Stevenage (A)

[Teammoo]

Is there anyone at the match tonight who can keep us informed on here as to whats happening?

[lestiverton]

Have just switched over to Radio Stoke. Sounds as though there'll be live commentary.

[alexmick]

Have just switched over to Radio Stoke. Sounds as though there'll be live commentary.

Yes, through to 10pm tonight. On all frequencies.

[PAULCAFC]

1-0 down already!

[Fidler]

Ominous start against a side that we have never beaten but in our present perilous position is one we should be capable of beating. The Alex's form is just so unpredictable.

[alexmick]

Ominous start against a side that we have never beaten but in our present perilous position is one we should be capable of beating. The Alex's form is just so unpredictable.

Or should that be predicable? ;D Looking on the bright side, they did have their moments and Moore was causing problems with some tricky crosses. It was Aneke who missed with a poor header from one such cross, when it was easier to score (said McGarry). Still, there are 45 minutes left to rescue this game.

[PAULCAFC]

Looking ominous now.

[Gobstopper]

A bad one to lose this, it was very important to get at least a draw but the team that turned up were not good enough, 11 shots with 1 on target speaks for itself.

[grestyraider7]

Feel completely flat after that. On top of the world last Saturday afternoon. Complete lack of consistency which I think will be our downfall.

[Crewebeedoo]

Very poor result. And Steve's usual tactics of giving 2 subs 5 minutes and 3 minutes respectively to make a difference!!

[all]

ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL

[PAULCAFC]

Poor result esp after the Vale triumph.

[AlexLeicester]

Horrible result. If we were still playing now it would still be 1-0.:blue:
We were disjointed with little coherence and it was one of those nights when we were simply not going to score, no matter what.

I would not blame Etheridge for the goal - that was a classic Alex defence mess - but he did not look as settled and assured as he had. (Comments on the other thread were, I think, largely correct.)

Commentary on Moore's crosses was also pretty good, but they were obviously just slightly too high for headers to be on target.

The 2nd half was mostly much better, with Inman being marked out of the game (sometimes having to deal with three defenders), Toots switching things to the other side.

Far too many poorly hit passes and clearances, in terms of both direction and weight, which Stevenage easily picked up.

For me this was an all round lacklustre performance without confidence, and the Alex looked tired and worn out for the first 45 minutes, brightening up for the next 35, and then

[crewedaft]

Had gone to the match with high hopes but we put in a poor perforfance, apart from a 20 minute spell in the second half when it looked like we would score.

We had three good chances - all headers. A free one for Aneke that he put straight at the keeper and two in the second half put over. We don't really do headed goals do we?

We were much the better footballing side but were out fought by an extremely limited Stevenage side. Once they were a goal up they simply sat on the edge of their box and hoofed the ball upfield when an attack broke down.

It showed the importance in football of scoring first. If it had been us that got an early goal I think we would have won comfortably, but as it is we rarely looked like breaking down a massed defence.

Not necessarily disastrous IF we can pick ourselves up on Saturday. We have the players to keep us up.

And well done to Batman in the away end!!

[RenegadeDS]

What a waste of Saturday's result that was.

[somersetcrewe]

What a waste of Saturday's result that was.


Never did understand comments like that!!?
If we lost on Saturday too, that would have been a waste.
3 pts is never a waste ... ... unless I'm missing something? :?

[AlexLeicester]

One thing that did concern me was the lack of communication. At least twice as we pressed forward an excellent through pass from Matts split their defence and was moving between Inman and Moore. Moore seemed better placed, but he seemed to defer to Inman, whose cross/shot came to nought.
Is there some sort of undeclared pecking order? Does Moore have to let Inman take the ball if they are equidistant, even though he is better placed?

Maybe they just need to talk to each other more.

[RenegadeDS]

What a waste of Saturday's result that was.


Never did understand comments like that!!?
If we lost on Saturday too, that would have been a waste.
3 pts is never a waste ... ... unless I'm missing something? :?[/quote]

We weren't expecting to win on Saturday, and we were relatively expecting to get something from last night's game. To pick up the three points against the Vale should have been seen as three bonus points to go on top of what we expected to get at Stevenage - whereas now they are the three points we expected to get anyway. We wasted the opportunity to turn three expected points into three expected points plus three unexpected ones.

[VindePays2009]

In all my years (55) of following the Alex, I can't honestly say that even one point from an away game was to be "expected", ever. Not by me, anyway.

The humblest teams can man the pumps and keep you out, while the mightiest can, on occasion, be turned over (admittedly not that often).

Three points from two away games, whichever way round they were obtained, is good shooting.

We have to do it at home, hoping that Ranger is still tied up with his court business and not selected. Though no doubt he can be.

[duschko]

Listening to the Swindon manager on the BBC website gives me great encouragement for Saturday. He reminds me a lot of that nice Mr Adams from Burslem. - view external link (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25817497)

[somersetcrewe]

We wasted the opportunity to turn three expected points into three expected points plus three unexpected ones.


Ok, I knew what you were trying to say really, I was being a little mischievous - but did you honestly expect 3 points away from home against a team who we have never beaten, (in 6 attempts), and who just know how to rough us up?
I didn't!
I hoped - but I certainly didn't expect!

[RenegadeDS]

After the Vale performance, I wasn't expecting to lose let's put it that way.