Cambridge United v Cheltenham Town

Talk about anything to do with Cheltenham Town, CTFC 500 Club, League 1, ex players & Managers

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Jon Palmer
Posts: 5399
Joined: 13 Feb 2010, 20:19
Team news, live updates and reaction all here this afternoon:

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/s ... d-10393773
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Shade
Posts: 19204
Joined: 27 Sep 2010, 13:02
Location: Cheltenhamshire
Pell out with a niggle already, and Backwell out as well. Thomas, Archer, Broom, and Miller is far from the worst attacking unit we've ever put out.
paperboy
Posts: 3407
Joined: 05 Jul 2011, 22:56
Coincidentally just read this.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp893pj7ey9o
ctfc-fan
Posts: 2489
Joined: 06 Jan 2010, 12:00
paperboy wrote:Coincidentally just read this.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp893pj7ey9o
Are the BBC sure? Surely Dale Vince is first to everything new?!
rooner
Posts: 47
Joined: 09 Aug 2022, 21:19
Peel the sick note, nightmare continues
ctfc-fan
Posts: 2489
Joined: 06 Jan 2010, 12:00
rooner wrote:Peel the sick note, nightmare continues
Is Peel a new signing??
paperboy
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Joined: 05 Jul 2011, 22:56
ctfc-fan wrote: 02 Aug 2025, 13:57
rooner wrote:Peel the sick note, nightmare continues
Is Peel a new signing??
Yep, L of a signing.
asl
Posts: 7632
Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 09:37
Pitch looks a bit scrappy for the first game of the season. Used to seeing ours look like a carpet, right now.
Benny Profane
Posts: 112
Joined: 28 May 2012, 19:23
2 things.....

1. Quite agree about the front 4, In theory (of course!) George bustling about being a nuisance & creating gaps for the 3 behind him to exploit could work very well.
2. This particular Forest Green thing is a good initiative (I'm ignoring the AI nonsense for now). All clubs should do it (though I can think of times recently when I thought watching CTFC was actually detrimental to my mental health, especially the 'Buckle' chapter) . Just because it's 'him' (Vincent, obvs) doesn't automatically make it a bad thing..........

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... tal-health
RS1978
Posts: 358
Joined: 26 Mar 2010, 17:29
rooner wrote: 02 Aug 2025, 13:52 Peel the sick note, nightmare continues
Quite a lots of our players have had a bad time with injuries - Pell, Cundy spring to mind - and tbh if they weren't injury prone they wouldn't be playing at CTFC. :roll:

Maybe Garlick should invest in an improved medical unit - to keep as many of our players fit as possible?
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Horteng
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Joined: 25 Nov 2009, 22:57
Location: Heart of the Forest, Glos
Anyone else struggling with no commentary on iFollow? Says I have Insufficient credits? New season, same sh!t I follow :evil:
asl
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Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 09:37
Fine on Sky Sports... ;)

Unfortunately, my WiFi is down, so I'm tethered to my mobile.
asl
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Cundy should have done better, there. Worryingly slow to react.
RS1978
Posts: 358
Joined: 26 Mar 2010, 17:29
How are Thomas/Archer/Broom getting on?
Fuller
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Joined: 27 Jun 2012, 09:23
That was a pretty average performance so far.
asl
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Archer's looked good, as has Kins, Miller and Anderson, imho. Broom has been fairly anonymous and Thomas is being marked out of the game - but looks threatening.

We've actually looked fairly self-assured, pinging short triangles with confidence. Cundy worries me and I can't imagine Wilson will be on the bench behind him for many matches.
RS1978
Posts: 358
Joined: 26 Mar 2010, 17:29
asl wrote: 02 Aug 2025, 14:54 Archer's looked good, as has Kins, Miller and Anderson, imho. Broom has been fairly anonymous and Thomas is being marked out of the game - but looks threatening.

We've actually looked fairly self-assured, pinging short triangles with confidence. Cundy worries me and I can't imagine Wilson will be on the bench behind him for many matches.
AJ-B for Thomas in the second half to give Power a bit of protection? JT is coming back from a niggle...
HamTown
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Joined: 12 Dec 2020, 22:22
Crossing and set pieces have been atrocious
Fuller
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Joined: 27 Jun 2012, 09:23
Dreadful all round.
That goal was coming for a while.
Fuller
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Quadruple change. Have we ever brought four subs on at once?
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Ihearye
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This is tedious
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Shade
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Joined: 27 Sep 2010, 13:02
Location: Cheltenhamshire
Tactics have been poor as much as anything.

And, I know it's only the first game and I'm moaning about them again already, but the very definition of a homer ref. The inconsistency is the only consistent. As always. Terrible. Will barely give anything to us but can't give them free kicks quick enough.
Last edited by Shade on 02 Aug 2025, 15:47, edited 1 time in total.
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Shade
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RS1978 wrote: 02 Aug 2025, 14:43 How are Thomas/Archer/Broom getting on?
They haven't, really. Pretty much zero link up when they were all on the pitch.
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Shade
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Location: Cheltenhamshire
24/25: Part II
RS1978
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Joined: 26 Mar 2010, 17:29
Mazionis up front like Harry Maguire with Man U?

I'm not sure we can have 3 creative players up front - surely Broom off for either Pell/Backwell (when they're fit) to give us more steel in midfield.
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Shade
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RS1978 wrote: 02 Aug 2025, 15:53 Mazionis up front like Harry Maguire with Man U?

I'm not sure we can have 3 creative players up front - surely Broom off for either Pell/Backwell (when they're fit) to give us more steel in midfield.
I'd rather we just have 2 strikers on the pitch.
RS1978
Posts: 358
Joined: 26 Mar 2010, 17:29
Shade wrote: 02 Aug 2025, 15:5224/25: Part II
- Injury-prone defenders prone to a rick or two.
- Keeper with zero competition for his place.
- Goals dependant on a piece of magic from wingers or striker.

Is that the sort of thing you mean Shade? Broom has just recently come back here - so he'll need time to gel with the midfield and strikers. JT had a niggle - so not at his best.

On the other hand, with the exception of last year, we always do badly on the first day of the season 🤷
HamTown
Posts: 1678
Joined: 12 Dec 2020, 22:22
Bit of a whimper of a start to the season.

Expecting us to go to 442 next game and longer term 352

Wing backs of Aoioki(sp?) and AJB and 3 of the 4 CBs with Kins and Young in front would look very strong

All dependant on us actually being able to cross and hit a good set piece :?
Jerry St Clair
Posts: 2705
Joined: 15 Aug 2011, 16:40
Felt like an extension of the pre-season friendlies. Bed the new arrivals in, hope to nick a point.

Suspect Cambridge will be sniffing around the playoffs and we pretty much matched them. So, not horrendous by any means.

Oh, and the anti-Flynn Twitter and Facebook meltdowns can get in the bin. If they’d care to identify an available manager, who’d be prepared to come to Cheltenham and do better than Flynn with our budget, then I’m all ears.
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Shade
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Location: Cheltenhamshire
RS1978 wrote: 02 Aug 2025, 16:11
Shade wrote: 02 Aug 2025, 15:5224/25: Part II
- Injury-prone defenders prone to a rick or two.
- Keeper with zero competition for his place.
- Goals dependant on a piece of magic from wingers or striker.

Is that the sort of thing you mean Shade? Broom has just recently come back here - so he'll need time to gel with the midfield and strikers. JT had a niggle - so not at his best.

On the other hand, with the exception of last year, we always do badly on the first day of the season 🤷
Pretty much. And that when it's not our day, playing uninspiring football, nobody will change it. Basically the same as the performance at Bromley on the last day of last season.
theidlerich
Posts: 1896
Joined: 03 Dec 2009, 09:22
Location: Cotswolds
Found the game on sky eventually!
1st 1/2 CFC just nicked it; a couple of chances for us; one decent save. 2nd 1/2 poor; woeful defending for the goal - an open a goal as could be! Corners and the odd free kick aimless; ref a little one sided I thought; CFC bias. CFC showed more skill in controlling and using the ball; when in good positions our forwards tended to lose the ball, lacking that control edge/skill?
Still all teams locally didn't fare well; hopefully an improvement in the next game, but too soon for definitive judgement.
nitram82
Posts: 34
Joined: 17 Jan 2013, 19:08
Not sure what the Cambridge fans watched today, but they’re banging on about they completely dominated and it should’ve been a rout. Lmfao. I think they may have illusions of grandeur. As for us, it’s weird because our lads showed commitment and effort, but the movement off the ball was very static, miller looked lost and like he had lead boots on. The referee was next level bad. Just a very poor game from two poor (on the day) sides. I’m optimistic the team cohesion will get there though. There were a few nice passages of passing let down by the end product.
RS1978
Posts: 358
Joined: 26 Mar 2010, 17:29
nitram82 wrote: 02 Aug 2025, 19:30 Not sure what the Cambridge fans watched today, but they’re banging on about they completely dominated and it should’ve been a rout. Lmfao. I think they may have illusions of grandeur. As for us, it’s weird because our lads showed commitment and effort, but the movement off the ball was very static, miller looked lost and like he had lead boots on. The referee was next level bad. Just a very poor game from two poor (on the day) sides. I’m optimistic the team cohesion will get there though. There were a few nice passages of passing let down by the end product.
I hope that the cohesion comes quickly as we've got Chesterfield, Franchise, then Bromley and Barnet - those last two look like the sort of teams that we were bullied against last season, so hopefully Pell and Blackwell will be fit by then🙏

I think this season might be tougher for JT and Archer - JT was double-teamed most attacks - and opponents will have detailed plans to stop them now. With Dulson and Taylor gone, Angol, Bickerstaff and Miller need to hit the ground running against Chesterfield and Mk.
RS1978
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theidlerich wrote: 02 Aug 2025, 19:13 Found the game on sky eventually!
1st 1/2 CFC just nicked it; a couple of chances for us; one decent save. 2nd 1/2 poor; woeful defending for the goal - an open a goal as could be! Corners and the odd free kick aimless; ref a little one sided I thought; CFC bias. CFC showed more skill in controlling and using the ball; when in good positions our forwards tended to lose the ball, lacking that control edge/skill?
Still all teams locally didn't fare well; hopefully an improvement in the next game, but too soon for definitive judgement.
So CFC is Cambridge rather than Cheltenham?
Robin
Posts: 17532
Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 11:19
Not long back, a game of two halves but nothing really between the two sides in the match and sense was whoever scored first would win it. Unsure if there is a slope on the pitch but both teams shooting towards away end seemed to have the better of it. First half Cambridge had zero threat and just appeared to be kicking it long which we dealt with very easily. First half we were winning all the second balls and playing some fairly decent football but didn't take our chances, could have gone in 2 or 3 goals up if we did. Second half complete role reversal, Cambridge seemed to win all the second balls, stopped kicking it long and were were working really well off their forward with runners coming from deep but I don't think they managed more than one or two shots on our goal the entire game. Not sure if it was fitness or just tactics but the levels seemed to drop second half, a lot more static defending and much more aimless punts.

Overall a game we could have won but equally can't have huge complaints we lost either. Never happy losing but it wasn't a terrible performance but the final thirty minutes give some room for concern particularly about coaching and tactics.

Final thought - I am far from clear what our best team is other than three or four who you would think are guaranteed starters. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending upon how you look at it.
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