Looking back at the season so far and unsurprisingly everything we have and are desperately trying to cling on to is down to a staggering 2 months between 27/9 and 29/11. 13 games 36 points. The other 18 across the other 4 months only a very ordinary 23 points. So the obvious question. Same players, same manager, what was the secret to our success in that extraordinary run? And how to we get back to something even close to it?
The magical months (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Macca
- Start date
stupot07
Well-Known Member
I'm just going to copy and paste my post from the tactician thread:
I think the problem is more, nothings changed. We seemed to come out of preseason fitter and sharper than the rest of the league, we basically had the same team as last season so didn't have the "gelling" issue, and we took teams by surprise.
Teams know how we play, how to nullify us and what our weaknesses are now, there is no longer a mismatch in fitness and sharpness (in fact if anything, the lack of rotation means we're now suffering from fatigue), and teams that made a few signings in the summer have now gelled
We're still trying to play the same way.
I think the problem is more, nothings changed. We seemed to come out of preseason fitter and sharper than the rest of the league, we basically had the same team as last season so didn't have the "gelling" issue, and we took teams by surprise.
Teams know how we play, how to nullify us and what our weaknesses are now, there is no longer a mismatch in fitness and sharpness (in fact if anything, the lack of rotation means we're now suffering from fatigue), and teams that made a few signings in the summer have now gelled
We're still trying to play the same way.
Perennial Lurker
Well-Known Member
We are missing BTA badly , dont know the stats but since he first got injured we started playing poorly . Rudoni quite obviously has an issue , Grimes has been way over played and has lost his early season fizz.Also shows just how influential EMC is to our success.
Don't know how we get back into form but it's almost like Lampard has too many options now(??) , seems our good run coincided with a lack of available players which almost forced selection
Don't know how we get back into form but it's almost like Lampard has too many options now(??) , seems our good run coincided with a lack of available players which almost forced selection
Cov98
Well-Known Member
I don't know what thread I said it on, but a lot of our early success was down to the fact we were the only ones performing.
Ipswich had a bad start, Boro to be fair were with us right until they had their little blip, Hull weren't up there and Stoke were the only team near us results wise and now they've ended up where you'd expect.
We were playing well yes, but the fact a lot of the teams we were playing had a bad start gave us a lead that in reality we were never going to maintain.
Ipswich had a bad start, Boro to be fair were with us right until they had their little blip, Hull weren't up there and Stoke were the only team near us results wise and now they've ended up where you'd expect.
We were playing well yes, but the fact a lot of the teams we were playing had a bad start gave us a lead that in reality we were never going to maintain.
SeaSeeEffCee
Well-Known Member
Puts it into perspective when you realise it was only 13 games. From 36 in 13 to 16 in the following 13…
Super Graham Withey
Well-Known Member
We had a lot of luck
fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
You can tell things are going badly, people like you crawl out of the woodwork
Super Graham Withey
Well-Known Member
But having got into the position we did we needed to gamble in the transfer market.
i don’t think they are going badly we are still way outperforming our playing budget and we are still in with a chance of going up. Everything fell for us early on this season and now it’s not. We just need to play through it and hope things turn.
SkyBlueMatt
Well-Known Member
Spot on, Lampard needs to earn his stripes now
When I got back, there was even a shit episode of Only Fools & Horses. If that isn't a hint
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lord_garrincha
Well-Known Member
Like Rodney... if Frank Lampard died tonight... he'd wake up as Frank on Monday!
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
Made a comment on another thread, what works in September doesn't necessarily work in January for a host of reasons.
Think you've hilighted several of them.
Osullivan18
Well-Known Member
I do think we played a more direct style earlier in the season. Getting forward quickly not allowing teams to reset shape. On the flip side to that teams seem to play more direct against us now, meaning less chance to steal the ball high up the pitch, which we were doing really well.
Gynnsthetonic
Well-Known Member
Another run is needed, if we beat Middlesbrough that's 2 unbeaten and we move on, West Brom and Stoke are hardly at the top of their game
chiefdave
Well-Known Member
Stupot has basically posted exactly what I was going to post. One thing to add, the way the fixtures fell this season the general consensus was we had an 'easy' start. Add that in to the above and we got on a roll. Confidence was sky high and there was a feel good factor around everything to do with the club.
The signs were there for a while. Game after game our defence would fuck up and it was only thanks to either Rushworth or opposition strikers not hitting the target that we weren't conceding. The phrase 'what a let off' was in regular use in match threads.
Even with how good Rushworth has been we've not really had a huge number of clean sheets. So when we stopped scoring for fun the draws and defeats came.
We're now in a situation like the end of last season. Teams have worked out how to play against us and we don't seem to know how to change things.
Skyblueabo1111
Well-Known Member
In fairness, we did have a lot of luck. Every bounce, etc, went out way. Recent games, 5 or 6 good penalty shouts, nothing.
harvey098
Well-Known Member
Luck. I genuinely don’t think the performances are much different.
I can think of so many lucky goals we scored in that dominant spell and on the versa, so many gilt edged chances missed by oppos. Those small moments have just evened out a bit more.
Guarantee that if that Esse ball that nearly deflected as an OG actually went in and we won 1-0 yesterday all the player ratings move up by a point or two for the same performances. Football fans are so emotionally affected by result it clouds everything else. I don’t really see a difference in performance to me.
Having 5 stone wall penalty’s not given doesn’t help, mind.
I can think of so many lucky goals we scored in that dominant spell and on the versa, so many gilt edged chances missed by oppos. Those small moments have just evened out a bit more.
Guarantee that if that Esse ball that nearly deflected as an OG actually went in and we won 1-0 yesterday all the player ratings move up by a point or two for the same performances. Football fans are so emotionally affected by result it clouds everything else. I don’t really see a difference in performance to me.
Having 5 stone wall penalty’s not given doesn’t help, mind.
Nick
Administrator
Not like those big hitters Oxford
Gynnsthetonic
Well-Known Member
The team that beat Ipswich and drew with Middlesbrough this season you mean
Nick
Administrator
Yeah the ones second bottom.
Gynnsthetonic
Well-Known Member
Yeah they're the ones