Early signs

rikki39 said:
I would rather we have the injuries in games where we would struggle even with a fit squad and then have a fuller squad for when we play teams who will occupy the bottom half of the table, it's those teams we need to not drop points too
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Absolutely agree. In all fairness, the games against the top six big hitters both home and away are virtual write offs. That accounts for 12 games. Take 12 from 38 (total number of games), that leaves 26 games to get to the 40 point minimum survival bench mark. This is why we must keep our key players on the pitch.
 
It doesn't matter if anyone predicts us for the drop...or the other way for Europe...no point getting upset about people's predictions...or in fact getting overly upset about anything apart from maybe Government crap that affects Day to Day life..and survival.!
This is only Sport...Entertainment...not important AT ALL !
 
AFCB_Liam said:
No doubt we are stronger this season overall than we started last season, especially at full back and I would think in midfield once Adams and Scott settle. How Brooks kicks on remains to be seen and could be the difference between relegation battle and mid table.

If we can get and keep Tav fit that will also be a massive plus.

Agree we look light up front. Moore seems to have regressed, looked poor against Liverpool when he came on and I don't see signs that our set pieces have improved enough to play to his strengths. Solanke if he could improve his shooting and stay on his feet a bit more would get 15+ goals in this side, but not sure he will.

Not many down in the bottom half have a clinical striker though. Luton, Sheff Utd, Burnley, Wolves, Everton or Forest don't. Fulham now don't without Mitro and Brentford don't until Toney is back. Is there any striker from those teams you'd swap for Dom? Maybe Mbuemo? Having a clinical striker isn't a prerequisite for survival (as we proved).
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I think you can even add West Ham to that list. Antonio is a real handful but does he actually score more often than Solanke? Not convinced.
 
We can easily say, as can other lower table candidates that 12 games v the Elites are virtual write-offs for points...that's 36 points !
- and can lead to the club, the manager, team and fans adopting the negative 'free hit' theory...and an insipid acceptance therein !

I prefer to think that say at least 3 of those games might be won, by hook or by crook, so to speak...or say 6 drawn...yielding 9 or 6 points, respectively, or 8 from 2 wins and 2 draws..various combinations ..crucially reducing the loss of points ...and less to make up from the 'easier games' v rivals !

If we go with the 'free hit' scenarios and commit resources to games either side of these contests...that is a gamble and playing with fire.

..and to my mind negating the whole purpose of being in the PL.
 
AFCB_Liam said:
No doubt we are stronger this season overall than we started last season, especially at full back and I would think in midfield once Adams and Scott settle. How Brooks kicks on remains to be seen and could be the difference between relegation battle and mid table.

If we can get and keep Tav fit that will also be a massive plus.

Agree we look light up front. Moore seems to have regressed, looked poor against Liverpool when he came on and I don't see signs that our set pieces have improved enough to play to his strengths. Solanke if he could improve his shooting and stay on his feet a bit more would get 15+ goals in this side, but not sure he will.

Not many down in the bottom half have a clinical striker though. Luton, Sheff Utd, Burnley, Wolves, Everton or Forest don't. Fulham now don't without Mitro and Brentford don't until Toney is back. Is there any striker from those teams you'd swap for Dom? Maybe Mbuemo? Having a clinical striker isn't a prerequisite for survival (as we proved).
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Just get Tav back fit. He makes the difference.
 
Reality and Realism said:
Absolutely agree. In all fairness, the games against the top six big hitters both home and away are virtual write offs. That accounts for 12 games. Take 12 from 38 (total number of games), that leaves 26 games to get to the 40 point minimum survival bench mark. This is why we must keep our key players on the pitch.
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This is decent logic, in fact I used it in my points tracker last year. It argues against excessive hand-wringing about the injury list before October. That's when points become available in bunches.
 
Reality and Realism said:
Absolutely agree. In all fairness, the games against the top six big hitters both home and away are virtual write offs. That accounts for 12 games. Take 12 from 38 (total number of games), that leaves 26 games to get to the 40 point minimum survival bench mark. This is why we must keep our key players on the pitch.
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Manchester City
Liverpool
Arsenal
Newcastle
I'd say are 4 of the big hitters. Who would you say are the other 2?

(We beat Liverpool and drew with Newcastle twice last season. If you include spurs as a big hitter we beat them once. That's 8 points. Which would leave 26 games to get 32 points)
 
fritter said:
Manchester City
Liverpool
Arsenal
Newcastle
I'd say are 4 of the big hitters. Who would you say are the other 2?

(We beat Liverpool and drew with Newcastle twice last season. If you include spurs as a big hitter we beat them once. That's 8 points. Which would leave 26 games to get 32 points)
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I added Brighton and Newcastle to the "Big 6" at midseason last time and dropped Chelsea and Spurs. So add Brighton and Man. U. to that 4. This season I couldn't decide on 6 and changed the tracker.
 
Reality and Realism said:
Absolutely agree. In all fairness, the games against the top six big hitters both home and away are virtual write offs. That accounts for 12 games. Take 12 from 38 (total number of games), that leaves 26 games to get to the 40 point minimum survival bench mark. This is why we must keep our key players on the pitch.
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this just isn’t true. You need to be picking up points in some of these games to realistically survive. Last season without the eight points Vs Liverpool, Spurs and Newcastle where would we have been? I hate the mentality that these games are write offs, every game is a huge opportunity to pick up points.
 
Reality and Realism said:
Absolutely agree. In all fairness, the games against the top six big hitters both home and away are virtual write offs. That accounts for 12 games. Take 12 from 38 (total number of games), that leaves 26 games to get to the 40 point minimum survival bench mark. This is why we must keep our key players on the pitch.
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You say the games against the Top 6 teams are virtual write-offs, but is that actually the case ?

So far as I can recall, in each of our 6 PL seasons, we have beaten at least one of them each season, sometimes more ?

Does anyone know our actual record against the top teams (Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs) ? Guess we need to add Newcastle to that list from now on.

Off the top of my head, of the 72 games we played in our first 6 seasons against the Top 6, we won about 10.

UPDATE : Just checked, we won 9 games against the Top 6 in our first 6 seasons. Not bad at all !
 
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Some of the new signings are showing why we signed them.

All the singings are designed to be long term, no short term panic buys.

Not sure we've ever had some many differnt wing and attacking midfield options.

Things still coming together but promising signs, Rome wasn't built in a day....
 
davidwhitehead said:
You say the games against the Top 6 teams are virtual write-offs, but is that actually the case ?

So far as I can recall, in each of our 6 PL seasons, we have beaten at least one of them each season, sometimes more ?

Does anyone know our actual record against the top teams (Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs) ? Guess we need to add Newcastle to that list from now on.

Off the top of my head, of the 72 games we played in our first 6 seasons against the Top 6, we won about 10.

UPDATE : Just checked, we won 9 games against the Top 6 in our first 6 seasons. Not bad at all !
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We have always got at least 6 points, so I always assume 0.5 ppm from those 12 games as base level.
 
You just cannot rely on One solitary player to make a difference and if Tavernier is Injury prone which is currently indicated ..then we are not going to get much joy with that.
Whole teamwork mentality and application is the only way at this club. The 'star' thing rarely works with any consistency unless you go by back to the Ted Days - He was rarely out injured - kept himself in peak physical shape ..Ja ' ken whut ah mean ?

( Everton fans on their Forum were creaming their jeans about Danjuma - they've picked up on that nonsense... 'getting him on' at Villa .. it didn't work when he did ! )

We have this ' Injured player' ongoing stigma at Dean Court....not being addressed....it's a serious anomaly that has to be sorted if the club wants to make progress.

Cue ...this post getting torpedoed in a forthcoming avalanche of bitchy responses...
" wtf is he going on about now ?"

Ok...but I'm just thinking about May ..saying stuff I'm not afraid to say ! ;)
 
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