Match Thread vs. Torquay United 09.04.22 [NL]

[laddo]

After a surprise 5-1 hammering and no show at Plainmoor it's all about how we respond in the next couple of games. A shock to the system like that can go one of two ways. It can be a hammer blow to squad morale which we don't recover from and it shows in the remaining perfomances this season against inferior opposition. Or it could and should be a wake-up call to all involved which sees us dig in and win the next two games and end the season on a high. This is was I fully expect.

I predicted a defeat as Torquay are decent and it's away from the Lane but didn't expect a hammering. I haven't all season bar the Stockport away fixture for the obvious reasons.

I

[BigFatPie]

Despite getting hammered yesterday, I don’t think it will have changed many people’s thoughts about what will happen this season, we’ll make the playoffs but lose to the first decent side we play.

My main beef is the obfuscation surrounding Cal’s absence and also Eli was supposed to be ill but turned out to be suspended for 3 games. I think we have great owners, but I would be surprised if they tolerate dishonesty.

[keldsyke]

Despite getting hammered yesterday, I don’t think it will have changed many people’s thoughts about what will happen this season, we’ll make the playoffs but lose to the first decent side we play.

My main beef is the obfuscation surrounding Cal’s absence and also Eli was supposed to be ill but turned out to be suspended for 3 games. I think we have great owners, but I would be surprised if they tolerate dishonesty.

Eli was suspended for 3 games, how and why?

[countygump]

Despite getting hammered yesterday, I don’t think it will have changed many people’s thoughts about what will happen this season, we’ll make the playoffs but lose to the first decent side we play.

My main beef is the obfuscation surrounding Cal’s absence and also Eli was supposed to be ill but turned out to be suspended for 3 games. I think we have great owners, but I would be surprised if they tolerate dishonesty.

Agreed and as with Kel, Eli's suspension is news to me.

[Elite_Pie]

Agreed and as with Kel, Eli's suspension is news to me.

Maybe Burchnall left him hanging?

[optipez]

Where we are today after the 5-1 thrashing yesterday has a similar aspect for me to when we lost in the cup to Hornchurch just over a year ago in IB's first game. We had a multiple amount of Tue/Sat games afterwards, but then after his first full week on the training ground, we had an away game at Plainmoor where we really looked a decent outfit and got a 2-2 draw. In our last eight games we won six of them, losing and drawing against Bromley. It was the difference between NA and IB that shone through in those last eight games.

Ironically we've come back from Plainmoor this year at a similar time of the season with a completely different performance and result. What we must do however is now go on and replicate that attacking and brave style of football that was the difference between NA and IB at the end of last season.

It's quite possible we could go an win 6 out of the last 7 as we've got four home games Kings Lynn, Weymouth, Dover and Altrincham. We should be looking to win all of those games. Then three away games at Dover, Aldershot and Maidenhead. For me it's those three away games that will ultimately decide what place in the play-offs we will finish in.

I think it's sixth of seventh MM. I can't see us picking up three more wins than Solihull or closing a seven point gap ( goal difference is worth a point ) with seven to play on Chesterfield.
We've quietly given up on top spot halfway through the season, second and third after the Stockport and Chesterfield away defeats and yesterday I think put a final nail in the fifth and sixth position.
So, at best we've now got back to back away play-off matches to come.
The manager blaming the players for not being at it, not following the plan, not being brave enough on the ball, not a high enough work rate is not really helpful at this time of the season. The squad is all we've got and it may be more helpful and better for morale if he shares some of the responsibility rather than always being one step removed from every defeat.
We have got a benign run in, an ideal chance to string a proper good run together but Anticlough is right, Burch is negative. He wasn't when he started but he has become very cautious and I think he needs to rediscover a bit of that positivity as we're not going to 1-0 our way through the playoffs based on what's gone this season.

[BigFatPie]

Agreed and as with Kel, Eli's suspension is news to me.

Can’t find the source for it so I must be wrong about that one.

[nw6pie]

Eli was suspended for 3 games, how and why?

An incident in the Yeovil game - the altercation in the second half after Chicksen went in late on their man and the handbags came out. The league reviewed the incident, fined both teams and then also saw Eli committing a violent offence - hence the (uncontested) three-game ban.

[keldsyke]

An incident in the Yeovil game - the altercation in the second half after Chicksen went in late on their man and the handbags came out. The league reviewed the incident, fined both teams and then also saw Eli committing a violent offence - hence the (uncontested) three-game ban.

Ah ok, didn’t hear about that, was it in the media?

[Elite_Pie]

An incident in the Yeovil game - the altercation in the second half after Chicksen went in late on their man and the handbags came out. The league reviewed the incident, fined both teams and then also saw Eli committing a violent offence - hence the (uncontested) three-game ban.

Brilliant detective work nw6, if that's true it explains an awful lot.

Out of interest, if it really is true why didn't the club make it public?