Can we get to 50 points (3 Viewers)

[Skybluedownunder]

Lampard with us

W 27
D. 8
L. 10
GD +37
Pts. 89

PPG 1.98

60% Win Percentage

60% doesn’t sound much with the records of 9 in 10 and 10 in 11 does it. Makes you think it would be higher


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[Mucca Mad Boys]

The games until Feb are difficult


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All games this league have some difficulty. Leicester and Millwall at home should be 4 points and our away games v Norwich and QPR are towards the weaker end of the spectrum.

If we’re top after Blues away, all bets are off. Looking at Opta, we’re past 90% likelihood of promotion. That’s mental.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

All games this league have some difficulty. Leicester and Millwall at home should be 4 points and our away games v Norwich and QPR are towards the weaker end of the spectrum.

If we’re top after Blues away, all bets are off. Looking at Opta, we’re past 90% likelihood of promotion. That’s mental.

95 plus
Least at the moment games are against teams below us in the league

 

[Londonccfcfan]

We need to get to january still top and then Doug needs to buy whatever Frank wants in January.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

95 plus
Least at the moment games are against teams below us in the league

The next 3 away games will tell us a lot; Ipswich, PNE and Southampton. Ipswich and Southampton are on the turn and will start to pull themselves up the table.

If this year isn’t the year we win at Deepdale…

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

The next 3 away games will tell us a lot; Ipswich, PNE and Southampton. Ipswich and Southampton are on the turn and will start to pull themselves up the table.

If this year isn’t the year we win at Deepdale…

We could lose all 3 and still be top

 

[Skyblueweeman]

The games until Feb are difficult


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I agree. But the last 3 games have been 'difficult' when we've looked at them before each one.

Two 2nd placed teams at their own grounds and a potential banana skin vs a local rival.

9 points, 8 goals scored, 4 conceded.

We shouldn't fear anyone now.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

We could lose all 3 and still be top

We could, but that assumes we Charlton and Bristol City. The fixtures after the November international break are a gauntlet and so far, so good. Conceding 4 goals is a slight worry atm.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

We could, but that assumes we Charlton and Bristol City. The fixtures after the November international break are a gauntlet and so far, so good. Conceding 4 goals is a slight worry atm.

Agreed

 

[Gynnsthetonic]

Ni

We could, but that assumes we Charlton and Bristol City. The fixtures after the November international break are a gauntlet and so far, so good. Conceding 4 goals is a slight worry atm.

But scoring 7 is not a worry, we could quite easily carry on this scoring pattern all season

 

[AFCCOVENTRY]

So 10 more points by the end of the year should be doable. This is worse case scenario:

Charlton H - 3
Ipswich A - 0
Preston A - 1
Bristol H - 3
Saints A - 0
Swansea H - 3
Ipswich H - 0

 

[sc1940]

So 10 more points by the end of the year should be doable. This is worse case scenario:

Charlton H - 3
Ipswich A - 0
Preston A - 1
Bristol H - 3
Saints A - 0
Swansea H - 3
Ipswich H - 0

I think we will get something out of at least one of the 3 games V Ipswich/Southampton

 

[AFCCOVENTRY]

I think we will get something out of at least one of the 3 games V Ipswich/Southampton

Hopefully we will. Currently we’re on 2.35 PPG which is immense. Gives us headroom to dip if we do.

 

[Evo1883]

So 10 more points by the end of the year should be doable. This is worse case scenario:

Charlton H - 3
Ipswich A - 0
Preston A - 1
Bristol H - 3
Saints A - 0
Swansea H - 3
Ipswich H - 0

I think you are giving way too much respect to ipswich

 

[AFCCOVENTRY]

I think you are giving way too much respect to ipswich

Yeah maybe. Just looking at worse case.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

We could, but that assumes we Charlton and Bristol City. The fixtures after the November international break are a gauntlet and so far, so good. Conceding 4 goals is a slight worry atm.

Some bad habits defensively have creeped back in but I think that’s connected to tiredness on the part of a few players.

 

[TomRad85]

I think you are giving way too much respect to ipswich

People talk about them like they are catching us while we just keep making the gap bigger
Catching the rest of the riff raff maybe

 

[SBAndy]

I had a target in mind of 48 points by halfway. Now leaves us needing 8 from our next 6 which you’d imagine is eminently doable. In fact, probably be quite disappointed with that return now!

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

People talk about them like they are catching us while we just keep making the gap bigger
Catching the rest of the riff raff maybe

Ed Sheeran rap battle against Tom Clarke to settle it.

 

[Skybluedownunder]

I think you are giving way too much respect to ipswich

Was quite realistic and fair expectations I thought, any better than that and I will be windmilling


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[Mucca Mad Boys]

Some bad habits defensively have creeped back in but I think that’s connected to tiredness on the part of a few players.

Has it? Thomas scored a dumb own goal for the leveller.

Other than that, we let Boro have 1 big chance and they 2 shots on target. The second half v WBA and the whole of the Boro games were good defensive performances.

Lampard seems to have shrugged off the OG as a mistake ‘it happens’.

KKH WB and MVE RCB is something we’ll see more I think. Kitching and MVE as overlapping CBs was v effective.

 

[Viktor17]

Has it? Thomas scored a dumb own goal for the leveller.

Other than that, we let Boro have 1 big chance and they 2 shots on target. The second half v WBA and the whole of the Boro games were good defensive performances.

Lampard seems to have shrugged off the OG as a mistake ‘it happens’.

KKH WB and MVE RCB is something we’ll see more I think. Kitching and MVE as overlapping CBs was v effective.

Last night we defended our box superbly.

for all pressure, they had a long shot, well saved and a sitter. Rushworth didn’t make a save (think deflection in 1st half)

Think we are being harsh saying we were bad defensively, errors crept in.

also we are now everything we don’t do last year defensively , we react, we block, we die to keep the ball out - hungry for it - love it.

 

[KenilworthSkyBlue]

Last night we defended our box superbly.

for all pressure, they had a long shot, well saved and a sitter. Rushworth didn’t make a save (think deflection in 1st half)

Think we are being harsh saying we were bad defensively, errors crept in.

also we are now everything we don’t do last year defensively , we react, we block, we die to keep the ball out - hungry for it - love it.

He made probably the save of the game to keep a Whittaker shot from distance from burying itself in the top corner?

 

[Sick Boy]

Charlton H - W
Ipswich A - L
Preston A - D
Bristol H - W
Saints A - L
Swansea H - W
Ipswich H - W

 

[SBAndy]

Last night we defended our box superbly.

for all pressure, they had a long shot, well saved and a sitter. Rushworth didn’t make a save (think deflection in 1st half)

Think we are being harsh saying we were bad defensively, errors crept in.

also we are now everything we don’t do last year defensively , we react, we block, we die to keep the ball out - hungry for it - love it.

We defended the box well, but they seemed to get in behind us far too much for my liking - admittedly that was in part down to them playing well and playing quickly.

Feels a little bit “the ends justify the means”.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

Last night we defended our box superbly.

for all pressure, they had a long shot, well saved and a sitter. Rushworth didn’t make a save (think deflection in 1st half)

Think we are being harsh saying we were bad defensively, errors crept in.

also we are now everything we don’t do last year defensively , we react, we block, we die to keep the ball out - hungry for it - love it.

I agree and 2 shots on target says it all. Teams are going to have chances and ultimately, the important markers is how many chances did they make? They had 1 half chance that they scored, a big chance they missed. Conway’s chance was huge and good move from Boro and similar patterns to how we’ve scored a few goals. Their only shot on target in the 2nd half was a 0.01 xG shot that Rushworth saved.

By any metric, we were the team that carried the more potent attacking threat. More shots, more shots on target, higher xG and most importantly, more goals. By contrast, they had more possession, corners and touches in the box… so nothing.

We were clinical and showed them why we’re top of the league.

 

[KenilworthSkyBlue]

Has it? Thomas scored a dumb own goal for the leveller.

Other than that, we let Boro have 1 big chance and they 2 shots on target. The second half v WBA and the whole of the Boro games were good defensive performances.

Lampard seems to have shrugged off the OG as a mistake ‘it happens’.

KKH WB and MVE RCB is something we’ll see more I think. Kitching and MVE as overlapping CBs was v effective.

Hmm there's things to look back at and improve upon. Just reeling off numbers doesn't really give insight into much.

Both goals West Brom scored were far too similar and should've been dealt with. Dasilva was caught in possession for the first. Positionally the back line was dragged all over the place for the second. Kitching lost his man for both and didn't track back quick enough. It's worth noting that the red card did change the game massively and any kind of attacking impetus was stifled from that point.

I don't think either MVE or Dasilva covered themselves in much glory last night, although Dasilva was probably the better of the two as he grew into the game especially in the latter stages. MVE gave the ball away several times and looking back he let the cross come into the box which led to Whittaker's goal far too easily. I'm sure it was him that did a near horror back pass as well - unless it was KKH. A lot of Boro's pressure seemed to come from us turning over over the ball pretty cheaply.

JDS got caught in behind a couple of times - one of which led to the Conway chance that should've been a goal. Although it was a good ball in all fairness to him. At a second glance of the highlights this morning he probably should've closed down Whittaker quicker for the long range strike as well which was heading top corner.

The OG was a mistake, and it can be down to that in isolation as these things do happen. Although it was a lapse in concentration that bought them back into the game so it can't be totally chalked off.

The midfield in the defensive transition wasn't great. Hackney and Morris before he went off regularly got in between the midfield and defence which the back line dealt with, but it was frustrating to watch all the same and could've caused us issues.

 

[JSL]

Wasnt it Dasilva who let the cross get put in for Whittaker's goal? He got wrong footed and slipped.

 

[Paxman II]

Worry worts on here. Enjoy the ride.

 

[blunted]

Hmm there's things to look back at and improve upon. Just reeling off numbers doesn't really give insight into much.

Both goals West Brom scored were far too similar and should've been dealt with. Dasilva was caught in possession for the first. Positionally the back line was dragged all over the place for the second. Kitching lost his man for both and didn't track back quick enough. It's worth noting that the red card did change the game massively and any kind of attacking impetus was stifled from that point.

I don't think either MVE or Dasilva covered themselves in much glory last night, although Dasilva was probably the better of the two as he grew into the game especially in the latter stages. MVE gave the ball away several times and looking back he let the cross come into the box which led to Whittaker's goal far too easily. I'm sure it was him that did a near horror back pass as well - unless it was KKH. A lot of Boro's pressure seemed to come from us turning over over the ball pretty cheaply.

JDS got caught in behind a couple of times - one of which led to the Conway chance that should've been a goal. Although it was a good ball in all fairness to him. At a second glance of the highlights this morning he probably should've closed down Whittaker quicker for the long range strike as well which was heading top corner.

The OG was a mistake, and it can be down to that in isolation as these things do happen. Although it was a lapse in concentration that bought them back into the game so it can't be totally chalked off.

The midfield in the defensive transition wasn't great. Hackney and Morris before he went off regularly got in between the midfield and defence which the back line dealt with, but it was frustrating to watch all the same and could've caused us issues.

This is a repeat ad nauseum of all our games and to criticise our full backs is to ignore the bleedin' obvious. That is the way we play. Teams will always expose our flanks as our full backs are high up the pitch and we try to get offside decisions. We create chances but give the opposition space down the sides. That is not going to change, unless the manager changes and we get back to our full backs and wingers doubling up on the opposition attackers, and er attacking less.
MVE had one of his less than brilliant games last night and slipped for their first goal, which is down to him.
JDS was fine last night with some brilliant football to get us out of a hole especially in the second half, retaining possession.
Perhaps a deconstruction of the Wrexham game where a fullbacks were exposed will give a better reflection of the worth of MVE and JDS. If we get a post every time a ball goes over the top behind them (which we do), it is going to be a very repetitive season.

 

[wingy]

Has it? Thomas scored a dumb own goal for the leveller.

Other than that, we let Boro have 1 big chance and they 2 shots on target. The second half v WBA and the whole of the Boro games were good defensive performances.

Lampard seems to have shrugged off the OG as a mistake ‘it happens’.

KKH WB and MVE RCB is something we’ll see more I think. Kitching and MVE as overlapping CBs was v effective.

Frank did say he'd have to get used to it.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

Frank did say he'd have to get used to it.

Exactly, I'm glad someone else has clocked onto that! I thought it was a tactical change that was quite baffling at first, but actually turned out to be a touch of genius!

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Exactly, I'm glad someone else has clocked onto that! I thought it was a tactical change that was quite baffling at first, but actually turned out to be a touch of genius!

Interested to know if they’ve worked on this in training or MVE had to adapt to it on the fly a bit like when Rudoni was put in at LWB by Robins

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

Interested to know if they’ve worked on this in training or MVE had to adapt to it on the fly a bit like when Rudoni was put in at LWB by Robins

It's open to interpretation because Lampard said 'which he [MVE] isn't used to' when talking about moving him to RCB. Which doesn't clarify the point you raised about whether it's a new role worked in training or an in the moment decision.

Three things makes me lean towards it being worked on in training:
1. Lati and Wolfenden were on the bench
2. Kitching's role was similar at LCB and he over/underlapped down the wing (which lead to the goal)
3. Game state - drawing 2-2 away at 2nd in the league isn't really the time to try something new imo

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

It's open to interpretation because Lampard said 'which he [MVE] isn't used to' when talking about moving him to RCB. Which doesn't clarify the point you raised about whether it's a new role worked in training or an in the moment decision.

Three things makes me lean towards it being worked on in training:
1. Lati and Wolfenden were on the bench
2. Kitching's role was similar at LCB and he over/underlapped down the wing (which lead to the goal)
3. Game state - drawing 2-2 away at 2nd in the league isn't really the time to try something new imo

If they’ve planned and worked on it, it’s very impressive indeed.