Crawley Town (H)

[Johnnyrotten]

1 hour ago, wakey said:

nah, brave new world.

Biggest change with SS is the belief that if we can get in the play-offs we've a chance. Don't think many of us could get excited about reaching the play-offs under Evatt because the ultimate disappointment seemed inevitable *.

 

* It's always tempting, but I resisted.

I agree with that bit, if we do get to the play offs, its because we've proved we can win some of those games we 100% wouldn't win under IE, so we'll automatically take confidence into the play offs.  I wasn't too fussed about getting in the play offs under IE as it would have been another disappointment, if SS manages it we'll be well up for the challenge.

[gonzo]

Really hope its a decent turn out tomorrow 🙏 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

1 minute ago, gonzo said:

Really hope its a decent turn out tomorrow 🙏 

Dry, fucking freezing. 

A few goals needed to keep folk warm.

[Zico]

11 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Really hope its a decent turn out tomorrow 🙏 

Had email through telling me there'll be 20,000 on 

Which suggests a couple of thousand extra tickets sold? 

 

[Rival Son]

1 hour ago, Johnnyrotten said:

After Shrewsbury next week its such a tough run of fixtures, its unfair if anyone judges SS on the number of points he gets, relative to all the other play off challengers.  Yes we'll be expecting better performances and signs of a system/plan, but its not a level playing field expecting him to improve our current position.

I can’t agree. While I most certainly won’t be calling for Schumacher’s head for a few poor results, I definitely have an expectation that we can get points from any opposition, home or away, in this league.

While expectations might have dropped under Evatt, those low expectations don’t carry forward under the new manager. Otherwise, what is the point of the change?

Of course they’ll be bumps in the road, such as last week, but my expectation will be that we can win this, every time the team walks on the pitch. The next time I’m anticipating a tough fixture with low expectations, it will be in the Championship.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

8 minutes ago, Rival Son said:

I can’t agree. While I most certainly won’t be calling for Schumacher’s head for a few poor results, I definitely have an expectation that we can get points from any opposition, home or away, in this league.

While expectations might have dropped under Evatt, those low expectations don’t carry forward under the new manager. Otherwise, what is the point of the change?

Of course they’ll be bumps in the road, such as last week, but my expectation will be that we can win this, every time the team walks on the pitch. The next time I’m anticipating a tough fixture with low expectations, it will be in the Championship.

Absolutely. 

OK, SS may want to make some changes in the summer, but he has said he is happy with the squad- one of the things that attracted him to the job-so it's reasonable to expect some improvement in performances and results. 

Hopefully, tomorrow will start to show the effect of the new regime on the players.

[Johnnyrotten]

54 minutes ago, Rival Son said:

I can’t agree. While I most certainly won’t be calling for Schumacher’s head for a few poor results, I definitely have an expectation that we can get points from any opposition, home or away, in this league.

While expectations might have dropped under Evatt, those low expectations don’t carry forward under the new manager. Otherwise, what is the point of the change?

Of course they’ll be bumps in the road, such as last week, but my expectation will be that we can win this, every time the team walks on the pitch. The next time I’m anticipating a tough fixture with low expectations, it will be in the Championship.

Each individual game I will be very much hoping for a result - Wrexham away, Brum home, Wigan away, Stockport home etc.  But we saw how easily a result can go against us despite being the better team last week - we are fragile in terms of we aren't going to blitz these teams, we might win narrowly, so we might lose narrowly if Collins isn't on form or someone makes a mistake at the back, or the ref makes a mistake etc.  What is unrealistic is avoiding defeat in these closely matched games 4 times out of 5. 

What is the point of the change?  To get a better manager, win a few more games.  We wouldn't have finished above half way under IE and we'd have no hope.  Having a better manager gives us hope and allows us to build with confidence for next season and beyond.  And keeps the fanbase on board for S/T sales.  But he's been left with a squad that is lacking, with no chance to improve it in the short term. 

[gonzo]

 

 

 

[Johnnyrotten]

1 hour ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Absolutely. 

OK, SS may want to make some changes in the summer, but he has said he is happy with the squad- one of the things that attracted him to the job-so it's reasonable to expect some improvement in performances and results. 

Hopefully, tomorrow will start to show the effect of the new regime on the players.

Definitely - we expect to see some improvement - as we saw at Reading last week.  But improvement would be to give more of the top half teams a game, to see some draws, some narrow defeats when we actually score a goal, 2 or 3 wins, rather than being comfortably beaten virtually every time we turn up.  Rotherham and Stockport spring to mind - if we could play them tomorrow, I wouldn't expect to concede 8, but I wouldn't necessarily expect to turn it round so much that we win.  Hopefully we do, but we have so much improvement needed in these games its unfair to expect that this season from SS IMO.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

Is it heck.

That's precisely why Evatt got the chop.

As was pointed out previously, our record against the very top teams this season isn't that bad. We've just won at Huddersfield. 

The problem we have had is consistency, and losing to teams throughout the leagues.

Not qualifying for the play offs would be disappointing. Just as it would have been under Evatt.

Certainly won't be putting loads of bums on seats if the season fades out in mediocrity. 

[Steejay]

30 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Each individual game I will be very much hoping for a result - Wrexham away, Brum home, Wigan away, Stockport home etc.  But we saw how easily a result can go against us despite being the better team last week - we are fragile in terms of we aren't going to blitz these teams, we might win narrowly, so we might lose narrowly if Collins isn't on form or someone makes a mistake at the back, or the ref makes a mistake etc.  What is unrealistic is avoiding defeat in these closely matched games 4 times out of 5. 

What is the point of the change?  To get a better manager, win a few more games.  We wouldn't have finished above half way under IE and we'd have no hope.  Having a better manager gives us hope and allows us to build with confidence for next season and beyond.  And keeps the fanbase on board for S/T sales.  But he's been left with a squad that is lacking, with no chance to improve it in the short term. 

Have I read this correctly?

We wouldn’t have finished in the top half?

[desperado]

34 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

But he's been left with a squad that is lacking, with no chance to improve it in the short term

It wasn’t a bad post till this last sentence.

Surely he can improve this squad’s achievements? There’s no way Evatt was getting the best out of them

Or do you mean improve it with extra players?

Edited February 7, 2025 by desperado

[Johnnyrotten]

3 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Is it heck.

That's precisely why Evatt got the chop.

As was pointed out previously, our record against the very top teams this season isn't that bad. We've just won at Huddersfield. 

The problem we have had is consistency, and losing to teams throughout the leagues.

Not qualifying for the play offs would be disappointing. Just as it would have been under Evatt.

Certainly won't be putting loads of bums on seats if the season fades out in mediocrity. 

Brum 0-2, Wrexham and Wycombe 0-0, Huddersfield 0-4, Stockport 0-5.  Its bloody awful.

Huddersfield 1-0 was great.   But 1 goal scored, 11 conceded in 6 games and only in that game under JD did we look like even troubling their keeper.  We haven't struggled for consistency at all, we've been consistently terrible in the bigger games, this season and last season.  Qualifying for the play offs will be an amazing improvement - bring it on, I'll be well up for it and SS would be rightly lauded for it.

[Johnnyrotten]

7 minutes ago, Steejay said:

Have I read this correctly?

We wouldn’t have finished in the top half?

Half way - maybe 11th or 12th, 1 or 2 places below where we are now, IMO, accepting this can't ever be proved.  Because IE's points total was exaggerated by being lucky in more games than is normal - sendings off, 95th minute goals, easier fixtures.  1 game into SS's reign he had such an unlucky last few minutes with that penalty, those slices of luck were going our way under IE.

Unrealistic to expect he would have maintained his average points per game.  

[Johnnyrotten]

9 minutes ago, desperado said:

It wasn’t a bad post till this last sentence.

Surely he can improve this squad’s achievements? There’s no way Evatt was getting the best out of them

Or do you mean improve it with extra players?

Buzzing to get your ringing endorsement 😀 

Absolutely I expect SS to improve this squad - eg round pegs in round holes, more flexible tactics/ formations, more tactically aware defensively.  Definitely he will get more out of them than IE.

I'm talking about the non negotiables that he can't change - eg height, pace, strength, then the less obvious eg good tacklers, players that can shoot accurately, who can win headers; players that can lead/potential captains.  I'm not saying any of this to be critical of anyone, we have some good players, but its been well documented the areas we are lacking and looking to improve, irrespective of how much SS improves things.

Put another way, assuming we're in L1, would we be happy to carry on with the current squad?  I'd be surprised if you'd expect SS to get us promoted next season without adding some missing ingredients.

[desperado]

14 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I'd be surprised if you'd expect SS to get us promoted next season without adding some missing ingredients

He’s getting us promoted this season 😂

Yeh come the summer I’d be amazed if he didn’t try to balance this squad out and add qualities we seem to be missing.

But there’s a small chance he gets this bunch performing to something like a promotion side…..by May 😂

[Leyther_Matt]

11 hours ago, Zico said:

Had email through telling me there'll be 20,000 on 

Which suggests a couple of thousand extra tickets sold? 

 

Especially as when we announce 20k beforehand it’s usually because there’s a decent away following

[DaveTheRave]

3-1.

Collins, Randall, Toal.

21,034.

Come On You Whites!!!

[Eddie]

Southwood

JDC Toal Forrester Johnston Schon

Matete Morley

Sheehan

Collins Vic

4-0 Collins x2, Morley pen and a late goal for Lolos against his former club 

[ianofcleveleys]

11 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Absolutely. 

OK, SS may want to make some changes in the summer, but he has said he is happy with the squad- one of the things that attracted him to the job-so it's reasonable to expect some improvement in performances and results. 

Hopefully, tomorrow will start to show the effect of the new regime on the players.

I'd have to say I'm a bit confused about what to expect game to game and to the end of the season at minute. I don't think our squad is as high quality/adaptable as SS has been saying, and feel there's an element of him saying some nice things to boost positivity. But, they did show at Huddersfield that they can go away to a tough place, win and keep a clean sheet, which gives some optimism. They've also shown in the last few games they can actually defend fairly well when they put their minds and bodies into it. 

Division is a much of a muchness below Brum, even including Wycombe and Wrexham, we are close enough to the bottom play off spot to get into it even with losing 3-4 games to the likes of Brum, Blackpool, Wrexham, and it's possible we might go into the play offs in one of the bottom two places in a bit of form, rather than stumbling into them as we did last year

So, all the old cliches apply, 'take each game as it comes' 'long way to go' etc. 

Good solid performances, structure, commitment and energy will do for me for now, starting this aft

[Zico]

32 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Southwood

JDC Toal Forrester Johnston Schon

Matete Morley

Sheehan

Collins Vic

4-0 Collins x2, Morley pen and a late goal for Lolos against his former club 

I'll be disappointed if Vic starts

[Cheese]

26 minutes ago, Zico said:

I'll be disappointed if Vic starts

Prepare to be disappointed.

[Zico]

38 minutes ago, Cheese said:

Prepare to be disappointed.

I've been ready all season

[tomski]

2 minutes ago, Zico said:

I've been ready all season

I think with what we have left he will be almost an auto start up top with Collins or Mcatee playing off him. I just hope a good run of games gives him a lease of life.

Etete to be fair will be his challenger and let’s hope he can bring something good. I do feel it will be vics to lose. I’m not mad on him by the way.

[Dr. Feelgood]

1 hour ago, Zico said:

I'll be disappointed if Vic starts

I'll be astonished if he doesn't.

I guess we have to get used to seeing 5 at the back and wing-backs who aren't wing-backs for a while yet.

I don't see Murphy not getting picked either ... & I feel a bit sorry for Schon.