Forum | So almost at the half way stage by Asa

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So almost at the half way stage 16:47 - Dec 22 with 3762 views

And we are level with or a win behind Palace , Leicester and Wolves who’ve had about a £900m head start on us, Everton who’ve had about a £1.5b head start on us.

We’ve done it all with a squad that largely was playing in League One 18 months ago, we’ve had the second worst injuries in the league, they’ve been to the key positions we don’t have cover for and we’ve held our own against some very good sides for the large part playing some decent stuff.

I’d have absolutely taken that in any world where realism exists and we’ve been pretty unlucky to not have taken more from the performances.

We were always going to have off days and on those off days we were going to get a good bloody hammering. We lost to the same scoreline that the mighty Man City lost to Spurs by.

I actually still think we’ll just about stay up. Never write this manager, the group or this club off. But I’d have absolutely taken going into Christmas a win or so from safety!

So almost at the half way stage on 16:49 - Dec 22 with 3474 views

SomethingBlue

Yes. It looks very likely we will go into 2025 one win from safety. I'd have taken that, surely most of us would. With better player availability and a couple of decent signings – and these are obviously crucial things – I'd still back us.

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So almost at the half way stage on 16:54 - Dec 22 with 3387 views

Marshalls_Mullet

I think your figures are a long way off being used in the right context.

But I think we all expected we'd be in or around the relegation zone for most of the season.

Poll:

Would Lambert have acheived better results than Cook if given the same resources

So almost at the half way stage on 16:59 - Dec 22 with 3348 views

Asa

So almost at the half way stage on 16:54 - Dec 22 by Marshalls_Mullet
I think your figures are a long way off being used in the right context. But I think we all expected we'd be in or around the relegation zone for most of the season.

Teams that have been in the Premier League for 6-7 years have taken about £900m in TV money alone.

Leicester may have gone down and back up but had most of their money during that season and even had Champions League money.

If anything I’d say my figures were conservative. It’s mental how we are in and around these clubs half way through with players we signed from Accrington from £750k and Fleetwood for £60k.

Even if they are half of what I’d stated it’s again still insane. By the end of the season probably half our squad may have scored in all four divisions. What McKenna is getting out of much more limited players than our rivals is staggering. They shouldn’t be blasted for having the odd day when they just can’t perform so far above their base level as they usually do.

[Post edited 22 Dec 2024 17:03]

So almost at the half way stage on 17:03 - Dec 22 with 3303 views

Marshalls_Mullet

So almost at the half way stage on 16:59 - Dec 22 by Asa

[Post edited 22 Dec 2024 17:03]

I'd say the cost of the team is far more relevant.

They will still outstrip ours, but will be a more accurate context.

Poll:

Would Lambert have acheived better results than Cook if given the same resources

So almost at the half way stage on 17:03 - Dec 22 with 3304 views

gtsb1966

I admire your optimism but I just can't see it. I see us going down but coming straight back up with a much better squad to have another go. ...and survive.

So almost at the half way stage on 17:09 - Dec 22 with 3246 views

ringwoodblue

I didn’t expect a lot from this season but hoped for marginal survival. I just can’t see us getting anything from the next two games but I hope that we don’t have three drubbings in a row as that will blow our confidence levels to a new low.

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So almost at the half way stage on 17:12 - Dec 22 with 3215 views

FrimleyBlue

So almost at the half way stage on 17:09 - Dec 22 by ringwoodblue
I didn’t expect a lot from this season but hoped for marginal survival. I just can’t see us getting anything from the next two games but I hope that we don’t have three drubbings in a row as that will blow our confidence levels to a new low.

I just wanna stay up so we can spoken about as a prem football club and not some plucky little ipswich card with
Accrington players.

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So almost at the half way stage on 17:21 - Dec 22 with 3149 views

Illinoisblue

So almost at the half way stage on 16:59 - Dec 22 by Asa

[Post edited 22 Dec 2024 17:03]

We need to stop wallowing in this woe is me stuff about spending and squads and money etc. Everyone in the world knows we’ve come a long way in a short space of time and we’re trying to catch up on and off the pitch. Journey this journey that. We’ve arrived at our destination, let’s focus on staying there instead of crying about how unfair it is.

I am Mark Ashton and I hope you enjoyed my Ted talk.

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So almost at the half way stage on 17:27 - Dec 22 with 3059 views

Marshalls_Mullet

So almost at the half way stage on 17:21 - Dec 22 by Illinoisblue

Agreed.

Poll:

Would Lambert have acheived better results than Cook if given the same resources

So almost at the half way stage on 17:36 - Dec 22 with 2976 views

ibbleobble

Agreed. Staying within touching distance heading into Jan is vital so I’d say we’re about where we expected to be with such a high influx of players. Ed have to pick up in the second half of the season as a double of this total (24 pts) will likely see us down. As you say, with less injuries and more decisions going our way, we could easily be sitting a lot higher. Let’s hope they really do all even out and vet the course of a season.

So almost at the half way stage on 18:11 - Dec 22 with 2763 views

reusersfreekicks

Hmm would say half the squad weren't playing for us in league one...

So almost at the half way stage on 18:16 - Dec 22 with 2732 views

Asa

So almost at the half way stage on 18:11 - Dec 22 by reusersfreekicks
Hmm would say half the squad weren't playing for us in league one...

Walton
Slicker
Clarke
Woolfenden
Burgess
Davis
Morsy
Luongo
Chaplin
Broadhead
Burns
Hirst

12 of 25 is almost half the squad

Taylor was in League One the same time
Al Hamadi was in League Two at that stage

14 of 25 is more than half the squad that were in League One or below two seasons ago.

So we’ve only 9 players that were above League One!

So almost at the half way stage on 18:21 - Dec 22 with 2686 views

reusersfreekicks

So almost at the half way stage on 18:16 - Dec 22 by Asa
Walton Slicker Clarke Woolfenden Burgess Davis Morsy Luongo Chaplin Broadhead Burns Hirst 12 of 25 is almost half the squad Taylor was in League One the same time Al Hamadi was in League Two at that stage 14 of 25 is more than half the squad that were in League One or below two seasons ago. So we’ve only 9 players that were above League One!

Touché! Will give you that. Not sure how influential slicker was/will be!

So almost at the half way stage on 18:36 - Dec 22 with 2610 views

Marshalls_Mullet

So almost at the half way stage on 18:16 - Dec 22 by Asa
Walton Slicker Clarke Woolfenden Burgess Davis Morsy Luongo Chaplin Broadhead Burns Hirst 12 of 25 is almost half the squad Taylor was in League One the same time Al Hamadi was in League Two at that stage 14 of 25 is more than half the squad that were in League One or below two seasons ago. So we’ve only 9 players that were above League One!

Most of those have as much, if not more, championship experience though.

The League 1 reference is over used.

Poll:

Would Lambert have acheived better results than Cook if given the same resources

So almost at the half way stage on 18:37 - Dec 22 with 2585 views

C_HealyIsAPleasure

Have an uppie

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So almost at the half way stage on 18:38 - Dec 22 with 2586 views

Asa

So almost at the half way stage on 18:36 - Dec 22 by Marshalls_Mullet
Most of those have as much, if not more, championship experience though. The League 1 reference is over used.

Doesn’t matter does it.

They were in League One at that time. None of them were Premier League all stars that just loved going to Burton and Shrewsbury.

They were in League One, a million miles off where they are currently being asked to perform just a short while later.

How many had Premier League experience?

So almost at the half way stage on 18:43 - Dec 22 with 2552 views

Marshalls_Mullet

So almost at the half way stage on 18:38 - Dec 22 by Asa
Doesn’t matter does it. They were in League One at that time. None of them were Premier League all stars that just loved going to Burton and Shrewsbury. They were in League One, a million miles off where they are currently being asked to perform just a short while later. How many had Premier League experience?

I'm just bored of the L1 references.

I think the Championship experience is far more relevant.

Still a big gap to bridge, but we need to stop making excuses, it's not a good mindset for the squad.

Poll:

Would Lambert have acheived better results than Cook if given the same resources

So almost at the half way stage on 18:45 - Dec 22 with 2521 views

FromReuserWithLove

I'll be honest and say I was hoping for more than 12 points at the half way stage.

So almost at the half way stage on 18:52 - Dec 22 with 2443 views

olimar

So almost at the half way stage on 18:43 - Dec 22 by Marshalls_Mullet
I'm just bored of the L1 references. I think the Championship experience is far more relevant. Still a big gap to bridge, but we need to stop making excuses, it's not a good mindset for the squad.

Agree with this. In the Championship when we were exceeding expectations, we were being written off and were keen to point out where we could (as Ashton has also done) that we built a squad in L1 that was ready for the Championship, filled with players who had shown they could compete there but had been prepared to drop down temporarily.
Now that we are in the PL, we seem to be keen to regularly point out which players were playing in L1 a couple of years ago, which to me feels like it suggests there is some sort of miracle they are there in the first place.
I dont want the perception to be that we are basically just another Luton, carried by enthusiasm and confidence, that managed to scrape promotion against all odds, and just want to make the most of being in the PL, like tourists, before we go back down.

We should be talking up the abilities of the players as being capable of performing at this level (as many of them have proved over the last 3-4 months) and of a manager capable of supporting them to do that.

So almost at the half way stage on 19:57 - Dec 22 with 2247 views

algy

So almost at the half way stage on 18:16 - Dec 22 by Asa
Walton Slicker Clarke Woolfenden Burgess Davis Morsy Luongo Chaplin Broadhead Burns Hirst 12 of 25 is almost half the squad Taylor was in League One the same time Al Hamadi was in League Two at that stage 14 of 25 is more than half the squad that were in League One or below two seasons ago. So we’ve only 9 players that were above League One!

Not to forget that the manager has managed more games in LeagueOne than in the Championship and Prem combined.

Veni Vidi Participatur. Now we can get back to competing.

So almost at the half way stage on 21:47 - Dec 22 with 2005 views

Kievthegreat

So almost at the half way stage on 18:16 - Dec 22 by Asa
Walton Slicker Clarke Woolfenden Burgess Davis Morsy Luongo Chaplin Broadhead Burns Hirst 12 of 25 is almost half the squad Taylor was in League One the same time Al Hamadi was in League Two at that stage 14 of 25 is more than half the squad that were in League One or below two seasons ago. So we’ve only 9 players that were above League One!

We didn't sign Slicker in League 1, we were in the Championship. You could use the Al Hamadi argument that he spent 22/23 playing in League 2 though.

So almost at the half way stage on 22:32 - Dec 22 with 1859 views

ReusersTown

So almost at the half way stage on 18:38 - Dec 22 by Asa
Doesn’t matter does it. They were in League One at that time. None of them were Premier League all stars that just loved going to Burton and Shrewsbury. They were in League One, a million miles off where they are currently being asked to perform just a short while later. How many had Premier League experience?

On a semi adjacent point I really don't like the constant and relentless labelling of them as League One players, both from our own fans and the media. Just because they once played at that level previously. They were a team that picked up 96 points and got promoted from the Championship, and many people readily just dismiss them as League one players. I find it disrespectful personally.

So almost at the half way stage on 22:36 - Dec 22 with 1835 views

FrimleyBlue

So almost at the half way stage on 22:32 - Dec 22 by ReusersTown
On a semi adjacent point I really don't like the constant and relentless labelling of them as League One players, both from our own fans and the media. Just because they once played at that level previously. They were a team that picked up 96 points and got promoted from the Championship, and many people readily just dismiss them as League one players. I find it disrespectful personally.

It also makes no sense

Davis was a league 1 player. Yet we think he should play for England
Delap was a bit part wide right striker in the champ yet we feel we will get £60 mill for him

Either it's a squad full of inexperienced lower league players or they are players developed into the levels they played and become.

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So almost at the half way stage on 05:46 - Dec 23 with 1566 views

PioneerBlue

I admire your optimism about us actually staying up. Never write this manager, the group or this club off is something we’ve come to believe.

The reality for me is we are finding it marginally less difficult than my worst concern!, ie we are not currently losing every week and not by many when we do. However we are on paper within touching distance of safety which for now means the players will be hell bent on taking points where they can.

My concern is as the season is passing we are taking injuries in key areas, we are then finding it more difficult to secure points against teams in the top half (3 points) and we’ve not done enough against teams in lower half (9) to be confident of our rise in the PL.

I take the point that being in touching distance at the half way stage we would have taken, but our task in the second half is monumental, fewer games to achieve our aims, and teams are in their stride.

I’m taking a solace from the fact that we accumulated double points in the second 10 games compared with the first 9 but will now do well to many points at all from our first next 6, if we find a way to stay in this battle then Soton at home on 01 Feb will be massive. Task is to keep it relevant until then. I do think we can be a second half season team but that requires Jan to not be a write off both for new signings making contributions and points.

[Post edited 23 Dec 2024 14:43]

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So almost at the half way stage on 08:03 - Dec 23 with 1352 views

textbackup

Yeah I’d have probably taken it, but honestly, we are so far off being able to complete/stay in this league.
The boys are doing ok, but the gulf in quality is far more than I considered it would be (especially against some of the ‘lesser’ teams)

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