It's fair to say that over the past few weeks and months it's been hard to criticize anything to do with HTFC. 43 games unbeaten, breaking a record set by a fantastic Nottingham Forest team a long time ago. That is something to be proud of for sure, but what have we actually achieved during that time?
First of all, let's look where we were when this magnificent run started and where we are now that it has finished:
When it started:
1 Brighton............ 20... 37
2 Sheff Weds....... 21... 33
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3 Charlton............ 20... 33
4 Huddersfield..... 21... 32
5 Southampton.... 20... 31
6 Bournemouth.... 20... 30
When it ended:
1 Charlton............ 19... 46
2 Sheff Weds....... 19... 39
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3 Huddersfield..... 19... 38
4 MK Dons........... 19... 36
5 Sheff Utd.......... 19... 35
6 Notts County..... 19... 31
The run started after a humbling 4-1 reverse away at Southampton, with a very poor 2-2 draw at Carlisle after being 2 goals in front going into the latter stages of the second half. At that moment in time we were in 4th place, 1 point behind 2nd placed Sheffield Wednesday and 5 behind runaway leaders Brighton, who if they won their game in hand would go 8 points clear of us.
Now, 44 matches, but only 1 defeat later, we sit 3rd in the table. Idential to when the run started, we are 1 point behind 2nd placed Sheffield Wednesday and runaway leaders Charlton are 8 points clear of us. 43 games unbeaten is a fantastic achievement and we will indeed be in the record books for a while, but we are in the EXACT same position we were in when it started, outside the playoff places, scrapping to break into the top 2 while the team in first place are beginning to pull clear.
Our unbeaten run spread across 2 seasons, let's see how we have faired in those periods compared to our promotion rivals:
Last season:
1 Southampton..... 26... 61
2 Brighton............. 26... 58
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3 Huddersfield...... 25... 55
This season:
1 Charlton............ 19... 46
2 Sheff Weds....... 19... 39
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3 Huddersfield..... 19... 38
Once again, we seem to be in a very similar position to last season. Silly draws made us pay dearly last season as Brighton and Southampton were actually winning matches and in the process accumulating more points than us. Brightons great start to the season meant they were in reality promoted long before the end of the season, so Town and Southampton were duelling for second place once Peterborough fell off. That meant that despite going 25 matches unbeaten towards the end of last season we had to deal with the playoffs, playing out 2 draws against Bournemouth before lucking out on penalties and eventually being humiliated at Old Trafford.
Silly draws have also been a recurring issue this season, as while Charlton and Sheff Weds have lost 1 and 4 matches respectfully, they have also won more matches than us, meaning they have accumulated more points and actually sit above us in the table. Ironically, we threw away a 2 goal lead at home to Leyton Orient both last season and this season, while drawing against lesser opposition on more occasions when we really should have been taking all 3 points. Colchester, Oldham and Swindon all came to the Galpharm and were allowed to leave with a point last season, and Bury, Leyton Oriend and Walsall have all already been allowed to do the same this season.
The team at the beginning:
Alex Smithies; Liam Ridehalgh, Peter Clarke ©, Nathan Clarke, Lee Peltier; Kevin Kilbane, Tom Clarke, Joey Gudjonsson; Benik Afobe, Alan Lee, Lee Novak
The team at the end:
Ian Bennett; Calum Woods, Antony Kay, Peter Clarke ©, Jack Hunt; Gary Roberts, Tommy Miller, Damien Johnson, Scott Arfield, Jon Parkin, Jordan Rhodes
Remarkably, only ONE player who was in the team that started the unbeaten run away at Carlisle was in the starting eleven that faced Charlton last night - no prizes for guessing who that man was. Despite 4 of those that started at Carlisle being told their services are no longer required, and despite numerous other places deemed better than them being brought into the club, we are still in the EXACT same place we were in last season.
So what does all this mean?
Pretty simple, Lee Clark has 4 games to save his job. I said at the beginning of the season that we needed to be in the top 2 by January. If someone had told me that going into December we would be 8 points off the top of the league I would not have taken it, that is not good enough. Three home matches and Sheff Weds away - we need 12 points, or at least a tally good enough to put us back into the automatic promotion places. We have to get on top of this season before it runs away from us like it did last time. 43 games unbeaten was great, now lets start WINNING.
The REAL unbeaten run
posted on 30/11/11
jonnyh,
You say "where is the gulf in quality between us and Walsall"
Walsall: P19 - 16 points - 21st in League One.
Town: P19 - 38 points - 3rd in League One.
Does that answer your question?
As for Chris Powell at Charlton - didn't he sign 19 players in the close season and he must have had funds in excess of what Clark has had to bring in that amount of new talent at one swell swoop
As for Charlton being 8 points in front of us, lets see where they are come next May.
As for Lee Clark - what is the fantastic sum of money he has spent, because the fees are never disclosed and what was the profit when he sold Peltier and Pilkington?
posted on 30/11/11
Mirf, I'll answer this in order.
Walsall, 1-1 draw (where's the gulf)
21st in league on 16 pts (stats don't seem to mean a thing there)
Chris Powell as you state bought 19 players in the summer, then went through pre season, found his best side and has stuck with them (without tinkering) in virtually every game since 6/8/11.
As for spending in excess of Clark. Highly doubtful considering where most of these players were from.
The 8 pt gap I will allow as its early days but they do convince me
And the last one Mirf. Here's a little analogy for yer.
Clark shops at Waitrose, Walsall shop at Netto's.
Clark pays bankers wages, Walsall pay toilet cleaners wages.
Pilks and Pelts doesn't cover the cost of not reaching the Championship does it.
Anyway Mirf, I still like yer. You remind me of a young Angus Loughran, I hope the whole of Huddersfield start typing at them keyboards because I WANT YOU IN MAY TO BE RIGHT
posted on 30/11/11
profits??
stacked up against what we have spent..there wont be any...
the crowds dont cover the costs..so we will lose money all the time.. pilks and peltier might cover that a bit..
6.5 milion in wages per season takes some covering..
joey and others on the bench are costly and they dont even play... ward is playing a bit part and alledgedly cost a bomb to bring here in fees and wages..
the clamour to get rid of the clarke brothers was part based on wages, what wages?? compared to what we have now not actually playing and not really looking to move on?
at least 6 players on 10 grand a week in the first team squad, said so in a radio interview with towns heirachy, none of them denied the fact..
the facts still apply, we were third last season and we are third again.. stats and averages of points per game are immaterial if 2 teams stay above you, because they are doing better, simple..
like i said if we could pick one game to go and get a "battling, fighting, griity or whatever else football speak you use.. it would be charlton away, we couldnt do it.. we can at rochdale and scunny?????
Mirf, you seem to totally ignore that the teams above us are doing better than us and if we aim to be a big club in this league then it certainly should.. I dont wish to be third or in the play offs, that, given our situation isnt good enough. Firstly because we have paid out too much and secondly because i dont think town will win any of the play off games, again...
posted on 30/11/11
jonnyh,
19th placed Scunny drew with leaders Charlton - where's the gulf?
9th placed Stevenage beat Charlton - where's the gulf?
9th placed Stevenage hammered 2nd placed Sheff Wed 5-1 - where's the gulf?
Could second placed Wednesday beat mid table Carlisle, Bury or Bournemouth - could they hell as like - where's the gulf?
How did Wednesday do at Hillsborough a few week ago against Brentford - a 0-0 draw I think. But more importantly how did Town do against them down at Griffin Park - we smashed them 4-0 of course.
As for 38, it sounds as though he's already thrown the towel in with 27 games still to go - talk about having confidence in your own team - I wouldn't want to be stood next to him in the trenches because he'd have his white flag out as soon as the first Gerry appeared.
Will someone tell him there's still 81 points to play for and it's still not too late to resurrect our season.
posted on 30/11/11
mirf..
if you are an ex bobby.. i would never wish to have you in any of the trenches i have ever been in.. any police officers i have ever met over the years in a professional capacity have moaned non stop.. they dont like running, they dont like having to carry anything and they didnt like the cold or if it was raining..
thank god for police cars..
posted on 30/11/11
38,
"any police officers I have ever met over the years in a professional capacity have moaned non stop" - it must have been contageous then.
PS: Referee Howard Webb from Sheffield was a Copper and he just loves running and he dosen't mind carrying the ball or performing in the wet and cold, so I reckon you've got the totally wrong impression of HM Police Force.
posted on 30/11/11
38, we have a HUGE game against Wednesday coming up, time to prove our auto credentials, AGAIN!
posted on 30/11/11
like i said mirf..wearing all black and tucking your pants into your boots does not a "warrior make"...
i must admit , it did always give us a laugh though..
much more humorous than watching captain klutz and the boy blunder mooching about in the town back 4..
posted on 30/11/11
wetherby..
for gods sake dont build it up.. the lads will freeze..
posted on 30/11/11
They bloody can't afford to!