Cheltenham Town v Sheffield Wednesday

[Jon Palmer]

Team news, live updates and reaction all here this afternoon: https://bit.ly/SheffieldWednesday" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[HamTown]

Let's hope the team who played Morecambe turn up and not the team who played Doncaster

[Nesty]

good first half for us. Defended well and grabbed a good chance. Keep it up lads !!!!!

[Ben version 4:0]

Their away support is the quietest we've had (for a sell out) since FGR last came here. I expect it from the circus but a so called 'big club' and they haven't made a squeak. They're also beginning to turn on their team...expected to roll over little old Cheltenham?

[Alf]

Yes, very good first half. Don’t want to be greedy but a second goal would be useful.

[Alf]

Another first class referee.
By the way, I would have left Crowley on and taken Joseph off.

[Alf]

2-1. Big mistake taking Crowley off.

[Nesty]

Another first class referee.
By the way, I would have left Crowley on and taken Joseph off.

Do you mean that cheating punt in black?

[Hubert Parry]

Crowley isn't fit enough to do 90 minutes.

Draw probably a fair result but we had our chances to make it 2. The Wednesday fans were a disgrace - booing their team and chanting "We're f#!$ s#!t" and then invading the pitch when they score. The equaliser was the sweetest feeling I've had at WR for some time.

No way you could fit 1,500 more people into the ground.

Conceding 15 corners is a problem and it's happened a lot this season. Eventually the maths catches up with you. Can't wait for Boyle to return - communication at the back was not the best today.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

2-1. Big mistake taking Crowley off.

I thought bringing May on was a masterstroke. Putting him and Joseph out wide nullified their dominant wingers and meant Vassell and the midfield had wide runners to find every time, ultimately leading to Norton’s near miss and the equalising corner….luckily Chapman delivered quality in Crowley’s absence.

Speaking of Crowley, I still wish he had gone down in the box under Bannan’s niggly challenges in the first half - could have been a second yellow and a pen.

[Ben version 4:0]

I thought they had a lot of pressure and corners, we had the better chances. Joseph's first one (on a plate from Crowley) he should've scored...the second was a tight angle...Norton's was a good save I thought.

On the radio driving home everyone giving the ref pelters...why? I couldn't see the handball from where I was

[Alf]

2-1. Big mistake taking Crowley off.

I thought bringing May on was a masterstroke. Putting him and Joseph out wide nullified their dominant wingers and meant Vassell and the midfield had wide runners to find every time, ultimately leading to Norton’s near miss and the equalising corner….luckily Chapman delivered quality in Crowley’s absence.

Speaking of Crowley, I still wish he had gone down in the box under Bannan’s niggly challenges in the first half - could have been a second yellow and a pen.

Joseph should have come off, not Crowley. Crowley and May would have terrified big defenders. I thought Joseph was slow to react to several opportunist situations.

[Shade]

I take it the PRE is no longer the Speedy Skips stand, as the sign has disappeared?

Pretty sure nobody on either side got a touch on Norton's shot. It was begging for a toe to poke it over. Both of Joseph's efforts...I feel like a striker who is going to make it at Championship level or above should be finishing at least one of those. The difficulty of the chip was high, but the second chance he just seemed to be waiting forever for it to sit right, and top strikers change their body shape so that the ball is sat right.

Really happy for Blair to get the equaliser. Didn't realise during the game that it was an OG, but you could see how much it meant to him to score against the club given his family history with them. I think he was in tears?

Thought their fans were awful and I was surprised. Typical billy big balls rubbish and terrible support of their team. Pretty sure I even heard booing from some of them when their players went to applaud them at the end. And what that silly old sod was thinking, trying to get on the pitch and then trying to fight the steward who chucked him back...we haven't had many sets of fans at WR in the last 19 months but they're easily the worst all round bunch.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

2-1. Big mistake taking Crowley off.

I thought bringing May on was a masterstroke. Putting him and Joseph out wide nullified their dominant wingers and meant Vassell and the midfield had wide runners to find every time, ultimately leading to Norton’s near miss and the equalising corner….luckily Chapman delivered quality in Crowley’s absence.

Speaking of Crowley, I still wish he had gone down in the box under Bannan’s niggly challenges in the first half - could have been a second yellow and a pen.

Joseph should have come off, not Crowley. Crowley and May would have terrified big defenders. I thought Joseph was slow to react to several opportunist situations.

Arguably, if fit then Crowley could have stayed and Thomas go off. But the tactical change of moving to a front(ish) three with the two wide men needed Joseph’s pace and mobility on the wing. I think we would have conceded more had we not made the tactical switch to put May and Joseph out wide.

[Robin]

Bit surprised by comments regarding Wednesday fans they were a really great bunch before the game, yes have some unrealistic expectations that they should walk the league but friendly and down to earth with no trouble at all. Their team isn't too great though, they had lots of the ball but hardly managed a meaningful shot! I thought we defended really well as a team in the most part but both the goals we conceeded were soft. Definitely need to be signing a defender or two in January and hopefully Micky and Duffo are alreadt looking at potential options.

Regarding Joseph his misses are a concern, yes he's young and I think overall he's a decent signing but I'd bring May back in on Tuesday to partner Vass whom I consider to be our number one striker.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Bit surprised by comments regarding Wednesday fans they were a really great bunch before the game, yes have some unrealistic expectations that they should walk the league but friendly and down to earth with no trouble at all. Their team isn't too great though, they had lots of the ball but hardly managed a meaningful shot! I thought we defended really well as a team in the most part but both the goals we conceeded were soft. Definitely need to be signing a defender or two in January and hopefully Micky and Duffo are alreadt looking at potential options.

Regarding Joseph his misses are a concern, yes he's young and I think overall he's a decent signing but I'd bring May back in on Tuesday to partner Vass whom I consider to be our number one striker.

Joseph misses less than May does.

[Si Robin]

Bit surprised by comments regarding Wednesday fans they were a really great bunch before the game, yes have some unrealistic expectations that they should walk the league but friendly and down to earth with no trouble at all. Their team isn't too great though, they had lots of the ball but hardly managed a meaningful shot! I thought we defended really well as a team in the most part but both the goals we conceeded were soft. Definitely need to be signing a defender or two in January and hopefully Micky and Duffo are alreadt looking at potential options.

I agree in that I thought they weren't too bad. I was in the block next to the Wednesday fans and the first two who were chucked out had clearly just had a bit too much ale - they were given a chance to go back to their seat, but resisted and then 9 or 10 stewards chucked them out. Of the ones who ran on the pitch when they scored, I daresay most of them were taking the p!##, including two lying right on the edge of the pitch.

I didn't see an assault on the steward that's been mentioned - but if that did happen then it's bang out of order.

Where I disagree with Robin is that the Wednesday fans I spoke to before the game really didn't consider themselves in the wrong division or deserving of being at the top - in fact they were very self-deprecating, including singing a song basically saying they never win and would probably draw today (they were right).

[RobinHood]

On a slightly unrelated note they should bring back the old goal nets. These ones are too close to the hoardings and they are often ‘yanked’ by away fans, as they were today.

[CTFCfan99]

Wednesday Twitter is absolutely golden this evening. Losing their minds about drawing to little old Cheltenham.

[ctfc-fan]

And over 600 comments on their Facebook page for the match. ‘Tinpot’ is used a few times!

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

“If the Owls are going to get promoted, they have to be beating teams like Cambridge and Cheltenham” says JP’s equivalent in Yorkshire: https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/fo ... e-22021125" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Anteros]

I thought the Wednesday team were pretty average IMO and I am so relieved we got the equalizer because if we would have came away with nothing from that game then it would have been cruel. Second half they did build pressure and had alot of corners but not alot of shots on target.
I thought Rotherham, oxford, mkdons at home were all better teams that Weds.

[Horteng]

Glad Duffo shut Pete Matthews about "Belonging at L1 level" nonsense

How many times do they bang on about the in commentary

[Robin]

Bit surprised by comments regarding Wednesday fans they were a really great bunch before the game, yes have some unrealistic expectations that they should walk the league but friendly and down to earth with no trouble at all. Their team isn't too great though, they had lots of the ball but hardly managed a meaningful shot! I thought we defended really well as a team in the most part but both the goals we conceeded were soft. Definitely need to be signing a defender or two in January and hopefully Micky and Duffo are alreadt looking at potential options.

I agree in that I thought they weren't too bad. I was in the block next to the Wednesday fans and the first two who were chucked out had clearly just had a bit too much ale - they were given a chance to go back to their seat, but resisted and then 9 or 10 stewards chucked them out. Of the ones who ran on the pitch when they scored, I daresay most of them were taking the p!##, including two lying right on the edge of the pitch.

I didn't see an assault on the steward that's been mentioned - but if that did happen then it's bang out of order.

Where I disagree with Robin is that the Wednesday fans I spoke to before the game really didn't consider themselves in the wrong division or deserving of being at the top - in fact they were very self-deprecating, including singing a song basically saying they never win and would probably draw today (they were right).

To be honest that holds up with the ones I spoke with, they were very friendly and just loved talking football, the general theme seemed to be "we should really be walking this league but were s#!t and team isn't playing well".

[vickeryc]

Bit surprised by comments regarding Wednesday fans they were a really great bunch before the game, yes have some unrealistic expectations that they should walk the league but friendly and down to earth with no trouble at all. Their team isn't too great though, they had lots of the ball but hardly managed a meaningful shot! I thought we defended really well as a team in the most part but both the goals we conceeded were soft. Definitely need to be signing a defender or two in January and hopefully Micky and Duffo are alreadt looking at potential options.

I agree in that I thought they weren't too bad. I was in the block next to the Wednesday fans and the first two who were chucked out had clearly just had a bit too much ale - they were given a chance to go back to their seat, but resisted and then 9 or 10 stewards chucked them out. Of the ones who ran on the pitch when they scored, I daresay most of them were taking the p!##, including two lying right on the edge of the pitch.

I didn't see an assault on the steward that's been mentioned - but if that did happen then it's bang out of order.

Where I disagree with Robin is that the Wednesday fans I spoke to before the game really didn't consider themselves in the wrong division or deserving of being at the top - in fact they were very self-deprecating, including singing a song basically saying they never win and would probably draw today (they were right).

To be honest that holds up with the ones I spoke with, they were very friendly and just loved talking football, the general theme seemed to be "we should really be walking this league but were s#!t and team isn't playing well".

Same. All the Wednesday fans I spoke to before, after, and even during, the game were friendly and realistic about their club's plight. I didn't get Billy Big B*ll*cks attitude from any of them. Most were complimentary about what Cheltenham have achieved and wished the club well. True fans imo.

[Red Duke]

“If the Owls are going to get promoted, they have to be beating teams like Cambridge and Cheltenham” says JP’s equivalent in Yorkshire: https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/fo ... e-22021125" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting comment about Sheff Wed's players. "Square pegs in round holes".

Always a problem at this level. You have to play to players' strength and not their weaknesses and choose tactics accordingly.

So, why do so many managers do the opposite?

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

“If the Owls are going to get promoted, they have to be beating teams like Cambridge and Cheltenham” says JP’s equivalent in Yorkshire: https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/fo ... e-22021125" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting comment about Sheff Wed's players. "Square pegs in round holes".

Always a problem at this level. You have to play to players' strength and not their weaknesses and choose tactics accordingly.

So, why do so many managers do the opposite?

Because they are strategically poor. Most managers have been in and around football since their teenage years, so do not have the the strategic thinking or planning people in many other professions do.

The average football manager will therefore fail to look beyond trying to get the best players on the pitch even if in the wrong position. The mindset when faced with a round hole is to go “this square peg is shiny and expensive and big, and this spare round peg is cheap and scratched so even though the hole is round I will use the big shiny square peg because it is big and shiny”.

Someone thinking strategically would ask themselves what role the peg is serving and what outcome they want to achieve: “where is this hole in to relation to others where the tent guy ropes are attached to? What forces are going to be applied on this peg, and would the spare round one be best to cope given it is round? Or do we even need that peg hole there if the other pegs are already holding up the tent - if not we could cut a square hole somewhere else and use the square peg in the square hole.”

More often or not, the manager reacting to a shiny thing because it is shiny will be outclassed by one analysing the whole system and how the different parts of the team interrelate.

[Jerry St Clair]

No way you could fit 1,500 more people into the ground.

Conceding 15 corners is a problem and it's happened a lot this season..

I was in the centre of the PRE and it felt roomy. The wings even moreso. I’ve been in there at capacity and I’d guess it was about 40% full yesterday. The attendance figure seemed about right.

Was it only 15 corners?! I commented to the guy next to me that we must have been in the twenties.

[Fuller]

When was the last time we had a complete sell out and what was the attendance figure?
I don’t think the Everton game was completely sold out?

[Robin]

Leeds or Newcastle I would guess.

[Si Robin]

The only time I remember seeing 7,300 as an attendance was when we played Burnley in 2002.

We might have had sell-outs since, but that was the only time I remember a figure that high

The Leeds attendance was 7,043, and Newcastle was only 7,022

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

The only time I remember seeing 7,300 as an attendance was when we played Burnley in 2002.

We might have had sell-outs since, but that was the only time I remember a figure that high

The Leeds attendance was 7,043, and Newcastle was only 7,022

Newcastle would have been a reduced capacity due to the TV paraphernalia.

[Fuller]

When we played Burnley it was still the old cr@ppy terrace at the WR end, so did that hold more than the new stand?
Also the Wymans Road stand had only been open for about two months so that would have held way more than the old chicken run too.

[Si Robin]

Well our official capacity now is 7,066, so I'd make you right Fuller regarding the seated stand reducing the capacity.

[Fuller]

Also I think it’s a pretty bad shout in view of all the success we’ve had since 1997 that there has been so few full houses.
Probably sums up the local apathy to football and CTFC after all these years.