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by Woolly Hat12/1 12:57Mon Jan 12 12:57:22 2026
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Next thread: Score prediction. Boro v Reading? by WASP20/3 06:39Fri Mar 20 06:39:55 2026view thread
Plymouth match thread
Views: 1521
Looks like a back four. Surprised both Houghton and D Phillips on the bench.
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1 person
Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1022
Expected defeat tonight as usual in the Southwest, but after Reid’s miss before half time that really is a sickener.
This season has been exhausting and I’m looking forward to it being over
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2 people
Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 986
You think this is bad, wait until we get battered every week in the Championship next season.
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1 person
Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 817
Not every week. We’ll have 2 easy wins against Spurs
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4 people
Awful game of football
Views: 1069
We got progressively worse as the game went on. We offered nothing up front. Very disappointing after Saturday.
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Re: Awful game of football
Views: 1063
First half was fine, should have been ahead.
Second half ran out of legs/ ideas.
Goode long throws do fuck all yet again.
Edited by RockyBottom at 21:43:34 on 17th March 2026
Edited by RockyBottom at 21:44:04 on 17th March 2026
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1 person
Re: Awful game of football
Views: 967
Said for a while now that injuries will ultimately be what costs us, and it is proving to be the case.
Look at the bench tonight. Nobody to come on and change the game. No options to mix it up so the same players pretty much are going to have to play every one of our final 15-20 matches of the season.
Truly believe we would have made playoffs without such a long list of injuries. We still could, of course, but those still fit are going to have to play their arses off.
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1 person
Re: Awful game of football
Views: 817
Every team has injuries.
Being incredibly shit away from home and losing to relegation fodder like Orient and Northampton is probably our downfall
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Re: Awful game of football
Views: 747
You walk the line of troll and someone who is just deluded and actually believes what they say incredibly well.
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1 person
Re: Awful game of football
Views: 810
Every team loses to "relegation fodder" too.
Not sure being ninth in the away table is "incredibly shit" either, but hey ho.
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Re: Awful game of football
Views: 862
I said during the week I couldn't work out a change of formation that didn't force us to start Robbo and behold, we got a 90 minute master class in almost doing something.
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1 person
Re: Awful game of football
Views: 933
It fustrates me that nobody reads the Pidge knockdown.
There's never anybody on the edge of the 18 yard box ready to smash it over the bar
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1 person
Re: Awful game of football
Views: 931
It's the only long throw routine I've seen where the intention seems to be to get another attacking throw.
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1 person
A neutral Sky viewer of this match
Views: 1145
Surely none would watch this rubbish.
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Re: A neutral Sky viewer of this match
Views: 1040
If games were decided by the bleep test instead of kicking the ball into the net we'd piss this league.
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Re: Offside?
Views: 1003
If it was it was incredibly close
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1109
We really should just refuse to play away at Plymouth and Exeter and save everybody the time, money and effort, as it is a waste of time when we know we will lose every single time.
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1 person
Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 981
Reid's missed chance took the wind out of our sails.
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 974
Good defensive clearance from Reid there for Plymouth when we were attacking in their box.
I think we should treat him like an NFL kicker and only bring him on to kick penalties.
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3 people
Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1044
What's our record v Torquay like. Seems we don't like it down that way.
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1039
Lost 3/3 at Torquay 😂
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1 person
Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 859
P30 W2 D6 L22 at Exeter, Plymouth and Torquay combined.
Why do we even bother?
Edited by Chuds at 22:51:44 on 17th March 2026
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1 person
Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1007
Need to change it now. Gone back to the bad stuff.
I'd gamble on Lenny, but he won't. He'll go Lubala...
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1004
Bez is on, lol.
Brown must be terrible.
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 980
I feel sorry for him. Lubala, Phillips and Houghton will not get us a goal. He may have.
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 983
The Hertfordshire Dowman. Would score a hattrick and win us the league.
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 941
I doubt he’d score a hattrick. Might score or assist one though.
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 964
Well we'd actually have to play a ball to his feet, which would prove tricky, but he has the flair to make something happen.
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1035
Good betting for those in the know.
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1003
As soon as Reid missed that easy chance that even I could score, I put a fiver on Plymouth. Knew at that point there was no point waiting for us to score as wasn't going to happen.
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Give Brown a go?
Views: 1024
Well would you or rely on the Bes when the changes will ring?
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1 person
Re: Give Brown a go?
Views: 985
Fair play not making any changes yet, it's going really well
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1068
Lol. Wonder how many points better off we’d be with a decent corner taker.
Not even a good one, just one that isn’t shit.
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Wrestling in the box during a corner.
Views: 1138
Stop this shit you idiots. Complete waste of a chance.
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Re: Wrestling in the box during a corner.
Views: 1084
Fuck my absolute LIFE, save us some bother and just boot it into our net from the kick off and walk off
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Reid through. Just the keeper to beat.
Views: 1192
💩💩
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Re: Reid through. Just the keeper to beat.
Views: 1152
Sick of it.
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Re: Reid on for goal
Views: 1164
Playing well, but need to hit the target with 3 of those chances.
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Re: Reid on for goal
Views: 1146
How did he miss it by that much! 😂
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Re: Reid on for goal
Views: 1134
I was absolutely convinced the keeper had saved it until the last replay just because of where the ball went
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1 person
Re: Reid on for goal
Views: 1148
Too much time to think. Some would have rounded the keeper.
He looks fired up tonight. Suspect it's because he's from Torquay.
Edited by RockyBottom at 20:39:30 on 17th March 2026
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1230
Playing some good stuff. Feel better than I did 20 mins ago
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1195
Don't do it to yourself. It's the hope that kills you.
I'm waiting for us to go one up so I can lump on Plymouth.
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1205
Keeping press on: excellent
Pass to a team mate: impossible mode
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1 person
Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1177
The 3CR commentator is having a stinker.
A trip to specsavers is needed
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 998
3CR commentator lost me when he tells us Saxon wouldn't be able to play as he is on loan from Plymouth. Bellend. I miss Steve and Deano!
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2 people
Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 976
Now 3CR says we play at Broadhall Lane!! Greta stuff!
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Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 983
Last time i spoke, we scored away!
So here goes
We are proper shit away!!!!
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1 person
Re: Plymouth match thread
Views: 1145
The commentator is a complete tosspot. We are playing really well, but we can't score...
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Sky coverage
Views: 1172
Do we really need to see multiple replays of half arsed chances?
Other than that we are doing ok. Plymouth had the last 15 mins though.
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1 person
Re: Sky coverage
Views: 1177
Sack everyone. Their keeper is literally called Hazard.
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Re: Sky coverage
Views: 872
I vowed not to bother watching on tv again after the last extremely poor effort against Orient but I weakened! I actually thought contrary to some negativity above that this was a fairly good away performance and almost enjoyed it apart from Reidy’s miss and their goal. Very unlucky with the offside decision. I thought we did pretty well against an in form side.
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4 people
Re: Sky coverage
Views: 836
I enjoy their application but they seem determined to extract the minimum return for the most effort.
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My view on things
Views: 703
A few ramblings from me…
Started really well and a good first half throughout. Played some decent stuff and controlled the opening passages of play well. No complaints. Second half not so good and I want to see that offside again as it was flippin’ tight.
I’m not joining in with the more extreme negativity. We were away somewhere that nobody expected to win and the difference was one fairly straightforward goal. I doubt the Plymouth players felt we’d made it easy for them and if we score any of our chances it's a different game. Had Reidy been an inch further onside we’d all be saying it was a creditable result.
As we’ve said many times - and all of us know - the problem is a reliable striker. Matt Phillips brings certain qualities to our game that I like, but goalscoring isn’t one of them. For an ex-Prem striker, his quality and threat isn’t what I’d hoped for. And Reidy has been a superb servant to the club and I’m not a hater by any means, but the clinicality deserts him often and I’m never hugely confident he’ll do the business even when a decent chance is on. Having a genuinely talented forward - a Morrison/Godden type - is the difference we’ve lacked this season. And while I bless Cornick for scoring for us while suffering a terrible injury, my instinct is that he wasn’t going to be it either.
A shame we couldn’t at least come away with a draw, but that’s football and we’ve just got to throw the kitchen sink at the last few games. I’m really not too disheartened.
Edit: Oh and the female commentator on ifollow video was excellent, I thought, real detail and care. Enjoyed listening to her.
Edited by Spirit of East Coast Boro at 07:38:25 on 18th March 2026
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8 people
Re: My view on things
Views: 597
Agree with most of this - although I think this is the first time M Phillips has ever played as a striker in his career - as far as I'm aware he's always been a winger/wing back, but he has made a big positive difference.
Definitely agree on Reid - he's got a decent scoring record this season, but he misses a lot of big chances and his inability to hold the ball up really hinders us. He's a very strange forward - I think we're all grateful to have someone scoring 15 goals, but he does seem to require quite specific formations/tactics to be successful. He also seems to suffer from drops in confidence easily, which shouldn't be the case for a L1 (and international) forward.
I would be perfectly happy with a finisher who offers little else, but I don't think that would work in our system, where everyone has to contribute defensively. It's a tricky one - and the chances of us finding a diamond in the rough - and beating better funded teams to their signing - are pretty low, so we will probably have to make do with what we have.
Thought we played well last night, and started far more assertively and attacking than I expected, but Plymouth are a good side, and we can't win them all!
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4 people
Re: My view on things
Views: 620
Well put Delts, that is precisely my view too. Having listened to an unbiased commentary on 3CR, it seemed we were unlucky last night. Your comments on a goal scorer cannot be argued against either. We just don't score many goals do we? This being the case, we have to be really strong defensively as if we go a goal down, like last night, we struggle to score. Anyway, nobody expected a win...my hope was a draw. Onwards and upwards. Let's do a job on Reading on Saturday. COYB.
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1 person
Re: My view on things
Views: 511
The frustrating thing is that we have quality in this squad, and I believe they are capable of a lot more.
I don't think it is a case of having to be defensively solid because we don't score many goals, I think we don't score many goals because we are hyper focused on being defensive or at least keeping it tight/staying in games and not losing.
I would much rather see us go out to win a game every now and then (I actually thought last night was quite promising in that respect especially early on), even if it meant conceding/drawing/losing more and ultimately finishing lower down the league as I don't think we are ready to be competing at the top of this league regularly or looking to get promoted any time soon.
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2 people
Re: My view on things
Views: 409
" I believe they are capable of a lot more"
Really?
Capable of higher than scraping a playoff place?
On what evidence do you base this? The players we have, on *all the evidence we have seen*,; are not capable of consistently banging in goals.
They *are capable* of keeping the goals conceded to a minimum.
So maybe Revs is is playing to the strengths of the squad he has?
Or maybe you're right and it's because of him that we aren't scoring loads more whilst also conceding a low number of goals?
We will never know hut id wager the former is more.likely than the latter.
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Re: My view on things
Views: 398
I mean on an individual basis and more in terms of technical ability.
I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the quality signings we have made (eg. Chem, Matt Phillips) and retaining players like Kemp when they are being asked to play a certain style that isn't to their strengths.
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Re: My view on things
Views: 432
The majority of people on here moan that Harvey White is shit and cannot cross or pass a ball accurately. The majority of people on here would happily never seen Jordan Roberts play for us again because he does nothing. Jamie Reid misses nine sitters for every non-penalty goal he scores. Dan Kemp is very hit or miss and only suits certain formations, which require the whole team to work around him. Our bench was Bez Lubala, who the majority on here claim is one of our worst ever players. Or Lenny Brown, who is a child.
Please tell me where the quality is in that, which is capable of so much more and will magically score us lots of goals?
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Re: My view on things
Views: 393
Not saying we are magically going to score lots of goals. I mean shooting would be a start. Playing in a way that creates chances from open play.
I don't want to sound ungrateful for the position we are in and I totally understand both sides of the argument, but personally I would like to see a more entertaining brand of football. And it's okay if you disagree with that.
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1 person
Re: My view on things
Views: 443
I must be watching a different Harvey White because as his corners came in last night I repeatedly said out loud that it was a ‘beautiful ball’ or ‘perfect delivery’ or ‘right in the mixer’ etc (I was alone, by the way). So imagine my surprise when some others called him shit and incapable and ‘can’t deliver a corner’?? Which view is correct because I really can’t get on board with Harvey’s critics.
Edit: Roberts, Reid, I understand the frustration. White, not so much,
Edited by Spirit of East Coast Boro at 16:38:44 on 18th March 2026
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1 person
Re: My view on things
Views: 414
I’ve noticed a bit of a trend. It’s not 100% accurate but those who rate Harvey seem to be the people whose opinions on football I give more weight to in general.
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2 people
Re: My view on things
Views: 243
Thank you 😉
Well, paradoxically, for someone who is so disliked by some of our fans it’s interesting to see how many of us also think he’ll ‘be off this year’ because ‘so many teams higher up are interested in him’ etc. Can’t both be correct. He’s either useless and can’t deliver a corner or he’s off to a bigger club in the summer. Which is it, I wonder?
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Re: My view on things
Views: 408
What about those who rated him (past tense) as arguably our MVP early doorsbut think he's coasting at 70% effort since about November.
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Re: My view on things
Views: 333
I definitely wouldn’t argue that he’s dropped off. Perhaps the outside noise was responsible for that, but think he’s trending back towards good form (if less consistently).
If he’s got an eye on a move then it won’t happen until summer. The best way to secure the best deal at the best club possible for him (and anyone with thoughts of moving on) is to knuckle down and put in performances that will make bigger clubs take notice. That in turn may just propel us to the play-offs and potentially beyond.
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1 person
Re: My view on things
Views: 341
If i was a cynic my guess would be he's already unofficially shaken hands with someone and he knows what he's gonna get as long as it's rubber stamped in the summer.
But that would be against the rules, and I'm not a cynic so I would never suggest it.
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Re: My view on things
Views: 280
I would say Harvey is playing like someone who knows where he is going already at the end of the season but Dan Philips is playing like someone who is moving but still looking for the best move for him as he is playing out of his skin.
I like both these players and they have come on leaps and bounds since joining us and a shame they will go for free.
That said it should help us secure other talented players moving forward for the coaching and development they will get and being in a solid L1 side.
It is no coincidence that the quality of player that has come to us over the last 3 years has been getting better ( M Philips), we were faves to go down each year but have shown that we are a solid choice.
I think this bodes well for the coming closed season and expect a few signing that will raise the usual question from elsewhere " he has gone where?"!
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1 person
Re: My view on things
Views: 277
They both might have new clubs in principle as can't a player who will be out of contract speak to other parties from the Jan.
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Re: My view on things
Views: 287
I Googled this last night and it said FIFA rules allow you talk to other club with 6 months left on your contract, but that in England you can't agree a pre contract until one month left. Whether that's true or not I don't know.
But given Luton bid for White in January I think he will end up there.
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Re: My view on things
Views: 287
He's started to attend my local gym, must be putting in the extra work for that mega money move.
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Re: My view on things
Views: 261
Depends what agree means assume actually sign a contract .
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Re: My view on things
Views: 426
Yep, agree with you on Harvey.
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Re: My view on things
Views: 409
On White agree , he will be off in the summer, to make it worse could be Luton.
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Re: My view on things
Views: 466
Yeah I was quite optimistic in the first 10 mins as we seemed to be on the front foot and really going for it, but agree that it's by design that we don't score many, rather than a lack of quality. Yesterday felt a bit like we took the handbrake off because Revell recognised sitting deep probably wouldn't cut it and we would lose anyway, but some games we seem intent on nicking a narrow win rather than really going for it and trying to be more expansive.
As you said, I would quite happily take us finishing lower down the table if we really took the game to other teams and attacked more often - that would probably also help with crowd numbers too!
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2 people
Re: My view on things
Views: 410
I think it's a mix of both. Most games we have good spells of attacking football and don't score because we don't have the quality. Take Reid's miss yesterday. Then naturally as the game ebbs and flows the other team has good spells on control and we need to be defensively solid because we can never capitalise when we are on top.
My only caveat to that is that I still think we are missing a trick in the way we play. Goals in this league come from crosses and cut backs with people in the box. We were doing more of that at the start of the season. We haven't been playing much like that since, and don't have as much pace/width going forward as I'd like.
Edited by Sev at 17:23:26 on 18th March 2026
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3 people
Re: My view on things
Views: 456
Hmm, I really don't agree.
I think the lack of quality, particularly with our attacking players, is exactly why we score so few (Reid last night being the perfect example, and him many many other times this season, plus all of our other attacking players missing loads of great chances), and am certain that if we really went for it we wouldn't score many more as a result, but would concede loads more, and would be an awful lot lower down the table as a result.
And I could guarantee that the majority of people who claim they would rather see more exciting football even if it meant losing more would soon change their tune and be moaning like fuck about our lack of results and conceding goals, even if we scored a handful more.
I am not denying we can set up quite defensively in (some) games, but am entirely of the belief we set up in a manner which will get the most points out of the players available. Which is all that matters to me. I want us to win, I don't want people to say we play nice stuff whilst we lose every week. We have done that under previous managers and it sure as hell wasn't enjoyable, it was utter shit.
Edited by Chuds at 16:27:02 on 18th March 2026
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6 people
Re: My view on things
Views: 400
I dont think we lack quality but we prioritise stability. Other teams in the league get numbers forward in the box and make scoring goals look far easier, and the lack of off the ball movement or risk taking has to be by design. Not sure what the stats look like now but around Xmas we were in the bottom 4 in the league for chances created, and the midfield and supporting players aren't incapable in that respect.
Kemp has been crap all season, but we know he can score and create, and Campbell, Phoenix, White, Thompson and several others are all good players for this level - the interest shown in some of them from bigger clubs supports that. For balance, we do also have Bez and co who clearly aren't good enough and who we've had to rely on too much.
Most of us will have seen several far less talented Boro teams score more goals and look more threatening than we do now, and it's not solely due to the opposition either. I can think of two teams I've been impressed by this season, although i do agree with your recent point about that being partly down to us nullifying them rather than just them being crap. That's also from watching games we're not involved in.
To echo Sev, I would like to see us get wide and put cut backs into the box more often rather than playing narrow and trying to batter our way through. Maybe it is down to the volume of injuries but it has to be structural to a degree. We scored a brilliant goal like that last season with Freeman and Wildin playing a couple of one twos and cutting back for Reid (i think), and Phillips' goal the other week was also a good example, albeit with only him and Reid anywhere near the opposition box, so we definitely can do it, but should do more often IMO.
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3 people
Re: My view on things
Views: 423
What frustrates me is situations like yesterday where Plymouth played like they'd stumbled out of Jumpin Jaks at 3am, and we still treat the ball as if it's stuffed with tarantulas.
It's often difficult to assess whether our attacking players are actually any good because they're running around risking injury to get in situations with a 0.1% chance of leading to a goal.
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Re: My view on things
Views: 548
I personally thought it was a decent enough performance. I do think us playing defensive/ safe style of play takes a lot of commitment , skill and hard work and we’ve got more points by playing that way and I’m for it . I just think our subs could be more positive when we are losing. I don’t think we have to make subs on
70 minutes all the time just because it freshens it up and yesterday i thought taking Harvey and Matt Phillips off was a poor decision. I also think as solid as Freestone is defensively with 20 minutes to go we had to replace him with Pattenden to give us a more attacking option on the left hand side . And the young lad on earlier. That’s my only criticism- when we are losing- the attacking threats must stay on and the substitutions must be braver .
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Previous thread: The Circus is in town by Sev20/3 13:22Fri Mar 20 13:22:11 2026view thread