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Exeter City v Cambridge Utd FA Cup 1st round replay Official Match Day Thread

Red Devon

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Didn’t like the sarcastic chants around the hour mark as disappointing as our play was for large parts of the game they achieve nothing and create a very poor vibe about the place MT was right to have a little dig over it.

Some very off colour performers last night Lee Martins first touch was atrocious he got into some good positions first half on the edge of the box but let down by his terrible ball control....Williams and L Martin wildly over hit every ball into the box, Woodman, Jay and Archie all well below their normal standards... Aaron Martin and Moxey probably our best two players...great to be in the second round though.
 

Legohead

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I think the fans have a right to have a pop at yet another poor performance. In isolation, sarcastic chanting at a dire performance seems petty and in such circumstances Matt would be well within his rights to ask for support rather than flak.

However I do feel that he and the players have been dining out a bit on the Argyle result a bit too much and it's clouding his judgement regarding some pretty terrible results but also performances prior to and after the Janners game.

We were smashed at Cambridge before Argyle and were really poor at Scunthorpe. After Argyle we were poor at Bradford after 20 minutes, poor at Cambridge in the cup and poor at home to Cheltenham at the weekend.

Apologies if I've missed a game out but overall recent results and especially performances have been really quite moribund and the support during those games was fantastic. Certainly was for the ones I attended.

So without making a mountain out of a molehill, I think Matt is out of order and he should be recognising that his team is struggling for cohesion and cutting edge at the moment and be trying to address that rather than criticising fans.

The sarcasm at the game last night was simply frustration borne from watching yet another uninspiring game of football.

Matt should accept that, be happy and thankful for all the great support given by fans home and away so far this season and accept some responsibility.
 
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mouthing off
I think the chant, for the first time, was well justified, & funny (though the repeats were dull), & I think it's fine for Matt to urge the fans to back the team. Funnily enough, on the night, I thought that the players responded to that chant, & were more positive in the next 5 or 10 minutes. And a combination of both led to a decent atmosphere.

Seymour did really well for the goal - just checked his run so he didn't stray offside, then did really well to put an excellent cross in. Fair play to Fisher - that was a neat finish.

The defence has looked solid for quite a while now, but it doesn't feel like the shape of the team is right. Sparkes gives us so much more width & direct running than Woody; but I think Jay is playing too deep, & I don't think we're getting enough from Williams from where he's playing on the right. Law & Martin both looked around 65% fit. When they reach full firtness, & when Ajose is fit, & Taylor back, I think the challenge for the mangaer is to pick the team on the basis of the most effective formation, rather than giving priority to certain undroppables, & then tryng to fit the team around them.
 

Jason H

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Last night sounded pretty dire (although not as dire as Saturday when I really should have listened to my body and got a couple of hours' kip instead of listening), but hey ho, we won, we're through.

I don't tend to pay too much attention to what the manager says wrt fans to be honest - used to chuckle at the bile that was spouted here if Tisdale wasn't overly effusive and will reserve the same wry smile here. Negative chanting has been around the game as long as I have - I remember us going down 3-0 in a match in 96/97 (either Colchester or Wigan) and joining in chants of "We're supposed to be at home!" and "We're **** and we know we are". I've grown up a bit since then and realise that properly negative chanting is counter-productive but sarcastic stuff is generally fine ("How **** must you be, we're winning away" and stuff like that).

I do worry that we sometimes lack a bit of creative spark in the final third - all the more puzzling when you see the players we had on the pitch last night especially late on.
 

Stelios

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I do worry that we sometimes lack a bit of creative spark in the final third
This was the reason for the fan frustration. When we weren't badly overhitting long balls and crosses there was so much sideways, backwards passing in the midfield and final third. Possession for possession's sake. Most of it completely ineffective. MT would say "we had to be patient". But it's not much fun to watch 2 games in a row.

As the great John Barnes/New Order said and as the Seymour move (great ball by Collins btw) proved last night:

There's only one way to beat them
Get round the back
 

Stelios

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Forgot to say, good subs from MT last night (y) Had a good impact.
 

Oldsmobile-88

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In RaWZ we trust....Amen.
One funny chant is enough & we can all have a laugh as I expect the team did,but repetitive is not good
I can understand why MT would have been a bit narked.
It was a horrible frustrating game(similar to Saturday)
Cambridge were playing for ET & penaltys.
They did a good job at stifling everything.The record book will say the Grecians won 1-0.The spectacle itself will be soon forgotten.
 

Hants_red

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Poor old Cambridge, gone from beating us 4-0 to only being score one goal against us in 180 minutes.
 

grecian-near-hell

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Not an exciting match at all but it does take two teams to put on a spectacle. Cambridge particularly first half were not interested in venturing out of their half, and second half as Olds has stated apart from a little flurry at the start appeared to want to take their chances with ET and penalties.

Lee Martin was looking to try and sneak in by running along their backline, but was more often than not offside. Randell had very little influence on the game. I know on other posts I have been saying we need a goal scorer but what would the point be of splashing the cash if you are not going to feed him, pretty dire crossing throughout. Nicky Law looked to have conceded the central Midfield role to MJ, who harried but was not overly creative, most of the midfield passing was haphazard to say the least except for Archie's through ball for Seymour.

Deano and Aaron Martin acquitted themselves well although they didn't really have much to do all evening, my MOM would have been Fisher seemed to have a lot of running in him, as yet doesn't hold the ball up as well as Bowman but that may come with more game time, took his goal really well (we have seen similar and easier opportunities missed this season).

I found the chant amusing first time, and generally I thought the crowd were behind the team throughout, I have been at matches where it has been like a morgue for atmosphere.

Wouldn't be surprised if the Cambridge manager is one of the next casualties in the manager merry go round

No mention of the ref who I thought had a good game, apart from didn't add on enough time in the first half when Pierce was injured. The 6 minutes I can understand as although he didn't audibly chastise anyone did note our time wasting tactics which were quite blatant. On this subject not that Maxted did much of it but what are the rules for the goalie holding the ball as this seems to be one of the most frequently ignored rules going. I thought it was 6 seconds.

What was the Pierce and their no, 30 incident about with the handbags etc.
 

SEA Grecian

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Arguably one of the most positive outcomes from tonight (and, possibly, this season)
There might be a few set backs and slips along the way but successfully easing the home-growns into "grown-up" football is surely worth a few disappointments rather than spunking hard-earned on a clique of superannuated old crocks (eh Tis??)
Totally agree and I wonder whether the way that Randall has been playing will mean that we send Jaden Richardson back to Forest. Unfortinately with both Parkes and Moxey now fit it looks like Alex Hartridge may be left kicking his heels again, unless we're allowed to send him back to Bath.
 
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