As B&S has alluded to elsewhere it will be very interesting to see what team he puts out on Saturday on the back of 2 improved, backs to the wall, defensive away games with a lone forward. Will he go with the same which would be pretty negative for a home game or will he change it again?

Do you mean the style of play used the last two games or playing 1 up front being negative (or both)?

There is nothing negative about playing 1 up front as long as the team's general style is positive and the 2 attacking midfielders behind the striker (and to some extent the wing-backs) are given enough freedom. That's often more attacking than a standard 3-5-2 IMO

The only problem at the minute is as a direct result of our current board total failure of running our football club ie: massively overspending on crap players .....

Sorry to selectively quote, how would it be a guarantee that a fan owned / community / JVP or whatever the model is would not make poor signings, or indeed poor management appointments?

I'm very much in favour of the process the trust are going through to investigate options but I do feel it is all undermined when people post things on here that suggest we would not have had the struggles of the last couple of seasons if we were under some kind of fan ownership, as if it is fact.

Anything that sells fan ownership as a quick fix completely misses the point in my opinion. I would really hope it was a seriously long term vision that is put forward, if it is to tide us over until the next private owner buys us (e.g. Portsmouth) then what is the point?

It is also possible that playing in League One that season might have been too early for Marquis, especially playing in a bottom half side.

Sometimes momentum is everything, a full season in an attacking team challenging towards the top of League Two might have given Marquis the kick-start his career needed. No one really knows.

We should really move on now though

I believe it was reported that Marquis wanted to stay but thought he went and signed for DR prior to Page's appointment.

Marquis signed for Donny mid-June, Page was appointed mid-May. It seems we signed Revell the day after Marquis signed for Donny.

Curle must surely be aware of the stats with / without Taylor. Why did he keep picking him, does he believe it to be a coincidence? Is he confident that he knows the reasons for those defeats and is comfortable Taylor wasn't a cause? I think if I was in Curle's shoes I'd have taken him out for a couple of games to see, maybe the latest injury has helped him with that.

Part of the problem with Taylor and the fan base is that has pretty much become the accepted truth amongst the fans that he is a bad egg / has an attitude problem. When he was out earlier in the season all the talk around the ground on match days were that Curle bombed him out due to his attitude, or that him and Barnett had a punch up and were both sent away from the squad. It is all classic 2+2 = ?. The stuff about him swearing and storming off on Saturday was presented originally as though it was an eye witness account, only later for that person to back track to it being relayed from a 'reliable source'. It's a bit like a newspaper running an inflammatory front page and apologising a day later on page 16, the damage is done.

It might all be true but as Boot & Shoe says who knows. There is a lot of talk on here (and twitter) about players who don't care or have a bad attitude when none of us know if it is true at all, but it absolutely sticks.

Pity to see the back of Waters. I can never actually remember him getting a game as a striker?

The only one I can remember was when he played up front with Hoskins last season and we kept launching long balls up to them.

Apologies if I missed it, but assume Waters going isn't the move Mathius was referring to? Are they waiting until commuting time to announce a permanent departure?

With Waters going we do look a bit thin up front now but then I don't think Curle would have played him upfront anyway, he was probably behind Morais, Williams, Hoskins, Bowditch and Powell in Curle's striker list.

It's a shame he didn't ever get a run of games in his favoured position with us, will be interesting to see how he gets on at a place he will feel comfortable at.

Crooks set to sign for Rotherham according to the Football league zone.

Have they just retweeted this from the summer window?

Bye Dai

You start this post criticising those who say Crooks ‘looks’ disinterested and then you go on to justify why they are right - ‘he has a very languid style’. Strange approach to a disagreement.

Perhaps I should have used 'languid appearance' rather than style. The point is that there are fans that often look at how much someone runs around and shouts as direct indication of how much they want to win / care, which frankly is a load of nonsense.

I don't care if people don't think Crooks is good enough as a player. I find it hard to argue for any of our current squad given what has been served up the last couple of years but the whole 'he doesn't care / try / isn't interested' view is lazy at best.

Honestly, the whole "Crooks doesn't look interested most of the time" line is the laziest of analysis. Yes, he has a very languid style but that is who he is and how he plays.

To say Crooks is less interested in trying/winning than, for example Buchanan, Foley, Hoskins or A.Williams on the basis they either run around a lot or show plenty of "pashun", or both is misguided at best.

Because in January '17 Sc***horpe were 2nd and we were 16th. Ask 100 people outside of those two towns who's more likely to get promoted? And Was is right, rather than us falling credit should go to Sc***horpe who were punching above their weight.

He also went there for a half season loan, the clubs structure / status / training ground / four sided ground / chairman's lack of ambition would not even come into the equation.

The question was "Who would I rather play the rest of this season for, the team that is 2nd in the league or the team 1th who's just sacked their manager" simple really

A not massively inspiring appointment but still a more positive one than those of Page, JED and Austin IMO, on paper at least.

I know you said in your opinion but I genuinely believe there would have been widespread outcry if Curle had been appointed instead of any of those three. There wont be as much now because we look like we might drop to non league, if he was appointed when we were a League One club.....well. Don't get me wrong I wasn't overly enthused by those either just for the record.

Not inspired, excited or uplifted by it in the slightest but he's here now so I'm fully behind him and I hope he does well for us.

Damn...yes.....you're right!! I'd actually forgotten about them!!!

Morais who was injured and missed pre-season entirely, wasn't fit for the start of the season, scores a goal and is now injured again.

Williams who has now scored four goals in his last FORTY appearances.

Quality additions! 

 


I must admit, although I have tried to remain optimistic and positive I was underwhelmed with our signings. When we got Williams it just felt like we'd signed a slightly younger Revell. With Morais, given that we paid money for him and I feel we'd be better with playing a 3 man central midfield I'd rather that money went on a wide player.

They'll come good though...honest

most probably expected a summer clearout and a transfer window which would see more than a back up right back and a back up keeper being brought in.

+ 2 strikers but you left them out on purpose didn't you 

I think it is all well and good being positive and confident in your ability but I think we have now got to a point where we need to stop just talking ourselves up. It would probably be wise for players to stay off social media for a couple of weeks as well.

They could probably release a statement as a squad to that extent. Simply say that they recognise results haven't been good enough so far, that they are working hard to improve the situation and that they recognise they need to do their talking on the pitch for the next few weeks at least.

I'd like to see Autin have another look at the shape we ended the game on Saturday with, I think that could be a good way forward for us. If everyone is fit I would go;

Ward

Odoffin Barnett Pierre Turnbull

Foley

Crooks JJOT

Waters              Bridge

Williams

Got the required 4 that started last game in there, gives game time to some that need it and gives Bridge an opportunity to build some momentum after a decent performance at the weekend. I'd give McWilliams half hour for Foley or Crooks if he is ready.

I totally get your point, I guess it depends if you’re a glass half full or glass half empty person - I have got to say that although I appreciate that we’re not being served up the drivel we got last season my main feeling on leaving the ground isn’t so much that I’ve really been entertained, more that I’m unbelievably frustrated that we haven’t taken any of our gilt edged chances and that we are constantly giving away sloppy goals.

Yup understood, I felt extremely frustrated in the immediate moments after the Lincoln game and a bit today but it soon fades. I also believe if you keep setting out to play entertaining football that the results will come at some point. It could be that of those goalmouth scrambles smacks someone’s arse and it goes in. Missing chances is frustrating p, I get that, not creating any at all is much worse IMO

On the entertainment v results debate that’s going on this thread, personally it’s entertainment first every time. I’m getting a bit long in the tooth now but going all these years has shown me that if you pin everything on results you will never be happy as a fan. We could do a Burton and grind out back to back promotions which would be great of course but sooner or later we’d struggle in the championship, get relegated and we’d all be miserable again.

I’ve genuinly got to the point where I don’t really care what League we play in, I want to see attacking football, pressing, intent to win and a positive attitude. Can we do better in those areas than we currently are? Of course but I personally like what Austin is doing and how he is doing it.

Totally appreciate why others feel different of course and why winning is everything in some people’s eyes.