The Lounge

[Devon Womble]

Well I guess it’s easy to be an armchair critic and at the danger of being labelled one… Yesterday did feel a bit like after the Lord Mayor’s Show.
Our back four seemed a bit ring rusty or perhaps a bit lost without Roos behind them.
Bulman’s name was referenced all over the park as usual, while, (as usual) Barcham did a lot of ineffective running ~ his runs were snuffed out routinely last year when I saw some games and I have no doubt that will not improve this season ~ his finishing also appears as woeful as ever.
Up front, Taylor was a marked man but as ever, proved his credentials while Elliot appears to have plugged in his square head instead of the more effective round one.
Barnett and Poleon appear to have acquitted their guest appearances with promise though.
What worries me already is that NA excused the teams early season performance by declaring they hadn’t had as much preparation time as usual… err excuse me but how much time did the TEN new men at Walsall get?
Walsall, despite getting less of the ball, used it clinically, and never seemed to get out of second gear.
Based on this performance, Walsall are either impending champions (which works for my pundit pitch for them), and our performance was better than it sounded, or they are average and we have a lot of work to do.
Still I guess one thing is certain from this performance… Erik will have deleted income from the EFL tournament in his budget.

[onyadon]

Wimbledon off to Posh tonight and do not have a great record in the League Cup: lost 1st Rd Cardiff City, lost 1st Rd MK Dons, lost 1st Rd Millwall, lost 1st Rd Stevenage, lost 1st Rd Crawley Town over last five seasons in the League. Hardly inspiring, but here’s one to hang your coat on: Posh have what they see as a Tuesday night curse: In 12 Tuesday night games last season they won two lost 10!! While this might come a bit early in the season for the Dons, an improvement on Saturday’s 3-1 loss at Walsall would be comforting — from all reports the Dons didn’t play all that bad at the Bescot Stadium, missed their chances, while the Saddlers took theirs. Expect new striker Tyrone Barnett to play against his old club tonight. Posh paid 1.1 million stg for him from Crawley a couple of years back, so they must have seen something in him. A loss (even if likely) would not be wrist-slashing time. Give it some time…
IF YOU ARE READING THIS WHY DON’T YOUR LEAVE YOUR CALLING CARD AND JOIN IN !!!

[liamwimbo]

I don’t wish to be negative but I am not expecting much from tonight’s game. Our draw in this competition always seems to be very tough and invariably away from home against a team from a higher division. I went to one such game a few years ago, away at Stevenage, and it was an awful experience. The Dons got thumped and the ground was shit, so much so that I have vowed never to go back there. Suspect Ards will rest some players, especially Bulman and Fuller, which will not help (but totally understandable). Obviously hope I am wrong, but we shall see. Having said that, I will be getting up early to listen in.

[Cape Cod Womble]

Let’s be positive lads and I predict a 2-1 victory for AFC with Tyrone Bennett on the score sheet against his old club.

[Devon Womble]

Well.. armchair critic I am these days but while it has to be said that for much of the (EFL Peterboro’) game I was ready to eat some humble pie, I was saved by the same issues that plagued our first game… namely a defence that has either forgotten how to work together in the way it did last year, (or, I think more likely, needs a stronger ‘Roos style’ command from the back than it is currently getting;) and the usual hopeless failure of Barcham to finish what he starts… missing one sitter is embarrassing enough, but two in one game? Whatever the failings of our defence, Barcham (IMHO) cost us the game… almost anyone off the bench would have put away at least one of those chances he had.
Oh Well, there’s a few days for the message about Barcham to sink into NA’s noggin before saturday looms; as for the defence though… Hmmmm.

[onyadon]

Ray Armfield tweeted this one, says it all really ..

16/8/2003 –
Feltham v AFC Wimbledon (CCL)
Bolton v Manchester United (Premier League)
13/8/2016
AFC Wimbledon v Bolton Wanderers (League 1)

— Ray Armfield (@KentWomble) August 12, 2016

This tweet always says it all …

Bolton Wanderers haven't won away for 491 days.

— Dan Murphy (@Murbroski) August 9, 2016

The Dons have made a sloppy start to their first season in League 1 with poor defending at set pieces and missed opportunities [the Andy Barcham miss from inside the six yard box at Peterborough United in the League Cup was particularly ugly].
So to beat Bolton the Dons need to defend better and take their chances to extend Bolton’s away day misery.
Still to have a team like Bolton at tiny Kingsmeadow shows just how far the Dons have come. Wouldn’t it be even better to get all the points?.. another defensive cock-up and the murmurs will get a little louder.
IF YOU ARE READING THIS PLEASE JOIN IN….

[Author]

Posts