Results so far

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board' started by orsenkaht, Oct 24, 2017.

  1. orsenkaht

    orsenkaht Well-Known Member

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    So far:

    PL12 W 3 D 3 L 6 F 15 A 18 GD -3 PTS 12

    Extrapolated (via my feeble maths - divide by 12 and multiply by 46?):

    PL46 W 12 D 11 L 23 F 58 A 69 GD -11 PTS 47

    Lots of reasons why this might change in the remaining games (hopefully for the better) but for what it's worth the 22nd (relegated) teams with points and (goal difference) were:

    2017 Blackburn 51 (-12)
    2016 Charlton 40 (-40)
    2015 Millwall 41 (-34)
    2014 Doncaster 44 (-31)
    2013 Peterborough 54 (-9)

    So in two of those seasons 47 points would have seen us down, but in three we'd have been OK.

    I actually thought we would make a poorer start than we have done, but that we would then improve as the players developed. The second six games have yielded slightly worse results than the first six.

    We still have four of the top six clubs at the moment to play away. On the other hand, we still have five of the bottom seven to play at home.

    Reasons for optimism?
    *More time for Hecky and Jamie to work with the players.
    *The return of Yiadom, Isgrove and the full benefit of Thiam.
    *Incoming investment?
    *McBurnie?
     
  2. Spuggy

    Spuggy Well-Known Member

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    We're probably going to have to go on a run of winning 3 or 4 games in a row at some point in the season to give ourselves the best chance of staying up. Our current form probably won't be enough. January is once again huge for us, but for different reasons. A decent striker who knows where the net is could give us a real lift.
     
  3. Jimmy viz

    Jimmy viz Well-Known Member

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    To stay up we will have to recruit well in January and hope some of our recent recruits are up to speed by them. It'll be close either way.
     
  4. Red

    Red Rain Well-Known Member

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    I was thinking about doing a "Season So Far" post, so I might as well use yours. I have just re-read my Minority Reports for our 7 home league games to date in order to refresh my memory. Here is a summary of what I said:

    Ipswich 1-2 (4-5-1) We controlled the first half (1-0) but Mick changed the game by going to 4-4-2 at half-time (0-2).
    Forest 2-1 (4-5-1) We were lucky and were saved by our 'keeper. Forest dominated possession and shots at goal.
    Sunderland 3-0 (4-5-1) Sunderland dominated the early stages but packed in once the game went against them.
    Villa 0-3 (4-5-1). The margin of victory flattered Villa who were quick on the break.
    QPR 1-1 (4-5-1) We were winning at the break when both teams played 4-5-1, but we lost the second half when both teams changed to 4-4-2.
    Boro 2-2 (4-5-1) The first half goals (2-1) came in the first 10 minutes after which we changed shape slightly to defend deeper. We changed to 4-4-2 for the second half and lost a more open half.
    Hull 0-1 (4-4-2) The game was dominated by the strong wind and heavy rain. Hull won because they got lucky.

    Before the season began, several things were obvious. We had sold most of our good players as their contract terms neared completion, but we had been late to the market and our rebuilding was not complete. Our recruitment policy was to bring in players who had potential to improve, rather than those who had already reached their zenith, partly because their pay demands would be lower, and partly because they offered a better potential profit on subsequent resale. The former reason guided our recruitment of loanees as well. It was clear that the balance of the team would not be ideal. There too much reliance on youth and we needed an older head too balance it out. The shame is that our deadline day recruitment was wasted. Gary Gardner was injured in his first game and has been missing ever since, and the McBurnie deal was not completed in time. McBurnie was a player who we had chased all summer, and who was obviously key to Hecky's planning. It must have been devastating to have missed him. So we are stuck with an unbalanced squad until January. I said at the time that with so many changes, the squad would take time to gel, but that process has also been affected by the number of injuries the squad has sustained. Hecky's options in the early part of the season were severely limited because of injuries and he will not have been able to work much with the whole squad, and formulate his ideas on team structure even now. The comments that follow should be read having taken account of the difficulties faced.

    I do not want to hark back to the team that won two trophies at Wembley. What is gone is in the past and I see no point in living in the past. But I would make the point that the success of that team was grounded upon a strong midfield, which was the main reason that we were able to dominate games. Winnall and Fletcher scored the goals, but they did so because our midfield players allowed us to dominate possession and field position. They gave us time. Midfield is the engine room. It is where most of the grafting gets done. It is where the arguments are waged and it is where the majority of games are won and lost. Before a ball was kicked this season, we all marvelled about the number of players that we added in this area. It was staggering. But number does not equate to quality. The manger can only include 4 or 5 in a team, and as in all things football, quality is the important attribute rather than volume. The word quality can be used as a measure for lots of different attributes. It could mean skill on the ball, accuracy of pass, speed of movement or reading of the game. Of course, we cannot afford quality, so Hecky has gone for something that we can afford. He has brought in players who are willing to work like young Trojans and he hopes that they will develop the rest. Only time will tell. However, thus far, be it because of their youth and inexperience, their unfamiliarity with their colleagues, or simply their lack of quality our midfield has not dominated any game. It is not for lack of effort.

    Our last game was not one on which to base any predictions about the future. The weather conditions made the game a lottery. Prior to that, I felt that there were signs of improvement. There is still a problem of lack of balance though. When we fill our midfield with hard workers, we tend to lose the quality of pass. When we bring in that quality of pass, we lose the work ethic and are caught out of position defensively. We do not have the players who can do both and as a result, I tend to support those who call for 5 in midfield. In theory, five midfield players should allow us to play one luxury player, it should allow us to play Moncur, who can pass the ball. Williams is the first name on the team sheet and the rest are much of a muchness, in my opinion.

    Defensively, I am still not convinced about Lindsay. I do not know whether you watch from the side, but he still has an annoying tendency to drop beyond the line of the defence, potentially playing a player on-side who is goal side of his marker. I thought he had a very poor game against Hull, but he was not alone. If we want to play 4-4-2, then we must have Yiadom at left back and McCarthy on the right, but Yiadom improves us whatever the formation. Up front, I am not convinced by any of our strikers. Of course, they would benefit from better control and passing from midfield. It is hard to judge a forward when the ball is sailing 10 feet over his head. However, in our rare moments of control, our generally poor first touch and our lack of pace are not a good advert for players who are also lacking in height.

    All this will improve. We can only get better with time and practice, but the improvements are limited by the players' latent talent. That is the limiting factor, but I am not confident that I know which players have that potential for improvement, and which do not. Like most on here, my answer would be different after each viewing.
     

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