The Hotel End

Initial allocation of 1600! Surely 2500+ teyn fans will be there.

Read somewhere Crooks is suspended due to 5 yellows?

Up the Cobblers!

Our group is running into double figures so happy lunchtime in Newport Pagnell.

Let us stuff the plastic MK's!!!

How are the sales going it would be great to get a big following

Hate filling the coffers of franchise but it has to be done

Vowed never to go again to that depressingly soulless place, where were generally crap, but after Satdee I've got the desire to go again.
I'd imagine we'll just about shift the allocation but no more. At least we're not stuck up in the gods and have the lower tier.

Ten minute walk for me, so I'll be there.

Hoping we take more than last time with this being a Saturday game.

Good job they are playing well, as we only beat the tops sides it seems.

Say what you like about MK Dons, but at least they don't rip fans off by increasing the ticket prices for fans buying on the day of a match.

No because they can only give them away free locally!!!

not sure they do anymore and if/when they do their gates are considerably higher than their norm (which unfortunately remain considerably higher than ours).

hopefully we will sell more than the 1200 they did for the last game at our place otherwise some on here will be eating a fair chunk of humble pie

I know of at least 2 Cobblers fans who will be in the home end as they have acquired free tickets locally

I'm fairly certain NTFC give away tickets for home games. A few people on here have admitted to receiving them.

I'd take a draw but another win would be great plus I just brought a second ironing board. Ironing 2 garments at once will be amazing.

never been never will.

I'd take a point I think but good the positive buzz is starting to return

Do you have a second iron or will you be placing the two boards end on end and doing some very broad ironing motions?

People NEED to know so they can imagine to correct image in their mind!

Why would they not want to sit with the rest of us?  ;D

Sorry they were not actually free, just very cheap

So they've sold their club out to save a couple of quid  ;D

I'm turning down using the season tickets my company holds for customer visits to buy in the away end.

£22 shouldn't break the bank if they live local?

With the suspension of Crooks , this has to see the return of McWilliams to the midfield .
The big question is how he accommodates VV who surely must start .

Have we ever won there?

We'd never beaten Forest Green Rovers at home before last weekend...

No!! We’ve played them 12 times overall, winning three, all of which were at Sixfields.
Last seasons 0-0 draw there was the first time we had avoided defeat at their ground, 5 losses before that.

Lump on...this is the day!

Despite the above stats, on MK's forum they are surprisingly cautious of getting a 'result' against us!

They do.In addition Prices can be heavily discounted too MK companies and organisations. As little as £1 each for some games.

My team would be

                    Cornell

          Facey.  Pierre.   Turnbull
Waters                                     Buchanan
           McWilliams .  JJOT.   Foley

           Van Veen           Hoskins

Waters at right wing back is a risk but I think he is the best option currently

I would go with that especially as it’s a tough away game but I wouldn’t be surprised if he went with Van Veen as a replacement for crooks at attacking midfield with Williams and Hoskins up top. Van Veen loves to drop deep and pick the ball up but the big gamble would be his defensive duties.

                    Cornell

          Facey.  Pierre.   Turnbull
McWilliams                               Bridges
        Bowditch  JJOT.   Foley

Hoskins            Van Veen           Williams

I wonder if the ref would notice ...

Given the number of muppets we’ve had this season probably not.

Thanks
Who should I drop?

What happened to Kassim in midfield?

https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/sport/football/cobblers/foley-calls-on-the-cobblers-army-to-travel-in-big-numbers-to-milton-keynes-1-8674101

Buchanan may have issues with getting older, but hard not to love a man who cares enough about the fans that he brags about good away numbers.

Agreed. Whatever you think about his footballing ability, he clearly has a genuine affection for the club.

Considering the recent win against Oxford I suggest we select about 120 fans to go to the game and place them around the away end.

Given the size of fakedons stadium relative to the support won’t the whole ground look like that?

500 or 2500?  What will it be?

2018?

Now to find some decent pubs in Fenny Stratford!

Surely you mean Stony Stratford? If so ‘The Cock’ is pretty decent with wide range of ales as is ‘The Bull’ both in the high st.

Pretty certain he means Fenny.

Fenny Stratford is about a mile from the ground, 6 or 7 pubs.  The Swan hotel is ok, big with sky or the Red Lion on the canal.

Stony Stratford has a similar number of pubs, but about 6 / 7 miles away from the ground.

Starting at Stony but moving on to Fenny so near the ground.

Just trying to get this thread up the listings again. Saw on Twitter 2,000 Cobblers fans expected. It is pay on the day so that could swell the original 1,500 allocation close to the 2,000 mark I guess, which is a decent turnout. Hoping for a happier experience than all my previous visits there.

Good man!

3-1 Cobblers....  :)

Twat

Twoo?

Any money on vV hat trick

2-1 cobblers! KVV and joey off the bench

The subs bench I have waited for. At last!  :)

Going to have trouble down the right today with Oddaffin and Waters our defensive duo

A slightly strange selection at first glance. The only formation that really makes sense with it is a 4-2-3-1.

                         Cornell

            Odoffin  Pierre  Turnbull  Buchanan

                       O'Toole    Foley

                   Waters  Van-Veen  Hoskins

                              Williams

                       Cornell

            Odoffin  Pierre  Turnbull 
Waters                                     Buchanan

                  O'Toole    Foley

                       Hoskins

                 Williams  Van-Veen

Powell McWilliams Bridge Iaciofano Whaler Williams Ward

No, 5-2-1-2

Odoffin, Turnbull & Pierre at the back. With Waters & Buchanan wing backs. Hoskins just behind van Veen & Williams.

Injured/unavailable : Facey, Barnett, Taylor, Morias, Bowditch.
Suspended : Crooks.

Waters as a right wing back. Very odd.

Is McWilliams still not 100% fit? If not, it is very hard to understand why he's not in the team.

Ofoffin one of a central three - disaster .
Poor selection

Walters played right wing back the previous two games.

I know Curle is fond of his 3-5-2, and maybe you can make a case that you can convert players with attacking qualities to wingbacks, but why would you stick to this formula at the expense of Odoffin playing as a centre back. Surely we could reduce risk with 4 at the back Mcwilliams on the right and still preserve an attacking threat.

Terrible atmosphere.....we lived dangerously for the first 10 minutes but it’s all even now.

Getting completely overrun in midfield - JJOT is a shadow of himself these days .
Muscled out of it at the back .
No composure up front .
Badly need macwilliams in this team

Both JJ and Foley sitting deep, big hole in front, and wide players we aren’t using.
Van Veen and Williams both lumbering around doing nothing much. A decent cross came in from the right and only Buchanan in the box to try and connect with it.

Goal looked very offside to me. All the decisions seem to have gone MKs way

Not again  ::)

Afternoon

Double sub

We going to get anything out of this?

Great save by Cornell, a minute later he spills a routine catch and nearly gifts them a goal.

It'll be hilarious if we get anything out of this.

I can feel a goal coming on

Must have been wind.

We lack quality....fair bit of possession but final ball woeful. Two slow donkeys up front, Powell looked good when he came on. Hospkis awful, Waters started well but faded. Pierre man of the match, lots of blocks, body on the line.

Massive game on Tuesday now.

Hoskins was defintely not awful and delivered better balls into the box than he has for a long time.... and I'm not sure many other fans would call vV a donkey. I certainly wouldn't. Apart from that I agree with the rest  ;D

Ok, I didn’t notice Hoskins do much to be honest!! VV is an enigma...one game he’ll run around like a man posessed then the next four he looks slow and cumbersome. Definitely the latter today!

Scott Pollock has got to be knocking on the door now....we need a spark up top!

Whatever Keith Curie says , that wasn’t good enough .
If you want proof of that , listen to how quiet the 2000 fans were at our end . There was nothing to set our fans alight all afternoon .
MK out played us in every position except goalkeeper . No one won their individual battle .
Retention of the ball is was appalling during this game and in the win last week .
JJOT is currently way off the pace in midfield and has to be replaced by macwilliams who made a difference when he came on .
Powell’s miss was a shocker .
There’s a long way to go before this team turns around it’s fortunes

The positive for me is that it was only 1-0 and that despite being outplayed comprehensively we might have got something out of it. We look more solid and are getting more of the basics right.

However, Curle needs to get the wing backs right. I still think Bunney would be worth a recall.

Why do people keep on about Bunney being recalled? Season long loans can't normally be cancelled - maybe in January at the earliest but only if both clubs and player agrees. He's currently injured in any case.

Hoskins was awful.

Looked unfit and uninterested

He has to be rested (kind term for dropped)

Cornell had an excellent games. Midfield looked a bit light weight, O'Toole not as much in the game as he could /should be. Back 3 looked better as the game went on after a slow start. Buchs is well past his best, trys but just not good enough. Hoskins no end product as normal
Waters also not much end product and Bridge look very poor. Van Veen very good today.
 

I'd have loved Cornell to get us a late equaliser.

Disappointing result yet again at the plastics, god that place lacks atmosphere, all i want is to celebrate a goal that means something there .To be fair all the back 3 played very well, Turnbell for me just shaded it as MOM, Cornell also played well and was unlucky with the header at the end  I thought Hoskins had his worst game of the season for us, totally off the pace, as was JJ. Powell did add something when he came on, but really should have buried that chance, i really wanted him to put his foot through it and smash it into the net. If we can go and get a result on Tuesday , it will keep us going in the right direction, we battled hard and did some superb blocks and defensive work, it's just our finishing and decision making that's so woeful at present, if KC sorts this out we will soon move up this poor league.

I think the midfielders and strikers need to pull their finger out - the keeper and defenders all seem to have stepped up their game and we need more consistency going forward.

Hoskins was not awful. Got us up and running with a lot of attacks quickly.

Urgently need some decent striker(s) and ball-winning midfielder(s). I thought our side fought well today but the difference in class was obvious.

Strange opinion from somebody who was there!

Think that Pierre got in his way!

missed crooks big time

williams lacks any sort of end result

the Kvv effort part way through the second half where he skied it was very poor

the powell effort as a good chance but not sure it was a nailed on goal

their goal was just poor marking

we were well overrun in midfield, in essence we were playing 5 2 3

9k and it seemed like a morgue, if only we could say the same

If it was 2k of us I'm struggling to see how they reckoned there was 7k of them.
Dolphin had a much better game than I expected. KC has put him in  the middle of the three for a reason, don't think many would have seen that one coming. Waters was poor for me, offered virtually nothing going forward and he's no fullback. Foley his usual consistent self. VV getting increasingly frustrated with the poor supply as the game progressed. Powell's one on one needed to go in but just his effort against Lincoln, didn't.
Ref had a shocker.

Usual away day at MK, crap performance, crap officials , crap atmosphere despite the high numbers of Cobblers fans. I vowed never to go again after the last 6 fruitless visits. I’ll make that vow again.

He was awful!

A slightly different twist on the day for me....hospitality in Club Platinum. Fantastic meal and facilities, sat on the next table to KT and other directors, Winkleman on another table opposite.
Seats in the Directors box for the game, programme, teamsheet etc. Very impressed with what they can do there.
Compare it to what we can offer at the PTS Stadium.......

But heres the thing......they are in League 2 and so are we!!

From my vantage point, dead centre of the ground, I have to say that the Cobblers fans were louder than the "MK Army"......not that they had much to cheer about. Can't beleive there were over 9000 there.....the downside to having a fantastic ground is that if you an't get it anywhere near full there is very little atmosphere.

Guess there had been a fight of some kind after the game? Couple of people handcuffed and another being treated by paramedics. A fair few Cobblers in TGI's post match.

There was an ex-Tory MP at the game and I overhead him and KT speaking before the game.....said MP seemed to be promoting a local outfit to take over the running of the club, and I heard him say that "funds and expertise were in place to finish off that stand properly" Make of that what you will!

Not awful at all, Waters was awful.

I beg to differ......Waters was ok first half, in fact some said at half time that "our number 20 looked dangerous".........as for Hoskins.....didn't even realise he was on the pitch at times. He was out wide...he was then in the middle.....where was he meant to be playing?

Still, its all about opinions Evers!!

David McIntosh?

I didn't go today, but will say this.

First defeat in what, 5 and we have only conceded 3 (1 in open play) in that time? Yet now we 'lack quality'.

'Two slow donkeys up front'. I don't even agree that Williams is a 'donkey', I think he's a good target man at this level, but Van Veen? Give it a break.

We're on the right track. MK were relegated last season, have (arguably) the best manager in the division who as opposed to our manager has had most of the summer to prepare and are in the front runners at this stage. They had home advantage and we were missing several players. I fancied us to grab a draw before the game but can't say the result is a surprise all things considered. Make no mistake, today was always going to be one of the hardest 5-6 matches of the season.

On to the next game.

Lol....no!

Exactly, some can't and some can. Do we know what deal Bunney was loaned out on? I don't.

I think most suggesting his recall assume this can't happen until January. The rest you say is a given.

If it's possible to recall him in January then come then it should be a priority.

In our current set up/formation Bunney would flourish.

I was going on todays performance......and as you said...you didn't go!! Van Veen put in about three sprints all game...and when he runs he is quick....but he doesn't run enough for me!
Williams....i'm sorry....he's poor!! Another John Guinan/Warren Patmore/Ian Gilzean player!!

Yes we lacked quality.....because I don't think MK were all that at all! They had Agard and Aneke up front.....Aneke did virtually nothing. As for the rest of their team, apart from Lewington theres not one player you'd know by name and say "he is a decent player"

We too were relegated last season don't forget....home advantage in the soulless bowl? Not sure that counts for much!

No rose tinted specs needed.....we lacked quality, we lack a playmaker, someone who can make things tick, and we lack pace up front. Its League 2 FFS.....we are not that good or we wouldn't be down there!!

JJOT...please grow back your ponytail.....you're nowhere near the same player without it!!

Positives though...I thought the defence did well today, lots of effort and commitment, and after an extremely shaky opening O'Doffin put in a good shift.

I could only compare the effort of Turnbull and Pierre who threw themselves at everything MK could offer, to the effort of Van Veen who was slow to get back, slow to get forward, and Williams who was just slow!! Hoskins with his petulant stand in front of the free-kick taker earning him a yellow card only moments after one of theres had received the same for standing in front of Cornell.

And I will single out Bridge for another shocking piece of "not playing for the team".....got hold of the ball and then lost it to two MK players about 40 yards out near the touchline, ended up on his bum, complaining that he'd been fouled, and was still on his bum when the MK players exchanged passes, advanced into the area and got a shot off. FFS get up and get on with it.....for the team!!

That's weird,  Winlkler normally entertains oppposing directors and dignitaries on the in the directors box (as you would , i suppose ) upstairs on the 3rd floor , also if you was in Club Platinum you would have been sat to the right of the directors box and not actually in it . The only way into the middle section is again to go upstairs to the 3rd floor , unless you hopped over the wall of course .

Who was the Tory MP btw , did he have a proper blue rosette on and everything ?

And there's a walkway right behind the top of the seats on the third floor across the front of the meeting rooms.....!! Brian Binley was the ex MP by the way......! The Mayor of Northampton was also being entertained by the Mayor of Milton Keynes!

It certainly is - at least you gave an coherent opinion of the game although I didn’t agree with some of it.

Having seen the goal on tv Agard is just marginally offside. We never get the rub of the green at MK and often have terrible officials. Today was no different.

Just had a look at their forum....many of their fans saying it was the best they had played for ages and going on about the good exciting football they played!!

Wow, if that is what they are served up week in week out then it’s no wonder they have to give the tickets away!  ;)

League 2 is totally crap!!

Agree with them on the ref though...I don’t think he did too bad! A few bizarre decisions, but they went both ways. Didn’t book anyone for ages then a flurry of cards, but surprisingly didn’t pull one out for the late melee involving Cornell in their box.

Not entirely convinced (Im taking a wild guess) Binleys credentials are convincing enough to make that judgment call? Particularly in light of the fact there may be some sort of agenda influencing the rhetoric? Let’s not forget another ex Tory MPs (at best) apparent judgemental proficiency in the sphere of financial credit evaluation and management?

Did the Mayor of MK, offer him a boiled burger?

Haha.....with extra soggy onions!

We were comprehensively outplayed for about 80% of that game. A single goal defeat was hugely flattering.

Long, long way to go.

It really was an awful performance and I include the management team in that. Very worrying, if we stay up this year we'll be lucky.

THREE centre halves missing, our BEST midfielder missing, our PACIEST forward missing and potentially our best future player on the bench coming back from injury! It shows our limitations.

For the future I would go with;

                              Cornell

Odoffin, Facey, Turnbull, Pierre, Buchanan (Bunney 1/1/19)

                     McWilliams Foley

                                 Crooks

                       Van Veen Williams (Morias Nov?)

Somehow we have to create chances.

Binley is probably only interested so he can stick his ludicrous incinerator on the athletics track...

 ;D ;D

I love that they was all in there quaffing wine , napkins tucked into shirts loudly discussing the East Stand  . Ex Conservative MPs and everything

Fantastic

You must have been on the table next to me GP!

It’s a pity that the more competent match(by fans)write ups, seemed to have gone awol! However GPC , CJ and tcobb put in enjoyable efforts. For instance FWalden, Fred and Deepo all used to put in hugely readable efforts. Anyway back to the game itself; at best a mixed performance with the defence as a unit did ok. Thought that Dolphin on the whole played ok  . How one or two could criticise his overall performance yesterday is a mystery as it is at odds with some fans actually there. Pierre, Turnbull and Cornell were the the main reason for keeping the score down! The wing backs were disappointing to put it mildly with Buchs floundering and rightly subbed. The midfield gave an overall mediocre performance with JJOT exemplifying the lack lustre effort. Only Foley showed consistently but he does lack a bit of class; he is a ball winner and industrious worker! With the midfield not in the game our front three of Hoskins, vV and Williams looked marooned with Williams particularly disappointing. vV was well marked and closely watched and only showed occasionally. This left us with Hoskins who was the only one to offer a threat and to say he was awful was crude opinion as he wasn’t awful. This leads me to those who fly off the handle after a disappointing result with overstated prejudicial opinions on a certain player(s); they then bask in the afterglow of their ‘opinion’ with a cynical defensive attitude! Opinion is fine but ignorant biased comment is not.

Were you on the table of four who got the waiter to take a picture of you with Kelvin when he came in?  ;)

Thought we were second best by a distance and the scoreline was very flattering. 4 or 5 nil wouldn't have been harsh. They were better in every department and I'd be surprised if they don't win the division. They've strengthened very well over the summer since relegation.
Also thought our support was pathetic sadly. So often is the case with a large following. Very hard to make any noise and was shocked at how many were sat down.

Er.... isn't that what seats are for? That's what annoys me about going away from home and why I rarely go now (plus working till 1-1.30 on a saturday most weeks doesn't help). If a seat is there people are allowed to use it, if they so wish.

I liked the 'boots' thunderclap. Pity more didn't join in.
First time I've heard it.

Aren't fans supposed to support the team? Didn't happen yesterday.

Thought it was a very poor performance from us yesterday albeit against a decent side.  I know which style of football I would rather watch out of Curle and Tisdale.  Could have easily been 3 of 4 and couldn't have complained.

Positive side I thought the back 3 were excellent.  Showing the kind of commitment that was missing at the start of the season.  Pierre and ODoffin put their bodies in the line time and time again.  Also thought Turnbull was excellent.  Shaky first five minutes for Dolphin but Curle got it spot on by switching him with Turnbull.  Dolphin is very inexperienced but there is something there with the right coaching.

Also positive mention for Cornell.  Some very good saves and a lot of his kicking is excellent.  Far bigger problems to solve than him.

Offensively we were awful.  The wing backs are ineffective until Buchs went off.  Waters puts in a shift but no attacking threat at all.  Felt a bit sorry for the midfield and strike force as there are some decent players in there.  Some worrying signs for me re our tactics.  We've seen so far Curle gets the ball forward quick then pick up second balls.  Yesterday we just aimlessly hoofed it downfield simply giving it back to a very good footballing side.  Our players were knackered as we just spent so much time chasing the ball.  It was only in the last ten mins when we actually started playing and it nearly paid off.

Powell was a joke.  I never fancied him to score when clean through and of course he didn't.  Should have scored.

Atmosphere was subdued considering the crowd size but in fairness they never gave us much to get behind.

All in all a bad day at the office and a scoreline that flattered us.  Hopefully the lack of footballing quality on display was more down to the players available for Curle to select rather than tactics.  I'm sure Curle will get us up the table but it ain't going to be pretty.

Final mention for the ref.  How anyone could think he did alright is beyond me.  Missed loads of decisions but gave other soft fouls.  Sorry but no way can a side go 35 mins without getting a free kick and something not be wrong.  He made lots of basic mistakes but easily the worst was the ODoffin booking.  You can't let a quick free kick be taken miles away from the correct place while he is still showing our defender a yellow card.  Ridiculous.  There were others I could mention but ultimately as poor as he was he luckily had nothing to do with the result.

Please explain where I said fans aren't supposed to support their team? Talk about putting words in someone's mouth. I said if you wish to use the seat provided and sit you should be allowed to do so. You suggested otherwise.

To say we were very poor is way OTT. We perhaps could have done better in midfield and attack, but overall we competed reasonably well against a well organised, quick and strong team, who are certainly as good as anything I've seen in this division this season. In fact with a bit of luck we could have got a point, allbeit undeserved. A few weeks ago we would have been raving over the commitment and improved defensive display shown by the players. Don't forget Curle has only been here a couple of weeks and has inherited the imbalanced squad we currently have, meaning his tactical options are also limited and he will always have to play at least one player in a position he is not ideally suited to.

The biggest disappointment for me was JJOT, who looked well off the pace and seemed at times to be going through the motions - should have been taken off IMO.

I guess even though JJOT was having an off day one of the reasons to keep him on the pitch is he’s one of the few players with a goal him, other than VV, the suspended Crooks and maybe Pierre from a set piece who else in the squad is going to score?

This comment defies belief. Bridge was clearly fouled and was then literally (and aggressively) pushed off the pitch (off the ball) by their player who should have been yellow carded. By the time Bridge had any chance to get up the ball was already almost in our box. Just another example of some very poor reffing, which happened throughout the match, and particularly linesmanship in this case. The linesman clearly saw the incident and did nothing.

Why does it defy belief?? Thats what happened! He was muscled off the ball.....and the reason why neither ref or linesman gave nothing is because there was nothing to give!!

Regardless of whether you think it was a foul or not, Bridge still sat on his arse gesticulating and moaning for a good 20 seconds instead of getting up and getting on with the game. He wasn't injured, he wasn't hurt, but he didn't get on with it!

What defies belief??

BTW, I was above the incident......not in the away end some 80 yards away.......

Yes GPC. But you had some 'hospitality' during the afternoon, so maybe your view was a bit tarnished for that reason  ;D

Turnbull got all over the pitch - as did Cornell!  ;D
Men of the match imo.
JJOT rather ineffectual. Still can't decide who was most at fault towards the end - JJOT's over hit pass that screamed out of play or Powell for not even trying to latch onto it!
Hoskins...

Still think that performance would be enough in darkest Cheshire, Tues night!

Lol.......hic!

Agree with this. Amazed we kept the score down to 1-0 (we could/should have conceded 2 in the opening 10!). Hoskins had another dreadful game, as did Waters. Neither look up to it at all.

Having just watched it back I’d say it was level (so onside).  Their 2nd disallowed goal however was definitely onside so can’t say say we didn’t get the rub of the green for that one.

From where I sat had no proper view but thought it looked a bit like poor defending. My Br-in-Law behind the goal claims it was off side by a yard. Certainly our players claimed it was off side. Having seen the high lights it does appear he has off side!

ps Your video (I think) on the Masseur was very funny

https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/worked-jimmy-floyd-hasselbaink-burton-12139166

Bunny was slaughtered on here last season why would he want to return . Even if he did the he is on a season long loanand that means he cannot be recalled.

He wasnt very good on the pitch either.

The game yesterday shows how far we have alarmingly drifted .
MK were in a worst position than us last season and looked a very poor side and in a real desperate state .
They are now head  and shoulders above us and looked stronger , quicker and more skilful .
Curle can turn it around but we have lost serious ground .
We were outplayed all over the pitch

Defence not too bad so there is a glimmer of hope there. Granted midfield and forwards let a lot to be desired. Regarding  MK, they looked ok but will they last the distance? Remember we missed Crooks and Facey on Saturday. Are you a closet MK fan?

This.
How Hoskins starts every week just goes to show how low we've dropped, I'm at a loss as to why he's in the team, he doesn't get near any headers, can't shoot or tackle and isn't even that quick.
Just runs about like a headless chicken.

Basically I disagree with your appraisal and also with Wolvo on Hoskins. The problem is there a better headless chicken in the squad? If Hoskins is going to be played its on the wing not as a front runner. We have been poor since Wilder left declining down to DA's tenure.  Just hope Curle can arrest the downward spiral.  I agree we could have been two goals down after 10 min but after that defensively we improved. Hoskins was the only forward on Sat who carried any threat at all; Waters was easily seen off by Lewington. Hoskins often outpaces the full back(to no avail) and did so again on Saturday! I sense a bit of Curle dislike in your tone! Correct?

We have been so devoid of direct, speed-merchants (since the sad demise of Hackett), then everyone gets lulled into a false sense of ignorance when talent emerges.

We were missing Crooks and Facey but they played the week before and we were just as bad with exactly the same problems in midfield and in attack .
I think we have to change it around .
Macwilliams simply has to come into the midfield to give us more bite .
Bridge also has to come in at left wing back .
JJOT and Buchs need to drop down to the bench .
As for the front players - the coaches need to earn their crust there - I have no idea how to get the best of those three . Hurry up Morias ...,,,

Your post said 'lack', not 'lacked' hence I took it you were talking generally about the team rather than just about Saturday's match.

Yes we were relegated as well, as were Bury also and they along with MK are currently in the top 7. I would say that two of the four relegated teams being in the promotion race is no coincidence as it was no coincidence that Bury have so far looked to have the most quality (IMO) out of the teams I have seen so far this season. We finished above both of course!

It's also no coincidence that of the 3 teams which finished in the top 7 in L2 last season two of the three that didn't get promoted currently sit in third and second. One of those was of course managed by Tisdale (possibly the best manager at this level) who is now in charge at the Franchise, again no coincidence both clubs are in the top few and hence my belief that Saturday was likely to be one of the toughest games of the season.

Regards MK, just because you don't recognise their players by name doesn't mean they are no good. 7 of their starting XI on Saturday have been there were there last season, meaning they were playing at and could well be good enough to play at a high level, much like many of our players. Moore-Taylor was bought in from Exeter, while Houghton had been a regular for Doncaster the past two seasons, winning promotion and playing in L1. Many of their players have evidently got a decent pedigree for this level.

Midfield play-maker - we were missing Crooks. Pace up-front - we are missing Morias. I'm not saying we couldn't do with a more direct/pacey midfielder to give the team/squad some balance mind.

Final word about Bridge, to say that you're simply wrong. You say he was 'still in on his bum as MK players exchanged passes, advanced into our area etc'. You make it sound like a fair passage of player had passed. Bridge was blatantly fouled and from the moment he hit the deck to the moment Cornell tipped their effort over the bar, less than 3 seconds had passed. The MK players did not 'exchange passes' or 'advance into the box' as you say, the ball broke to an MK player who quickly whipped a cross into the box away from where Bridge had literally just been pushed over. Yours is an absurd criticism in this instance.

You've only witnessed what the highlights camera has chosen to shown you.
Bridge continued to stay sat on his backside waving his hands around like an abandoned baby long after the cameras cut away.
The reason he did this was an attempt to save face.
He got caught out in possession thirty yards from his own goal, that's irrespective of it being down to a foul or the ref not buying his fall.
He should have got up and played to the whistle.

Anyone got an explanation for the "Porky" ref , who rarely ventured more than 20 yards either side the half way line, making such a strange decision. The one where I think it was Turnbull and one of theirs went up for an header and the ball broke to an MK player, seeing his team mate hadn't got up, so he put the ball out for a throw. After treatment, Buchs is waiting to throw the ball back to them but Porky decides to give MK a free kick ????? He, 100% DIDN'T give a free kick when the incident happened, so why did he change his mind ?

He couldn't outpace 45 year old Lewington. It's a myth that he's quick.

TBH, no idea because he hadn't blown for a foul, I queried it at the time. The minimum should have been a drop ball, even though the ball had been put into touch.

Thanks CJ......glad someone else saw it "like it was"......

I thought it was bit feeble of him to wave his arms around ; as you say should have got up straight away.