Xmas L1 Table 2022

We were further away from the autos this time last year than we are now.
As a few predicted last year was an incredibly strong league with this year being much more compact.
A smart transfer window in Jan could be the difference.
Spookily the table this time last year was the exact same standings team by team when the season finished.

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-one/29-december-2022/

 

If we win tonight, we'll be 4 points better off than we were at the same stage last season. Even if we lose, we're a point better off. We've missed our best player and first choice keeper for a big chunk of the season too. You'd argue the squad is weaker as well, particularly the back 3, and yet you still see people calling Neill Collins a fraud on social media. The style of play, and some of the performances haven't been particularly eye catching, but it's a results business and he's certainly getting them with the tools he has at his disposal.

 

Last year we got 46 points between now and the end of the season. Personally, I can't see such a run this year.

 

Nobody pulling up any trees this season including us. Can't see Portsmouth pulling away. (They draw too many). Unfortunately it's all about what we do and unless our record changes at home and against the top six it'll be anywhere from 3rd to 7th.

The standard has dropped this year and whilst we have more points we find ourselves 7th. I'd take last seasons points total and 4th in the table right now rather than more points and finishing seventh.

 

Why not? That's only 1.91ppg, compared to our current return of 1.86ppg - most of which was without our best player.

 

Because defensively, we look like conceding goals every game. If we recruit well in January and shore up the back line then maybe we could.

 

The leagues missing a couple of top sides but the rest of it is similar.

Pretending every team in the bottom half is significantly weaker just to slate Collins is daft. There were plenty of poor sides in the bottom half last season too.

 

Couple of things on this, we have conceded 7 more than last year which sounds a lot but is actually only 1 goal extra per 3 games also both Peterborough & Bolton have also conceded similar goals.
In fact out of the entire L1 only Portsmouth & Derby have conceded less.
We are also 13 goals ahead of last season which given how poor we play at times seems odd, perhaps we are not as bad as we sometimes think.

 

I think it's because we haven't collected any scalps this season and we don't finish teams off.

 

Totally agreed.
Then, when it mattered, we became unstoppable at home when we played Derby, Plymouth and Wednesday off the park. Ipswich knew this and bottled it by playing their international call ups card as, otherwise, I think we would have battered them, too, while we were on such good home form.

 

Tonight is a ridiculously tough game. I'm expecting us to lose tbf - they're in such good form.

Just hope it doesn't get toxic on here later on if we do.

 

My biggest complaint of Collins is we have a very good squad at this level I find his football very dull. I often find him reactive with subs and changes rather than pro active. Like you can see us getting ripped a new one but he doesn't change it until we concede.
Can't argue with the points total so far though. Tonight will be a good test to see where we are at.

 

Considering we got a thread about how clueless Collins is after we won 3-2 in the last game, then of course it will get toxic if we lose.

 

Would you like to see us finish teams off, Stephen ....back in the changing rooms ... Oooh, would you, sir...bet you would, sir
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/finish_off

 

I think anyone sensible will see tonight as a free hit. It’s a hard game that I expect is to lose. It won’t define our season. The run of home games in Jan will do that.

 

Said this a few times on here recently, last season prior to January we were average.
I think sometimes people remember all last season was like it was the second half.

 

Yet we were still 3 places higher up the league than we are now.

 

And yet we have more points and goals scored and lost less games than last.

 

Counts for nowt if we finish 7th.

 

Just as last year counted for nowt in the end.