristol Rovers respectively. I get the sense that they are a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde side so hopefully we can keep them down.
Apart from the walking wounded, Morris is suspended for this one so at least one change to the side with Jarvis likely to come in on the right wing. I'm sure Damien Davey will be working his magic this week and maybe his job has got a bit easier with just four Saturdays of the season left allowing a decent spell of recovery time. Possibly a good thing we didn't go on a decent cup run this year.....
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Post by rjdgull on Apr 13, 2012 12:38:32 GMT
Family stand now sold out for this one. Ling confirms that Jarvis will come in for Morris.
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Post by register on Apr 13, 2012 19:41:41 GMT
Another game of "Half-Crown and sixpences!" Shrews at home...they always win 1.0, although our mate Evans might just help us out there! Crawley, somehow they always scrape a win, and might even have been strenghtened since Evans left with the arrival of Coppell. To that end, we have to win or I think our season is officially over! I know we have the play-offs to fall back on, but I feel our players are too knackered to play to their full potential for another three games!  |
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Post by lucy6lucy on Apr 14, 2012 0:52:40 GMT
We must avoid defeat and then hope. On the positive side Hereford cannot be relegated before they play Crawley after tonights draw, so that wont be an easy one for them. But as stated a win is needed just to put the pressure really on those 2 games on Tuesday
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davethegull
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Post by davethegull on Apr 14, 2012 5:50:10 GMT
It's been an eventful week what with earthquakes, tsunami alerts and Thai New Year. However the dominant thought in my head has been this game, am I odd? We can effectively end Sarfends threat to our Auto spot if we beat them. It would take us 9 points clear of them with 3 to play. If we can knock out one of the contenders it will just leave Us, Creepy and Shrews to fight for 2 places. We need goals to give us an even chance, starting today...............however, I can't see it happening. I desperately hope I'm wrong but I think we'll lose this one. The best case scenario for us today is a win and catchup on the GD. The nerves started 5 days ago so can't wait for this game to start, but in a masochistic sort of way. I have to ask myself sometimes why the feck I don't find a less stressfull hobby?!
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rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Apr 14, 2012 6:56:33 GMT
It's been an eventful week what with earthquakes, tsunami alerts and Thai New Year. However the dominant thought in my head has been this game, am I odd? We can effectively end Sarfends threat to our Auto spot if we beat them. It would take us 9 points clear of them with 3 to play. If we can knock out one of the contenders it will just leave Us, Creepy and Shrews to fight for 2 places. We need goals to give us an even chance, starting today...............however, I can't see it happening. I desperately hope I'm wrong but I think we'll lose this one. The best case scenario for us today is a win and catchup on the GD. The nerves started 5 days ago so can't wait for this game to start, but in a masochistic sort of way. I have to ask myself sometimes why the feck I don't find a less stressfull hobby?! It's certainly a rollercoaster ride following our club and I'm not sure why people thought we would have a season of quiet consolidation. In the last seven years, we have had two promotions, both went to the last match that we had to win, 2 relegations, one of which was confirmed only after the final whistle of our last match, two play off defeats and just the one season of consolidation but even that we spent most of the season threatened by relegation before pulling clear in the last month! I suppose you could say, it is just another typical stressful season for the long suffering Torquay fan. But would you want it any other way!  |
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Post by madferret on Apr 14, 2012 10:57:07 GMT
Torquay 3 Southend 1
We are awesome, they are a bunch of plastic cockenees....... simple.
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simonb
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Post by simonb on Apr 14, 2012 11:34:06 GMT
BIG match let's wish for that BIG result! ;D
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Post by lambethgull on Apr 14, 2012 11:56:34 GMT
A few dilemmas this afternoon. Some won't approve, but a Crawley/Shrewsbury double whilst making my Aintree selections is tempting  You've got to hedge your bets haven't you? Does it make it okay if I also take a (single) bet on us taking three points?  |
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petef
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Post by petef on Apr 14, 2012 12:29:10 GMT
Another cup final with three more to come if we are to achieve the impossible!
I willl be going with the intention of enjoying the match but sure to end up as just one of many tortured souls once the whistle blows.
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rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Apr 14, 2012 17:12:17 GMT
I thought that was a hard slog against a physical side, that prevented us playing our game and not helped by the ref or the second half downpour! Their number 6. Mohsni, put himself about a bit, particularly before his yellow and with a fair bit simulation when anything remotely came back his way! Chances were at a premium in the first half with neither keeper having to do much. Lathrope had a long range shot that their keeper held on the second attempt. Mohsni looped a header past Olejnik but from an offside position. He did put himself about a bit without much sanction from the ref until after diving in the box was eventually given a yellow by the ref. In the second, we almost took the lead from the off with Jarvis shooting from a knock down in the box but unfortunately just went over when it looked in. We were certainly not given the rub of the green on the decisions going only tempered by the popside lino but somehow ended up with about four or five yellows. Rene got one after he and a Southend defender and their keeper converged on the ball which ended with the defender tripping over the keeper's legs!  In the wet and greasy conditions a few chances did develop with us almost scoring from an own goal from a Nico cross that deflected off their defender but with the keeper able to recover. Atieno did have a decent effort that just went wide of the goal. I think the Southend supporters appealed for a penalty during a melee in our box late on. Also a cross came in that would have been a goal if someone had got on the end of it. All in all, not a bad result against a strong Southend side that almost certainly will end up in the play offs now and just thankful that we are unlikely to end up playing them over two legs. |
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Post by loyalgull on Apr 14, 2012 19:13:54 GMT
we are still in the mix,but we were poor today,apart from defensively where we were superb.We really never looked like scoring,and i thought southend had the better chances,a draw may well of just suited us more than them though,autos beyond them now.Frustrating is the word to use for our play outside their penalty area,doing 7 or 8 passes then passing it across outside the box,we should of just whipped the bloody thing in there.But all still to play for though,the wobbles will hit someone soon,i just hope it isnt us
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Post by tqriviera on Apr 14, 2012 20:10:14 GMT
I can't seem to start a new thread but what I want to say fits in!
How nice to see one of our true legends Steve Woods (and his dad) today!
Steve was a great footballer for us and he is a really nice guy - still with a deep affection for our Club.
I do hope that he comes to our promotion party!!
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petef
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Post by petef on Apr 14, 2012 20:15:03 GMT
Had to work very hard for a point today in poor second half conditions that could have contributed to fluke a goal to either side.
Worryingly we rarely threatened them in or around the box and poor Rene did his best in his lonely front role.
Another clean sheet and a new club record I believe which tells its own story and would suggest where our real strengths lie. Bobby, the back line and defensive midfield had to be good today and were very solid but going forward we lacked imagination and inspiration once again which could be the tipping point for our season. They all worked their socks off and you can ask for no more but we just need a spark to ignite our forward play and although I thought Eunan was little sharper today little came off for him in those crucial "hurt the opposition" areas. Still all to play for with three left and knowing us it will all be decided at Hereford who will also need to win to stay up.
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Post by rosskaniuk on Apr 15, 2012 14:57:54 GMT
Few agreed with me when I suggested last week we change our successful line-up, but I wasn't suggesting we lose Damon Lathrope. I was thinking more get Atieno or Jarvis in for Danny (Morris has been great in his last 3 games). Danny slows down attacks by stopping to come in on his right foot. Rowe-Turner who I hear is very quick could take on full-backs. It would also give us more height in attack and defence and more strength in defence.
I wrote that before each game I think we could win it, but I don't think we'll probably win it, and I expect us to be very hard to beat - a long-winded way of saying a draw. Before Oxford I predicted all 5 games looking like draws, which is fine consolidation or play-off form but won't clinch promotion.
Our system involves Rene getting the ball deep with his back to goal, and then having ot pass backwards to midfielders who have no-one ahead to deliver the killer pass to. Also with Danny and Nico, they often work crosses, but yesterday a third midfielder was often having to get involved in their little left-side passing moves to work the cross, which left just 2 men in the box, as we keep Lathrope deep, and by then the opposition have time to get men back. It's also usually played back to Nico to deliver a long, diagonal cross (thankfully Nico's delivery is better than most). But when did we last see a goal come from Rene heading in a cross.
Joe Oastler was a bit unlucky that his forward runs to try and get round the other full-back weren't quite coming off.
And Bobby's quick drop kicks? Is Rene expected to win the header, run on to his own flick and beat the 4 defenders?
None of this is a criticism - it's only because we've now set ourselves to be in competition with the division's 3 most consistent winners, rather than just accepting being much better than the majority!!
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