Butter

Instantly forgettable football on the whole, but a couple of bright points such as the 4-1 demolition of Bradford away with a masterclass by Wellens, then subbed after 30-odd minutes! Also the last minute winner against Colchester (who went on to get promotion) by Butcher, but we soon came crashing back down as we got our hopes up by a 0-3 home thumping by future play-off winners Barnsley.

 

As for recalling the football, the season was one of the worst. Dull, imaginative affairs and horrible defeats against crap opposition.

Not as bad as this season.

To be fair the lad was never given a fair chance, he looked a decent hold up player but as others have pointed out he is never gonna be a fox in the box or even get in the bleedin' box so whilst complimenting the other shot-shy numpties we have he is just not what we need. A waste of a transfer fee and a wage so if we can get rid in favour of a Heff style signing I would, Shame it hasn't worked out for him at BP but he just joins a long list that includes Tony Ellis, Tony Philliskirk, Scott McGarvey, David Currie, Paul Moulden, John McGinlay, Steve Whitehall, Michael Ricketts and probably Keigan Parker..

With his other Businesses, Parker probably doesn't need to be a footballer anymore. It certainly shows in his performances. He obviously has sumat about him, :censored: players dont score goals like he did against MK Dons, but something isnt right.

Heffernan is one of only a couple of players that Penney has brought in that are actually good enough for this League.

Like Gregan, Hazell, etc ?

Aye. Gregan has had a good season. Thank god!

him and Pav are the answer, i'm convinced! How scary is the possibility of playing with friggin' Smalley and a.n. other at Hartlepool? I was umming and ahhing but sod that!

Aye I hope Abbott and Taylor find fitness and form quickly otherwise we're in for a bigger struggle than expected. Heffernan will be a bonus alongisde Abbott.

Hopefully the rest of our players start to prove they should be playing proffesional football, never mind in League One.

Ditto about Hartlepool as well!

I'm praying for more snow and frost.

Postponements please!

Miskelly was woeful in the playoff game. But had an absolute stormer at Derby away in the cup.

Chris Day was beaten by any shot which went across him. no matter how powerful.

With todays game at the monkey hangers falling foul of the weather, I'm off to Rochdale on a scouting trip to see what difference there is in Mr O'Grady's performances from when he was our player.

 

Saw him in the friendly at Halifax in pre season and was fairly impressed with his all round play. There again, I have always been impressed with his all round play.

 

What I'll be looking for is whether or not he has developed that strikers instinct, gambles in the box and has become a genuine goalscorer, or if he is scoring because league 4 defenders are generally crap.

 

Will be interesting to see why a player who last season failed at 2 league 4 clubs has come good this season.

 

And before anyone says it's the service he gets at Dale, you can have all the service in the world, but if you don't get in the box to get on the end of that service, you won't score. That is what we have missed this season, a cutting edge. For all his supposed faults, Colbeck has put some excellent crosses into the box but we have had no one seeing whats coming, no one gambling that he will put the ball in there. The question for me is will O'Grady have developed that knack of seeing whats on and gambling?

 

I'll report back later

Also playing with a team which has been gradually improved and put together over the last 3 or 4 years. Rather than our usual 10 out 10 in every close season, resulting in a team resembling a bunch of strangers thrown together for a good few months.

I saw O'Grady against Bury, he was similar to what little we saw of him here. Held the ball up all day and brought others into play. They had Dagnall in the box all the time. Keith Hill has said he's in the side for this and any goals he gets are a bonus- good statement, but easy to say when your other striker has bagged 12 goals, and others are chipping in as well.. 7 - from a centre half- Dawson who apparently we had on trial?!

It seem's O'Grady has found the knack of gambling with some of the goals I've seen, most have been first time finishes in the top corner .... probably come with more game time, confidence-from him and team mates (and management).. and overall patience!

Daft that.

 

My advice as an away fan who's gone to BP far too many times is jib it. It's crap. If you're doing the 92 just stop at 91. It's cold, quiet and even though you'll win you won't even be that arsed, as you'll be looking forward to going home that much.

 

It was bad enough before they tore a stand down. Even worse now. And the bus journey is the most soul destroying bus journey you'll ever go on. Talk about depressing.

 

Birkenhead on the other hand....

Cant argue that the grounds a :censored: hole. But apart from last season when you completely outplayed us. Your results have been shocking at our place so no wonder you wanted to go home that much!

your posts are starting to send me under, ignore list me thinks

They hurt me, because they're true!! Especially in this case.

Completely ridiculous.

 

Colbeck was absolutely superb this afternoon. He was such a threat...on the bus back to the station was talking to some Wycombe fans and they said their lot were laughing and cheering when he went off because he had torn them a new arsehole.

 

The second one would have been funny if it wasn't so depressing. We were playing against 10 men, in stoppage time, against a side in the relegation zone...and he takes off a f****g striker. You've got to be joking. How bloody negative...it's one thing playing for a 0-0 against top of the league...but Wycombe were utter :censored:e and we should have gone for it with four minutes to go. I'm not saying we'd have scored...but it's the message of the (lack of) intent.

 

We played very well today for three quarters of the game. How we didn't finish them off I'm not sure, continue to play in that manner and we should be OK.

 

And once again, Colbeck...immense. He's had a lot of stick but he's getting better, not yet worth the fee we paid but there's potential there.

Jesus, what the hell are we going to be like at Elland Road? 5-5-0 formation?

Only team in league 2 to play today and what a win against a side expected to do pretty well themselves. Not to mention the fact that 3rd were supposed to be playing 4th today so at least one of the two would of been dropping points.

 

Goals at 'dale come from all over. Centre half scoring two says it all.

 

Come on Dunphy. Try your best to keep this side Hilly has built on the last three years and finally give this town something to cheer.

 

One reason dale score alot of goals though - shots on goal today - 22. *18 on target.

I dont think I've seen 18 shots from our lot this season, never mind on target.

wouldve took a point before the game but to batter 10 men and not get q third is criminal!!

 

oh and guess who gives the pen away, that man whitaker again!!!

 

another win next week to a win today wouldve seen us right up there with half a crack at the playoffs, but no we have to go and throw it all away again like we do year after year!!!!

 

what a joke!!!!!!

Playoffs with this lot? Not a chance.

Avoiding relegation will be a huge success.

I think penney needs to re-think his training sessions

Jacobson has been a crock all his career.

Latics:

37 DARRYL FLAHAVAN

6 REUBEN HAZELL

7 DANNY WHITAKER

8 DEANE SMALLEY

14 DEAN FURMAN

16 SEAN GREGAN

19 KIERAN LEE

20 DALE STEPHENS

26 :censored:

28 JOE COLBECK

33 PAUL HEFFERNAN

 

Subs:

1 DEAN BRILL

22 RYAN BEROOKE

25 CHRIS ROWNEY

30 NICK BLACKMAN

32 PHIL McGRATH

36 MICHAEL McKERR

Seem's though he was right about the rest!

Hazell wont be fully fit.

Gregan is playing though

I was hoping it was bull:censored:.

Especially in the case of Gregan not too arsed about the others.

My mate who's gone down to Wycombe has just spoken to Corney.

Apparently Lomax, Black, Gregan, Jacobson, Parker are all out injured today.

An unfit Hazell is our only recognised defender, with Lee and Whitaker at Left back and right back.

Authorization Mismatch is a feckin annoyance!!

I don't agree at all. The main problem anyone has with Colbeck is his price tag, Smalley is immune to the boo boys because he is home grown.

Nope its the fact he's out of his depth at our level and many other areas of our team desperately needed strengthening before the right wing position.

How many of our players are not inconsistent though? Gregan (though he was a bit dodgey at times yesterday) and Abbott are the only two really. Colbeck is still young enough to improve though and at the moment who else do we have to play on the wings? And whoever we play out there has no-one to aim for in the box anyway at the moment. When we have a fully fit squad i doubt Colbeck will make the first 11 but until then we don't have many other options. I don't really like him that much myself but he has been getting a lot of stick and most of it as been uncalled for, he has a bit of pace to get past a full back and can pick out a good cross and puts the effort in, you can't really ask much else at this level. Hopefully with a some decent coaching his control and positional sense will improve

Back to the "at least he puts the effort in". Sums him up.

Waste of funds. Not good enough.

We can hope a young Colbeck will improve. He's fizzed in some great balls the last couple of weeks.

 

Parker is terrible. He went through again today and just ran into their centre back. Later on in the game he had a chance of putting Heffernan through with a simple pass. He tried to flick it with his heel on the volley ... it went out for a throwing.

I'm sure we have better talent in our Youth team. Waste of a signing, like a few games this season. We've looked a better team with him off the pitch.

Good result today, great finish from Smalley. I didnt believe there are worst sides than us after seeing us in recent weeks, but Exeter definitely are one!!

I just want to see an attacking performance going all out for the win, rather than a negative, low tempo, defensive borefest.

give penney till xmas folks cheers

2 weeks to turn it around then?

And/or in terms how a minority of idiots expect us to compete with clubs with such budgets

It's the lack of competing on the pitch thats bothering me.

HAVE A FECKING GO!!

http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-fea.../raining-points

 

 

 

Colchester ? Huddersfield ? Can we really expect to not compete with such Giants ?

 

 

 

One of the comments on the page says he remembers Shez seeing these games a cup finals... I have to agree, pretty negative view points Mr Penney...

 

Did we even set out to get points against Leeds / Norwich or was the aim always damage limitation ?

About as negative as his tactics.

i said at the start of the season and no reason to change -

Sign league 2 players and thats where we will end up !!!!!!!!!!

Exactly. Quality nil!

Makes matters worse when we have paid fees for such players.

Worrying times.

Yes the fall is shocking, and the poor boardroom decisions have speeded up this decline, but in more recent years, we have been punching above our weight on a small budget compared to others in this league,

 

 

 

Compared to other teams budgets, and teams in this division, we are relatively small, & this is where we have been for any years in the bottom half apart from the years when chris moore was throwing ridiculous money about that we didnt have, and when sheridan put together a good squad on a small budget which would attack

Apart from Leeds, Norwich, MK Dons, Charlton, Southampton, and possibly Colchester.

We probably spent more money in the close season than any other team. Yet most are above us.