RodleyRam Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Our season defining games will be Burnley awy and Forest home. Yep and all the ones before, in between and after too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jourdan Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 While last night's win certainly improved our chances, we're still rank outsiders until we can prove we can keep pace with our direct rivals. Given that Burnley and QPR both still have a game in hand, it's probably worthwhile to take it one game at a time for now, until it's clear just how far behind we are. QPR and Burnley have been in and among the top three or four for the majority of the season and have evidenced their staying power. I would suggest that we're still in the process but wins like last night's certainly help. We still have a lot to prove and it's still a big ask. I would guess the average points tally for automatic promotion is anywhere from 85 to 92 points, in which case we will probably have to win at least 9-10 of our remaining fixtures just to give ourselves a fighting chance. To be honest, right now, it seems rather fanciful to think of us finishing second. I look more warmly at the fact we are eight points ahead of Reading in sixth and 11 points ahead of Ipswich in seventh, which signals that it would take a capitulation of unthinkable proportions for us not to have something to play for in May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alph Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I've just seen what Harry had to say about the promotion chances and I'm ruling QPR out. It's an impossible task for them. They lost 18 players in the summer They basically picked up lads that were out of favour at their clubs and threw them together. Only 8 teams have bounced back up. It's been a complete rebuild. They're having to play Dunne who was out the game for a year Clubs like Derby and Brighton get 27-30k attendance. QPR just aren't a club of that size. Harry will do well to keep them up. Miracle worker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valleyram Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 If we get to within 7 points of leicester with 10 games to go we will WIN the league Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChaddesdenRam Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I don't think Burnley or Forest are defining games. The ones we must win are the likes of Millwall and Doncaster. If we don't win them, then the Forest and Burnley games are irrelevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimmu Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Defining games are those where points are shared. And playoffs eventhough points are not shared. Guess I'm trying to say every game counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroyDyer Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Every single game counts. No point getting results against burnley and forest, if we lose to Millwall and Charlton. It's all about Sheffield Wednesday now. They are no bodies mugs. Luckily we have another gap to rest the crucial players. Eustace in particular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodleyRam Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Every single game counts. No point getting results against burnley and forest, if we lose to Millwall and Charlton. It's all about Sheffield Wednesday now. They are no bodies mugs. Luckily we have another gap to rest the crucial players. Eustace in particular. Absolutely, the cliche of one game at a time has never been more true. We have to go into each game at a time looking to get maximum points, the more we do that, the more pressure will be on Burnley and QPR. Last night was a big win but it means nothing unless we can get 3 more next Tuesday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistoldPete2 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 While last night's win certainly improved our chances, we're still rank outsiders until we can prove we can keep pace with our direct rivals. Given that Burnley and QPR both still have a game in hand, it's probably worthwhile to take it one game at a time for now, until it's clear just how far behind we are. QPR and Burnley have been in and among the top three or four for the majority of the season and have evidenced their staying power. I would suggest that we're still in the process but wins like last night's certainly help. We still have a lot to prove and it's still a big ask. I would guess the average points tally for automatic promotion is anywhere from 85 to 92 points, in which case we will probably have to win at least 9-10 of our remaining fixtures just to give ourselves a fighting chance. To be honest, right now, it seems rather fanciful to think of us finishing second. I look more warmly at the fact we are eight points ahead of Reading in sixth and 11 points ahead of Ipswich in seventh, which signals that it would take a capitulation of unthinkable proportions for us not to have something to play for in May. A couple of flaws in your logic. I think to guarantee automatic normally is 82 to 90 points. We are currently on target for 84 based on points per game for season so far. But weve already played QPR and Fester twice. The other way I look at it is where were we at the half way point having played everyone once? We had 44 points then, so on target for 88 points. Since then I compare our results with the corresponding fixture earlier in the season. Weve done exactly the same eg drawing against Brum and Blackburn home and away EXCEPT we lost to Wigan (won away) and beaten QPR (lost away). So we are back on track to match our first half of season performance, ie 88 points for season as a whole. BUT we just have to keep it up, still a big ask.May still not be enough if competition (Burnley , QPR and Forest) is too strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needles Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I'd guess 2 points per game overall from here on would get us in with a chance for the second spot. Got 7 out of 8 home games against current bottom half teams, so the opportunity is there to lay the foundations at home and grind out the rest of the points away. Very hard, but not impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky1884 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Hope so need to get to april and we get most of the top games out the way not saying the rest are easy but theyre better. Im waiting until april to say were well finish if were in the top two by april 1st wed be no fools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cisse Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 If we win the rest of the games we should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uptherams Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 If we beat Burnley next, could this become a two horse race for second? Us and Burnley? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anag Ram Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Hate to put a dampener on this but I suspect Burnley are a stronger side than us. We are going through the kind of lucky phase we went through last time we went up. We have to get our passing game back and Martin et al have to hold the ball up better. I worry about Keogh and Buxton v Ings and Vokes. Our best chance of coming second will be if one or both of Burnley's front two get injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uttoxram75 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Hate to put a dampener on this but I suspect Burnley are a stronger side than us. We are going through the kind of lucky phase we went through last time we went up. We have to get our passing game back and Martin et al have to hold the ball up better. I worry about Keogh and Buxton v Ings and Vokes. Our best chance of coming second will be if one or both of Burnley's front two get injured. Martin and Bamford are arguably better finishers than Ings and Vokes so i'm sure Burnley will be just as worried about us as we are of them. Totally agree about our passing game, we are not patient enough at times and need to control the game by keeping the ball a bit better. Having said that its good that we can do both, go gung ho and knock it about. If we go to Burnley with a plan to pass the ball, frustrate them, try to draw them out then i feel we have the quality to wear them down and snatch another glorious late winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Could the fact that our passing game has gone a bit AWOL, coincides with weeks of wet weather, heavy pitches and the like?. One we have a dry spell, with drying winds and warmer weather, we'll be back to our usual Rolls Royce game I reckon. However, I don't think they have that sort of weather in Burnley, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal is a Ram Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 As it stands, there's more pressure on the Burnley game, than the Forest game... ...in terms of the league standings anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ketteringram Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Imagine for a second, that the burnley game was the last game of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaffsRam Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 If we beat Burnley next, could this become a two horse race for second? Us and Burnley? Or draw. We won't be completely out of it if we lose, but a win or a draw and we've got a great chance. Forest at home and Reading away after that, but the rest of the games we've got left are the kind of games we've been winning all season. Just need to avoid the finishing line jitters..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester Ram Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 The way I see it, we're going through some bad form at the moment but have still miraculously won.That's only a good thing, we'll definitely have a good patch before the end of the season. McClaren's no idiot, he'll know we have to step up our game and won't be happy to keep taking these 1-0 wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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