Has Lampard been as excellent as many people suggest?

[Ambitious]

He's doing well - we have overcome a difficult period still within the top six! We are in a great position to really push on for the second half of the season, not because we're playing fantastically well at the moment, but because the fixture list looks generous. 

Home Games:
Reading - 22nd - Away: 1-6-6 (18th)
Hull City - 10th - Away: 5-3-5 (9th)
Wigan - 19th - Away: 1-2-10 (22nd)
Sheff Wed - 16th - Away: 4-2-8 (16th)
Stoke - 15th - Away: 2-8-4 (15th)
Rotherham - 21st - Away: 0-4-10 (24th)
Bolton - 23rd - Away: 2-4-8 (17th)
QPR - 11th - Away: 4-4-6 (13th)
West Brom - 4th - Away: 6-3-4 (5th)

Average League Position - 16th - Average Away Form - 15th

Away Games:
Preston North End - 18th - Home: 5-6-3 (14th)
Ipswich Town - 24th - Home: 2-7-5 (23rd)
Nottingham Forest - 9th - Home: 6-4-3 (10th)
Aston Villa - 12th - Home: 5-6-2 (15th)
Swansea City - 13th - Home: 5-3-5 (20th)
Brentford - 17th - Home: 7-3-4 (5th)
Blackburn - 14th - Home: 5-6-2 (16th)
Birmingham - 8th - Home: 5-7-2 (9th)
Bristol City - 7th - Home: 5-5-4 (19th) 

Average League Position - 14th - Average Home Form: 15th

I partially did that for my own sanity, but it shows that both our home & away games are against teams below the halfway point in both league position and their representative form home or away. This is purely an indication, nothing more, but it certainly shows us in a more favourable light. 

A lot can change in a month, plus no doubt we will be beaten by a couple teams that we expect to get wins against. If we can set ourselves up as a flat-track bully then we have a great chance to build some momentum. It's a shame we don't have any money to spend in that regards, because we've done most of the hard part. 1 game left against current top six sides, 4 of the current bottom 6 sides to play at home, no current top six side to play away from home.

[Jacko1983]

He’s doing well,

Rowett had far more experience and he didn’t think it was possible to get the side into the top 6 with the financial restraints put on the club.

before the start of the season idve been happy with top 10 and even more happy that we’re still above forest with the money they’ve spent.

we have a lot of players that we need to get rid of before we can properly have a good promotion push. 

We’ve been inconsistent but we have a young side that are trying to play football. With a couple of more experienced signings at the back we could definitely finish higher than last season.

[RadioactiveWaste]

Where comparing this season to last, I feel the comparisons on points and goals will become more favorable to Lampard over coming weeks.

[G STAR RAM]

On 13/01/2019 at 10:45, curb said:

The comparison with Rowett last season is fair enough, but I always felt that was all Rowett was capable of, he was given a remit to develop the club for the long term, bring through academy players and play a good style of attacking football. None of these he did. 

Is this a fact? 

Not doubting you but if this is true why would MM authorise the sale of our best academy product and also our best attacking player at the time?

Why would he also authorise the signing of so many players in the twilight of their careers.

Would seem very strange for him to issue the above remit and then authorise all of these events.

[curb]

(Quote GStar Ram

Is this a fact? 

Not doubting you but if this is true why would MM authorise the sale of our best academy product and also our best attacking player at the time?

Why would he also authorise the signing of so many players in the twilight of their careers.

Would seem very strange for him to issue the above remit and then authorise all of these events.)

 

 

Yes, it was mentioned in fans forums, and MM has been consistent whenever he has spoken about the manager situation. 

Rowett paid lip service to all of it, but when it came down to it his actions told a completely different story. IMO that was why MM didn't put up a fight in the summer when Stoke came back in for him in the summer.

It was one of the reasons why I spoke out against him, that and the dullness of the football. Stoke fans sussed him out a lot quicker than ours, but then they weren't getting the results that we were.

[G STAR RAM]

18 minutes ago, curb said:

Yes, it was mentioned in fans forums, and MM has been consistent whenever he has spoken about the manager situation. 

Rowett paid lip service to all of it, but when it came down to it his actions told a completely different story. IMO that was why MM didn't put up a fight in the summer when Stoke came back in for him in the summer.

It was one of the reasons why I spoke out against him, that and the dullness of the football. Stoke fans sussed him out a lot quicker than ours, but then they weren't getting the results that we were.

Maybe it was MM paying lip service to the fans?

I really can't see any other explanation as to why he would have backed all of Rowett's decisions despite them being the exact opposite of what he was publicly saying. 

 

[Harrowram]

1 hour ago, Ambitious said:

He's doing well - we have overcome a difficult period still within the top six! We are in a great position to really push on for the second half of the season, not because we're playing fantastically well at the moment, but because the fixture list looks generous. 

Home Games:
Reading - 22nd - Away: 1-6-6 (18th)
Hull City - 10th - Away: 5-3-5 (9th)
Wigan - 19th - Away: 1-2-10 (22nd)
Sheff Wed - 16th - Away: 4-2-8 (16th)
Stoke - 15th - Away: 2-8-4 (15th)
Rotherham - 21st - Away: 0-4-10 (24th)
Bolton - 23rd - Away: 2-4-8 (17th)
QPR - 11th - Away: 4-4-6 (13th)
West Brom - 4th - Away: 6-3-4 (5th)

Average League Position - 16th - Average Away Form - 15th

Away Games:
Preston North End - 18th - Home: 5-6-3 (14th)
Ipswich Town - 24th - Home: 2-7-5 (23rd)
Nottingham Forest - 9th - Home: 6-4-3 (10th)
Aston Villa - 12th - Home: 5-6-2 (15th)
Swansea City - 13th - Home: 5-3-5 (20th)
Brentford - 17th - Home: 7-3-4 (5th)
Blackburn - 14th - Home: 5-6-2 (16th)
Birmingham - 8th - Home: 5-7-2 (9th)
Bristol City - 7th - Home: 5-5-4 (19th) 

Average League Position - 14th - Average Home Form: 15th

I partially did that for my own sanity, but it shows that both our home & away games are against teams below the halfway point in both league position and their representative form home or away. This is purely an indication, nothing more, but it certainly shows us in a more favourable light. 

A lot can change in a month, plus no doubt we will be beaten by a couple teams that we expect to get wins against. If we can set ourselves up as a flat-track bully then we have a great chance to build some momentum. It's a shame we don't have any money to spend in that regards, because we've done most of the hard part. 1 game left against current top six sides, 4 of the current bottom 6 sides to play at home, no current top six side to play away from home.

This is my view entirely. Lampard might be behind Rowet's record right now but he has a good run in with only West Bromwich of the top six to play. Granted our away games at Forest, Bristol City and Villa etc won't be easy but our form in general against the top teams has been pretty good. I like what Frank is trying to do. He clearly feels a clear out is necessary. My only gripes are that he spend good money on Waghorn and Flo and doesn't start them.

[curb]

13 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

Maybe it was MM paying lip service to the fans?

I really can't see any other explanation as to why he would have backed all of Rowett's decisions despite them being the exact opposite of what he was publicly saying. 

 

Maybe, but he’s caught between a rock and a hard place isn’t he? He’s got to back the manager when he’s just brought him in, and there would have been convincing (bs) arguments to support selling Hughes and Ince, maybe they were the only offers received and we had to sell to refresh the squad. Then bringing in experiences players like Huddelstone would have made sense, there were many on here trying to justify it. 

 

[G STAR RAM]

19 minutes ago, curb said:

Maybe, but he’s caught between a rock and a hard place isn’t he? He’s got to back the manager when he’s just brought him in, and there would have been convincing (bs) arguments to support selling Hughes and Ince, maybe they were the only offers received and we had to sell to refresh the squad. Then bringing in experiences players like Huddelstone would have made sense, there were many on here trying to justify it. 

Yes he's always said he will support his manager but that's a statement that has probably come back to bite him on his rear.

[BobbyD]

21 minutes ago, Harrowram said:

This is my view entirely. Lampard might be behind Rowet's record right now but he has a good run in with only West Bromwich of the top six to play. Granted our away games at Forest, Bristol City and Villa etc won't be easy but our form in general against the top teams has been pretty good. I like what Frank is trying to do. He clearly feels a clear out is necessary. My only gripes are that he spend good money on Waghorn and Flo and doesn't start them.

Its about how you perform against the good teams, not the lesser teams 

[Key clubber]

19 hours ago, 86 points said:

Fair play mate. Like you, my expectations were out of kilter with reality. To expect Lamps to come in, reduce the average age of the squad, shed the nerdowells, transform our playing style and secure an auto-slot where Mac, Clement, Wassall, Powell, Pearson and Rowett have failed and in his first season to boot, might have been a tad fanciful. That said, it's still not beyond the realms is it? As for FFP, best to ignore the 'experts' claiming we are teetering on the edge of oblivion and listen to the owner who says otherwise. Who is more likely to know after all? Frank's a novice despite everything he achieved as a player after all.  If we are still in this position after another summer window then yes, there will be questions needing answers. Patience is not one of my virtues but we have to allow him two summer windows to put together a team that is truly his own. If he'd have turned us around in a single window it would have been a miracle if only because far more experienced managers than him have tried and failed. Keep the faith. If this is not our season I've a strong feeling the next one might be. 

When you mention the owner saying we’re nowhere near the FFP do you think he’d really come out and say listen lads we’re right in the thick brown stuff hear, I given managers money and backed them and we’ve been absolutely shafted with the signings I’ve authorised.

I can see FFP play hitting Derby very hard come the end of the season , unless we sell the players we don’t want and to be honest they don’t look like their going anywhere soon.

I Wouldn’t imagine any owner would say we’re in the do do until it happens , otherwise clubs would bid silly offers surely knowing we’re not really in a position to turn it down?

[europia]

On 13/01/2019 at 20:47, WAGHORNY RAM99 said:

It just feels like De ja vu and I hate that we have become bottlers every season,  hopefully we can beat Reading to get back on track but we really don't look like a good team at the moment apart from in 15 minute spells.

Yes absolutely. In fact it would have been nice if we had mustered a 15 second spell at Elland Road. Not sure why, but the manner of that defeat has really annoyed me (and others I am sure), even though it's far from unique. 

[GB SPORTS]

If this season is average god knows where these people have been the last 20Years.

Ask Stoke, Villa, Swansea, QPR and Sunderland fans what position they would rather be in.

[Rev]

1 hour ago, G STAR RAM said:

Is this a fact? 

Not doubting you but if this is true why would MM authorise the sale of our best academy product and also our best attacking player at the time?

Why would he also authorise the signing of so many players in the twilight of their careers.

Would seem very strange for him to issue the above remit and then authorise all of these events.

Because he doesn't interfere with the managers judgement, even if he's dubious, he doesn't interfere.

Apart from when he's kicking in changing room doors to put them all on the carpet, or telling a new manager who he can and cannot pick as Captain, for instance.

[Harrowram]

38 minutes ago, BobbyD said:

Its about how you perform against the good teams, not the lesser teams 

I tend to agree. However had we picked up points against Millwall, Bolton, Rotherham and Stoke nobody would be questioning Lampard's managerial record to date.

[lrm14]

20 minutes ago, Harrowram said:

I tend to agree. However had we picked up points against Millwall, Bolton, Rotherham and Stoke nobody would be questioning Lampard's managerial record to date.

Very satisfying to see Stoke listed there with the lesser teams.

[RoyMac5]

50 minutes ago, Harrowram said:

I tend to agree. However had we picked up points against Millwall, Bolton, Rotherham and Stoke nobody would be questioning Lampard's managerial record to date.

But we didn't?

[Harrowram]

8 hours ago, RoyMac5 said:

But we didn't?

And that might be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful season.

[Harrowram]

9 hours ago, lrm14 said:

Very satisfying to see Stoke listed there with the lesser teams.

Given that Stoke played around 60 minutes with 10 men it was a game we should have at least taken one point from.

[Van der MoodHoover]

12 hours ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

Where comparing this season to last, I feel the comparisons on points and goals will become more favorable to Lampard over coming weeks.

I agree. We had more jam than Hartleys at times in H1 last season. Once there was some reversion to an average the strong positive stats evaporated.

not saying we’ll exceed Rowett but I expect us to not be materially lagging with a better style.