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Return of the Macc - Division 4 2018-19

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    #26
    Originally posted by imp View Post
    Lincoln are being tipped as direct promotion prospects. It's justified, I think, but I still don't like it.

    I haven't renewed my iFollow subscription after a testy email exchange with one of their customer service reps. I asked him three questions, none of which he answered. When I pointed this out, he insisted that he had answered the questions. And so it went on.
    What were the questions? I'm intrigued as this service is available in the UK this season for not Saturday at 3pm matches and I am quite looking forward to being able to tune in. Especially as the ever useless BBC Hull don't put GTFC games online as they didn't buy the rights and I can't be bothered with Mariners World.

    Comment


      #27
      Hi nameless EFL Digital person,

      Before I do that [renew my subscription - this was in response to a computer-generated email], I have some questions.
      1. Will the abysmal quality of the camera-work and the commentary improve?
      2. Will you stick to promises? For example, as a subscriber based in Germany I was promised access to the Checkatrade semi-final (Lincoln City v Chelsea U21s) and the play-off semi-final games against Exeter City, but on the days of the games my access was blocked. Two of the most important games of the season, it should be stressed.
      3. Any chance of replays for goals? Just once would be fine.
      Many thanks

      Hi Ian,
      Thank you for contacting iFollow Support.
      The quality for the live stream is in HD, if you're having any buffering issues this may be due to your internet speed not being fast enough.
      Matches distributed by the EFL’s overseas broadcast partners have match replay available at Noon BST the day after the live event with an active iFollow premium subscription, but no live video.
      Latest blackout rules can be found on the broadcast schedule: http://www.efl.com/broadcast-schedule/
      The list of global territories and broadcast partners that Sky Bet EFL broadcasting rights in 2017/18: https://www.efl.com/iFollow/international-broadcasters/
      We have video enhancements for the new season, which will have audio commentary over the live stream, clock and scoreboard.
      Please do let us know if you have any additional questions.
      Regards,


      Hi xxxxx,
      Was that really you answering, or are you a computer? Your answers seem oddly rehearsed.
      Point 1. I wasn’t commenting on the quality of the picture, but the quality of the camera-work. It’s lousy and amateurish. The cameramen either have no experience or no clue.
      Also, the commentators sound barely interested and chuck out every cliché known to the footballing world, several times over. Are they students, or just unpaid interns?
      Point 2. You don’t address it. The Lincoln City website stated that I would be able to watch those games live. I was unable to. Why not?
      Point 3. You also don’t answer this simple question. Replays or not? A scoreboard will be an improvement, it’s true. But it’s hardly technological innovation and merely raises the question of why you didn’t have one to start with.
      Right now, your service is not worth €130 per season, which is why I’m asking these questions but so far getting only stock, unsatisfactory answers. I am not a computer, so don’t accept stock answers.
      Thanks,

      Hi Ian,
      I am not a computer and I have answered your questions.
      Games that are blacked out will not be available on iFollow, I have attached the link on the previous email for blacked out games on iFollow.
      You can have a look at the schedule to see if the live stream will be available in your location.
      There will be new video enhancements to the live stream, the season has not started yet and there are no games on for me to actually know if there will be replays or not. I do know they're working on this feature to see if they will have replays or not.
      What I do know is about the live commentary over the stream, scoreboard and clock.
      Regards,


      Hi xxxxx,
      Soooooo…. Point 1. Will the commentators and cameramen be getting any better? Or is this still an operation being done on the cheap while hitting supporters up for a huge amount of cash?
      Point 2. I was asking about specific historic matches from last season - why were promises not fulfilled with the games mentioned? Still no answer.
      Point 3 - you answered, ‘Don’t know.’ Thanks for clearing that one up at least.
      Cheers, Ian

      [end of correspondence]

      Comment


        #28
        I have Lincoln as my favourites this year - the Cowleys appear to have worked on where they were short last season and they weren't far off then.

        I honestly have no idea what to expect from Cheltenham this season - a lot of people are touting us as relegation candidates, and I can see why. We've lost our top scorer from last season, and appear to be hoping another non-league gem has been uncovered in Immy Duku. His partner will be a forward who scored twice in 29 games for Exeter last season and who was only signed on Saturday morning before our last friendly.

        However, scoring wasn't our problem last season, only 4 teams (the three automatically promoted and Notts County) scored more goals than we did, but defending we were a joke. We have basically got rid of the whole defence bar Will Boyle and Jordon Forster (who missed all of the season after rupturing his achilles in August). The players brought in all have league experience, apart from the backup left-back, so we're hoping that this has been sorted. If it has, then there's no reason we can't be a bit more solid and have another midtable season.

        We still need a goalscorer though...

        Comment


          #29
          Yes, everyone seems to be tipping our county rivals to win it. *Head in hands on desk at work*

          Comment


            #30
            Absolutely outstanding oggie in that Grimsby game at the weekend - that and the clumsy defensive fuck up for the following goal have made me feel marginally better about Carlisle’s poor defensive showing at Exeter.

            Comment


              #31
              Originally posted by Third rate Leszno View Post
              Absolutely outstanding oggie in that Grimsby game at the weekend - that and the clumsy defensive fuck up for the following goal have made me feel marginally better about Carlisle’s poor defensive showing at Exeter.
              This was a hugely disappointing result after a fairly positive pre-season. I did doubt the resiging of Collins who scored the aforementioned oggy. He was, in my opinion, one of our worst players last season and ageing would be a generous description. Still, this drubbing could be the wake up call we need. Sitting pretty at the bottom already.

              Comment


                #32
                The only crumb of comfort I take from the weekend is that Morecambe look to have sewn up one of the relegation places already.

                Comment


                  #33
                  I agree about Morecambe, they're safety net usually comes in the first couple of months of the season before they fall off a cliff - if they start poorly it's difficult to see how they survive.

                  As for Cheltenham, we were appalling on Saturday and I really hope it's just a gelling issue as we have so many new players. We had no creativity whatsoever and only some great stops from Scott Flinders gave the scoreline some respectability.

                  Tranmere away on Saturday - any excuse to post this from the last time we played them:

                  Comment


                    #34
                    Exeter fans will spend the whole season arguing about Tisdale, every counterfactual being "proved" one way or another. To resolve this, we not only need to go up ("would have happened under Tisdale") but Franchise have to fail. All very tiresome and not likely to end any time soon.

                    Comment


                      #35
                      First game of the season for me on Saturday against Swindon and was bloody impressed by our front quartet. We were extremely lucky against Northampton the previous week and played a 3-4-3 formation. However, DC changed that against Swindon, playing a 4-2-1-3 with McCartan sat behind Akinde and Andrade and Anderson on the wings. Pretty ballsy stuff to drop Matt Green after he scored on the opening day.
                      There was some very tidy link up play, Andrade and Akinde look a class above what we had last season. Should have been out of sight before HT but for a bizarre refereeing decision. Weathered a bit of a storm start of second half but Swindon didn't really test Vickers, and made 3 good subs, with Pett and Green linking up well in place of McCartan and Akinde respectively and Shackell making his first appearance. Delighted that Scott Wharton is back at the Bank.

                      Comment


                        #36
                        We're dreadful, don't be fooled by the scoreline, we could and should have lost by 4 or 5 goals on Saturday.

                        A lot of Cheltenham fans have lost patience now and are stating unequivocally that Gary Johnson has to go. This isn't a knee-jerk thing to a new season though, this is off the back of a dreadful end to last season (1 win in last 7 games) which included a 6-1 defeat at home to Coventry and a defeat to a shockingly poor and demoralised Forest Green Rovers, an appalling pre-season and now an atrocious start. In both games we have been outplayed, out-battled, out-thought, frankly any aspect to measure a game we have been bettered by our opposition.

                        Johnson has had a lot of issues over the past couple of years off the field, his heart problems in March 2017 and his brother passing away a few weeks ago, so it's understandable that his full focus is not going to be on the club, but he makes the same mistakes over and again, doesn't learn from them and simply doesn't accept when he's got things wrong. If we play poorly, it's the players not doing right (they're all players he has brought in). Not only that, but we knew all summer that our top scorer from last season would be going, the fact he went to his son's team means that he must have been somewhat aware of their interest for some time, and he knew the likely value we would sell for, so why wasn't a replacement sourced in good time - instead we are fed some crap about AFC Fylde (a club who don't need money) playing hardball for their striker - of course they're going to play hardball, he's their striker and they don't need to sell him!!!! It transpires, according to the club secretary on Radio Glos on Saturday that, in fact, we were nowhere near signing Danny Rowe anyway.

                        The last time I remember there being this much disconnect at the club was in 15/16, and we know what happened then. It's hard to see two teams worse than us at the moment, a change may well be required, and soon so the new man can utilise the loan window properly.

                        Comment


                          #37
                          I've got a ticket for Cambridge-Cheltenham on Saturday week. Cambridge were pretty uninspiring and rather gifted victory by poor defensive mistakes from Notts County on Saturday. Which sounds like luxury compared to that Cheltenham description above. I probably shouldn't get my hopes up of watching a fiesta of Football, then.

                          The Cambridge-Notts County game produce what, for me, is an unusual post-match interview where for once a manager appears to have been watching exactly the same game as I have. Or at least the first minute or two of what Kevin Nolan had to say, I've not watched further than that as I'm not bothered about things from a Notts County perspective.
                          Last edited by Janik; 13-08-2018, 10:37.

                          Comment


                            #38
                            I wouldn't bank on it - who knows, it might just click tomorrow night against Col U, but I won't get my hopes up.

                            Sadly, I won't be going to Cambridge as away games are rarer than rocking horse shit for me these days. I do remember going there in 2005 though. Easily the coldest game I ever attended. Cambridge were bottom of the league and managed to beat us 1-0. 10 days later we went to Aggborough and Kidderminster, who had replaced Cambridge at the bottom of the league, also beat us 1-0. Can't say we didn't play fair in the two games...

                            Comment


                              #39
                              It turns out that iFollow somehow managed to renew my subscription, even though the credit card was already out of date. But I didn't complain. I suppose I was secretly pleased. I only found out just before the Grimsby game, though, and when I turned it on there was no coverage of the first 20 minutes due to "technical difficulties". After that, though, there was a huge improvement over last season in the camera-work, plus the commentary is from Radio Lincolnshire, and Rob Makepeace and Steve Thompson are pretty good. 'Tommo' used to be awful when I last heard him years back, but he seems to have got over his habit of groaning loudly at every misplaced Lincoln pass.

                              And Lincoln? They were poor against Grimsby, who easily deserved all three points. Can't comment on the penalty because I only saw it once in real time. They were only slightly better against a decent Bury team that also deserved at least a point, but another penalty turned the game around and then they bundled in a winner. And now we face co-favourites Notts County, bottom with one point. So at least we're favourites who are equal top, despite looking anything other than fourth division ordinary in these past two matches.

                              Are Colchester the dark horse that no one tipped pre-season?

                              Comment


                                #40
                                They lost to us on penalties in the Carabao Cup, so I wouldn't bet on them just yet

                                Comment


                                  #41
                                  Table topping Exeter City travel to see how the old boss is doing at Franchise this afternoon. I wonder if he'll get applauded or jeered.

                                  Comment


                                    #42
                                    If he'd left alone, applauded. But after taking several players, including the skipper on the cheap, and then joined by Perryman ... not now.

                                    Comment


                                      #43
                                      It used to be a given that any team losing to Lincoln would immediately sack their manager. Even when we're top of the league and looking strong, the tradition seemingly continues - goodbye Kevin Nolan at Notts. Saw most of this on iFollow - much better home performance than against Bury on Tuesday. I'm inclining ever more towards optimism, but it's still an alien outlook. Why can't Lincoln be shit again and take me back to my comfort zone of misery and gloom?

                                      Comment


                                        #44
                                        Originally posted by imp View Post
                                        It used to be a given that any team losing to Lincoln would immediately sack their manager. Even when we're top of the league and looking strong, the tradition seemingly continues - goodbye Kevin Nolan at Notts. Saw most of this on iFollow - much better home performance than against Bury on Tuesday. I'm inclining ever more towards optimism, but it's still an alien outlook. Why can't Lincoln be shit again and take me back to my comfort zone of misery and gloom?
                                        I give it a month.

                                        Comment


                                          #45
                                          I'm going to the Crawley game on the 8th., so my presence will probably screw it up.

                                          Comment


                                            #46
                                            Originally posted by imp View Post
                                            I'm going to the Crawley game on the 8th., so my presence will probably screw it up.
                                            Thinking about that, and Macc away. Rather foolish of me given that I have zero money, but been to only one game so far.

                                            Comment


                                              #47
                                              We have today made our 16th signing since the end of last season - and we're still painfully short up front.

                                              We've got loads of attacking midfielders though.

                                              Oh, and out of nowhere Michael Duff is now evens favourite for our manager's position. I can't see it myself though.

                                              Comment


                                                #48
                                                Thumping 3-0 will away at Exeter on Saturday. From what I can glean from the highlights, Akinde was a constant threat. I have no doubt now that Ollie Palmer will score against us in a 1-0 Crawley win this weekend.

                                                Comment


                                                  #49
                                                  Originally posted by RobW View Post
                                                  Thumping 3-0 will away at Exeter on Saturday. From what I can glean from the highlights, Akinde was a constant threat. I have no doubt now that Ollie Palmer will score against us in a 1-0 Crawley win this weekend.
                                                  Rob, if you come to the Crawley game this weekend I‘m flogging my book at a stand in the FanZone pre-game, so come by and say hello if you‘ve the time and inclination.

                                                  Comment


                                                    #50
                                                    There's a FanZone in Crawley?

                                                    Comment

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