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Serious playoff contenders?


General Zod

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We’ve been in a great run of form but for me the last few league games have made me Believe we are serious playoff contenders.  Last season we were trying to play a high energy, high press game that was impossible to sustain over a season and ended up dropping like a stone.  This year we’ve hung in there when not playing great and now I see a team full of confidence and ability moving up the league.  LJ seems to have found a formation which works regardless of personnel.  We have a defence that more often than not is capable of shutting teams out and a reasonable amount of creativity especially off the bench when opponents tire.  I’m too long in the tooth not to realise things can change overnight but with continued hard work and our fair share of luck who knows what this season will bring.

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Yep, for sure, but it is incredible at the moment to see how many teams are hunting for a top six place.  At this moment in time Hull look like they are moving mountains to reach the top six, for example.

The scramble for those 4 places is going to be madness come the business end of the season.

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Every year (well it seems like every year), one or two teams go racing up this table from mid table into the "zone".

Hull and Bristol City are possibly these two teams.

Who knows? Just put one foot in front of the other, beat the team that is put in front of you on the day. Well, we can dream...

...should I book my leave already?

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20 minutes ago, reddogkev said:

Yep, for sure, but it is incredible at the moment to see how many teams are hunting for a top six place.  At this moment in time Hull look like they are moving mountains to reach the top six, for example.

The scramble for those 4 places is going to be madness come the business end of the season.

That’s ok. We’ll be 1st/2nd by then..! ?

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Lots of twists and turns this season still to come.

I will say that we have more depth, and we don’t look like a side that will burn out / go stale.  Team spirit looks excellent, but need to be careful how a 27 man squad is handled.  At present most of that squad are fit, and we are starting to see players not getting kitted up.  The FA Cup might actually be a godsend in 2 weeks time to give the fringe players something to aim for.

I think our pressing style is no longer as sapping as last season, and I wonder if Leeds will pay the price (hope so) with their small  squad.

We just need to keep plugging away and whatever will be will be (not sure about Wembley or Que Sera though).  We have what it takes.  29 games tells us we are a decent side, but there are probably 5 or 6 beneath us that are capable of stringing a better run together in their final 16/17 games.  I liked our approach and focus to Swansea.  We need to keep that up, tough to beat first, don’t chase too many games (like Bolton), and grind out the chances.  Don’t lose the 6 pointers, and win a few and we are gonna be right in the mix.

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Still dont think we have enough offensively to get into the play offs, let alone go up.

But our fantastic defensive unit is the thing that is propelling us at the moment.

It will be interesting to see what happens if we go behind against a decent team either home or away. They would presumably sit back then like Boro, Preston and sheff wed at home. Defensive less of an issue then, rather than creating chances.

I like COD behind Fam though. Gives us a bit more pace up front. Something Swansea failed to deal with on Saturday.

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2 minutes ago, General Zod said:

I’m curious how we bounce back when a defeat comes our way.  Hopefully we’ve learnt lessons and can get another run started straight away as a bad 3 or 4 game run in the second half of the season will un do all the good work.

What is this mythical “defeat” thing, of which you speak..?! 

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13 minutes ago, ncnsbcfc said:

Still dont think we have enough offensively to get into the play offs, let alone go up.

But our fantastic defensive unit is the thing that is propelling us at the moment.

It will be interesting to see what happens if we go behind against a decent team either home or away. They would presumably sit back then like Boro, Preston and sheff wed at home. Defensive less of an issue then, rather than creating chances.

I like COD behind Fam though. Gives us a bit more pace up front. Something Swansea failed to deal with on Saturday.

We are on course to score even fewer goals than Cardiff did last season so I agree we need to improve that.  What we don’t do is kill games off by getting the crucial second goal (or third if we are 2-1 up). We did that on Saturday so hopefully that continues.

For me, Fam is very hot and cold on the goals front. More consistency from him would help

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It's a shame we couldn't get a striker in the window, one with a bit of movement in him would have been good but we do have Weimann and Taylor as an option up front.

We are, to a large degree, depending on defence to see us through with the last five league games scoring 8 and conceding 1. I'm not sure we can rely on that for the rest of the season. Famara is far to static for my liking, we need movement in and around the box to get onto the end of some excellent approach play and crosses which largely end up with no one of the end of them. There's always the option of Weimann or Taylor up top, both of them have very good movement and anticipation and I'd like to see that in the FA cup tie coming up.

Serious contenders ? If we can score a few more goals than normal, yes. Otherwise, no. 

 

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2 minutes ago, bcfc01 said:

It's a shame we couldn't get a striker in the window, one with a bit of movement in him would have been good but we do have Weimann and Taylor as an option up front.

We are, to a large degree, depending on defence to see us through with the last five league games scoring 8 and conceding 1. I'm not sure we can rely on that for the rest of the season. Famara is far to static for my liking, we need movement in and around the box to get onto the end of some excellent approach play and crosses which largely end up with no one of the end of them. There's always the option of Weimann or Taylor up top, both of them have very good movement and anticipation and I'd like to see that in the FA cup tie coming up.

Serious contenders ? If we can score a few more goals than normal, yes. Otherwise, no. 

 

Now we have Palmer and all these other options, plus importantly form and confidence that could be interesting- Weimann makes great runs and makes them early (ahead of the team on wavelength a lot of the time).

Thing is, 8 goals scored but woodwork hit 3 times, 2 disallowed goals which were very marginal- we're creating more than we are scoring- Assombalonga could have taken us to another level really, with his clinical nature and yes his movement too.

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36 minutes ago, General Zod said:

I’m curious how we bounce back when a defeat comes our way.  Hopefully we’ve learnt lessons and can get another run started straight away as a bad 3 or 4 game run in the second half of the season will un do all the good work.

This is the key for me too, another of LJs winless runs (like the 5 match one earlier this season) and we could just as quickly be back mid-table. 

However, right now we have to be seen as play-off contenders as we are in a play-off spot and are top of the current form table - hopefully we can keep the winning run going at Blackburn (especially if Dack/Graham out injured), 3 pts against them would consolidate a nice little gap to the mass chasing pack from 8th.

 

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40 minutes ago, RedDave said:

We are on course to score even fewer goals than Cardiff did last season so I agree we need to improve that.  What we don’t do is kill games off by getting the crucial second goal (or third if we are 2-1 up). We did that on Saturday so hopefully that continues.

For me, Fam is very hot and cold on the goals front. More consistency from him would help

My impression is that Fam is better suited to away games. Possibly with the opposition having more possession & a bit more space in behind the defence.

The other factor may be less pressure from the fans compared to playing at AG. These things can affect certain players, and Fam might be one of them.

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Just as a note of caution, people always start feeling excited after xmas, but it's worth remembering we are only 6 games into the second half of the season. The fact that we have won them all is exciting but we need to just hold our horses a little. As far as the under the radar thing is concerned, we may find we have picked up just a little too early, maintaining this points accumulation from this point onwards is going to be hard. We have hit the play off positions already, which means we are no longer the chasing group, we are the target for other teams, and that brings a different kind if pressure.

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4 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

Just as a note of caution, people always start feeling excited after xmas, but it's worth remembering we are only 6 games into the second half of the season. The fact that we have won them all is exciting but we need to just hold our horses a little. As far as the dark horses thing is concerned, we may find we have picked up just a little too early, maintaining this points accumulation from this point onwards is going to be hard. We have hit the play off positions already, which means we are no longer the chasing group, we are the target for other teams, and that brings a different kind if pressure.

As we saw last season.

We had some huge leads on Boxing Day and even more an hour or so in v Wolves in the last game of 2017. This feels a bit more sustainable though. Depth, injuries to return, not such an intense pressing game. 

Could have really done with a striker on loan though just to cement things. The right striker of course- not just sign one for the hell of it.

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1 hour ago, DaveInSA said:

Every year (well it seems like every year), one or two teams go racing up this table from mid table into the "zone".

Hull and Bristol City are possibly these two teams.

Who knows? Just put one foot in front of the other, beat the team that is put in front of you on the day. Well, we can dream...

...should I book my leave already?

I have

Of course we are contenders. Second best defense in the league is my main argument for it. We don’t concede very often and our record could be better had Kalas been with us from the start and not missed 4-5 matches with a broken jaw! 

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13 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

Just as a note of caution, people always start feeling excited after xmas, but it's worth remembering we are only 6 games into the second half of the season. The fact that we have won them all is exciting but we need to just hold our horses a little. As far as the under the radar thing is concerned, we may find we have picked up just a little too early, maintaining this points accumulation from this point onwards is going to be hard. We have hit the play off positions already, which means we are no longer the chasing group, we are the target for other teams, and that brings a different kind if pressure.

I know what you're saying.

But does it really?  Surely LJ & staff would have them focus on 1st&2nd spot rather than 6th spot.

That way they are still aiming for improvement rather than looking over their shoulders

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I love the fact that the club has the 2nd best defence in the league.  Has won last 7 games and is unbeaten in 13.

And people are doubtful.  I would imagine that other teams are more wary of us than we think.

 

If you think about certain teams, you have a knowledge of how they play etc.  And then you can zero in on their main threats.

Where as, with the exception of Fam.  Who is our main threat?   Taylor, Weimann, CoD, Palmer, Watkins, Semenyo ?

For that reason I reckon one of our biggest strengths is the fact we are not a one dimensional team.

 

 

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9 minutes ago, JamesBCFC said:

I don't think we'll make it.

That said, we play all 5 of the teams above us still- if we can win 3 of those then I think we'll get a playoff place, maybe.

We are currently 6th''I don't think we will make it'' with the best defence behind Boro, (actually we are better currently)  and you....

Don't think we will make it, :ermm:

Be interested to know why?

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6 minutes ago, soultrader said:

I love the fact that the club has the 2nd best defence in the league.  Has won last 7 games and is unbeaten in 13.

And people are doubtful.  I would imagine that other teams are more wary of us than we think.

 

If you think about certain teams, you have a knowledge of how they play etc.  And then you can zero in on their main threats.

Where as, with the exception of Fam.  Who is our main threat?   Taylor, Weimann, CoD, Palmer, Watkins, Semenyo ?

For that reason I reckon one of our biggest strengths is the fact we are not a one dimensional team.

 

 

Agree, not the most confident of City supporters, but only a twit would bet against us at the moment given our current form, actually think we have more in the tank. 

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1 hour ago, ncnsbcfc said:

Still dont think we have enough offensively to get into the play offs, let alone go up.

But our fantastic defensive unit is the thing that is propelling us at the moment.

It will be interesting to see what happens if we go behind against a decent team either home or away. They would presumably sit back then like Boro, Preston and sheff wed at home. Defensive less of an issue then, rather than creating chances.

I like COD behind Fam though. Gives us a bit more pace up front. Something Swansea failed to deal with on Saturday.

Remember one nil to the Arsenal?

Interesting to see Palmer did not make the starting 11 on Saturday, but we gave one of the most controlled performances Ive seen for a long time - Swansea are no mugs and on a good run of form themselves - but when he come into the team he will make a big difference offensively.

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8 minutes ago, soultrader said:

I love the fact that the club has the 2nd best defence in the league.  Has won last 7 games and is unbeaten in 13.

And people are doubtful.  I would imagine that other teams are more wary of us than we think.

 

If you think about certain teams, you have a knowledge of how they play etc.  And then you can zero in on their main threats.

Where as, with the exception of Fam.  Who is our main threat?   Taylor, Weimann, CoD, Palmer, Watkins, Semenyo ?

For that reason I reckon one of our biggest strengths is the fact we are not a one dimensional team.

 

 

There is something in that. We are good at moving things around during play and adjusting when we lose possession. 

However our big advantage is no one has really noticed us. If we climb to 4th perhaps then there will be proper media coverage, but for now stay as much under the radar as possible. 

Leeds and Norwich are a way off but the cracks in both of them are there. Keep an eye on the top two. Winning from the front is the hardest way to do it 

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I think there are so many factors to consider. 

Fammy - Not sure if he's consistent enough to carry our front line, some games he looks untouchable but in others his touch is awful, he can't hold possession and he doesn't look a threat. I still think we needed that one quality striker signing to push us onwards. 

Forest - I think they could have a big turnaround if their signings hit the ground running. I think the initial control MON has taken was always going to be shaky but with the players they've brought in and the squad they already have they could be a dark house to fly up the table. 

Derby - They've had a blip but if they recover then they've already got their blip out of the way. They have some talent and could certainly pip us to that 6th spot. 

Our form - There is no doubt that we're on an amazing run at the moment but we've got a nasty habit of struggling when we come off of a good run of form. I think this will be the real telling moment for us, how well we can bounce back from a loss. 

The Cup run - I'm sure after last season the idea of beating Wolves and going into the quarter finals, possibly against a big name team, has to be on the lads mind. We all see how deflated the lads looked after going out to Man City. I do wonder if that was a huge psychological blow and could have an impact on us this season when we do go out. 

A crucial injury - There has been a lot of talk about Fammy getting injured but for me the idea of Kalas getting injured could really throw a spanner in the works, especially if we're struggling to score more than the odd goal. Losing Kalas could impact the defence greatly and in turn have a major impact on our results. 

 

Hopefully all of our key players will stay injury free and when our next loss does come we'll bounce back quickly from it. We've certainly got every chance of getting into the play offs but we've also got a very fragile balance now in certain areas of the pitch. 

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