cityexile

0-3. For pride now, back to earth with a bump.

It is about a untested back four much more today I think. Bad day at the office, bad start against a good team, always going to be uphill from there.

Charlton losing again.

Charlton, Rotherham drawing, Bolton losing. On nights like tonight would not feel quite so bad if none of them win.

HT, long way back from here. For much of the match we have competed, but a couple of errors, couple of good finishes, 0-2. Was asking a lot of a new back line in hindsight.

Now 1-1.

...and Charlton one down.

First bit of positive news, Bolton one down.

MK one up.

Two attacks two goals. Never like forced changes to a back four, certainly not two of them. Ho hum.

Well this is poop.

Sounds like we are actually doing ok...other than the score!

Well, all we can say is plenty of time! 0-1

But worried by the back four today if I am honest, Brighton are a different proposition to MK. Would at least have liked Baker back. Anyhow, it is what it is, so fingers crossed!

Baldock a starter for them. Baldock a starter for MK on Saturday. A pair of Baldocks no less.

If he was our established FB I would have said he was very solid first half and looked very comfortable. Second half got caught out of position a couple of times, but played a full part in a clean sheet. ...then you remember this was his first game ever for us, in an important match.

Poor. This is a thread about MK. Bovines should be of the concrete variety. Anyhow, suppose I should start shaking a leg and getting down to the game...maybe just up last cup of tea first...

My home game! Seem to have been our shadow all year, seemingly always within a point or two of us. Equally tried to play too much football early on, and coinciding with our better form have rediscovered the importance of defence themselves. We could be playing against the Baldock's next two games, and the return of their one to the back four has also seen them last three games go 0-0 Cardiff, 1-1 Middlesborough (1-0 until the 93rd minute) and a 1-0 win v Derby. Think our spine of Baker, Flint, Pack, Smith, Tomlin will keep us strong. Equally, with Forster-Caskey who scored the winner at Derby from a free kick, and, um, somebody called JET, will need to ensure they do not get to many pop shots away from outside the box. Also some dude called Maynard likely to start on the bench for them. We have a claim to be one of their bogey sides, and I see a similiar game to last year. Hopefully falls our way again, and recent form of both says should be another binary score. Lets just say if it is nil nil with seconds to go, and I see JET brushing off to players and then threading Maynard through on goal it would be hard to take...

I thought it was an interesting interview. At best, Rovers have got somebody who can secure their short term future. He talks about building, academy, youth players all nice enough, and of a new stadium. He at least says he is in it for the long term, and to be fair he talked I thought quite well. If that is delivered, it is indeed a very good day for them. A lot of the uncertainty they were under has been removed. However, again at best, he came across as a decent fella who is going to build the club over the medium to long term. They should be celebrating that, rather than to many of them shooting off about being the new Man City. They should be very happy with what, it seems, they have got, rather than creating stupid level expectations.

Seems to be some confusion amongst our blue friends that assets of their bank equals net worth. Not quite! Really do not see this is going to make them the new Man City or Chelsea - let's be honest, if you are that rich, why start with Bristol Rovers? It would I assume secure their short term future. If I was them, I would take that as a start and see what happens from there. Seems some of them are frankly setting ludicrous expectations after a few hours.

Interesting times in which we live, and in some way a sad reflection of those times. Taking the fact it is 'them' out of it, another football club goes foreign. Going to have to watch what happens now really. The rivalry notwithstanding, in many ways I do hope it is really somebody who has an interest in local football, and not somebody who is just going to see it as a play thing.

Enjoying a bacon buttie and a pint no doubt...

Think they have given themselves a chance. Hung on to most of their better players over the window, and have sold a car park it appears for a good few million. All comes down to how their main creditor acts, but should not bank on them going into admin.

Tickets arrived yesterday. Leave at 2pm and get there comfortably. Was hoping for a bare minimum of five points against Charlton, Ipswich, MK, so a very good start. Good point for them at Cardiff today, but win that and we may for the first time in ages have a little breathing space.

Result everything today. Three clean sheets in four. Did not in truth sound great but who cares. Would have rather Bolton drew but hey ho. One of those after the event which in truth sounded comfortable, but at the time I was having kittens. Get in there!