eddielewis

Update after today's results The table's algorithm is still playing it safe got us winning 1 and drawing the other away games.

Just looking at their remaining games they could sneak in the play off spots. Could also help us out last game of the season against Portsmouth.

I'm not suggesting we need to go anywhere near that limit because we already have a good league 1 squad by spending 45% It would be interesting as I say what would be the our internal limits for next season based on which league we are in. Will we keep it around this percentage if we don't go up but just fine tune ie Hourihane is a big earner and will probably leave will we replace like for like in terms of wages or find a cheaper option. And if we do go up what will be limit as wages will naturally go up in terms of the calibre of players we will need. Obviously in the Champ these turnover rules do not apply it would be sensible to stick to this principle.

Interesting how were only at 45% turnover/spend when league 1 clubs can be up to 75%. Be a good question to ask how far close to the limit would Clowes take the playing budget when the restrictions are lifted. We get tarnished by other clubs around us that were big spenders but it's far from the case.

For me he reminds me more of Michael Ricketts when he was at Bolton. Has the physicality to be 9 when he wants but has the movement of a 10 to drag defenders out.

Unless Warne has a magic trick inside his bobble hat and finds out Sibley and Bird have ancestry for the Faroe Islands which warrants them a call up I doubt the Northampton game is getting postponed.

To add further context to your point these have been the promoted teams the past 5 seasons prior to covid and their previous position. 18/19 Luton 1st (league 2 promoted) Barnsley 2nd (champ relegated) Charlton 3rd POW (6th) 17/18 Wigan 1st (champ relegated) Blackburn 2nd (champ relegated) Rotherham 4th POW (champ relegated) 16/17 Sheff Utd 1st (11th) Bolton 2nd (champ relegated) Millwall 6th POW (4th) 15/16 Wigan 1st (champ relegated) Burton 2nd (league 2 promoted) Barnsley 6th POW (11th) 14/15 Bristol C 1st (13th) MK Dons (11th) Preston 4th POW (3rd) So in all League 1 has no pattern for being harder or weaker and except for 17/18 there has not been more than 1 team coming down that has gained promotion immediately.

This algorithm for the predicted table seems to play it very safe especially for the higher teams away from home. We are also predicted to go unbeaten but go with 1 win and 4 draws in the remaining away fixtures but considering the opposition we have I would say we better that. If we win against Bristol irrespective of the result between Barnsley/Bolton this coming tuesday I think this table will put us back into 2nd. I miss the fivethirtyeight interactive website that recently got bought out by nbc in america and then shut down. They had predicted tables for every league in the world with percentages for every team of how likely they will finish.

Pink Bobble hat. Warne out surely!!

Did the job today against a Port Vale side that looked condemned. Flat 2 in midfield communicated well enough and wingbacks used the ball well which is crucial in that formation. You'd be a fool to think we will have that amount of time and space on the ball today in any of the other 10 games left. We have a much much harder task against a very bipolar Bristol Rovers next week. We're in it to win it!

Update after today's results Barnsley winning away has tipped the odds to them but it's still very tight

Either way this set up just isolates Gayle. The only way to get something out of his type of striker is to have someone just never more than 5-10 yards behind so they can latch onto his movement of defenders. If Bird and Adams are playing that flat 2 were gonna need Sibley and Ward to not give the ball away so easily when we've committed to attacks.

Because it's so close to the end of the season it's futile and depending on how far you take it toxic to bang the drum of Warne out when really us fans just need to keep a positive atmosphere and hope we achieve promotion. I'm still concerned however with the structure around Warne since he was appointed. I understand and appreciate Clowes went with the plan of getting Warne in who is proven in getting out of this league and also sticking by him after last season and even earlier this season but it didn't address the problem we had under Mel which is being manager-proof in our philosophy of football and recruitment. A major reason why we spent so much money was to supplement the manager of the time rather than thinking long term. Signing Nugent instead of Ollie Watkins springs to mind. It seems the modern structure of clubs who are copying success stories of Luton, Brighton, Brentford all have a common theme of separating the recruitment from the manager/coach and basically giving that power to the Chief Scout/Director of Football/However you want to title it. The manager/coach just basically coaches and if they can't with the players they are dealt they go! Those above clubs have had managers come and go and it's not phased them one bit in terms of their progression. It's almost like the NFL where the structure is Owner - General Manager - Head Coach. What I worry going into this year because realistically Warne is staying barring us missing even the playoffs that we continue to give him total control over the recruitment and it results in more players like Callum Elder, Conor Washington and John-Jules. If Warne struggles early on like he did this season and he's gone does Clowes go for a similar manager or a completely different playing style. If it's the latter that will be a waste of a first window without restrictions and a waste of money. This is what I mean about us being manager proof! The crucial question that should be posed to Clowes is what type/style of football does he want to see and does he think that matches the majority of fans opinion as well because right now we have style of football that is hard to watch for a lot of fans who have grown up with Stevie Mac.

The kit is in tribute to the surface we used to play actual football on

I try not to think about that but thanks for giving me insomnia tonight 😂

Yes he did say that but for further context he carried on by saying 'I've always said there is another gear we can get to' The most irritating bit from the interview was a facetious comment in the lines of 'we needed their keeper to take out one of our forwards'

Paul Warne sounds out of ideas on RD

Tonight's predicted table update Tight is an understatement!

RD making a great point that maybe our staff is too emotional and make too many drastic changes such as changing from 4 to 3 back to 4 again playing Sibley in 3 positions over the course his spell. Understand our undoing during Stevie Mac was being too one dimensional but are we under Warne far too fluid in our set up and this lack of a clear attacking plan when Collins got injured is effecting us.

Wigan have scored. Doing Mr Warne a great big fat favour right now!

I brushed off the mistake Wildsmith made at Oxford as a one off but for him to do the exact same but even worse as players were back is criminal. Is it worth it now to drop him for Loach even until Vickers comes back?

If it's true about puma being the kit supplier I would guess we're going for a bit of a remake of the 95/97 kits where it had a bit of yellow/gold trim as next seasons season ticket campaign is using the Centenary Gold, Victory Blue and Founders’ Green colours.

Exactly surely at this stage in the season and the position we're in people can park the hokey-cokeyness of their opinion on Warne aside until the season has concluded. It's like saying shoot the horse when it's neck and neck when it's coming on to the final straight.

We were more custard tart than cream doughnut today

Update after today's fixtures. After the past couple of predicted tables it really shows how tight it is now!