Harrogate

[Wartman]

I think you are confusing me with somebody else! 😉
And in reply to WBW, again, fair point. But I repeat that the damage/humiliation to Sambou and the effect on team from Bassala's appearance might have been greater than any possible damage to Matus and the team had he played.

I think we were fortunate that Hartlepool had a player sent off as they looked more than capable of beating us 11 v 11 and looked the better side leading up to the sending off. Sambou is rank awful and has never been anything different than that, we are finding it hard to get our academy players out on loan at a decent level and you have to ask why ?

Anyway onto the game in question 3-0 defeat for me I think we look an awful team on and off the pitch and the 2-0 win the other night is just papering over the cracks I hope I’m wrong.

[Timmy58]

I think we were fortunate that Hartlepool had a player sent off as they looked more than capable of beating us 11 v 11 and looked the better side leading up to the sending off. Sambou is rank awful and has never been anything different than that, we are finding it hard to get our academy players out on loan at a decent level and you have to ask why ?

Anyway onto the game in question 3-0 defeat for me I think we look an awful team on and off the pitch and the 2-0 win the other night is just papering over the cracks I hope I’m wrong.

Hartlepool really did not look the better side before the sending off. The Alex were just shading it and I am not saying we would have won without the red card, but I think they probably would. Poor in the second half when we probably should have hunted more goals but the result was never in doubt from when the first goal went in.

Be nice to be talking us up rather than down all the time but I realise that in some peoples eyes, they need to earn that. And that is fair enough.

[frogpole]

Same starting XI as Tuesday

Robertson on the bench ...

[frogpole]

Great point on the road ...

.... and we gave them a 2 goal start !!!

[gazan]

If only the game started at 80 minutes!

[gazan]

Uwakwe MOTM for his 10 mins. Can we also clone Concrete Rod as he added something to the forward line as well as being Mr Reliable at the back.
O'Riordan was partially responsible for the first goal but I hope that doesn't mean he'll be on the bench on Tuesday. However, for me, Richards can be.
Offord seems to have really lost his decisiveness and who is that alien wearing Thomas's body (been there a couple of months now)?
Agyei is so bloody annoying but at least he can find a turn of speed when there's a chance of a goal for him.
Finally, there was definitely an element of desperation stakes in Bell's substitution/adjustments but, they paid off!
So just Rochdale left to offer some opportunity for points but other than that game it all gets a bit tougher from here on in.

[frogpole]

Finally, there was definitely an element of desperation stakes in Bell's substitution/adjustments but, they paid off!

Think Lee deserves a bit more credit than that - two down with 10 minutes to go he tried to get something out of the game.

If it was the opposition that had done it to us, we'd have been praising their actions.

Makes up for Crawley to some extent.

[Timmy58]

Think Lee deserves a bit more credit than that - two down with 10 minutes to go he tried to get something out of the game.

If it was the opposition that had done it to us, we'd have been praising their actions.

Makes up for Crawley to some extent.

Crawley & Harrogate, same result and totally opposite feelings. 2 points lost to 1 point gained. I think that one thing that stands out here is that Lee Bell, whether the right man for the job or not, has got the team battling. Might not always be pretty to watch but it is the spirit that will see us not troubling the bottom 2 positions in League 2

[frogpole]

Crawley & Harrogate, same result and totally opposite feelings. 2 points lost to 1 point gained. I think that one thing that stands out here is that Lee Bell, whether the right man for the job or not, has got the team battling. Might not always be pretty to watch but it is the spirit that will see us not troubling the bottom 2 positions in League 2

That was exactly my thoughts after the game as well. Coming back from 2 goals down in the last ten minutes showed really good team spirit.

[gazan]

I agree. There must be some spirit there. That's what recent results tell us. So, it must be tactics then. The fact that the team play everything slowly without verve and lack of outwardly obvious spirit must be how they are told to play.