I have heard several pundits, including Stuart Pearce, saying that the Championship lacks any consistency or realclass this year. Last year, so say, Leicester and Burnley controlled it from start to finish and were miles better than the current league leaders are this season.
Funny how people remember wrong!
After 20 games last year, QPR were top with 42, Burnley had 40, Leicester 39 and we had 37.
By the end of January and 28 games, Leicester were 8 points clear.
The next 6/7 weeks are where the season can be made or broken.
Leicester did it last year, Reading did it a couple of years before.
A good run of 6+ wins from the next 8 games will set us up perfectly for the run in. We have the strength in depth to go on that sortof run while other teams fade from playing so many games and i am sure we will make one decent signing in January to bolster our attacking force.
This season is there for the taking, we must grab it now by the scruff of the neck and make it ours.
20 games in ...
posted on 7/12/14
We also need a left back for cover for Forsyth. And yep I'll be happy with another forward coming in. But a note of caution we are going to have bigger tests than yesterday
posted on 7/12/14
Yesterday was poor - yes we won and yes, I did say that Christie and Forsyth were more involved. However the problem with Forsyth is not lack of competition for his place but a very nervous and a young man who lacks confidence.
We should have scored 7 or 8 yesterday but once again, we start to let the opposition back into it. Do you think any opposition team who had scored 3 in the first 20 minutes against Derby would let Derby back in to it to the extent we did yesterday?
No.
posted on 7/12/14
I see all The players are getting in the festive mood.....https://twitter.com/georgethorne15/status/541587176509964288 get ya Christmas jumper on lads and lasses
posted on 7/12/14
IF (big assumption) we manage to win the league come the end of the season, I'd expect most people to look back retrospectively and say we were the best and most consistent team over the season. Retrospective judgement is unbelievably biased, in a season full of positives the negatives often get forgotten, especially by those who don't watch the team intently week in week out.
Leicester lost a few times last season, didn't hit the top until December and yet due to their post-Christmas domination of the league (which I would personally started with their 4-1 annihilation of us) most people looking back have said they were consistent over the ENTIRE season.
There's still plenty of time for us, or any other team near the top (Boro, Watford spring to mind) to hit a huge run of good form and go several points clear.
I would absolutely love it if we could go on that run now and cement our place at the top, we've been top now for 3/4 weeks thanks to the international break and for the first time stayed there after a few games.
I don't see any reason why we can't hold on to that position, there are no better teams in the division, although there are a few that I'd say are at a similar level.
The 'Boro game will be MASSIVE.
posted on 7/12/14
If anybody can stand to put up with Stan Collymore for more than a few seconds, there's a talkSPORT Championship special phone in from 4pm today.
Might be quite interesting to see what outsiders make of us, not a fan of Collymore but being a phone-in we might get to hear other people talking for once.
posted on 7/12/14
I think with Leicester they started poorly and had to make up ground they hit the top on boxing day but to be fair had probably been playing title winning football 5 or 6 weeks before that.
I still don't think we've hit top form, I think we're playing very well for the most part and there doesn't appear to be a Leicester making a move yet, although possibly Ipswich if they can keep up that form (don't think they will though).
Our style of play is very different to Leicester and before that Cardiff, who were more physical and pragmatic, the plus side is it's great to watch the downside is when not on top of our game it's harder for us to grind out a victory.
I still think we have another gear to hit, but we do still seem to be learning, I don't think it's a matter of clicking I think we have to do a lot of hard work off the pitch to find the extra oomph. I do have a bit of a feeling though that if we do go up our style of play might be better suited to stay up than most.
Any teams that have tried to move the ball about have been thrashed by us. In my half full glass (i swapped the half empty one from last week) we might not see the true quality of the team until we play in a higher league.
posted on 7/12/14
I really don't know why some are going on about Brighton having a half decent spell for 10 or 15 minutes yesterday. They didn't have a single shot on target!
The fact is it just got too easy and yes we got complacent. It happens to better teams than us.
I genuinely believe if Brighton had managed to fluke a goal we could have scored 2 or 3 more at will.
There's always room for improvement. I would like to see Forsyth at least have some real competition. But come on, let's be realistic we were never going to let that slip yesterday.
Completely different proposition next week admittedly
posted on 8/12/14
Talking of bringing in a forward....http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Derby-County-Rams-linked-Dutch-striker-Czech/story-25438744-detail/story.html
posted on 8/12/14
Chris.....talking to 1 of the players over the weekend....they said the game was wrapped up and the game plan was to control the game with no injuries silly bookings and not let 1 in while pressing forward for the 4th....lesson learnt from Birmingham away last season....They create enough chances that if the 4th is to come it will.....ie Bryson hitting the post....
If we go 2-0 upwithin the 1st 20mins on sat i expect them to do the same.