NEW: v Northampton Town - GAME ON!!!!

[arcadia]

I couldn't get to the game last night but I really feel for the poor 2,000 souls who made it. What I can't understand is that against Portsmouth, I thought Tonge looked very solid and had about his best game in a Torquay shirt despite a generally shaky time at Plainmoor so far. So why was he dropped in favour on Manse at RB? Like so many others I've felt for so long Mansell and Nicholson simply aren't league standard anymore. What seems disappointing is that for a third manager in a row the team is picked on the basis of who's been at the club the longest. Not since the days of Buckle has the best players regardless of their status at the club been picked to do the job. I really feel this will end up seeing us go down. Of course no-one expects us to compete with the changes Northampton have made but we continue not to make the best use of the players at our disposal it seems to me.

Last night was all about if's and buts I felt that Poke should have been off his line quicker and been braver and been at the strikers feet for the first goal. If the ref. had stopped the game it would not have happened, perhaps Bodin should have grabbed his head and the game would have stopped. We have got to be tighter in the middle of midfield early in the game and that means if Chris is going to play Benyon then he's got to play deeper at times but I would start Mansell there especially away from home. By the way Mansell is good enough but last night did look a bit out of sorts and you could see he wanted to get more involved.

[brucie]

Not at full back he isn't. I don't actually like Hargreaves style of making a stupid joke every five seconds in his pre match interview. I know he is media friendly and pally with all the people at the BBC but listening to his interview on the way to the ground on radio devon was embarassing.
If thats the way he conducts training with a playground ethos with the likes of Mansell and Nicholson then we are in big trouble.
Getting beaten by Northampton was bad enough. Getting outthought by Knill who showed all the tactical nous of a blind gnat during his time here was even worse.

[Gullscorer]

Getting beaten by Northampton was bad enough. Getting outthought by Knill who showed all the tactical nous of a blind gnat during his time here was even worse.

I think you'll find a certain Mr Wilder did the thinking and made the decisions..
I know what you mean, though...

[teeboo100]

I have to agree with most on here regarding last nights farce the full back issue needs to be addressed and addressed now back 4 oconner downes pearse cruise it isnt difficult Also where the hell has nathan craig gone give the lad a bloody chance he is the best dead ball specialist we have bar none. I went to scunthorpe nathan hit 2 free kicks that day that the goal frame is still shaking from and can ping a pass with either foot give the boy a go... also i love elliott benyon lovely lad tries his heart out however my 6 y old would be more of a threat up top how about goodwyn who is a forward not a winger with pace to burn how about him and o brien up top do something different. Stockley is ok but once again possesses zero goal threat we need goals thats why we have bought o brien and goodwyn in to score goals why dont we try the novel idea of playing these players in the right positions. Chris hargreaves needs to show some managerial teeth right now the old guard need to sit in the stand and the young pups need blooding dont mess about we need to give ourseleves a realistic shot at avoiding the trap door. WE WILL NEVER COME BACK IF WE GO THROUGH IT NEVER

[torq2u]

Last's night match was just so full of irony that we were bound to lose: NTFC - the other club CH interviewed for; AK turning up as asst manager there; our league positions; the original match postponed at a time when NTFC were hopelessly drowning; the loss of momentum caused by postponements; and then Marquis signing for them in time to play against us.

Mind you I can't understand why the groundstaff didn't water the pitch at half time to make the ball zing off the surface to benefit our wide men.

At least that way the match might have got abandoned

[bobby93]

I felt we lined up very strangely, and I really do not understand the wisdom of all these young loanees. I'm sure they are all worth a punt for one reason or another, but not at the same time. There's no way we can see what they're capable of if we don't use them properly.

Quality, not quantity, Mr Hargreaves.

Plus Chappell should be the first name on the team sheet in my opinion.

[tomogull]

Hargreaves sounded very downbeat after the game - I wonder if he knows the writing is already on the wall. For me our chance went when Hawley replaced Benyon - I actually think he looked completely disinterested and managed to spurn a great chance heading wide.
Hargreaves sustitutions were really just as predictable as Knills. The blindingly obvious second half change for me would have been to have taken off Mansell shifting the offensive O'Connor combining him with Chappell down the left flank which was the only one playable. As well as giving us a more attacking option it would have given us Downes aerial threat at set pieces. Northampton looked vulnerable with balls going to into their box.

Chris H did sound downbeat in his interview after the match. He now must know he's got a hell of a job on his hands. I, too, felt that Downes should have been brought on for his aerial threat as much as anything and O'Connor switched to right back. Their keeper didn't look too hot and yet we rarely tested him. Brucie's right (isn't he always, Wivel ??) - it appeared the best surface was the right flank (no - Brucie's WRONG ! - it wasn't the LEFT flank - it was the right flank second half) and yet we continually pumped the ball down the left in front of Bristow's Bench where the pitch was worst. Chris Wilder's sides seem to adopt the 'up and at 'em high tempo' style - Oxford played in a similar way earlier in the season, but better of course.

I agree that Chappell deserves a starting place more often. The snag is - you never know which Jordan Chappell is going to turn up - the 'man of the match' as last night, or having no impact. Same goes for Billy Bodin. There have been several good postings on here since the match. As Gullscorer posted, this could be a blessing in disguise because the weaknesses in the team were glaringly obvious to all last night.

But let's stay positive - I return to the 'take two games at a time' idea suggested on here months ago - was it you Forever? I like that idea. We took 3 points from the Wimbledon/Oxford games, 3 points from the Portsmouth/Northampton games. If we take 3 points from every two games we will stay up - more than 3 points would be better of course. We've got some tough 'six pointers' in the coming weeks - Accrington, Exeter, Mansfield, Bristol Rvrs, Wycombe, Bury .... even Cheltenham. We need to win more of those than we lose.

A word on last night's ref, Chris Sarginson. He's always struck me as being quite a good ref but he seemed to let a lot of niggly fouls go last night. I'm not convinced the challenge on Bodin was a foul or if it was a well-timed tackle - need to see that in close-up slow motion. Who'd be a ref? In any case, as CH said in his interview, play went from one end of the pitch to the other and we didn't get in a challenge. Last night was a bad day at the office. It's over and done with - let's look forward to the next couple of games - Chesterfield and Accrington.

[TeenageGull]

Am I the only person who thought Benyon was absolutely useless last night?

[yellowmonkey]

Hargreaves out !!!! :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :na: :na: :na:

[Magpiegull]

I was surprised that Jack Rudge didn't even make the bench last night. His signing was heralded by CH as a "real coup" but as he is now at the end of his second week at Plainmoor it wouldn't appear that he is going to get much game time and, I would imagine, if he doesn't get any game time, he will return to Old Trafford at the end of his current loan - bit of a waste of time for all concerned. Of course, he may be injured but that has not been reported as being the case.

[teeboo100]

rudge seamed to have signed because a of a personal friendship between man united under 21 manager and chris hargreaves it was hailed as a coup however ime sure man u sent him here to get game time as he has not even featured ime sure that man united would think twice about sending anybody else.

[nickbrod]

Sentiment has to go out the window when Chris H picks his next team. Downes has surely 'learnt his lesson' after his terrible performance at Oxford and deserves another chance. Mansell & Nico need to be 'rested'. Goodwin/O'Brien need to start up front (unless we can bring in a proven goalscorer) and give Benyon a 'rest' and Stockley too.
The big difference last night was Northampton have invested in experienced pros while our budget brings in promising youngsters. We need the former too.
One final question: why are home performances worse than away form?

[kevgull]

I put our home form down to the wishy washy colour of our kit.

Dress them in lemon and they will start to play like lemons!

Lemon army................ Come on you lemons!

[Rjc70]

For me our chance went when Hawley replaced Benyon - I actually think he looked completely disinterested and managed to spurn a great chance.

Benyon was hopeless last night. Hawley was ok.

When Chapple crossed for Hawley the full back tried to pull him back - nothing.

I agree. Like others, I would also rather not see Mansell and Nicholson lining up as our full backs again.

[nickbrod]

Tuesday's gone and we move on. I'm surprised how little has been said about Knill's return. He clearly must have had a big influence on Northampton's tactics. He kept, I suppose not surprisingly, a low profile in the away dugout during the game.
Interestingly at the end of the match he walked off the pitch with arm round shoulder and deep in conversation with Anthony O'Connor.
Why were we so flat and not up for the fight? Team selection poor, substitutions poor and tactics questionable. Chris H is on a steep learning curve.