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Match day thread: Cheltenham

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  • Sorry just remind me again which comedian you write for, because you are seriously funny.

  • @Manboobs from Rob Couhigs comments in his post match with @bluntphil he indicated there is a plan in place with Bloomfield regarding additions to the squad ready for next season, so I think he will give him time to develop his style etc. It may well mean that some of the older squad members will not be renewed along with some of the development squad players who haven't shown enough improvement, but that is probably a healthy approach...

  • I very seldom comment on Gasroom, but I thought it interesting that at the end a number of the players seemed to stroll around with smiles on their faces. OK, they had their families with them, but what a contrast to the looks on faces of those of us who had stayed behind.

    I also agree with the comments about the style of play, play around at the back then launch it up to Vokes, who struggled through the match and any knock downs he made were invariably picked up by Cheltenham defenders. it is noticeable that teams now seem to play the ball on the ground, breaking forward much quicker than we do. A big summer for MB, sorting out how he wants to play and getting in the players to do it. Maybe some of the players who have already been signed are going to be squad players and bench warmers!

  • edited April 2023

    @TheAndyGrahamFanClub

    ”McCarthy’s fear of crosses is ironic” 👏


    Matt deserves the summer and some patience through the first few months, but we need to make Adams Park a difficult place to play at again.

    Right up until Ainsworth’s last game, in post match interviews opposition managers would invariably comment about having to be right at their very best when playing here and what a tough place it was to visit. You know, all the ‘know what you’re going to get from Wycombe’ stuff.

    Ipswich apart, none of Lincoln, Cheltenham, Morecambe, even Barnsley have had to do too much to brush us aside.

    Knocking the ball along the back line and then looping it up to a reorganised defence is far less effective than the previous style as a number of other posters have suggested.

  • Yes this was an awful performance and what the tactics and set up was God only knows. However, we are not in the position Forest Green Rovers find themselves - we will finish no lower than 9th in a very strong league.Considering the challenging circumstances that this season has brought - it’s alright.

    The big question for next season is whether Matty B can cut it as our manager.

  • Great post, though I am beginning to think that much of the credit goes to Bayo, as the comebacks faded as his influence did. We have gone from a team that never knows when they are beaten to a team that has relegation form in second halves. GA definitely deserves a lot of the credit too, but I think it was a perfect storm with Bayo, JJ in his pomp, and a stellar supporting cast.

  • I've always been on the side of we need to give Matt some time.... but bloody hell that was awful today, easily the worst match this season, I left early, which I never do !

    If this is what we are to expect next season, I am seriously worried

  • Hard to disagree with any of that @eric_plant. There’s a definite tactical shift that the players haven’t adjusted to yet. And it took GA months to *become* the manager having been a member of the playing staff. I expect Blooms is going thru something similar.

  • I thought it showed character for Matt to come and speak in the bar after the game. He was pretty honest in his assessment of the performance and didn’t attempt to sugarcoat the poor showing. He looked utterly devastated and clearly found it hard getting some stick from the terrace. To be honest I felt sorry for him. I think he knows everyone is desperate for this to work and feels immense responsibility because of that.

    Hopefully he can take some time in the close season to take a step back from the day to day and recover a little bit. I think it’s easy to forget that he sacrificed a job where he was succeeding and was closer to home/family to return to Wycombe. And he’s come into a role where it was always going to be impossible to fill Gareth’s boots. Joining an organisation that is doing so well and has just lost a talismanic leader is very difficult, whatever profession you’re in. In some respects it is easier to go somewhere that has endured failure and is willing to listen to new ideas.

    Losing Gaz and Dobbo seemed to knock the stuffing out of the team completely, which is not surprising really. Combined with some bad injuries when Matt took the job on, I suspect any manager would have struggled so I’m not too concerned about how the season has ended.

    I am a bit worried that the team don’t seem to be grasping the tactical plan. Whatever we’re supposed to be doing, it isn’t being executed well at all and it looks like the players are confused about the jobs they’re supposed to be doing. Big concern if the management aren’t able to communicate the match strategy to the players in such a way that they can then deliver on it. Seems to me that it would make sense to go back to basics on the shape and strategy and then start tweaking things slowly if Matt wants us to change style of play - an evolution not revolution sort of approach.

  • edited April 2023

    Good post, agree with all of that.

    The season can't end soon enough and you just hope we've got a couple of game changing signings lined up, especially on the attacking front. McCleary's influence has dropped season by season and we haven't used Vokes well for a while. Hanlan seems to operate better on the left side too but is rarely used there any more. De Barr was much hyped up but definitely isn't any more than impact sub bit part player at the moment.

    Much to think about and there are still quite a few contracts to wrap up / move players on from.

  • In the last decade we’ve had teams brimming with talent and some less so. We’ve had Rolls Royce players like Anis and GMac and less gifted players shall I say. One thing none of them have lacked is heart and fight. Today we had a glut of talent on show and pretty much no fight or heart. Strange as the current generals were pretty much present and correct so what gives?

    I expected a post Ainsworth vacuum but the introduction of MB looked like an ideal way to minimise that. Currently we are looking at a post O’Neil vacuum with results and performances like today.

    The lap of honour was horrid. It was like a wake. Not good. Not good at all

  • Agree. I suspect the dynamic between manager and some players might be a bit weird now. It’s a bit like when someone gets promoted at work and has to manage people they worked alongside at the same level. Hopefully he’ll benefit from a reset over the summer and refreshing the squad.

  • PBoPBo
    edited April 2023


    On the signing side, the part I take heart from is the Rob Couhig interview where he freely admits that part of the problem this season (in the context of the failed attempt at promotion which he clearly stated was the aim) was the lack of depth in the squad - which he said will be addressed.

    Obviously that has to be stacked up against:

    • the money that would have to be spent to attract game-changer level attacking talent
    • the dynamic that would introduce, of expensive talent having to genuinely fight for their place and hence spend time on the bench. I guess MB has at least seen that with Horgan, although he's not had to deal with it yet as manager, since we pretty much got rid of all our attacking strength in depth before MB arrived. But this is obviously a man management skill he's going to have to learn

    On the signing side, it will also be interesting to see how well he does in terms of attracting players who fit well into the group - much was made of the screening process that GA/Richard Dobson went through in terms of making sure we didn't sign any Leon Knight-type characters. Let's hope that continues, as those who cause friction in the dressing room can be a real downer on any squad.

  • Ok, I mentioned it on here earlier today, but it had no response

    I'm not saying it wouldve changed the result, but does nobody else think leaving Max out today was a dreadful decision ?

    He's signed, he's our number 1

    He has won a player of the season vote amongst fans on twitter this week

    If you want to give the other Lad a game, do it next week away from home... let Max have the last game at home in front of adoring fans.

    Just a really weird, and wrong decision to me.

  • Yes to it being an odd call to play him today.

    But no to playing him next week. Young lad making his debut in a huge packed stadium doesn't seem like a great entry into pro football.

  • I thought it was slightly odd playing the 2 loan players anyway, unless we're looking to sign them. A courtesy to Hull perhaps to have Cartwright start a game for us?

    In terms of Cartwright, I'd have thought it better to play him today in front of a home crowd, rather than have him make his debut at Fratton Park. No real need for Max to play today.

  • Disrespectful to the fans who pay to watch. We didn’t want a team of trialists, we wanted to see our first 11 try to finish as high as possible and sign off on a high.

    Weird selection, weird substitutes.

    Pathetic management.

    I have always liked Matt as a person but he seems way out of his depth at the moment.

    I just can’t believe I have just seen a Wycombe team perform so poorly.

  • @bluntphil when I shouted to you to get you kit on and get out there, your reply was ‘you wouldn’t want me playing out there’. Well maybe you were wrong mate, you certainly couldn’t have done any worst than most of those in Wycombe shirts today. 🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦

  • Where is Curtis Thompson again? It's such an odd situation.

  • The record of P14 W4 D3 L7 is actually better than his first 14 League games at Colchester, P14 W4 D2 L8, a club he was considered to have "turned around" before his departure. Let's see what next season brings which hopefully contains no repeats of today's egregious display.

  • Where's jordan Obita? Is he injured or not fancied or even another matt spring

  • Gaz didn’t fancy him, each was everything the other wasn’t as a player.

    Spring oozed quality on the ball and played like he didn’t give a f*€k and never really fancied a tackle.

  • That wasn’t our Wycombe today and I agree with those who say our performances are getting worse with each passing week.

    There was nothing on todays game but how does that explain last week , The Morecambe game and the other lacklustre displays since February?

    I can’t work out what our tactics and style of play is supposed to be and I suspect the players have the same problem

    whatever the result, or the performance in the past, the one thing you could never accuse our players of is. lack of effort. I’m afraid to say that last two Saturdays have shown for whatever reason, some players don’t seem to care Yet this is the same set of players who ran through brick walls, only two months ago

    let’s hope we are proved wrong come August but there seems to be something mightily wrong in the dressing room

    As I say where is the Wycombe we know and love

  • Even in a general sense based on historic trends, I think it very likely that we are going to be lower half either way next season, purely based on the trajectory of smaller clubs who have punched above their weight in our division. There is usually the initial success, then a drop to about where we are now, then a drop further down, before a potential rebound. I am specifically thinking of Burton (promoted), Shrewsbury (playoff final) and Lincoln (playoff final) all of who dropped off in chunks down to lower mid table or battling relegation. That's not meant as a negative, just realistic based on those arcs - it shows how incredible it is that our last three seasons in L1 have been 3rd, 6th and 9th!

    On a more specific level, I am definitely concerned that Mehmeti may have been making our attack more dynamic than we even realized. GA left not too long after Anis, so it is hard to measure as objectively. We have been bad at times in defence, but I feel more confident of shoring that side of things up, especially if Gape is fit again to help shield. I am a lot more concerned with how we will manufacture goals.

  • Spring's biggest fault was that he wore the number 9 shirt. Can't have a central midfielder do that

  • I left the game 15 minutes before the end to get to my BBQ. We have got tickets for next Saturdays game. I wish I hadn’t bothered. I have read all of the posts on here and agree. Without doubt that was AWFULL.

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