Cheltenham Match Thread

As I was at the game, I'm not going to read all that Sam.

Can we expect just as comprehensive report on the meeting. What questions did you ask and what answers did you get as the Trust spokesman?

Isn't there a video?

I'm as interested in what was said as you are but an as-live video is a much better record of what was said than a written resumé.

Why does the Cheltenham Manager, when giving interviews, sound like he's sat on the loo trying to force one out.?

Angry wrote:

two man of the matches and only 6 for kellet yet banton gets a 7 ! its like you watch a totally different game to everyone else

I just don't think Kellett did the defensive stuff well enough. Goes without saying that he's a talent though. Was only meant to be Bobby as MOTM.

SFD I might not get a chance to watch the video for the next few days as I'm on duty.

I intend to watch it tomorrow.

If anybody has a link that would help me. (I admit to having made no effort at all to find it for myself.)

BTW Kellet was MOTM. Banton wasn't on long enough to merit a mark. Certainly not anywhere as high as Kellett.

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Same faces in this every week.

GreenSam wrote:

What a performance. What a win. What a defence. What incredible home form. I always said that whilst I doubted Sheridan in the past tactically- what he was always capable of was spotting a very good player and persuading him to come down here. I also always said that whilst his tactics frustrated me, if he found the winning formula with the players that we had at our disposal, we could be seriously good. And with the 3-5-2, I think it's happened. Everything has fallen into place in a most spectacular way. 3 perfect centre-backs and keeper. A great strike partnership in Reuben and Lewi which is finally yielding goals. Good full-backs. And an array of capable central midfielders who have now got their cherry on the top for another month in Bobby Reid. We've finally found that winning formula- the tactical disorganisation earlier under Sheridan seems to have finally come to an end. And by god we look unstoppable for it.

I don't think unstoppable is hyperbole either. This is the third game in a row (!!) where Luke hasn't really had a serious save to make. Our three centre-backs really are that good. Luke collects every cross and half-chance with perfection when he's called upon. But Nelson, McHugh and Hartley are all so solid that that really is all he's restricted to. Nelse is a properly good defender- like, he's really good. And he's still only the third best centre-back we have which shows how good the other two are. Nelson has got unstoppable pace and has improved his weaker mental areas immensely. McHugh is a Coughlan/Timar/Trotman-esque stopper except even better cause he can play a bit too. His long passes are very good, as was his crossing from left-back. Hartley is just the rock on which the whole thing is built. He's the best defender we've had since Seip both in terms of general ability and the technical side as well. He's a fantastic organiser and a clear leader on the pitch. Good goal too. They're not just great individually; they're great as a unit. Our shape as a 3-5-2 with McHugh as the kingpin is so much more organised and coherent. It's gone from good defence to a great one. I genuinely think we've got a chance of setting some kind of all time record for fewest goals conceded.

The full-backs are ticking along nicely too. After a shaky first half an hour, Mellor went on to have one of the best games he's had for the club getting up and down the line and passing the ball superbly. He's good enough to provide width both attackingly and defensively. Ergo, he's the perfect wing-back to accommodate our CB, CMs and Strikers. As for Kellett...I may need to get my tin hat on here before posting this but I didn't quite buy the hype. Going forward he was excellent, no doubt about that whatsoever. Really should have scored and gave their defence a lot of problems. Defensively however, let's just say there's work to be done. How many times did you see a player out in a lot of space down Kellett's side? It was quite a few times as opposed to zero on Mellor's side. I don't want to slate the lad as it's only his second professional game and he undoubtedly showed some promise. But talk of him being the next Joe Bryan is very premature.

O'Connor after what was a shakey September is now back to his start of season best. You never think he'll doing anything but win a 50/50 ball when it's going towards him and he's also got a lot better at doing the scruffy unappreciated work that Hourihane used to do of picking up the loose balls. Cox is a better all round Defensive Midfielder but purely in the tackle I think O'Connor pips him. Blizzard again had a steady home game in his best position in spite of his poor performance at Wimbledon on Tuesday. He's not so much an away game player but in the home games, he's an excellent playmaker who did very well today picking out some clever passes.

Man of the match however has to go to Bobby Reid. He's improved even in the few weeks since being here and he wasn't half bad at the start. He's now learned to track back a lot better and win the ball defensively as well as showing for it going forward. We already had a decent range of CM options before he came but they've just been exemplified with him here. He offers something no-one else can. That burst of pace forward and ability to distribute the ball very quickly which in turn makes all the other players around him pick up their pace too. That and he's the best passer at the club.

Reuben and Lewi showed yet again why they're substantially the best strike partnership this club has had in as long as I can recall- certainly since the Championship days. I think some of the work Reuben does goes unnoticed actually because we take it for granted. He will almost ALWAYS win a one on one duel for any given ball and will shrug off his man at absolute ease to run with it and make a chance. That and his superb finishing were both evident today. Lewi's finishing isn't usually as good (in spite of today's goal) but he's still a striker who makes stuff happen. His body movement is so good and the number of times he chases a defender into a mistake is astronomical. That's why Reid and Alessandra work so well together. One will force the error and the other will make something of it.

This match review is going on longer than usual- you may need to put a quid in the meter this time rather than 50p. But whilst I'm in the midst of my diatribe, can I say that the Banton-bashing really needs to stop? I'm the first to say it isn't going well for him this season but Bloody Nora some of you lot need to give him a serious break in my opinion. He was involved in setting up not one, not two but THREE chances for other players in the short time he was on the pitch. One of them was for Kellett who could have laid it back to him. The last one was the nice little passing move he was involved in in stoppage time. Although the middle one was the one that really took the biscuit- he laid a beautiful pass off to Smalley who was in a fantastic position to lay it back to him for a position which would have been a nailed on goal for Banton. He was in absolute acres of space. Smalley like a prat tried to go with it by himself and got tackled. He then had the sheer brass neck to appeal for a penalty when the ball was won fairly. And maybe, just maybe, that's why Banton didn't clap the fans at the end. He wasn't the only one who didn't clap at all, by the way. Other players who didn't clap included Bobby Reid, O'Connor, I think Mellor and, erm, oh yeah, Smalley himself. So why Banton is being singled out by a minority of folk is beyond me completely. Probably due to a pre conceived idea about his attitude. His attitude, as I keep saying, has improved this season by the way. He has turned into a real team player and always tried to find a teammate in space, he puts in the running/tracking back and is never selfish. What he still lacks is the end product- as I have said all season, I just think he needs that one goal and all his confidence could come flooding back. Last season- was he a lazy sod? Yes. Is he a lazy sod this season? No he's not, he's just lost all of his mojo and swagger. It could have come back if Smalley wasn't so daft. I have no doubt Banton was seething with him and I hope Smalley gets collared for it by Sheridan. Harvey when coming on was quiet and unremarkable.

As a side note...what on EARTH was that idiocy about with the ref not letting Mellor back onto the pitch. Can you imagine the reaction if Cheltenham had scored during that period? There would have been an eruption. We had actually cleared the ball well away from the penalty box at least twice in that period and he still wouldn't let him back on. The referee should be binned from next weekend's round of fixtures for that.

It really is all coming together very well isn't it? Sheridan's proved me wrong in the sense that he's finally found a great tactical formula when I doubted he ever would. We made it tough for ourselves this summer by losing Hourihane and Young- but we've recovered from it well and we now look a stronger team than ever. Our weaker performers this season would have been our stronger performers in years gone by. There is a fantastic vibe around the place at the moment especially with the on pitch stuff and long may it continue. I think we can nick a win at Burton on the weekend- and bring it on too.

McCormick-7

Nelson-7
McHugh-7
Hartley-8

Mellor-7
O'Connor-8
Bobby Reid-8 MOTM
Blizzard-7
Kellett-6

Reuben Reid-7
Alessandra-7

Smalley-4
Harvey-6
Banton-7

Cheers for the match report Sam.

A good read as always.

The main problem with our "stoppability" Sam is that we don't own either B Reid or Kellet, sign them up for the season and there is no reason why we can't just kick on rather than fizzle out.

As much as Kellett has promise and obvious talent, we were doing fine in terms of our form before him too. 4 wins in a row before he came into the team.

As for Bobby? That's a harder argument to argue against but our defence really is that good that most of the time we'll only need to score one goal to win the game. We're capable of getting the old goal even without him I'd say.

Our defence is looking unstoppable by any means albeit the attack still rusty.

Punchdrunk wrote:

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Same faces in this every week.

Its the same show every week

Richard Blight wrote:

BTW Kellet was MOTM. Banton wasn't on long enough to merit a mark. Certainly not anywhere as high as Kellett.

its bias i tell you bias. Kellet played well certainly did more than Banton.

Having watched the mighty () Cheltenham a few times this season that was a good result and hopefully we can continue this good run of form.

Cheltenham have played some good football this season and will be easily in the top 10 if not the play offs this season so for us to smash them 3-0 shows we're doing something right.

Haven't got time for a synopsis of the game, suffice to say that was probably the best performance I've seen in a long time. They actually looked like a team.

Got lots of laughter when I said "I wonder if there's any chance of a second half goal"? A friend in front said something like "be grateful they've scored 2". I said " I want more, they owe me", bang the ball hit the net.

Angry wrote:

Richard Blight wrote:

BTW Kellet was MOTM. Banton wasn't on long enough to merit a mark. Certainly not anywhere as high as Kellett.

its bias i tell you bias. Kellet played well certainly did more than Banton.

I actually thought Kellett played (even) better at Wimbledon on Tuesday than he did yesterday.

The mighty cheltenham stroll on........

Here are the goals

Pity they didnt show how Reid celebrate his goal as you guys would see what i was talking about with him being unhappy

Isn't it his style to just score and walk away - thats his celebration. I remember Wright-Phillips did the same.

tigertony wrote:

Isn't it his style to just score and walk away - thats his celebration. I remember Wright-Phillips did the same.

Its not the lack of celebration that im concerned about i brought it up as if you saw his face it would show what i mean. He clearly isnt happy about something.

he will leave in january, like sylvain hes surely banned from every pub in plymouth after being arrested ? (pub watch scheme still going?)

Reid will be gone in January for £10 and a packet of biscuits.

Yea Man wrote:

Reid will be gone in January for £10 and a packet of biscuits.

that much?

I wager he will go and he wont be replaced.

I'm not so sure teams will be queuing up to sign him. He hasn't really cut it when playing at a higher level in the past, and I think managers will be wary of that. Prior to last season his only other good year was at Rotherham a few years back and that was in League 2.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me if Brent hangs a 'for sale' sign around his neck in January.

Czarcasm wrote:

I'm not so sure teams will be queuing up to sign him. He hasn't really cut it when playing at a higher level in the past, and I think managers will be wary of that. Prior to last season his only other good year was at Rotherham a few years back and that was in League 2.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me if Brent hangs a 'for sale' sign around his neck in January.

And he will go for peanuts aswell and shezza will get even less to bring in a replacement much like with Hourihane.

Before i would have said nahhh Reid isnt going anywhere at least untill the summer but after the last two home games where his body language which was more noticeable to me watching the game than stalking shezza in the dugout liked a few have been (FWIW he was more animated at the game from what i saw so he is listening to you all ) was of someone not interested at all compared too before and with the police matter obviously playing on his mind too i am off the opinion he wants out in jan regardless.

Hope i am wrong and i really hope i am but the signs are all there.