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StephenD wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 10:44 pm

Suffolk Blue wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 10:36 pm Watched the Morecambe game tonight. They were bright in patches but ….and this is the real deal breaker…..could not score. There was definitely an opportunity there but they weren’t good enough to take even against 10 men. Oh and that pitch of there’s makes HS look like Wembley.

Carlisle are where they are because they don’t score enough despite looking decent and creating opportunities. This often passes for being unlucky because the box- to-box stuff looks good. That’s exactly how we looked under Clemence. It’s already clear that Whing is a different beast. Win or lose.

None of those teams in that list are scoring enough goals regularly enough. So what is going to happen to change this?

Fair comment. I guess what might change for Carlisle potentially is that the new signings might form more of an understanding and become a better unit. But equally they may not.

A couple of good points here, we are actually playing quite a bit better under Hughes, gone is this insane 'Williamsonball' (play out from the back no matter what). They look more like a team that's 'together', that knows what its doing. And since Hughes took over we've actually been quite unlucky, dominated the second half Saturday, but failed to score, completely dominated the game at Newport last week 17 shots off target and 5 on target, they had one, and bloody well scored from it!!!
Having said all that, we can't seem to score, no matter how much it's put on a plate for us, and if we don't address that then its going to be tough to get out of this. If we do, then the blue touch paper will be lit and away we go. (At least that's what I'm hoping anyway).
See you all next Thursday.

Carlisle have been spending since the Piateks took over, even when in Division 1 at a rate that would make some of the teams with them now at the foot of League 2 heart’s flutter. It is so easy to come to the conclusion that they should be sailing away.

I think the truth may have a lot to do with the business they didn’t do in the close season. That was the opportunity for them to properly rebuild a squad for League 2 but that didn’t really seem to happen. Add in the manager turnover and different preferred styles of play and you get a total mess that is actually facilitated by funding that can actually make the problem worse.

The situation is actually not a million miles away from our own. It’s the fact that it’s their money supply that’s actually partly responsible for this mess that is difficult to reconcile.

I’m a great pessimist really that identifies as a realist. However I’ve personally been far more comfortable with our short-term prospects since Andy Whing arrived. His instincts seem to me to be much more in keeping with both our spirit and our short-term needs. It’s already apparent that you don’t get too many draws with him such is his focus on winning games.

Winning games at this point of the season is paramount for any of the bottom six. The issue for Carlisle is whether Mark Hughes can inspire that kind of “trench warfare” response in his side.

I agree with all of that Mark. I have always said that money doesn’t buy taste (look at some rich people’s houses), and equally it doesn’t always buy good judgement. The situation at Carlisle should, on paper, have been resolved by their spending power but it has just resulted in chaos and perpetual churn.
Going back to a post I made the other day, where I pointed out how many more matches the three teams at the bottom have to win just to catch us, Morecambe’s loss last night just reduced the number of games they have left to do it.

bluedevil wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 11:06 am

StephenD wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 10:44 pm

Fair comment. I guess what might change for Carlisle potentially is that the new signings might form more of an understanding and become a better unit. But equally they may not.

A couple of good points here, we are actually playing quite a bit better under Hughes, gone is this insane 'Williamsonball' (play out from the back no matter what). They look more like a team that's 'together', that knows what its doing. And since Hughes took over we've actually been quite unlucky, dominated the second half Saturday, but failed to score, completely dominated the game at Newport last week 17 shots off target and 5 on target, they had one, and bloody well scored from it!!!
Having said all that, we can't seem to score, no matter how much it's put on a plate for us, and if we don't address that then its going to be tough to get out of this. If we do, then the blue touch paper will be lit and away we go. (At least that's what I'm hoping anyway).
See you all next Thursday.

Yes,-Carlisle will pull away, the extended highlights last weekend suggests they are getting it together now under Hughes. I think they will stuff Gillingham for the start of their resurgence.

Whilst I hope that both Morecambe and Carlisle survive the drop I can,t see them both doing it.I wish they good as they provide some healthy competition local to our area.The only thing I want at the moment though is that we beat Carlisle at Holker St as I think we are due a win.The last time was in.a cup competition with Simpson having one of his usual rants after the game.

Don't want to jinx the team but I think the new manager and the players we have brought in should see us safe for this season. I expect us to get enough points at home to avoid any end of the season nerves. Had we not changed manager and added a few reasonable players in Whitfield, Williams, Smith, Duru and Pressley then I think we would have been in big trouble.

Not bad results for us tonight, with Tranmere losing to Accrington and Gillingham to Fleetwood. Although Accrington move closer to us, Tranmere are now definitely in a bottom 3 group. Gillingham aren’t out of the mix yet with their current form, but should be safe.
A great comeback for Cheltenham (again), with two very late goals against Walsall.

Carlisle have 2 points from their last 2 games.....We have a big fat zero. Here's hoping we don't kick start their 'fight for survival.'

Tranmere look in total disintegration mode. Neither side tonight had won in their last five games. Accy stalwart Shaun Whaley was the difference as he has been for many years for his club

I expect Tranmere to be caught by both Morecambe and Carlisle. It wouldn’t surprise me if they finished bottom.

Gillingham have still to win under Coleman. I hope they do so on Saturday because they are at home to Morecambe. Though a draw would be good.

I guess the Tranmere loss suits Carlisle and gives them a bit of a boost for Thursday, but as others have said, we shouldn’t be worrying about them, we just need to play like we did in our last 2 home matches.

Bakewell Blue wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2025 10:35 pm I guess the Tranmere loss suits Carlisle and gives them a bit of a boost for Thursday, but as others have said, we shouldn’t be worrying about them, we just need to play like we did in our last 2 home matches.

"we just need to play like we did in our last two home matches"
The only thing that can stop them doing that is Carlisle!

Nigel Adkins has left Tranmere after that.

Matty wrote: ↑Wed Feb 26, 2025 12:12 am Nigel Adkins has left Tranmere after that.

Baffling it’s taken this long. When you look at the fixtures next month I’d be surprised if themselves and Morecambe aren’t the bottom 2 with a bit of a gap to whoever is 3rd bottom by the end of the month

vialli 9 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2025 10:08 pm Carlisle have 2 points from their last 2 games.....We have a big fat zero. Here's hoping we don't kick start their 'fight for survival.'

Though they haven’t scored in last 3 matches.

HenneysKnee wrote: ↑Wed Feb 26, 2025 7:08 am

Matty wrote: ↑Wed Feb 26, 2025 12:12 am Nigel Adkins has left Tranmere after that.

Baffling it’s taken this long. When you look at the fixtures next month I’d be surprised if themselves and Morecambe aren’t the bottom 2 with a bit of a gap to whoever is 3rd bottom by the end of the month

I think that’s a pretty good shout actually HK. I get the impression that it’s Adkin’s himself that has walked away. Don’t think he was sacked which given Tranmere’s long standing descent towards the abyss is odd.

It’s pretty clear that Palios has had enough. He loves his club and won’t sell it the first guy that appears on his doorstep. But he cannot or will not sink any more money into Tranmere either.

He now has the added problem of hiring another manager - and who would really welcome that brief?.