Bristol Rovers (H) 26th Dec, 3pm

Match Centre 24/25 Match Centre 18/19
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"The gas man cometh"

(Flanders & Swann)

After a dreadful performance at Bradford City when most of the team went AWOL, and the subsequent reading of the riot act by Dean Keates, there was a much-improved performance at Peterborough (which was only marred by their keeper’s saving Luke Leahy’s penalty in the dying minutes). So now we entertain Bristol Rovers, whose caretaker manager Graham Coughlan has only been in charge for 2 League One games following the departure of Darrell Clarke earlier this month. Clarke, incidentally, had signed a 5-year contract in 2017 but was evidently unhappy at the direction the club was taking, and left rather than being shown the door.

Although Rovers are in fairly deep doo-doo’s in the bottom four of the League One table, it should be noted that their goal difference is actually better than ours, and they’ve conceded 6 fewer goals than we have…and with their caretaker manager syndrome they won’t be a pushover. They recorded their first League One win at the weekend since November 3rd, overcoming Fleetwood Town’s 10 men 2-1 (Fleetwood had Ched Evans and manager Joey Barton sent off) in a game where 10 yellow cards were shown, most notably to Rovers’ midfielder Chris Lines who only came on as an 89th minute substitute! Current League One form for The Gas:-

17 Nov Scunthorpe United (H) Lost 1-2
24 Nov Charlton Athletic (A) Lost 3-1
27 Nov Gillingham (H) Lost 1-2
8 Dec Doncaster Rovers (H) Lost 0-4
15 Dec Sunderland (A) Lost 2-1
22 Dec Fleetwood Town (H) Won 2-1

We’re only 8 points away from the play-off zone, so 3 points from this match would be most welcome even if Josh Ginnelly is still absent because of possible career progression. There are positive signs in the availability of George Dobson, Zeli Ismail and (maybe) Joe Edwards. The display at Peterborough showed that Russell Martin is not indispensable, and his value to the squad may well be more as a coach and motivator rather than as a player. His top-level footballing mentality showed near the end of the Sunderland game when, from a deeply defensive position he chose to play a Beckham-esque long crossfield ball which impressively went straight to the feet of a grateful Sunderland striker…

(Mini-rant over) … Prediction? Having got three out of our last four fixtures exactly right (why don’t I do that in the Prediction League?) I’ll try to keep the trend going by saying that we can win this one 2-0, with Cook and Gordon netting.

UTS

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yes we need to win and I think we will…1-0 will do.

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Think we are due a big one! 4-1 Walsall :muscle:t3:

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Got a good feeling about this one, 3-1 Cooke with his hat trick .

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2-1 for me cookiemonster :japanese_ogre: with both .

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2-0 Walsall

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We badly need to win this, Bristol have only won twice in the league since the end of october however we have only won once.

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4-1 win. Massacre.

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Yep, can see us dishing out an absolute battering.

2-2.

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As many on here have said before, never bet on Walsall. We ‘should’ tonk 'em, and that would be of handsome benefit for our appalling minus goal difference, however this IS Walsall F.C. and, after a very encouraging display at Posh such a result should be expected. so 1-1 it will be then!
Heart says 3-0 win though.
Come on me babbies!!

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As there is a tenuous connection with the thread, I thought I’d post the lyrics of “The Gas man cometh”, as sung by Michael Flanders…

"'twas on a Monday morning the Gas man came to call,
The gas tap wouldn’t turn, I wasn’t getting gas at all;
He tore out all the skirting boards to try and find the main
And I had to get a carpenter to put them back again!

(Chorus: "Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do)

'twas on the Tuesday morning the carpenter came round,
He hammered and he chiselled, and he said “Look what I’ve found;
Your joists are full of dry rot but I’ll put them all to rights”
Then he nailed right through a cable, and out went all the lights!

(Chorus)

'Twas on the Wednesday morning the electrician came,
He called me Mr. Sanderson, which isn’t quite my name,
He couldn’t reach the fuse box without standing on the bin
And his foot went through a window, so I called the glazier in!

(Chorus)

'Twas on the Thursday morning the glazier came along,
With his blowtorch and his putty, and his merry glazier song;
He put another pane in, it took no time at all,
But I had to get the painter in to come and paint the wall!

(Chorus)

'Twas on the Friday morning, the painter made a start,
With undercoats and overcoats he painted every part,
Every nook and every cranny, but I found when he was gone
He’d painted over the gas tap, and I couldn’t turn it on!

On Saturday and Sunday they do no work at all,
So 'twas on the Monday morning the Gas man came to call!

UTS

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These lyrics aren’t about you chunkster ?,tore out all the skirting boards sounds about right :joy::joy::joy:

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I would never exert myself to that extent :joy:

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That would mean you getting your tools out the van :+1:t2::joy:

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TOOLS??? :smile:

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Back on the subject ,I’m going for a 3-1 win

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…think you need to put the sherry down :rofl:

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Boring 1 - 0 will do for me , even if it stresses the old ticker :+1:

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19

Easily the most winnable of the games in the last few weeks and next few weeks.

3 points would be most welcome with Luton at home and Charlton away straight after (two most in form league one teams atm).

I think 2-1, Cook and Ismail off the bench. Dominated the away match and they haven’t appointed a replacement manager for Darrell Clarke yet so in a bit of limbo.

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…but it’s Walsall you do realise