Wouldn't It Be Good...

[StantonRam]

...if we were able to get maximum points from the 7 league matches in Jan/Feb?

21 points would give us 68 at the end of Feb.  Ipswich would then have to pick up at least 2 points per game from their 6 games during the same period in order to avoid being overtaken by us.  Even Sheff Wed would have to start watching their backs.

All these 7 games are winnable IMO.  The team are on such an amazing run right now, and confidence is so high, that I don't think this is just wishful thinking but definitely achievable.  

Warne knows this league inside out, the other teams, managers, players etc.  This is exactly why he was hired.  The tactics and setup v Bolton were a masterstroke, and I really believe that he has what it takes to secure those 21 points.  The final score flattered Bolton a lot IMO.

By then it will probably be clear whether we really are in with a chance of displacing Sheff Wed in 2nd or whether it will probably be playoffs.

Even then, I think we would go into the playoffs as the favourites no matter where we finished.

I truly believe that had PW been in charge from this time last year and in charge of pre season then we would be 1st or 2nd right now, because far fewer of those points would have been dropped before Xmas.

As it is, the gap is probably too large now, but I would like to see us give it a real go anyway.

There is not much to lose by being bold at this point.  Even a couple of defeats would see us still in the top 6, and 3 points from 2 games taking risks and winning 1 and losing 1 is better than 2 points from 2 draws and playing it safe - if that were the choice.

This hastily assembled squad of journeymen and academy products is in fact proving to be greater than the sum of its parts, and long may that continue.

LR2

[Tamworthram]

3 hours ago, LondonRam2 said:

...if we were able to get maximum points from the 7 league matches in Jan/Feb?

21 points would give us 68 at the end of Feb.  Ipswich would then have to pick up at least 2 points per game from their 6 games during the same period in order to avoid being overtaken by us.  Even Sheff Wed would have to start watching their backs.

All these 7 games are winnable IMO.  The team are on such an amazing run right now, and confidence is so high, that I don't think this is just wishful thinking but definitely achievable.  

Warne knows this league inside out, the other teams, managers, players etc.  This is exactly why he was hired.  The tactics and setup v Bolton were a masterstroke, and I really believe that he has what it takes to secure those 21 points.  The final score flattered Bolton a lot IMO.

By then it will probably be clear whether we really are in with a chance of displacing Sheff Wed in 2nd or whether it will probably be playoffs.

Even then, I think we would go into the playoffs as the favourites no matter where we finished.

I truly believe that had PW been in charge from this time last year and in charge of pre season then we would be 1st or 2nd right now, because far fewer of those points would have been dropped before Xmas.

As it is, the gap is probably too large now, but I would like to see us give it a real go anyway.

There is not much to lose by being bold at this point.  Even a couple of defeats would see us still in the top 6, and 3 points from 2 games taking risks and winning 1 and losing 1 is better than 2 points from 2 draws and playing it safe - if that were the choice.

This hastily assembled squad of journeymen and academy products is in fact proving to be greater than the sum of its parts, and long may that continue.

LR2

As the saying goes “one game at a time”. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and risk disappointment if we fail to achieve these bold hopes.

[Crewton]

They're all winnable, but some of them (like tomorrow night, for example) are certainly at the tougher end of the scale. Keeping the undefeated run intact would be a start. 

[Srg]

4 minutes ago, Crewton said:

They're all winnable, but some of them (like tomorrow night, for example) are certainly at the tougher end of the scale. Keeping the undefeated run intact would be a start. 

Always try win your home games and avoid losing away, then you won't be far off. Obviously, in our position that is unlikely to be enough come the end of the season to do more than the playoffs but it will be fun season nonetheless.

[sage]

4 hours ago, LondonRam2 said:

...if we were able to get maximum points from the 7 league matches in Jan/Feb?

21 points would give us 68 at the end of Feb.  Ipswich would then have to pick up at least 2 points per game from their 6 games during the same period in order to avoid being overtaken by us.  Even Sheff Wed would have to start watching their backs.

All these 7 games are winnable IMO.  The team are on such an amazing run right now, and confidence is so high, that I don't think this is just wishful thinking but definitely achievable.  

Warne knows this league inside out, the other teams, managers, players etc.  This is exactly why he was hired.  The tactics and setup v Bolton were a masterstroke, and I really believe that he has what it takes to secure those 21 points.  The final score flattered Bolton a lot IMO.

By then it will probably be clear whether we really are in with a chance of displacing Sheff Wed in 2nd or whether it will probably be playoffs.

Even then, I think we would go into the playoffs as the favourites no matter where we finished.

I truly believe that had PW been in charge from this time last year and in charge of pre season then we would be 1st or 2nd right now, because far fewer of those points would have been dropped before Xmas.

As it is, the gap is probably too large now, but I would like to see us give it a real go anyway.

There is not much to lose by being bold at this point.  Even a couple of defeats would see us still in the top 6, and 3 points from 2 games taking risks and winning 1 and losing 1 is better than 2 points from 2 draws and playing it safe - if that were the choice.

This hastily assembled squad of journeymen and academy products is in fact proving to be greater than the sum of its parts, and long may that continue.

LR2

I'm sure players like Barkhuizen, Hourihane, NML and McGoldrick would love being called journeymen.

They were part of an incredible piece of recruitment and planning by LR.

Rosenoir ought to change his name to Leon as he is slowly being painted out of the revolution by many fans.

 

[Foreveram]

4 hours ago, LondonRam2 said:

...if we were able to get maximum points from the 7 league matches in Jan/Feb?

21 points would give us 68 at the end of Feb.  Ipswich would then have to pick up at least 2 points per game from their 6 games during the same period in order to avoid being overtaken by us.  Even Sheff Wed would have to start watching their backs.

All these 7 games are winnable IMO.  The team are on such an amazing run right now, and confidence is so high, that I don't think this is just wishful thinking but definitely achievable.  

Warne knows this league inside out, the other teams, managers, players etc.  This is exactly why he was hired.  The tactics and setup v Bolton were a masterstroke, and I really believe that he has what it takes to secure those 21 points.  The final score flattered Bolton a lot IMO.

By then it will probably be clear whether we really are in with a chance of displacing Sheff Wed in 2nd or whether it will probably be playoffs.

Even then, I think we would go into the playoffs as the favourites no matter where we finished.

I truly believe that had PW been in charge from this time last year and in charge of pre season then we would be 1st or 2nd right now, because far fewer of those points would have been dropped before Xmas.

As it is, the gap is probably too large now, but I would like to see us give it a real go anyway.

There is not much to lose by being bold at this point.  Even a couple of defeats would see us still in the top 6, and 3 points from 2 games taking risks and winning 1 and losing 1 is better than 2 points from 2 draws and playing it safe - if that were the choice.

This hastily assembled squad of journeymen and academy products is in fact proving to be greater than the sum of its parts, and long may that continue.

LR2

To play 7 league games in January/ February we will have to lose against West Ham.

[Archied]

17 minutes ago, sage said:

I'm sure players like Barkhuizen, Hourihane, NML and McGoldrick would love being called journeymen.

They were part of an incredible piece of recruitment and planning by LR.

Rosenoir ought to change his name to Leon as he is slowly being painted out of the revolution by many fans.

 

It’s unfair to not give rosenior some credit for his part in recruiting but warne is also getting so much more from those players, we are still playing football , a lot of the goals and chances created are an absolute joy to watch , for me though we are playing football in the right area of the pitch now ,, not across the back line , fozzy was fantastic in the main again on Saturday, right decisions ie lump it or put it out of play when needed 

[May Contain Nuts]

1 hour ago, sage said:

Rosenoir ought to change his name to Leon as he is slowly being painted out of the revolution by many fans.

You've got to remember than Warne has been tasked with righting the magnitude of wrongs under Rosenior's heinous reign though.

He literally never let any of his players pass the ball forward, or to anyone more than 3 yards away from them, instructed the midfield players not to shoot and forced his defenders to give it to the opposition in front of our own goal 4 times every match whilst completely neglecting to do any sort of fitness drills in training.

It should have taken us years to recover, but Warne's done it in under 4 months.

[MadAmster]

Win our game in hand, which is the rearranged Cheltenham game, and we are just 1 point behind Ipswich so, if we win all 7 Ipswich would need to average around 2.8 points per game to stay ahead.

If PW had been here last summer?, would he have signed Barkhuizen, Hourihane, NML and McGoldrick? We don't know.

Too many fans thinking vaguaries are facts.

Me? LR did a great job with recruitment. Wanted the players to be more adventurous going forward, take risks, look for the forward pass. He said so in several interviews. Players like Sibs corroborated that in interviews. I think we would have now been higher up the League than we were when LR left. I am also of the opinion that we wouldn't be as high as PW has got us. I will, however, be eternally grateful for LR's recruitment job. I expected midtable at the start of the season and thought anything better would be a very acceptable bonus. To be where we are is amazing. Barring accidents, playoffs is looking good and top 2 will be hard but not impossible. Let's enjoy the ride.

[Van der MoodHoover]

6 hours ago, sage said:

I'm sure players like Barkhuizen, Hourihane, NML and McGoldrick would love being called journeymen.

They were part of an incredible piece of recruitment and planning by LR.

Rosenoir ought to change his name to Leon as he is slowly being painted out of the revolution by many fans.

 

Would you foster him then mate?

[Carl Sagan]

6 hours ago, sage said:

I'm sure players like Barkhuizen, Hourihane, NML and McGoldrick would love being called journeymen.

They were part of an incredible piece of recruitment and planning by LR.

Rosenoir ought to change his name to Leon as he is slowly being painted out of the revolution by many fans.

 

6 hours ago, Archied said:

It’s unfair to not give rosenior some credit for his part in recruiting but warne is also getting so much more from those players, we are still playing football , a lot of the goals and chances created are an absolute joy to watch , for me though we are playing football in the right area of the pitch now ,, not across the back line , fozzy was fantastic in the main again on Saturday, right decisions ie lump it or put it out of play when needed 

Warne has been fulsome in praise of Rosenior and his recruitment. Voluntarily rather than being asked about it. But in terms of playing style, we were Rosenior's toy, his experiment, to see if it was possible to play Man City-style football with third division players and still get out of the third division (in the right direction). His plan was for a complete disruption of the football world with a lower league team playing a sweeper keeper, passing it back and forth across the back and slowly probing for an opening. Instead, Warne has already been promoted three times from this division using a traditional, pragmatic style, knows what it takes and is trying to make it happen. I'd argue there's a better chance of promotion both this season and next having made the switch. But, as has been said, I don't think Warne would have got Rosenior's signings in, or persuaded some of the other lads to stay, had he arrived in the summer with Clowes.

Wouldn't it be good to win all the January and February games? Looking above us in the table to Wednesday and Plymouth,  I'd say wouldn't it be good to be in your shoes. Let's have a bit of Nik...

 

[DavesaRam]

The difference is on the manager's philosophy. In a recent interview Max Bird said that Warne was encouraging them to paly their natural game, and I think that is the difference. So instead of receiving the ball, then looking up the appropriate section in the Rosenior Method of Football Theory manual, our lads are now doing what comes naturally. Add in the fact that the squad is now fitter than a butcher's dog and i think we have the difference.

It is not as though Warne has turned us into a hoofball team, even though he had us play longer in both our matches against Bolton. Liam's teams were lovely to watch as they skimmed the ball around the first two-thirds of the pitch, but our play is just as nice on the eye, although we have to be more attentive as the play is now so much faster and more decisive, and it's further up the pitch as well.

The difference between the two regimes is incalculable, even though it's the same players! It is very similar to when Steve Maclaren took over from Nigel Clough. IIRC when Steve landed at Pride Park, we went 3 - 0 down in the first half, then he breezed into the changing room and we ended up at 3 - 3, and the season turned around from then on. We went from fear and caution to belief in what we can do, and freedom to do it!

[Blondest Goat]

Anyone would think we were bottom of the table with no points when Warne took over.  The absolute drivel people write about Rosenior's style of play.   It was possession based football.  Nowhere near as revolutionary or controversial as some seem to think.   

[Rammy03]

4 hours ago, Carl Sagan said:

 

Warne has been fulsome in praise of Rosenior and his recruitment. Voluntarily rather than being asked about it. But in terms of playing style, we were Rosenior's toy, his experiment, to see if it was possible to play Man City-style football with third division players and still get out of the third division (in the right direction). His plan was for a complete disruption of the football world with a lower league team playing a sweeper keeper, passing it back and forth across the back and slowly probing for an opening. Instead, Warne has already been promoted three times from this division using a traditional, pragmatic style, knows what it takes and is trying to make it happen. I'd argue there's a better chance of promotion both this season and next having made the switch. But, as has been said, I don't think Warne would have got Rosenior's signings in, or persuaded some of the other lads to stay, had he arrived in the summer with Clowes.

Wouldn't it be good to win all the January and February games? Looking above us in the table to Wednesday and Plymouth,  I'd say wouldn't it be good to be in your shoes. Let's have a bit of Nik...

 

It's not even that Warne is using a 'traditional, pragmatic style.' It's just better football, by a long way. We play quickly, we score goals, we press the life out of teams. It's a great watch. 

[Rammy03]

3 minutes ago, Blondest Goat said:

Anyone would think we were bottom of the table with no points when Warne took over.  The absolute drivel people write about Rosenior's style of play.   It was possession based football.  Nowhere near as revolutionary or controversial as some seem to think.   

It was possession based football but completely ineffective. Some of the away games were really boring to watch.

Edited January 23, 2023 by Rammy03

[Blondest Goat]

10 minutes ago, Rammy03 said:

It was possession based football but completely ineffective. Some of the away games were really boring to watch.

7th in the table isn't completely ineffective.  

[Carl Sagan]

37 minutes ago, Blondest Goat said:

Anyone would think we were bottom of the table with no points when Warne took over.  The absolute drivel people write about Rosenior's style of play.   It was possession based football.  Nowhere near as revolutionary or controversial as some seem to think.   

We hadn't scored an away goal all season. The other managers in the division were commenting on Wildsmith's peculiar enforced positioning which no one had tried in this division before, and starting to target it as a weird element to the system. We were being pressed into errors and when we beat the press, the players seemed so relieved they turned around and played it back to the keeper and along the back line (so the press could begin again).

[Blondest Goat]

4 minutes ago, Carl Sagan said:

We hadn't scored an away goal all season. The other managers in the division were commenting on Wildsmith's peculiar enforced positioning which no one had tried in this division before, and starting to target it as a weird element to the system. We were being pressed into errors and when we beat the press, the players seemed so relieved they turned around and played it back to the keeper and along the back line (so the press could begin again).

There's some truth in everything that you say there but things were nowhere near as bad as you make them out to be.   

We didn't score in how many away games? 4 was it or 5?  That's not a massive sample size is it?  We had 26 shots away at Fleetwood, 9 on target.  Could've easily won 3 or 4 nil.

Knight and Collins both missed sitters against Charlton.  Was that Roseniors fault too?

Just seems that a few on here can't celebrate success under Warne without making snide remarks about LR and rewriting history in order to make their point.

[RoyMac5]

8 minutes ago, Blondest Goat said:

Just seems that a few on here can't celebrate success under Warne without making snide remarks about LR and rewriting history in order to make their point.

Maybe it's because that although Rosenior was indeed a very decent bloke (cf Cocu) some of us thought he wasn't going to be succesful here. Others also thought his style of football was intensely dull. The remarks don't tend to be 'snide' but might be suggesting that Rosenior wasn't the one: which his followers take to be snide and disrespectful. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by RoyMac5

[Blondest Goat]

10 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Maybe it's because that although Rosenior was indeed a very decent bloke (cf Cocu) some of us thought he wasn't going to be succesful here. Others also thought his style of football was intensely dull. The remarks don't tend to be 'snide' but might be suggesting that Rosenior wasn't the one: which his followers take to be snide and disrespectful. 

I'm not talking about sensible comments suggesting he wasn't going to be successful I'm talking about the utter breeze some people spout.  

I would agree that the football we played under him could sometimes be quite dull.  It was often too slow and easy for defences to organize themselves against.  

But even if we agree that it sometimes might have been a bit boring and easy to play against we still won games, some comfortably, and we were still 7th in the table.  That's not how some people paint it.   

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Blondest Goat
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