Cheltenham Town v MK Dons

[Jon Palmer]

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

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

No Varney in the eleven. Surely he will feature at some point though.

Broom a big loss but great to see Dawson back in match day squad.

[Nesty]

2-1 up HT come on you Robins

[Ben3]

What a difference two months make! Dynamic, exciting, purposeful.

Still think we may lose today but let’s try and get the next goal.

Cracking stuff

[art vandalay]

Great game, great performance, great result. Three cracking goals from open play. Really pleased for Alex Addai the way he's stuck at it and turned his season around.

[Alf]

Very competent performance against a good side. The confidence today was impressive. Like Ben, I did think we may struggle second half but we stuck to the plan and were magnificent. Another encouraging performance from Sam Jones and Addai and Barnett also outstanding. Great performance from the manager also with his perfect game plan.

[Nesty]

sounds good performance - hopefully any who went today will return

[Player2 Has Joined]

I thought Barnett and Addai were outstanding today, but credit to the full team as everyone put a shift in. If we can match that performance for the remainder of the season, we should have nothing to worry about!

[Shade]

Agree with all the above. Been a long time since someone had the entire Colin Farmer stand and applaud when they got subbed off, but it happened for Addai today.

[Robin]

Best performance of the season by some way, back in the summer I said this squad was good enough to finish top half and on recent form they are proving it. Still some work to do but we don't need major surgery next month and from here on in we should be targeting improving on last seasons poor 17th place finish.

Special mention to Ben Tozer, to think we almost loaned him out to Solihull Moors. He's been a rock in the back three and his distribution out of defence is top notch. Also huge praise to Alex Addei who was my man of the match - if he could finish we would have won by a bigger margin and he caused them all sorts of problems. Hard to criticise anyone today but I think if we can replace Jones and Thomas with better in January we can expect to see the team continue towards mid-table for the remainder of the campaign.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Great performance by Addai. Showed the same as he did in the Carlisle match before Milton and Duff froze him out. Great to see Duff giving him a free role, swapping left, right and down the middle.

Helped immensely by Jones, who was winning tackles and driving on providing the muscle and size needed.

[Robin]

Baffling how certain players were frozen out early in the current regime but now proving GJ signed good players.

[vickeryc]

Baffling how certain players were frozen out early in the current regime but now proving GJ signed good players.

I was thinking the same. Despite the poor early season results, there were promising signs from many of the players and it was only a matter of time before they gelled. Today's performance was the best I've seen for ages, particularly given the calibration of the opposition.

[Ihearye]

Baffling how certain players were frozen out early in the current regime but now proving GJ signed good players.

I was thinking the same. Despite the poor early season results, there were promising signs from many of the players and it was only a matter of time before they gelled. Today's performance was the best I've seen for ages, particularly given the calibration of the opposition.

Must help that they are now fit and are being given a consistent message on what way to play.

[Robin]

Yeah got to give Duff huge credit for drilling them into a team but this is largely GJ's summer signings which people wrote off quickly. It's not just the result/performance today either we've been showing big signs of improvement over the last month that I genuinely don't want to see big changes next month. 3-4 new faces maximum please, ideally all permanent or loans with a view to a permanent deal. I'd add one striker, one midfielder as priority, maybe a winger and another central midfielder but numbers wise we are well covered there now Dawson is back.

[Ben3]

It was a good performance. Addai, Barnett and nige outstanding.

They looked like a team with purpose and confidence and 4-1 at half time would have been about right.

I’m sticking with 8-12th with play offs a possibility if he buys/loans well in jan.

[Robin]

I like the optimism Ben but a few bad results could see us back in the relegation zones. At the very least a month back there looked to be three sides in the relegation scrap, now that number is more like six and I have a feeling one of Cambridge or Yeovil will go.

[Shade]

Which players of GJ's that have been around the last few games were frozen out? Only Addai and Thomas that I can think of, and I doubt Thomas will be in the first XI once a player or two has been signed? Jones et al were either signed by Milton after the season started or have been in and around the frst team all the time.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Even Clements was joining Nige and Jones in winning the ball and shoulder barging opposition players.

The third goal. Clemmy wins it back, shrugs off, beats and drives past two players, sharp ball into Addai, his flick over the defence and sublime by Clemmy; time stood still as he didn’t even break stride to chest it down and volleys in to the corner as smooth as as you like before the defence or keeper even moved. A wonderful goal.

[Shade]

Three of the best goals we've scored at home since we returned to the League.

[Del Boy]

Yeah got to give Duff huge credit for drilling them into a team but this is largely GJ's summer signings which people wrote off quickly.

Personally, it was the manager I wrote off not the players. The way Duff has got them playing is most impressive so credit has to go to the board and chairman for appointing him. Bit of a shame we didn't make the switch in the summer to allow him to do the recruitment as well but hopefully he'll have plenty of opportunity in the coming weeks and the summer. Finally the future looks bright.

[Robin]

Three of the best goals we've scored at home since we returned to the League.

Ben Tozer the obvious one who came close to joining Solihull on loan.

[Shade]

Three of the best goals we've scored at home since we returned to the League.

Ben Tozer the obvious one who came close to joining Solihull on loan.

True, but he was supposed to be a midfielder and looked poor when he played there, so more credit to Duff for putting him in defence and dropping Mullins, who I and everyone else thought had been playing well and was GJ's best signing.

[Lord Elpuz]

The way CTFC beat MK Dons today, means we should fear no one in this League. Our team won today without two of our most creative players in Maddox and Broom and just a few short weeks ago, the loss of those two players would have meant certain defeat. This means the whole squad has obviously stepped up and for that reason I would not like to see any of the current squad replaced in January. They believe in themselves as individuals, in their team mates, in the Manager and his style of play, and we as fans should also believe in them. They are now winners.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

The way CTFC beat MK Dons today, means we should fear no one in this League. Our team won today without two of our most creative players in Maddox and Broom and just a few short weeks ago, the loss of those two players would have meant certain defeat. This means the whole squad has obviously stepped up and for that reason I would not like to see any of the current squad replaced in January. They believe in themselves as individuals, in their team mates, in the Manager and his style of play, and we as fans should also believe in them. They are now winners.

This raises an interesting question actually.

Forster won a lot of defensive headers and was solid against decent MK attackers. Would Broom have been as effective?

And which of Addai, Jones and Clements would have been improved on by Maddox. I don’t see Maddox making the type of tackles and winning the physical battles Jones and Clements did and Addai was immense attacking and getting back and getting stuck in.

The first 10 mins of H2 we were being shredded in midfield. But Duff got Jones to sit in more and Clements and Nige pushed up five yards and those three bossed it from there on. I personally do not think Maddox would have been able to provide the tackling and physicality needed to have closed out that second half.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

The way CTFC beat MK Dons today, means we should fear no one in this League. Our team won today without two of our most creative players in Maddox and Broom and just a few short weeks ago, the loss of those two players would have meant certain defeat. This means the whole squad has obviously stepped up and for that reason I would not like to see any of the current squad replaced in January. They believe in themselves as individuals, in their team mates, in the Manager and his style of play, and we as fans should also believe in them. They are now winners.

This raises an interesting question actually.

Forster won a lot of defensive headers and was solid against decent MK attackers. Would Broom have been as effective?

And which of Addai, Jones and Clements would have been improved on by Maddox. I don’t see Maddox making the type of tackles and winning the physical battles Jones and Clements did and Addai was immense attacking and getting back and getting stuck in.

The first 10 mins of H2 we were being shredded in midfield. But Duff got Jones to sit in more and Clements and Nige pushed up five yards and those three bossed it from there on. I personally do not think Maddox would have been able to provide the tackling and physicality needed to have closed out that second half.

I meant Thomas, not Forster.

[Ben3]

I stick to what I said a couple of weeks back - we need to add goals. If we could add a Holman who fires in 20 goals before the end of the season we’ll be close to the play offs.

Easily said, difficult to do. But duff must be well connected in the right circles so let’s see who he can rustle up

[Lord Elpuz]

Realistically, we are unlikely to be signing a proven 20 goals a season striker because promotion chasing, and relegation fighting clubs will all be trying to attract those same rare commodities. We will be fortunate to unearth a surprise package who can bang the goals in (it can happen, of course - and I was hopeful that Duku would have been that jewel) but failing that we should continue providing goals from midfield & defensive players, as with Nigel, Boyle, Broom, Thomas, Hussey etc, recently.

Our squad is working. Really not sure we should upset the apple cart of a winning combination.

[Robin]

Agree no major changes improve where we can with 3-4 good players who are here permanently or loan with a view to permanent unless we find someone to good to turn down (i.e. Eisa). We need to add a quality central midfielder and striker as priority though.

[THECHOIRBOY]

Agree a lot with Robin in this thread
I don't think many changes are needed. Largely a case of improving our loans

We also need a good left side alternative to Hussey. So much about what we do now includes the balance and width he gives us. If he gets crocked again, we need good backup.

[longmover]

Baffling how certain players were frozen out early in the current regime but now proving GJ signed good players.

I couldn't see GJ getting these players performing like yesterday, GJ happy with long ball game and below par fitness.

[Ben3]

Well longmover, I was against sacking Gary. It’s part of my risk-adverse nature. He’d have kept us up.

But if duff can get ‘THAT’ out of his team regularly then the goal posts have moved. The style of football, the positive intent, the simple but effective gameplan (I won’t mention it now in case OTC feeds it back to cooper!) was like a breeze on a summers day.

It’s a simple game made complicated by idiots

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Well longmover, I was against sacking Gary. It’s part of my risk-adverse nature. He’d have kept us up.

But if duff can get ‘THAT’ out of his team regularly then the goal posts have moved. The style of football, the positive intent, the simple but effective gameplan (I won’t mention it now in case OTC feeds it back to cooper!) was like a breeze on a summers day.

It’s a simple game made complicated by idiots

Run forward fast, pass forward fast, and get the ball and players running in to the box.

Was a delight to see none of the slow sideways passing and no wanting possession for the sake of it but doing nothing other than making fans bored. It’s not working for Pep Guardiola the last few games and it doesn’t work for us either. Let’s see no more of it at WR.