Viking Supporters Co-operative
Viking Chat => Viking Chat => Topic started by: selby on December 07, 2025, 10:23:40 am
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After a great cup winning week it's back to the bread and butter against a Stockport team who will be smarting after being on the end of what could be seen as the biggest upset of round 2 when losing 5-4 on penalties to Cambridge United and according to reports were way off their game with Cambridge deserving of taking the game overall'
It means the return of probably our player of the season last season who did more than anyone to keep us afloat in the first half of last season, and is now part of one of the fancied sides in the division to press for promotion after spending a few bob on the playing staff.
According to supporters after the game the general feeling is they very much treated that game as very second best to their promotion push with lots of changes and view their next three fixtures as an important period against teams they should beat.
Their recent form has dipped however scoring just 2 goals in their last five games and the consensus is they are very much missing Norwood, and we could do with him out of the way Tuesday if so.
Sitting in fifth place on 29 points in a very tight table they are beginning to look vulnerable and hopefully we can add to their dip in form.
Our confidence must be on the rise with our recent results, and the main reason is we are scoring a few goals and we are looking more confident and aware of our set up in games with a much more fluent game going forward and through mid field.
It will be interesting to see the level of support Tuesday after our little upturn in results , a mid week game, not great weather, and work commitments, hopefully those there will have something to shout about and get behind the team, which to be honest has been good this season with the Black bank leading the way.
So an important game for us, selection should be easier after wins injury allowing and we can be more confident we can get back on track.
What do you think? lots to discuss. lots to look forward to, and important points at stake to try and get up the division and open up a points gap on the relegation places, and in a tight division even dream of pushing those teams in the play off positions.
Please have your say.
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They are obviously a strong side but they haven’t won a league game since 27 October and that was against rock bottom Port Vale.
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Stockport are going through their poor patch for the season, we have just come out of ours. A dour game I suspect, I hope Rovers win 5-0, but I wouldn't be surprised with a 1-1.
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If we keep up our recent improvement in form and performances there's little to fear from any other League One team other than perhaps Cardiff. Go for the jugular on Tuesday.
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We must keep the same starting 11 from the Peterborough & Chessie fa cup sides if they've all come through fit & healthy. That is our best starting 11 right now.
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Looks like it's going to be horrible weather although the forecast suggests the heavy gusty winds might subside by kick off but rain expected to persist.
Be prepared!
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Looks like it's going to be horrible weather although the forecast suggests the heavy gusty winds might subside by kick off but rain expected to persist.
Be prepared!
Strange, my weather app shows no rain around here, could be a bit windy but that's probably due to climate change according to the hysterical scaremongering idiots on here.
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If the weather is crap, there'll probably be a poor crowd with it being on Sky.
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Looks like it's going to be horrible weather although the forecast suggests the heavy gusty winds might subside by kick off but rain expected to persist.
Be prepared!
Strange, my weather app shows no rain around here, could be a bit windy but that's probably due to climate change according to the hysterical scaremongering idiots on here.
A pity when the science denying idiots ignore everything they're told, which includes the difference between weather and climate.
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Looks like it's going to be horrible weather although the forecast suggests the heavy gusty winds might subside by kick off but rain expected to persist.
Be prepared!
Strange, my weather app shows no rain around here, could be a bit windy but that's probably due to climate change according to the hysterical scaremongering idiots on here.
A pity when the science denying idiots ignore everything they're told, which includes the difference between weather and climate.
isn't the average temp only one degree higher than when records began? So yes, we are all deniers lol
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Thought of the day we play the Hatters four times in the League this season will we win any of them ?
they have scored a measly 23 and let in 21 in 17 games
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Looks like it's going to be horrible weather although the forecast suggests the heavy gusty winds might subside by kick off but rain expected to persist.
Be prepared!
Strange, my weather app shows no rain around here, could be a bit windy but that's probably due to climate change according to the hysterical scaremongering idiots on here.
A pity when the science denying idiots ignore everything they're told, which includes the difference between weather and climate.
Me a science denier? Au contraire, I'm not someone who thinks 6 foot 3, 18 stone, Big Hands Dave, Head of a Hippo and an enormous protuding Adam's Apple is a woman if he says he is. Biology says no but MachoMadness won't agree.
Anyway windy in today's weather that isn't affected by climate change, rather warm for December, though wind forecast to lessen, so hopefully we kick towards North Stand first half.
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They are obviously a strong side but they haven’t won a league game since 27 October and that was against rock bottom Port Vale.
Coincided with Oliver Norwood getting injured. He’s still out for this one. He was their playmaker.
Expect them to try go long to Wootton and Nathan Lowe instead.
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Before the season started, I was perusing the teams we would be competing with in League One.
I thought that if we were to mount a challenge for the top 6, we would need to be getting positive results against the likes of Lincoln, Stockport, Wycombe, Barnsley, Bolton, Wigan …. because they were the teams likely to be in and around the play-off places.
Obviously we have stuttered after our promising start to the season, and as expected Stockport are currently occupying one of the play-off places, but it’s worth noting that IF we get a win tonight, we will be only 4 points behind them.
Ever the optimist!
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Before the season started, I was perusing the teams we would be competing with in League One.
I thought that if we were to mount a challenge for the top 6, we would need to be getting positive results against the likes of Lincoln, Stockport, Wycombe, Barnsley, Bolton, Wigan …. because they were the teams likely to be in and around the play-off places.
Obviously we have stuttered after our promising start to the season, and as expected Stockport are currently occupying one of the play-off places, but it’s worth noting that IF we get a win tonight, we will be only 4 points behind them.
Ever the optimist!
You are right to be optimistic Pancho.
I remember someone last year continually coming on here telling everyone how our league position was false when bearing in mind how few of our wins had come against top ten sides.
In the end though, strangely enough, we finished as Champions.
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There are more sides recognisably better than us in this Division this season though Hound with more class in their line up who are top half of this division players.
Every side we pick to play has at least six or seven players from back to front of the team that have to be continually playing near their ceiling to compete against the top teams.
Not to say it is impossible but unlikely as regularly needed to challenge the top six over a season, and the few top players we have would move on for financial gain given the chance.
All the talk of January has been about bringing players in, but we could lose some just as easy as the agents will be looking for a cut if possible a la Olowu.
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Do you think there is a realistic chance someone could come in for our top players Selby? Personally I don’t think many of our current players could challenge for a starting place in a championship side, therefore I’d imagine any bids would come from within league one from teams with bigger budgets than ours. I’m certainly no expert on such things mind , just find it both interesting and also a little bit worrying that we might lose some of our talent.
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There are more sides recognisably better than us in this Division this season though Hound with more class in their line up who are top half of this division players.
Every side we pick to play has at least six or seven players from back to front of the team that have to be continually playing near their ceiling to compete against the top teams.
Not to say it is impossible but unlikely as regularly needed to challenge the top six over a season, and the few top players we have would move on for financial gain given the chance.
All the talk of January has been about bringing players in, but we could lose some just as easy as the agents will be looking for a cut if possible a la Olowu.
I know and agree with you Brian about the higher standard we are playing against this season.
We might not quite make the top six but as Pancho said, he was wondering whether we could be challenging for a place in the top six, not necessarily eventually winning a play off place.
At present we are only six points out of the top six and a little run of picking up points can quickly change things.
I am also sharing your concerns though about clubs making offers for one or two of our players, namely Bails and Mols.
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I hope our fans don’t give stick to Olowu if he plays tonight.
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Hound I am with you all the way, we have done well this season with the two little cup runs a bonus, and a good start.
If we do manage to challenge at all for a play off place come the end of February onwards I will be well pleased.
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I hope we show some grit and passion tonight. We can’t have teams coming to fortress eco power on a wet Tuesday night and taking points away can we.
Echoing the thoughts of some posters above myself, there’s a bigger gap than a lot of people thought between L1 and 2 isn’t there. Just look at Mols, ran rings around defenders in L2, now he’s up against much more capable characters in teams that no longer need to mark him 3:1 and he isn’t providing anywhere near the quality of ball in that he used to. Then when we play a L2 side (last Sat) there’s the stunning inch perfect cross for the skipper to nod in.
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A very bad night at the office. Every team playing tonight below rovers is winning with minutes left . Three points off drop and 4 teams below have a game in hand .
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Very odd performance tonight.
A massive lack of energy, mis placed passes and players look like they have lost their heads.
Also crowd has been very subdued.
A very strange night.
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From the few minutes I've watched thanks to sky, the ref was shocking but if you don't get a shot on target you won't score
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What a horrible ugly, crap game that was. A tough watch. Devoid of any merit..
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There are more sides recognisably better than us in this Division this season though Hound with more class in their line up who are top half of this division players.
Every side we pick to play has at least six or seven players from back to front of the team that have to be continually playing near their ceiling to compete against the top teams.
Not to say it is impossible but unlikely as regularly needed to challenge the top six over a season, and the few top players we have would move on for financial gain given the chance.
All the talk of January has been about bringing players in, but we could lose some just as easy as the agents will be looking for a cut if possible a la Olowu.
I know and agree with you Brian about the higher standard we are playing against this season.
We might not quite make the top six but as Pancho said, he was wondering whether we could be challenging for a place in the top six, not necessarily eventually winning a play off place.
At present we are only six points out of the top six and a little run of picking up points can quickly change things.
I am also sharing your concerns though about clubs making offers for one or two of our players, namely Bails and Mols.
Never mind the top six. Absolute pipe dream! We should be more concerned about the fight we’ve got out our hands to stay in the league. After tonight’s results, very likely we could be in the bottom 4 by Christmas. The Plymouth game is pivotal.
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Very odd performance tonight.
A massive lack of energy, mis placed passes and players look like they have lost their heads.
Also crowd has been very subdued.
A very strange night.
The crowd has been subdued for the last 6 or so home games. Feels like the momentum and positivity built up through the last 18 months has been completely shattered
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Very odd performance tonight.
A massive lack of energy, mis placed passes and players look like they have lost their heads.
Also crowd has been very subdued.
A very strange night.
The crowd has been subdued for the last 6 or so home games. Feels like the momentum and positivity built up through the last 18 months has been completely shattered
It seems that many fans are quick to get on the players backs rather than try and pick them up this season.
Some of our fanbase are quick to turn toxic and turn on players.
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Very poor quality from us tonight, many off colour and some missing completely (yes i'm looking at you Gibson) We made a very average side look good when all they had to do was bully us off the ball and wait for us to make the mistakes which they capitalised on.
Olowu had that absolute shocker foul on Bailey that was reckless, high and out of control, how the ref managed to find it a yellow we will never know but im thinking incompetence has a large part to play, Sharp and Mols got no protection from him and they both managed to get booked with their inevitable retaliation, for experienced payers this is poor.
We looked slow, weak and very timid throughout, game to forget, roll on Jan because we need reinforcements to stay in this league on our current trajectory.
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That was a Red all day. Oluwu tried to apologise at the end but Bailey wasn’t having it.
Rovers under McCann always seem to struggle against big, high energy, physical teams, and they did again tonight.
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That was a clear red card, no excuses and the ref bottled it. That changes the game and we draw or even win the game if the ref makes the right call.
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Very poor quality from us tonight, many off colour and some missing completely (yes i'm looking at you Gibson) We made a very average side look good when all they had to do was bully us off the ball and wait for us to make the mistakes which they capitalised on.
Olowu had that absolute shocker foul on Bailey that was reckless, high and out of control, how the ref managed to find it a yellow we will never know but im thinking incompetence has a large part to play, Sharp and Mols got no protection from him and they both managed to get booked with their inevitable retaliation, for experienced payers this is poor.
We looked slow, weak and very timid throughout, game to forget, roll on Jan because we need reinforcements to stay in this league on our current trajectory.
I can’t understand why we keep selecting so obviously, most teams we play could select our starting 11. Is it because we haven’t got sufficient cover or players who can step up to claim a place . We were our ran , out played and out classed . I dint think we had a shot on goal … wtf !!
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We were beaten by a better team tonight thought they did what they needed to do. Ref was abysmal all game never let it flow at all (for both sides) honestly thought Olowu should have had a red.
Does that booking mean a ban for Broadbent ?
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One match ban for Broadbent - on Saturday.
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We need to better at defending or we are in trouble, yes we need bodies up front but our giant cenrte backs are far too easily beaten & it will end up costing us.
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We need to better at defending or we are in trouble, yes we need bodies up front but our giant cenrte backs are far too easily beaten & it will end up costing us.
We need A STRIKER!!!!!!!!
We’ve defenders who are getting swamped because teams know we can’t convert our chances . Billy is half a yard off the pace and has no one around him to play too or off .
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McGrath needs to stop giving the ball away all the time with his Hollywood passes. Drives me bonkers.
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I assume he has been told to hit the early diagonal long balls to our wide players, which is essential to the McCann tactical plan. He seems to struggle to execute this though. Not easy mind.
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It shouldn't be the centre half's responsibility to be making probing passes to try and get things moving while our midfield absolve themselves of that responsibility too often.
We allow the opposition to get too comfortable, we voluntarily concede territory so all they have to do is wait for us to make mistakes, particularly in that critical period after half time.
Both teams play were littered with mistakes in the first half, possibly aided by the conditions but come the second half we have to make a better effort of gaining the initiative. Even when presented with free kicks, we refuse to play the ball into attacking areas and press them into making mistakes. We keep playing the ball sideways or backwards. To add to that, our corners last night were particularly woeful.
It's too easy to look at recruitment and say we need this or that but that's not addressing the mindset and motivation of players to produce the level of performance they're capable of.
What's really frustrating is we seemed to have dug ourselves out of hole with recent performances, but in one stroke we're back to square one.
McCann called it as it was but he's allowed it to happen and doesn't seem to be able to address the blindingly obvious during games or get the right messages across at half time.
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McCann again saying the players just need to believe.
How many of our players would have got in to the Stockport starting XI last night?
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McCann again saying the players just need to believe.
How many of our players would have got in to the Stockport starting XI last night?
Bailey that's it
I sorry to say Grant believes more into these players than he should but he plays the same system every game. Stop our wide players and we stop the attacking threat.
McGrath was responsible for both goals the first he kicks the ball against one of our players that drops to the midfield player. The second his pass is intercepted in midfield and they score the second.
Grant also made the mistake of starting Crew and Sharp instead of Clifton and Hanlan. It might have been different but marginal. We are what we are a mid to bottom league one side who might just avoid relegation.
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McCann again saying the players just need to believe.
How many of our players would have got in to the Stockport starting XI last night?
How many of ours are being paid comparably to what Stockport are paying their players?
They are very well funded and have a mix of established/experienced players, and players that are at their peak and very much belong at the top end of this division.
Unfortunately we're not in the market for players like Diamond, Lowe, Mothersile, Wootton, Moxon, Osborn, Hills etc etc. I could go on.
Comparing ourselves to them is pointless because they are miles ahead of where we are as a club at the moment in terms of the kinds of players they can attract, but I thought we matched them for 60+ mins last night and for the most part they looked very ordinary. The difference was they had the quality to make the breakthrough when it mattered and had another gear to go to. Osborn who scored the first goal has played his entire career in the Championship and Premier League before this season.
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Last season, the long diagonal ball by a CB to the opposite side winger was a feature of our attacking play and eventual title win.
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Pib:
They are very well funded and have a mix of established/experienced players, and players that are at their peak and very much belong at the top end of this division.
Then why kid ourselves into thinking we’re top end L1? It’s becoming increasingly clear that we’re simply not at this level, certainly nowhere near top half for sure. There’s more to it than ‘belief’ - what about physicality, technical ability, skill and pace?
January presents our last chance to correct some of the imbalances. Get recruitment wrong again and we’re looking like trap door material.
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Pib:
They are very well funded and have a mix of established/experienced players, and players that are at their peak and very much belong at the top end of this division.
Then why kid ourselves into thinking we’re top end L1? It’s becoming increasingly clear that we’re simply not at this level, certainly nowhere near top half for sure. There’s more to it than ‘belief’ - what about physicality, technical ability, skill and pace?
January presents our last chance to correct some of the imbalances. Get recruitment wrong again and we’re looking like trap door material.
I've never thought we are top end L1 this season. GM might have said that in the media but how much of that is bravado? Doesn't send a great message out to the players/supporters if he says we're aiming to finish one place above the bottom 4.
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Never suggested you did say that - I was referring to what GM has preached to the squad. He obviously believes the squad is good enough, but the evidence is now telling all of us (and, secretly, GM as well) that we’re well short. Mistakes have been made with recruitment and that needs correcting in January. To start with Billy as the main man up top was ludicrous, for example.
We wait with baited breath!
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Last season, the long diagonal ball by a CB to the opposite side winger was a feature of our attacking play and eventual title win.
That long diagonal ball to the opposite side winger only hit its target once last night, every other time it simply handed possession back to the opposition... and that is not counting the short passes that did the same.
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Never suggested you did say that - I was referring to what GM has preached to the squad. He obviously believes the squad is good enough, but the evidence is now telling all of us (and, secretly, GM as well) that we’re well short. Mistakes have been made with recruitment and that needs correcting in January. To start with Billy as the main man up top was ludicrous, for example.
We wait with baited breath!
Grant has been telling us that Billy’s form has been great.
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Seeing a lot of comments Stockport weren’t that great.
I thought they were good, strong, organised and very direct which caused a couple of our yellows.
I thought we had to work REALLY hard first half just to compete with them.
Then they wore us down. Some of our lads looks shattered.
I’d be very surprised if they are not top 3 or 4.
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Seeing a lot of comments Stockport weren’t that great.
I thought they were good, strong, organised and very direct which caused a couple of our yellows.
I thought we had to work REALLY hard first half just to compete with them.
Then they wore us down. Some of our lads looks shattered.
I’d be very surprised if they are not top 3 or 4.
I agree. Not sure ive seen a better side in this league so far.
The conditions were awful with the ridiculous strong wind which they seemed to deal with better than us.
Like others have said, the team selection was baffling. It wasn’t the right game to start with Crew instead of Clifton, and Sharp showed nothing apart from signs of frustration. Whats happened to Middleton? . When Gibsons having an “off day” he’s the obvious replacement.
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It took Stockport 81 minutes before they got a shot on target, Rovers never got one at all. It was an awful football match to watch, I am not at all sure whether Bailey was lucky to stay on the field with that foul late on, it didn't look good from where I was sitting, a foul born out of real frustration with his own side as much as with Stockport.
Without a shake up in January and at least a coupe of additions in vital places There is going to be a horrendous struggle to stay up this season.
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It took Stockport 81 minutes before they got a shot on target, Rovers never got one at all. It was an awful football match to watch, I am not at all sure whether Bailey was lucky to stay on the field with that foul late on, it didn't look good from where I was sitting, a foul born out of real frustration with his own side as much as with Stockport.
Without a shake up in January and at least a coupe of additions in vital places There is going to be a horrendous struggle to stay up this season.
Let’s be fair about this, yes Stockport were one of our better opponents this season but had the ref done his job properly and dismissed Olowu in the tenth minute we could have been playing eighty minutes or more against ten men and the outcome would probably been very different.
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That’s stretching it a bit hound. We didn’t look like scoring all night and, with ten men, it would have been a case of them closing ranks and a complete bore fest (which it was anyway).
Their keeper didn’t have to make a save until the 71st minute! And that was it.
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It took Stockport 81 minutes before they got a shot on target, Rovers never got one at all. It was an awful football match to watch, I am not at all sure whether Bailey was lucky to stay on the field with that foul late on, it didn't look good from where I was sitting, a foul born out of real frustration with his own side as much as with Stockport.
Without a shake up in January and at least a coupe of additions in vital places There is going to be a horrendous struggle to stay up this season.
81 minutes before Stockport got a shot on target??
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That’s stretching it a bit hound. We didn’t look like scoring all night and, with ten men, it would have been a case of them closing ranks and a complete bore fest (which it was anyway).
Their keeper didn’t have to make a save until the 71st minute! And that was it.
Perhaps it could have meant them closing ranks Alan but I feel sure it would have given us a better chance of winning the game.
It’s all about opinions though mate.
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Hound, we won the championship last season in the last few months of the season, and Anderson's distribution and defensive ability in our long run to the end of the season with Bailey alongside him was a marked step up defensively and possession wise from what happened before they were thrust together. Before that we were slipping back and in danger of missing out on even the play offs and were shipping goals.
The odd Hollywood ball across the width of a pitch is always a 50 50 ball and if intercepted can be a nightmare gift and chancy.
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I know that it is a risky ball but the players we had in those advanced positions made it an effective attacking weapon.
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It took Stockport 81 minutes before they got a shot on target, Rovers never got one at all. It was an awful football match to watch, I am not at all sure whether Bailey was lucky to stay on the field with that foul late on, it didn't look good from where I was sitting, a foul born out of real frustration with his own side as much as with Stockport.
Without a shake up in January and at least a coupe of additions in vital places There is going to be a horrendous struggle to stay up this season.
81 minutes before Stockport got a shot on target??
Surely that's a typo lol, 61 minutes?
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It took Stockport 81 minutes before they got a shot on target, Rovers never got one at all. It was an awful football match to watch, I am not at all sure whether Bailey was lucky to stay on the field with that foul late on, it didn't look good from where I was sitting, a foul born out of real frustration with his own side as much as with Stockport.
Without a shake up in January and at least a coupe of additions in vital places There is going to be a horrendous struggle to stay up this season.
81 minutes before Stockport got a shot on target??
Surely that's a typo lol, 61 minutes?
they had a at least one shot on target in first half and also they missed a great chance just after half time.