Grand Theft At The Valley

Todays proceedings were summed up for me during the first half.  For a number of years now I have known Brian Cole and his daughter.  I have already stated that todays seat was courtesy of Kings Hill Addick and I was seated a few seats to the left of the Cole couple.  there was Brian sitting there,his head in his hands in despair and sitting next to him was his daughter executing a giant yawn..... and this was a neat summing up by the Cole family of our performance.

Still we got three points, we're only two points and 6 goals off the top spot.  It is a long time if ever that I have seen a match where we have been so over run and come out with one point let alone three.  There have been the odd games where we have dominated but we have not been rewarded with points.

The plus points were:-
- a win,
- meeting Kings HillAddick,
- meeting up with Henry Irving and Dr Kish,
- Parkie realising that McCormack and Semedo were not working and actually changing it at half time,
- Semedo being Captain
- Robbie Elliot
- Further substitutions that worked
- Winning when we played awfully

The negatives
- They were bloody awful
- The failure of our starting forwards to make an impact
- They really were awful
- The team need time to gel, but it is worrying that there are no perceptible signs of it happening.
- They were so so awful.
- McCormacks first half performance.

But what was the worst part of the day, was that when my mate got back to where he had parked his car, it was obvious that someone had caved in the car window and he had been a victim of car theft, so it was not just Notts County who had someting stolen while at the Valley today!!!

Two Hills In The Valley

Courtesy of Kings Hill Addick* I will be at the Valley tomorrow.

After two straight away defeats the pressure (IMHO unfairly) is rising for Parkie and the team.  Woe betide us if we go a goal down tomorrow against one of the oldest clubs in the world, Notts County.  I can hear the boos already.  But honestly we are only a few games in and we need players to bed in and learn to work with each other.  Sometimes this can take a game or two, others it can take a while.  Would we rather we started like a steam train, ala last season and peter out or would we like to do a Millwall and rush for the finishing line and get the enormous prize of a bronze and promotion.

I am sure there will be a few boos reserved for Lee Hughes Sadly I think that will only spur him on.  Parkie has a number of selection decisions to make.  At times he is a bit like Curbishley in his loyalty to players and I wonder if this approach leads to a level of complacency amongst the chosen players and a feeling of injustice amongst those left out.  It certainly had a bearing on both Spring and McCenzie last season, who were both ignored during the slump despite claiming to be fit.

By all accounts Fortune had a good run out in the reserves last week and the question is raised wether he is fit enough to start tomorrow instead of the hapless Llerra.  OK that is a bit unfair, but his decision making this season is a bit iffy and he should never have gone in so recklessly at Exeter.  for the record, I think that was a penalty.  There is always the option of playing Fry at Centre back and bringing back Jackson at left back.  I like what I have seemn and heard about Fry and would like to retain him at left back, despite his heroics their last season, Jackson is not a natural left back so I would prefer Fry there, plus I have never seen Fry in the centre of defence.

Midfield seems to be the key area of concern at the moment in that we have numbers but do we have quality.  The response from Exeter and Huddersfield is that Semedo and McCormack are too similar and there is a lack of creativity ... Racon or Jackson maybe for McCormack.  This I think is where Parkies loyalty to players may play against him as he has faith in McCormack (same as Francis) and is expecting him to come good.  I would actually like to see racon go in to the role of creative midfielder and in dailly's absence be given the captaincy - which is probably why I am not very good at Football Management games.

Martin is odds on for starting on the right with Wagstaff around on tjhe bench.  Martin potentially offers a lot but he is also a bit of a show man, that's ok if you are ronaldo, but Martin needs to prove himself before being able to wander through games strutting.  Assuming Reid is fit, he needs to put in a performance that is telling, again like Martin he has shown flair but is yet to really hurt defences in the way he did last season.

Up front it is unlikely to be anything other than Abbott and Benson.  Abbott has told the Evening Standard that he has quickly settled in and is ready to start scoring goals tomorrow, so here is hoping that he can fulfill his promise.  Abbots move from Oldham may be physically and emotionally harder than Bensons but he needs to put a performance in similar to the one he did at Shrewsbury.

There has been no news specifically on Akpo having had a bad knock on the head at the end o f the game at Exeter, although there was news about the Sodje families gala dinner at the valley for poverty in Africa.

I'm going for a dull game at the Valley tomorrow, with us grinding out a 2-1 victory.

Ps Any chance of not singing the incest song?


*Much appreciated Kings Hill

This Year Last Points Total

I'm trying to keep a comparison of this year versus last year points total as we progress though the season.  However rather than the normal "after x number of games" I am trying to compare equivalent fixtures.  Of course with relegation and promotion there are six different clubs so I have randomly equated the new teams with the old, after yesterdays result we are two points adrift.

Bournemout = Wycombe, Peterborough = Norwich, Plymouth = Leeds
Sheff Wed = Millwall, Notts County = Gillingham, Dagen = Southend

I am expecting after the Notts County we will be back on par, and will keep with that at the end of the MK Dons game, losing 2 points v Tranmere but picking up two points against Daggers and being on par for the Dons, although I expect a repeat of last seasons result to be unlikely.

Thanks to the generosity of Kingd Hill Addick I should be at the Valley for the Notts County game,in the east stand.