How bizarre I just had the exact same conversation over the phone with my father. Even down to speculating on Mathews coming back. You're not my oul lad are you TL?! Tony seems a nice guy but I have no faith in him getting us up. He has never been able to organise a defence in his time with us.Originally Posted by Town Legend
Went up to Saratoga, where my horse naturally won.
Jaysus could Roddy win the league yet!? Looks like a midlands showdown for the title.
How many Clasicos are left this season?
<coughs>
Haha unless I have a love child running around that I don't know about then I highly doubt it. Agree with ya 100%, he's a sound lad and always has time to talk to the supporters but I just don't think he's the man to get us up. I know last season we suffered a lot of injuries at the tail end of the season but we did drop points to teams we really shouldn't be. And here tonight, I know we were down to 10 men but we were 3 up! We went down to 10 men in Mervue and Wexford and ended up scoring and winning them games when down to 10. I've been told Hanley and Mathews still are on great terms so he would be an obvious choice. We have a good squad of players there (quite possibly the best in the league) but the last 4-5 games things haven't gone as they should have...and even when we were winning we didn't look like league favourites. Mervue next week could determine whether he stays or goes.
Two left. Next one in Longford.
Went up to Saratoga, where my horse naturally won.
Ah, that should be tasty then. Roddy's teams certainly seem to get stronger as the season goes on, while Cousins' sides seem to start well and then taper off. It will be interesting to see if they buck the trend this year - I'd love to see Longford back in the premier.
And the other, last day of the season in Athlone.
Celebrating 130 Years of Athlone Town Football Club - Pride of the Midlands Since 1887
See the no Plan B comments above. Teams seem to figure us out over the season. Especially when you play everyone four times. We'll get back up eventually I just don't have the belief that Cousins is the man to do it.
Ye'll be up by then..And the other, last day of the season in Athlone.
Went up to Saratoga, where my horse naturally won.
But if you're so predictable how come it takes half the season for them to figure you out? A team consistently tapering out over the course of the season sounds more like a fitness and quality issue.
We play the same system in every game. Each season we bring in new players and it takes a while to work out their weaknesses. Even when we were getting good results we were lucky in a fair few games too. O'Sullivan won games on his own.
Went up to Saratoga, where my horse naturally won.
I've been banging this drum all season - the division and its teams are wildly unpredictable. Trying to predict anything in the division is pointless.
Longford have been winning lots of games when they weren't playing particularly well (by their own supporters admission) and often by the odd goal. To get this far into the season with that happening a lot takes some doing, but it can't go on forever. And it's not. They aren't falling apart though, they're regressing to their mean. The question remains though, where is that mean?
Equally, Waterford couldn't go on playing as awfully as they were at the start of the season, and that too is beginning to equal itself out. However, where their equilibrium lies is equally hard to know. Athlone have probably been the most consistent side, but should they lose away to Waterford next week (where their record is poor), they'll only be a point clear of them [us].
Mervue are still a decent team too, as their latest 4-0 win suggests. That's not the first time they've given a side a drubbing this season.
You can perm any three from these four to occupy the business positions at the end of the season. The order? As long as everyone bar SD is capable of beating everyone else, then your guess is as good as mine.
Last edited by gormacha; 20/07/2013 at 10:19 PM.
[QUOTE=gormacha;1699272]
Equally, Waterford couldn't go on playing as awfully as they were at the start of the season, and that too is beginning to equal itself out. However, where their equilibrium lies is equally hard to know. Athlone have probably been the most consistent side, but should they lose away to Waterford next week (where their record is poor), they'll only be a point clear of them [us].
2 points
Athlone Town AFC 1887-2017
Crazy game, those who stayed away deserve a boot up the a***! Davin O'Neill's winner was as good as I've seen in a long long time, second pen was soft! I couldn't for the life of me figure out how longford were 3 up, we missed 2/3 great chances before that. All told longford are still the strongest team we've played and I think will still do enough to get up.
''and I for one welcome our new insect overlords''
We were poor in the first half, but had 3 attempts on goal and all 3 went in. Cobh actually played well but it looked like the 3rd goal knocked the stuffing out of them. Then getting the penalty and red just on half time gave them life again.
We understandably set up to hold onto what we had in the second half with 10 men, and were completely comfortable until the 2nd penalty. Cobh had all the ball but posed no threat whatsoever. On the penalty, the ball looked to have gone out of play on the touch line to me and then the Cobh lad went down quite easily. These things happen. What can't be excused is the complete collapse from us. We were doing well up until the penalty, why we didn't just continue what we were doing after it bemuses me. Instead we self combusted. In fairness, Davin O'Neill's winning goal was worthy of winning any game, volley from about 25 yards into the top corner.
Unless something remarkable happens in our remaining away games, Cobh will have provided us with our best and worst away day this season.
Roy Keane was playing centre mid for them and scored the equaliser according to LOI Blog. I knew he'd been back to Cobh recently but wasn't aware he'd been registered to play.
http://www.theloiblog.com/NewsStory.aspx?n=651
The glorious Cobh Ramblers equalizer came from a simply superb header from midfielder Roy Keane as he rose above his man inside the Longford penalty area to loop the ball over a despairing Chris Bennion and if Longford fans were hurting now they would be on their knees in just a couple of minutes as Davin O'Neill took the ball on his chest before unleashing a sublime volley which again gave Chris Bennion no chance in the Longford nets. The scenes that followed must go down as the Ramblers greatest moments since returning to the LOI this season. The Longford fans looked on thinking "that was us just four months ago", reality of a four hour bus journey home had just hit "De Town" faithful, they were going back to the Midlands empty handed.
Went up to Saratoga, where my horse naturally won.
Should read Roy Kenny, sorted now, cheers for pointing that out.
BetweenTheStripes.net - Home of Between the Stripes LOI podcast.
No matter what happens I honestly can't see the club axing TC. His contract is up this season so theyl wait till then to see what happens. As for Matthews while I believe he could get us up (and maybe a good cup run too) in the long term would he be the best appointment? I know Cousins football is bad but Matthews teams are all long ball sides, would it turn people away? Then again it might bring some of the old guard back, it's very hard to know.
BetweenTheStripes.net - Home of Between the Stripes LOI podcast.
Sure who else would it turn away?? The fans that are there now are the die-hards. Football under Cousins hasn't been great and we've won quite a few matches where we were second best and lucky to win them. Mathews has been our most successful manager and can get the best out of a squad as he did with us. The year we got relegated he almost kept us up only for the points deductions. And we won games we deserved to win! Under Cousins when we're a goal up I don't feel confident at all on holding out cos we just sit back. At least under Mathews we were always confident of holding on and not sitting back when we went one up. I know Mathews had a better squad but I think Mathews would get more out of this squad than Cousins can to be honest. But sure look, it'll prob never happen anyway!! But big pressure game next Sat especially with Athlone playing on the Fri.
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