Where will we finish?

[Snowflake]

I think it might be plyoffs again..

A charging Watford and our incessant injuries are a big worry for me.

Look out for Coventry also

 

[VictoryBlade]

Zulu Dawn, memories of last match of the season, win and we qualify for Europe, Ken Furphy in charge. Got ran all over the ground and then had the coach window put through on the way home. Freeeeezing.
nope don’t like Birmingham

Yes, I remember too I was there!

 

[Constantly Optimistic...]

We have the squad and ability to be runaway champions. Cut out injuries, we'll be there. One will come from the pack, West Brom, maybe Preston, but I don't see too much opposition. Burnley have the momentum and favouritism like Florist last year. Blackburn are in a weirdly false position. They've been gash most of the season. Top 2 will do me and what we deserve tbh. But we need to start planning for EPL. No good getting there and being thrashed every week. The gap is getting bigger.

 

[Constantly Optimistic...]

Yes, I remember too I was there!

And me, let's hope it's done and dusted by then....

 

[blade too long]

Im convinced we will have the tools to complete the job and to win the title which we should have won more than what we have in our history.
We need to balance the shortage in finishing top of this league
its as good a chance as we have had ,, Id take second now but I would love to see us take the shiny object we play for

 

[Proper Blade]

Playoffs. I think these three things will ultimately stuff our automatic chances:

1. Injuries (I just don't see them slowing down)
2. Away form (we're still playing shit away from home and still have to play Burnley, Norwich, QPR and Blackburn)
3. Inconsistency (how can we go from Burnley at home to Rotherham at home in the space of a few days?)

Hope I'm wrong, obviously.

 

[LJBlade]

Playoffs. I think these three things will ultimately stuff our automatic chances:

1. Injuries (I just don't see them slowing down)
2. Away form (we're still playing shit away from home and still have to play Burnley, Norwich, QPR and Blackburn)
3. Inconsistency (how can we go from Burnley at home to Rotherham at home in the space of a few days?)

Hope I'm wrong, obviously.

1. I think this depends on how long those coming back from injury are given to fully recover before being re-introduced to the team.
2. Surprisingly, if you take results from away games only we're top of the league. We've taken 2 more more points way from home than we have at home, though we've played a game more.
3. The Burnley/Rotherham thing was more about how the opposition played against us. Burnley were much more open and attacking, allowing us to play our own game. Rotherham didn't allow that. They stopped us playing down the wings and through the middle to our strikers feet, meaning we were often forced to go long. That game was just as much about how well Rotherham played us than it was about how poorly we played. And Rotherham deserve much more credit for it than they got. We'll not see that level of inconsistency between two back to back games again all season.

 

[brownblade]

I think it might be plyoffs again..

A charging Watford and our incessant injuries are a big worry for me.

Sarr might finally leave Watford if he does anything notable in the World Cup. Tends to start for Senegal.

Watford could come on regardless though, I agree a charge is possible from them.

Still fancy us overall though.

 

[Proper Blade]

1. I think this depends on how long those coming back from injury are given to fully recover before being re-introduced to the team.
2. Surprisingly, if you take results from away games only we're top of the league. We've taken 2 more more points way from home than we have at home, though we've played a game more.
3. The Burnley/Rotherham thing was more about how the opposition played against us. Burnley were much more open and attacking, allowing us to play our own game. Rotherham didn't allow that. They stopped us playing down the wings and through the middle to our strikers feet, meaning we were often forced to go long. That game was just as much about how well Rotherham played us than it was about how poorly we played. And Rotherham deserve much more credit for it than they got. We'll not see that level of inconsistency between two back to back games again all season.

1. We don't appear to be learning from it, and keep doing it regardless when we have other options.
2. Yes, I know. But we never play well away from home and eventually that will catch up with us - particularly when we play the stronger teams.
3. A team looking for automatic promotion should be capable of adapting. Rotherham shouldn't be forcing us to do anything - we should be good enough to play around them. Don't want to sound arrogant, but if you want to be top 2 then it shouldn't matter if a relegation-threatened team comes and plays well against you. Your best should be easily capable of beating them.

 

[LJBlade]

1. We don't appear to be learning from it, and keep doing it regardless when we have other options.
2. Yes, I know. But we never play well away from home and eventually that will catch up with us - particularly when we play the stronger teams.
3. A team looking for automatic promotion should be capable of adapting. Rotherham shouldn't be forcing us to do anything - we should be good enough to play around them. Don't want to sound arrogant, but if you want to be top 2 then it shouldn't matter if a relegation-threatened team comes and plays well against you. Your best should be easily capable of beating them.

1. In recent weeks we haven't had many other options.
2. Or, we might start playing better away from home. This is probably injuries permitting though.
3. That's an extremely simplistic way of looking at it. Teams towards the bottom of the league, on paper, shouldn't be beating those at the top but that's not how football works. Sometimes the opposition just gets it right, like with Brentford against Man City at the weekend. We had similar results the last time we were promoted (the two 0-0's against Wednesday being good examples).

"Your best should be easily capable of beating them". And we might have seen that happen, had we been able to play our best.

 

[Jimmy Fleck]

3. That's an extremely simplistic way of looking at it. Teams towards the bottom of the league, on paper, shouldn't be beating those at the top but that's not how football works. Sometimes the opposition just gets it right, like with Brentford against Man City at the weekend. We had similar results the last time we were promoted (the two 0-0's against Wednesday being good examples).

"Your best should be easily capable of beating them". And we might have seen that happen, had we been able to play our best.

This is football, it’s not like Rotherham were dominant, they defended well and took their chance that we gave to them and their keeper pulled off a couple of good saves, another day we equalise and potentially go onto win.

 

[Charlieblade]

This club is managing second In the league, after missing top players for long periods.

Imagine just a few of them coming back, and it doesn’t take much to see us top again at the important end of the season.

 

[Charlieblade]

Very few clubs have schooled Burnley. We have.

 

[Bell4]

Norwood stays fit - top
Norwood gets injured - bottom

Fact - stats support it

 

[sufcboy95]

Keep players fit then 2nd. Carries on like at min with injuries everyweek then 4th

 

[metalblade]

I have voted play off's though if we could pick a team from the full squad I don't see any better team and we could end up champions. The trouble we have at the moment is we always have at least 10 players injured no sooner does one come back than another one picks up an injury. The amount of soft tissue injuries is just stupid, contact injuries you can't do much about but we have to question are the preparation and training methods right so many of our player pull up before 30mins playing time, do they actually do any warm up exercises before the game? We are never going to be consistent putting out a patched up tired looking team week in week out sometimes we are very good other times we are very poor, not sure Hecky has a plan B either, that's why I think we will get pipped at the post for a top two finish.

 

[Houston_Blade]

With the way we seem to accumulating injuries I think we'll end up scraping the play offs. It's not just the injury and player missing, it's reintegrating them back into the starting 11. It will be the new year before we see anything like our strongest 11 on the pitch together.

 

[Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou]

Injuries and strengthing in Janaury will be the difference from top 2 to the POs. (Midfielder and a striker)

 

[Guesty]

8th. Injuries show no sign of abating and will begin to bite more as they compound (players run into the ground because they're the only ones fit etc.)

 

[Blackheath Blade]

I've gone for us to finish as champions. I haven't seen any team so far to put the shits up us and I firmly believe that with a (mostly) fully fit squad, we'll be too strong for a lot of the teams in the division.
Hopefully get the hobbling wounded back after the World Cup break, maybe a couple of cheeky signings in January, some better consistency with our performances and we've every chance of lifting one of the most iconic trophies in British football.

 

[10-0 win]

We,re 6th in the hometable,1st on the awaytable so far.

 

[Charlieblade]

It should be turned to our advantage. With PH constantly having to tinker with, defence, midfield and attack, sometimes all 3 in one game, It could be difficult for opposition managers to come up with a tactical approach.
The only near certainty will be some version of 5-3-2! I cannot remember starting any game this season with most of our first choice players available?
Of course there are known advantages of having a settled team out every week, but that option has been denied to the manager in our first 21 matches!

 

[cahill]

Injury situation improves Champions, otherwise 2nd