Michael Duff after the 3-1 defeat at MK Dons

[Jon Palmer]

Interview can be read/watched in full here: https://bit.ly/DuffPostMKDons

[Nesty]

I am not criticising MD but I feel he got the team selection wrong - to replace Etete I would have just played Andy Williams rather than moving midfielders around.

[Shade]

I can't back this up but Pete Matthews and Mark Halliwell were saying last Saturday that whenever Cheltenham move away from the 3-5-2 formation, we don't usually get a positive result.

[Fuller]

Doesn't work playing Alfie up front by himself, with one of two relatively short midfielders joining him in attack.
Recall the Cambridge game where he had Alfie paired with Crowley, what a complete disaster that night was.
I'm not a big fan of Williams A. but I'd rather have seen him start the other night as a two up front.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

I can't back this up but Pete Matthews and Mark Halliwell were saying last Saturday that whenever Cheltenham move away from the 3-5-2 formation, we don't usually get a positive result.

They usually have no idea what formation we are playing.

[Red Duke]

I can't back this up but Pete Matthews and Mark Halliwell were saying last Saturday that whenever Cheltenham move away from the 3-5-2 formation, we don't usually get a positive result.

They usually have no idea what formation we are playing.

Disagree. When watching a game on iFollow with their commentary, it surprises me how accurate they actually are in describing what is happening.

[horlickfanclub]

The Manager got it wrong at MK in the first half. Let us hope he has learnt from it.

[Shade]

I can't back this up but Pete Matthews and Mark Halliwell were saying last Saturday that whenever Cheltenham move away from the 3-5-2 formation, we don't usually get a positive result.

They usually have no idea what formation we are playing.

Disagree. When watching a game on iFollow with their commentary, it surprises me how accurate they actually are in describing what is happening.

Beg to differ on that! Fairly often something is described as one thing when something else has happened.
"Boyle hits a long diagonal ball" could very well mean Boyle has just hit a straight ball down the line.
"The ball is out for a Cheltenham throw level with the opposition penalty area" = the ball is out for a Cheltenham throw somewhere between the corner flag and 30 yards from it.
"The ball is out for a throw-in level with the corner flag" - who knows what that one is supposed to mean, as every throw should be level with 2 of the corner flags, wherever it is.
"The cross is hit into Blair and it is out for a corner" = Blair made a good recovery and did well to get his foot in to block the cross.
"It's a corner" - could very well be a goal kick, or even a free kick.
"It's a free kick to the opposition near the touchline" - no free kick was signalled, it's a throw in to one of the teams, who knows which.
And on several occasions, players have been mixed up with one another, usually Pollock and Raglan.

[horlickfanclub]

Spot on Shade.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

They usually have no idea what formation we are playing.

Disagree. When watching a game on iFollow with their commentary, it surprises me how accurate they actually are in describing what is happening.

Beg to differ on that! Fairly often something is described as one thing when something else has happened.
"Boyle hits a long diagonal ball" could very well mean Boyle has just hit a straight ball down the line.
"The ball is out for a Cheltenham throw level with the opposition penalty area" = the ball is out for a Cheltenham throw somewhere between the corner flag and 30 yards from it.
"The ball is out for a throw-in level with the corner flag" - who knows what that one is supposed to mean, as every throw should be level with 2 of the corner flags, wherever it is.
"The cross is hit into Blair and it is out for a corner" = Blair made a good recovery and did well to get his foot in to block the cross.
"It's a corner" - could very well be a goal kick, or even a free kick.
"It's a free kick to the opposition near the touchline" - no free kick was signalled, it's a throw in to one of the teams, who knows which.
And on several occasions, players have been mixed up with one another, usually Pollock and Raglan.

My favourite two which happen every game I see on iFollow is “blocked on the line!” when it’s actually blocked about ten yards out and “off the bar!” when the keeper palms it away.

Their tactical understanding has developed from the “simple game get in the box and head it in” level it was at a couple of years ago as they get to grips with Duff’s tactical genius. But they do still call things wrongly with formations, or things like saying we are being outplayed when in fact we are controlling the opposition like puppets letting them pass the ball around where we want them to.

[horlickfanclub]

The obsession with what the Manager is up to drives me mad.