Port Vale v Cheltenham Town

[Jon Palmer]

Team news, live updates and video reaction all here this afternoon: http://bit.ly/ValeA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Alf]

I shall be interested to see how Sam Jones gets on today. I think there is potential for him to do well. Hope I’m not wrong!

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

I shall be interested to see how Sam Jones gets on today. I think there is potential for him to do well. Hope I’m not wrong!

You are not wrong! Another big away goal for Jonah.

[Ben3]

Nigeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

[Alf]

I think we’re starting to get the hang of this football lark!

[Ben3]

Stupid game

[Hubert Parry]

Results haven't really gone our way either. Amazing how two minutes can change your perspective of a result.

[Ben3]

Ha - it’s only a game!

Anyone who went, how lovely was it on the terraces(vale park all seater I know)?? Respect for going in current conditions

[Robin]

Sickener that, 2-1 and we really begin to build moment with the transfer window looming too.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Still only two points above relegation despite the recent good form. A real sickener.

Puts pressure on the Swindon game now - if we don’t get at least a point then we could be going into the matches with MK and FGR at risk of getting gapped in the bottom two again.

Reports on Twitter it was shambolic defending for the equaliser.

Still, a point is a point.

[Ben3]

RCS - you know I like you and we enjoy back and forth "intellectual"(!) banter on here. But....

That is a really brainless post. Really silly things to say (and you haven't said them - you've actually typed them!).

There is no more, or no less, pressure on the Swindon game. We could do with winning it but if we dont it wont be the end of the world.

And if we are "gapped" in to the bottom two - what difference does that make?

I know modern football fans (fuelled by the desire from Sky to make every game seem like a "do or die" affair) want to hype games up...but that is just plain old silly

[Nesty]

i just knew we would concede in injury time - its what we do. 2 points dropped but i think most of us would have taken a drew before kick off. Sounds like another good cameo from AA - awful conditions so onwards and upwards. I wanted us to get to January without being adrift and we look to have done enough, and another performance for MD to have seen what needs doing in the window.

[Artemis]

Uh, we've more points to catch up to 22nd place than we otherwise would have done? But I do agree, it's hardly do or die.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

RCS - you know I like you and we enjoy back and forth "intellectual"(!) banter on here. But....

That is a really brainless post. Really silly things to say (and you haven't said them - you've actually typed them!).

There is no more, or no less, pressure on the Swindon game. We could do with winning it but if we dont it wont be the end of the world.

And if we are "gapped" in to the bottom two - what difference does that make?

I know modern football fans (fuelled by the desire from Sky to make every game seem like a "do or die" affair) want to hype games up...but that is just plain old silly

I am a stickler for targets. As per my countdown thread I believe we need 9 wins, from 25 games. That is one win every 2.77 games. So if we don’t beat Swindon, it means we are at serious risk of going three or four without a win with the two harder home games to come.

Just like a T20 cricket, if you need 7 an over and only make 5 in an over then the pressure mounts. And if you fall too far behind the run rate it is difficult to recover, with risks needed to be taken and the potential players will panic.

You say so what if we get gapped....well, I would be rather above the relegation looking up so the players can play with confidence, not being in the relegation zone losing ground with the players going into each game with the pressure of having to get points and the fear of relegation.

[Malabus]

i just knew we would concede in injury time - its what we do. 2 points dropped but i think most of us would have taken a drew before kick off. Sounds like another good cameo from AA - awful conditions so onwards and upwards. I wanted us to get to January without being adrift and we look to have done enough, and another performance for MD to have seen what needs doing in the window.

But we wouldn’t taken a draw with 90 seconds on the clock.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

i just knew we would concede in injury time - its what we do. 2 points dropped but i think most of us would have taken a drew before kick off. Sounds like another good cameo from AA - awful conditions so onwards and upwards. I wanted us to get to January without being adrift and we look to have done enough, and another performance for MD to have seen what needs doing in the window.

But we wouldn’t taken a draw with 90 seconds on the clock.

When all we had to do was boot it up into row z or the other end of the pitch then even harder to be happy with a point. Especially given the other results which have meant we end the day in a worse position than we started. All well and good talking about a good performance and happy with a point, but if it leaves you in a worse position then it is not too much to be happy about.

[Alf]

It was a good performance in horrendous conditions but we did concede from set pieces again of which I’m sure MD is aware and will spend time addressing this problem until it is right. He can only affect what happens in our games, if other teams at the bottom are winning the best we can do is match them. Other teams at the bottom will have weeks where they play well and get nothing, that is football. If it was completely predictable it wouldn’t be worth watching.

[Robin]

You can't read too much into other teams at the bottom winning. A few weeks ago it looked like a three way battle between ourselves, Macclesfield and Notts County. Now Cambridge, Morecambe and Yeovil are firmly in the mix History suggests if you get less than 45 points you are relegated so that should be our focus, a win yesterday and we are half way there with the likelihood of improving the squad next month.

[The Old TomCat]

Checking The Football League Paper, I note that Scott Flinders has been included in their Team of the Day.
Last time SF was included it was deemed to have been an editorial error. There had been other goalkeepers with better match points on day.
But this time I see that SF achieved best match points [8] of all Cheltenham players and was named as the papers Star Man for game.
That’s brilliant for a goalkeeper who conceded two goals during game.
Well done Scott.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Checking The Football League Paper, I note that Scott Flinders has been included in their Team of the Day.
Last time SF was included it was deemed to have been an editorial error. There had been other goalkeepers with better match points on day.
But this time I see that SF achieved best match points [8] of all Cheltenham players and was named as the papers Star Man for game.
That’s brilliant for a goalkeeper who conceded two goals during game.
Well done Scott.

Going to make a Boxing Day appearance at WR OTC?

[Horteng]

Big 2 points dropped yesterday with the bottom two both winning

Macc looked dead and buried 6 weeks ago but all of a sudden it’s looking very different

[Robin]

For Macc to survive they realistically need minimum 45 points, that's almost play off form for the remainder of the campaign that's a huge ask at this stage of the season.

[Red Duke]

Checking current form tables (over 6 games) we are sixth and achieving play off form. Macc are 11th.

[Robin]

Yeah but that's over six games Duke. It's not impossible over a longer period but Macc and ourselves have had a favourable run of fixtures playing largely mid-table teams or lower.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Yeah but that's over six games Duke. It's not impossible over a longer period but Macc and ourselves have had a favourable run of fixtures playing largely mid-table teams or lower.

Which makes yesterday’s result more galling; need to be holding on to wins if there are harder teams to come where we may not get any points.

Macclesfield’s next two games are home to Vale and away at County. No reason they cannot get six points.

[The Old TomCat]

Yeah but that's over six games Duke. It's not impossible over a longer period but Macc and ourselves have had a favourable run of fixtures playing largely mid-table teams or lower.

Which makes yesterday’s result more galling; need to be holding on to wins if there are harder teams to come where we may not get any points.

Macclesfield’s next two games are home to Vale and away at County. No reason they cannot get six points.

From an outside point of view I would say that 4 points from last two games is about right and good enough average to avoid relegation.
That’s because it seems luck has worked for and against Cheltenham in past two matches:
Cheltenham 2-1 Grimsby [Cheltenham winner 90+2 minute]
Port Vale 2-2 Cheltenham [P Vale equaliser 90+3 minute]

Robin’s post that Macc need 45 points to avoid relegation [promotion form] could alternately be phrased that Macc need five more points than Cambridge by season end. Macc are currently having a small run of decent results so that would not be out of the realms of possibility.
However I think Macc will be first promoted club to be relegated back to non-league in following season.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Yeah but that's over six games Duke. It's not impossible over a longer period but Macc and ourselves have had a favourable run of fixtures playing largely mid-table teams or lower.

Which makes yesterday’s result more galling; need to be holding on to wins if there are harder teams to come where we may not get any points.

Macclesfield’s next two games are home to Vale and away at County. No reason they cannot get six points.

From an outside point of view I would say that 4 points from last two games is about right and good enough average to avoid relegation.
That’s because it seems luck has worked for and against Cheltenham in past two matches:
Cheltenham 2-1 Grimsby [Cheltenham winner 90+2 minute]
Port Vale 2-2 Cheltenham [P Vale equaliser 90+3 minute]

Robin’s post that Macc need 45 points to avoid relegation [promotion form] could alternately be phrased that Macc need five more points than Cambridge by season end. Macc are currently having a small run of decent results so that would not be out of the realms of possibility.
However I think Macc will be first promoted club to be relegated back to non-league in following season.

You coming to WR on Boxing Day OTC? I’ll stand you a pint if so.

[horlickfanclub]

Shame Flinders could not claim the ball in from the corner. After all his good work he seemed more keen on shoving the Port Vale man than watching and getting out to the ball. Have a word Booky.
Apart from that a good point in the grand scheme of things.

[The Old TomCat]

You coming to WR on Boxing Day OTC? I’ll stand you a pint if so.

Cheers,
I'll be on Supporter's Coach on 29th December but would be pleased to have a drink with you when I arrive.
Hopefully I'd be allowed into Cheltenham bar b4 game [away supporters are not allowed into Green Man at TNL]
Thanks

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

You coming to WR on Boxing Day OTC? I’ll stand you a pint if so.

Cheers,
I'll be on Supporter's Coach on 29th December but would be pleased to have a drink with you when I arrive.
Hopefully I'd be allowed into Cheltenham bar b4 game [away supporters are not allowed into Green Man at TNL]
Thanks

I was talking about Boxing Day vs MK Dons. As FGR are away I thought you may be attending WR for your festive footy fix. I won’t be there on 29th.

[The Old TomCat]

You coming to WR on Boxing Day OTC? I’ll stand you a pint if so.

Cheers,
I'll be on Supporter's Coach on 29th December but would be pleased to have a drink with you when I arrive.
Hopefully I'd be allowed into Cheltenham bar b4 game [away supporters are not allowed into Green Man at TNL]
Thanks

I was talking about Boxing Day vs MK Dons. As FGR are away I thought you may be attending WR for your festive footy fix. I won’t be there on 29th.

FGR are away to the short trip at Newport on Boxing Day. I've already booked seat on coach and ticket to match.

RCS,

I kept aside two of your earlier posts and have just re-read them

http://www.robinsnestforum.co.uk/viewto ... =2&t=25152" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

&

http://www.robinsnestforum.co.uk/viewto ... 82#p282182" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You write:

"Home on the opening day, boxing day and the 29th. Can't complain with that.
Reading down the fixture list, it just reads like a list of teams we should be beating.
Aye.
No stand-out threats to our promotion push."

&

"MK Dons and FGR in Christmas week.
What a fairytale it will be and testament to the true pagan and religious meanings of Christmas and two-fingers-up to the modern consumerist obscenity if Cheltenham Town, a proper football club, were to beat the two vile franchises."

I can guarantee that you never expected to be playing team top of EFL2 [MK Dons] and next match at home against team with best away record in EFL2 [FGR] during this festive period.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

The second point still stands. Football vs Franchise not once, but twice.