THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

THE CAZBAR BIG GAME PREVIEW – HARROGATE TOWN
Good Morning Everyone…..mixed feelings this week, and there is no doubt supporting this club is exhausting.

I’ve been a football fan long enough to understand its all about “through good times and bad”, I followed this club every game home and away through the Championship season, nobody knows more than me, pick yourself up, dust yourself down and we go again, but currently I feel as low as I’ve ever felt.

I am gutted this team once again failed to show up, that’s hard enough to take and even understand how one week we can play like league winners, and then the next week look like National League relegation candidates, and that is why I have grave concerns going into the playoffs, we all know we have that crap performance in us, so when will it rear its ugly head again as it always feel like we are just one game away from disaster.

As if it’s not bad enough supporting Jekyll & Hyde FC, what is going on off the pitch takes some fathoming. I know some cannot see the problem but in my eyes, and I am not alone, the away club being allowed to sell shirts etc at the turnstiles takes some understanding, why are we helping Mansfield promote themselves in our own stadium moments before our biggest game of the season, and not only that stewards being instructed to burst 50 or so balloons that were for the kids that are just starting to embark on their football journey, try explaining to some 5 year old the club don’t want him to enjoy themselves at a football game……I don’t care if you agree or not, it’s bullshit, and I’m afraid it’s just further evidence that this club has no idea how to act like a proper football club.

I’ve been watching live football for over 50 years, and this is a first for me, yes I’ve seen hooky street dealers selling counterfeit or cheap merch round the corner from grounds, but this has clearly been approved by our club, obviously because of the Castore links, but I’m not surprised, this club never fails to amaze, and let me tell you, it would never happen anywhere else.

I’m done with that, so moving on to a game that will probably mean more to most as a ground ticking off exercise than anything else.

All the usual facts and figures are below.

Harrogate (12th) P44, W 17, D 11, L 16, GF 55, GA 62, Pts 62.
Dons (4th) P 44, W 22, D 8, L 14, GF 74, GA 61, Pts 74.
Harrogate (H)(19th) P 22, W 9, D 3, L 10, GF 32, GA 32, Pts 30.
Dons (A)(9th) P 22, W 8, D 4, L 10, GF 30, GA 38, Pts 28.

Below is a breakdown of those Harrogate home results.

Won – Grimsby, Gillingham, Bradford, Colchester, Doncaster, Accrington, Notts Co, Salford, Morecambe.
Drawn – Sutton, Wrexham, Swindon.
Lost – Crawley, Newport, Walsall, Tranmere, Crewe, Mansfield, Stockport, AFC, Barrow, FGR.

Harrogate Last 6 Games.
Harrogate 2 Sutton 2
Harrogate 1 Grimsby 0
Notts Co 3 Harrogate 0
Harrogate 5 Gillingham 1
AFC 1 Harrogate 1
Harrogate 3 Bradford 0

There is nothing to learn from any of that, in honesty I don’t know whey I bothered, the only thing I can come up with is they are just as likely to win big, or get stuffed in equal measures, they are in reality a slightly minor version of us, they ripped Gillingham a new one recently as you can see above, but a few weeks earlier Mansfield beat them 9-2.

The top scorer for Harrogate is George Thomson with 15 goals and 7 assists and plays from centre midfield whilst Matt Daly who plays just behind the striker leads the assists with 10 so far this season.

The gaffer at Harrogate is Simon Weaver who has been in charge for almost 15 years in this his only managerial role after coming from a mainly non-league background as a defender that saw him play for 15 clubs.

His record stands at P 772, W 300, D 191, L 281, giving him a Win Ratio of nearly 39%.

We have only played Harrogate once (Sept 30th) ….and lost…and it was another dark day in MK as it extended our winless run to 5 games.

The only goal of the game was an own goal from O’Hora as a Craig Mac clearance struck him and ended up in the net. On that day we had 66% possession having 27 shots with just 4 on target, and all that in front of a crowd a fraction over 5,000.

The betting to me seems ludicrous, there is no way we should be that hotter favourites, anyway I wouldn’t touch this game with a barge pole, but for the record the odds are below and the money all week has been coming for the hosts with Harrogate being just over 3/1 on Monday.

Harrogate 23/10 Draw 11/4 MK Dons 15/13.

In other news our price is shortening to win the playoffs despite the inconsistent results, a few weeks ago we were over 2/1, that price has now dropped to just 11/8….who the hell is betting on us, it’s not me, I’ve lost enough already. Other prices include Barrow 2/1, Crewe 7/2, Crawley 8/1, Doncaster a very long 12/1 along with Walsall with the others being 25/1 and bigger.

Whilst this is to some degree a bit of a dead rubber with Harrogate having just a very distant chance of making the playoffs, the important issue for us is to maintain home status for the second leg of the playoffs. We should also factor in potentially resting players and consider if we have anyone that is a likely danger to be banned, we certainly don’t want to see the highly strung Max Dean lose his head in a meaningless game and get sent off, that will screw things right up.

It's senseless worrying about our potential playoff rivals, we have little or no control over that, it is what it is, we will just have to face who we get and that’s it.

If you asked me who I prefer in the playoffs, well two or three that I wouldn’t want to face, Barrow, Doncaster and of course AFC, and all for different reasons that I won’t go into right now, I’ll save that for when the time comes.

If you’re going to Harrogate, safe travels and I will see you up there.

WD

#DonYourWhite

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Read the MELTDOWN after every game, no bullshit, just giving it straight

Cause the club stupidly gave the running of the club shop to a company that only are interested in the success of themselves. I really do doubt the club could stop them. You give away the running of the club shop to a third party you are at the mercy of what said third party do. I mean they had more of their own brand training wear in our club shop than they did MK Dons stuff before Christmas. What do you expect?

I agree. I think the best chance of the play offs is to rest key players. I really do. I wouldn't like to think how shit we would be without Dean, Payne, Kelly etc. I rather limp in these next two games than risk anyone limping off we are already missing a key figure in Tomlinson (unless it is not as bad and he will be back for the play offs) why risk anymore?

I had hopes that things off the field would improve with AG gone. But now there does not seem to be anybody in charge. If there is, then please enlighten me.

In agreement with regards to the playoffs but there is another issue to consider.

We now have two throw away games with little to no consequences. Harrogate have currently a very small chance of playoffs so they will be more "up for it" and I fully expect Colchester to put Sutton out of their misery before we play them.

Players can go off the boil very quickly. We never seem to benefit from players being "rested".

From a fan's mental stability point of view, perhaps starting from a "we have little chance" is the best attitude.

It's not about resting them, more protecting them. I know it is slim, but if any of them got a straight red or an injury they could miss one or both of the play offs. We need our best team out there in May if we stand a chance. Imagine Kelly got injured against Sutton and we had to have that limp wrist in goal or hot and cold Harrison cause Dean couldn't keep it in check and got a red card. The squad is not good enough IMO but our first 11 is. It is ludicrous to think that we wouldn't swap out players given our history in the play offs and that these two games mean nothing.

Just play the final game with less intensity... I know its a simplistic view but neither side will need to do anything to each other, in all liklihood.

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#DonYourWhite

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There's a balance to be found between resting players and not losing our rhythm. If we don't give Dean a minute between now and the playoff 1st leg, for example, it'll have been 3 and a half weeks since he played any football. I'm not convinced that's a great thing. Although these games are slightly meaningless, we still want to head into the playoffs with some sort of momentum.

It's not resting. It is protecting them from what might happen. They don't need a rest. Yet if we play our full team and somehow lose both these games, or even tomorrow where will the momentum be then? I mean Doncaster are on a high at the moment, but lose one of their remaining three I see that crashing around them considering every man and his dog in that area of Yorkshire are so cocksure of getting in the play offs and winning them I think the blinkers have stopped them seeing what could happen. I think it is too much of a risk. Dean has proven that he can come back into a side after a long injury layoff and pick up exactly how he left off. Three weeks is nothing to a talented man like him. I hope to god we get out of the next two games injury and suspension free if we do play our full side as I will not be happy if we have Harrison or Tezgel upfront when it would have been preventable.

The first few paragraphs are overly negative in my opinion and that's coming from someone that has supported this club well before the move to MK.

To say the team hasn't turned up isn't fair. Under Williamson, we have gone from 17th to 4th. I'd say that is some achievement. We are still in with a strong shout (if you disregard previous play off campaigns) of getting promoted back to League 1 at the first attempt.

I wish for once we'd put the negativity aside and get behind the team the best we can.

Feel free to write an alternative preview.

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Read the MELTDOWN after every game, no bullshit, just giving it straight