Saturday 12th December

[masi51]

You have spent four months slating him for picking a 20-year-old goalkeeper.

Fair point, but Thomason who played last week will now be withdrawn, Evatt said it was the wrong game for him.
Crellin was out of his depth, but Evatt stuck with him and played him week after week despite him just not being good enough.
They both may go on to have decent careers but at this moment they are not quite good enough.
I think Evatt played 4/5 teenagers giving them there debuts this season...Nothing wrong with that, but he wont play them week in week out

 

[masi51]

Southend.......and wait for it...........................................................................Grimsby

 

[Vanni]

Southend.......and wait for it...........................................................................Grimsby

Err.... OK.

What about Southend and Grimsby? Like what is it exactly you're talking about?

 

[Casey]

We've got Crawley - don't know anything about how they play or if they've got any good players. A "must win" game according to some.

If you let us play we're quite good. Get stuck in and our midfield goes missing. We also seem to play in bursts (ask Mansfield). We like to get behind the defence but were not a long ball team.

Our forward, Max Watters, is the top striker in the country at the moment in goals per minutes played. Problem is that he had no pre season at all and so we are "protecting " him. He tends to play 45-60 minutes a game.

We have been allowed 650 odd fans for this game. I'm one of them...I'm definitely odd.

We've had some div'ead's on the forum saying they're going to boo the knee thing. I promise to "try" not to slap one if they're near me .

Crawley v Barrow in the conference a few years ago was one of the worst games of football I have ever seen. Barrow won 1-0 but truthfully both sides deserved shooting. If its anything like that I'm leaving! Bollocks to first game back and all that.

Fancy our chances 3-1 to the reds.

Casey

 

[hellogregory]

This is the second in a run of 3 games that look easier on paper than our recent run of games against teams at the top end. We’ve already beaten Bradford in this 3 game run. Stevenage at home really should be 3 points given the form of Stevenage over the past season and a bit, but you never know with Carlisle. We’ve got a history of ending teams poor runs, but if we are serious about progressing we have to do the business in this game. Mansfield on Tuesday looks the toughest of the 3 given their recent form, so could really do with no slip up against Stevenage.

 

[Greenacres]

Barrow won't go down, no team has ever gone straight back down.

We gave it a damn good go in our first season...staying up by a mere point!

 

[chipmunx]

Crawley v Barrow* in the conference a few years ago was one of the worst games of football I have ever seen. Barrow won 1-0 but truthfully both sides deserved shooting. If its anything like that I'm leaving! Bollocks to first game back and all that.

Fancy our chances 3-1 to the reds.

Casey

our league defeats have been 0-1, 0-1, 0-1, 0-1, 0-1, 1-2 and 3-4 so a 2 goal defeat would be a 1st for this season.

* the Jason Walker very late penalty match?

 

[Chris FGR]

We gave it a damn good go in our first season...staying up by a mere point!

We were safe with 2 games to spare though, I was at Yeovil when we played out the convenient 0-0 that guaranteed both sides stayed up. Good times.

Once we were safe we let Luton and Grimsby beat us cos we didn't need the points which made it look closer then it actually was.

 

[BlackHaddock]

Southend.......and wait for it...........................................................................Grimsby

And, your point is?

 

[valefan16]

We were safe with 2 games to spare though, I was at Yeovil when we played out the convenient 0-0 that guaranteed both sides stayed up. Good times.

Once we were safe we let Luton and Grimsby beat us cos we didn't need the points which made it look closer then it actually was.

Similar with us, stayed up with a last gasp goal at Mansfield which put us 7 clear with two to go. Threw a weakened side at home to Carlisle with the likes of Angus who hadn’t really featured then sent all the loans back and played the kids at Cambridge who got smacked 5-0 with Barnet winning their last two then only a point gap in the end.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Barrow won't go down, no team has ever gone straight back down.

Did Macclesfield? Or are we not counting that due to naughty Stevenage

 

[Chris FGR]

Last season was Macc's second season back up, first season Sol Campbell single handedly dragged them to safety remember.

 

[Si Robin]

We gave it a damn good go in our first season...staying up by a mere point!

Still haven't forgiven Gary Johnson for his shocking tactics in that game at Whaddon Road, and then saying afterwards that he hoped FGR stayed up.

 

[Chris FGR]

I like Gary Johnson, top man.

Doing very well at Torquay these days.

 

[masi51]

Err.... OK.

What about Southend and Grimsby? Like what is it exactly you're talking about?

both on the East coat

 

[Si Robin]

I like Gary Johnson, top man.

Doing very well at Torquay these days.

He should be investigated for match fixing.....

All joking aside, I think for a lot of people that game was the straw that broke the camel's back with him. It wasn't with me, I think it was the 6-1 to Coventry a couple of weeks later, but it did make me realise how out of touch he'd become and untouchable he thought he was. He was very lucky to survive the summer.

I'll always love him for 15/16, and he does appear to be working his magic at Torquay again. He'll surely be the first man to win the Conference 3 times with 3 different teams?

 

[denzel ecfc]

Last season was Macc's second season back up, first season Sol Campbell single handedly dragged them to safety remember.

Ok, I must have erased that season from my memory

 

[Shrimper92]

If we lose on Saturday, we are mathematically relegated.

Well there's only 1 spot going, so will be interesting. Between Barrow, Grimsby and Stevenage to me.

 

[Attila the hun]

Will our rubbish home form continue or will we carry our good run against bradford going we have a bad knack of letting teams end a long losing streak against us I’m going for a draw 1-1

 

[Greenacres]

Still haven't forgiven Gary Johnson for his shocking tactics in that game at Whaddon Road, and then saying afterwards that he hoped FGR stayed up.

My next door neighbour is a Cheltenham fan and, whilst probably enjoying the difficulties we were having in the league, he definitely wanted us to stay up. It seems to be that age old issue of keeping your friends close but your enemies closer, you want to see rivals struggle but at the same time have them in the same division so you can help inflict a little bit of pain...and bragging rights are always important, if that is your thing.

I think if you asked the two of us whether we would like to see Gloucester in the same division you would probably get the same answer...yes please!

 

[hellogregory]

Been looking at Stevenage this morning and what has struck me is for a team so low down they don’t concede many! In fact they’ve only conceded 16 which is the same as us and less than a lot of top half teams. Plenty of clean sheets and draws, their defeats have been by the odd goal.

Don’t think we’ll break them down with our lack of creativity. 0-0 is my prediction for today.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Been looking at Stevenage this morning and what has struck me is for a team so low down they don’t concede many! In fact they’ve only conceded 16 which is the same as us and less than a lot of top half teams. Plenty of clean sheets and draws, their defeats have been by the odd goal.

Don’t think we’ll break them down with our lack of creativity. 0-0 is my prediction for today.

Their keeper on loan from Chelsea is the best I've seen so far - pulled off some amazing stops on the opening day. Him aside, there was not a lot to them.

 

[Casey]

our league defeats have been 0-1, 0-1, 0-1, 0-1, 0-1, 1-2 and 3-4 so a 2 goal defeat would be a 1st for this season.

* the Jason Walker very late penalty match?

I have tried to expunge the game from my memory and I'm not going to look it up.

By the way this is not meant as a dig at Barrow. This a horror show of a match where neither side could pass and it was on par with a game of tennis on clay. Two sides just slugging the ball from the back of the court over the net to the back of the other end of the court. Repeat and repeat and repeat.

Going to the game soon. Please let it be decent.

Casey

 

[Bottega Don]

Missing 3 of our starting back 4 today, not looking promising

 

[Shrimper92]

Embargo cleared.

Akinola and Hart playing.

Lets fucking go

 

[Shrimpurh]

We’re staying up

 

[masi51]

We’re staying up

You need snookers !!

 

[Bottega Don]

We really gave Colchester their first away win of the season Tuesday and now we're going to give Southend their first home win

I hate Essex

 

[Boz]

James Vaughan main striker out injured for the trip to Exeter. Makes a difficult fixture even harder.

 

[Back in the DHSS]

We haven’t turned up again. Exeter very good though. Not sure about the penalty? 2-0 and a mountain to climb.