Southampton H 1-1 11th if you add back their 10 points
Norwich A 2-2 6th
Exeter H 2-1 16th
Colchester A 0-3 3rd
Leeds A 0-0 1st
Oldham H 0-0 9th
So we've played 5 teams in the top half and only lost once. Not necessarily "found out", more a case of playing the better teams I would say.
Soton, Exeter and Oldham at home I would have hoped for 7 points and we got 5
Norwich, Colchester and Leeds away, I would have hoped for 2 points, which we got.
Overall 5 out of 6 tough games, which I'd hope we'd have got 9 points and we got 7.
Not great but I don't think we're heading for mid table either.
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Three of the six are part of the 'big four' along with us. Colchester was our one defeat in which we made some bad mistakes and Oldham are a top half team that don't score many but defend well to make up for it.
Southampton we had two goals disallowed, one when watching back was onside. Norwich we conceded in the 90th minute.
Of course results are important, but the performances have to be considered as well. We need to start winning again, but we've done ok in a run of hard games and weren't far off winning all but the Colchester game. Looking at the fixtures we've got plenty more hard games coming up soon, I think we were pretty lucky to have the run of fixtures we did have at the start of the season.
Win 40 out of 46 matches ?
Its amazing how people's memories play tricks with them. A lot of people in the summer thought there was a bigger chance of us being relegated again than winning promotion.
We haven't got a natural goalscorer who is going to score a serious amount of goals, so there is no way we are going to batter teams, or walk this league. Never was.
But we have lost 1 in 12, one defeat in the first quarter of the season. Everyone of us would have given our right arm for that 3 months ago, so i think we need to keep a little bit of perspective.
No, but the management team and several of the players have
I think this squad is far better than it thinks it is. Players like Bailey, Racon, Sam, Semedo, Shelvey, Burton,Dailly, Youga are too good for this league and should be playing at a higher level. The reason that they are not is down to one man IMO, Mr Pardoo.
I truely believe that we have the potential within this squad to tear this league apart. To do so we need to believe in our own ability and play an expansive open style of football at home and keep it tight away from home. If Leeds are the benchmark, we should be fearing no one in this division. If we are content to simply finish top half or scrape into the play offs, then I think we are grossly under selling ourselves. We should never have found ourselves in this league in the first place with the players we had at our disposal last season.
and to those who pointed out we'd had a great start cos we'd played the dross of this pony league , well you could be right
still at least we're still 5th2nd and we've only lost 1 game and there's no way we will slide down the table, not with this return to form of our vintage non goal scoring strikers
The problem is at the other end of the pitch. We haven't scored for 3 league games now and Semedo played against Saints and Norwich.
games we scored goals in. i'm not saying Semedo is our 20 goal a season man but in my opinion, his partnership with Racon in the middle has often calmed the tempo of the game down and his passing has lead to the more creative players being able to create chances - something we barely managed to do until Mcleod came on to miss them all.
As fans we should also continually build pressure - high tempo crowd can help a high tempo game. However we will have be patient during games - how many times do the big teams win late on , purely because of the high tempo presuure they have created. Pateience will be neede as outr next 3 home games are Huddersfield, MK dons and brisol r possibly 3 best teams outside the big names
1. Bailey had a poor game (for him) and I think he looks like the injury he is, reportedly, carrying had an effect.
2. Sam looked knackered from about fifteen minutes, he seemed to cut inside to avoid having to take anyone on, his injury looked to curtail his efforts as well.
3. I have always hoped IM would eventually come good, but he had scored in his previous two appearances at the Valley so his confidence must be good, but Saturday I think I finally lost faith. He is never going to be a goalscorer, cheers Pards, he is big and strong but how many miskicks? It was the same Tuesday. Leon cannot get match fit quick enough.
Parky needs to give those that need it a rest.
The surprise element to completely negate the oppositions previous week of carefully planning their tactics to play against us.
In addition, a fresh Shelvey or Burton to come back into the team for the next game and be far more effective than of late.
In summary a proper 4-4-2 in the majority of home games, 4 5 1/ 4 4 11 in the majority of away games.
I think they will. To be fair to the other teams we have played Oldham are the only team who have come and parked the bus. The trio mentioned above all have quality in the final third and I can't see them coming to defend for 90 minutes. That isn't to say they won't be dogged, resolute and organised and it'll be up to us to impose ourselves on them. If we can.