Apparently we are staying up

[Braggfan]

They are more optimistic than me as I feel that we need a lot of wins at home or a complete change of attitude away by the players to stand any chance of staying up.

Please don't take this as the intention to insult you, but you've never struck me as the glass half full type of chap.

 

[Mellotron]

Huddersfield
Swansea
Palace

We can realistically aim to be better than all of these over a season. Possibly Bournemouth too, and maybe one surprise.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Decent start. Point per game, we've not been disgraced in any game, could have had a bit more good fortune too. We're seeing sides struggling more than us I think that is also encouraging. Got a feeling we have a lot of potential to get better. More optimistic after 7 games than I was walking up to the first.

 

[Mellotron]

I think how the 3 promoted teams have started the season confirms my suspicion that the standard at the top of the Championship last season was very high. Unquestionably stronger than Middlesbrough, Hull & Sunderland in my opinion.

 

[Knotty]

I think that anything is possible if CH can instill into the players the fact that we are in the Premier because they deserve to be there and have won the right to be amongst the games elite and to be able to show what they can do to match them. Once the players believe this the results will come because they appear to be overawed by their presence in the league at the moment.

Do you seriously believe he hasn't told them that?

I don't think they're overawed, just, against some teams, outclassed. If those teams play to their best and we do too, we'll lose simply because, man-for-man, they have more talent than we do.

Even if we'd employed your unique brand of tactics, we'd still have lost to City and Arsenal. They are simply better than us. It's no disgrace.

 

[rippleman]

I'm just uncertain where the 9 away points will come from, unless we start to impose ourselves a bit more. I know we hit the post twice at Watford - but against 10 men for 65 minutes it still felt like we settled for a point rather than put them to the sword and go for all 3. Similarly, we went 1 up against a winless Bournemouth side devoid of confidence and still lost 2-1.

If we are going to do this, we need to develop a bit more steel and a ruthless edge. Hopefully, it will come but it needs to come quickly.

I'm inclined to agree.

Parking the bus and defending the 18 yard box from the outset against the top teams will not earn us any points. As the games against Man City and Arsenal have shown, the top teams have that extra quality and are always going to score.

When we were on the front foot against Arsenal they looked extremely fragile and we had a couple of very good opportunities. Had we kept pressing, and had more opportunities we could well have scored. With the way the Arsenal fans have been behaving, us scoring a goal would likely to have seen their fans turn against them.

I just don't think parking the bus is a great option at all. The top teams with the quality players will always find a way through or around the bus, so why not go out on the front foot, press high, and see what chances we can create.

I'm not surprised we are playing the way we are; the Norwich fans did warn us what to expect but I would much rather watch us give it a go and lose, than have 10 players defending the edge of the box....and lose.

 

[Notters]

I'm not surprised we are playing the way we are; the Norwich fans did warn us what to expect but I would much rather watch us give it a go and lose, than have 10 players defending the edge of the box....and lose.

Some people are seeing very different games to me. Yes it was like that against Man City, but at Arsenal we had plenty of play in their half and several decent chances. If anything we did better than would be expected given the relative costs of each team and their experience. Nothing to moan about imho.

 

[BBassic]

Some people are seeing very different games to me. Yes it was like that against Man City, but at Arsenal we had plenty of play in their half and several decent chances. If anything we did better than would be expected given the relative costs of each team and their experience. Nothing to moan about imho.

I'm in total agreement with you Notters.

Personally I think a bigger part of our downfall at Arsenal wasn't the defensive setup, which was an obvious and sensible decision against a team of their quality, but rather it was our lax passing in the middle of the park. I don't think we were prepared for how alert and quick their players were going to be in intercepting passes that, against "lesser" opposition, would have found their way to the intended target.

 

[the right footed denilson]

Yes and all this with a limited strike force. The transfer window could well be key. We are certainly keeping in touch right now. We are doing OK and not getting turned over badly. Players all seem to be keeping their confidence and improving ie Ryan, Stephens, Propper, March. I think TB will be content with the way things are right now.

Agreed. We all know it, we're a decent striker away from being competitive team. If we can keep our current form up until the transfer window and then pull off a major coup, you'd expect the second half of our season to be more productive. Especially when you start to throw in games against teams who have bigger priorities. Factor that all in with the growing confidence of certain key players and remembering that AK is yet to find his feet- I think we can be tentatively optimistic about our final league position.

 

[BensGrandad]

Please don't take this as the intention to insult you, but you've never struck me as the glass half full type of chap.

I am not but the players to me appear to think that they have no right to be in this league. CH is getting slated by many for our negative defensive attitude but I wonder if it is him or the players are in awe of their position and status and need to realise that they are in this league on merit. I have said many times that I believe that we set up against Arsenal too deep and should have been 10 yds further up the pitch and listening to CH interview after the game I am sure that he thought the same and was disappointed that the players didnt do it.

 

[Triggaaar]

Even if we'd employed your unique brand of tactics, we'd still have lost to City and Arsenal.

Conjecture

 

[Stat Brother]

Some people are seeing very different games to me. Yes it was like that against Man City, but at Arsenal we had plenty of play in their half and several decent chances. If anything we did better than would be expected given the relative costs of each team and their experience. Nothing to moan about imho.

The problem for me v Arsenal, was with the exception of Solly's 5 minute purple patch and the, far to late, last throw of the dice, I didn't really see any intent.
As good and resolute as the team was, it was pretty clear how the game was going to pan out.

v Everton I expect to see Gross closer to the front man, and facing their goal, with the wingers closer to halfway than their own by-line.
Had that been more of the case on Sunday, I think the Albion are plenty good enough to cause Arsenal some trouble, instead of meekly allowing them to call 95% of the game.

Sure that's Arsenal away, but if that's the precedent for the season a fair few more points could be allowed to slide on by.

 

[BensGrandad]

Even if we'd employed your unique brand of tactics, we'd still have lost to City and Arsenal. They are simply better than us. It's no disgrace.

That may have been so but equally we may have scored a goal and changed the whole course of the game had we attacked more and I am not blaming CH but putting the onus on the players to offer something. I am convinced we are capable of getting a surprise result away at one of the big 6 and I thought that with our speedy wingers Arsenal would be the most likely. Hence I was disappointed with our display on Sunday.

 

[The Fish]

Pragmatic football nearly won you the championship, and it's won us the championship twice. I wouldn't be so keen to abandon it in the Premier League if I were you.

Stick with the horse that brought you. We've all seen promoted sides come up, try and play lovely football, get praise from all corners for their attacking verve and for being a "Breath of Fresh Air", then get relegated with patronising "It's a shame, they tried to play football" quotes from all corners.

Get up ugly, stay up ugly, consolidate ugly, then try and mutate into a pretty football side.

 

[the right footed denilson]

Pragmatic football nearly won you the championship, and it's won us the championship twice. I wouldn't be so keen to abandon it in the Premier League if I were you.

Stick with the horse that brought you. We've all seen promoted sides come up, try and play lovely football, get praise from all corners for their attacking verve and for being a "Breath of Fresh Air", then get relegated with patronising "It's a shame, they tried to play football" quotes from all corners.

Get up ugly, stay up ugly, consolidate ugly, then try and mutate into a pretty football side.

Yep, agree with this. WBA, Stoke, Watford, Burnley perfect examples.

 

[Jimmehh]

Pragmatic football nearly won you the championship, and it's won us the championship twice. I wouldn't be so keen to abandon it in the Premier League if I were you.

Stick with the horse that brought you. We've all seen promoted sides come up, try and play lovely football, get praise from all corners for their attacking verve and for being a "Breath of Fresh Air", then get relegated with patronising "It's a shame, they tried to play football" quotes from all corners.

Get up ugly, stay up ugly, consolidate ugly, then try and mutate into a pretty football side.

Finally some sense from a Geordie

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I'm just uncertain where the 9 away points will come from, unless we start to impose ourselves a bit more. I know we hit the post twice at Watford - but against 10 men for 65 minutes it still felt like we settled for a point rather than put them to the sword and go for all 3. Similarly, we went 1 up against a winless Bournemouth side devoid of confidence and still lost 2-1.

If we are going to do this, we need to develop a bit more steel and a ruthless edge. Hopefully, it will come but it needs to come quickly.

It will help when we have three fit strikers available, a luxury we haven't been afforded up to now. We played better at Arsenal when Murray came on.

 

[BensGrandad]

It will help when we have three fit strikers available, a luxury we haven't been afforded up to now. We played better at Arsenal when Murray came on.

That is very true and hopefully after the break 2 of the 3 may be available for Everton.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Another article on the three promoted sides.

http://www.felixmagazine.com/football-league-new-boys/

 

[Knotty]

Conjecture

Opinion!