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Another stat. We are now the only team in League Two with an unbeaten run of seven league games, albeit including four draws.

Jonty wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 1:25 pm We got an unlikely point yesterday with the way game started and our struggle to score goals. Whingy keeps saying in just about every pre match “There’s miles we can do better” and he's not wrong. We are 23 out of 24 in game possession stats and a very low shot on target in games ratio. Second lowest in the league on both these stats. Those two goals we scored yesterday we need to be trying more of those from the edge of the box.

The very low shot on target stat isn’t lost on Andy Whing. I his after match interview yesterday he said it’s something they have both talked about and worked on all week.

Barrow Lad New wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 1:37 pm Another stat. We are now the only team in League Two with an unbeaten run of seven league games, albeit including four draws.

This is true, but you cant ignore the in game stats are not good for us. Not so much the in game possession but the shots on target stats- 23rd out of 24 teams. (Only Cheltenham lower) I realise this doesn't correlate directly with the end result and the current league table but it’s a strong indication of where our biggest improvement would come from. It’s the old “You don’t shoot you don't score”, as shown yesterday.

StephenD wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 10:16 am

SayitagainSam wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 10:12 am 100% PENALTY. REF. HAD CLEAR VIEW.

PENALTY.png

The referee may have had a bad game having been thrown in at the last minute, but you can see from that picture why it wasn't given as he's so close and doesn't have chance to get his hand out of the way. That's how handball is currently being applied in English football.

Wasnt thrown in, he was meant to be reffing Blackpool game but swapped last minute, so thats not an excuse for a baffling display. Unless he was a bitter man being made to come here so took it out on us

DA52 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 08, 2025 11:51 pm Heard 2 Grimsby supporters talking before the match saying that for the first time this season they were play 2 up front. Obviously their manager had seen a weakness in us. How right they were. We couldn’t cope until Whing made the changes to nullify them at half time. After that, we were completely different in attack and defence and could have won. Well done in the end.
Referee was abysmal. How he thought Gordon should have been booked is a mystery. It was also a blatant hand ball for a penalty to us too. In the end, a very good point.

A significant booking it was for Josh Gordon.
If booked again in the next 3 matches will receive a suspension.

saltcellar wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 3:19 pm

DA52 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 08, 2025 11:51 pm Heard 2 Grimsby supporters talking before the match saying that for the first time this season they were play 2 up front. Obviously their manager had seen a weakness in us. How right they were. We couldn’t cope until Whing made the changes to nullify them at half time. After that, we were completely different in attack and defence and could have won. Well done in the end.
Referee was abysmal. How he thought Gordon should have been booked is a mystery. It was also a blatant hand ball for a penalty to us too. In the end, a very good point.

A significant booking it was for Josh Gordon.
If booked again in the next 3 matches will receive a suspension.

As was the case yesterday a couple of Gordon’s bookings have been for persistent fouling. The referee clearly pointed that out to him when booking him.

More pesting than fouling that’s his game nicking the ball high up the pitch and closing down

Big_Bluebird wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 4:20 pm More pesting than fouling that’s his game nicking the ball high up the pitch and closing down

I agree but obviously some referees see it differently. I remember though when Seb Stockbridge red carded Josh in a pre season friendly against Fleetwood for cleaning up Joe Garner

StephenD wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 10:16 am you can see from that picture why it wasn't given as he's so close and doesn't have chance to get his hand out of the way. That's how handball is currently being applied in English football.

And quite rightly so.

xerxes wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 5:17 pm

StephenD wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 10:16 am you can see from that picture why it wasn't given as he's so close and doesn't have chance to get his hand out of the way. That's how handball is currently being applied in English football.

And quite rightly so.

But what the picture doesn’t show is what you see when you watch the actual video of the incident is the player moves towards the ball so puts himself into that position not just a case of the ball hitting him

Jonty wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 1:25 pm We got an unlikely point yesterday with the way game started and our struggle to score goals. Whingy keeps saying in just about every pre match “There’s miles we can do better” and he's not wrong. We are 23 out of 24 in game possession stats and a very low shot on target in games ratio. Second lowest in the league on both these stats. Those two goals we scored yesterday we need to be trying more of those from the edge of the box.

Our struggle to score goals? We’ve scored twice in each of our last five games. How many do you think we should be scoring each game?

Bingley Blue wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 6:03 pm

Jonty wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 1:25 pm We got an unlikely point yesterday with the way game started and our struggle to score goals. Whingy keeps saying in just about every pre match “There’s miles we can do better” and he's not wrong. We are 23 out of 24 in game possession stats and a very low shot on target in games ratio. Second lowest in the league on both these stats. Those two goals we scored yesterday we need to be trying more of those from the edge of the box.

Our struggle to score goals? We’ve scored twice in each of our last five games. How many do you think we should be scoring each game?

Thats an improvement, yes, but over the first 15 league games we have the fifth lowest “goals for” and the second lowest “shots on target” ratio. Think there might be a link there don't you.
The fact we are sitting 15th in the league is very much down to our defensive record which is better than 4 of the current top 7
Im not picking these out of thin air, these are the game stats out there and when Whing says “there’s loads we can improve on” this will be one of these areas.

Jonty wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 6:48 pm

Bingley Blue wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 6:03 pm
Our struggle to score goals? We’ve scored twice in each of our last five games. How many do you think we should be scoring each game?

Thats an improvement, yes, but over the first 15 league games we have the fifth lowest “goals for” and the second lowest “shots on target” ratio. Think there might be a link there don't you.
The fact we are sitting 15th in the league is very much down to our defensive record which is better than 4 of the current top 7
Im not picking these out of thin air, these are the game stats out there and when Whing says “there’s loads we can improve on” this will be one of these areas.

We are 8th in the form table (last six games). Goal difference wise in the form table we are 8th as well. We are moving up the table. Things can always be better but those stats I’m quoting - which I haven’t picked out of thin air either - shows we are travelling in the right direction.

Main Stand SeasonTct wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 4:36 pm

Big_Bluebird wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 4:20 pm More pesting than fouling that’s his game nicking the ball high up the pitch and closing down

I agree but obviously some referees see it differently. I remember though when Seb Stockbridge red carded Josh in a pre season friendly against Fleetwood for cleaning up Joe Garner

Surely he should have been knighted for that?

_bluebird_ wrote: ↑Sat Nov 08, 2025 10:10 pm

Hadrian wrote: ↑Sat Nov 08, 2025 9:56 pm Given the number of appearances Warren has made in the EFL, it appears that people in the game think differently to you.

Plenty of players play in the football league that shouldn't be at the level that they're playing at, thats football. That being said if i was doing a team talk against grimsby I'd be picking him out as a weak link to get at

Does that not imply that there are plenty more players not in the EFL who should be playing at that level instead.

Who are these players that directors of football, managers, coaches, scouts, analysts and agents have missed?

There used to be rumours of a secret national strategic reserve of steam locomotives sealed up in tunnels across the land, ready for when the oil runs out. (That was in the days before Mr Milliband realised that magic moonbeams will be the future of all our energy needs.) Perhaps those big metal sheds with 'Amazon' on them aren't warehouses at all but indoor arenas where the secret national strategic reserve of elite League 2 players spend their working days awaiting a call to action?