Let's talk about the Stockport game

After a slow start Stockport have finally hit form, can't see anything but a Stockport win I'm afraid.

Would take a draw now given the chance, that's how bad it's got.

Completely agree PP.

Honestly, we'll get hammered....up until the sending off last season, they tore us a new ring piece and I'm expecting the same on Sunday, plus they'll be fired up looking for revenge for the home defeat.

Let’s hopes our team don’t have the same mindset as you guys!🤣😂

I'll not be there. Took off in our camper this morning for a week touring around Yorkshire and all points North.

Tough game, but you never know. We seem to have a hex on them recently.

I would like to set us up to be solid and hard to break down. Loads of pace and energy in the side and with a change of formation with wingbacks and a back 3. A hard working midfield 3 and Khan given more of a central role to try to get him on the ball more. Playing counter attacking football and keeping the ball on the deck until we reach the box.

                                  Crocombe

             Waterfall.        Smith.         Maher
Efete                                                               Glennon
                                      Green
                 Hunt.                              Clifton

                           McAtee.        Khan

Doesn't give us much time to work on this but we have been opened up too much in the last 2 games to role out a same team and formation

Quoted from Stew0_0

I would like to set us up to be solid and hard to break down. Loads of pace and energy in the side and with a change of formation with wingbacks and a back 3. A hard working midfield 3 and Khan given more of a central role to try to get him on the ball more. Playing counter attacking football and keeping the ball on the deck until we reach the box.

                                  Crocombe

             Waterfall.        Smith.         Maher
Efete                                                               Glennon
                                      Green
                 Hunt.                              Clifton

                           McAtee.        Khan

Doesn't give us much time to work on this but we have been opened up too much in the last 2 games to role out a same team and formation

Nothing wrong with the system but I would play Harry at RWB, Khan behind Kiernan and McAtee

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Nothing wrong with the system but I would play Harry at RWB, Khan behind Kiernan and McAtee

Like the look of that. Quicker tempo, front foot, no one isolated against centre halves, keeping possession and press as one.

Beat them away without mcatee .So of course we can win .Just depends which town team turns up .

Do we have to talk about it? The thought of having to sit through another performance like Thursday’s while hungover is making me feel sick already.

I would drop effete in a heart beat.

I'd do this but have Kiernan in somewhere.

Its not what team you put out at the moment  its if the players that play actually perform . We know they can perform better but are not at the moment.. So what is it that is affecting them . ???

Quoted from denni266

Its not what team you put out at the moment  its if the players that play actually perform . We know they can perform better but are not at the moment.. So what is it that is affecting them . ???

Confidence - every player and manager at every level of football from time immemorial has said how much of a difference it makes to performances.

Sick of them. Off on holiday for a couple of weeks so some respite.

Focus on not giving the ball away, when we haven’t got the ball work harder than we did on Thursday to win it back, Salford seemed to have time on the ball.

With or without the ball talk to each other and let people know what’s going on around the pitch. This may sound harsh but it looks like a couple of the players are hiding a bit.

No idea about what the team will look like but I suspect it won’t change too much as we have limited options in reality. Would like to see Hunt in but suspect it might be Morris and this might surprise some but I expect the back 4 to be the sane as the one that finished the game on Thursday.

Bit worried to be honest as we could come out of the 3 Christmas games with no points, it may have done but I can’t remember that happening before.

Stockport are hitting their straps now and in really good form. I can't see us beating them to be honest.

We have good spells, followed by bad, rinse and repeat. Can't see this bad spell ending tomorrow, although I live in hope.

See they have already made a new signing. We might get a couple of loans in 3 or 4 weeks time.

Can only see one outcome Stockport winning comfortably ,I desperately hope I’m wrong though

I do think we’ll lose because I feel like Stockport have a better side and are better coached, but I don’t subscribe to the view we don’t work hard enough to compete. Sure, we are making simple mistakes that we need to cut out in order to do anything, but I do feel like we lack ability on the ball in the midfield.

We have midfielders with lots of strong points. Green is good in the air and strong in the tackle, Holohan is good at nipping in and pinching the ball before carrying it forward, Clifton can run for days etc. Salford seemed to have midfielders that could collect the ball under pressure and then turn their man once or even twice and get away. I feel like the only player we have that can do that consistently is Hunt.

I’ll let you guys decide who should partner these but I think these 4 should be starters tomorrow:

X         X       Hunt     Khan
             McAtee
                Orsi

Orsi didn’t get the best write up from a lot on Tuesday but I thought he actually looked ok at least for the first 30 minutes. He linked up with McAtee and was a willing runner throughout. The alternative is probably Pepple or Kiernan which I’m fine with, but I absolutely hope we don’t go back to McAtee leading the line.

Salford's midfielder who we couldn't get near belongs to Man United. Not a surprise we couldn't get near to him, really. I'd imagine Salford are probably paying 100% of his wages. It helps when the main shareholder of a club is a billionaire. They certainly had more pace in wide areas and at full-back than us, however. Made it especially easy for them to see out the second half without incident (in addition to our crap passing). Pace is something our squad badly lacks and it is an asset which Hurst has never seemed bothered about which always surprises me. As a former full-back, you'd think he would be well aware of the difficulties bit of pace can cause defences.

Given the poor run of form we're in, I'd be happy if we got a point tomorrow. Main thing is to make sure we don't give away any of the stupid and sloppy goals which we've been shipping of late. If they are better than us, then so be it, but make them work for it.

Quoted from fishboyUTM

Sick of them. Off on holiday for a couple of weeks so some respite.

Have an enjoyable safe trip.. as for me I'll be watching the Stockport game on marinerstv and going to Swindon away

We tend to do well against the better sides, yep we failed against Salford. So for a change for me not victory but I think we'll get a draw. Our defence needs tightening up and hopefully, we nick a goal.

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

Honestly, we'll get hammered....up until the sending off last season, they tore us a new ring piece and I'm expecting the same on Sunday, plus they'll be fired up looking for revenge for the home defeat.

Last season ??
We have played and beat them this season  you know.
In that game we were had the better of it until they had a man sent off and we let them back in until that great breakaway third goal.

Quoted from moosey_club

Last season ??
We have played and beat them this season  you know.
In that game we were had the better of it until they had a man sent off and we let them back in until that great breakaway third goal.


At home last season, they completely dominated us for 30 minutes until the sending off. Then for once, we actually made our 1 man advantage work for us.

Quoted from DB

We tend to do well against the better sides, yep we failed against Salford. So for a change for me not victory but I think we'll get a draw. Our defence needs tightening up and hopefully, we nick a goal.

I think Tranmere are the only team we have beaten that were above us on that matchday in the league this season.

Quoted from Madeleymariner

I think Tranmere are the only team we have beaten that were above us on that matchday in the league this season.

Not forgetting Plymouth, albeit a cup game.

New year and players looking who Hursty will bring in hoping its not to replace them.

So a better performance from most and a narrow victory to stop the rot.

Cup game next week so hopefully 2 or 3 new faces to perk us up at Swindon.

Quoted from DB

Not forgetting Plymouth, albeit a cup game.

I take it you missed the words 'in the league'. We've beaten no one above us in the league because we haven't got many good league players.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I take it you missed the words 'in the league'. We've beaten no one above us in the league because we haven't got many good league players.

Youre factually wrong OC...Tranmere were above us when we beat them.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I take it you missed the words 'in the league'. We've beaten no one above us in the league because we haven't got many good league players.

I think we’ve got a fair amount of decent league players, they’re just not playing well at the moment.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I think we’ve got a fair amount of decent league players, they’re just not playing well at the moment.

Khan, McAtee, Taylor, Morris, Scannell and Clifton are, when fit, decent enough. Beyond that, most are unproven at this level. There’s others with potential I grant you but….

I sometimes have a lurk on other teams message boards when we play them and they are generally more complimentary about us than our own fans.


They have no emotional attachment.

They've not even sold out the away end, surprised at that.

Quoted from lukeo

They've not even sold out the away end, surprised at that.

I'm not. They sold out for a sunny Good Friday with trains running, when people still had cheap mortgages and reasonable energy bills. They've decent away support but not exceptional considering their home crowds, they've never filled the away end before. After today, save for Mansfield, I doubt we'll have more than 500 away fans at BP for any league game for the rest of the season.

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

I'm not. They sold out for a sunny Good Friday with trains running, when people still had cheap mortgages and reasonable energy bills. They've decent away support but not exceptional considering their home crowds, they've never filled the away end before. After today, save for Mansfield, I doubt we'll have more than 500 away fans at BP for any league game for the rest of the season.

Oddly enough we travelled over to Grimsby from Stockport this morning and didn’t see hoards of away supporters, might be a bit early still though.

2 1 Grimsby.. Waterfall 1st scorer... 275/1

Crazier things have happened....

Quoted from lukeo

2 1 Grimsby.. Waterfall 1st scorer... 275/1

Crazier things have happened....

I’d be quite happy I’d Waterfall never played today to be honest.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I’d be quite happy I’d Waterfall never played today to be honest.

Given that Pearson is not available for selection are you comfortable going into the game with Maher and Smith as our central defenders? I missed the Salford match, fortunately, and appreciate he may be below par at present but the vast majority of players will have spells in the season when their form dips and at least we know with Waterfall we’re guaranteed 100% commitment and hopefully a return to form.

I might be inclined to go with 3 at the back to day with Clifton and Glennon as wing backs, Hunt and Green in centre mid with McAtee, Khan and Orsi up top. Appreciate Orsi didn’t set the world alight on Thursday night but think he needs to play 3 or 4 games on the bounce to see if he’s worth keeping hold of, if not then he can be moved on in late January.

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

Given that Pearson is not available for selection are you comfortable going into the game with Maher and Smith as our central defenders? I missed the Salford match, fortunately, and appreciate he may be below par at present but the vast majority of players will have spells in the season when their form dips and at least we know with Waterfall we’re guaranteed 100% commitment and hopefully a return to form.

I might be inclined to go with 3 at the back to day with Clifton and Glennon as wing backs, Hunt and Green in centre mid with McAtee, Khan and Orsi up top. Appreciate Orsi didn’t set the world alight on Thursday night but think he needs to play 3 or 4 games on the bounce to see if he’s worth keeping hold of, if not then he can be moved on in late January.

It’s a fair challenge to be honest but it’s not working with Waterfall and one of the other 2 so is Waterfall the problem. I don’t expect it to happen but captain fantastic is drifting towards being the player he looked like under Holloway, I hope I’m wrong about that as he’s a good bloke.