I think we'll be in a relegation battle Don't know on which side of the drop we'll end up. The reason? We're conceding more goals than we're scoring and we've yet to win at home.
RE: I think we'll be in a relegation battle I think we will be in bottom half, but will probably be safe, if we can stop shipping goals
I too think it will be a close call We have kept no clean sheets and have conceded 2 or more in all but one of the 6 league games so far. Currently we are scoring enough to keep ourselves afloat but shipping goals at that rate is unsustainable. The problem is I don't see a weak link in the back four. I see a weak back four - our full backs are neither fast enough nor fit enough to keep up with some of the wide men we've seen in this league, so too many crosses are reaching the danger zone. Once there, we do not have the height and strength to resist a decent aeriel threat. Or even a **** one - that front 2 at Stoke won't get 20 goals between them this year. Meantime Richtea says he doesn't want to bring a player in to warm the bench and so is looking at a striker. Meaning he's happy to stick with this standard of defending but must intend to drop one of Hayes or Richards when he lands his new front man. C'est bizarre.
Yes, yes, yes. If you want to send that last comment on to Andy, I'll gladly add my name to the petition. 'Having cover' doesn't mean we have the quality to cope at the back - the full backs don't have the speed or guile and in general we don't have the aerial presence to cope with set pieces and big attackers. It's pretty obvious and it was the same last year but teams were poorer and missed the chances they created against us.
Yes unless we either bring in good defenders and I don't just mean CH, our FB's are much too slow and easily pulled out of position, making the CH's job even more difficult because our wide men don't get back enough to cover the FB's. And if Mr. Ritchie seriously believes that we controlled the game for all but a ten minute period when they scored their two goals, we are in serious trouble.
I hope not Still think there are a few worse teams than us in the league.</p> Somehow need to stop leaking goals at the rate of 2 every game though, and I am a bit worried about strength in depth if we pick up injuries to a couple of key players. Think we will be OK if we can keep most of the team fit - in particular Kay, Howard McIndoe, Togwell and Hayes - a couple of those out and unless we have some hidden talents in the reserves and we will be battling it out with Hull and Washday</p> </p>