[Albion] So, 10 games left...

[One Love]

Surely our luck has got to change.

I worked out, taking into account the few points we've nicked this season, we are over 10 points left behind before Palace yesterday.

I am shocked that we're still get a kicking from luck this year. What have we done to deserve it?

 

[portlock seagull]

Surely our luck has got to change.

I worked out, taking into account the few points we've nicked this season, we are over 10 points left behind before Palace yesterday.

I am shocked that we're still get a kicking from luck this year. What have we done to deserve it?

Examples?

 

[One Love]

Examples?

Well I could list them but just taking the xGPts table which factors in the expected goals from opponents as well our XG, then we're 10pts behind.

That table has us currently as the unluckiest team in the division.

https://understat.com/league/EPL

And that's not taking into account the two sendings off this season in games where we were completely dominant and ended up losing.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Surely our luck has got to change.

I worked out, taking into account the few points we've nicked this season, we are over 10 points left behind before Palace yesterday.

I am shocked that we're still get a kicking from luck this year. What have we done to deserve it?

To put it another way, what have we done to deserve any good luck? Not enough in my opinion.

If you get players into the opponents' penalty area you have a better chance of scoring. We don't.

If your team plays mostly in the opponents' half you have a better chance of scoring. We did at the beginning of the season, but we seem to have lost confidence in that approach recently.

If you run at opponents you sometimes go past them or they give away free kicks. We don't do that. We are passive, slow and make life easy for opponents.

Wasn't it Gary Player who said 'The harder I work, the luckier I get'? We need to do more to make our own luck.

At the moment if a goalkeeper made the sort of mistake that Hugo Lloris did in the Tottenham game, there wouldn't be an Albion player anywhere near him to put the ball in. And what a long time ago that seems now.

 

[Weststander]

Posted on another thread but....

Arsenal and man u are both very average away and well beatable. In fact Arsenal have won TWO away games this season. Last 3 games are definitely winnable. Norwich is winnable.

Even wolves aren't that great at home, they usually draw. They have 3 more home points than us this season (and we are sh1t!!)

I still have hope.

We will get 2 wins and 4 draws....and may just stay up on goal difference.

Arsenal - unbeaten away from home since Arteta took charge.
ManU - they’ve recently won at Chelsea and ManC.

 

[Weststander]

After yesterday, this exactly. The lack of composure was at times unforgivable.

And I don;t want to have a go at one of our local lads, but just almost from a technical point of view, what was Solly March doing? I mean, just in the way he approached even trying to put that ball into the goal? Can't you work on that stuff in training, finishing from all sorts of positions from all sorts of different balls arriving at you?

March’s was from an angle with a goalie and defender making it narrow.

Maupay’s chance was the stuff of dreams for any PL striker. What the hell’s he doing in training?

 

[Icy Gull]

March’s was from an angle with a goalie and defender making it narrow.

Maupay’s chance was the stuff of dreams for any PL striker. What the hell’s he doing in training?

Bizarre, Maupay made the keeper work with pretty all his shots, March had the best opportunity but didn’t even hit the target. Oh to be a local boy and forgiven for just about anything.

Maupay works his arse off and challenges for everything and has a decent return of goals for his first season at this level. March has been here for three and continues to be the most frustrating player I have ever seen play for us. He has so much skill but is a rabbit in the headlights when shooting from anywhere but distance.

 

[The_Viper]

Whats the record for longest time without a win in a calendar year? Asking for a friend...

 

[Icy Gull]

Whats the record for longest time without a win in a calendar year? Asking for a friend...

One of our Palace contributors should be able to help on this question.

 

[Lifelong Supporter]

Arsenal - unbeaten away from home since Arteta took charge.
ManU - they’ve recently won at Chelsea and ManC.

Yes I think the issue is if Arsenal and Man Utd turn up on the day and play well, we will get nothing. We are reliant on them having a bad day to be even competitive.

 

[Dougie]

One of our Palace contributors should be able to help on this question.

I’m not 100% sure of facts but I’d say it’s better to have a winless run at the beginning of a season rather than at the end of one.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I’m not 100% sure of facts but I’d say it’s better to have a winless run at the beginning of a season rather than at the end of one.

Always better to have points on the board rather than the pressure of catching up. Same with games in hand.

 

[Weststander]

Bizarre, Maupay made the keeper work with pretty all his shots, March had the best opportunity but didn’t even hit the target. Oh to be a local boy and forgiven for just about anything.

Maupay works his arse off and challenges for everything and has a decent return of goals for his first season at this level. March has been here for three and continues to be the most frustrating player I have ever seen play for us. He has so much skill but is a rabbit in the headlights when shooting from anywhere but distance.

I think it works the other way.

A player from these shores, especially Sussex, has to really prove them self, otherwise they’re considered to be a Championship or League One plodder at best. Barnes, Muzza, Stephens, Baldock, March, Duffy have all had persistent and concerted NSC haters.

Whereas the likes of Propper and Montoya are thought of footballing gods. Faultless, gliding over the turf, CL quality.

 

[ac gull]

Ironically we could end up with more points than last season and still go down

 

[Icy Gull]

Ironically we could end up with more points than last season and still go down

Unlikely though

 

[portlock seagull]

At least 3 wins will be needed - but not sure where they will come from, although think we could beat Newcastle.

Unfortunately you have absolutely no, zero, zilch, nought, nort evidence this will happen.

 

[Albion my Albion]

Beat City, Liverpool, Wolves and Arsenal and things will look very different.
#Believe #BarleyWine

Oh Jebus! At least that is something Zaha would never say. He bails on his team often.

 

[Albion my Albion]

Surely our luck has got to change.

I worked out, taking into account the few points we've nicked this season, we are over 10 points left behind before Palace yesterday.

I am shocked that we're still get a kicking from luck this year. What have we done to deserve it?

Sacked a perfectly good manager and tried our luck with a fairly unproven one. That is the ultimate in pushing your luck.

 

[One Love]

Sacked a perfectly good manager and tried our luck with a fairly unproven one. That is the ultimate in pushing your luck.

We'd have been down by Xmas if we'd stuck with him.

 

[Deadly Danson]

Surely our luck has got to change.

I worked out, taking into account the few points we've nicked this season, we are over 10 points left behind before Palace yesterday.

I am shocked that we're still get a kicking from luck this year. What have we done to deserve it?

There is quite a bit of truth to this I think. Last season, by general consensus, we were lucky to get quite a few of the wins we did get. Without that luck we would have gone down last season. We were also helped by having 3 very poor teams. This season I can't remember us getting any lucky points and we haven't been mullered other than Man City plus there are no really poor teams.
Sure you make your own luck, but objectively we were very unlucky to lose yesterday given at least 3 very clear cut chances. Again, not saying we are playing well or deserve much more but we must be due a lucky 1-0 win soon. Maybe at Wolves - who knows.