| Everyone's gone mad!!!! 16:11 - Oct 1 with 1243 views | Nutkins_Return |
Maybe me included!
We're all seeing different things on the pitch. I think that's coming down to the fact we are disjointed at times and there are really nice bits of play starting to come in but there is still some clumsy play and moments where players aren't on the same wavelength.
I think I went too far with "excellent display" last night but I was so heartened to see some patterns of play coming together. 16-17 minutes we were stroking it around them like I haven't seen us play in a long time. Start of second half again total dominance on the ball but ultimately limited chance creation.
I was worried after the Birmingham game. Southampton was a step forward and last few games Sheffield Utd (second half) , Pompey and this game there are some improvements.
But we were not excellent for the whole game so I got that statement wrong. On balance though I stand by a decent away performance and it just feels like we are growing.
Win the game in hand and we'd be joint 3rd (4th on goal difference). The only point I'm making with that is the table is really tight and we are in the mix and we haven't got out of 2nd gear. Feeling confident this team can kick on big time. |  |
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| Everyone's gone mad!!!! on 20:52 - Oct 1 with 79 views | _clive_baker_ |
| Everyone's gone mad!!!! on 20:37 - Oct 1 by Smoresy |
There's a very strong correlation between spend and success in my view, with notable outliers. Those outliers were mismanaged and spurned their advantage. Man Utd's a great example of a club who exchanged gold for turnips in the post-Fergie years. More money enables you to buy better quality players, those who you couldn't otherwise acquire, but it also lets you elevate the wage of players who don't merit such investment.
I don't believe we have the right to create more chances than our opponents in the majority of games we play, but if we aren't able to then significant mistakes will have been made. Last night I saw more improvement in parts of our play, some very attractive stuff, but I also wasn't surprised to later note that our non-penalty xG was decided to be 0.51. I didn't feel we created enough clear chances to score last night outside the penalty, while our recent wins were first ignited by low-percentage brilliant finishes. Much credit to Bristol City last night for how they handled us.
I remain an optimist though and believe we'll face worse opposition in many away games to come, as well as improve our own ability to penetrate stubborn teams. Top two also looks wide open with the monied clubs misfiring compared to previous seasons; could require an unusually low points finish. |
That’s what I meant by ‘ there's certainly a correlation between spend and results, it’s not always a direct one’. Statistically it’s true throughout the EFL, there’s almost always a correlation between budgets and league finish, and this season won’t be any different. It’s not an exact science though, it just tips the odds in your favour. Football is a low scoring event, it’s not like basketball where 100 possessions typically yield 114 points etc, it’s less of a direct correlation in football and The other variables can play a bigger part. Hence we lost in the cup to Bromley and sit in mid table.
I think come the end of the season the league table will (largely) reflect our muscle though, we’re not far off.
Agree about last night, we weren’t particularly effective at creating chances and barely tested their keeper. My modern football gripe is ‘dominating the ball’. Possession needs purpose and needs to result in goal scoring opportunities which we didn’t manage enough of last night.
90 points will do top 2 I think, and I reckon we’ll get close to it if not to it. |  | | |
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