APL PREDICTION LEAGUE RESULTS & REVIEW –
BRISTOL ROVERSSorry for the delay in my usual summary of the game and of course an update on the APL Prediction League, I’ve had a very busy weekend, but at least it’s given me time to trawl the various Dons pages, weigh up what the local media have said, and read an excellent article from OTD.
I think the first thing that is obvious is that the tide has turned, and there is a certain amount of weight and momentum gathering for REXIT 2. We all have our own thoughts about the team, the manager, style of play, the Chairman and the club, but if you’re like me you always have those couple of mates who are the voice of reason, the ones that give that differing opinion, that just make you stop and re-fashion your views.
Those are the go to people in my footballing life, the ones that give that balanced view, a sounding board.......... well you get the picture. Like myself they are seasoned travellers, and have forgotten more about football than most people will ever know, and I’m not going to name them, just suffice to say they are well known characters amongst our fanbase.
So, you know when they are moaning, it’s time to consider, a trip down the bookies and have a hopeful punt on the next contender through the door. Well I can report that both characters have had more than enough of the lovable Scot, and his style, or to be more precise lack of style, and as I have suggested they are not alone, and the feeling is growing week by week.
People are moaning about the lack of atmosphere at Stad MK, but it’s not a surprise with the turgid football being played, the fans are doing their best, but they need to see something on the field to lift them, such as the spirited fightback against Oldham. Master of the statistic FilthyDon reports a 12% downwards trend in attendances so far, this season at home, and the stats are even worse on away days with a 28% decline......but in all honesty, does anyone blame them, you know things are getting bad when season ticket holders can’t be arsed to walk out of their house a few miles from the ground and watch the team they have invested so heavily in.
Winkie in his long and painful search for Neilson, suggested he wanted an exciting manager to excite the fans, well if that’s the case I can only assume he never found him as Neilson is the polar bloody opposite. The football is dull, boring, lifeless, and certainly not entertaining, and the only mystery to me is how the hell we have managed to get 19 points on the board.
Neilson is as dull as ditch water in his pre-and post-match interviews, I confess I did warm to him early on, a welcome relief to the garbage that emanated from Robinsons mouth, but I’m afraid that feeling is long gone, and he is just another football manager rolling out the football clichés, but this time in a monotone voice that could send even that happiest person into suicidal thoughts.
There seems to be no connection whatsoever with the fans, and he seems unwilling or unable to rectify that situation, that might not be important for some, but for others it is a very important part of that sense of being in this together.
He clearly has no clue what his best X1 is, and his apparent multi plan system just doesn’t work, mainly because they are all so bloody similar, and his main game plan seems to be to bore the death out of everyone, including himself.
The introduction of big players doesn’t seem to work either, as week after week they are owned by vertically challenged but hard-working players with a desire to win, something so far, we have rarely seen in our players.
OTD has reported that there is unrest in the camp, this was also echoed by Gilbey a few weeks ago in his post-match interview where he eluded to the fact that “words were had” in the dressing room.
But this is nothing new, rewind to the start of the season when the surprising news of Tilney leaving on loan for Brackley Town, there were reports then of squabbles and possibly more between players and manager, and if you recall, some likely candidates were left out of the pre-seson tour to Hungary.
We are told that Lewie has also had a spat with the Scot, and he was missing on Saturday, and we didn’t have a defender on the bench, was he injured? ......and it doesn’t take much imagination that Williams has possibly had one as well after a couple or more bench warming sessions........and the one surprising thing that many seem to have missed, he started on Saturday and Gilbey was still the captain, would that suggest words have been had?
If you didn’t go to Bristol, you never missed anything much other than a handful of great saves by Nicholls, one at least worthy of the save of the season, as he somehow kept out a bullet point-blank header, amazing, the only other being the hero to zero performance by Upson giving the Gas the lead with a ridiculous defending header.
Our contribution was woeful, one shot on target from Williams that an arthritic tortoise could have dealt with, and that was it. We looked tired, lifeless, defensive, lacked urgency, lacked creativity, and our advantage in possession was mostly in our own half across the backline, it was about as poor as it gets, but a familiar story and an epitaph of the season so far.
But still in these dark days as a Dons fan there are still people that remain positive and I salute you, you are more resilient than me, as after getting on for three years of this rubbish my patience is running thin. We have had nearly 12 months of Neilson, and in my opinion, he has no idea whatsoever, he is out of his depth, and I cannot see how he is going to transform this team, unless he has a radical re-think and changes some aspect of his management style, how or what I have no idea, but things are clearly not working in any aspect of the team and his relationship within.
I’m still seeing people with those buzz words about a new team trying to gel, well I’m afraid if you are one of those people, you better take your head out of your arse right now, that excuse has been done too death, and sailed weeks ago. Virtually every team in the Football League has these issues at the start of the season, but that was 20 bloody games ago, how can anyone use that argument with any justification is beyond me, I was happy to cut them some slack, but it’s gone beyond a joke now.
So, on the horizon we have the biggest banana skin in our history waiting for us, and I would suggest a game that scares the shit out of Neilson. Hyde may be in the 8th tier but they smell blood, as do the BBC. They are on a hell of a run of wins, score for fun, and it’s not going to be a pleasant experience for a team devoid of ideas and confidence. ......Neilson has nothing to win and everything to lose, as by about 10pm on Friday night the vultures could well be circling Ewen Fields as the media write the eulogy of Neilson’s short foray in English football.
In honesty we should win comfortably, a lot depends on the team he puts out, but the history books are littered with records of clubs that have thought the very same way, every season there is a giant killing, we know that, we made Man United the laughing stock of football.......next Friday it could be us, still, if nothing else it will make the fans forum interesting, could be our biggest home gate of the season if we lose.
OK APL time......just 41 predictions this week, a possible reflection of the dour season?
Surprisingly just one predictor managed to get it spot on, so well-done
Greg, he gets 10 points and a mention in the APL Hall of Fame, a couple of others predicted a goal shy Dons and get 7 points for predicting a Dons defeat as well, the remaining 6 all predicted a Dons defeat with the wrong score line and get 2 points.
Just 9 people scoring points, and a total of 36 points scored.
That’s it, a week off for me, I’ll be at Hyde and the fans forum, I hope to see you there.
The APL will return for the Fleetwood game.
Regards
WellDonAPL Hall of Fame2 – Southstander, MK59DON
1 – mkdonsdan4, BuzzardDon, kempstondons6, ChaChaDon, Dazzerdon, epdon, Kowalski, Grundit, Sparky, Bloxham Don, Just A Don, Woburn, Camdenite, Scribble, Blodwyn, Peterr, Greg
APL League Table 2017/1853 POINTS – Southstander
52 PONTS – kempstondons6
47 POINTS – Woburn, Nobbydon
46 POINTS - Scribble
44 POINTS – MK59DON
42 POINTS – epdon, Camdenite
41 POINTS – SG19Cowshed das Boot
37 POINTS - Greg
36 POINTS – Bloxham Don
35 POINTS – familymkdonsfan, Just A Don
34 POINTS - Sparky
32 POINTS – ChaChaDon
30 POINTS – Bex’s Dad, Bill, OldStratfordDon
28 POINTS – mightydons, FilthyDon
27 POINTS – Dunstable Don
26 POINTS – Kowalski
24 POINTS – BuzzardDon
23 POINTS – Grundit
20 POINTS – Blodwyn, WellDon
19 POINTS - Fraser
18 POINTS – Dazzerdon, DonsDuck
17 POINTS – mkdonsdan4
16 POINTS – edmundpwb, APMKDon, TomMac&Ernie, Dons50, JackDon
14 POINTS – Scumarmy, donnette
13 POINTS – RussybCool, Matthew
12 POINTS – Peterr, Bearhidesboy64
11 POINTS – Third Team Lucky, Steelback Don
10 POINTS – Croydon, leodon
9 POINTS – Locutus, yorkie, MBenn90455, MKAylesburyDon, Zippy
8 POINTS – chrisdon, Cheffy1, Don gal, silverous, Steampunk Don
7 POINTS – ExtraTime, MKBuffalo, OakeeDokee
6 POINTS – Dad_of_A _Don, Concretecowbelle, Oldfarmdons
4 POINTS – Zameen, Ten-Don, Adebayo Akinfenwa, DBDON
2 POINTS – BetterCallSaul, DippyDon
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