Donny

[gazan]

We can't seem to get away from playing this team!
So FA Cup. LB has already thrown potential money winning opportunities out of the window by fielding a weakened side in the League Cup so what's his plan for this competition? Surely someone should have a word in his ear about trying to get as far as possible in the cup with the chance of some money-spinning encounters as well as excitement for the fans.
So will the Alex be at full strength on Saturday? I hope so. Donny are having a bit of an underwhelming period but then, so are we. Can't see us managing a win (hope they've been practising penalties!). However, in terms of season's progress, this is a bit of a free hit. The following week will reveal where we are.

[Teammoo]

The possible return of CO'R adds a little more "interest" to the game.

[Gobstopper]

We can't seem to get away from playing this team!
So FA Cup. LB has already thrown potential money winning opportunities out of the window by fielding a weakened side in the League Cup so what's his plan for this competition? Surely someone should have a word in his ear about trying to get as far as possible in the cup with the chance of some money-spinning encounters as well as excitement for the fans.
So will the Alex be at full strength on Saturday? I hope so. Donny are having a bit of an underwhelming period but then, so are we. Can't see us managing a win (hope they've been practising penalties!). However, in terms of season's progress, this is a bit of a free hit. The following week will reveal where we are.

I wouldn,t be surprised to see a couple of players that we haven't seen much of this season maybe Moult who would be a good addition and maybe there are a couple of loan players who are not being given permission to play by there parent club.

[MikeSB]

If we play like we did last Saturday, then we should be able to give them a game. One advantage now is no replays with drawn games and it goes to penalties if its still a draw after extra time.

Its difficult to predict and if our team shut their eyes and ears to the coaching staff, it could be a win for us. 2-1

[gazan]

Going for 1-2.

[gazan]

So LB takes the FA Cup seriously, he says. So no major changes to tomorrow's team, then?????

[MikeSB]

No regulars posting then? Was it that bad?

2000 plus fans tell us the magic of the FA disappeared a long time ago and we had 20,000 in the ground at a FA cup match in 1961..

We have almost two side stands empty on match days and nothing is being done to address that like half price tickets?

[lukcour]

Yes Mike I am in the same position. Was it that bad that all posters have given up. I could not attend . The only snippet I have is the BBC text report. It was quite brief but kind of gave the impression that Donny dominated. No matter how hard I searched I could not find anywhere to view it,

[MikeSB]

Yes Mike I am in the same position. Was it that bad that all posters have given up. I could not attend . The only snippet I have is the BBC text report. It was quite brief but kind of gave the impression that Donny dominated. No matter how hard I searched I could not find anywhere to view it,

I didn't attend but thought it would be on RStoke as only one other match on there as Vale are playing today but no, nothing and followed the text like you did my friend.

I suppose its the old money racket again and they are not allowed to commentate on BBC now?

The Donny manager was quite negative in his summation of the match and yet LB was upbeat. Work that one out!

What is that 715 thing Stoke advertise as where the commentary would be? Is that TV as I don't watch that now and wonder if its available on the computer?

Its also interesting that in those old days the whole first division players turned out on FA cup days like they did when we played Chelsea away in the 3rd round and Jimmy Greaves played and all the other players did too...We won 2-1 LOL..

Dario never bettered that no matter how good people thought the team was then...

[MikeSB]

I was thinking as you do!

Here I am speaking about when we beat Chelsea away all those years ago and drew with the brilliant Spurs team at home again all those years ago and now!!!!

Fans here and there think we would lose yesterday, not to a PL side or a Championship side but a team that really is equivalent to us and from just one league up and they were not playing that well anyway.

So in the old days we beat teams three or four leagues higher and now not surprised we got beat yesterday?

I think in reality we have gone downhill as a club n matter what they say about progress. We are a so called 'development' club with loads and loads of non players trying to tell players HOW to pass a ball and score goals. Go and read about the football greats and see what they think about academies. They are a job creation scheme for non players and ex players who would find a problem seeking out work now.

Problem is all the chairmen and Directors are wedded to them as are most fans and the only remedy is to well stop going and find something better else to do...

You cannot train or coach any footballer and that has always been the case and now once again we have a fourth rate team with well you name what we have now in terms of managers, coaches, Directors and Chairmen of football clubs. Its sad to see but a sign of the times, I'm afraid!

[ShropshireAlex]

Live commentray on R Stoke throughout - yes TV channel 715 is R Stoke sound. Not a bad match at all, both managers picked basically their strongest available teams on current form, bar giving Waller a good go in goal, though even at 15 and 10 pounds only 2996 were interested (530 odd from Donny). End to end stuff throughout - we played pretty well (especially the skipper and O'Reilly) against a mid table team a league above, who won our league last season. Great goal from Demetriou just before half time though pretty level over all. They equalized 10inutes into 2nd half, and both teams continued to go for it to the end - pretty sure they preferred any result to playing 30 more minutes, even though Bell said ininterview gutted to be tlking when we should still be playing out there. We thought that was certain when started extra time, bad decision by Moult lost a chance to get in on goal, then Donny attacked on our left - Bell and Dicker were screamming at Holicek and Hutchinson to close Molyneux down - so was everyone round me! - but they backed off, good cross in and their skipper read it better than defenders to steer in. Game over.

[MikeSB]

Live commentray on R Stoke throughout - yes TV channel 715 is R Stoke sound. Not a bad match at all, both managers picked basically their strongest available teams on current form, bar giving Waller a good go in goal, though even at 15 and 10 pounds only 2996 were interested (530 odd from Donny). End to end stuff throughout - we played pretty well (especially the skipper and O'Reilly) against a mid table team a league above, who won our league last season. Great goal from Demetriou just before half time though pretty level over all. They equalized 10inutes into 2nd half, and both teams continued to go for it to the end - pretty sure they preferred any result to playing 30 more minutes, even though Bell said ininterview gutted to be tlking when we should still be playing out there. We thought that was certain when started extra time, bad decision by Moult lost a chance to get in on goal, then Donny attacked on our left - Bell and Dicker were screamming at Holicek and Hutchinson to close Molyneux down - so was everyone round me! - but they backed off, good cross in and their skipper read it better than defenders to steer in. Game over.

Thanks for the report. SJoke said the Stoke game was on FM and DAB and Crewe was on 715

Sorry I cannot keep repeating the problem and LB and RD should not have needed to shout to the defenders, get rid as they do know their job. And the problem with RH and coaching is the players are playing by numbers and not by instinct and why the old professionals are not in favour of them. You used to be signed by clubs as as player and not some dimwit!

[Timmy58]

Thanks for the report. SJoke said the Stoke game was on FM and DAB and Crewe was on 715

Sorry I cannot keep repeating the problem and LB and RD should not have needed to shout to the defenders, get rid as they do know their job. And the problem with RH and coaching is the players are playing by numbers and not by instinct and why the old professionals are not in favour of them. You used to be signed by clubs as as player and not some dimwit!

I see you have reverted to normal again. You attended the Grimsby match and seemed to enjoy what was served up. And that would without question been courtesy of the management.coaching team. I am choosing my words carefully here but it really is naive of you to label all coaching as unnecessary. Every club in the land employs coaches because, guess what, it works. According to you, coaching in any sport is unnecessary. How the hell you expect anyone to improve in, say, tennis or cricket or football to name 3 is the burning question. I realise you are of a generation that has seen the games change and not for the better in your view. But Mike, you are wrong. Completely wrong.

[MikeSB]

I see you have reverted to normal again. You attended the Grimsby match and seemed to enjoy what was served up. And that would without question been courtesy of the management.coaching team. I am choosing my words carefully here but it really is naive of you to label all coaching as unnecessary. Every club in the land employs coaches because, guess what, it works. According to you, coaching in any sport is unnecessary. How the hell you expect anyone to improve in, say, tennis or cricket or football to name 3 is the burning question. I realise you are of a generation that has seen the games change and not for the better in your view. But Mike, you are wrong. Completely wrong.

I played golf to a single figure handicap without one lesson from a golf professional. Go and read what real professional footballers say about academies and coaching and hear them say they never had a
Icoaching lesson in their life and that it is detrimental to the ability of players. I have said the whole time that I do not believe in ooaching and academies as that was my own experience too..

I said before the game on Sat that keep the coaches away and we may win that game. Are you realy telling me the defenders did not know they needed to tackle their goal scorer without the coaches telling them? If so, they are not suitable for playing professional or any kind of sport. Players get better by playing against better players and why we have PL players and non league and both have coaching staff and academies....Have you ever heard of natural ability? I am not wrong but you are...Did you ever play football between 10 and 25 years of age with a team of others and all with different abilities?

Garry Player said when a coach can play better golf than him he will listen to them. He never had or needed a ooach. Do you now expect me to change my views now? I am totally against coaching 5 year olds, 10 year olds and 15 year olds. and even 22 year olds...Billions have been spent on academies and we still have not won a world cup since 1966..

Go and read about Alan Devonshire or what Jimmy Greaves thought. You really don't need to believe me..

[MikeSB]

We spend over one million pounds a season on an academy and multiple managers and coaches and we cannot even beat a club in the first round that doesn't spend that sort of money and yet decades ago well over 50 years ago we used to beat some PL clubs and never spent a sausage on academies or gyms or anything and the players turned up and played some excellent football.

It may just be me but my brain tells me there is something drastically wrong with what we do and nobody has a clue how to stop it...They just sit there and keep doing the same thing over. I will please most here when I say that I will be taking a rest from posting here as what is the point of a handful of posters when the majority of fans eg 99% cannot be arsed to give an opinion....

Not just that but this site has gone all haywire again..