Chelters

Chelsea Paul Williams takes on Everton’s Dave Watson in the opening game.

Thought I’d get round to posting the programme covers again so here’s a bit of a catch up Forest The top of the new South Stand roof in the bottom corner.

Thing is though the vast majority of them probably don’t actually care either way, just the usual ‘look at how edgy I am’ stuff.

Well one small thing to come out of this : at least the FA have allowed football to gain a bit of moral high ground over the pompously superior rugby lot. But I tend to agree that it is a bit of an overreaction and has denied the football community a chance to give her their own send-off.

I too feel sadder than I ever thought I would, it’s weird how something like this can affect you. Whatever you think of the monarchy she deserves the utmost respect. Oh and it’s HM not HRH by the way.

One thing I will say is that, having seen Cheltenham play a few times under Duff, he is a very good coach. However I saw him have exactly the same ‘no plan B’ issues with them in League Two when they were near the top. And we did the same to MK Dons earlier in the season. Not sure what my point is really except maybe that almost every good manager will sometimes appear to be out thought, just need to make sure it doesn’t happen too many times.

To be fair I think there was a plan B but it seemed to be throw on as many attackers as possible and abandon any form of tactics or formation.

Thing is though I was as frustrated as anyone else. Travelled the usual 250 mile round trip, took my lad up to his first game since lockdown really hoping they could put on a show to give him the buzz back. And had to sit and watch that. But I sat there and took my medicine. No boos, no slagging off the players. I know we’re all wired differently but it does seem like, when things aren’t so good, some people can’t handle it.

Well that was crap but credit to Barnsley I thought they were decent and did a job on us, no complaints. Too many off their game today, maybe a bit complacent after recent results. Windass and Bakinson in particular were well off it. I know it was a frustrating day but our fans really need to be a bit more patient, the Kop were Barnsley’s 12th man today.

Sadly I think Blackpool will be able to name their price. It is a Byers market after all.

Ashley Westwood

Ihiekwe has been class so far, surely the pick of the new signings at this stage. And we all thought that Vaulks was going to be the replacement for Luongo but at this rate it’s looking more like it’s going to be Bakinson.

Windass can go to Boro for £3m plus a public apology from Gibson for his previous comments about us.

FGR fans are a bit of an odd bunch, bit like MK Dons. They’re a bit new to all this football malarkey bless ‘em.

10 points from 5 games against teams who could all be in the mix is a decent start imo, particularly as it could easily have been 11 or 13 except for a stupid red card.

Which player did we loan from Bolton twice six seasons apart?

And that’s Joe Mattock while I’m here.

May well have been, remember watching it but could have been red button.

In 2019 it was Rolando Aarons got the second goal

I think he has a point to be honest. The problem is psychology for me. They all know the laws of the game and none of them are deliberately biased. But they do get swayed. Against Portsmouth the ref was actually a bit generous to us in the first half but nothing significant. Their fans start having a go and no doubt Cowley has a little word in his shell-like at the end of the half and suddenly it’s there. That little seed of doubt, there in the back of the subconscious. Then in the second half suddenly every decision goes their way, every little free kick that they try to buy is happily sold to them. Five bookings for us, one of which changed the course of the game, and none for them. Thankfully he then bottled a potential penalty, probably because he realised that would have been one decision too many. We see this so many times. The ref starts off OK then, as the players, coaching staff and crowd take umbrage at something, they turn to shit. You can sense the tide turning after the manager has a particularly strong go at them for example. Lo and behold all the decisions start going the other way. So you have to play the dark arts a bit. Have a couple of players in the ref’s ear chipping away and pointing out every mistake. Same with the coaches. Get particularly vocal about the major decisions. Plant that seed. Sadly I think Moore wants to be the good guy and not get involved in this stuff and we suffer because of it. As for the refs, I think they need to train them in this stuff. Or maybe swap the refs and linesmen at half time to try and reduce the unconscious bias. But it needs sorting because players and coaches are getting cuter at working out how to get their way and it’s damaging the game.

That and being a bit too nice, not getting in the ref’s ear enough.

To MK and Bells. Don’t disagree with any of that, just thinking we need to put one game affected by a red card in perspective.

Will be all four league games now where we have had more free kicks given against us than for us. Happened in the majority of games last season as well even when we were winning games and dominating possession. Not saying there is a conspiracy or owt like that but psychologically it’s too easy for refs to sway against us.

Even in a good season you will get a couple of shit nights like this. Write it off and move on. Not to say there aren’t a couple of things to address though.

Big Viv. Mediocre alternative to Roly at right back when he first signed. Then turned into a colossus at centre back, captained us at Wembley and chipped in with a few goals too.