Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th August

[Alfie]

 

[JJ1990]

Chesterfield at home, hard to know what to make of them. They looked impressive in the first half on Friday and Swindon looked poor, but then things flipped in the 2nd half and they didn't look as good. Will they improve?

Regardless though, if we don't we'll get easily turned over. Our home form in terms of all round performances has been pretty poor since Bell took over if we're being honest. We've gotten results, but the general play has been sorely lacking. For me, he has to avoid defeat in this case at all costs. Lose on the opening day, ok. But lose back to back games to open the season is terrible.

I'd happily take a draw, but I'm not sure if we'll get one.

 

[valefan16]

Cup game first so look at this properly after that but need to build on yesterday, especially getting off to a good start at home after a poor season, looks like some key players should be on their way back into full training with the squad Monday so would be nice to get the likes of Byers and Stockley involved.

Always a tough game with Tranmere, expect no different here.

 

[leedsvaliant]

A game v Tranmere harks back to the good old days. I hear they have a few injuries but they have a decent manager who will have them organised.

I hope we are very much on the front foot at home this year after a number of games last year where we were dominated. We seem to be one of those teams who are going to make it very difficult for others to play.

Would be good to have Byers involved and possibly Chislett back. I also think it needs to be Paton or Tolaj. Not both. One of them off Stockley would be effective I think.

Not sure whether Tranmere have strengthened too much this year. It was not long ago that they were in a much better situation than us with a better team, but hopefully the roles have slightly reversed. Would be nice to get all 3 points really.

 

[Carver]

It's do or die time for Simpson.

If we fail to beat Barrow then he must be sacked.

Usually I'd be optimistic playing them especially at home as we'd usually swat them aside but right now I feel as if we couldn't beat anyone in L2 because of our atrocious league form stretching all the way back to March 2023.

The last home game we won was against Port Vale on new years day ffs.

 

[Tinpot and proud]

It's do or die time for Simpson.

If we fail to beat Barrow then he must be sacked.

Usually I'd be optimistic playing them especially at home as we'd usually swat them aside but right now I feel as if we couldn't beat anyone in L2 because of our atrocious league form stretching all the way back to March 2023.

The last home game we won was against Port Vale on new years day ffs.

Imagine the shame if you lost to us......I guess we wouldn’t be seeing you on here for quite some time.....the burden would be too much for you to bare.

 

[Ainsty]

Accrington on Saturday but tickets are not available to buy yet. Obviously, they are scared of our massive travelling support.

 

[Si Robin]

Grimsby away.

It's like a Sunday Roast in the middle of winter. Some things just feel right.

As for the football, fucked if I know. I touted Dave Artell as our manager before we appointed Darrell Clarke, but sounds like we might have got out of jail free. We were brilliant at times on Saturday, but looked ropey as well. Suspect we might lose this one.

Pelle will no doubt be giving the Grimsby fans shit from our dugout - just for old time's sake like.

 

[1862]

Sunday at 1pm, toilet.

Definitely a positive start on Saturday, hopefully get some bodies in or back for this but I think we'll be work in progress for this month.

 

[DippyDon]

If we draw 3-3 away at Colchester then I'm fully convinced we'll win the league. That would be the same results that we started with in 2007/08

 

[kieran_vale]

Tranmere always give us a hard time going back to when they used to have the likes of Aldridge and Irons in the team in the 90’s. Expect no different here. We’ve only won one home game this calendar year and that was against an opponent who were clearly more interested in their summer holidays at that point. Reckon a 1-1 draw and to be honest if you offered me 4 points off our opening two games I’d have been very happy with that.

 

[Cloudy]

Grimsby away.

It's like a Sunday Roast in the middle of winter. Some things just feel right.


Pelle will no doubt be giving the Grimsby fans shit from our dugout - just for old time's sake like.

Don’t think Pell will be allowed near the dugout as it is adjacent to the kids in the family zone!

 

[Scum.]

If we draw 3-3 away at Colchester then I'm fully convinced we'll win the league. That would be the same results that we started with in 2007/08

We are going to win the league regardless mate. Impossible not to.

 

[hellogregory]

Imagine the shame if you lost to us......I guess we wouldn’t be seeing you on here for quite some time.....the burden would be too much for you to bare.

I swear we lost to you a couple of seasons ago. Think it was the game where someone threw a firework near our goalkeeper.

 

[hellogregory]

It's do or die time for Simpson.

If we fail to beat Barrow then he must be sacked.

Usually I'd be optimistic playing them especially at home as we'd usually swat them aside but right now I feel as if we couldn't beat anyone in L2 because of our atrocious league form stretching all the way back to March 2023.

The last home game we won was against Port Vale on new years day ffs.

I think a point would just about keep him in the job, but yes another defeat and it could be game over after the manner of the gillingham defeat. However I don't want a point, it's must win in my eyes. We need it to give the whole place a lift.

If Barrow do turn us over which they likely will do, this will be the US owners' first experience of toxic Brunton Park. And it's not because it's Barrow, a defeat to anyone after saturdays shit show following on from last season would be enough to turn the crowd.

 

[mightyshrimp]

Not sure about home to Gillingham on Saturday, team are still getting used to each other ,still think a few loanee's are needed ,seem very light up front,hopefully we can improve on the Walsall game

 

[DearneValleyRover]

We got battered at Newport last season, we are a better team this season with only one player in the treatment room compared to 13+ last season. I’m confident of a far better performance and another 3 points.
Maxwell is having surgery on Thursday and is out for at least 12 weeks.

 

[OneDecentLester]

Crewe away then. Thought we did more than enough in the first half to get the game won against Swindon but unfortunately a horrific referee decision, a great save from Swindon’s keeper & then a worldie from their centre half meant we had to settle for a point.

From what I gather from Crewe fans, they dropped a stinker of a performance up at Barrow so I’m sure their gaffer & team will be wanting to up it and see a reaction in their first home game of the season. But have also seen a few things about their poor home form at the back end of last year so hopefully that continues here.

Obviously we still have the Derby game to get out the way first, in which I can see us lining up very similar to the Swindon game without too much rotation with it being a local game. With it being early days in the season too, I actually think the line up at Crewe will be similar once again (barring any injuries midweek) and can see us looking something like this:

Boot
Tanton Naylor Dunkley Gordon
Banks Oldaker
Jacobs Dobra Colclough
Grigg

Daley-Thompson
Jamie Grimes
Tim Akinola
James Berry
Liam Mandeville
Kane Drummond
Joe Quigley

Not ideal that our best CM Tom Naylor will have to remain at CB (Think it’ll still be a game too soon to throw Grimes straight back in who has just come back to training after picking up a knock), although he is more than capable there and has played there quite a lot during his career, also Oldaker & Banks I thought played really well against Swindon so that lessens the loss of Naylor from the middle.

Think Jacobs will switch with Mandeville midweek, but then be back in for this game. I fancy him to have a really good season with a proper pre season behind him this year after signing on the eve of the season last year and never really hit the heights he’s obviously capable of. Dobra the star man against Swindon, and expect him to play well again, but I fancy Colclough to really turn up against his old side and get the win for us. He had the most dribbles completed by any player on the opening day which will probably be a regular thing this year, such a direct & powerful player and when at full flow so difficult to stop him.

1-3 away win, Colclough x2 & Grigg (P)

 

[hellogregory]

Unless we strengthen the midfield this week, the outcome of this match will be the same for us as it was in our first game.

2 fit midfielders, with one of them being not very good and looking like he’s running through quicksand. With the injuries we have, the midfield we can currently field is up there with the worst Carlisle midfields I’ve seen.

 

[Carver]

Unless we strengthen the midfield this week, the outcome of this match will be the same for us as it was in our first game.

2 fit midfielders, with one of them being not very good and looking like he’s running through quicksand. With the injuries we have, the midfield we can currently field is up there with the worst Carlisle midfields I’ve seen.

Yes and to think Ben Barclay, an average back up centre back gets shoved straight into our midfield for the first game of the season.

And people have us down as promotion/play off candidates?

 

[GTFCfish]

It's do or die time for Simpson.

If we fail to beat Barrow then he must be sacked.

Usually I'd be optimistic playing them especially at home as we'd usually swat them aside but right now I feel as if we couldn't beat anyone in L2 because of our atrocious league form stretching all the way back to March 2023.

The last home game we won was against Port Vale on new years day ffs.

I thought you were going to destroy this shit league thanks to blowing all other teams away in the transfer market.
So what happened?

 

[Son of Cod]

Grimsby away.

It's like a Sunday Roast in the middle of winter. Some things just feel right.

As for the football, fucked if I know. I touted Dave Artell as our manager before we appointed Darrell Clarke, but sounds like we might have got out of jail free. We were brilliant at times on Saturday, but looked ropey as well. Suspect we might lose this one.

Pelle will no doubt be giving the Grimsby fans shit from our dugout - just for old time's sake like.

Cheltenham at home.

It's like one of those horrible pimply footballs in PE that was pumped up as hard as a boulder flying into your knackers on a freezing cold day and then getting stamped on the head when you're down. Some things just feel right.

 

[joethegill]

Morecambe away is a decent chance to put more points on the board I'd wager, but a lot comes down to who we have available. Masterson and Dieng picked up injuries against Carlisle to add to Nevitt, Andrews and Coleman who were already out, so there's quite a strong spine missing already. We're a bit stretched in central midfield, with the Carlisle game seeing McKenzie (more of a defender) partnering Armani Little who wasn't expected to be included having missed all bar 45 minutes of pre-season action. With a tricky Swansea game tonight, I wonder if we might just chalk that one up as a loss now and focus on getting a stronger side out for Saturday - I certainly wouldn't be against it. Will have to see how the squad deals with tonight before thoughts turn to a line up for Saturday, but fingers crossed we can go up there and take the points.

Morecambe 1-2 Gills

 

[Carver]

I thought you were going to destroy this shit league thanks to blowing all other teams away in the transfer market.
So what happened?

Shit management happened.

 

[JJ1990]

Morecambe away is a decent chance to put more points on the board I'd wager, but a lot comes down to who we have available. Masterson and Dieng picked up injuries against Carlisle to add to Nevitt, Andrews and Coleman who were already out, so there's quite a strong spine missing already. We're a bit stretched in central midfield, with the Carlisle game seeing McKenzie (more of a defender) partnering Armani Little who wasn't expected to be included having missed all bar 45 minutes of pre-season action. With a tricky Swansea game tonight, I wonder if we might just chalk that one up as a loss now and focus on getting a stronger side out for Saturday - I certainly wouldn't be against it. Will have to see how the squad deals with tonight before thoughts turn to a line up for Saturday, but fingers crossed we can go up there and take the points.

Morecambe 1-2 Gills

I'm genuinely impressed you guys have managed to injure Nevitt. He missed 12 games in the last 3 seasons and already for you, he's up to 1. What injury does he have and how long is he out for?

 

[spireite]

Away games are difficult in this league, but I do think we might come away with something here. I would expect Crewe to finish mid table and we should be looking to beat mid table teams home or away if we want to be in the picture.

 

[Scum.]

We will beat Colchester 1-2.

 

[saddler78]

Morecambe away is a decent chance to put more points on the board I'd wager, but a lot comes down to who we have available. Masterson and Dieng picked up injuries against Carlisle to add to Nevitt, Andrews and Coleman who were already out, so there's quite a strong spine missing already. We're a bit stretched in central midfield, with the Carlisle game seeing McKenzie (more of a defender) partnering Armani Little who wasn't expected to be included having missed all bar 45 minutes of pre-season action. With a tricky Swansea game tonight, I wonder if we might just chalk that one up as a loss now and focus on getting a stronger side out for Saturday - I certainly wouldn't be against it. Will have to see how the squad deals with tonight before thoughts turn to a line up for Saturday, but fingers crossed we can go up there and take the points.

Morecambe 1-2 Gills

Score and you win they have absolutely nothing going forward if we had our shit in order by now we could have put 5 past them but we are still 3 or 4 players short.

 

[クレイグ]

Have a good record on my birthday. 3-1 City. Up dem Chickens.

 

[hellogregory]

Yes and to think Ben Barclay, an average back up centre back gets shoved straight into our midfield for the first game of the season.

And people have us down as promotion/play off candidates?

It’s not just Barclay though. Vela is decent but Harrison Neal is a terrible player. I don’t know what people see in him. I don’t think he’s even national league standard to be honest. We need two midfielders in to cover us until Guy and Robson return in October/november. If we don’t then the next couple of months are going to be extremely unpleasant.