Viking Supporters Co-operative
Viking Chat => Viking Chat => Topic started by: selby on April 13, 2024, 10:42:16 pm
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A big game with a lot hanging on the result for both sides, and while we have been on a run of wins nobody foresaw just a few weeks ago, most of the teams above us between us and the promised land of the playoffs are at least being inconsistent, and at most distinctly average over the same period letting us at least flirt with having a chance of ending up in the play offs.
We have built pressure on the teams above us, and pressure on ourselves to win every game, because basically that is what we have to do and are in the position now of seeing the finishing line and getting excited and there is still a lot to do and three teams in front of us who will be hell bent on ruining our party.
Barrow especially will have ambitions of their own to get back on track and winning ways having been mostly up in a play off position, and now are under a little pressure to cross the line as their loss of form has allowed the pack to tighten up.
A mate at half time gave a plausible reason as to why the change in fortune I had not thought of, the fact we have three very good loan players at this level who were not overused the first half of the season, and the number of players of our own who have missed quite a few games in the first half of the season for one reason or another, hence our squad is fitter at this time of the year and not overcooked while some small squads in our division could have run out of steam.
Games like this have always been known as a six pointer, and it probably is and could turn into a tense affair, certainly the terraces and our backing could make the difference, the game deserves a big game atmosphere, and we need to be loud and proud and create an atmosphere our players can feed off.
Barrow have had a great season, and have shown over the season that they have the skills and team to be a top side in this division, and that is who we need to know what we are up against, a good team well run who play above their perceived by many level, any underestimating and we will be asking for trouble, at this time of the year form doesn't count that much, what team handles the situation is the most important.
Our side at least have goals in it which gives you every chance in a game, a far cry from some forwards of the recent past, we just need to go for it, it will not be easy, but there is a goal to aim for now that is attainable rather than a dream and different pressure, how we handle that will work for or against us, enjoy the moment, what do you think, please have your say.
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Did everyone notice Barrow could only name 6 subs today? So obviously some issues there.
And to add to that their CB No5 got a straight red so he will be out for 3 games, including the ones against Crawley and us.
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Poor away record. No win or clean sheet in their last eight away league games, shipping a load of goals.
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Huge. The next big test.
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Looking at todays highlights they are susceptible to a quick ball over the top which we seem to have become really good at!
Awful foul by that lad Ray, he has had yellows in last couple of games too so consistently fouling. Looked intentional to me, that wasn't the natural way to play that ball and didn't consider pulling out.
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Just need to find a way to win, don't care how. A 1-0 off Ironside's arse in the last minute will do.
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A 1-0 off Ironside's arse in the last minute will do.
That’s the last thing anyone’s ticker needs! ;)
GM & Co will have a plan, I’m sure. The one thing that doesn’t need to happen is we get overconfident! I’m sure Grant will keep their feet on the ground (mostly).
Tuesday night will be very interesting.
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Just need to find a way to win, don't care how. A 1-0 off Ironside's arse in the last minute will do.
Make it the 1st minute of the game and I'll be much happier, however I'm sure Grant won't be happy with just 1 goal scored, he wasn't happy with 4 yesterday he thought we should have scored more
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Amazing to think that depending on Tuesday's result we could go into the Barrow game with a place in the play-offs in our own hands.
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I just hope the example of that foul by Ray isn't their chosen method of dealing with the threat we pose, if it is it will need a strong ref to handle it. The last thing we need at this stage is losing ANY of our first-choice players to injury.
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I watched Liverpool and Arsenal today and both look tired and running out of steam really. A friend said at the game yesterday our side is in many cases just starting their season and it got me thinking.
We have had long term injuries all season, quite a few coming back in the last couple of months. Add the three loan players who didn't have many minutes up to coming here, and we are a quite fresh fit side compared to most. does anyone else think the situation could have had an influence in our upturn in form?
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Probably been mentioned in a post somewhere previously but interesting to note Barrow have not won away since 22 December. If we stick to what we are good at, it will be another loss for them next Saturday
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Barrow will be more worried by this fixture than us right niw and rightly so. They are a team that have been on a slip recently and have an awful away record while we are doing what we have done.
Same tactics as against accrington and get a early goal and think it will be a comfortable afternoon.
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Barrow's away form, as you say, is poor. 3 points from their past 8 away games.
But then again, their form overall ain't great, stretching back to Xmas. 24 points from the past 20 games.
Barrow have won just 7 away games all season, only one of which was against a side in the current top 11. We have won 13 home games including 7 against sides currently in the top 11.
And yet, weirdly, they are the same price as us to win on Satdi. Both teams are 8/5 with Bet365. That seems very strange odds.
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I'm guessing barrow have stayed down south after Gillingham and playing Crawley on Tuesday save the 7 hour journey back and then back again. Hopefully it will be a long hard game on Tuesday then another fairly long journey across to Donny I'm guessing on Friday ready for the game Saturday, play like we have been doing and we could be out of sight by 20 past 3.
Think this will be the game that will sort the goal difference out
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Tickets look like they are selling better than the Walsall game already.
3 blocks sold in South Stand and another two blocks should sell tomorrow.
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Do we know yet whether any promotions are being offered for potential ticket sales.
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Come Saturday Barrow will be both physically and mentally knackered, the last team they will want to play is us.
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Lambs to the slaughter comes to mind.
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A brilliant quote from the Barrow forum about us:
"Seem to have come to life since Billy waters joined them"
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He’s done nowt.
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Barrow's away form, as you say, is poor. 3 points from their past 8 away games.
But then again, their form overall ain't great, stretching back to Xmas. 24 points from the past 20 games.
Barrow have won just 7 away games all season, only one of which was against a side in the current top 11. We have won 13 home games including 7 against sides currently in the top 11.
And yet, weirdly, they are the same price as us to win on Satdi. Both teams are 8/5 with Bet365. That seems very strange odds.
Bet365 are also offering 18/1 on promotion, which seems decent value.
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Lambs to the slaughter comes to mind.
Let’s not get carried away. This will be another tough game. We will certainly need to do more than just turn up to win
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Lambs to the slaughter comes to mind.
Let’s not get carried away. This will be another tough game. We will certainly need to do more than just turn up to win
Exactly. I’m sure that Grant and Cliff will be keeping the players very grounded. Overconfidence can lead to disaster.
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Unfortunately a lot of our fans seem to think it’s a foregone conclusion that we turn up and take the points, I’m sure Grant and Cliff are keeping the players grounded. This will be a tough game
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Unfortunately then, 3-0 for Rovers.
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5 blocks now sold out in south stand. Tickets sales going really well. The club should be all over this.
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Yes it looks like there are only about 100 left for the south stand and 1200 in total (although option to release a couple of more blocks in the west stand and possibly north stand if need.
Thus all goes well for a good atmosphere generated by SS
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588 left in SS
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Putting together all the above form it would not be unreasonable to assume that they would lose their 2 remaining away games - here and at Crawley except for the fact that Crawley are exceptionally fragile at home! But playing Mansfield in their last home game with Mansfield already virtually assured of promotion would be another match which might not run to form. What would be more likely is that they would beat Bradford at home.
So optimistically, 3 points there = 70 and one or two from the rest? Thus, max 71 or 72.
Crawley would no longer be the focus.
Always assuming we get 9 additional points…
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Got my seat and train tickets from Edinburgh.
Train drivers strike making rail travel very difficult. May have to leave early as only one direct train home.
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Ticket bought, busy phone lines today
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To add a bit more spice to our game v Barrow, I notice Crewe host Wrexham on Saturday but with an early (12.30) kick off. So, we’ll know whether we can still catch Crewe before we kick off! (Crewe currently on 70 points).
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We need an early goal to settle the nerves.
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The Barrow manager Pete Wild said after their draw to Crawley “It was a classic Barrow performance, solid at the back and threatening on the counter-attack.”
They have experienced defenders in Canavan and James Chester who will look to sit deep and soak up pressure. Molyneux and Adelakun won’t have the same space to run in behind this time.
Looking at the 15 game form table since we transformed as a team, Barrow stand 14th. With 17 goals for and 20 against over that period.
For the league table prior to that, they were in 4th place. I remember looking at xG for and against earlier on in the season and it suggested that they had been quite lucky to be that high up. Their keeper looks to have been one of the best in the league this year.
We now have the energy to match their youthful midfield which has caused us problems in previous encounters. I would stick with Westbrooke because we will be seeing a lot of the ball. His work rate is also very underrated.
If Stockton comes back in for this one he will be one to look out for. 14 games and 7 goals for him since he came in for them. Only a few seasons ago he hit 20+ in League One. He won’t need many opportunities to score. Young Acquah looks a handful as well. We need to be careful of them on the break.
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Poor away record. No win or clean sheet in their last eight away league games, shipping a load of goals.
Yes poor away record, but if you look at their last 10 league games they letting in 1 goal a game on average and scoring 1.1 goal a game, so it’s still going to be a very hard game, their away record of no wins in last 8 got to change sometime, hope it’s not on Saturday. If we score 2 or more goals it’s 3 more points, the 12th man on Saturday should be worth a goal for us.
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Barrow are a counter attack side. However we perform with the ball they will always carry a threat.
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We have an excellent keeper.
We have a leader and an organiser at centre back & whichever ‘partner’ he has with him, they have ‘grown’ playing alongside him.
We have a midfield which has tenacity, awareness & is always looking to go forward with the ball & organise themselves in transition to win back the ball quickly.
We have wing backs that have pace & look to get in behind the opposing midfield at every opportunity. Their defensive duties have been improved by that middle two in defence.
We have two wide men with excellent ball control, pace & an eye for an opportunity at goal.
We have a centre forward who could wrestle a sumo & is one league goal away from twenty for his season.
It’s Barrow who should worry.
I would in their boots.
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3-1 win.
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We have an excellent keeper.
We have a leader and an organiser at centre back & whichever ‘partner’ he has with him, they have ‘grown’ playing alongside him.
We have a midfield which has tenacity, awareness & is always looking to go forward with the ball & organise themselves in transition to win back the ball quickly.
We have wing backs that have pace & look to get in behind the opposing midfield at every opportunity. Their defensive duties have been improved by that middle two in defence.
We have two wide men with excellent ball control, pace & an eye for an opportunity at goal.
We have a centre forward who could wrestle a sumo & is one league goal away from twenty for his season.
It’s Barrow who should worry.
I would in their boots.
Don’t wish to be pedantic Colin, but we don’t play with wing backs any more. Yes they still get forward and attack and support our front players.
Joe Ironside has 16 league goals. He already has 20 in total including all cup games.
You are quite right though Barrow should be the team doing the worrying.
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We have an excellent keeper.
We have a leader and an organiser at centre back & whichever ‘partner’ he has with him, they have ‘grown’ playing alongside him.
We have a midfield which has tenacity, awareness & is always looking to go forward with the ball & organise themselves in transition to win back the ball quickly.
We have wing backs that have pace & look to get in behind the opposing midfield at every opportunity. Their defensive duties have been improved by that middle two in defence.
We have two wide men with excellent ball control, pace & an eye for an opportunity at goal.
We have a centre forward who could wrestle a sumo & is one league goal away from twenty for his season.
It’s Barrow who should worry.
I would in their boots.
THIS!!!!! , we are no longer a team of one or two stars, hoping that the main man scores or else we are struggling!, we have goals all accross the front line and beyond. Saturday proved that, plus factor in an incredibly mean defense, whether it be tom or joe who partner woody, it doesnt matter, both are on top form! We can now score 1 goal and believe that the game can be seen out, gone are the days of needing 3 goals to be almost sure. Bring it on!!!!! RTID
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I watched the Crawley/Barrow game and I thought both teams were very nervous and on the whole, poor.
As we all know things can go wrong for any team, Liverpool/Arsenal as examples. perhaps a bad decision by the ref/ injuries, many variables can affect the outcome of a game.
9 games in 10 Donny will outplay a poor Barrow team but could this be Barrows game? deep deep down I dont think so.
Come on Donny make my day.
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The type of game we play will always provide us with chances. Keep it tight at the back will be important to.
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Surely they will come for a draw which for them would be an excellent result.
So if we get an early goal it might throw their game plan out the window.
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If we play well we have every chance of getting a win in this game, It is up to us to make the running and pace of the game and put our chances away when they come along.
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Playing for the draw is a dangerous game, one slip up and concede a goal means you have to come out and leave gaps at the back witch will be exploited.
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The Barrow manager Pete Wild said after their draw to Crawley “It was a classic Barrow performance, solid at the back and threatening on the counter-attack.”
They have experienced defenders in Canavan and James Chester who will look to sit deep and soak up pressure. Molyneux and Adelakun won’t have the same space to run in behind this time.
Looking at the 15 game form table since we transformed as a team, Barrow stand 14th. With 17 goals for and 20 against over that period.
For the league table prior to that, they were in 4th place. I remember looking at xG for and against earlier on in the season and it suggested that they had been quite lucky to be that high up. Their keeper looks to have been one of the best in the league this year.
We now have the energy to match their youthful midfield which has caused us problems in previous encounters. I would stick with Westbrooke because we will be seeing a lot of the ball. His work rate is also very underrated.
If Stockton comes back in for this one he will be one to look out for. 14 games and 7 goals for him since he came in for them. Only a few seasons ago he hit 20+ in League One. He won’t need many opportunities to score. Young Acquah looks a handful as well. We need to be careful of them on the break.
I watched the game they did sit deep and defended but offered very little going forward
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We need an early goal to settle the nerves.
Only one, les?! :lol:
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Carl Brook has been appointed referee for Rovers’ clash with Barrow on May 20.
The Sussex official has taken charge of 34 matches this term, with the majority coming in Sky Bet League One. He has issued 144 yellow cards and three reds across those games.
This will be his first outing of the season refereeing a Rovers game but he previously handled them on three occasions since 2020.
His most recent game involving Rovers was the 1-1 draw at Crewe Alexandra in October 2022. Of the three matches, Rovers won one and lost one.
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Carl Brook has been appointed referee for Rovers’ clash with Barrow on May 20.
The Sussex official has taken charge of 34 matches this term, with the majority coming in Sky Bet League One. He has issued 144 yellow cards and three reds across those games.
This will be his first outing of the season refereeing a Rovers game but he previously handled them on three occasions since 2020.
His most recent game involving Rovers was the 1-1 draw at Crewe Alexandra in October 2022. Of the three matches, Rovers won one and lost one.
Its possible he will be the 19th May the day before in the play off final CBcb ;) :)
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Playing for the draw is a dangerous game, one slip up and concede a goal means you have to come out and leave gaps at the back witch will be exploited.
In a sense there might be some rationale in them playing for a draw. We have scored quite a few of our goals on the break. I’m not sure we have faced a team that have “parked the bus”. From their point of view they could do this while they hold it to 0-0. Assuming that we will score they have to try to respond, so how long might they hold out and might we be vulnerable to conceding from counter attacks?
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Did everyone notice Barrow could only name 6 subs today? So obviously some issues there.
And to add to that their CB No5 got a straight red so he will be out for 3 games, including the ones against Crawley and us.
I’ve asked one of their fans about that - something to do with not having any academy players in the squad! I guess having Jones on the bench mitigates that for us
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Yep that's the reason, which I was happy about keeping Jones as it means we have a better outfield bench.
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Just a slight word of caution - let’s hope we score first!
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Just a slight word of caution - let’s hope we score first!
Its something that would be highly desirable for us but there will come a time when we don't, if we get to the playoffs we need to be able to play our game when we are either in front or behind.
Im thinking the whole mindset of the squad has been totally rejuvenated, it would be a test but in the mind frame we are inhabiting i would not put it past us to have the determination and desire to succeed.
Im happy that we have got this far, if it continues then lets have it. We should fear no one.
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COYR.
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It has been a great run of results since January that has got us in a position where we can dream of a great finish to the season. I have always had the feeling only the Rovers could do that, usually losing when we were odds on to win and occasionally over the years results like the draw at Anfield when being the very bottom of the fourth division, results and displays that have been hard to accept over the years, and even harder to understand.
The first half of this season was well up there as one of the most frustrating to me, Players that let the opposition run past them in mid field and not a tackle or tactical foul on show, no cover for the back four, players shoe horned into positions they were not familiar with, young players ignored when results were terrible and the same players who made the same mistakes week after week and could not fit the style of play we were trying to play, and it was all so obvious, multiplied by the obvious disinterest and mis control by part of the board.
The control being taken over by Terry Brammall cannot be understated alongside the team manager getting a grip of things on the field of play.
The sad thing is it was so obvious, with every improvement made since the new year being spoken of on this forum and other outlets by many different supporters on the terraces and took so long to be acted on.
It's been a great run and deserves to succeed and bring success, but lessons must be learned as really we have underperformed, played players not suited to the game plan, and the club was not best managed behind the scenes, Whatever the end of the season brings we have to build on this second half of the season, look at what we are doing right now, and improve on that again, as for todays game just go for it we have nothing to lose.
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The Barrow fans on today. Mixed expectations from them but they’d be happy with a draw it seems.
https://www.barrowafc.net/viewtopic.php?t=33048
I don’t think there is any pressure on the players today. They have done us proud already but have the skill and attitude to take it all the way if they keep on as they have been.
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One of the punters on their forum thinks that if they go one up it will make our big crowd turn against the team.
I don't think so.
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This has potential to be a very frustrating afternoon.
I expect barrow to employ shithouse tactics and go for a draw, and do everything possible for a draw.
They will set up to frustrate and annoy.
That's what I would do if I were them.
I hope the ref is a good one today.
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They will want to burst our bubble, that is for sure.
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If it were earlier in the season I’d be worried about them sitting back all game, but I’m not now. If they let us attack for 90 minutes, we will score.
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To be honest they played us like a fiddle until the penalty, and when we went to three at the back I feared the worst.
Then when I saw Anderson going forward like Franz Beckenbauer I started to wonder if I was dreaming.
I have to admit the tension got to me, the frustration of letting a big crowd down again hurt, and I was not the best company and apologise to those sat near me for being the pain in the arse.
But what a win and it's all on again, and what will we have taken out of a good barrow side who were cruising it and a couple of months ago could well have added another two or three when our confidence was rock bottom.
So never give in, never give up, well done all the staff and players so near now I am bricking it, but can't wait for Tuesday another massive test of ability and form, just go for it lads you have done us proud.