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Wanderers Ways. Neil Thompson 1961-2021

ianofcleveleys

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Everything posted by ianofcleveleys

  1. I'm not an expert on it but think it'd be a bit tricky to introduce the way out ground is set up. It'd probably best suit North Lower but not sure many people would want to move to there for it. Putting it in last block or two of East Lower would be awkward in terms of impact on those in the next block who don't want to stand. Creating a South Lower block to do it in would cause GMP some furrowed brows I imagine. No issue with it myself but practicalities will be a challenge I reckon
  2. I've been looking at it long term for weeks, haven't thought we had enough for autos so how would we get through play offs. Stating the obvious I suppose but its all about finding a way to do better in the two leg semi than last year then, whoever we play in the final, at Wembley, I'd fancy us
  3. That 'keeping the receipts' quote might have been better saved for 5.00 on the day we clinched auto promotion....
  4. I'll see how they're fixed next time they're up 😄
  5. I enjoy a night game once I'm there but the sheer number of them this season has been a challenge. I have to rearrange or cancel coaching that I do on a Tuesday, something I don't really like doing so will only usually do the league games unless it's a really juicy cup tie. Have ended up missing an odd night league game as my athletes have been at important stages of their seasons and I didn't want them missing vital work while I'm sat at the football. Commute has been a ball ache for a few years, for similar reasons to Ani's, never ending works to create a by-pass near Poulton plus the three year job to make a junction on the M55, constant closures and detours meaning regularly landing home past 11, sometimes to be up again at 6.30 to be out to work A lot of ST holders bring kids, which is great, but totally get why they might not come midweek if those kids are younger. Some ST's (fair play to them, plenty on here no doubt) cough up for one but live many miles away so just do the weekends. The small row I sit on in West Upper a good example, a lady who brings a lad of about 6 and a couple who come from Devon. FWIW I wouldn't stop having my ST, as long as I only miss 2-3 league games a season it's still value. If I stopped I wouldn't keep finding the money for match day prices.
  6. Some great atmospheres at Burnden in the 70s (one of the earliest a League Cup win against Man C when Garry Jones hit a hat-trick, that Newcastle FA Cup tie and 'Supermac'), some dire ones for a decade in the 80s, great ones again in the 90s (cup wins en route to that final v Liverpool, Wolves at home in league, last home game v Charlton). Lots of days and nights at Reebok where it's been noisy and passionate, again plenty when it's been grim, especially during chunks of the last decade. Leicester (H) in Prem, home v Boro that ensured safety, European nights, bloodying Arsenal, Liverpool noses and the Stuart Holden night v Blackburn a few that come to mind. Posh and Forest homes to get up / stay up perhaps best of the last few years. I think by and large it's been good over last couple of seasons, the way we play sometimes doesn't lend itself to a rousing atmosphere but, often when we've hit a bit of adversity or been hard done to (Peterborough when down to 10 men, Derby, Blackpool), our crowd have risen to the demand
  7. I'd also agree with this, times a month or two back where his body language within games wasn't great at times, maybe through trying too hard to do things that would establish him in the side and show what he was about, then those things not coming off or team mates not seeing the same pictures as him The run of games, goals and good performances has given him security that he's a big part not a bit part and he's expressed himself more game by game, backing up what he can do with the ball with an increasing realisation of the graft required off the ball
  8. Something I noticed and liked last night was the energy levels, they all looked like they'd had a big sugar rush and were moving about with much more zip. One sprint from Jones to beat their forward to a ball was very sprightly. They didn't look last night that they were out on their feet as a squad yet. Also, as Mounts said, we played through the lines more rather than along the back and round the edges, and did it more quickly, enabled by either Bod or Collins being able to come for it, control it and pop it off more effectively than Vic and Dion can. Positive signs that these last eight games might not be as much of a grind as we might have thought.
  9. Tremendous performance from start to finish, 1-11 and subs. Bod and Collins a very good partnership, both intelligent enough to see what each other was trying to do. Not everything came off but a lot did and the pictures they could both see were superb. Top performances all over, Sheehan masterful, Ogbeta with a super goal and glorious ball for 4th. Defenders all miles more on it and doing their jobs, good to see.
  10. I'd like to see us get the ball forward more directly, into deeper areas and get more crosses in, JDB has more idea of where to put himself for them and at least if the ball gets turned over it'll be a lot further away from our goal. Walking football and cheap turnovers in our half could well be very costly.
  11. Up to last Tuesday our biggest issue was the predictability of our results, the teams we'd swat aside, the teams we'd get turned over by. Tuesday ended up not quite as anticipated (we got a point more than I'd expected), today definitely not (two less than expected), so not sure I'd bank on anything with us just at the moment.
  12. I haven't been into subscribing to the talk all season about it being a poor league we should get out of easily, thought there were still plenty of decent teams around. Starting to think differently now, barring Portsmouth everyone seems to be stumbling towards the finish line, including us. We haven't been anywhere near it since the turn of the year yet could easily still go up if the others find ways to chuck away as many if not more points as us
  13. I'll have all the stuff about football being different nowadays, high risk equals reward blah blah but one clean sheet in 11 isn't the form of sides that win promotion. A bit more care about pissing goals away would make life a lot easier. Yes, laudable spirit again to rescue a point but two points definitely dropped
  14. Collective reach down the shorts and some bollocks found. Should be a big injection of confidence and belief for run-in. That trend of predictability about our results well and truly bucked
  15. Not conceding means you definitely won't lose
  16. I think IE trips himself up a bit now and then satisfying the current insatiable desire for comments, views etc to fill online versions of the papers and provide content for all the blogs. If I were him, the thing that would make me most weary would be constantly having to think of something to say. Social media age causes a lot of issues, far more inflamed, polarised views (that often turn into abuse) being allowed to be chucked around willy nilly. Then those views have to be responded to as the journos have a poke about them, then we get to the stage of the 'lets all pull together' message, then if that doesn't work it's bunker mentality and cupping their ears at the crowd time. Given IE's apparent tone in that piece, Maghoma's Twitter post, it looks like we're entering bunker mentality phase. We'll see if that results in a full blooded 'we'll show the bastards' performance tonight.
  17. Could see what Collins was trying to do first half, just not much came off for him, liked how he dropped in to get involved and knit play together, doing that seemed to increase his confidence, as, obviously, did his goal.
  18. We seem to have a squad for whom the weight of fan expectation and big followings weighs heavy at times. (Sorry, a bit Peter Drury that)
  19. I wondered yesterday if Dempsey was being held back for Tuesday
  20. That one was really frustrating, 2-0 up, although they were breaking they were only on halfway and others were getting back, didn't need to do it really. A lot of our yellow cards though are for that type of soft foul or pull back, often because we've given the ball away easily or played a risky pass that puts someone in an awkward position. We don't get many for properly cleaning someone out or leaving a good marker on them
  21. 100%. Problem with him and, to a degree, JDC, is they're ok on days like today when there's no defending to do but weak against the better sides, especially if they're also a bit more robust in the wide positions
  22. I enjoyed a lot of what we did today, against a team camped in their own half, even when 0-1 down. Better tempo, movement and shape, liked how Collins dropped off to get involved in the play, some of it didn't come off first half but fair bit better second half. Should have been 3 up by time Tommo scored, other decent efforts / chances 2nd half before it became a friendly, That lad's block on the line from Collins was heroic.
  23. He was showing he was plenty good enough in the spell before his injury, good enough to challenge Jones, who's had his share of off days, for a place in the back 3. Not sure either Williams or JDC should be considered standing dishes, both are fine against piss weak, non threatening opponents like today's but both get found out by better sides who press us more and have physical wide players. A back five of Jones, Forrester, Santos, Toal and Iredale would be more likely to stand up to the better, tougher sides
  24. Said in midweek our results are easily predicted at minute, beat same teams, lose to same teams. These were an entirely predictable win, can we break that sequence on Tuesday? A gritty, determined point would do for me. Some good things today, bit more tempo, some dangerous crosses, creativity from Maghoma. Should have had 5 but a nice enough afternoon overall
  25. I'd like Evatt to tell us whether he is genuinely fit or not. For him to have warmed the bench now for half a dozen games, after looking as solid as any of our defence when he got injured, is baffling
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