Is your glass half-full or half-empty?

[Hastings gull]

Still half empty, I'm afraid; I don't want it to be like that - I'd be far more happy if we were scoring freely and carrying all before us; but we're not. Today's result has cheered me up a bit, though. Here's hoping it marks the start of better days!

Again, another encouraging away performance against one of the better teams, despite their slump in form, and you feel buoyed up for the home match the following week, though I suspect that had we lost yesterday, despite the team's better play, there would be far less optimism, probably quite understandably. Three goals away from home is good by any standards, though the strikers did not add to their miserable tally which continues to be a source of real worry -yes, I know about the penalty! One point a game is not enough for salvation, and this has been going on for so long now, it is hard to be really positive. Yes, I am looking forward to the Fulham match, but then I was similarly looking forward to the last 4 home matches, and apart from EB, have not really seen anything that indicates that an improvement is round the corner, certainly at home. January will be decisive .

 

[Guinness Boy]

Does it move? (Engineer and barmaid's reply.)

 

[Superphil]

Dregs at the bottom

 

[Pondicherry]

Nothing from the 8 draws shows me we were close to winning them. If the performances were there, but the results were not, it'd be half full. As it stands, our team is fairly poor, the performances are poor and our tactics are dire. Half empty for me I'm afraid

Agree with this. The draws are not the "we dominated the game and were unlucky to draw" type. They are the "we showed spirit and did well to get a draw" type - exactly like yesterday. What surprised me yesterday at the Norwich game was how much physically bigger and more powerful the Norwich players were. I am in the upper reaches of the West Stand at the Amex but was about 10 rows from the front yesterday so don't normally get this closer view. Grabban and Jerome were able to bounce our players away and even their smaller players like Redmond looked physically more powerful. Maybe Norwich are a peculiarity in this division but their looked to be a bit of a gulf in class yesterday.

Having said all that - we showed spirit and did well to come away with a draw.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Agree with this. The draws are not the "we dominated the game and were unlucky to draw" type. They are the "we showed spirit and did well to get a draw" type - exactly like yesterday. What surprised me yesterday at the Norwich game was how much physically bigger and more powerful the Norwich players were. I am in the upper reaches of the West Stand at the Amex but was about 10 rows from the front yesterday so don't normally get this closer view. Grabban and Jerome were able to bounce our players away and even their smaller players like Redmond looked physically more powerful. Maybe Norwich are a peculiarity in this division but their looked to be a bit of a gulf in class yesterday.

Having said all that - we showed spirit and did well to come away with a draw.

I'm towards the back of the WSU but even from there it was clear that Middleboro and Rotherham were much more physically strong than us. It's a good point, scoring three goals is a plus and the fact that one was from a defender, one from an attacking midfielder and one from a striker (and the penalty won by a striker) should demonstrate that the tactics going forward are starting to work. And yet. And yet. This team with this manager are never going to be any more than average and you only have to look at the table to have a glass half empty sort of feeling.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I'm still somewhere in between. I'm absolutely terrified of the thought of relegation, it could be absolutely disastrous for the club. Having said that I'm not anti Hyypia for some reason, I can't really identify why, maybe because I feel he's been given a weaker squad than Poyet and Oscar, but equally there are flaws in his formations and tactics. I'm encouraged by only 2 losses in 11, it demonstrates some kind of stability (not evident yesterday, but we showed fight), our season has been blighted by lack of creativity and goals, recent games have shown we seem to be finding a solution to this, if Hyypia can find the right formula and get the right balance we will be fine. I think his in-game management needs a bit of work, if we take the lead we need to sit the full backs for 5 minutes, there is no need to go for the jugular immediately, look at how every team plays against us at home, the moment they take the lead they sit back and draw us out. Let us frustrate the opposition, we know the defence are solid enough if they get the right support and with Kaz, Colunga, Baldock, Bennett(E) we have the pace and mobility to counter and stretch a defence. Let's stop playing to other teams strategies and make them work to beat us rather than provide them with the solution.