A slight reappraisal? Was some of the early negativity justified?

[Tomo]

10 hours ago, WTFiGO!?! said:

We seem more solid and hard to beat than we were so I don't think we'll be in a relegation scrap.  

I predicted 18th and would amend that to 16th after the start we've had, only one defeat is encouraging.

A lack of quality between midfield and attack is our main issue.  Hopefully Leko can aid that.  Diedhiou hasn't been what I hoped he would be.

I shall make a bold (and probably quite ridiculous) prediction in that we won't score three again in a single game all season.  Que a 3-3 draw tonight!

 

Ha ha

[JamesBCFC]

6 hours ago, downendcity said:

Forrest Gump said "life is like a box of chocolates - you don't know what you're goin' to get".

Think he was a City fans as well.

Adge Cutler said "Drink up thy zider"

He was a City fan.

[Mr Popodopolous]

46 minutes ago, WTFiGO!?! said:

I was actually expecting a little bit of stick for getting it so wrong!!

Sometimes, all there is left to do is laugh 

But well done LJ, the lads and the travelling support.  This pre-season sceptic is slowly turning.

I reckon you called it in jest basically at least in part- hope you put a cheeky few quid on! 

[WTFiGO!?!]

30 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

I reckon you called it in jest basically at least in part- hope you put a cheeky few quid on! 

It was definately called in jest!  It was basically a caveat to cover my own ass.  An each-way bet.

I thought we'd be in their faces and difficult to break down and lose 1-0.

Knowing City as I do, I can always rely on them to let me down.  In this case by getting a positive result!  

[Guest]

We have been lucky so far, tried hard, but fall down in many areas.

[downendcity]

7 hours ago, JamesBCFC said:

Adge Cutler said "Drink up thy zider"

He was a City fan.

He also said "Wurple Diddle I Doo"

 I haven't got a clue what this says abut him! 

[downendcity]

5 minutes ago, glos old boy said:

We have been lucky so far, tried hard, but fall down in many areas.

Gary Player said "the more I practice the luckier I get".

 

[Bar BS3]

20 hours ago, WTFiGO!?! said:

We seem more solid and hard to beat than we were so I don't think we'll be in a relegation scrap.  

I predicted 18th and would amend that to 16th after the start we've had, only one defeat is encouraging.

A lack of quality between midfield and attack is our main issue.  Hopefully Leko can aid that.  Diedhiou hasn't been what I hoped he would be.

I shall make a bold (and probably quite ridiculous) prediction in that we won't score three again in a single game all season.  Que a 3-3 draw tonight!

 

 

20 hours ago, Bar BS3 said:

With the way we play, I'd be very surprised if we went the rest of the season without banging in 3 goeals against someone. 

Don't we have the Championships top "chance creator" in Paterson and the divisions joint top scorer in Bobby..?

Only 6 teams have scored more league goals than us. 

 

19 hours ago, WTFiGO!?! said:

Well I stand to be corrected but we didn't create much verses Villa and Millwall at home.  I still can't quite fathom the Barnsley game, I suspect it was a cross between a very bad game for them and a very good one for us.  At Brentford we were piss poor and extremely fortunate not to take a hiding, let alone score two goals.  

Fair play, Bobby's done well but I'm not a huge fan of taking statistics in isolation and using them as evidence, as I've explained in the Q&A thread.  How good were these chances?  How have the other players measured up in terms of created chances? etc etc.

We'll see, I'm basing my assessment largely on intuition. 

Good morning...!

[WTFiGO!?!]

16 minutes ago, Bar BS3 said:

 

 

Good morning...!

Morning Sir.  

I just can't believe that.  It's my very own "you won't win anything with kids" moment.  

We've looked solid in what I've seen of us and we then get involved in a 3-3 thriller with six scrappy goals. 

One question: would you expand on what you mean when you say "the way we play"......?

Anyway, there will be no more bold or ridiculous predictions from me.  

Falsified at the first hurdle 

[Phileas Fogg]

2 hours ago, glos old boy said:

We have been lucky so far, tried hard, but fall down in many areas.

How exactly? How many of the games have you watched live

[Bar BS3]

8 minutes ago, WTFiGO!?! said:

Morning Sir.  

I just can't believe that.  It's my very own "you won't win anything with kids" moment.  

We've looked solid in what I've seen of us and we then get involved in a 3-3 thriller with six scrappy goals. 

One question: would you expand on what you mean when you say "the way we play"......?

Anyway, there will be no more bold or ridiculous predictions from me.  

Falsified at the first hurdle 

By "the way we play" I mean that we do actually create a fair amount of chances. High press, counter attacking and now with genuine options out wide. 

Also, on days that our style does click and 2 or 3 players are off their game, we are liable to get hammered. If that is restricted to the odd game now and then, then I'm happy to take that. 

I'm glad we didn't have to wait too long before banging 3 goals in past someone again..! 

[Up The City!]

I'm just pleased that we can see the obvious progression on the pitch. What I am pleased about is Wolves are a top top team, Reading aswell. We have gone toe to toe with them, albeit sometimes lacking in quality and have taken 4 points off of them, away from home as well.

All I ever want is to go into a game thinking we have a chance of winning and competing in those games. 

I'd say I was more pleased with yesterday's result and performance than the Reading game. We showed so much grit last night it made my hairs stand up.

Not many clubs are going to go to Wolves and put in a performance like that. Those that do are likely to be up near the top.

 I don't know how this season is going to pan out but I am extremely excited to find out.

[Leveller]

1 hour ago, Phileas Fogg said:

How exactly? How many of the games have you watched live

That's one poster who just wants LJ out and will ignore the actual evidence unless we lose.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

What I will say is if we take the Birmingham game in isolation (which in anybody's language was an opportunity lost) we are certainly a far more resilient team and whatever pressure we come under we do not fold like last season and that always gives us a chance, even the Millwall game where we clearly ran out of ideas last season we probably would have lost.

So that's improvement, Brownhill and Smith look a far more balanced centre midfield pairing and that's progress, Brownhill just needs to cut out the tricks in dangerous positions, LJ seems to have found a position that Reid excels in and can keep him in the starting line up that's a huge bonus, I have had my doubts about COD but for the final hour last night I saw a different side to him and he began to show what he can do so fingers crossed. 

I think Vyner's absence last night showed that he is not quite ready for the championship, however if we are to persist with a back 3 until Pisano returns, a lot of work needs to be done on defending set pieces especially corners, Wright played ok but seemed confused as to his role at set pieces. 

And now Diedhiou, I understand peoples frustration but I thought he improved in the 2nd half and showed some small glimpses of the player we thought that we had signed, but he never hides and given our penalty woes of the past I thought that he was incredibly brave to step up and take the penalty.

Anyway lots of positives and several coaching issues and for COD and Diedhiou confidence is needed is where I see us, the trick is now maintaining the away performances and getting back to our Barnsley performance at home and maintaining that, I find it strange that people are still banging on about Barnsley being this seasons Rotherham given the position of Birmingham and Brentford 2 teams that we struggled against. Birmingham have scored 3 goals all season 2 of them against us.

 

[JamesBCFC]

I've compared our results this season to the same fixtures last season (Millwall excluded as we didn't play them.

There is a clear improvement.

2017

Barnsley (H) 3-1 win

Birmingham (A) 1-2 loss

Brentford (A) 2-2 draw

Aston Villa (H) 1-1 draw

Reading (A) 1-0 win

Wolves (A) 3-3 draw 

9 points, +2 GD

 

2016

Barnsley (H) 3-2 win

Birmingham (A) 0-1 loss

Brentford (A) 0-2 loss

Aston Villa (H) 3-1 win

Reading (A) 1-2 loss

Wolves (A) 2-3 loss

6 points, -2 GD

[Esmond Million's Bung]

4 minutes ago, JamesBCFC said:

I've compared our results this season to the same fixtures last season (Millwall excluded as we didn't play them.

There is a clear improvement.

2017

Barnsley (H) 3-1 win

Birmingham (A) 1-2 loss

Brentford (A) 2-2 draw

Aston Villa (H) 1-1 draw

Reading (A) 1-0 win

Wolves (A) 3-3 draw 

9 points, +2 GD

 

2016

Barnsley (H) 3-2 win

Birmingham (A) 0-1 loss

Brentford (A) 0-2 loss

Aston Villa (H) 3-1 win

Reading (A) 1-2 loss

Wolves (A) 2-3 loss

6 points, -2 GD

Strange post, the Brentford and Villa results cancel each other out, so your comparison is skewed by one single result?.

[JamesBCFC]

3 minutes ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

Strange post, the Brentford and Villa results cancel each other out, so your comparison is skewed by one single result?.

And one single result (and 3 points gained) in every group of 6 games for the season is over 20 points improvement.

The main thing is it shows that instead of losing 4 games like last season, we lost just one, getting draws in 3 where we would have lost.

[cidered abroad]

25 minutes ago, Raging_Robin said:

My only concern is that we're the Liverpool of the Championship. I can see a lot of 3-2's coming for and against.  Loads to be positive about though. 

Lots of 3-2 games either way are no bad thing. We can do something about the goals conceded but if we were losing 0-1 or 0-2, then I for one would be resigned to League One.

[Robin101]

22 minutes ago, JamesBCFC said:

I've compared our results this season to the same fixtures last season (Millwall excluded as we didn't play them.

There is a clear improvement.

2017

Barnsley (H) 3-1 win

Birmingham (A) 1-2 loss

Brentford (A) 2-2 draw

Aston Villa (H) 1-1 draw

Reading (A) 1-0 win

Wolves (A) 3-3 draw 

9 points, +2 GD

 

2016

Barnsley (H) 3-2 win

Birmingham (A) 0-1 loss

Brentford (A) 0-2 loss

Aston Villa (H) 3-1 win

Reading (A) 1-2 loss

Wolves (A) 2-3 loss

6 points, -2 GD

Hmm, whilst I agree with the sentiment...

If you add Millwall in (play off winners and so, statistically, the 3rd best of the promoted sides) and take out Rotherham (the worst championship side last season) then it's a 0-0 home draw replacing a 1-0 win. 

Thus, it would be 10 points this season to last years 9. Of course, there's a good chance Millwall won't be the championships worst team this season. 

I do think we look much more solid this time around. Based on the season so far I'd say we deserve to be 12th, possibly more like 10th if considering we have played more away games. Whereas I recall being utterly bemused at our high position this time last year. 

[JamesBCFC]

5 minutes ago, Robin101 said:

Hmm, whilst I agree with the sentiment...

If you add Millwall in (play off winners and so, statistically, the 3rd best of the promoted sides) and take out Rotherham (the worst championship side last season) then it's a 0-0 home draw replacing a 1-0 win. 

Thus, it would be 10 points this season to last years 9. Of course, there's a good chance Millwall won't be the championships worst team this season. 

I do think we look much more solid this time around. Based on the season so far I'd say we deserve to be 12th, possibly more like 10th if considering we have played more away games. Whereas I recall being utterly bemused at our high position this time last year. 

I wasnt sure what to do with the Millwall one, considered comparing it to the previous playoff winners, but decided it was just easier to exclude it than to search who that was and what our home result was against them.

[Lrrr]

43 minutes ago, JamesBCFC said:

I wasnt sure what to do with the Millwall one, considered comparing it to the previous playoff winners, but decided it was just easier to exclude it than to search who that was and what our home result was against them.

Barnsley

[JamesBCFC]

15 minutes ago, hodge said:

Barnsley

They were already in it so would have been a waste of time then

[Mr Popodopolous]

I suppose looking at it- shots on target conceded, another sign of strength or otherwise ahead, that's a metric.

• Barnsley (H) 5
• Birmingham (A) 8
• Brentford (A) 10
• Millwall (H) 3
• Villa (H) 4
• Reading (A) 5
• Wolves (A) 6

We are keeping the opposition away from our goal reasonably well I reckon. 'Allowing' about 6 shots on target per game is fairly respectable. Admittedly the Villa equaliser was a long ranger and may have took a nick, but generally we are keeping them away from the goal quite well IMO.

Now let's look at last season:

• Barnsley (H) 4
• Birmingham (A) 7
• Brentford (A) 7
• Rotherham (H) 2 - unsure it's a good comparison as Millwall are clearly more competitive compared to this lot.
• Villa (H) 2
• Reading (A) 6
• Wolves (A) 9

So it's weird. Last season we actually have had better defensive stats in this sense for these games overall yet...37 SOT conceded v 41. 11 goals conceded in these games last season vs 9 this year.

OGs don't count towards the SOT stat, nor too do penalities.

Last season we conceded 1 penalty in these 7 games and zero own goals. So that's 10 goals conceded from 37 SOT.

This season? Zero penalties, zero own goals. 9 conceded from 41.

It's weird, statistically we're similar or worse yet is being delivered somewhat better!

Despite our defensive certainly being better, underlying numbers are concerning- our ratio is one of the bottom 6 in the division in this area.

Still points to midtable to lower midtable to me, overall.

A question which follows this therefore, is whether we are more defensively efficent, riding our luck a tad or somewhere in between? Ipswich now they were riding their luck to a stupid extent the first 4 games and reality has set in a bit for them. I like to think we are more defensively efficent which accounts for the better numbers despite similar, indeed slightly inferior stats.

[Big C]

On 12/09/2017 at 13:29, WTFiGO!?! said:

We seem more solid and hard to beat than we were so I don't think we'll be in a relegation scrap.  

I predicted 18th and would amend that to 16th after the start we've had, only one defeat is encouraging.

A lack of quality between midfield and attack is our main issue.  Hopefully Leko can aid that.  Diedhiou hasn't been what I hoped he would be.

I shall make a bold (and probably quite ridiculous) prediction in that we won't score three again in a single game all season.  Que a 3-3 draw tonight!

 

This post just gets better