No we haven't. Personally, I didn't think there was a corner that needed to be turned. I thought we played just as well in the Crewe cup game as we did on Setdi. Similar stats in that game too, where we had 20 efforts at goal with 9 on target. Only difference was that we hit the back of the net against Bradford. We've played well, in spells, in most games this season, even when we were soundly beaten. We've still only lost one away from home. We're a good footballing side and have been all season. The Bradford game wasn't a great leap forward it was just part of the slow progression. We're not suddenly going to start winning every week. The teams that are doing that this season are one or two years ahead of us in their development. Our team is brand new. The likes of Swindon or Bristol City have been gradually building to what they are now. We're going to lose some games. The team is still young, they're still going to make mistakes, they're still going to be inconsistent. That hasn't gone away. But we're going to win some games too and we're going to win some very well. The trick is not to go mental when we lose and start talking about sacking the manager or that the quad is ****. It isn't. We might lose to Peterborough at the weekend. They're a good side, they're at home, this is their second season at this and they might do us over. We shouldn't fear them, we shouldn't fear anyone in the division, but they might be better than us. There are teams better than us in this league. But there are a good number of teams who just can't live with us when we're at our best. If we lose to Peterborough it doesn't mean we can't give Notts County a right tonking. We're not suddenly a much better team, but things were never nearly as bad as they were being painted. About time we started taking the rough with the smooth while this team is being developed. Losing is disappointing but it shouldn't bring about the kind of reaction we were getting only a couple of weeks ago. I think we're going to see more of the smooth than the rough, I think top half is well within our capabilities and I think that 6th place play-off position is up for grabs (maybe another too if one of those top 5 have a poor run). No idea if we'll get, it won't be a disaster if we don't, but we'll have a lot better chance if we don't project so much negativity every time things don't go our way, which must have some effect on the club and the players. erm, end of lecture, sorry about that
I agree with you in so far as 'sack the manager' talk is/was concerned. There isn't and never was a better manager available to us in my opinion. That said, I think the way we have defended since August was a cause for concern. Peter Ramage looks as though he may help to remedy that. My other concern was leadership, but as Sunday's game wore on we began to look like we had eleven leaders out there - which is much more encouraging. I think that Sam Winnall's display was much better and showed a bit more confidence, as well as effort bordering on the Mick Butler class. That will endear him to most Reds fans, and deserves to. That said, this is a forum, and the happy clappers will always have their share of doom-mongers to leaven them. After all, if we don't feel the lows, how can we fully enjoy the highs? Keep dancing!
I'm not expecting anything at Peterborough. This season we've been great. look at Yeovil and Donny, both doing poorly, only with donny we're just doing better than them atm. When we've been hammered we have still looked good. whens the last time we we're 3 or more goals down and score 3? or even made a huge comeback? II'd hate to have last seasons team. we got battered with no fight last season, these players e.g. Winnall work very hard for the shirt and club, passion is here.
Our back 4 and midfield were dreadful defensively against Crewe. Just because we had chances in that game doesn't mean we played well, the balance has to be there. The difference hasn't just been that our strikers have found a bit of form. It's that in the majority of our home games our defence/midfield have played like they did in the first 45 seconds against bradford, but for the whole game! Bree at right back, Ramage in and Nyatanga at full back has definitely helped us look more solid.
Well said. I'm sure once upon a time teams went through a season winning, losing, drawing games, playing well/****/indifferently and the season was taken as that - a full complement of games. Now it seems one game, a period of play, a poor performance by a player, the manager picking someone we don't rate is enough to make a definitive judgement. And does that post count towards 'cornerwatch' ?
I think the argument appears to be if we're losing, we're **** and with some, even if we're winning & playing well, we're still **** because the opposition suddenly become poor (although they omit to mention this prior to kick off)! The Crewe cup game & first half against Bradford are excellent examples. Forget the facts that we hit the bar, forced Pickford in the Bradford goal into four or five full length saves, never allowed Bradford another shot on target after the goal. We were losing at half time, so therefore we were ****. But we weren't ****, simply just not on the top of our game. However, we WERE better in the second half when we upped the tempo and Bradford simply couldn't cope with us. As you said on Sunday evening, the scoreline flattered them at the end. Bailey was excellent against Crewe. The best player on the pitch, in fact, in my opinion. But that had to be inaccurate, as we'd lost the match. A couple of league wins on the bounce doesn't make us promotion contenders any more than two defeats on the bounce makes us relegation candidates. I'm enjoying watching this young team and their gradual development. It made me chuckle when a number of our young lads were being written off, in certain cases after one game! Yet now, the same fans are damning them with faint praise. They could've allowed these lads time to settle in at the club and show everyone what they were capable of producing, but no. Let's get on their backs straight away, their age and/or inexperience was totally irrelevant, too. I feel more a part of the club than I've done for quite some considerable time and believe we're finally moving in the right direction, slowly but surely. The squad is gradually being built up, but it'll take more than one transfer window to do so.
We have! Scored four from corners this season, only conceded one. http://bbs.barnsleyfc.org.uk/showthread.php?214890-Corner-watch
I think we might have TBH (at least a little bit), Ramage looks to have got the defence more organised , and on Sunday we seemed to be tracking back more and tackling higher up the field not giving the opposition free passage from their own half.
The difference between winning and losing seems to be largely, Peter Ramage. Maybe Wilson has had to wait to get his man, but if we'd recruited the right type of player earlier, I think results wouldve been better.
Can't help noticing how quiet the forum is after such a good performance. If we'd lost 3-1 the board would have had two or three times the traffic, so I'd say the moaners outweigh the normal folk...
Re: The difference between winning and losing You win nothing in the month of October. We are handily placed and seem to be progressing. Happy.
Re: The difference between winning and losing We won games before he came and we'll win games if he doesn't play. He's a great player is Ramage. I love him to bits. He displays all the characteristics on a football field that I wish I'd got. That fearlessness and bravery doesn't come naturally to me, it's summat I really have to work at, so when I see someone who has it in spades, I'm always impressed. But Ramage didn't score 3 goals for us on Setdi. He certainly didn't score 4 against Gillingham as he wasn't even here. He wasn't part of the team who won at Crewe or drew at Yeovil, Coventry and Fleetwood. He's just one of the players Wilson has signed, part of the team. He's being used as an example of how Wilson got it wrong which is just ridiculous.
Results business managers simply dont get time to ride out a bad spell these days, 2 games ago with us in the relegation zone and being humiliated at home, Wilson was looking precarious. Fortunately for us and him he's been allowed to bring in loan players, against the previously stated objectives, which has helped our league form, in between 2 wins we were awful for most of the game in the JPT. Ramage might have been Wilsons target right from pre season and its taken until October to get him on board, history shows 1 inspired/necessary signing can turn a clubs fortunes around, if he gets the chance to bring in a physical striker, my glass will be half full again.
The key for me Saturday was seeing us look confident and attacking, I don't think I've seen that other than Gillingham at home. I also thought our midfield had energy and a bit of steel that has been lacking the last few weeks. But we'll turn another corner the next time we lose, and then another one after that etc etc. I'm enjoying watching us this year - we've obviously got some skill in the side (you can see that with the goals we've scored) and it was always a work in progress. If we finish top 10 I'll be relatively happy. Also find it intersting that people say we've lacked heart and passion - we've drawn at Coventry after conceding, won at Crewe, come from 2 down at Oldham and won on Sunday. Doesn't show the type of attitude people have claimed we've had in my book.
only pulling your leg pal, obviously. one swallow doesn't make a summmer n that. but a very good performance and hopefully not just a one off
Re: Results business That's the point of the post, they should. In order for that to happen it requires us, the fans, to have a change in attitude, to take defeats on the chin and to no longer put pressure on the chairman and the board to sack the manager when we're going through a bad spell. We're only 11 games in to a league season and already we've had two sustained periods of the manager being questioned. It started after the first two games, but then a run of 5 games undefeated put an end to it. But when we then lost 3 out of 4 there were genuine calls for Wilson's head. We're now three undefeated so it's died down again, but as sure as eggs is eggs, if we lose the next two we'll hear it all over again. It's got to stop. Permanently. We're every bit as much a part of this club as the players, the manager and the board. Without us there isn't a club, it's in our hands so it's about time we showed a bit of responsibility and reacted like the guardians we are to defeats and poor performances.
