Windsor 0-4 Cirencester

[Rother]

Oh dear.

 

They obviously need time to gel and I'm sure we will be patient but that was absolutely shambolic.

[Tomsk]

Sad to hear

 

No worries, keep to it lads!

[dansilk]

They obviously need time to gel and I'm sure we will be patient but that was absolutely shambolic.

 

One of the Cirencester guys asked me "this isn't the same team we played at the end of last season, is it?"

I had to reply, "well, the goalie from then is still crippled from your guy's tackle that game. But apart from him, I think there's two players starting from before " [Jake and Dave Woozley, and I wasn't sure about the latter]. I wasn't sure if Pearce or Dickens played then, and Chenns only came on half-way through.

Cirencester have three changes in total from last year. We barely had three remaining players.

 

But I've seen cowpats with more structure than we showed tonight, and I've personally organised piss-ups in breweries that have had more co-ordination.

And we couldn't even do the real basics, like passing to each other and clearing to our own side.

FFS, there's Jake literally, vocally, screaming for the ball on the right wing (once he was allowed to play there) and still not getting service. I guessed at first it's because none of the infield players actually knew who he was or what he can do, but maybe after an hour someone might have worked out that it's better passing to him than lumping it downfield on the off-chance that Cirencester would have fallen asleep? He was playing his heart out over there, and getting nothing useful back, and no one (except Chenns when he was allowed on) seemed to have any idea that he might - hey - cross the ball in?

And on the left wing, we have Dave Pearce; fast, agile,... not 6'4" and so unlikely to win long balls in the air... so pass ahead of feet, people, it's not bloody rocket science.

Not sure why we didn't play our absolutely finest striker/finisher until after half-time. He was on the sheet as starting, so I'll assume it was a travel issue and not a cunning plan.

 

Other than that, I wasn't impressed. Let's ignore the two completely and actually open goals we missed... People weren't chasing, they were completely failing to anticipate or read the game, they weren't taking the initiative and they weren't taking the game to the opposition.

I won't name names. Because I don't know any of them. However after all these friendlies and the following training, I was hoping the players might.

And maybe they'd, you know, be able to call to each other, co-ordinate, play as - what's that word... oh yes, a TEAM.

 

Sort it out. We were beaten - thrashed - by a team of decently-skilled players working together. The flashes of individual quality we showed were at least as good, but we never combined to actually do stuff.

Let's try a plan A. Revolutionary, but it might just work.

[DERBY]

Well what can one say,that was absolute rubbish & I am not just talking about the team here,what about the state of our so called pitch it was a disgrace,it looked as though my wife had mowed it with my mother in laws Flymo & no grass in one of the penalty areas it didn't look any better than it did at the end of the season.

 

I do realise that times have been hard during the close season & that rumours abound about there being no money to pay people,but surely we could have done something more than has been done to give our team & I use the word team very loosely here something half decent to play one,didn't we invest thousands a couple of seasons ago for irrigation systems & getting a decent surface also a training area at the park end,well that seems to have gone to waste doesn't it,will something be done to put this right before the onset of the winter months I doubt it so we can look forward to a nice hectic end of season trying to fit in all the postponemnts that will surely happen if the pitch is left like that.

 

Still enough of moaning upwards & onwards & bring on the joys of Leamington a chance for our so called team to impress us maybe

[sparksy]

If we play like that against Leamington it will be 6 or 7! The main problem is in defence they were all over the place! Totally agree with Derby the pitch is a disgrace, my back lawn is better and i haven't cut it for 3 weeks! To be fair to Chenns he played for Brentford reserves on Monday. Don't know if that had anything to do with him not starting till half time. Still i can sense a great performance on Saturday!

[Uncle F]

Trying to find the positives from last night and I am really struggling to think of any. Some of the players were so far off the pace it was unbelivable. I fully appreciate that it takes time for the team to gel and I will be patient but a lack of basic skills is very worrying! The defence is a big course for concern, to call them ponderous would be a complement, we are deparately in need of some full backs who can not only defend but take some of the pressure off Jake and Pearce by overlapping and creating space!!

[The Hovis Kid]

Positives from last night are the ground looked in top nick, well done to the people that spent the summer painting, fixing and everything else...

 

Negatives from last night are the pitch was shocking, we might as well of played on the Great Park itself. The defence was a joke including the keepers error to get lobbed for the second goal. The central midfield couldn't pass a ball. But the biggest negative for me is the stupid long ball football we continued to play! If we have players who did not make a short pass last night, how on earth can we expect them to play long balls.

 

Still this is only the first home game of the season. Switch on for Saturday I'll still be there for the football!

[Mrs_Cat]

Calm down everyone. We're one home game into the season. It seems we've been spoilt the last couple of seasons but we always knew there would be many ups and downs this season. Saturday we had a up and played really well against a team like us who had quite a few new players, last night we had a down and were poor. We're probably play better teams and win this season and likewise we're in all probability be on the wrong end of a few more of these type of scorelines. It’s going to take time for the players to gel and get used to each others strengths and weaknesses, there is no easy fix to this, people are going to have to be patient it’s not going to all click into place over night.

 

The difference between the teams last night was Cirencester played like a team, which isn't a surprise as they had most of the team from last season. Last night was the first time most of our team had played at Stag Meadow. The pitch really didn't help, hopefully it will bed in during the season. The grass does seem incredibly long.

 

Apparently Chenns played for Brentford reserves on Monday hence him being on the bench last night, he's good but you can't expect him to play 3 games in 4 days.

 

Jake was superb last night, I lost count of the amount of times he beat their left back and put in dangerous crosses. On another day somebody would have got on the end of one of them.

 

It’s always disappointing to concede goals from set pieces, especially 3 in one game but on a positive note that is something that can be rectified with a bit of organisation.

 

It was also refreshing to see the manager in the bar after the game apologising to the supporters. I can't think of too many managers’ who would have the bottle to face the fans after a thrashing like that.

 

Roll on Saturday. Things can only get better. Keep the faith.

 

 

[Rother]

Okay, so, next morning.... positives - Jake looked as good as ever and I thought Brown looked good (in comparison to what had gone before) when he came on. That's about it.

 

Where has Ton McNeill gone? (His name isn't on the 1st team squad on the website)

 

We should acnowledge that although we were a shadow of last year's team, Cirencester really looked good. I suspect / hope there are not many better teams than them in the league!

Edited August 18, 2010 by Rother

[The Hovis Kid]

[quote name='Rother' date='18 August 2010 - 10:54 AM' timestamp='1282125255' post='1656531'

 

Where has Ton McNeill gone? (His name isn't on the 1st team squad on the website)

 

 

Beaconsfield so the duty rumours are saying! Shame really because he is a lot sharper than the chap in goal lastnight was. We had McNeil and Bully (although injured) why did we sign two more keepers? Had we he need when reducing the wage budget?

[Paul G]

Somebody posted "We should acknowledge that although we were a shadow of last year's team, Cirencester really looked good. I suspect / hope there are not many better teams than them in the league! "

 

Cirencester were well organised but are no better than a mid table side......there are many better sides to face this season so we will really need to get organised PDQ!

 

We made them look good because of the unforced errors made throughout the game. The players do have pace and ability and should get better with more time together but it has to be quick otherwise we could have a painful season.

 

Jake and Dave Pearce played well but some of the others didn't reproduce the form shown at Tivvy Saturday.

 

Looking forward to Leamington.....I think?

[DorisTWanderer]

well said Mrs Cat.

 

wow, surprised, shocked....two games into the season, two competitive games that the players have played together. savage!

 

i'm afraid its a case of lowering expectation. at times we will struggle, we'll get taken apart. look no higher than fifth bottom - that position will be a massive achievement.

 

having said that there'll be other teams supporters equally as disappointed and i suspect we are not the only team not looking like a team after two games.

 

dave mudge is no simon lane - if he sees a pile of sh1te on the pitch he'll kick it, shout at it and do something about it, rather than move it to right back or play it in goal one week and left mid the next.

 

have patience, it's a long season. expect the unexpected and the odd whipping.

[windsor_ram]

Have to agree it was a big disapointment last nights performance!! But I also think that one result does not make a season. The players I am sure will know they did not perform and they will surely look to put that right in what will be a very though game.

 

It shows how tough it has been in pre season and maybe we have gone in to the season a bit under prepared in comparison to other teams which did show last night. The defending at set pieces was very poor which was highlighted by the goals conceded. We will improve as to be honest as we all saw last night we could not be much worse!!! We need to retain the ball better to many aimless balls upfield came straight back to us which put us under more pressure.

 

I personally think if we can use jake and david get the ball wide this is where we will get most joy from as they are both lively and are more than capable of creating goals for the team we just need to work harder on getting the ball to them.

 

So on to saturday lets get behind the team I for one look forward to the game.

 

 

 

 

[cirenpylonsider]

Just posted our report. Had more than a few domestic things to do yesterday so have only just returned to the world of fubble ball.

 

Very fair comments here - far too many fans elsewhere slaughter their team after a horrible result like that. I liked the fact that the lads behind the goal applauded rather than jeered at the end. They and the players knew they had been stuffed but preferred to applaud the effort. The result went our way and the third goal knocked the stuffing out of yr comeback attempts.

 

I thought after about 10 minutes that your lads were not yet fully match fit and tuned in to a contest where points are at stake. There were seven chances for shots on goal but only one actually made Bully save - six were wide or over. Bully is 'our' Bully by the way - Matt Bulman, returning to us now Matt Bath has finally retired. In contrast, we had more than 7 attempts and Preddy and/or a defender kept seven on target efforts out.

 

I_Claudius has it spot on - right now we hit it long and hope to hustle a mistake. That tactic has its advantages but will wear out even the most willing, super fit team. No better than mid-table unless our lads begin to believe that they can pass it and trust that the move will continue. We can do it, I've seen us do it. But hey, who knows what a fubbler is thinking once he is on that grass with a ball plus a 12 stone lummock hurtling at him?

 

There are a few clubs in the Prem who will take a team to bits if possession is just given away. More than a few teams set up to stay solid at the back (they aren't but that's a different matter). Then play the percentages of sticking the ball inside then sending it into the channels for a runner. Sometimes it works but if it does not, yr nearest front man has to hustle the clearance. Sometimes, the difference between the teams comes down to whether a scorer is on form and gets a decent opening. Tuesday, that was us.

 

Surely youse must have thought you'd breakthrough when we spent the first 15 minutes of the second half giving the ball back to youse? Four of yr misses came in that spell and our bench was going barmy!

 

Two side points - I'd worked out I could still use the train for a night match (cheaper for me than 200 miles of diesel) after discovering that at 10.20 the 71 bus would get me to the station for 10.23 ... pfft ONE BUS runs after 8pm in Windsor? Anyways, pure luck, I discovered the stops near the station had been closed! Could have been embarrassing.

 

Second, the somewhat barbed comments by the Prog Editor had folks throwing their toys out of their pram. Me - I thought it was a bit rich harking back but, hey ho, it happens. Point is, this year you'll find some shall we say Billy Big Boots clubs will roll in to town and give youse some full on banter so maybe it would be worthwhile not feeling too precious about it and keep it cheerful rather than churlish ... Leamington for example are used to winning, have a typically West Midlands forceful approach both to playing and to supporting and will get behind their team big time. But they make the trip not only to support but also to enjoy the day.

 

Finally, saw Totton last night at Almondsbury. Five superb saves by the keeps, 10 shots on target and they let one in on 88 mins. Gutted is not even coming close to describing it but they made the fatal mistake of letting the Billy Big Boots attitude show through a bit too much and Almondsbury refused to be cowed.

 

Mr Mudge said a few words to me afterwards and his analysis was spot on. As long as your lads listen and do, you'll be OK.

 

Manuella? When fit, he'll be the class act in this league.

[Rother]

Cheers pylonsider. I think you are being incredibly fair to us in that summary, and extremely generous to Mr Manuella. Maybe you've seen him elsewhere as I didn't see much / anything on Tuesday to suggest he has that potential.

 

I am of course hoping you read a game / suss a player a lot more accurately than I do!!

[Bins]

Lots of wild invective being used in the posts since we lost to Cirencester. Would have been good to have seen more supporters at the club during the past 3 months as all the refurbishment work was being undertaken. Not an easy time for the club in the aftermath of winning promotion for a variety of reasons. Time to rebuild and start again - such things go in cycles. Dave and Byron have been working like mad on many fronts to establish a team and make sure the club runs as effectively as possible. I've watched them at close quarters, and can vouch for the pressure it brings. Their input to the refurb work was superb and, thanks to them we have new roofing, a new end to the main stand, and new carpet in the clubhouse. Thanks also to Brian Whale for his financial support.

 

Renovating the pitch takes time and a large injection of money. In actual fact Ian, Lewis, and George have worked wonders in the past four weeks to get the surface back to a playing standard. Not perfect, I agree, but they have done their best in difficult circumstances, and they will continue to do so in the coming weeks. They love working down at the club, and do not warrant some of the comments made in the earlier posts.

 

More people coming to help at the ground may well have ensured the training pitch got restored, with the grass trimmed and weeds removed. Sadly, such help was rarely forthcoming and therefore what was available had to concentrate on the main pitch, weeding, painting walls, cleaning, repairing/repainting the stand, teahut, turnstiles, toilets, main bar, small bar, clubhouse, changing rooms. Shall I go on? It's taken 13 weeks to achieve what's been done, let alone a lot of money.

 

Finally, cast your mind back to Didcot Town's start in the Premier Division last season after winning promotion from the S&W level. They drew twice and lost seven before finally winning their first game in mid-September. And avoided relegation despite that horrendous start. Let's stay level-headed, give Dave, Byron and the players our support and remain positive. Ask not what your club can do for you, but what you can do for your club.

[DorisTWanderer]

some frustration in that post.

 

there are fans and there are supporters, you need allsorts to make a club!

 

there'll be lots more opportunities from now on to get involved with the club and guess this is a good time to say that if you do want to get more involved with YOUR club then feel free to ask. tap vic, geggy, dan gomm, paul smithson, dave mudge, ian lucas or anyone around the club on the shoulder and ask if there's anything you can do.

 

alternatively, bring a friend to a game who's never been before, use the clubhouse before and after the game. go along to events at the club....recommend the newly refurbished clubhouse to a friend for a party.

 

roll on tomorrow, lets hope the players respond to mudgeys rallying call in the local rags.

 

U T R

[Stag Whippet]

From an outsider, bloody marvellous post. Good points well made

[Rother]

The manager himself said the performance was shambolic - it was.

 

Supporters comment on what they see, and contributing to this forum is a small part of what keeps the interest in the club going. When it's good, we say so, when it's not we have an equal right to say so.

 

All the stuff about supporting the club behind the scenes is fair enough and should be taken on board by one and all but criticising the supportgers for calling a performance as they see it is not fair enough in my opinion, particularly when it is shown from the manager's press comments that he shared them entirely.

 

Oh well, just off to start another thread waxing lyrical about today's performance which was a complete contrast to Tuesday's.

[cirenpylonsider]

Cheers pylonsider. I think you are being incredibly fair to us in that summary, and extremely generous to Mr Manuella. Maybe you've seen him elsewhere as I didn't see much / anything on Tuesday to suggest he has that potential.

 

I am of course hoping you read a game / suss a player a lot more accurately than I do!!

 

Coming back on this a bit later than I would have wished - away this weekend (so missed the brutal game at our long time friends at Hardenhuish Park aka Chips and Ham) - but to answer yr point, Mr Manuella may well not be fit yet but I noticed on Tuesday that second half he decided (was told?) not to go dashing all over the park and wearing himself out. But instead just to sit behind the front line and collect the Ciren out-balls and shovel it out wide. And, if he had to, make sure the Ciren midfield had less time to run past the W&E cover.

 

He did the first bit very well - good touch, good awareness, made sure that when he had the ball he kept it. Never missed his target with his passes. Not so good on the second job after 30 mins of pretty hard work but hey ho, that would have been a bonus. And that's why I think, when he gets fit, he will be a class act.

 

Must say, getting my NLP in a strange newsagents today, after reading 'our' report, read yours next. And pleased youse got a result. Reading the comments, it seems clear Mr M made a tactical change and stopped the Brakes having the freedom of the park. Step one towards getting it stabilised. I'm guessing that gave yr backline time and space to stop Corbett making his runs ...

 

Will continue to visit the Forum to have a look - bit by bit, it will get better. A good football team, even if players change, has some things built into the DNA and your lot will be reminded time and again about what is needed to win matches.

 

Ho hum, now the rough tough lummocks of Stourbridge are turning up at our place on Tuesday to kick lumps. That is in their DNA (!) It does happen in this League; they have always played that way