Take Hunt Off

Craven Cottage ?

Talk about a game of two halves . Thought we were on for a seven niller. The break in play they bought halfway though the first half enabled some reorganisation of their team. Pratley brought all his encyclopaedic knowledge of shithousery onto the pitch at HT & we huffed hacked & stuttered for the rest of the game. Baxter needs to cut out the dithering when the ball is at his feet. Not sure how all this happens but direct teams bother us in a way they shouldn’t Started the game thinking not missing Santos ended the game wishing he was on the park , although I thought Forrester was the best of the defensive bunch. Maybe a defensive midfielder is a necessity when Santos is not bullying the opposition? Oh & Jerome did a job when he came on.

You do if I’m getting them 😃

Think this could be Maine rd.

Bit of statistical perspective : we have amassed 39 points up to this point two more points than we accrued up until the new year last season (with three games still to play) & one point more than our second half total at this point. No need to panic captain Mainwaring.

Individual mistakes by our ‘big’ players have cost us the last two games Charles’s miss at Pompey & Santos’s clanger today are examples . Evatt can’t be blamed for those , however a failure to be pragmatic when the need arises, like changing the playing system/ & giving it a bit of the ‘kitchen sink’ treatment does matter. Most teams losing with limited time available have a proper go , a point today would have been ok in the circumstances but the way we continued to play negated any defensive pressure on the opposition.The only period of sustained pressure was from the succession of corners , it’s not rocket science.

I’m going Wiggin , then again I am an old fart. Don’t want them to get a replay though. Where’s Rodger the red ?

Bit of a unit for an older punter , hope you weren’t telling him red rodger might take his seat !

Wiggin have given the Stretford mob the entire East stand for their 3rd round tie. 7k ish I would have thought plus the fifth column , probably be outnumbered. note to editor: do fuckin keep up !

Wrong thread

Williams seemed slightly off the pace yesterday & not fully engaged ? Jones despite his howler was fully committed Dan showed good strength & pace as provider for Bods second goal , even allowing for the fact most defenders would have taken him out on the touchline & he was deservedly on the scoresheet .As a Dan doubter I’m hoping he proves me wrong , maybe just maybe . Bods general holdup play & vision is a joy to watch jsl. Mendes Gomez still a WIP , though his foul on Harrogate's attacker when Santos was miles out of position was class.

First half we were a little cautious, Baxter saved us a couple of times so I reckon they edged it. Strangley enough our best attacking option in the second half came via Iredale & he didn’t quite deliver the killer pass however they enjoyed plenty of space behind him which made the game finely balanced . Toal not being left-sided does create a bit of an opportunity for the opposition although I am not questioning his ability. All in all a good point , wish the GT critics wouldn’t slag him for picking up yellows he got one tonight for fuck all & had a cracking second half despite being cautioned in the first half.

Good player , great manager RIP El tel.

Steve Taylor couldn’t hit a cows arse with a banjo in the reserves, got a first team chance because of injuries & scored shit-loads , unbelievable Brian.

Not got much sympathy for Everton, but I don’t have it in for them either , no doubt they’ll bounce back if the worst comes to the worst. Agree with Pablo that non-goal didn’t get us relegated , given Everton we’re lucky to stay up. If we’d gone to Chelsea that season with the right attitude we’d have stayed up on the last day of the season instead of tamely rolling over.

Fwiw Conor Carty played in the Irish cup final today for St.Pats they won 3-1 . He scored the semi-final winner with a pretty good left foot volley . His future is probably over there , but you never know.

Midfield seems a good balance , graft from George , running at the opposition Paris & pure direction / organisation from Sheehan. All three played their part on a tough afternoon . Thought Cogley was a bit off the pace maybe acting on instruction to hold the defensive line in case Jones got caught out up the park or more likely had an off day. Agree Bod should be starting such an intelligent player.

Never saw Tommy play , I am not old enough but same with Nat sadly. However he did build my house in Horwich in about 1968 when he had his building firm . No problems there Tommy you absolute legend. Happy birthday

Great win against a team set -up as an away side on a slither of a pitch . We have lost these types of games before mainly through set piece situations. Santos & Toal stood up well & I thought Forrester did his bit. Every game is different & tactically Evatt got it right again.

Slightly disagree with regard to Dan , some improvement & a couple of shots on target , still looks way inferior to Bodvarson who ran his socks off without reward. Paris mom for me offers something different from our other midfielders.Morley played ok , George was bang average but steady. Their no4 who got sent off right at the end fouling Charles was a shit-stirring little get.Thing is when he concentrated on playing he was quite decent.Goalie obviously their mom guessed he’d be a loanee from a bigger club. The pen we got that Dion missed was debatable being just on the edge of the box however we had two absolute stonewallers .Where do they get these refs ? All in all enjoyable game but 6/7-0 wouldn’t have flattered us. Charles was on for about twenty’s minutes & could easily have bagged a hatrick (missed pen & a sitter) Hope Santos sub was not injury related , we look a bit ragged at times without his calming influence.

In 1966 for the Everton v Manc semi we queued at the embankment for tickets at that end , similarly if you wanted paddock tickets you queued there. I remember going down with my dad to get them , In 1970 I was working as an apprentice & couldn’t get out of work to go & queue. Fortunately I used to flog lottery type tickets for the club & through them got a programme sellers job for the night due to the larger crowd & a free ticket in .To be honest I can’t remember how I got my ticket for the Man City League cup game a few years later , must have sold programmes again.42k on that night. As you rightly say we don’t know absolutely but I’d have a few Bob on my assessment.

It was Easter week , Easter Sunday was the 29th March , tickets were on sale on the Tues 24th or Wed 25th for the match 26th March 1970 following the first replay at Villa Park on Monday the 23rd. Kids would have been off school.

Police horses indicate crowd control ie lots of people , can’t believe mounted police were needed for a bonfire.Probably many more mounted bobbies & queues at other Manny Road turnstiles.Still reckon it’s 1970 FA cup semi-final replay ticket queues , the short time between the first tie & the replay would mean the tickets on sale during a workday hence the prams etc. Queued up in similar fashion for the 1966 semi final tickets (Everton v the rags )Bill Riding walking up & down smoking a big cigar pretending it was something to do with him .

The prices over the turnstiles at the embankment read 7 shillings which obviously pre-dates decimalisation in 1971. I think it’s the ticket queue for the 1970 FA cup semi final between Leeds & our friends from Stretford. No scarves , women with prams & the fashion of the time tick that box for me . I actually went to the game , after selling programmes, got a freebie into Manny Road north. Because it was a replay three days after the initial game at Villa Park , Leeds only shifted around 17k tickets , You wouldn’t have thought so when Leeds scored, the Embankment had been allocated to them , 20k celebrating wildly !

Ashworth is left footed but I think he is injured.