261
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Relegation Watch
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on: March 06, 2018, 08:51:42 am
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Starting to look like the bottom three are all going - MK appointing a fella who looks and appears like a contestant from The Apprentice and subsequently imploding even further is a silver lining to some of our poor performances.
It's going to the wire and the worry for me is that we're far from convincing in terms of a togetherness that you need in a relegation scrap, at least from looking on the pitch. I had a similar feeling the year we went down with a whimper in 2009.
We especially need a home performance that's full of battle hardened tackles and passion to get the home support back onside - even if it's a home draw that's coupled with a bit of fight that would be a start.
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270
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Oxford.
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on: February 23, 2018, 09:35:05 am
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It's time to wipe away those relegation blues As Town come up against the Oxford U's A rivalry that just won't go away Since those fateful clashes in happier days
When despite Appleton's assertion from out of the blue That the Champions were, in fact, second best in League Two This tie slowly became more intense And fists became that bit more tense
With Appleton gone to pastures new You'd think the rivalry would be left to stew But there'll always be something left in the air Blowing through the locks of John-Joe's hair
The U's are dropping just like a stone Town just cannot win at home So what of this latest clash of old foes? Who will be handed even more woes?
Will Bellamy join just in time to Make the touchline look like a pack of Panini stickers from 02? Will Jimmy tinker again and what about Long? And how do you fit Hildaberto into a song?
All of those questions, not long till we get An answer to most of them, we're all getting set A Cobblers defeat would be the stuff from a nightmare But three points for the Town and it's the U's who'll be scared
So prepare all your voices, make a small drum And don't just spend 90 minutes sat on your bum Get up out your seats, it's a scrap that we're in And don't stop singing until we secure that win
As for a prediction, I'm mulling it over still But, as always, I'll take a scrappy 1-0
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275
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Oxford.
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on: February 19, 2018, 09:08:52 am
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Three points needed. Oxford are falling like a stone having taken only 3 points from their last 6 games. .
This part worries me...
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276
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Relegation Watch
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on: February 19, 2018, 09:07:57 am
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Another mid week game thrown in for Rochdale after yesterday's cup heroics...surely they'll run out of legs eventually? MK have a couple of big ones coming up and if they don't win either I think they'll be on their way.
Still far too close for comfort, though, and I don't share the optimism about the Oxford game, especially being at home!
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278
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Gilly @ Home 13th Feb
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on: February 14, 2018, 09:19:24 am
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Nah. He's one of the only players we have with a bit of trickery. Just have to accept that he is a nutcase.
My over riding concern is that JFH STILL has no clue what his best team is, no clue what his best formation is and still hasn't given us an identity.
I know "identity" is a bit of a football phrase, it rings true though. You can look at teams and usually define them, take Gillingham last night, move the ball quickly, pressed lots and played the ball in behind constantly. Oxford, passing game but give you time on the ball etc etc. Ours is what? Chaos!
I play a bit of five a side and we seem like an enlarged version of that - no midfield positions and everyone just running around trying to get the ball. You're right about the identity problem, we absolutely haven't got one.
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280
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / The death of the midfield general...?
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on: February 14, 2018, 09:00:09 am
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It’s struck me over the course of this season that we are completely missing a midfield general in the middle of the pitch, someone who can take charge and actually shout orders and get people into position.
Never was that more evident than last night’s woeful first half display and I was left wondering whether that type of player is just getting harder and harder to find or whether JFH just doesn’t want a player like that in his side when he can instead wave his arms around on the side to get players to do what he wants them to do.
I wonder if McWilliams might evolve into someone like this but if he’s not playing then it’ll obviously be impossible to say! JFH seems to be from the Arsene Wenger school of thought in recent years – buying individuals for midfield positions rather than thinking of how they will actually work as a unit.
We need that unsung hero, scrappy, bruiser, especially for the relegation battle we’re in (though from last night you’d never tell we were in one based on some performances) So, is it a dying art or is Jimmy just not interested in that type?
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