MATCHWATCH : Mansfield Town (h)

[PieEater]

Without going through every single thread and post.... Did anyone notice we have a new screen..... And it's smaller!!!!! AND EVER WITH MY SUPER MEGA POWERFUL LENSES I I CAN'T READ THE TEAM NAMES FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE WEST LOWER!!!!!
Not only that but they didnt't even put the away team up or who had been carded or the goalscorers side by side. Looks like somone nipped over to Costco and bought the biggest telly they could find.....

Didn't know if the screen was new but what they out ion it lineus wise was indeed shite, yet the goalscorer pics were an improvement

On a similar tangent I liked (but didn't really care about) the dynamic floodlights, although they should do it during Sirius to totally rip off the Bulls

I thought it was just the font, it was terrible and really hard to read.

[Hound]

Without going through every single thread and post.... Did anyone notice we have a new screen..... And it's smaller!!!!! AND EVER WITH MY SUPER MEGA POWERFUL LENSES I I CAN'T READ THE TEAM NAMES FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE WEST LOWER!!!!!
Not only that but they didnt't even put the away team up or who had been carded or the goalscorers side by side. Looks like somone nipped over to Costco and bought the biggest telly they could find.....

Didn't know if the screen was new but what they out ion it lineus wise was indeed shite, yet the goalscorer pics were an improvement

On a similar tangent I liked (but didn't really care about) the dynamic floodlights, although they should do it during Sirius to totally rip off the Bulls

I thought it was just the font, it was terrible and really hard to read.

Yeah I was thinking it was my eyes. I couldn’t make out a word of it without squinting hard and I was in y24

[Uke]

Saying someone didn’t have their best game or is slightly off form isn’t turning on our own. It’s just an observation

Fine, but saying someone is "sh1t" very much is, and that's from this thread.

don't think anyone is saying he's shit. People are saying it was a shit performance...

i was the first to mention it, and said:

I’m just going to say it. Despite being 5-0. Wing has been shit again. Everyone else excellent

Big difference between saying someone is shit and saying someone has just played shit.

In my view, Wing hasn't been great since about January; this isn't just a this season thing. Something has happened- confidence? Getting old and past it? Or just a genuine drop in form. I'm sure we will find out in the coming months. I'm going for the latter, and I'm sure his performances will pick up

That's pretty much saying he's shit and you try to push the narrative at every opportunity (along with your view of the owners/management)

The match stats say "not shit" - look at how many passes he made which is what midfielders are supposed to do (click on him and the stats come up.
https://www.sofascore.com/football/matc ... d:16395412

FFS, just enjoy the ride! We have no control over anything.

[PieEater]

Unlike a lot of others I thought we did ok in the time before the first goal. It was a battle against a decent Mansfield side and we set out to compete and contain them. I didn't really hear the motivational booing from the South stand.

The first goal I didn't see clearly but that got us settled, the second was the sort of pure comedy we usually perform and the third was a worldy from Earthy. I was pretty impressed with him, his work rate adds a lot covering the defence.

Marriotts second was just pure class and wouldn't of been out of place a couple of leagues higher.

I thought Lane and Lisbie both did well, the whole team seems more balanced.

One last word for the ref who I thought was pretty decent, he let a lot go and didn't fall for a lot of falling over, rightly booked Pereira for dicking about unnecessarily when we were 3-0 up.

[Mr Angry]

When did we last score Five?

Mansfield away, April 2025

Sky mentioned it was our first 5+ goal winning margin since 2014

Our first 5 goal+ winning margin at home since 2014 (18th Jan 2014 - Reading 7 Bolton 1; ALF got a 33 minute hattrick). We also got 5 the next home game (5-1 v Blackpool) with ALF getting another hat-trick.

[Ascotexgunner]

Without going through every single thread and post.... Did anyone notice we have a new screen..... And it's smaller!!!!! AND EVER WITH MY SUPER MEGA POWERFUL LENSES I I CAN'T READ THE TEAM NAMES FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE WEST LOWER!!!!!
Not only that but they didnt't even put the away team up or who had been carded or the goalscorers side by side. Looks like somone nipped over to Costco and bought the biggest telly they could find.....

Didn't know if the screen was new but what they out ion it lineus wise was indeed shite, yet the goalscorer pics were an improvement

On a similar tangent I liked (but didn't really care about) the dynamic floodlights, although they should do it during Sirius to totally rip off the Bulls

I thought it was just the font, it was terrible and really hard to read.

I'm sure that's a new screen it looked flatter, I'm sure the previous one was taller and closer to the roof.
Agree with Silver Foxes comments lighting was so much better on the pitch.

[Brogue]

Fine, but saying someone is "sh1t" very much is, and that's from this thread.

don't think anyone is saying he's shit. People are saying it was a shit performance...

i was the first to mention it, and said:

I’m just going to say it. Despite being 5-0. Wing has been shit again. Everyone else excellent

Big difference between saying someone is shit and saying someone has just played shit.

In my view, Wing hasn't been great since about January; this isn't just a this season thing. Something has happened- confidence? Getting old and past it? Or just a genuine drop in form. I'm sure we will find out in the coming months. I'm going for the latter, and I'm sure his performances will pick up

That's pretty much saying he's shit and you try to push the narrative at every opportunity (along with your view of the owners/management)

The match stats say "not shit" - look at how many passes he made which is what midfielders are supposed to do (click on him and the stats come up.
https://www.sofascore.com/football/matc ... d:16395412

FFS, just enjoy the ride! We have no control over anything.

FFS, you people are obsessed. I can’t believe I’m getting pelters simply for having an opinion on a footballer’s performance. Apparently you can’t criticise anything now without being accused of having an “agenda” or “pushing a narrative”.

Have we genuinely reached the stage where someone can’t say on a match thread that they thought a player was shit in that match? I thought Wing was shit yesterday. Deal with it. That doesn’t mean I think Lewis Wing is a shit footballer. I’ve repeatedly said the exact opposite.

And bombarding me with Sofascore stats about how many passes he completed isn’t the gotcha you think it is. I watched the game and formed an opinion with my own eyes. Statistics can add context, but they don’t dictate whether somebody played well. A midfielder can complete 50 passes and still have a poor game.

I also said I don’t think Wing has been at his best since around January. Again: an opinion. I even said I expect his form to pick up. Quite how you turn that into me having some sort of anti-Wing agenda is beyond me.

It reminds me of Hound getting shit last season for saying that despite Marriott’s goals, he offered very little to the overall team effort up front. People piled into him because the goals column supposedly proved him wrong. It didn’t. There’s considerably more to assessing a footballer than reading numbers off a screen.

And now apparently my opinion on Wing is somehow connected to my opinion of the owners and management. That tells me far more about how determined you are to find a “narrative” in everything I post than it does about anything I’ve actually said.

Sometimes a football opinion is just a football opinion. You disagree? Fine. That’s what a football forum is for. But spare me the tedious “agenda” bollocks every time I say something you don’t like.

And if your entire analysis of yesterday is “look how many passes he made, that’s what midfielders are supposed to do”, perhaps don’t finish the post by lecturing other people about football.

[Hound]

Yeah I’m with Brogue on this. I don’t think he said anything out of order and in fact my lad, who i didn’t sit with during the game said exactly the same to the word about Wing after the game to me

It’s fine to say someone isn’t playing well, or isn’t the right fit for the team. It’s ok. It’s not an agenda or personal. It’s just an opinion

[Royals and Racers]

Dellor did ask Richardson this in his post match interview and confirmed they had and that it was a club decision.

Reduced by “not that much” apparently.

My guesstimates would be a yard/metre each side.

Just found something which said our pitch size last season was 102M X 68M.( some info suggests 105M long) I think the minimum dimensions are 100M X 64 M- so Reading could have taken up to 2M off each side which i don’t think they have done. Surely there is some official information that clubs have to provide with the pitch size included with changes notified.

[Uke]

don't think anyone is saying he's shit. People are saying it was a shit performance...

i was the first to mention it, and said:



Big difference between saying someone is shit and saying someone has just played shit.

In my view, Wing hasn't been great since about January; this isn't just a this season thing. Something has happened- confidence? Getting old and past it? Or just a genuine drop in form. I'm sure we will find out in the coming months. I'm going for the latter, and I'm sure his performances will pick up

That's pretty much saying he's shit and you try to push the narrative at every opportunity (along with your view of the owners/management)

The match stats say "not shit" - look at how many passes he made which is what midfielders are supposed to do (click on him and the stats come up.
https://www.sofascore.com/football/matc ... d:16395412

FFS, just enjoy the ride! We have no control over anything.

FFS, you people are obsessed. I can’t believe I’m getting pelters simply for having an opinion on a footballer’s performance. Apparently you can’t criticise anything now without being accused of having an “agenda” or “pushing a narrative”.

Have we genuinely reached the stage where someone can’t say on a match thread that they thought a player was shit in that match? I thought Wing was shit yesterday. Deal with it. That doesn’t mean I think Lewis Wing is a shit footballer. I’ve repeatedly said the exact opposite.

And bombarding me with Sofascore stats about how many passes he completed isn’t the gotcha you think it is. I watched the game and formed an opinion with my own eyes. Statistics can add context, but they don’t dictate whether somebody played well. A midfielder can complete 50 passes and still have a poor game.

I also said I don’t think Wing has been at his best since around January. Again: an opinion. I even said I expect his form to pick up. Quite how you turn that into me having some sort of anti-Wing agenda is beyond me.

It reminds me of Hound getting shit last season for saying that despite Marriott’s goals, he offered very little to the overall team effort up front. People piled into him because the goals column supposedly proved him wrong. It didn’t. There’s considerably more to assessing a footballer than reading numbers off a screen.

And now apparently my opinion on Wing is somehow connected to my opinion of the owners and management. That tells me far more about how determined you are to find a “narrative” in everything I post than it does about anything I’ve actually said.

Sometimes a football opinion is just a football opinion. You disagree? Fine. That’s what a football forum is for. But spare me the tedious “agenda” bollocks every time I say something you don’t like.

And if your entire analysis of yesterday is “look how many passes he made, that’s what midfielders are supposed to do”, perhaps don’t finish the post by lecturing other people about football.

I disagree

[Sutekh]

Please could someone bring a tape measure along on Saturday, I think it’s just the width that may have changed so someone in the North or South stands would be ideal.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

The 1st thing Tim Dellor said when he came on air( his 1st home match this season) was that they have narrowed the pitch for this season by a lot !!
That was my 1st thought when i arrived for the Luton game. Does anyone know by how much ? Can someone ask Richardson tonight at the STAR event ?

Seems a weird thing to do if we're trying to get into being wing-play heavy

[leon]

don't think anyone is saying he's shit. People are saying it was a shit performance...

i was the first to mention it, and said:



Big difference between saying someone is shit and saying someone has just played shit.

In my view, Wing hasn't been great since about January; this isn't just a this season thing. Something has happened- confidence? Getting old and past it? Or just a genuine drop in form. I'm sure we will find out in the coming months. I'm going for the latter, and I'm sure his performances will pick up

That's pretty much saying he's shit and you try to push the narrative at every opportunity (along with your view of the owners/management)

The match stats say "not shit" - look at how many passes he made which is what midfielders are supposed to do (click on him and the stats come up.
https://www.sofascore.com/football/matc ... d:16395412

FFS, just enjoy the ride! We have no control over anything.

FFS, you people are obsessed. I can’t believe I’m getting pelters simply for having an opinion on a footballer’s performance. Apparently you can’t criticise anything now without being accused of having an “agenda” or “pushing a narrative”.

Have we genuinely reached the stage where someone can’t say on a match thread that they thought a player was shit in that match? I thought Wing was shit yesterday. Deal with it. That doesn’t mean I think Lewis Wing is a shit footballer. I’ve repeatedly said the exact opposite.

And bombarding me with Sofascore stats about how many passes he completed isn’t the gotcha you think it is. I watched the game and formed an opinion with my own eyes. Statistics can add context, but they don’t dictate whether somebody played well. A midfielder can complete 50 passes and still have a poor game.

I also said I don’t think Wing has been at his best since around January. Again: an opinion. I even said I expect his form to pick up. Quite how you turn that into me having some sort of anti-Wing agenda is beyond me.

It reminds me of Hound getting shit last season for saying that despite Marriott’s goals, he offered very little to the overall team effort up front. People piled into him because the goals column supposedly proved him wrong. It didn’t. There’s considerably more to assessing a footballer than reading numbers off a screen.

And now apparently my opinion on Wing is somehow connected to my opinion of the owners and management. That tells me far more about how determined you are to find a “narrative” in everything I post than it does about anything I’ve actually said.

Sometimes a football opinion is just a football opinion. You disagree? Fine. That’s what a football forum is for. But spare me the tedious “agenda” bollocks every time I say something you don’t like.

And if your entire analysis of yesterday is “look how many passes he made, that’s what midfielders are supposed to do”, perhaps don’t finish the post by lecturing other people about football.

Yeah I hate it when people twist words and even make up stuff you haven't said.

[Brogue]

That's pretty much saying he's shit and you try to push the narrative at every opportunity (along with your view of the owners/management)

The match stats say "not shit" - look at how many passes he made which is what midfielders are supposed to do (click on him and the stats come up.
https://www.sofascore.com/football/matc ... d:16395412

FFS, just enjoy the ride! We have no control over anything.

FFS, you people are obsessed. I can’t believe I’m getting pelters simply for having an opinion on a footballer’s performance. Apparently you can’t criticise anything now without being accused of having an “agenda” or “pushing a narrative”.

Have we genuinely reached the stage where someone can’t say on a match thread that they thought a player was shit in that match? I thought Wing was shit yesterday. Deal with it. That doesn’t mean I think Lewis Wing is a shit footballer. I’ve repeatedly said the exact opposite.

And bombarding me with Sofascore stats about how many passes he completed isn’t the gotcha you think it is. I watched the game and formed an opinion with my own eyes. Statistics can add context, but they don’t dictate whether somebody played well. A midfielder can complete 50 passes and still have a poor game.

I also said I don’t think Wing has been at his best since around January. Again: an opinion. I even said I expect his form to pick up. Quite how you turn that into me having some sort of anti-Wing agenda is beyond me.

It reminds me of Hound getting shit last season for saying that despite Marriott’s goals, he offered very little to the overall team effort up front. People piled into him because the goals column supposedly proved him wrong. It didn’t. There’s considerably more to assessing a footballer than reading numbers off a screen.

And now apparently my opinion on Wing is somehow connected to my opinion of the owners and management. That tells me far more about how determined you are to find a “narrative” in everything I post than it does about anything I’ve actually said.

Sometimes a football opinion is just a football opinion. You disagree? Fine. That’s what a football forum is for. But spare me the tedious “agenda” bollocks every time I say something you don’t like.

And if your entire analysis of yesterday is “look how many passes he made, that’s what midfielders are supposed to do”, perhaps don’t finish the post by lecturing other people about football.

Yeah I hate it when people twist words and even make up stuff you haven't said.

Exactly! I’m fed up with it to be honest.

[leon]

FFS, you people are obsessed. I can’t believe I’m getting pelters simply for having an opinion on a footballer’s performance. Apparently you can’t criticise anything now without being accused of having an “agenda” or “pushing a narrative”.

Have we genuinely reached the stage where someone can’t say on a match thread that they thought a player was shit in that match? I thought Wing was shit yesterday. Deal with it. That doesn’t mean I think Lewis Wing is a shit footballer. I’ve repeatedly said the exact opposite.

And bombarding me with Sofascore stats about how many passes he completed isn’t the gotcha you think it is. I watched the game and formed an opinion with my own eyes. Statistics can add context, but they don’t dictate whether somebody played well. A midfielder can complete 50 passes and still have a poor game.

I also said I don’t think Wing has been at his best since around January. Again: an opinion. I even said I expect his form to pick up. Quite how you turn that into me having some sort of anti-Wing agenda is beyond me.

It reminds me of Hound getting shit last season for saying that despite Marriott’s goals, he offered very little to the overall team effort up front. People piled into him because the goals column supposedly proved him wrong. It didn’t. There’s considerably more to assessing a footballer than reading numbers off a screen.

And now apparently my opinion on Wing is somehow connected to my opinion of the owners and management. That tells me far more about how determined you are to find a “narrative” in everything I post than it does about anything I’ve actually said.

Sometimes a football opinion is just a football opinion. You disagree? Fine. That’s what a football forum is for. But spare me the tedious “agenda” bollocks every time I say something you don’t like.

And if your entire analysis of yesterday is “look how many passes he made, that’s what midfielders are supposed to do”, perhaps don’t finish the post by lecturing other people about football.

Yeah I hate it when people twist words and even make up stuff you haven't said.

Exactly! I’m fed up with it to be honest.

Last time it happened to me I complained to the moderator (who was doing it)

[Mr Angry]

I thought that Wing - as usual - played too deep to be as creative as we all know he can be, and so he had less of an influence on the game then we have come to expect (though he played one absolute beauty of a ball through to Marriott towards the end of the first half that sliced Mansfield wide open).

Last season, that would have been the end of our goal threat, but this season, we have more options, both in the starting 11 and on the bench, so we no longer rely solely on Wing to be the creative spark.

One thing that was disappointing in the spells where we looked all over the place (from about the 15th to the 35th minutes, and in the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half) was how often we gave the ball away cheaply in dangerous areas of the pitch; we need to cut that out or else better teams than Mansfield (all due respect) will punish us.

As for Dorsett, he is not a left back, and at times he played as if walking on egg shells, seemingly worried that the crowd would get on his case; however, he is an honest player who gives everything to the shirt and had his pass to Lisbie (that should have seen us 4-0 up before half-time) been delivered by a Brazilian during the World Cup this Summer, Gary Neville would have spontaneously combusted with joy!

I'm not going to get on his back and hope that the rest of our fans don't either.

[El Diablo]

Yeah I hate it when people twist words and even make up stuff you haven't said.

Exactly! I’m fed up with it to be honest.

Last time it happened to me I complained to the moderator (who was doing it)

Brilliant..

[Brogue]

Yeah I hate it when people twist words and even make up stuff you haven't said.

Exactly! I’m fed up with it to be honest.

Last time it happened to me I complained to the moderator (who was doing it)

Forbs can be like that at times.

[Brogue]

Leam confirmed Haydon Roberts was fully fit and available; Dorsett was just preferred. Saw a comment from someone on here earlier saying Leam obviously doesn't rate/trust Roberts. Seemingly, this appears to be the case. Dorsett is now the first-choice LB?

[Crowbar6753]

Agree with pretty much everything said, rusty in the first 30 mins until the goal. Probably a hangover from a lack of confidence from last season and maybe the Luton game. Once we scored that pressure was lifted and the confidence came flowing back. The biggest thing for me is the balance of the team, the outlets on the wing is now working and Rhino is the missing piece of the jigsaw in midfield and gives us that added bite and ability to move forward through midfield.
No one picked up on Ward in defense who i thought was immense and I'm convinced he will be our new Bindon which is great however, will also make him a shining light on the radar so enjoy him whilst he's here.
Finally regarding Dorsett. Yes, he does often make himself a target through being out of position and making silly errors but the guy cannot be faulted for giving 100% every game and he does have the ability to produce that moment of brilliance during a game (That pass to Lisbie) some great headed goals etc....and lets be honest, its not his fault he's playing LB, he's being asked to play there, its the managers fault and ownership for not getting in a specialized LB!! there's a fine line between being a villain and being a cult hero!! Maybe we should be thanking him for playing out of position and giving his best for the club until the powers that be realize our LB issues.