Rovers V Wombles

[Reginald Fodstain]

This. Discuss.

 

[Boz]

I don't think this a game where we'll win just by turning up, as some have suggested and Akinfenwa is going to be a handful for our brittle defence. Fon Williams on Wales bench-warming duties, so Brezovan in nets. Hoping we've got enoughh fit defenders to keep Dugdale on the bench. Suppose new loanee Green will get a start, beyond that the line-up will be down to Adams' lucky-dip machine.

How many Dons fans will venture north?

 

[womble76]

You will get 500 I recon. Though how many stay in the pub and how Many actually go in I'm not sure. This and bury are the big away piss ups left. the away end will be hammered to a man. Also I expect us to lose

 

[1884 Belmont]

If you are looking for alcohol, then you are coming to the right place. Serve beer in the away end and there's 2 pubs within yards of the away gates. You then have a further 2 pubs within a 10 minute walk. Just be aware though, it is an offence to drink alcohol on the streets round these parts, so bare that in mind.
As for the game, I've given up predicting. I'm in pure blind hope mode now.

 

[Clapham Womble]

Everything points to a home win:
- in 2015 we've yet to win away from home. Played 8, drawn 3 lost 5.
- we have a terrible record against teams at the bottom. Hartlepool have done the double over us. The only team in the bottom eight that we have managed to beat is York.
- our win last week has meant that we are no longer in any relegation trouble. Tranmere players are likely to be more 'up' for it.
- our manager Neal Ardley will not be at the game as he is recovering from an operation.
- we are missing several influential players in keeper James Shea, central midfielder Dannie Bulman and most likely wideman Goerge Francomb.
- this year, ever since Matt Tubbs left, we've struggled to score goals.

 

[Dickie Davies eyes]

Hope the Wimbledon players turn up pissed.

 

[The Goblin]

If we can't win a home game against a side probably already thinking of the summer holidays then we don't deserve to be a FL side.

 

[shoddycollins]

Double post

 

[shoddycollins]

Hope the Wimbledon players turn up pissed.

Nah that's our thing

 

[Wombletom]

I'm gonna go totally against our previous away form in 2015, and also against our record of gifting teams near the bottom points.

With Neal Ardley, who can be just a little over cautious in his approach to games like this (not always a bad thing), recovering from a recent hip operation

So with that in mind, and negative Neal not in charge today I'm predicting that the coaching team to be a bit naughty andput out a side that wil play without fear.

3-0 away win.

 

[Cardsfan]

Why do all you Wombles think your season is over, 6 points off the PO's with Luton sinking like a stone? Or is it a team mentality thing?

 

[Wombletom]

We're consistently inconsistent.

I don't think that a play-off is out of our reach, but highly unlikely. We've not strung together 3 wins in the bounce all season.
Add into the fact our record against the lower placed teams in the division, then you will understand some of our fans way of thinking.
Myself I'll be happy if we finish just outside the play-offs and build the team for a decent promotion push next season. We've got some very promising youngsters breaking through into the 1st team now. I think next season is gonna be very promising.
After the last 3 seasons, I'm more than happy with the teams overall performance this season, although a little frustrated at some of our results.

 

[BIGTED]

We are what I would call a typical division four side, win some, lose some, can't put a run together. Beat the teams above but lose to those below (nearly always those on a losing run, or in the bottom 2....Hartlepool anyone).

Some good players, some promising youngsters, some very average done well to improve nearly every season for us the main prize is a decision on a return to Wimbledon and midtable is fine by me for the short term. (Given where we were 12 years back).

Tranmere will win 3-1

 

[Reginald Fodstain]

Decent game, we certainly didn't deserve to lose. Unlike recent weeks we actually played alright, and Green was at the centre of everything we did. Completely deserved his goal. WImbledon were ok, but sitting back on 1-0 ultimately cost them two points.

 

[Wombletom]

And that today was the reason why we're not even gonna threaten the play-offs.
Our inability to kill off teams at the bottom of the table. We never really threatened the Tranmere goal in the 2nd half.
We sat back too much and invited pressure upon us. The equaliser was coming all 2nd half.

We'll just settle for mid table champions this year... .itll be a vast improvement on the last 3 seasons.

 

[womble76]

Injury time equaliser are the worst. Any way why we sat back I don't know. Tranmere are toothless. Will onlyvstay up by the incompetence of others.

 

[1884 Belmont]

Injury time equaliser are the worst. Any way why we sat back I don't know. Tranmere are toothless. Will onlyvstay up by the incompetence of others.

With the greatest respect, if you didn't have Akinfenwa, I doubt you would have had a shot today. Even that goal took a deflection and apart from one 1-on-1 which Brezovan saved, every other attempt came from the beast. On another day we could have won, but a draw was probably a fair result.

 

[Reginald Fodstain]

With the greatest respect, if you didn't have Akinfenwa, I doubt you would have had a shot today. Even that goal took a deflection and apart from one 1-on-1 which Brezovan saved, every other attempt came from the beast. On another day we could have won, but a draw was probably a fair result.

Seconded. Thought Brezovan could have done better for the goal, but I'll have to see it again.

On a completely irrelevant note, I thought I'd managed to film our goal, but it turns out I pressed the record button a few seconds too late, so the video consists of 20 seconds of the roof of the Kop and nothing else.

 

[Leewilson]

Serious question Wombles fans, is Ardley under any pressure?

I kind of get the feeling that you've been scratching around at the wrong end for a few years with little improvement. Then last summer, you recruited heavily and bought in some very good players at this level. Yet you've not really done anything. I don't know if Ardley's got away with it a little because 'little AFC Wimbledon' weren't expected to threaten but there were a fair few tipping you for top 7 pre season.

Thoughts?

 

[womble76]

Not under any pressure at all. Very have progressed every year. We are a scorer short of the playoffs. ( tubbs ) this season is real progress for us. We have youngsters coming through and will be stronger next year.

 

[Womble98]

With Tubbs we would definitely be top 7 IMO. Our wage budget is still down the bottom end of the table though, so we are "technically" over performing.

 

[iWomble]

There's a bigger picture than league position, and not many of us thought we'd be in the playoffs. Most thought we'd be exactly where we are.

Part of the reason Ardley got the job was because we really need to start producing home-grown players to make up for our lack of financial clout, and today's side today had one starter and four subs who have come through the system since he's been here. Two others who have played this season are out injured, two more in the first team squad, and none of them look the slightest bit out of place. That's a third of the squad come through our system, we've improved position year on year, and continue to operate entirely sustainably financially.

All of that is success to me. Like any club we have our share of fans looking for instant gratification, and Ardley does have a blind spot against teams at the wrong end of the table which drives me nuts, but we would be insane to even think of getting rid right now.

 

[Boz]

Why does Adams persist with Dugdale at the back? If he'd started Holmes and moved Ihiekwe to central defence we'd have been more comfortable, even with his starting xi, switching Donacien and Ihiekwe would have strengthen us at the back.

I felt a draw was fair, there was little between the sides. The Wimbledon goal looked a bit streaky, though our defenders backing off without trying to challenge certainly helped the visitors. It looked like a game where we'd never score, so grateful to George Green, who played well for that little bit of magic. However, Wimbledon had two penalty shouts, the second just after our equaliser looked nailed on to me.

 

[womble76]

the second in the last minute of extra time was nailed on. Some you win some you lose.