Championship 21/22

Just seen the PNE goal against Fulham.
3 handballs in it.

 

Sobering thought is that if it wasnt for Derby and Reading getting points deductions we'd still be in the bottom 3. That means their form is better than ours.
Need another 3 wins in 4 to get us back in the mid table pack.
Not wanting to be a doom monger, just a realist.
Heading in the right direction so credit to the management team and players.
More of the same please.

 

It’s our shocking home form which is the problem. It’s not only this season but last season as well - I read somewhere that City have lost 17 out of their last 34 at home. That’s atrocious

 

Come on you guys - lighten up!.......

After that home defeat by Hull, doubts emerged again as to the direction we were heading in the table. After yesterday, anyone now starting to look upwards rather than downwards again? Getting clear of the trap door remains the priority, but where are we going to end up come May?

OK, here's the 64K dollar question.

There are 3 games left before Christmas to reach the half way (23 games) point in the season. If we can use them to get back amongst that mid table pack (they're not that far ahead), should the second half of the season see consolidation, or is there a chance to push on?

The maths will say it's possible with 69 points available, but the practicalities are more pragmatic. Yes we'll need a lot of 3 pointers and need others ahead of us to fail, but can we dream? The top clubs are getting away, but I don't see anyone in that dozen clubs above us of any great quality. How high can we actually finish?

 

No harm in dreaming....

I think a lot will depend on what we manage to do in the January window.
If we can add one or two slightly more experienced heads and a bit of pace and vision then we could indeed press on, especially if the players become more confident and fluid with the change in style (think we're all agreed it's still a little slow and laboured at present).

However, if we were to lose Moore or Ralls with no decent replacements, then we could be in big trouble.

As well as the young guns are doing, they will continue to blow hot and cold as they develop, so it's unfair to expect consistency from them for the rest of the season. Hence the need for at least a couple of fresh faces.

Proper edge of the knife stuff this season.

 

Its a double edge sward at the moment. Teams above us taking points off each other but also means they're all picking up points. Keeps the top end of mid table closer but pushes the bottom of mid table away.
win 2 out of those 3 and we'll be in touch.

Starting to look up, BUT, one eye on the rear view mirror.

I think that's the crux of it Brizzle. A couple of astute signings will make all the difference. It'll also confirm Tan's intentions, one way or another.
Need to start thinking about next season too. Ralls free in the summer. Indeed, could sign a pre-contract agreement in January. Need to tie up one or two of those who's contracts expire in the summer to longer team deals. Ralls seems the pick of the midfielders, Morrison the pick of the defenders.

Could go either way, this year and next.

 

The simple answer is that we have to win our games. Those above us are bound to drop points - they can't all win when playing each other.

Maybe a tall order to go on a decent run of wins, but we had 8 losses on the bounce under McCarthy, so why not?

 

I reiterate we’ve got to start winning at home. Our next 3 games are versus a resurgent Sheff U (with 2 ex jacks looking to notch), an even more resurgent Derby (with one ex bluebird in good form) and the ever impressive injury time specialists Coventry. 3-4 points would be a realistic return.

As for the rest of the season I’m just looking to get to 50 points which is the staying up benchmark.

As for the window, I can’t see anything of note happening. A left sided CB who can pass, a creative CM and a RW wouldn’t go amiss though.

Perhaps send Collins to league 1 on loan and bring in someone who can actually put the ball in the net

 

Swap him to bring Watters back.

 

And whilst he’s at it he can send Bacuna & Vaulks out on loan.

 

And Nelson? Although he seems to do better in away games. Not under the microscope so much maybe?

 

The Blades are hardly resurgent Nin. They sacked Jokanavic and scraped a 1-0 at a dispirited points deducted Reading, and then today a win at home against an abysmal Wurzel side that looks far more likely relegation fodder than us.

If we don't beat them at home to set our new standard against teams like them, then I agree we'll deserve little more than a survival battle.

 

Probably for the first time I can recall, I want Derby to win a game tonight against QPR.

Why?

1. Well, Derby are 20 points behind us and if we allow them to catch us we deserve to go down.

2. QPR are just 11 points above us, on a decent run recently but no great shakes and catchable.

Does that make sense?

 

Yep ....

No issues with the cheating snowflakes earning the odd win here and there... So long as they still go down.

 

Not having hit the halfway mark yet, this current Championship table (and season) is wide open.

Notice the "Man City of the Championship" (remember it used to be "Arsenal" a dozen years back but times change) are only 6 points ahead of us and they've played "proper" football all season. If we'd beaten Hull, and we should have, that gap would only be 3 points as "bad" as we've been.

We've got 3 games before Christmas, Sheff Utd, Brum and Derby and two of those games are at home. I know it depends on other results, but if we can't catch and get amongst the half dozen clubs above us by then, I'd be dissappointed.

 

OS’ glass half full as usual

 

OK - in the absence of anything else of note right now, Championship chat. Anybody watch that Derby/QPR game last night?

Bottom line is Derby were dreadful. Typical Rooney setup - no focus up front, played keep-ball and passed for the sake of passing. QPR were by far the better side but Derby made it easy for them through any lack of initiative going forward - they could teach our Marlon a few things about passing backwards.

Lawrence got a simple run through the middle for their early goal and smashed it as hard as he could. No control at all but it flew in top corner off the inside of the upright. It could just as easily have smacked the post, gone outside or over the bar - don't tell me he aimed for that spot, but it looked good.

Some good players in that QPR squad. Chair, Austin and Willock up front will cause most teams problems, and being able to bring on someone of the calibre of Andre Gray off the bench for the last 15 minutes with that superb finish to win it was well deserved.

Don't know how Derby beat Bournemouth recently, and not sure if QPR just made them look poor last night, but if Derby play like that at the CCS in a fortnight's time, with the right approach we could improve our GD no end. (famous last words )

 

Come on guys - own up, you're just dying to be optimistic but scared of looking a prat and leaving that to me.......

Just look at these fixtures this coming weekend - all more or less mid-table battles.......

Blackburn v Preston
Blackpool v Luton
Middlebrough v Swansea
Millwall v Birmingham
QPR v Stoke

All we gotta do is win our game and a few above us are going to drop points - maybe all of them?

 

Blackburn to win.
Draw.
Draw.
Millwall to win
QPR to win.

I don't think a win does much for us apart from get us above Hull who are away at Reading plus Wurzels in reach if they lose at home to Direby and we win.

But it brings some higher up closer to us with Brum away and Direby at home to come.

 

Must confess (can't believe I'm saying this out loud) but I was looking at the fixtures up to New Year and allowed myself to think that if we were able to string together a few results then we could, conceivably, be above the little cousins for the start of the year....

Especially if the refs keep denying them clear and obvious penalties etc.