Sack the manager

You weren't saying that at the end of last season.

 

W?

 

Good or fortunate? At this stage we’ve certainly not been good very often.

 

I don't really care. All I know is we've turned the last two games from draws into wins late in the game but in that situation last season, we'd have ended up losing.

 

Bowyer is getting exactly what he requires from this squad.

We WILL improve with our newer players reaching fitness, but while we wait we're winning games.

 

I must be in a minority, because I dont think we were poor yesterday. Pretty average overall, but still the better of the two sides. Defensively we were good, at times we put decent moves together and there were signs of growing understanding in terms of positional play with using a 442 system. Central midfield is weak but I think itll be helped by Cooke replacing Devine.

I also dont think we've peaked as a side - I think theres more to come.

 

Not an expression we've heard in a long while prior to this season, joint 2nd best defence in L2. 4 clean sheets in league so far,seems like more than we got all last season. Long may it continue.

 

Why is it always a sign of a good team when it’s other teams and then when it’s city it’s a bad division?

 

And unfortunate to lose against forest green. Could have had more points

 

A generous description assuming you’re referring to the disallowed goal that followed a game we rarely threatened their goal, employed that bizarre backing off tactic and failed to defend a free header on our own 6 yard line.

 

The division is not, and never has been, easy.

Is it an immense standard?

Nope - the majority of teams coming to Valley Parade arrive armed with pantomime-style, time-wasting inferiority complexes, and generally refuse to give us a good, open game - but that doesn't mean they're bad at what they do. Most teams have been organised, hard to break down, and pretty effective on the counter. The exception was Oldham, who were actual poor, rather than just being deemed poor because of their tactics (like the other teams have been).

It's not a poor division, it's never been easy to get out of, but we've been able to create a solid defence in front of a good keeper and combine that with extremely experienced strikers. The midfield may be a work in progress, but I think it's been overstated - it is the ONLY weak area, and the signs of improvements are already in place.

If you listened to some posters, every time we're in an even game 'we weren't good enough' - every time the midfield is a bit shaky but we win, 'we were lucky'. This team needs to be held to the standards it's being asked to perform at, and frankly, it's doing the job.

 

You’re just over critical because you hate Bowyer for some unknown reason.

 

I hated that game, and Bowyer got his tactics wrong in my opinion - but you cannot possibly argue that we weren't unlucky to lose.

That was as typical an example of a 'smash and grab' as I've seen in some time.

AND Forest Green aren't exactly inept at this level.

 

Interesting little table below based on expected goals.


By this we haven’t been lucky or unlucky, just exactly where we should be, Forest Green on the other hand!

We’ve probably been lucky 2 of the games, but you earn your luck through hard work and being organised, 2 things we definitely weren’t last season.

But we were also unlucky against Cambridge and Forest Green not to get more if you judge Stevenage and Walsall lucky, as they were similar just the other way round. So yeah that makes sense, 2 lucky, 2 unlucky and we are exactly where we should be going on this statistical data.

Some have written Bowyer off, nobody will change their minds I wouldn’t even try. I remember Parky been called Plonkinson in 2011/12 by some. Even to this day some say he was lucky, it’s not to do with him been lucky it’s because they’d made a judgement and written him off and couldn’t admit they were wrong.

 

Very fair. Can’t argue with that.

I’ve been critical when it’s warranted it and the tactics were dodgy but now we look to have a settled formation and side and we are picking up points.

Anywhere around this position within touching distance of the top 3 will be ideal until January. Get a few reinforcements in for that last push.

Some of the posters on here are embarrassing and reactionary. Not sure what they expect. In this league and our position we are probably not gonna be dominating game after game. 14 personnel changes. New coaching staff etc. Will take time.

 

We all are critical as we should be, that’s the difference fair and reasonable criticism then way OTT reactions which is how threads wanting the manager sacked after 6 games are created.

People also need to realise we were serial losers last season. We were the Huddersfield/Sunderland a few year ago of league 1. Far below Scunthorpe’s point total so it’s stands to reason we could have been where they are now. It’s far harder to turn around a sinking ship around in football than just chucking money at it, it takes creating a whole new culture, which we are doing as we are now hard to beat. What is it 4 clean sheets and both our loses have only been by 1? That just didn’t happen last season.

 

Rarely threatened FGR's goal?
IIRC.........
Second half:
We hit the post-Devitt
Donaldsons shot hits Vaughan on the line, was going in.
Vaughans overhead kick misses by inches.
Dodgy offside decision to disallow Mellors goal

We could easily have won that game 3-1 and been top of the table.

 

I have no idea its just a thought. I guess you can only beat whats in front of you but after going to most games home and away so far my opinion is that a half decent side would have beaten pretty much every team i've seen so far. That view is open to change as we play different opponents. I don't think we were much better if anything in relation to the teams we've played so far but as i've said earlier probably two of a dozen or so teams could easily get automatic promotion.

 

Yet we could easily be in the lower half of the table if teams had taken their chances. Thats league 2 football. Remember the last time we were in this division? The year we got promoted there were times we were handed our arses on a plate and some of the performances were average to say the least. But the ultimate aim was promotion. Don't particularly matter how you get it.

 

These stats can be a good indicator, its like when McCall was in charge in the second season when he got the sack. In a good position in the play offs but the stats were pointing to the fact we were riding our luck big time. You might get really lucky like Huddersfield did, probably the worst team to grace the premiership. They are now where they should be stat wise, scraping the bottom of the championship.