Halfway point

[Silent Blade]

38 points from 23 games is better than I expected before the start of the season and especially after the first two games of the season. Another 38 points from the next 23 games should see us in the play off places at the end of the season.

With the January transfer window to come, we do not seem to have injury problems like we did at this stage last season also the squad is stronger than we were at this stage last season.

We have 12 home games to play and 8 of them are against teams who are currently in the bottom half of the table (all the bottom 5 placed teams have to play at the Lane)

#staypositive!

 

[Rodley]

We’re ahead of where I expected. Merry Christmas to that

 

[zablade]

Way ahead of where I expected on day one.

I thought we would be hanging around 10th to 15th most of the season.

 

[yorkshirecoast]

Decent start overall but frustrating that we haven’t got the points we should have. Even more frustrating that our owners continue to hold us back. A little bit more quality and athleticism added in January would make all the difference.

 

[Fanny magnet]

We are over achieving but I'm afraid the bulk of the players don't have the belief or desire to push on

 

[Rob86]

Just checked and on Christmas Day last year we were 7th on 38 pts ! Which is as consistent as you can get ! A little disappointed as I feel we are stronger in terms of recruitment but then again I think the league has improved overall.

After the 3 Christmas games we were on 42 pts and 7th. Beat Sunderland, lost to Bolton and drew at Derby. We opted to buy last January and none of those players had any impact.

I’d take a draw, win, draw sequence over the next 3 games and then pray we can get some decent loans in.

The season again hinges on January.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Just checked and on Christmas Day last year we were 7th on 38 pts ! Which is as consistent as you can get !

Indeed, with the same played and same number of goals.

Last season
P23 W12 D2 L9 F36 A29 D7 Pts38

This season
P23 W11 D5 L7 F36 A27 D9 Pts38

 

[Rob86]

Indeed, with the same played and same number of goals.

Last season
P23 W12 D2 L9 F36 A29 D7 Pts38

This season
P23 W11 D5 L7 F36 A27 D9 Pts38

Bloody hell and 2 less conceded and lost. Slowly improving

Ignore the wins !

 

[Silent Blade]

Indeed, with the same played and same number of goals.

Last season
P23 W12 D2 L9 F36 A29 D7 Pts38

This season
P23 W11 D5 L7 F36 A27 D9 Pts38

In 1969-70 (I started being a Lane regular in January) we scored 73 goals, conceded 38 but finished 6th
In 1970-71 we scored 73, conceded 39 but finished 2nd and got promoted!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

6th at Christmas is bloody good. I think only Norwich out of the top 6 will fall by the wayside with plenty more pushing on for that top 6 position. If only we had a fucking board that would back Wilder we would be challenging for automatic.

 

[bromtom]

Just checked and on Christmas Day last year we were 7th on 38 pts ! Which is as consistent as you can get ! A little disappointed as I feel we are stronger in terms of recruitment but then again I think the league has improved overall.

After the 3 Christmas games we were on 42 pts and 7th. Beat Sunderland, lost to Bolton and drew at Derby. We opted to buy last January and none of those players had any impact.

I’d take a draw, win, draw sequence over the next 3 games and then pray we can get some decent loans in.

The season again hinges on January.

We are substantially stronger but also substantially more ridiculous when it comes to defending for some reason.

When you look at them individually you think, that's quality, 3 good defenders, good keeper, decent wingbacks defending wise, but as a unit we don't half ship some stupid goals.

Needs work.

A RWB and a CAM away from a push for the playoffs.

 

[Topplayersleave]

January Transfer Window...… That's a laugh
We're doing better than expected but this season has a very last year look about it, the team has a very last year look about it and the boardroom has a very 19th century look about it

 

[Rob86]

We are substantially stronger but also substantially more ridiculous when it comes to defending for some reason.

When you look at them individually you think, that's quality, 3 good defenders, good keeper, decent wingbacks defending wise, but as a unit we don't half ship some stupid goals.

Needs work.

A RWB and a CAM away from a push for the playoffs.

They’re essential positions, a striker on top and 6th is more realistic. Bringing Clarke or Washington on is just depressing.

 

[Pollingtonblade]

We will fade out just like last year, arguably its self inflicted this year, last year we blamed it on Coutts.

I am sick and tired of us dominating teams but failing to capitalise- god only knows how bewildered Wilder must be.

Tough game at home in Boxing Day.

 

[Roygbiv]

I don't think we are much stronger than last season at the moment to be honest. Egan is a step up on Stearman and Norwood is better than Evans but still not as consistent as Coutts was.

For all Mcgoldricks skill, we are actually weaker in the forward areas as we have lost the Leon Clarke of last season. Those 19 goals he got haven't been replaced and neither has a game changer like Brooks was.

 

[Deadbat]

I am not sure where this 'we have a stronger squad' comes from. We forget Blackman was great last season for the most part and even though Henderson is better the keeping positon was fine las year. Coutts and Norwood not much in it for the first half. Bith have been very good. Coutts might have been more consistent. Egan is better than Stearman but we had Clarke and Brookes last year on form. The bench options are still very poor. Not sure there is much in it but we had Brooks around most of the season. Donaldson v Washington - not much in it. The former at least got some goals.

We have a slightly better starting eleven but as Roy says Clarke was scoring for fun. Outside of the eleven the drop off is huge.

 

[Topplayersleave]

I'm not sure a new striker would work, I mean we're not going to sign a good one, so why waste money ?

 

[Silent Blade]

I don't think we are much stronger than last season at the moment to be honest. Egan is a step up on Stearman and Norwood is better than Evans but still not as consistent as Coutts was.

For all Mcgoldricks skill, we are actually weaker in the forward areas as we have lost the Leon Clarke of last season. Those 19 goals he got haven't been replaced and neither has a game changer like Brooks was.

Brooks got ill at this stage last season and was out for weeks, when he came back he was a long way to the player he was and is now. Clarke scored only 5 goals in the 2nd half of last season. This means we are stronger than we were at this point last season.

 

[Roygbiv]

I am not sure where this 'we have a stronger squad' comes from. We forget Blackman was great last season for the most part and even though Henderson is better the keeping positon was fine las year. Coutts and Norwood not much in it for the first half. Bith have been very good. Coutts might have been more consistent. Egan is better than Stearman but we had Clarke and Brookes last year on form. The bench options are still very poor. Not sure there is much in it but we had Brooks around most of the season. Donaldson v Washington - not much in it. The former at least got some goals.

We have a slightly better starting eleven but as Roy says Clarke was scoring for fun. Outside of the eleven the drop off is huge.

I think we have slightly progressed with the signings of Egan and Norwood. Everything else is identical or worse than last season.

January ruined any hopes of promotion last season. Just have to hope we manage to pull something unexpected out this time

 

[Roygbiv]

Brooks got ill at this stage last season and was out for weeks, when he came back he was a long way to the player he was and is now. Clarke scored only 5 goals in the 2nd half of last season. This means we are stronger than we were at this point last season.

Even taking that into account I don't see how it makes us stronger. We haven't replaced Brooks or Clarke at all no matter how bad they were in the latter half of the season.

 

[Silent Blade]

I am not sure where this 'we have a stronger squad' comes from. We forget Blackman was great last season for the most part and even though Henderson is better the keeping positon was fine las year. Coutts and Norwood not much in it for the first half. Bith have been very good. Coutts might have been more consistent. Egan is better than Stearman but we had Clarke and Brookes last year on form. The bench options are still very poor. Not sure there is much in it but we had Brooks around most of the season. Donaldson v Washington - not much in it. The former at least got some goals.

We have a slightly better starting eleven but as Roy says Clarke was scoring for fun. Outside of the eleven the drop off is huge.

We didnt have Norwood at this point of last season and Coutts was out for the rest of the season,Brooks got ill at this stage last season and was out for weeks, when he came back he was a long way to the player he was and is now. Clarke scored only 5 goals in the 2nd half of last season. This means we are stronger than we were at this point last season.

 

[Silent Blade]

January Transfer Window...… That's a laugh
We're doing better than expected but this season has a very last year look about it, the team has a very last year look about it and the boardroom has a very 19th century look about it

Wait and See!

 

[Silent Blade]

I'm not sure a new striker would work, I mean we're not going to sign a good one, so why waste money ?

You always try to ruin a constructive thread! Dont believe you are a Blade!

 

[alcoblade]

I think we have slightly progressed with the signings of Egan and Norwood. Everything else is identical or worse than last season.

January ruined any hopes of promotion last season. Just have to hope we manage to pull something unexpected out this time

We tried the usual “crop of the league below”, which had been successful up to that point - but we need better to move on.

At least he managed to move those players on. In the past we’d have been stuck with them for 3 years.

 

[Silent Blade]

January ruined any hopes of promotion last season. Just have to hope we manage to pull something unexpected out this time

Wait and see!

 

[Silent Blade]

Even taking that into account I don't see how it makes us stronger. We haven't replaced Brooks or Clarke at all no matter how bad they were in the latter half of the season.

Clarke lost form and Brooks was unavailable for most of the 2nd half of last season. Do you have a Crystal Ball for the next 23 games of this season?

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Clarke lost form and Brooks was unavailable for most of the 2nd half of last season. Do you have a Crystal Ball for the next 23 games of this season?

No crystal ball but we can’t go on throwing games away or rather not putting teams away when we’re on the front foot.

 

[Roygbiv]

Clarke lost form and Brooks was unavailable for most of the 2nd half of last season. Do you have a Crystal Ball for the next 23 games of this season?

I could say the same to you! I don't see how you can say we are stronger when, no matter how bad they played, we haven't replaced Clarke or Brooks yet!

 

[BushBlade]

I could say the same to you! I don't see how you can say we are stronger when, no matter how bad they played, we haven't replaced Clarke or Brooks yet!

Because we’ve got where we are without them this season. Last season we needed them to get us to the same point but when they both fell away, we did.

 

[Deadbat]

Wait and see!

I have been waiting and seeing for every close seasontransfer window for the last 40 years. Usually to be let down! With the current boardroom turmoil not sure I have any faith this one is going to be any different.

We are going for Prem loans it seems. Does anyone think any of the current top 6 plus Villa, Stoke etc will not have far greater spending power than us to get these same players from the small pool of quality we will be fighting for. Heard Dowell is going back to Forest for instance who will blow us out of the water in wages. We simply won't or can't compete with likes of Villa (Abraham etc). I hope I am wrong but I see others as getting much stronger and us just doing what we normally do and scraping and scrambling for whats left or the odd lower league punt.