Rage Online

So, I don't think there is too much to read in tonight's game and result. I'm certainly not of the school that 'our fans, our players and the club deserve to be champions'. We NEED (very different to deserving anything) to go up and regroup for the start of another season, in a higher league. I don't care if that comes as Champions or sneaking into the top three by goal difference. History isn't written in the bottom few divisions but in the top one. Let's gets to Old Money League 2 over the next 3 years, consulate and be happy.

I couldn't make it to the game, and didn't expect us to win it, but the result has depressed me more than I thought it would. Screw up on Saturday, and I can see the season going down the pan very easily...

It was a funny game really. N'Ton are a very effective League Two side. They came to stop us playing and did so very well. The game seemed to be condensed into the middle third of the pitch and would only come to life occasionally with a chance at either end or a feisty challenge. I guess N'Ton's constant time wasting from the first whistle was an attempt to kill the tempo of the game and, again, it was very effective.

They were also a very niggly team and appealed loudly for each and every decision to go their way. Unfortunately, the completely inept Mr Hill (not to mention his assistants who might as well have not turned up for all the help they were to the Ref) obliged on the majority of occasions.

Special mention to N'Ton's Number 11 (Holmes, I think) who spent the entire game throwing himself to the floor in dramatic fashion. What a hateful character.

It is a shame that we could not get around these tactics and punish them for it. However, if both Us and N'Ton go up, I am willing to take a bet that we fair better than they do in League One.

I think we need to stop making statements to the effect of "ah never mind, we're gonna go up this season anyway". Lose on Saturday and promotion is out of our hands, having felt like we had a big cushion a couple of weeks ago.

The one assumption I think we sadly must make is that making 12 points up on Northampton in 16 games may not be impossible but is not really plausible. I appreciate that the main thing for the club is to win promotion by whatever means, but as a supporter who has never seen Us as champions I can't help but feel, despite how brilliant this season has been, it's something of an opportunity missed.

No mention of the referee's total ineptness? Got two major decisions wrong. Rose is a nasty vindictive shit. Horror challenge on Sercs. Red all day long. O'Toole could have gone too for shoving Mullins over with two hands.

I believe that I called him "completely inept" in my post above....

So you did. Apologies. The more I see the Rose challenge, the more angry I am.

All my worst fears came true last night.

Northampton rolled up and were organised, well drilled, fit and more
pertinently too POWERFUL for us and strangled the game.
Roofe and Sercombe disappeared out of it.

From minute one to minute ninety five the Cobblers hassled us, pressed us,
chased us, closed down all the space and disrupted our flow.

Classic Wilder tactics - the game was managed.
Predictably Wilder resorted to type and ordered his troops
to sit in behind the ball and ironically this allowed United
to create some chances.

We tried but just could not get my real control
of the proceedings but could have levelled it but lost in the end to
a dreadful decision from the hapless referee, Hill,
who had a disastrous evening.
His assistants were equally poor too.

Northampton will go up as they are strong, powerful and streetwise.
They came with a plan and executed it well but that style
is not for me!

For all the talk of how much better we are as a club now it seems pretty clear that over the two matches we played them this season Wilder has proven to be the better manager, we couldn't even with draw with 10 men at their place.

I also think the challenge from Rose was mis-timed, have never seem him make a nasty tackle for us and I don't think he's that type of player. And why the f*ck did we let him go to our title rivals.

Pen was a joke if that was deliberate Mullins is clearly the answer to our goalkeeper problems.

Roll on Sat this is still a good team (pompy away showed that) and a win would lift the pressure somewhat.

Having not been at the game, all I have got to go on regarding the penalty are the brief highlights online. What I see is Mullins' arm away from his body and moving towards the ball as it is kicked in his direction. That may have been more about bodily momentum than intent, but I can understand entirely why it was given. Frustrating, of course - especially as it was the only goal of the game - but it is by no means the hardest penalty decision to understand.

Danny Rose will get his comeuppance in May. Wilder has his faults but he is not stupid and he will see Rose for what he is - a League 2 squad player at best. He won't cut it in League 1 so will be looking for a club.

amershamwrighty wrote:Danny Rose will get his comeuppance in May. Wilder has his faults but he is not stupid and he will see Rose for what he is - a League 2 squad player at best. He won't cut it in League 1 so will be looking for a club.

What comeuppance? A Champions medal? You're probably right that he'll be looking for a new club in the summer, but you're being a bit harsh aren't you? In the matches I saw last season he was consistently one of our best players, and he's now starting and playing 90 minutes for a team running away with the title. Hardly a 'League 2 squad player at best'! I bet Wilder can't believe his luck that we don't want to make use of a player of Danny's ability at this level.

We'll have to agree to differ.

Appleton hadn't been picking him, rightly in my view. If he fits Northampton's style then good luck to him but I wouldn't swop him for eg Lundstram for all the tea in China.

Rose has been a good servant to the club, and at times has been a good L2 player.

However, it is clearly part of the Eales - Appleton plan not to retain senior players who have little chance of breaking through into the starting eleven. The only players one would put in this bracket are Dunkley and possibly Ruffels. Other cover is from youth players and loans: Evans / Long / and now in a sense Ismail and Bowery. Given what we know about Eales, this might be something he insists on to keep the playing budget within bounds. It therefore makes sense to let Rose go, and of course, he may well have had a view on the matter. It can't be much fun as one of the more experienced professionals effectively waiting for someone to get injured.

Did anyone else notice a bit of needle between Rose and Hylton on Tuesday night?

amershamwrighty wrote:We'll have to agree to differ.

Appleton hadn't been picking him, rightly in my view. If he fits Northampton's style then good luck to him but I wouldn't swop him for eg Lundstram for all the tea in China.

Oh I don't disagree with that. But I think he's substantially better than what we have as central midfield cover currently (and plenty good enough to come in and do a good job if needed). Though as OA says we don't seem to worry too much about experienced back-up these days...