The A6 Derby (Luton v Carlisle)

[shoddycollins]

Hopefully our players won't be utilising the A6 as a means of travelling to Luton but the two cities/towns lie at opposite ends of the A6 (news to me, I always presumed the A6 went all the way to London, but instead it gets to Luton and then just loses the will to live, but that's for another discussion).

I just wanted to get this thread going as this game is a biggie. Especially with Donny v Plymouth (or is it Plymouth v Donny) and Pompey v Grimsby (or GY v Pompey) going on at the same time. Been a while since we faced top opposition, and as a general rule when we play teams fancied for promotion away from home (Grimsby, Pompey, Donny, Blackpool) we draw. I'm gonna go for 2-2 here with Luton scoring after 21 seconds.

Or will it be a repeat of last year's madness? We certainly hope so, I doubt the Luton fans do.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Good to have another top side coming so soon off the back of the Portsmouth game, should hopefully be another well played game.

Just looking at your team, it looks a pretty experienced group of players to me. Can definitely see this going the same way as the Portsmouth where we got schooled a little bit, especially in midfield, by a more experienced and wily group of players, so unfortunately I'm not too confident.

Think we need to go with Rea in midfield over Lee in this one, can't believe I'm saying it but you'd think O'Donnell would come in for Justin after a real good performance, albeit against Solihull. For me Cook needs dropping, he has so little impact on games I'm not sure what the point of him is to be blunt.

Also Hylton has now gone 3 games without a booking, which must be some sort of personal best for him, guarenteed to get one here!

 

[cufc17]

Another tough game against a decent Luton side, albeit a slightly inconsistent one. I'd probably take a draw if offered now, but I feel we're capable of getting a win.

I'd go with the same starting eleven as we've used in proper games recently, except drop Brisley for Gillesphey. In my opinion Brisley has looked a poor link in recent games.

I'll go 2-1 Carlisle, Jones, Devitt.
Hylton.

 

[shoddycollins]

We certainly have experience, most of our starting line-up is in their late-twenties I think, and many of them have played at higher levels and been involved in promotion campaigns at this level before, which I'm sure has helped us massively. They could just do with regaining a little of the composure we had from earlier in the season though. We started the season looking very organised and competent, difficult to get the ball off, first to every loose ball, very good in defence but lacking the cutting edge up front and drawing a lot of games. We have since improved our goalscoring and there was a sweet spot just at the start of an 8-game winning run where we were both composed and dangerous. Since then we've maintained that attacking prowess but lost some of what else we had. We no longer seem to dominate possession, we've started to play loose balls and we've lost the sense of order and shape we had. We've started to concede two goals every game and just win games by outscoring our opponents. Luton however have the best defence in the division.

I'm actually warmed to the idea of the Ellis/Raynes centre-back partnership, I didn't realise till he filled in at left back a few weeks ago just how much pace Ellis has, and that's something we always seem to lack in defence.

I'd like to see Wright get another chance off the bench too, sounded like one of our better players last night, he sounds like he has that youthful determination to make things happen... which I like and want to see more of.

 

[hellogregory]

I'm going to this.

And I'd take a draw right now.

I didn't go to last nights game but recent games I've seen we've been pretty poor defensively. In fact we've conceded 18 goals in the last 8 games. That is shocking for a team supposedly going for promotion.

Fortunately for us we've been scoring enough goals to get our defence out of jail in most games, but having to score 3 goals minimum to have any chance of winning a game is a big ask every week and will end up costing us with defeats if we don't sort our shit out.
So yeah the defence worries me which is why I think it will cost us against better opposition this weekend. Nailed on defeat here for me.

4-1 to Luton.

 

[shoddycollins]

I'm going to this.

And I'd take a draw right now.

I didn't go to last nights game but recent games I've seen we've been pretty poor defensively. In fact we've conceded 18 goals in the last 8 games. That is shocking for a team supposedly going for promotion.

Fortunately for us we've been scoring enough goals to get our defence out of jail in most games, but having to score 3 goals minimum to have any chance of winning a game is a big ask every week and will end up costing us with defeats if we don't sort our shit out.
So yeah the defence worries me which is why I think it will cost us against better opposition this weekend. Nailed on defeat here for me.

4-1 to Luton.

You make the argument a lot that we concede a lot of goals and therefore it's somehow inevitable that we can't keep scoring enough goals to win games and will soon start losing.

However since there's nobody in this division who is both scoring loads and conceding few (I've notice Donny fans also raising concerns about their poor defending). Luton don't often score more than one in a game, and if you were a Luton fan you would no doubt be whinging that you can't keep up this run of needing to keep a clean-sheet in order to win games, and eventually you'll stop keeping clean sheets and teams will start beating you.

In fact the table at the moment supports the idea that it's better to put your faith in your strikers continuing to score than in your defence continuing to keep opponents out, as Plymouth were putting their faith in defence and that didn't work out, while the worst defences in the division (Morecambe, Crawley, Hartlepool) are all being kept out of the relegation zone by relatively decent attacks.

 

[hellogregory]

I've just had this down as a defeat for a while now. I don't think we've been great recently and 3 defeats in 6 shows that our bubble has burst. And as Luton have a solid defence I think it will be a big ask to score 2 or more goals to cover our standard 2+ goals we donate to teams.

Plus Gilliead is bound to have a stormer against us.

Actually come to think of it, why the fuck am I even going?

 

[Judge Dredd]

Luton however have the best defence in the division.

Statistically maybe but despite the healthy goals against column, we tend to leak plenty of chances every game. A fair few of our clean sheets have been as much down to luck as judgement. I certainly do not consider us to be particularly solid defensively compared to previous promotion winning sides I have seen in this division, although we've improved lately on that side of things Portsmouth could easily have had four goals from set pieces alone the other week.

 

[shoddycollins]

3 defeats in 6 shows that our bubble has burst.

This is the sort of attitude I was worrying over when we were 2-0 down last night and you said the players were too professional to let defeat in such a competition affect morale, like we were on a losing run. I hope you were right about the player's attitude at least and that they aren't as negative as that.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

You Carlisle lot are definitely reading too much into our defence. We have improved recently but I wouldn't say being strong defensively is particularly one of our strengths. Just look at the defending for the Solihull goals last week! Think there will be a regression to the mean coming up for us fairly soon in that respect I would have thought.

I also think you have got the sort of side who will cause us problems, good experience, good strong physical forward players and wide players in Lambe and Adams (realise I am making an assumption on your system here without actually having seen you play!) who can exploit our real lack of width with the diamond system.

 

[hellogregory]

This is the sort of attitude I was worrying over when we were 2-0 down last night and you said the players were too professional to let defeat in such a competition affect morale, like we were on a losing run. I hope you were right about the player's attitude at least and that they aren't as negative as that.

I don't think it will affect them mentally, there's a lot of experience in there and it doesn't seem a mentally weak squad.

But poor (or average) performances and having poor defenders is something different. We won't roll over for Luton that's for sure, I simply think our schoolboy defending will get punished and they will be a bit tougher to score 2, 3 or 4 goals against. That's why we'll lose in my opinion.

 

[hellogregory]

I also think you have got the sort of side who will cause us problems, good experience, good strong physical forward players and wide players in Lambe and Adams (realise I am making an assumption on your system here without actually having seen you play!) who can exploit our real lack of width with the diamond system.

I actually think a diamon system could be tricky for us.
We've been successful this season by taking control of the midfield and being on top in that area. A diamond could dominate us and if you dominate our midfield you've pretty much beat us. This is how rochdale got the better of us last week, their midfield really got on top of us, denied us space and pretty much restricted us to nothing.

Adams isn't your typical wide player, he's a right footer (although his left foot is decent too) that likes to cut inside quite often. Lambe also seems to come inside a lot. There isn't much pace in our side to do damage. As I say it's been us getting a grip on the game in midfield and making the most of set pieces that has got us most of our success this season. Our back 4 buckling under any form of pressure has been standard over the last 2 months.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

I actually think a diamon system could be tricky for us.
We've been successful this season by taking control of the midfield and being on top in that area. A diamond could dominate us and if you dominate our midfield you've pretty much beat us. This is how rochdale got the better of us last week, their midfield really got on top of us, denied us space and pretty much restricted us to nothing.

Adams isn't your typical wide player, he's a right footer (although his left foot is decent too) that likes to cut inside quite often. Lambe also seems to come inside a lot. There isn't much pace in our side to do damage. As I say it's been us getting a grip on the game in midfield and making the most of set pieces that has got us most of our success this season. Our back 4 buckling under any form of pressure has been standard over the last 2 months.

You are fortunate then that 3 of the 4 players we play in the diamond (assuming we play Rea over Lee, if we play Lee then its 4 out 4!) are not the sort of players who dominate a midfield in the manner which you have detailed.

You know all about Gilliead, Cook and McGeehan, good technical players no doubt aren't exactly the type who will dominate, hassle and press in a midfield battle, which looking at your experience there I am expecting.

 

[Carver]

I'm a lil bit worried about this one so I'll be happy with a draw.

 

[Bosox]

Yeah, if you were going to pinpoint the biggest weakness in the Luton team and the way Jones sets them out it would definitely be that they get over run in midfield all the time. We tend to end up with the player at the base of the diamond (Rea or Lee) up against the whole of the other team's midfield while the other three are waiting to be given the ball up the pitch. I'd love to see a proper ball winner brought in during January to play alongside Rea (dropping Cook) and move more to a 4-2-3-1 so we don't just have a gaping hole in the middle of the park.

 

[hellogregory]

Hmm well these midfield analysis' put a slightly different spin on it.

Still my main concern is our defence which I think will buckle quite easily with the pressure it will no doubt be under from Lutons many attacking players.

Defeat is pretty much certain, but maybe it won't be as one sided as i first feared. Changing my prediction to a more closely fought 2-1 defeat.

 

[Alan Partridge]

Hope we go back to Gillesphey and Raynes at CB...

 

[hellogregory]

Someone told me that Gillesphey was shit last night

 

[Glasshalffullpools]

I had no idea the A6 went to Luton either ....you can see a bit of it half way up a mountain from the M6 ....I just assumed it went to Blackpool

 

[shoddycollins]

I had no idea the A6 went to Luton either ....you can see a bit of it half way up a mountain from the M6 ....I just assumed it went to Blackpool

Well I knew that all the single-digit A-roads radiate out like spokes in a wheel, with London at the centre*, but I guess in the case of the A6... like with the airport, Luton is a good enough approximation of London.

*or Edinburgh... and as Carlisle has both the A6 towards London and the A7 towards Edinburgh it is part of both systems and the only other place to have more than one.

 

[hellogregory]

The A6 is one of the main historic north-south roads in England. It currently runs from Luton in Bedfordshire to Carlisle in Cumbria, although it formerly started at a junction with the A1 at Barnet.

 

[shoddycollins]

The A6 is one of the main historic north-south roads in England. It currently runs from Luton in Bedfordshire to Carlisle in Cumbria, although it formerly started at a junction with the A1 at Barnet.

Are there you go.

 

[Kenneth E End]

The A6 is one of the main historic north-south roads in England. It currently runs from Luton in Bedfordshire to Carlisle in Cumbria, although it formerly started at a junction with the A1 at Barnet.

The exact starting location is where our new stadium is going to be.

 

[hellogregory]

The exact starting location is where our new stadium is going to be.

And the exact ending location is where our new stadium isn't going to be.

 

[Glasshalffullpools]

The M6 changes into the M74 without much of a fanfare ..... a Carlisle football lover wanting to see King Bingham play at Hamilton could literally do it with just 2 left turns

 

[shoddycollins]

And the exact ending location is where our new stadium isn't going to be.

Was a strange choice of location for a new stadium. With the railway line on one side and the Caldew on the other. A very narrow plot of land, I did actually compare the width to the width of Brunton Park and came to the conclusion that if we were to build a stadium there then we wouldn't be able to have side stands*... just enough space between the rail and river for a football pitch and then presumably two 6.000 seater stands at the ends. Ridiculous, although unique.

The end of the A6 however, is the top of Botchergate, poor road, coming all that way with such a prestigous name only to have cars banned so it can be vomited on by drunks at the end of its journey.

*Unless of course we planned to build over the river... because of course nothing bad could ever come of that.

 

[shoddycollins]

The M6 changes into the M74 without much of a fanfare ..... a Carlisle football lover wanting to see King Bingham play at Hamilton could literally do it with just 2 left turns

There used to be a notorious stretch of single carriageway road between the northern end of the M6 and the southern end of the M74 known as the Cumberland gap. It's improved massively but Carlisle used to be a proper shitshow traffic-wise. I heard that the Eden Bridge in the city centre once carried the same volume of traffic as the M6.

 

[BelizeHatter]

wow. This football match has really lit the blue touch paper of excitement and attention for everyone ;-)

 

[codaplenty]

I would be delighted to see both these teams at Highbury next season, you can also throw in Blackpool as well. Carlisle have done fantastic so far and is it great for the club and town. A draw will be a good result for them 1-1

 

[shoddycollins]

I would be delighted to see both these teams at Highbury next season, you can also throw in Blackpool as well. Carlisle have done fantastic so far and is it great for the club and city. A draw will be a good result for them 1-1

Fixed that for ya