GrangeParkCobbler
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What is stupid, is that despite it being god awful football, on two occasions now it's been very close to being able to pull off completely unjustified results, against Crewe and Rochdale.
For those for whom it is purely a results business, they can say "we nearly held on"....... Then again, as I highlighted in the other thread, we've lost 14 of our last 24 league games, so its not like we get the results very often either!
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The Hotel End GTA Champion 2006/7, 2007/8, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2018/19
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Welly Cobb
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Well, you can certainly compare it to the start of the season, where we pressed, get pulled apart and conceded two or three goals a game. Dropping off makes us a lot more defensively stable, we just don't have an answer for what we're supposed to be doing the other 50% of the game.
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Mysterious Curle
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Any word from the boss man? Assume he is pretty happy, we were good for a point until the refs error..
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Clarity
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I would imagine the players absolutely hate playing this way. Might not be too long before it unravels for KC
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GrangeParkCobbler
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Crewe starting lineup today...
Jaaskelainen age 22 Pickering age 21 Wintle age 23 Lowery age 22 Kirk age 22 Mandron age 26 Finney age 22 Lancashire age 31 Offord age 21 Dale age 22 Beckles age 29
8 of the starting team aged 23 and under......yet they know how to play "football"
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The Hotel End GTA Champion 2006/7, 2007/8, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2018/19
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Welly Cobb
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Can someone tell me when we played exiting football in the third decision and got positive results out of it? I'm not certain it would be this side of me being born.
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NTFC Nut
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Can someone tell me when we played exiting football in the third decision and got positive results out of it? I'm not certain it would be this side of me being born.
We played some pretty good stuff under Gray and got a top half finish at this level.
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GrangeParkCobbler
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Can someone tell me when we played exiting football in the third decision and got positive results out of it? I'm not certain it would be this side of me being born.
Define "exciting football"...... the last successful season in the third tier was the Atkins year when we made it to the playoff final again. That was pretty exciting in itself. I didn't think the football was boring, yes it was direct, but it was committed, with 100% effort from the first whistle to the last. Many of our players were limited but they made the most of what they had and the manager played to their strengths. The first third of the season under Wilson when we went up in 2000 wasn't too bad, then the wheels fell off around Christmas time. This season is not like that.....a fair degree of effort is there, but nowhere near 100%, we mostly play one way and one way only....if we go ahead we sit back and defend match after match, sometimes we get lucky but the majority of the time we don't. This manager does not play to the strengths of our players, he tries to mould the players into what he wants the team to do, and woe betide anyone who doesn't comply.
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The Hotel End GTA Champion 2006/7, 2007/8, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2018/19
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everbrite
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Never thought the day would come that I find myself envious of Crewe fans, but watching the creativity and smart thinking from their forwards those last 20 minutes or so in particular as they burst forward with purpose time and time again certainly conjured those feelings. They really did move the ball well and were unlucky not to score a few more goals on the day. I can't remember the last time we battered an opposition like that, yet we seem to suffer spells like that nearly every week.
Ultimately today's defeat comes down to the naivety of the manager. Our plan A (B, C & D) of hoof the ball to Smith doesn't work 90% of the time but it's still always the preferred option no matter what, regardless of the opposition or Smith's form. Even goals and other events during the match don't seem to change Keith's thinking. We're 1-0 up away at a dangerous Crewe side early in the match and yet we don't think to change it and try and keep the ball for a bit, get a passing game going?
No, instead we have to suffer embarrassingly slow goal kicks from Arnold that eventually go out for another kick at the other end half the time. Even on the rare occasion Smith does get on the end of one of these long balls, the opposition tends to win the ball back pretty much immediately. All the while they are growing in confidence as they see how one dimensional we are as a team, and the pressure just builds and builds until eventually we make the inevitable mistake and someone's left totally unmarked to convert the predictable equaliser.
The rights and wrongs of the Joe Martin red card can be debated but what's the point? The same thing happened only a few weeks ago. He shouldn't be starting matches at this level and only is because of poor business in the summer, another triumph of Keith's leadership. But in truth I think we probably would have lost anyway, the pattern of that second half had already been set and we'd likely have succumbed another way.
All in all, a thoroughly poor game of football from an NTFC perspective. Positives? Holmes getting his first goal back was lovely to see. And Hoskins did incredibly well to get back to prevent a certain goal near the end. Sadly neither of which mattered that much in the end. Thought Sowerby did quite well, one our better players for me despite not being favoured by the manager's way of playing. But yeah, pretty grim otherwise.
Matter of fact comments with at least a few positive observations. Still readable compared with some of the comments on here! Agree on Sowerby and Hoskins who is often vilified just because he is picked! Be interesting to read your comments when we do win well.
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2020 Grand National S/S 3rd Place
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Melbourne Cobbler
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Same old same old, and I’m not talking about the team or management either? Bad run of performances over a couple of months and the supporters go berserk and its sack the manager, the chairman and anyone with a pulse? Just 17 league games ago we produced some of the best results I have experienced as a supporter. Since then we have lost some of our best players and had some of our recruitment strategy affected by what I believe was a sensible approach to Covid? The net result is that we have lost just over half our league games since promotion and some of the performances have been dour. That being said what doesn’t work is a hire and fire em kamikaze approach to running a football club? History has proved time and time again that firing a management team inevitably leads to a spiralling decline until the lottery of football management seemingly provides a turn in fortunes? What enables me to justify this assumption? Where is Rob Page now, what do you think is the average Orient supporters opinion of Justin Edinburgh? Yet their demise was met with almost universal approval on here, how do you explain that? Even Chris Wilder suffered a fairly rough ride at some points and demands for his head? With hindsight how valid an opinion was that? So what’s the answer, some of the managers in our history were clearly out of their depth, yet sacking a manager is often a poor decision that more often than not results in the exact opposite desired affect? The problem is compounded by the sheer cost of change due to paying off contracts and allowing budget for a change in personnel. Imagine for a moment if we had kept Rob Page, stuck it out and used all that money to develop the squad, is it possible that the outcome would have eventually been different? It’s a well worn phrase to say that football is an entertainment business and an underperforming side producing boring performances also affects the club, so I do get it? What I am proposing is that change more often than not doesn’t work and also has a significant and long term detrimental effect on the club only to see the victim sometimes go on and achieve success elsewhere? Therefore perhaps patience and an acceptance that there will be peaks and troughs in performances and results at this level whilst understanding that to fire a manager is a massive risk that often fails to improve matters and also has a long term consequence for the club. 17 league games and a short time ago Keith Curle got our club promoted. He has been forced to remould the squad on a very restricted budget for what I believe is a reasonable financial strategy? I personally believe Keith Curle deserves time, understanding and support rather than calls for his head. My view is that it’s unreasonable to demand otherwise, given the circumstances and time involved it’s neither fair or likely to lead to success and history bares this out? My opinion is that Keith Curle has proved he can do the job, so give him a reasonable chance to do it? Even if we get relegated I would stick with him. Why, because his track record and history proves he has more of of a chance of getting us back up than the next bloke without the cost? Not a single post or opinion on here currently offers an even half reasonable argument that anything else is likely to improve our fortunes? So I for one hope Kelvin Thomas breaks with habit and holds his nerve. Sorry everyone, I know I’ll get slaughtered by the majority but I believe it’s the only logical way forward for us?
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« Last Edit: December 12, 2020, 22:41:21 pm by Melbourne Cobbler »
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Not a real supporter but unelected chair of the Northampton Town Honorary Supporters Club. (Please note: any opinions given may not necessarily be shared by proper supporters. In incidents of conflict the views of real supporters shall take precedence).
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everbrite
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................................................. So I for one hope Kelvin Thomas breaks with habit and holds his nerve. Sorry everyone, I know I’ll get slaughtered by the majority but I believe it’s the only logical way forward for us?
I for one congratulate you on your brave comments. If you believe you are in the minority think again. You might be with a few selfish doomster 'fans' but the majority will largely support your views. Such realistic views.
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« Last Edit: December 12, 2020, 22:56:26 pm by everbrite »
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2020 Grand National S/S 3rd Place
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Jim Hall Fixit
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Same old same old ........So I for one hope Kelvin Thomas breaks with habit and holds his nerve. Sorry everyone, I know I’ll get slaughtered by the majority but I believe it’s the only logical way forward for us?
+1. Fabulous post - although it might have been further improved by use of a paragraph stop or three. I’m new to posting on this forum but I’ve been appalled by the pathetic childlike posts of some of the more “senior” contributors. Rather like Pavlov’s dog, as soon as we lose a game we get a knee jerk cacophony of cries for sackings. It’s absolutely pathetic and is painful to read for most. We are all aware of the teams short comings but what I saw today was a very determined defensive performance against a better team (yes, it happens!!). Can we just all grow up a bit?
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"My three children were born in Northamptonshire so I like to think I'm an adopted Northamptonian and it's the same for Rico and Sammo. It means a lot to us because this is our county.
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Dan
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I’ll say this in response. If we play as pathetically negative as we did today regularly for the rest of the season, the financial issue Kelvin will have is how many season ticket holders have not renewed. He cannot stick with this guy in charge next year.
Today was an embarrassment and we have rightly been panned on social media and forums by Crewe fans and their club.
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The Hotelend Grand National Sweepstake Champion 2013
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Jim Hall Fixit
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I’ll say this in response. If we play as pathetically negative as we did today regularly for the rest of the season, the financial issue Kelvin will have is how many season ticket holders have not renewed. He cannot stick with this guy in charge next year.
Today was an embarrassment and we have rightly been panned on social media and forums by Crewe fans and their club.
I don’t totally disagree Dan. Although personally I can’t see me abandoning my team so easily but I do understand why some might. That said, I’ve seen enough over the last 2 years to give KC a chance to sort things out - at least until the end of the season. If he does keep us up then, and this won’t be popular with the more vociferous posters on here, then an objective has been achieved!
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"My three children were born in Northamptonshire so I like to think I'm an adopted Northamptonian and it's the same for Rico and Sammo. It means a lot to us because this is our county.
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Jim Hall Fixit
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Oops. Deleted the “quote” marks - sorry! I am new to posting so hopefully everyone will be more patient with my mistakes than we are with KC’s??
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"My three children were born in Northamptonshire so I like to think I'm an adopted Northamptonian and it's the same for Rico and Sammo. It means a lot to us because this is our county.
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Clarity
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I would imagine the players absolutely hate playing this way. Might not be too long before it unravels for KC
Just listened to the Ricky Holmes interview after the game, I think I had a valid point yesterday
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Manwork04
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Oops. Deleted the “quote” marks - sorry! I am new to posting so hopefully everyone will be more patient with my mistakes than we are with KC’s??
Your “new” to posting are you? Your account was registered in 2013, was this because you were worried that someone else would take the name of a peadophile ? Just asking.
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Rule Britannia
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everbrite
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Just listened to the Ricky Holmes interview after the game, I think I had a valid point yesterday
Clarity I didn’t hear it so can you please give more details? Thank you.
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2020 Grand National S/S 3rd Place
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Travelaway
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Clarity I didn’t hear it so can you please give more details? Thank you.
Man Up...says in the C+E
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Deepcut Cobbler
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Are there any other angles on the second yellow foul or is everyone making judgement on the head on camera view which gives no definitive aspect?
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“They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.” Laurence Binyon
The Hotelend Grand National Sweepstake Champion 2009
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