TheBigDog

Love it

sounded good too

Home fans in attendance. Paul Scholes four home games 3800 - Yeovil Tuesday 4-1 4800 - Crewe Saturday1-1 3800 - Morecambe Tuesday 1-2 3700 - Stevenage Saturday 1-1 Pete Wild’s Two home game since 3200 - Grimsby Saturday 2-0 2800 - Tranmere Tuesday 2-0 Interesting patterns: An increase of 1000 from the Yeovil to Crewe home games (The Scholes effect plus the previous good home victory) A drop of 1000 between the Crewe and Morecambe home games (A draw in the previous home game plus the Tuesday effect) A drop of 1100 between Crewe and Stevenage home games. (A draw and a defeat in the two prior home games) A drop of 500 between the Stevenage and Grimsby home games (Boycott kicks in) A drop of 400 between the Grimsby and Tranmere home games( Boycott and Tuesday night effect) Next home game is Swindon. The return of Wellens. A response from Abdallah? We wait with baited breath...

‘ Average’ is open to interpretation. I would not class Iversen, Baxter or Lang as average. I also see above average skills in Missilou and Maouche. However with the latter pair, one, Missilou, is far more suited to the style of play in League 2. There is no doubting the talent that Maouche has - good touch and sees a pass as well as getting a foot in when pressing. Where he struggles in my opinion is with the physical aspects of the game at our level. Nepomuceno on his day is a top player. As with the vast majority of footballers it is consistency and decision making that makes the difference. As for the best of the rest: Edmundson and Hamer have immense promise and Clarke is fast becoming a legend in my eyes. In the end I suppose that Wild understands this level more than Scholes did.

This post captures last night’s play for me too Flemboy. I watched the game on iFollow and the performance was accurately summarised by John Helm as ‘the spine of the team being strong’ - Iversen, Clarke & Edmundson at the back, Maouche and Missilou in the middle, and Lang central up front. We contained and competed with an aggressive Tranmere side who played extremely well in patches but ultimately could not break us down. Prior to the game there had been talk of Flu in the camp and one or two did look leg weary at times during the game. But all dug in and we saw the game out. There’s a spirit that has returned to the team and for that Wild must be congratulated. I wonder if the stayaways will turn up in force at Colchester this weekend? I’ll see you there guys

Wild to make enforced changes tonight? "There's a couple that are struggling with flu and have been off so we might be a little bit lightweight for the game in terms of numbers, but again I'm happy with the squad and looking forward to the tough test ahead." Let’s hope that it’s none of the starting XI from Saturday...

I have enjoyed a few games... Fulham Away, Macclesfield at Home, Grimsby Away, Bury at home, Port Vale Away, Crawley Away... oh, and did I mention Fulham Away? Not a complete waste of a season, just an opportunity missed I feel.

Or it could be a shrewd move... if keeping the same seat is not a priority then it does no harm in waiting. As well, those who have not yet renewed for next season have still paid for this season so they can support the team without putting any more cash into Abdallah’s pocket.

I also see that the 4th official tomorrow evening is Scott Oldham...

I joined but then I cancelled

Same starting XI for me. Nepomuceno will be reet

As I see it, the recent ‘momentum’ was not all encompassing. There was a clear difference between those who made the decision not to renew season tickets and/or boycott games as opposed to those who, whilst unhappy, made the decision to continue their support. This was reflected in the reduced number of home fans in attendance on Saturday - down by 750 to 900. The fact that we had an 18 day break between games also played a part in calming things down. This did allow the Trust to organise a fans meeting to gauge fans views and draw up a written statement. The next significant milestone will be if/when we get a response from Abdallah to the Trust letter; specifically the nature of that response. The ‘bitching and the odd grumble’ will always be part of this forum. As you point out, the level will rise if results are poor.

If Scholes hadn’t walked we could have had a Ginger Nut as head coach...

Badly

We were better than an average Grimsby side. A couple of good saves by Iversen and solid defending by all of the back four kept our clean sheet intact. Both Nepomuceno and Branger were lively but lacked a cutting edge when in good positions - maybe feeling the effects of their international efforts? That apart, everyone put in a decent shift with particular mentions for Missilou and Maouche in the middle of the park and Lang up front. Iacovitti looked promising too. All in all a solid performance and it was so good to watch a game of football at Boundary Park after the mixed emotions of the past two weeks. Tranmere on Tuesday - bring it on.

And so another rumour gains credence and then is quashed...

The team tomorrow... given that Baxter is out and assuming our internationals return fit and ready, I would expect Branger to come back in and think we’ll see a starting eleven close to this one: Iversen Hamer, Edmundson, Clarke, Hunt Branger, Missilou, Maouche, Nepomuceno Dearnley, Lang

If we assume 700+ from Grimsby and that the home support will be down by a similar number... I’m anticipating a crowd in the low 3,000’s. If it drops below 3k then Abdallah will be worried

I think you have undercut the total sold by a few hundred - I’ve read it’s over 900

Got to agree with that statement

Why is it that whenever I read a post from Lee Sinnott these days I have this image in my head of him tapping the side of his nose whilst tilting his head ever so slowly to one side?

I bought mine online yesterday.

The guys I talk football with are what I call ‘proper’ football fans. They all follow their respective teams and have done for many years. We all take an interest in each other’s teams - and I have stood on the terraces at Brentford as well as watching Reading on occasion when Latics are not playing or I cannot get to the game. You use Southend as an example for not ‘caring less’ - and yes, while I have some sympathy for any manager who gets the sack, it has no real interest beyond that. However I keep abreast of what is happening at the guys teams (for example progress on Brentford’s new ground) because I know it’s important to them. When Scholes walked it was one topic of conversation over a few beers - I guess they care because they know that I do.

I too have followed Latics for over 50 years (with nearly 30 of those years as a season ticket holder) and I believe that the recent events have brought a new all time low in how the club is perceived by the rest of the football in this country. And this came at a time when the appointment of Scholes had raised the profile of the club and promised so much. I have friends who support teams from all levels of the ‘pyramid’ ranging from Man Utd and Leeds to Reading, Brentford and Leyton Orient. When Scholes resigned in the manner he did, I was left with an overriding sense of embarrassment and was unable to offer them a view based on the facts of the matter. I could only surmise as to what actually happened. Did Lemsagam interfere in team matters? Did Scholes realise that he just could not make it work on the pitch? Did the manner in which Scholes resigned reflect well on a man of his standing within the game? We simply do not have a true picture of what happened to cause Scholes to resign via WhatsApp and then sever all further communication with Lemsagam. All we have is a statement: "Unfortunately it became clear that I would not be able to operate as intended and was led to believe prior to taking on the role." plus the hearsay and rumours that are flying around. Subsequent to that we have seen an interview from Lemsagam in which he offers his version of events followed by the offer of a non-executive director role by way of appeasement. Is this merely a charm offensive from a man who realises that his running of the club is losing the fans? The truth lies somewhere in the middle I think Sorry to hear that you will not be renewing Flemboy, guys like you epitomise what a true fan is. Though I’m not quite there yet, my faith in the club is severely shaken. Will things change? I have to believe they will...for now at least.

My brother and I have both renewed today. Looking forward to lapping it up on Saturday ...