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Post by UpTheGas on Jun 6, 2015 20:27:28 GMT
I know a lot of people don't think Monkhouse contributes a lot but I think he does an awful lot that goes unnoticed.
Yes he is slow and doesn't possess boat loads of skill, but that isn't his game. He keeps the ball, links up well with Brown and, unlike most wide men, scores a large number of goals. I'm sure his experience was invaluable around the dressing room last season as well, which I think Harrison's comment proves.
I am not convinced he'll stay because his family leave up north still, but I would be pleased if he is.
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Post by UpTheGas on May 27, 2015 18:29:30 GMT
The signings we need are Lines LDV and Dawson. Get them in and we're mid table minimum. 2 or 3 other good players on top of that and maybe the back to back promotion we all dream of. I don't think we will sign LDV as Clarke didn't like his attitude and I am not convinced Dawson will sign either. I think DC will pursue other options out wide and only if he misses out on them will he go for Dawson. It would be nice to build on the excitement of promotion with a few early signings but we haven't yet announced our retained list, so I am not anticipating anything until we know who's going to be here and who's not.
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Wycombe
May 25, 2015 13:21:28 GMT
RD likes this
Post by UpTheGas on May 25, 2015 13:21:28 GMT
I take it you've come on to our forum to make yourself feel better having absolutely ****** up your promotion bid twice this year?
Frankly you are a nothing club with nothing fans who took great pleasure in seeing us go down last season and have been saying all year that you'd be in L1 and we'd stay in the Conference. That is why we have taken great pleasure in seeing you fail at Wembley, so we can return to Adams Park and show you what real support is like.
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Post by UpTheGas on May 20, 2015 10:29:48 GMT
The goalkeeping situation is going to be interesting. I don't think Clarke has absolute faith in Mildy anymore given his howlers in the Conference and I think Sunday underlined that Puddy is probably not a good enough first choice goalkeeper for a team looking upwards in League Two. Personally I like both and think that either one of them would be a very good deputy, but I'm not sure whether Mildy would want to be a reserve keeper at his age (and we probably couldn't justify it given the money he is on), although I imagine Puddy would (and he is significantly cheaper). If this is the case, I think DC will be looking to sign a new first choice goalkeeper.
Defensively I think we are pretty much sorted barring anyone being let go or unexpectedly sold. I can see Trotman being released given his injury record so he would need to be replaced, although I think he would be a good player to keep if he was fully fit and over his problems.
Lines signing is a must if we possibly can and I would definitely retain Sinclair. I don't rate Ollie Clarke and would be inclined to let him go, but DC may choose to keep him with the 7 on the bench in mind as a cheap option. I would also keep Gosling and Monkhouse but I do think we need at least one winger of quality to come in as we do lack pace and flair out wide.
Up front we have a good mix of forwards and I think they could do a good job at this level, as they will be full of confidence and eager to grasp the opportunity. Personally, however, I would like to see a proven FL goalscorer come in because besides Easter, our other forwards have not proven themselves in the League before. That's not to say they can't/won't, but it may be a risk not to add at least one striker who has done it all before.
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Post by UpTheGas on Mar 3, 2015 21:37:57 GMT
Can't see that DC has any choice but to bring in a CM to cover the injury, what with Mansell close to a suspension and Ollie Clarke still injured. I'd like to think that this time we won't be going for someone inexperienced and clearly not rated like Josh Wakefield was and will go for someone who can come in and make an impact. Not always easy to find, but there is no way we can't sign someone who isn't ready to play first team football straight away. But how many experienced midfielders are going to rush to sign for us when they know they might be sat on the bench for a month? We've no idea if Wakefield was up to it or not as he never got anywhere near playing, could he really be any worse than Clark was before his injury? I still can't see why DC doesn't try Monkhouse in midfield as surely he's a better option than an inexperienced youngster brought in on loan? We then have plenty of options to play in his left wing role. I hear what you're saying about experienced midfielders, but I think if DC can get someone of such ilk he would play games. The only reason Wakefield didn't is because he wasn't rated that highly and was a last minute signing because we missed out on Clifford. A better player would keep Lockyer, a defender, out of midfield IMO. Players will look at us sitting top of the tree right now and hopefully want to come in and be part of it for a couple of months. McNamara has also confirmed DC has approached Leicester about the prospect of extending Dawsons's loan until just before the penultimate game of the season. Very pleased to hear that.
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Post by UpTheGas on Mar 3, 2015 21:02:58 GMT
Can't see that DC has any choice but to bring in a CM to cover the injury, what with Mansell close to a suspension and Ollie Clarke still injured. I'd like to think that this time we won't be going for someone inexperienced and clearly not rated like Josh Wakefield was and will go for someone who can come in and make an impact. Not always easy to find, but there is no way we can't sign someone who isn't ready to play first team football straight away.
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Post by UpTheGas on Feb 22, 2015 15:46:12 GMT
Tom Lockyer played really well in CM at Grimsby but wasn't as effective in there yesterday because when the onus is on us to attack and create openings he is left exposed somewhat. Yesterday Mansell was nowhere near his usual standards either, which meant that in the middle of the park we weren't up to much.
I would be inclined to bring Sincs straight back in but it all depends on his match fitness. I think he would be of better use as a starter who gets subbed after an hour than someone who comes on an hour into it, because we need to get at Gateshead from the start. I do wonder whether there may be a surprise inclusion of Sincs or Easter on Tuesday, though, because DC is not adverse to doing something that nobody expects.
I like Balanta and think he and Easter would work well together but there's no way I'd drop Matty Taylor at the moment. We looked completely lost without him on the pitch in the second half yesterday and I don't think disrupting what has got us to where we are is wise. I would certainly consider starting Easter alongside him and Balanta out wide (potentially as a sub to begin with), but not at Taylor's expense.
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Post by UpTheGas on Feb 13, 2015 18:33:54 GMT
I think we have been unlucky... but just so we don't feel too hard done by, remember that ridiculous penalty we got at home to Torquay. Bloody funny. I can only think that the defender was done for inappropriate touching. It's so frustrating, though, that when we do get a bit of luck - like against Torquay - it saves us 1 point, but when we are unlucky it tends to cost us two points (disallowed goals at Woking, for example). I do feel as though we have been unlucky quite a few times this season, especially away, but you can't do anything to change that except keep working hard.
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Post by UpTheGas on Feb 6, 2015 16:48:48 GMT
The Conference (touch wood) hasn't been as bad as I feared it would be, in that I am enjoying watching a Rovers team play with pride and commitment week in, week out. The fans have been welcoming to Rovers and whilst some of the grounds have been hellholes - Braintree, Altrincham, Alfreton - it hasn't been quite as unbearable as we were all told it would be.
Having said that, the standard is poor and I hate seeing us play part-time sides and often failing to win (despite deserving to). The less time we spend in non-league football the better, without a doubt.
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Post by UpTheGas on Feb 2, 2015 23:40:30 GMT
I've done every home and away game so far (for my sins!) and have enjoyed it more than any season for a good few years. It's funny what a committed and hard-working team can achieve, both on the pitch and in terms of winning over fans.
Well done to anyone else who travels to away games; it isn't always easy!
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Post by UpTheGas on Feb 2, 2015 22:21:57 GMT
Not jumping for joy we've signed a kid who didn't set the world alight or play very much for Torquay this season, especially when he's replacing a player like Sinclair. Clifford would have been a very good signing and would have added real quality to the team and in comparison this is not a very 'big' signing, and I feel underwhelmed. That said, DC has made some good singings this season and I have no doubt he will know all about Wakefield and will feel confident he can add something to this squad. Fingers crossed he can. Not so sure about that, you sense this was a panic buy after DC's first choice turned him down, he may know hardly anything about JW but clearly had to sign somebody. It does look like a panic swoop purely to cover Sinclair and not to add genuine quality to the squad, but I don't think DC is the type of manager who signs someone he has no knowledge of. He'll have done some work on him, even if it has only been in the last couple of days.
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Post by UpTheGas on Feb 2, 2015 21:33:03 GMT
I think there is a player in Balanta but he needs a run of games. His style isn't suited to the sh*theap we played on at Dartford but I am hopeful that if he plays on Saturday that he will fare a lot better.
I would like to see him go on a few runs down the wing or cut inside a bit more, as Lee Brown said in the Post a month or two back that Balanta is an incredibly talented winger (having played with him at QPR).
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Post by UpTheGas on Feb 2, 2015 21:06:54 GMT
Not jumping for joy we've signed a kid who didn't set the world alight or play very much for Torquay this season, especially when he's replacing a player like Sinclair. Clifford would have been a very good signing and would have added real quality to the team and in comparison this is not a very 'big' signing, and I feel underwhelmed.
That said, DC has made some good singings this season and I have no doubt he will know all about Wakefield and will feel confident he can add something to this squad. Fingers crossed he can.
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Post by UpTheGas on Jan 28, 2015 13:49:03 GMT
yes. and let's be honest, we haven't often actually been that good away and a few times have had the wind taken out of our sails (1-0 up vs FGR, 2-0 up at chester). Also sometimes hard to create an atmosphere as often long thin terraces with no roofs, and seated gasheads somewhere else. Agree MM, I think a large part of the reason we haven't been all that vocal is because the vast majority of away ends are open and because seated Gasheads are in another section of the ground. I know most of the people that prefer to sit don't sing anyway but it doesn't help. When you factor in that the home fans don't sing either or give us any sort of stick it's no surprise the atmosphere at most away games has been flat as we've had nothing to feed off. Having been to every game so far in league and cup I have to say that Lincoln away was good in terms of noise made and Chester wasn't too bad either. It isn't always terrible and, thankfully, Dartford's ground looks like it could help us create a better atmosphere.
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Post by UpTheGas on Jan 26, 2015 22:44:25 GMT
I thought that was it but if Clarke's injury is relatively serious (a few weeks or more) DC may seek to sign another central midfielder. Personally I don't think that would be a bad thing even if OC was fit as he isn't that good and we don't have loads of options in there anyway.
By no means do I think/expect us to do more business, but I wouldn't be surprised if the club were weighing up a loan move.
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Post by UpTheGas on Jan 25, 2015 23:09:27 GMT
Considering they belittle us and claim we are irrelevant to them I find it highly amusing and somewhat comforting that they still feel the need to sing about us. It shows that they are still annoyed by our presence - and long may that be the case.
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Post by UpTheGas on Jan 18, 2015 16:17:48 GMT
I'm sorry? When you say a first division side what do you mean?! Crewe Alexandra Not saying you're wrong Padstow, but I would be shocked to see any League One side come in for Harrison. He simply hasn't shown anywhere near enough to suggest he can play at that level. Whilst he certainly isn't useless, when he does make appearances for us it isn't like he looks a world beater either. Of course, he may do better if he starts more but I wouldn't have him in ahead of MT, NB or JE at this moment in time.
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Post by UpTheGas on Jan 16, 2015 12:42:52 GMT
I love the bloke, I really do. His enthusiasm, passion and sheer determination to succeed is infectious and he is exactly the type of person I enjoy seeing wear the quarters.
He loves it here and we love him!
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Post by UpTheGas on Jan 12, 2015 11:51:41 GMT
As mentioned, it is now official as per the club's Twitter!
Delighted with that as he will hopefully provide a sprinkling of quality to our already very good team. I'm looking forward to seeing him in action.
Well done to DC and whoever else was involved in the deal, it's a huge statement of intent. Good luck Jermaine!
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Post by UpTheGas on Jan 11, 2015 22:16:42 GMT
tubbs and easter lots of threads on them as if nobody else exists? dont really understand this It's because they are the only two players we've been linked with! I eagerly anticipate what's to come tomorrow...
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