H'angus JPT

[Grove]

Good god...talk about overreactions.

We played 120+ mins in the Carling Cup at Reading last Tuesday, then had the euphoria of drawing Liverpool and on Saturday we looked physically and emotionally drained. Due to stupid JPT rules about having to select 6 players who featured last Saturday and a ludicrous draw, instead of getting the midweek rest they were desperate for, the players have been carted all the way up to Hartlepool to play another 90 minutes on a cold Tuesday night. They held out for a while but I think we all knew there was a possibility they would collapse dramatically after conceding and that's exactly what they did.

After Aldershot on Saturday they've got a week until the next game and I think they really need that. You can't make too many judgements based on tonight's game because these are exceptional circumstances. When the side is refreshed and up for it we're capable of putting in good performances and most of the season they will be, hopefully.

With a talented but inexperienced young side like our current one, continuity and patience is the key.

In may my lad worked in london getting up at 5-30 getting home at 1730, monday to friday, on the saturday he played in the gorrell barnes cup final at sixfields ,on sunday, the sunday league cup final also at sixfields, both days pitchside temp was 80+ degrees, to say the poor loves from NTFC were tired at this stage of the season is frankly ridiculous, they dont know what work is.

[bungle]

' The next best thing to getting  to the final of the Johnstones paint trophy, is getting knocked out in the first round'.

Nail on the head. This a meaningless competition in my eyes and, with all due respect and commiserations to the hardcore fifty,  I don't think we should worry too much about the result. As far as I'm concerned it's not much worse that losing a reserve game 4-0, and I think in this case, with Liverpool on the horizon, Sammo probably felt the same.

I also think people are exaggerating when they talk about our defensive fragility. We've now played four of the better sides in our division - I'm including Accrington in that designation because they finished in the top half last season - and with the exception of the Torquay game we've looked fairly solid. It's certainly miles away from the defensive nightmares we had at the start of Sammo's reign when you could pretty much guarantee that we'd ship at least two goals every game.  I'm happy with the first choice back four of Hall, Beckwith, Holt (who's done better than I expected) and Johnson. Osman and Wedderburn are doing a decent job of protecting the defence - certainly a more formidable barrier than the lightweight John Curtis who was expected to fulfil that role at the beginning of last season. Yes, we need a loanee to cover Hinton's role as back-up centre back, but that's not a crisis situation at this stage.

That being said, at the other end the situation is genuinely worrying. I still don't think we have a plan in terms of how we're going to score goals. I don't think the problem is necessarily poor finishing -I can only really point to Mckay against Acccrington for an example of when that's really cost us - it's a failure to create chances in the first place. Last season it was 'give it to Bayo and feed off his lay-offs'; this season we don't even have that option. I think part of the problem is that we don't seem to be getting enough crosses into the box, electing instead to engage in a slow, ponderous build up and passes in to the strikers feet or just to hoof it up to Guinan. I think it's time to start playing Davis/Jacobs on the left, Thornton on the right, with Johnson (a very decent attacking full-back) and Hall overlapping and get some bloody crosses into the box. Mckay showed against Brighton that he's capable of burying a decent delivery and I think even Guinan might get a couple if he had some service.

 
 

[DustCobb]

I think generally the problem is that we are s***.

[Bingers]

all the way up to Hartlepool to play another 90 minutes on a cold Tuesday night.

I know that is the key point of your arguement, but it wasn't cold.  Neither was it damp and dreary.  The sun was out (at least at the start), there was a clear sky.  I had a kick about on the beach with Boy Bingers and went rock pooling.  Nice day really.  Pity about the football.

And another thing, they ran out of those massive hotdogs.  How can you run out of something when there is only 59 people there?

[GrangeParkCobbler]

"I don't think we should worry too much about the result. As far as I'm concerned it's not much worse that losing a reserve game 4-0, and I think in this case, with Liverpool on the horizon, Sammo probably felt the same."

No of course we shouldnt worry!! We had, in the main, our first choice players out there, not reserves! And I think it was Sammo who said "we will be taking the competition seriously".....therefore I dont think he felt the same!

Looking at the stats, seeing Hartlepools 20 odd shots to our 4, reading the Pools managers reaction saying "with all respect we should be beating Northampton"..........I find that annoying!! Why should mighty Hartlepool ever think that a win over Northampton is a given??

[DustCobb]

Why should mighty ever Hartlepool think that a win over Northampton is a given??

I think generally because we are s***.

[Erith_Cobbler]

What rubbish did Sampson say after the game this time?

I thought you trusted him? Make your mind up.

[dazza]

Good god...talk about overreactions.

We played 120+ mins in the Carling Cup at Reading last Tuesday, then had the euphoria of drawing Liverpool and on Saturday we looked physically and emotionally drained. Due to stupid JPT rules about having to select 6 players who featured last Saturday and a ludicrous draw, instead of getting the midweek rest they were desperate for, the players have been carted all the way up to Hartlepool to play another 90 minutes on a cold Tuesday night. They held out for a while but I think we all knew there was a possibility they would collapse dramatically after conceding and that's exactly what they did.

After Aldershot on Saturday they've got a week until the next game and I think they really need that. You can't make too many judgements based on tonight's game because these are exceptional circumstances. When the side is refreshed and up for it we're capable of putting in good performances and most of the season they will be, hopefully.

Playoffs, possibly not, but we'll finish respectably again like last season and although I wasn't around back then so couldn't really comment, my dad reckons we're in a similar position to the one we were in in 1985/86- we've got a good squad of young players and are capable of occasional flashes of brilliance and very good performances but probably won't do it consistantly. However, we're visibly just a couple of key additions and 12 months' worth of match experience away from having something very special. There's a good chance we'll finish just inside the top half this year and go up automatically next time, like 85/86 and 86/87.

With a talented but inexperienced young side like our current one, continuity and patience is the key.

Where are the goals gonna come from then!!!??

[black_army]

I think the fact that most of us 59 (I could only count 55, including the slightly worrying loner with the laptop in the corner of our end) were mostly smiles on the way out knowing that, although we'd travelled a long way on a not-cold, not-damp, Tuesday night, it was only the JPT and we'd only actually gone in the first place cos we're all completely insane.

Even the steward at the front had a good giggle with us.

Some definite over-reactions on here. Only one week on from scoring 3 times against a Championship side and creting numerous other chances.

[dazza]

Some definite over-reactions on here. Only one week on from scoring 3 times against a Championship side and creting numerous other chances.

Do you think everything is rosy in division 4 then? 4 games gone no goal from open play barely creating any chances. Are we over reacting then?

[black_army]

Yes.

You said it in your post.

4 games gone... 4 out of 46.

We rarely start a season strongly so what's new!? OK, we haven't looked like scoring in the league games but as you will know from the Brighton and Reading games, we created hat-fulls of chances so we know the lads have it in them.

Give it some time, were only just in September and the season in being condemmed already!

[DustCobb]

 were only just in September and the season in being condemmed already!

With good reason this time imo.

[black_army]

There must have been some pretty strong posts back in the first few weeks of Wilko's calamitous few months a few seasons back.

I'm merely comparing past achievements and performaces with the current situation and really think that one defeat in six is not terminal.

[Grove]

There must have been some pretty strong posts back in the first few weeks of Wilko's calamitous few months a few seasons back.

I'm merely comparing past achievements and performaces with the current situation and really think that one defeat in six is not terminal.

Difference being, we had the players then Ben.

[NTFC Nut]

Where are the goals gonna come from then!!!??

Well as with the rest of the squad, we have a largely unproven strikeforce: out of Purcell, Guinan, Harris, Herbert, Konstantinou and McKay, only Guinan has played more than 50 league games in this country.

Despite Guinan's shortcomings, McKay looks dangerous when on form, Purcell can put the ball in the back of the net at this level as he showed with Darlington, and the other three have all put in decent performances already this season and by law of averages, one of them is going to realise their potential and be a top striker at this level in two or three years' time. When you consider Thornton, Jacobs and possibly Osman and Gilligan are all going to chip in with a few goals this season, we're probably just a mobile target man away from having a decent forward line. Even Purcell and McKay might become a very good partnership, given time.

[black_army]

Difference being, we had the players then Ben.

My personal expectations are for a play-off finish. But in reality, in expect nothing more than a mid-table finish. I'm sure most clubs in League Two fancied at least a play-off finish this year. And others who have suffered a slow start are more than likely saying exactly the same as others on here.

The chairman has no funding for new players and won't have despite the recent good cup run.

So, it's a case of grin and bare it. As ever :-)