V Cheltenham (H) 19.45 28th February

[PistoldPete]

7 minutes ago, SKRam said:

Thought ref did very well overall. And the lack of backchat from players refreshing indeed. More power to female refs. ?

Nothing contentious today was there? Makes a change. Maybe we could have had a few more free kicks. 

[Comrade 86]

These match threads... So much drama!

Great to see Dobbin mug off the doubters yet again. I think he's literally trolling Tragic Man & the hate crew now. MOTM to my eye.

Also, it seems it wasn't such a 'cowardly' team selection after all ? Get a grip! 

As it is, three points and a clean sheet were never in doubt. Not at our fluid best, but a professional performance all the same. Wobble addressed and hopefully onwards and upwards from here on out.

COYR

[Caerphilly Ram]

Nice chat, seems humble and likeable, recognises he has areas to improve and is keen to do well. Like what he had to say about McGoldrick’s influence too. Feel he should keep his place on Saturday. 

[angieram]

56 minutes ago, CBRammette said:

Nervy until 2-0 up. McG and Dobbin best on pitch for me. Few nice moments second half from Knight and NML. Beautiful ball out from Wildsmith to (I think) Springett. Good minutes from Barks, Springett and Thommo. Particularly disappointed with one player having a real dip in form who misplaced every ball all match but hopefully he'll come through it.

shout out to the tiny ball boy who placed ball for their timewasting goalie in 1st half.  And well done ref - she screeched at someone first half in that voice my boys know so well! 

why did it take so long to get traffic moving tonight with smaller crowd?

Love that ballboy - he's Wildsmith's little helper. Their antics in achieving the slowest possible ball retrieval when we're winning often earn a round of applause at our end of the ground. 

So, doubly delightful to see him geeing up the Cheltenham goalie. You can't kid a kidder! 

[Comrade 86]

2 minutes ago, angieram said:

Love that ballboy - he's Wildsmith's little helper. Their antics in achieving the slowest possible ball retrieval when we're winning often earn a round of applause at our end of the ground. 

So, doubly delightful to see him geeing up the Cheltenham goalie. You can't kid a kidder! 

Suspect he'll be getting some boots and a signed shirt at the end of the season at very least ?

[cannable]

I think I just want to spend the rest of my life watching David McGoldrick play football ?

[Foreveram]

3 hours ago, Gritstone Ram said:

What’s the rule with the length of time a goal keeper can hold the ball for?

Six seconds.

[Mr Tibbs]

Comfortable win in the end, despite it feeling like a grind at times. Still, exactly what we all wanted pre-kick off so will take it all day long. I’m in no rush to get back to losing at home to Preston, Cardiff and all the other boring teams we’ve played a trillion times this millennium.
No problem taking in another season of routine wins whilst we get a squad together and some restrictions lifted, if that’s what it comes to. 

Davey McG is a joke. Thought he had a quiet first half but he’s the most gifted player in the league that I’ve seen so far.  Murdered that defender, who looked about half his age, for the second goal. 

Dobbin played well. Looks world class and non-league in the same phase of play but it’s certainly effective at this level.  

Tough game Saturday but hopefully that’ll kick us on a bit. 

[Crewton]

1 hour ago, Seaside Ram said:

I think 5 subs is unnecessary. It kills the momentum. I know it's to give mins/rest players etc . Only Thommo did well. Collins didn't touch the ball in 20 mins 

Springett and Sibley were fine too. 

I like Springett's cameos - he's lively, harries the opposition, wants to take people on. 

[VulcanRam]

Job done, as people have said. An important win. But let's not pretend it was a decent performance. We need to get back to playing football again - since Wycombe we seem to have reverted to early Warne whack it anywhere. So wasteful in possession, particularly going forward. 

Thank goodness for David McGoldrick, head and shoulders the classiest player on the pitch. 

[Wistaston Ram]

Decent crowd in the end, despite the ground looking very empty half an hour before kick off. Second biggest crowd of the night (25k Bristol City v City the best) and better than Leicester and Stoke (12k for a fifth round FAC tie against premiership opposition!). I drive back through Stoke, so was pleased to have a quiet run home.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Wistaston Ram

[Sparkle]

Workmanlike victory last night but needed 

Cheltenham were very limited like many sides in this league 

McGoldrick stands in the right places at the right times - it’s basic stuff but many forwards don’t do it 

onwards to Saturday 

[strawhillram]

9 hours ago, MarsdenRam said:

The sooner we get out of this league, and having to play amateurish journeymen sides like Cheltenham, the better.

Spot  on. There’s too many league one teams in this division

[jimtastic56]

9 hours ago, MarsdenRam said:

The sooner we get out of this league, and having to play amateurish journeymen sides like Cheltenham, the better.

P.P was very , very quiet last night. East stand almost mute.Fans getting tired of this league? The players looked tired as well. A lot of them have spent the last few years on the bench. They are learning what it’s like to play 50 games a season. NML needs a holiday.

[kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong]

2 minutes ago, jimtastic56 said:

P.P was very , very quiet last night. East stand almost mute.Fans getting tired of this league? The players looked tired as well. A lot of them have spent the last few years on the bench. They are learning what it’s like to play 50 games a season. NML needs a holiday.

It's midweek,it's always like that even with a decent crowd.

[HorsforthRam]

It was quiet last night. Players struggling to find rhythm and again, predictable play. A lot of our forward passing in the air giving the receiver as much chance as the opposition player marking him. 
 

Lovely second goal. 
 

Collins is a worry. Doesn’t offer anything coming on atm. Can remember him maybe touching it once and then swing his arms giving a foul away. 
 

Need at least 80 percent of the players to reignite their form for the run in 

[Ram-Alf]

I wasn't there last night because of this, My bus service has cut out 12 bus stops and a 1.5 mile hike to the nearest bus stop, All those going to work and sundries in Derby are fighting to even get a taxi even if they take up the challenge of trying to get over Goodsmoor bridge which is a 1 lane traffic Railway bridge with traffic lights.

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/major-road-disruption-after-sinfin-8191530

So it could be a loooooong walk come Saturday to PP ?

 

[Srg]

A win is a win, is a win. That's about all you can say for it. Thought first 5-10min it looked like we were full of intent, then it went down hill from there first half. Just a bit cumbersome, lack of intensity, many misplaced passes and miscontrols of the ball. Goals came at good times, but decision making could have lead to more. Great to get the win, and I don't think Warne needs telling we need to be better than that against better opposition. Cheltenham were pretty diabolical, sat way too deep when we struggle against high press and didn't even do the whole time-wasting thing right.

Dobbin is frustrating at times, but he's a handful and can prove a difference maker. He has to keep trying these things, and it seems Warne agrees with that from his comments. Thought he and Knight were probably the best players, then of course Didzy is a class above even when he's not at his absolute best. Collins needs to show more though, seems far too bothered with wrestling defenders than attempting to play the ball - it's no wonder referees don't give him anything.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Srg

[DavesaRam]

To quote Vulcan Ram, it was “job done”. The difference between the two teams was clear as day. For the first half Cheltenham were kids being kept indoors by their mum and dad, and occasionally being allowed a few minutes out in the yard to play! We had good control of the game, and their occasional runs out into our half produced nothing, and it took them 52 minutes to have an attempt at an attempt in goal. But it was a load of yards high and wide!

In reality we should have taken Cheltenham to the cleaners, but we got the win, which is the important thing. In part we were probably still smarting from the Barnsley result, but for me the reason we made hard work of the job is because we have reverted to Paul Warne’s preference for a more direct style of play - not hoofball, but definitely more plain and direct. And it has coincided with our drop in form. Funny, that! A further fact is something my son spotted - we benefit when Cashin brings the ball out of defence towards the halfway line and then picks his pass. But teams have started putting two or three players in front of him, forcing him to go long straight away, so perhaps we need to address that one.

the goals last night came when we played football instead of bootball, with great play in the build up to both of them.  McGoldrick’s superb touch to set Dobbin up was a beauty, and he hit his shot for his goal so powerfully that the defender trying to block it on the line ended up in the net. He’ll have a big red welt on his thigh this morning! When Sibley and Springett cane on we started to get the ball down and play proper football and we looked hugely better for it.

The ref did well, but let a lot of really aggressive challenges go, and may have forgotten to bring her red card for that foul on Dobbin, and maybe for an earlier foul as well. Which makes the yellow card for Sibley very harsh. He has cleaned his game up considerably, and has also improved his ability to hold on to the ball. She was also a bit out on her stopping the play for injuries, but on the whole her “no messing” approach was good.

So, on to the next one. And it’s “more football please, Paul” from me.

Edited March 1, 2023 by DavesaRam

[Crewton]

57 minutes ago, jimtastic56 said:

P.P was very , very quiet last night. East stand almost mute.Fans getting tired of this league? The players looked tired as well. A lot of them have spent the last few years on the bench. They are learning what it’s like to play 50 games a season. NML needs a holiday.

It was a cold, damp, horrible night and quite a few people obviously decided to stay at home in the warm and watch it on TV. It's nights like last night when the televising of games has a major impact on both attendances and atmosphere, unfortunately. 

It was still 1,500 more than "the Massive" got on a Tuesday night in early October and larger than in all but 8 of their home league fixtures, just to put it in context.