Which is great providing we WIN those games.
Our Championship Rivals
- Thread starter ivoralljack
- Start date
Victoria Swan
Key Player
Based on the last five games we are top of the form table. Now instead of instilling me with confidence I'm afraid that just makes me think "this can't go on, we're heading for a fall." I hope I'm wrong. Please make me be wrong!
Victoria Swan
Key Player
Call me superstitious but 4 of the 6 Championship games today were AWAY victories and Forest have won their last three Championship away games ... just saying.
IanABS94
Key Player
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Over the last 5 seasons, the two automatically promoted clubs had GDs of 35 or over. We have 19 games left to add +15. Norwich has 17 games to go to add +20. Similarly, the two automatically promoted clubs typically concede 39 goals or worse. We’ve conceded just 15 goals to date. We’d have to concede 25 goals over our remaining 19 games to even come close to the best typical defensive performances of those promoted clubs. Maintaining our current GA rate we’d concede just 11 more goals, giving us a miserly total of 26, which would shatter the best ever defensive record of Leeds from last season of 35 goals against.
Forget the table as it currently looks. The table only matters after the final whistle on the last game of the season. We have the better odds. Steady as she goes. Football is a funny game, where funny things can bust your balls on any given day. But, we have a tremendous record going into the home stretch. And, we’ve just added quality to our squad.
We’re going to win this league.
Forget the table as it currently looks. The table only matters after the final whistle on the last game of the season. We have the better odds. Steady as she goes. Football is a funny game, where funny things can bust your balls on any given day. But, we have a tremendous record going into the home stretch. And, we’ve just added quality to our squad.
We’re going to win this league.
Behindthegoal
Key Player
How many of our current squad would be fit for purpose in the Premier League?
Or, how much do our owners need to spend to make our squad fit for purpose?
Or, how much do our owners need to spend to make our squad fit for purpose?
CroJack
Key Player
Woodman
Benda
Guehi
Bennett
Latibeaudiere
Cabango
Roberts
Grimes
Fulton
Smith
Dhanda
Bidwell
Manning
Naughton
Hourihane
Lowe
Ayew
Morris
Arriola
Whittaker
Cullen
Woodman
Unless he improves his one-on-one play and positioning he is not for purpose in the Premier League. Anyway, he is not our player.
Benda
Needs a run of games. We simply don't know how good he is. I think he is.
Guehi
Yes, but he is not our player.
Bennett
Yes, I don't see why not. He is reliable, has experience, and performs well week in week out.
Latibeaudiere
Yes, but needs to play regularly. The kid has many qualities. Not our player.
Cabango
Yes. In my opinion, he is one of our most underrated players.
Roberts
Yes. No doubt about it.
Grimes
Yes. He is one of the best defensive midfielders in the Championship.
Fulton
Yes, but has to improve his passing accuracy.
Smith
Yes.
Dhanda
Not yet. He has some speed and an ok shot, but lacks creativity and physical strength.
Bidwell
Yes, as a wing-back. His crosses are great.
Manning
More no than yes. Has some quality, but makes too many sloppy passes. Against Manchester City he was our worst player when it comes to passing accuracy. 48 %.
Naughton
Yes, as a centre-back where he doesn't need to run so much. A clever and experienced player.
Hourihane
He is a Premier League player, but, unfortunately, he is not our player.
Lowe
More no, than yes. He is a good Championship player, but he lacks speed, and he doesn't have technical ability needed for a Premier League winger or striker.
Ayew
Yes. A top professional.
Morris
We don't know. Needs a run of games. Has pace to burn. and is an excellent passer. I like him a lot. Not our player.
Arriola
We don't know. Needs a run of games. Not our player.
Whittaker
One for the future. Needs a run of games. Could be a real gem.
Cullen
More yes, than no. I like him a lot, but he still needs a run of games at this level.
Not much imho. Last week we played against one of the best teams in the world and we did well, apart of a couple of personal mistakes and Woodman's "involvment" in all three goals we conceded. We scored one, and we created a couple of good chances (Fulton and Lowe). We played a weakened team, we were without Bennet, Hourihane, Bidwell and Ayew.
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IanABS94
Key Player
Fair assessment of the squad Cro, I agree with the majority of it. I think we'd struggle in the PL with our current squad but that's to be expected newly promoted. But having a solid core and defence is key to surviving and we have both those so we would be fine in the PL. That said we'd need to spend some of the money on a proper #9 as we don't have one and I agree with you on Lowe.
Latibeudiere is actually our player, he is on a 4 year contract I believe; an astute signing I think and one who can hopefully replace Guehi once he goes back to Chelsea.
If we were to be promoted I'd love to sign Geuhi, Hourihane, and to an extent Morris as I do think he can do it but the rest could go back. Arriola I've not seen enough but I think we could do better than Woodman.
Latibeudiere is actually our player, he is on a 4 year contract I believe; an astute signing I think and one who can hopefully replace Guehi once he goes back to Chelsea.
If we were to be promoted I'd love to sign Geuhi, Hourihane, and to an extent Morris as I do think he can do it but the rest could go back. Arriola I've not seen enough but I think we could do better than Woodman.
CroJack
Key Player
Really? I thought he was signed on loan. That's an excellent news. I like the kid.
Yeah, he is a weak link. If we are to survive in the Premier League the first signing should be an excellent goalkeeper.
We have Cullen and Whittaker, but that's not enough.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Fit for purpose .... what about Rogers‘ squad.? Do you remember names like Monk, Tate, Orlando, Dobbie, Augustine, Gower, Jazz. We had to loan-in Caulker and then in January Siggurdson. We didn’t have a keeper until 4 days before our opening game against City.
We had a style. We had a coach. We finished mid-table.
I think we have a better squad with depth this time around. We would need to buy Guehi. We would need to replace Bennett. We would need to augment Ayew.
We have a style in 3+2. We have the tightest defense our league has ever seen. We have a coach ????? The latter is the key stone. The league has matured and grown in sophistication since Pullis could bully his way through a season. Will Andy Pandy have matured and acquired the guile to compete with his new peers?
We are very unlikely to replace Andy Pandy. And, if we do it will be close to half way through the season with grave risk of relegation. AP is the man.
CroJack
Key Player
Even against our uncompetitive team Man. City needed three personal mistakes from us to score three goals. We gifted them three goals to be precise.
First goal Woodman, second Grimes, and third Lati.
But that's what good teams do, surely? They apply pressure then more pressure and keep doing it until the opposition eventually crack and make mistakes.
CroJack
Key Player
Of course, but they also made a lot of mistakes which we were unable to capitalize on. And if we've had Hourihane, Bennett, Bidwell and Ayew in the starting XI I am pretty sure a) we wouldn't have cracked so easily, and b) it's likely we would've scored a couple of goals.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Indeed, they weren’t all that and then some. Not to diminish Whittaker’s goal, but he was given space/time to execute. He was not picked up running into the box. We had 3 CBs 21 and younger ... which I am just deliriously happy about how they performed as a whole. City’s Jesus is always a potent threat but Cabango handled him pretty well.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Why is Andy Pandy rotating Naughton and Cobango on the right side CB position?