Weird Season

[ariotofmyown]

Difficult to assess how good a team we actually are now.

Results have been dire this season, but we've beaten 2 out of the top 6 and had decent draws vs 2 others.

We've had a terrible record vs the teams in 7th to 14th, with just 2 points from 8 games.

We are yet to beat anyone below Millwall in 15th, but have only played 4 out of 8 of them. This suggests our fixtures have been on the harder side so far and we should be hopeful of winning some of these 4 with our recent form.

In terms of form, we've just bossed playoff chasing Swansea and were also much better than 8th placed Stoke.

We have no real weaknesses in yesterday's starting 11 and decent backups in most positions.

I think Marshall, Byrne, Clarke, Bielik, Knight and Jozwiak are good enough for to play in the top sides in the league and would probably do ok in the weaker Premership teams.

However, we could also struggle to score again in the next 4 games and be cut adrift if Rotherham, Forest and QPR pick up some results. We have Rotherham twice in the next 5 games...if we managed to lose both of them you'd be very concerned about relegation.

So in summary, we really need to kick on now to avoid a relegation scrap, but 9 or 10 points from the next 4 and we'll be the proper form team in the league and will fancy a playoff charge. Weird season.

[RamNut]

For a combination of reasons we struggled to get going.

the addition of CKR has changed things dramatically

the loss of those stumpy 35 year old legs means the midfield has energy

bielik is bossing it

it seems that the safety first mentality is slowly being lifted

but we still lack a cutting edge, and a takeover could unsettle everything again.  

[Marriot Ram99]

Don't know about playoff charge based off next 4, was thinking about it and we would need something like 10 wins from our next 12 for a solid chance of Playoffs not happening tbh, however not a bad chance of finishing top half if we can go on a run. We've beaten Swansea and Norwich via some luck but who you beat doesn't really matter when it comes to points, does show we should be way too good to go down now it's time to prove that over the next few weeks and atleast salvage a respectable midtable season. My only concern with this squad is depth, players like Kazim and and Bielik are so key and I think as shown in September /October when we have to play the back up grade Chorley would be hard for us and league 1 would be our level. 

[Tyler Durden]

Find it slightly weird that being 3rd from bottom of the league with a 3rd of the season gone I'm reading comments about the playoffs.

[Van der MoodHoover]

It looks as though improved fitness, a couple of key "spine" players emerging and a more consistent selection policy are all major factors in our improvement. I'm undecided with the tactical alterations - how much a factor they are in isolation. 

So things currently look better, but I worry that we still appear exposed to a couple of absences and now the handling of the younger players is slowing their progress. 

I guess it's one thing at a time. 

[Anag Ram]

Funny how when the team works harder and plays at a quicker tempo, it looks good all of a sudden!

[24Charlie]

I randomly glanced down at the odometer on my car yesterday and it read 1111111. 
What are the chances of that. Just another thing to add to this weird season.

My thoughts are that this never was a poor side. There has always been the ability in it to beat anyone. 
 

it’s a new team. If you think only Clarke Knight Waghorn, Shinnie and maybe Wisdom of the starters v Swansea where regulars last season. We’ve been unlucky in games and in honesty only had one really bad game that was v Boro. All the others could have had more positive outcomes but it just didn’t go our way. With just average luck we’d have been 10 points better off and with a bit more going for us we could have been in the play offs.

It didn’t turn out that way and to not get a home win til mid December is just mad. We are no way that bad a side.

Rooney has been able to keep the spirits up so he must be a positive character because he more that most has taken the brunt of the fans frustration. They must have been thinking what they had done wrong in a past life the way things were going. Rooney has been able to keep them tough make them hard to beat. Players like Beilik Shinnie and CKR take no prisoners and make us a daunting prospect for any foe.

We won’t make the play offs, we are too far behind but we’ll be safe and no one will want to face Derby.

 

[GB SPORTS]

59 minutes ago, 24Charlie said:

I randomly glanced down at the odometer on my car yesterday and it read 1111111. 
What are the chances of that. Just another thing to add to this weird season.

My thoughts are that this never was a poor side. There has always been the ability in it to beat anyone. 
 

it’s a new team. If you think only Clarke Knight Waghorn, Shinnie and maybe Wisdom of the starters v Swansea where regulars last season. We’ve been unlucky in games and in honesty only had one really bad game that was v Boro. All the others could have had more positive outcomes but it just didn’t go our way. With just average luck we’d have been 10 points better off and with a bit more going for us we could have been in the play offs.

It didn’t turn out that way and to not get a home win til mid December is just mad. We are no way that bad a side.

Rooney has been able to keep the spirits up so he must be a positive character because he more that most has taken the brunt of the fans frustration. They must have been thinking what they had done wrong in a past life the way things were going. Rooney has been able to keep them tough make them hard to beat. Players like Beilik Shinnie and CKR take no prisoners and make us a daunting prospect for any foe.

We won’t make the play offs, we are too far behind but we’ll be safe and no one will want to face Derby.

 

Your motor has done more than a million miles!!! 

I'll ring the Guinness book of World records if I were you. 

Must be a French motor 

[Brammie Steve]

20 minutes ago, SIXTEEN AGAIN said:

Your motor has done more than a million miles!!! 

I'll ring the Guinness book of World records if I were you. 

Must be a French motor 

More likely a clocked motor.

Did you get the odometer on eBay?

[ariotofmyown]

7 hours ago, Tyler Durden said:

Find it slightly weird that being 3rd from bottom of the league with a 3rd of the season gone I'm reading comments about the playoffs.

That's because it's a weird season. IF our good form continues for the next 4 or 5 games, we will probably be about 10 points off the playoffs, the form team in the league and possibly with some new quality signings. You don't think we'll all be up for a playoff charge then, especially how we have had a good record vs the better teams in the league?

But as I said originally, a return to our struggles in scoring and we could be adrift in the bottom three by Jan.  Big Xmas coming up.

[Tyler Durden]

14 minutes ago, ariotofmyown said:

That's because it's a weird season. IF our good form continues for the next 4 or 5 games, we will probably be about 10 points off the playoffs, the form team in the league and possibly with some new quality signings. You don't think we'll all be up for a playoff charge then, especially how we have had a good record vs the better teams in the league?

But as I said originally, a return to our struggles in scoring and we could be adrift in the bottom three by Jan.  Big Xmas coming up.

I personally think we need now to focus on the task in hand which is dragging us away from the bottom 3 then putting enough daylight between us and those teams to make being sucked back in a total improbability. That's no mean feat in itself so anything beyond this seems totally absurd. 

[ariotofmyown]

Just now, Tyler Durden said:

I personally think we need now to focus on the task in hand which is dragging us away from the bottom 3 then putting enough daylight between us and those teams to make being sucked back in a total improbability. That's no mean feat in itself so anything beyond this seems totally absurd. 

I'll remind you of this when you are bladdered in Covent Garden at 10am in late May!

[ram59]

5 minutes ago, ariotofmyown said:

I'll remind you of this when you are bladdered in Covent Garden at 10am in late May!

I don't think that's going to be likely, whoever is in the the play off final.

[Tyler Durden]

7 minutes ago, ariotofmyown said:

I'll remind you of this when you are bladdered in Covent Garden at 10am in late May!

I think to even mention pubs being open in May is supremely optimistic in itself never mind us attending the play off final.

[ariotofmyown]

2 minutes ago, ram59 said:

I don't think that's going to be likely, whoever is in the the play off final.

I'm sure you'll be able take a bottle of whisky down there and drink it in the street. 

[Wolfie20]

8 hours ago, Tyler Durden said:

Find it slightly weird that being 3rd from bottom of the league with a 3rd of the season gone I'm reading comments about the playoffs.

It's called optimism. Given our current situation almost certainly mis-placed but it sure as hell beats constant pessimism and negativity.

[Dean (hick) Saunders]

10 hours ago, RamNut said:

loss of those stumpy 35 year old legs

?. Made me chuckle... Thanks

[Tyler Durden]

5 minutes ago, Wolfie20 said:

It's called optimism. Given our current situation almost certainly mis-placed but it sure as hell beats constant pessimism and negativity.

I'm a realist and make no apologies for that. But can see your point yes just as misplaced perpetual optimism grates the same way with myself. 

[DRBee]

18 minutes ago, Tyler Durden said:

I'm a realist and make no apologies for that. But can see your point yes just as misplaced perpetual optimism grates the same way with myself. 

Is it not the same optimism that we all (?) have before a game regardless of who we are playing and how well we have played recently.

Optimism based on our addictive habit of supporting the Rams.

[Ghost of Clough]

9 hours ago, Tyler Durden said:

Find it slightly weird that being 3rd from bottom of the league with a 3rd of the season gone I'm reading comments about the playoffs.

Almost half way through ?

To be honest, we only need to be a top 2 side for the remainder of the season to sneak in on the last day. It's not impossible but it is a massive ask.