I'm waiting for a bunch of red crosses after posting this, but here goes.

I watched last night's game on TV and it was one of the least entertaining games of football I've ever watched.  It reminded me of my son's U16 team on a bad day.

However, up until the goal, I thought Town were the better team. Newport play a % game, with loads of long balls and throws into the box and the hope that Amond gets on the end of something.  I thought we defended well against this barrage and I was particularly impressed with Gibson.  Also, we were missing Hendrie and Pollock wasn't expecting to play but came in at the last minute and did ok - I thought he was unlucky to get red.  Their first goal was disappointing and maybe with a specialist full back in that position we wouldn't have left Amond in space to shoot.

Newport's long ball and pressing game makes it really hard for the opposing team because time on the ball is limited and so we end up with long balls back and forth and loads of head tennis.  Despite the commentators being massively biased, at the end of the first half, they acknowledged that we had been the better side.  We were the only side that attempted to get the ball on the deck and pass it, even if it didn't happen often.  We created as many chances as Newport, arguably more.

In midfield, Robson had a poor game and we wasted lots of free kicks with poor execution.  However, I really liked the clever through ball he played to Rose in the second half.  We had a few other moments where we actually made a clever pass and created a chance but they didn't go our way.

Overall, we were playing away at a team who have only lost 3 times this season and have one of the best defensive records in the league and play very unattractive football.  Against that, we had 5 first time players missing - Ohman, Wright, Hendrie, Hanson, Ogbu.

Yes its was a terrible game but I am not writing us off in the way everyone else seems to be.

Crafty sodomist, start off by expecting red crosses, bit of a rant in the middle and finish off on a positive so everyone gives you a tick.
Good work fella it's a tick from me too.

Stockholm syndrome.

Nice work London Mariner - reading your post was like therapy - it's not so bad!  8)

Now lets stuff the Cobblers!!

Quoted from LondonMariner43

I'm waiting for a bunch of red crosses after posting this, but here goes.

I watched last night's game on TV and it was one of the least entertaining games of football I've ever watched.  It reminded me of my son's U16 team on a bad day.

However, up until the goal, I thought Town were the better team. Newport play a % game, with loads of long balls and throws into the box and the hope that Amond gets on the end of something.  I thought we defended well against this barrage and I was particularly impressed with Gibson.  Also, we were missing Hendrie and Pollock wasn't expecting to play but came in at the last minute and did ok - I thought he was unlucky to get red.  Their first goal was disappointing and maybe with a specialist full back in that position we wouldn't have left Amond in space to shoot.

Newport's long ball and pressing game makes it really hard for the opposing team because time on the ball is limited and so we end up with long balls back and forth and loads of head tennis.  Despite the commentators being massively biased, at the end of the first half, they acknowledged that we had been the better side.  We were the only side that attempted to get the ball on the deck and pass it, even if it didn't happen often.  We created as many chances as Newport, arguably more.

In midfield, Robson had a poor game and we wasted lots of free kicks with poor execution.  However, I really liked the clever through ball he played to Rose in the second half.  We had a few other moments where we actually made a clever pass and created a chance but they didn't go our way.

Overall, we were playing away at a team who have only lost 3 times this season and have one of the best defensive records in the league and play very unattractive football.  Against that, we had 5 first time players missing - Ohman, Wright, Hendrie, Hanson, Ogbu.

Yes its was a terrible game but I am not writing us off in the way everyone else seems to be.

Well yes we could all put a positive slant on things if we tried hard enough.

However, the midfield highlight was ONE clever little through ball that any professional player should be able to make. Of course the first touch by Rose made the chance into a half chance.

I am being purposely negative because we have been served this dross for 17 years, and it is about time the people with any power to change things booked their ideas up.

Despite the lack of skill on show (by both sides to be fair) our will to win is just about zero. Professional players plodding around the pitch with no plan or desire, and no attacking intent to speak of. What the hell has been going on at the training ground in the weeks leading up to Jolleys dismissal? Who has been monitoring things and how has it turned so bad so quickly.

We have the commentators last nigh basically saying we were rubbish; Radio Humberside saying the same, and obviously we were rubbish and that is against opposition who were basic as basic could be.

I hope the board aren't waiting for applications to drift in; they should have identified one or two targets in the last few weeks. The quicker we get somebody in charge with some authority the better.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

We have the commentators last nigh basically saying we were rubbish; Radio Humberside saying the same, and obviously we were rubbish and that is against opposition who were basic as basic could be.

I hope the board aren't waiting for applications to drift in; they should have identified one or two targets in the last few weeks. The quicker we get somebody in charge with some authority the better.

I've argued a lot in the past two weeks, but find it hard to disagree with this.

Quoted from LondonMariner43

I'm waiting for a bunch of red crosses after posting this, but here goes.

I watched last night's game on TV and it was one of the least entertaining games of football I've ever watched.  It reminded me of my son's U16 team on a bad day.

However, up until the goal, I thought Town were the better team. Newport play a % game, with loads of long balls and throws into the box and the hope that Amond gets on the end of something.  I thought we defended well against this barrage and I was particularly impressed with Gibson.  Also, we were missing Hendrie and Pollock wasn't expecting to play but came in at the last minute and did ok - I thought he was unlucky to get red.  Their first goal was disappointing and maybe with a specialist full back in that position we wouldn't have left Amond in space to shoot.

Newport's long ball and pressing game makes it really hard for the opposing team because time on the ball is limited and so we end up with long balls back and forth and loads of head tennis.  Despite the commentators being massively biased, at the end of the first half, they acknowledged that we had been the better side.  We were the only side that attempted to get the ball on the deck and pass it, even if it didn't happen often.  We created as many chances as Newport, arguably more.

In midfield, Robson had a poor game and we wasted lots of free kicks with poor execution.  However, I really liked the clever through ball he played to Rose in the second half.  We had a few other moments where we actually made a clever pass and created a chance but they didn't go our way.

Overall, we were playing away at a team who have only lost 3 times this season and have one of the best defensive records in the league and play very unattractive football.  Against that, we had 5 first time players missing - Ohman, Wright, Hendrie, Hanson, Ogbu.

Yes its was a terrible game but I am not writing us off in the way everyone else seems to be.

I must have been watching a different channel.

I think Gibson has played quite well of late but I thought he was as poor as the rest last night.

Missing Hendrie maybe but in the last few games up to his injury he had been playing poorly.

With regard to long balls you obviously haven't seen us play lately.

As regards all our chances, be handy if you could name them as I can't remember many at all. In the second half I only remember when Rose hit a shot come cross that the keeper had to deal with.

Hey Antony 👋

Apart from Hess playing in a higher position for most of the first half, I failed to see any positives last night. Our loanees (Robson & Jerome) have even stooped to the moderate levels of the rest and I'm at a loss to work out which miracle worker we are going to recruit to make a team out of this lot.

Quoted from arryarryarry

I must have been watching a different channel.

I think Gibson has played quite well of late but I thought he was as poor as the rest last night.

Missing Hendrie maybe but in the last few games up to his injury he had been playing poorly.

With regard to long balls you obviously haven't seen us play lately.

As regards all our chances, be handy if you could name them as I can't remember many at all. In the second half I only remember when Rose hit a shot come cross that the keeper had to deal with.

Gibson should have tucked that last kick of the game away... not that it would have made any difference at all though

It was the ball that was to blame. (According to the commentators anyway)  ;)

Quoted from Les Brechin

It was the ball that was to blame. (According to the commentators anyway)  ;)

Sack the ball
Sack the ball
Sack the ball

🎶🎶🎶

Quoted from FishOutOfWater

Gibson should have tucked that last kick of the game away... not that it would have made any difference at all though

At that point I had given up the will to live.

Surely looking for positives is what being a supporter is all about.  I don’t agree that the players weren’t trying.  And some of the reaction on here is way over the top.  

Newport are a horrible team and it’s no surprise that they have done well in the Cup because higher up teams aren’t used to their style.  It’s like Wimbledon of old.  It was probably the worst possible game to have.

Let’s get behind the team and accentuate the positive not dig ourselves into even more despondency!

Effort there but zero belief and as match wore on, fight. You could tell they had given up.

Sorry i can accept it is tough when you get pressed all over the pitch but you have to have a game plan or tweak things.
Ie last night we could easily have gone to a 4231 or 433 and just hit balls into channels for the two wingers to press the defence / run onto.. Instead we just hit the ball to their full backs who had 10-20 or even 30 yards of space with no opponent around.

Yeah I noticed that a lot. Pointless with no one anywhere near those areas.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

how has it turned so bad so quickly?

That's exactly the question I've been asking since last night.  We started the season positively, picked up a few points, showed some team spirit and a great ability to fight back after being behind - not just once but repeatedly.  I felt quite comfortable with it all, and even dared to hope that we'd get better as the team developed.  Town fans reacted superbly when we were hammered by Chelsea, but I did wonder how the players themselves would respond ... I needn't have worried because they rolled their sleeves up, made the long journey down to top of the league Exeter and came away with an inspirational win.  They couldn't have responded any better.

So how has it gone so bad, so quickly?  Jolley's departure (especially the nature of it) was a surprise, and I'm not sure what I expected afterwards, but it certainly wasn't a performance like last night's. I'm not one to give up when things go wrong, and have always been fiercely proud of our club, but last night was incredibly hard to take.  It's not as if Newport were even that good!  How come we let them pull all the strings?  We just seemed to continually launch the ball,never knowing (or even caring?) where it would land and inevitably, nine times out of ten, it went to a Newport player.  On the rare occasion we did manage to get on the end of it, Newport players were straightaway chivvying and forcing our players into making hurried and misplaced passes, or just taking it off our players and making it look easy.  It's been looking a little bit like that for the last few matches I've seen, but what I saw last night was the absolute pits.

London Mariner's post did remind me that players like Ohman and Hendrie were missing, we didn't have Ogbu's unpredictability, or the battling qualities of Max Wright, (not to mention Hanson)  - and I think I was in need of that reminder, so thank you.  And IF we were better in the first half, then that helps a bit too - as I didn't watch the full match  - but what I did see was dire.

Anyway, I'm wondering now, do we need new players as well as a new manager, or can these current players regain some of their self respect and turn things around?   Whatever the outcome in our next match, I hope they can at least put up a bit of a fight rather than rolling over and letting the opposition make us look like no-hopers.  We'll be getting a new manager soon, and the players really need to think about their futures.  In a way I'm glad that last night was a cup game - it's made me not want to even think about what could happen in the league this season.

Great Post, I too missed most the first half and got a bit just on radio as was busy at work. Watched back end of second on screen so perhaps my view a bit scewif - but we should be battling back and ending strongly, making a fist of it not rolling over and giving up with useless tactics.

My theory is that we’ve fallen away since Max got injured.

Thanks, great post. Ridiculous the reaction on her last night.

Quoted from oochiad

Thanks, great post. Ridiculous the reaction on her last night.

Why was it ridiculous??... we'd just witnessed one of the worst performances, certainly one of the worst I can remember since FGR last season, and the emotions were running high.
The first half we had the better of 2 terrible teams, second half we have up...not what I expect from a GTFC team...so actually most of the reactions were well and truly deserved..

Quoted from LondonMariner43

I'm waiting for a bunch of red crosses after posting this, but here goes.

I watched last night's game on TV and it was one of the least entertaining games of football I've ever watched.  It reminded me of my son's U16 team on a bad day.

However, up until the goal, I thought Town were the better team. Newport play a % game, with loads of long balls and throws into the box and the hope that Amond gets on the end of something.  I thought we defended well against this barrage and I was particularly impressed with Gibson.  Also, we were missing Hendrie and Pollock wasn't expecting to play but came in at the last minute and did ok - I thought he was unlucky to get red.  Their first goal was disappointing and maybe with a specialist full back in that position we wouldn't have left Amond in space to shoot.

Newport's long ball and pressing game makes it really hard for the opposing team because time on the ball is limited and so we end up with long balls back and forth and loads of head tennis.  Despite the commentators being massively biased, at the end of the first half, they acknowledged that we had been the better side.  We were the only side that attempted to get the ball on the deck and pass it, even if it didn't happen often.  We created as many chances as Newport, arguably more.

In midfield, Robson had a poor game and we wasted lots of free kicks with poor execution.  However, I really liked the clever through ball he played to Rose in the second half.  We had a few other moments where we actually made a clever pass and created a chance but they didn't go our way.

Overall, we were playing away at a team who have only lost 3 times this season and have one of the best defensive records in the league and play very unattractive football.  Against that, we had 5 first time players missing - Ohman, Wright, Hendrie, Hanson, Ogbu.

Yes its was a terrible game but I am not writing us off in the way everyone else seems to be.

Ha ha that reads well!! Here obviously 😂

Quoted from marinette

That's exactly the question I've been asking since last night.  We started the season positively, picked up a few points, showed some team spirit and a great ability to fight back after being behind - not just once but repeatedly.  I felt quite comfortable with it all, and even dared to hope that we'd get better as the team developed.  Town fans reacted superbly when we were hammered by Chelsea, but I did wonder how the players themselves would respond ... I needn't have worried because they rolled their sleeves up, made the long journey down to top of the league Exeter and came away with an inspirational win.  They couldn't have responded any better.

So how has it gone so bad, so quickly?  Jolley's departure (especially the nature of it) was a surprise, and I'm not sure what I expected afterwards, but it certainly wasn't a performance like last night's. I'm not one to give up when things go wrong, and have always been fiercely proud of our club, but last night was incredibly hard to take.  It's not as if Newport were even that good!  How come we let them pull all the strings?  We just seemed to continually launch the ball,never knowing (or even caring?) where it would land and inevitably, nine times out of ten, it went to a Newport player.  On the rare occasion we did manage to get on the end of it, Newport players were straightaway chivvying and forcing our players into making hurried and misplaced passes, or just taking it off our players and making it look easy.  It's been looking a little bit like that for the last few matches I've seen, but what I saw last night was the absolute pits.

London Mariner's post did remind me that players like Ohman and Hendrie were missing, we didn't have Ogbu's unpredictability, or the battling qualities of Max Wright, (not to mention Hanson)  - and I think I was in need of that reminder, so thank you.  And IF we were better in the first half, then that helps a bit too - as I didn't watch the full match  - but what I did see was dire.

Anyway, I'm wondering now, do we need new players as well as a new manager, or can these current players regain some of their self respect and turn things around?   Whatever the outcome in our next match, I hope they can at least put up a bit of a fight rather than rolling over and letting the opposition make us look like no-hopers.  We'll be getting a new manager soon, and the players really need to think about their futures.  In a way I'm glad that last night was a cup game - it's made me not want to even think about what could happen in the league this season.

We are much better than last night suggested - you would be hard pressed to think what was on show last night was the same squad (and it is a squad game afer all) that played so well against Bradford, Port Vale and Exeter.

My theory (well guess) is something went badly wrong behind the scenes - if the players got wind of Jolley applying for other jobs (or something worse) and the camp has been badly disrupted as a result. Once team spirit is dented, it takes a while (and in this case a new manager) to restore some order.

One has to ask - if and around the time of the Exeter and Chelsea games Jolley was applying for other jobs - what the hell has gone on to make him do that??

Would love to hear from a professional or ex-pro as to how much they are actually affected by what is going on behind the scenes. Genuinely feel that, as a bunch footballers are generally quite selfish and consequently fail to be swayed by external factors.

Just my opinion.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

We are much better than last night suggested - you would be hard pressed to think what was on show last night was the same squad (and it is a squad game afer all) that played so well against Bradford, Port Vale and Exeter.

My theory (well guess) is something went badly wrong behind the scenes - if the players got wind of Jolley applying for other jobs (or something worse) and the camp has been badly disrupted as a result. Once team spirit is dented, it takes a while (and in this case a new manager) to restore some order.

One has to ask - if and around the time of the Exeter and Chelsea games Jolley was applying for other jobs - what the hell has gone on to make him do that??

I suspect it was before these 2 games, it will have been when the Cowley's left..
Casey Stoner once said about Valentino Rossi " his ambition outweighs his ability"....how wrong he was but that statement rings so true about Jolley..
I honesty think he's arrogant enough to think he's a good manager and thought he was better than GTFC...
Well guess what Mr J....you were wrong and I'm not sure if some if the frustration of bring turned down didn't come out in his tirade...

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

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I suspect it was before these 2 games, it will have been when the Cowley's left..
Casey Stoner once said about Valentino Rossi " his ambition outweighs his ability"....how wrong he was but that statement rings so true about Jolley..
I honesty think he's arrogant enough to think he's a good manager and thought he was better than GTFC...
Well guess what Mr J....you were wrong and I'm not sure if some if the frustration of bring turned down didn't come out in his tirade...

You might be right about the timings, but you have to ask yourself why? You might think Jolleys ego got the better of him, but I thought he wanted to build something here, or at least that is what he said. He must have known it would get out, and he must have known he had little chance in getting a "better" job with his limited success so far.

I am more of the opinion there has been a bust up behind the scenes over something; or he wasn't happy with the backing he was getting. Pure speculation I know, but we have had this before.  

Quoted from Roast Em Bobby

My theory is that we’ve fallen away since Max got injured.

There’s no doubt a lot of truth in that

As fellow exile  I am with you London - it was a dire viewing  experience -  after 60+ years of following my team it was probably the worst I have ever seen -  it was  Sunday League stuff  - what do these guys do in training/coaching all week?
Your analysis was spot on,
I need help because like you I still look forward to Saturdays results & have not given hope.
One sad Mariner.  

Probably similar to why Hurst left, if not the promises broken. More the realise he flogging a dead horse dealing with this Board and so began looking to get out of, if not a sinking, a leaky ship.

It's got back to the player's, who extremely disgruntled after being sold a vision of 'we going for it'.

There probably been a bust-up, different factions some more with the manager some displaying open mutiny.

Add to that a general unhappiness at the chopping and changing and over-the-top tactical sessions which keep changing for each opponent so the player's heads are well and truly bamboozled and you got a recipe for disaster.

Limbrick probably disciplinarian behind Jolley and so the mutinous crew still got beef with him and still got their strop on.

A mate of mine is angered with the player's having too much power and/or being stroppy and blames them partly for Jolley's departure like what happened with Bignot. I'd say the players can't be sacked the same way and we quickly need an entirely new team in to galvanise the squad and bring everybody back singing from the same hymn sheet.

There may have been a fallout amongst the players though over all this, I hope not as shipping out a certain section not an easy task and they all stuck with one another.

Quoted from Rik e B

Probably similar to why Hurst left, if not the promises broken. More the realise he flogging a dead horse dealing with this Board and so began looking to get out of, if not a sinking, a leaky ship.

It's got back to the player's, who extremely disgruntled after being sold a vision of 'we going for it'.

There probably been a bust-up, different factions some more with the manager some displaying open mutiny.

Add to that a general unhappiness at the chopping and changing and over-the-top tactical sessions which keep changing for each opponent so the player's heads are well and truly bamboozled and you got a recipe for disaster.

Limbrick probably disciplinarian behind Jolley and so the mutinous crew still got beef with him and still got their strop on.

A mate of mine is angered with the player's having too much power and/or being stroppy and blames them partly for Jolley's departure like what happened with Bignot. I'd say the players can't be sacked the same way and we quickly need an entirely new team in to galvanise the squad and bring everybody back singing from the same hymn sheet.

There may have been a fallout amongst the players though over all this, I hope not as shipping out a certain section not an easy task and they all stuck with one another.

Yes that is the sort of scenario I mean. The club is shockingly run, and it seems only a matter of time before it affects new managers and players..

We are only speculating of course, and it may be that the manager was sacked/resigned due to his bad language and results, but this has been coming for a couple of months.

Quoted from Roast Em Bobby

My theory is that we’ve fallen away since Max got injured.

Absolute rubbish!  He has played in 12 games this season, 8 as sub, scored one goal, he is a good impact sub at the end of the game when defenders are tired but to say that the whole team performance revolves around him being fit and playing is as I stated earlier, absolute rubbish!

Quoted from 123614

Absolute rubbish!  He has played in 12 games this season, 8 as sub, scored one goal, he is a good impact sub at the end of the game when defenders are tired but to say that the whole team performance revolves around him being fit and playing is as I stated earlier, absolute rubbish!

Roast did not say that the whole team performance revolves around Max. In talking about Max being an impact sub you endorse MJ's view. I believe that his injury and Vernam's loan severely restricted our options in being able to start games on the front foot.

Of course, there are many factors, known and unknown which are behind such a dramatic fall in performance. The players have not seemed as 'together' in recent games, MJ' s references to 'things not going for us', tetchy interviews and high wage players not producing can all affect the previous more positive vibe. Ultimately, you need the manager to set the tone and demonstrate key leadership skills. He could not handle it when the chips were down.