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Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Messages
8,958
Location
SW1A 0PW
We take on Oldham Athletic on Saturday.

I suppose the team might be unchanged from our last game against Coventry - except Atkinson might be fit and could replace O'Neill. And people will have their views as to whether Ranger should be in the starting XI or squad.

Oldham are in the relegation zone having lost 3 and drawn 3 of their last six games. On top of that they lost to Lincoln in the F.A. Cup but did beat Walsall on Tuesday night in the L.D.V./J.P.T. competition.

Peter Clarke is still there. And they have a player called McLaughlin as well.
 
Despite today's headlines, I fully expect Nile to start in this game and another 3 points are a realistic possibility.

We're riding high on confidence at the moment & our attacking play has improved no ends over the last month or so. I'm purely guessing, but I think O'Neill will start again, with Atkinson on the bench to come on, when and if needed. I can't see Phil risking Atkinson if he is 50/50 or even 60-40 considering the decent shift O'Neill put in against Coventry at the weekend.

I also think this will be the last match (for now) that we will see Timlin covering that temporary left back role (although he's done a good job at it overall imo), I reckon John White will be bought back in to the squad for the Wimbledon game and Charlton game as we face tougher opposition, and most likely we will see Timlin pushing forward again into his more natural midfield position. That being said, if results don't go our way, I wouldn't be surprised to see him back on defensive duties for the Swindon match.

Hopefully we are coming into this game at the right time, and can take full advantage of it. Oldham being another team "down on there luck" at the moment, what with their financial trouble, being under a transfer embargo (not that it really matters until January).
They are missing a few players for this game, Kane (who was sent off in their last game V Oxford) and Kiok, Reckford & Jahraldo-Martin are also big doubtful's for them.

Oldham are also the most goal shy team in the league with just 12 goals scored so far this season, and they have only found the net 4 times this season at home (the worst by a country mile).
However they do have the 5th best defensive record in the league (with 22 goals conceded) so i'm not expecting this match to be a goal-fest.

So on that basis, i'm going to predict a difficult and edgy 2-0 win for us, a goal in each half (with a late 2nd goal in the dying minutes to ease the nerves) in front of a lowly crowd of around 3,510 (with 369 travelling shrimpers).
 
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I see no reason unless injured why Ranger wont be in the side,also i think the players will show him their support and play well and win,just hope our travelling supporters do the same as im sure they will, 3-1 win.:happy:,the team the same except as stated above if Atkinson fit he will replace Oneil.
 
As Above.
Same squad with Willo swapping for O'Niell.
I expect Oldham's pitch to be heavy as my understanding is that it has rained for 30 days and 30 nights on the Moors; Fortune to get used as sub earlier and PB to keep a watching brief on the injury/recovering effect situation for Willo and Anton.
I don't know anything about Oldham's goal threat and if they lack pace AB may get a bench spot.

2 nil Blues
354 travelling Shrimper Warriors.
 
We're on a roll results wise, the team is playing well and we more or less know our best eleven. I'm with all of you who think Atkinson will come back in if fit. Tough on O'Neill but PB does have a bias for Will. Two days before our next match and I'm poster number 5 on this thread. I can't think what's holding up others from posting, Xmas shopping maybe?
 
We're on a roll results wise, the team is playing well and we more or less know our best eleven. I'm with all of you who think Atkinson will come back in if fit. Tough on O'Neill but PB does have a bias for Will. Two days before our next match and I'm poster number 5 on this thread. I can't think what's holding up others from posting, Xmas shopping maybe?


Anton is on three bookings now (as is Tims) so both just need to avoid picking a few up and get to the amnesty window.
I hope Peter Clarke remembers the good times he had with us and gives us an early Christmas penalty!
The positive mindset for me is that the lack of posters is because there is not a lot to be said; while the negative mindset regards lack of thread input is not that surprising: but still a bit sad.

Me? I try to always be a "half full" person.
 
As Above.
Same squad with Willo swapping for O'Niell.
I expect Oldham's pitch to be heavy as my understanding is that it has rained for 30 days and 30 nights on the Moors; Fortune to get used as sub earlier and PB to keep a watching brief on the injury/recovering effect situation for Willo and Anton.
I don't know anything about Oldham's goal threat and if they lack pace AB may get a bench spot.

2 nil Blues
354 travelling Shrimper Warriors.

It's actually been fairly mild and relatively dry for the last couple of weeks up here (although I'm not in Oldham). The historical weather forecast doesn't show it as being especially wet and the current forecast for Saturday is that it'll be dry. The main issue with Oldham is that it can be quite windy.

Hoping for a good game but I worry that on the back of the Ranger issues and the Christmas party we might be a bit slow to get going, and Oldham are fighting to stay up.
 
It's actually been fairly mild and relatively dry for the last couple of weeks up here (although I'm not in Oldham). The historical weather forecast doesn't show it as being especially wet and the current forecast for Saturday is that it'll be dry. The main issue with Oldham is that it can be quite windy.

Hoping for a good game but I worry that on the back of the Ranger issues and the Christmas party we might be a bit slow to get going, and Oldham are fighting to stay up.

Which side of The Pennines are you? West has been wet AND Oldham is, if I remember right, the highest (altitude) ground in the leagues - and certainly can be windy!
It also (used to) has that quaint steel boarded up "pub" just across from the rubble wasteland car park.

#grimandgrimeUpNorth
 
Oldham in December - it could be a lot worse weather wise, that's for sure!

Will was still feeling the injury a bit on Tuesday at the bowling, wouldn't surprise me to see him on the bench but don't think he'll start. Brown seems to like Timlin at left back so I expect an unchanged starting line up.
 
Which side of The Pennines are you? West has been wet AND Oldham is, if I remember right, the highest (altitude) ground in the leagues - and certainly can be windy!
It also (used to) has that quaint steel boarded up "pub" just across from the rubble wasteland car park.

#grimandgrimeUpNorth

I'm in Lancashire/Greater Manchester now. One of the benefits of working in a Manchester skyscraper is being able to see the weather come in and roll up the pennines. Don't get me wrong, it has been wet but in recent weeks not too bad. Think the pitch will be ok.
 
Yes, I also think the pitch will be fine, actually it will probably be better than many other pitches in the league, as it hasn't been played on since their last home match, which was 5 weeks ago.
 
We're on a roll results wise, the team is playing well and we more or less know our best eleven. I'm with all of you who think Atkinson will come back in if fit. Tough on O'Neill but PB does have a bias for Will. Two days before our next match and I'm poster number 5 on this thread. I can't think what's holding up others from posting, Xmas shopping maybe?

Indeed...

Was there any other breaking news yesterday? If it was it must have been bad news, as that's what generally commandeers all the key-strokes!

So, what about team selection? Ranger is a dilemma, but until proven guilty we've got to show solidarity - given that the team spirit is on such a high and Ranger's popularity up to this point we have to give him the benefit of the doubt, players, staff and travelling support. So, Ranger to start & Atko back too, would also like to see Hines on the bench if fit / signed (although would mean CM being a bit sparse, we have Timlin who could move up/across for White if needed...or maybe Bedford coming in for Bridge.


  • 1Oxley
  • 24Demetriou
  • 5Thompson
  • 35Ferdinand
  • 8Timlin
  • 12Atkinson
  • 18Leonard
  • 4Wordsworth
  • 11McLaughlin
  • 10Cox
  • 50Ranger
[h=4]Substitutes[/h]
  • 2White
  • 14Fortuné
  • 15Sokolik
  • 7 O'Neill
  • 17 McGlashan
  • ??Hines / Bedford
  • 22Smith
 
If I was "the gaffer" and there is support for Ranger from his team mates (which I believe there is) I would be telling the team at 2:50 on Saturday to get out there and win the match to show how the press, critics and doom-slayers can stick their "that Nile's a bad one" stories up their pipe and smoke it ............ or some geordie version of that.
 
Although Boundary Park is generally thought to be the highest ground, The Hawthorns holds that distinction I think. Clarkey will be desperate to score. Let's hope Anton and Thommo keep an eye on him at corners. Latics will be desperate for points and we will have to take our chances. As always the first goal will be important. Would be heartening for all if Nile gets on the score sheet. We may have to be satisfied with a point.
 
Just finished a long chat with my brother-in-law who is a Latics season ticket holder. He reckons that the influential Fane will be missed after his sending off at Oxford where they got a very good point. Fane is a tall strong holding midfielder. Latics are a much-changed side from the one which won at the Hall at the end of last season. But so are Blues of course. He confirms that they defend well but scoring goals is the problem, especially at home in the league. As someone posted earlier, likely to be a tight game with the odd goal in it. The pitch will be fine, weather very similar to what we have been experiencing. A return to Boundary Park for Oxley who was on loan there earlier in his career.
 
The 3 teams above us are all away this weekend too.
Northampton V Rochdale
Charlton V Posh
Swindon V Fleetwood.

Of those 3 , IMO, all are ,on paper, on form, on recent upheavals, harder for 3 points than our game at Oldham.
If we want to close the gap and start moving up into the play offs we MUST get the 3 points and expect a win, draw and loss for our rivals.
 
The 3 teams above us are all away this weekend too.
Northampton V Rochdale
Charlton V Posh
Swindon V Fleetwood.

Of those 3 , IMO, all are ,on paper, on form, on recent upheavals, harder for 3 points than our game at Oldham.
If we want to close the gap and start moving up into the play offs we MUST get the 3 points and expect a win, draw and loss for our rivals.

Charlton v Peterborough is quite an interesting one. Karl Robinson is a big threat to us on NYE.
 
Slightly off topic but the tickets I ordered online for this game, which were meant to be posted haven't arrived. Can anyone suggest the best course of action ? Thanks in advance:smile:
 
Slightly off topic but the tickets I ordered online for this game, which were meant to be posted haven't arrived. Can anyone suggest the best course of action ? Thanks in advance:smile:
if they think that it's too close to the day and may not arrive then they just take them to the match and you pick them up there. Email or phone them to confirm that though.
 
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