Anybody still think that we will turn this around?

[CarrickBall]

We really haven’t. Where were Forest, Huddersfield, Luton at this stage last season? I think we were 14th in November and got as high as 4th in February. This is a tight league. It’s the reason people love it, because seasons are generally alive until the middle of March.

Luton finished 6th last season, losing 13 games.

Generally it's between 10-14 defeats for play-off contenders.

We've already lost 4 from 9. That's us losing 45% of our games.

Can you see us only losing another 6-10 games this season? From 37 more games? That's us only losing around 20% of our remaining games.

I personally think we've got absolutely no chance.

 

[Steer]

It's early days, but the performances I have seen, even the wins, do not lead me to believe that we are going to be anywhere near the playoffs. The jitters and petrified defense were clear to see even in our win against Sunderland.

I'm usually glass half full, but I cant see how we can possibly push for promotion at the moment. .

 

[MickaelDebevePhenomenal]

I do.

I still see us in top six come the end of the season and CW in charge.

I'm hopeful rather than expectant. We need a few tweaks in team selection and an upturn in form in a few key positions and we will be fine.

I am also clinging to the fact that the championship is very open. Look at Reading, they are 4th but they were dreadful against the mackems and not much better than us. Can all change very quickly

 

[CarrickBall]

We have every chance of finishing top 6 if this team starts to gel. We've had some good performances without getting the results we deserved, but we've lost the games in which we were poor.

In this division you can draw 12 and lose 12 and finish in the top 6 on 78 points. This early in the season it doesn't take much to get back on track - win 5 or 6 of the next 9 and we'll be in the hunt and more crucially, in good form with more than half the season to go.

Obviously there's no guarantee that we will turn it around, but it's nonsense to suggest we've already lost too many games to challenge for the top 6.

Of course it's not nonsense, it's all relative. Look at our team!

Mathematically no of course it's not over, but look at the amount of defeats already, look at the actual team and look at the remaining amount of games we'd have to avoid defeats in.

It's like saying Huddersfield can still win the title.. they've only lost 6 games, Fulham won the league losing 10 so they can still do it and are on track.

 

[Boro4life]

Aye winning the league is inevitable when you have the quality in our squad. Just need the manager to be sacked next week

 

[MickaelDebevePhenomenal]

Luton finished 6th last season, losing 13 games.

Generally it's between 10-14 defeats for play-off contenders.

We've already lost 4 from 9. That's us losing 45% of our games.

Can you see us only losing another 6-10 games this season? From 37 more games? That's us only losing around 20% of our remaining games.

I personally think we've got absolutely no chance.

We certainly need an upturn in form.

Automatic is generally 2pts a game or 92pts over a season.

Playoffs around 75. For us to get 75 pts we need 66 pts over our next 37 games, just over 2pts a game, So essentially we need Top 2 form to finish 6th!

 

[atomicloonybin aka ALB]

From the start I didn't think we'd seriously challenge for the top two, and if we got in the play offs it'd be one of those "who's sat in 6th when the music stops" things; then it's up for grabs.

I actually think we've got a pretty average team propped up by a couple of marquee players; and I didn't think we'd miss Tav as much. The central midfield is a mess; identikit players taking up space who can't drive the team forward and relying on a 34 year old to play 46 games, and we seem unable to consistently defend. Couple of injuries, suspensions and we've got real problems. The one bright spot is that we might finally have found a striker albeit on loan who can score the 15 or so that we need rather than do it by committee.

It'd take an almighty effort to get relegated I think, but it feels like - unless we start winning and playing well for 90 minutes rather than in spots of 20 minutes - another season where it's drifting away again.

 

[viv_andersons_nana]

Luton finished 6th last season, losing 13 games.

Generally it's between 10-14 defeats for play-off contenders.

We've already lost 4 from 9. That's us losing 45% of our games.

Can you see us only losing another 6-10 games this season? From 37 more games? That's us only losing around 20% of our remaining games.

I personally think we've got absolutely no chance.

Well if we’d beaten Luton at Kenilworth Road last season instead of capitulating then we’d have made the playoffs at their expense. So it’s a very fine line and our records were obviously very similar.

Luton P46 W21 D12 L13 F63 A55 PTS75
Boro P46 W20 D10 L16 F59 A50 PTS70

Can I see us only losing another 6-10 games this season? Yes. Can I see us putting a run together? Yes. This group has done it before. Under this manager in fact. Is this a 70-75 points group of players? Possibly. One or two good additions and we’d be well up there. That’s just the nature of this league.

You don’t write seasons off in September. I mean, what’s the point? Are you going to bother with watching the rest of the season or just wait for the next one to start?

 

[uncle_rico]

No. I think we'll finish mid-table somewhere, below where we did last season. Maybe top 12. Wilder may walk at some point, possibly at the end of the season, don't think he'll be sacked.

You have to be Woodgate-level shyte to get relegated from this league, but 75 points takes a lot of consistency.

Tuesday night was Woodgate level shyte

 

[Ipad1977]

Because this is a group of players that hasn’t had time to settle down yet. A lot of them have shown themselves to be good second-tier players. There’s some real quality there in Muniz and Giles. This isn’t too dissimilar a group that went from 14th to 4th last season, in fact with Muniz and Giles and a better ‘keeper you’d say it *should* be stronger.

It needs settling down. My main two issues are the number of long balls being played and the gaps at the back. Both of those things can be corrected on the training ground within a fortnight.

I'd agree with this, but you also have to factor in the loss of Tav. Can we achieve a Top 6 finish this season with this group of players and not strengthening until January? Of course. But we need to be fairly consistent and that needs to start rapidly.

 

[Hazzinho]

No, I can't see the situation improving, he'll stick with the formation as he did at Sheffield Utd, it's not working at all.

 

[viv_andersons_nana]

Yes would definitely say Tav is a massive loss to us. I personally think that’s what’s p*ssed Wilder off more than anything else, not replacing him.

 

[CarrickBall]

Well if we’d beaten Luton at Kenilworth Road last season instead of capitulating then we’d have made the playoffs at their expense. So it’s a very fine line and our records were obviously very similar.

Luton P46 W21 D12 L13 F63 A55 PTS75
Boro P46 W20 D10 L16 F59 A50 PTS70

Can I see us only losing another 6-10 games this season? Yes. Can I see us putting a run together? Yes. This group has done it before. Under this manager in fact. Is this a 70-75 points group of players? Possibly. One or two good additions and we’d be well up there. That’s just the nature of this league.

You don’t write seasons off in September. I mean, what’s the point? Are you going to bother with watching the rest of the season or just wait for the next one to start?

Of course I'm going to keep watching it, I don't only go to the games when I think we're going to get promoted, obviously.

I'm also realistic though.. and we need to go from 1 point per game (around relegation form what we're in now) to around 2 points per game (automatic promotion form) to get in and around the playoffs.

That's got to be automatic promotion form from now, with this group of players, not in January. We're looking for around 65 more points from this point to be in the mix. No chance.

 

[Redwurzel]

Looking with a positive hat on

The 6th play off place looks wide open possibly the 5th one too.

If Luton had lost on the last day of last season they would have been in play offs with 72 points and 14 defeats.

I think our performances overall have not been full reflected in results

Obviously though we need to step up - the number of goals conceeded this season is a concern and needs working doing on. As the Cardiff showed we were not defending throughout the team in the first half anything like the standrd required and it was the same at QPR - 6 points thrown away.

 

[viv_andersons_nana]

Of course I'm going to keep watching it, I don't only go to the games when I think we're going to get promoted, obviously.

I'm also realistic though.. and we need to go from 1 point per game (around relegation form what we're in now) to around 2 points per game (automatic promotion form) to get in and around the playoffs.

That's got to be automatic promotion form from now, with this group of players, not in January. We're looking for around 65 more points from this point to be in the mix. No chance.

Did you think we had any chance of getting as high as 4th with the group of players Warnock left behind? Taking into account the form we were in and had been in during the back end of the previous season.

You keep saying ‘no chance’ as if it’s a fact, when the actual fact is that loads of teams have started slowly and then put a run on and climbed the league. Including Boro.

 

[Jonny Ingbar]

Of course we can turn it around, but the start has been underwhelming for sure.

But we are a work in progress and Wilder needs time, otherwise its a pointless appointment.

I'd don't buy into a lot of the current criticism, most of it is without any merit, but he - and the players - are under a lot of pressure at the moment.

Let's hope they can react in the same way.

 

[BoroMart]

I do.

I still see us in top six come the end of the season and CW in charge.

something needs to click. We need to resolve the conundrum of our CM, sometimes answers come from left field, maybe someone plays out of position, maybe, we play a second striker and other teams get petrified and change to try and nullify giving our midfield time and space? Maybe Howson at 8 and Luongo or Stephens (if we sign him) at CDM changes the whole dynamic.....but something has to spark an improvement when out of possession.

Despite the results I don't think we are a million miles away, we are being heavily punished, for every error, and not having much luck with refs. But we are looking good in possession Reading was the only game we haven't scored, and even then we could/should have had 3 in the last 15 mins

 

[CarrickBall]

Did you think we had any chance of getting as high as 4th with the group of players Warnock left behind? Taking into account the form we were in and had been in during the back end of the previous season.

You keep saying ‘no chance’ as if it’s a fact, when the actual fact is that loads of teams have started slowly and then put a run on and climbed the league. Including Boro.

There was a drastic change last season though Viv which saw that upturn in form. We changed our manager. Any rot, any bad atmosphere, any lack of confidence, any poor relationships in the changing rooms, are gone. Fresh start. You've got a spark, new manager bounce, breath of fresh air..

Where's that coming from now?

 

[Nano]

Last season finishing 6th needed 75 points or 1.63 points per game. We're 9 games in and we've got 9 points. To get to 75 points this season we need to be at 1.78 points per game (PPG) for the remaining 37 games. That is what was needed to finish 3rd last season. We're nowhere near the 3rd best team in the league. We have to improve our PPG from 1.00 to 1.78 and that is just to finish with 75 points which was needed for 6th place last season (77 the year before (1.84 PPG needed), 74 is the average so 1.76 PPG. It has been as low as 68 (1.59 PPG) but it's also been as high as 80 (1.92 PPG) for a 6th place finish. To do what Forest did last season and finish with 80 points would be 1.92 PPG which isn't far off what Fulham managed at 1.96 PPG.

So basically we need to be as good as a team that would finish in the top 3 for the rest of the season just to make it into the playoffs or hope it is a really low number that is needed to get into the playoffs this year.

 

[viv_andersons_nana]

There was a drastic change last season though Viv which saw that upturn in form. We changed our manager. Any rot, any bad atmosphere, any lack of confidence, any poor relationships in the changing rooms, are gone. Fresh start. You've got a spark, new manager bounce, breath of fresh air..

Where's that coming from now?

That comes from hard work on the training field IMO. Prior to Sunderland, I thought we’d been playing some really good football. Reading aside(I didn’t see that match). Our issues were stupid mistakes, which can be coached out on the training field.

We’ve now started playing it long, which seems stupid. We’re not a long ball team. This has complicated matters.

So my hope is that the manager sits them down over the next couple of weeks, in the break, and explains to them why they need to go back to playing in the style they were playing in, and why if they keep doing that and stay concentrated the results will come. That’s what I hope.

Much easier said than done, obviously. But it definitely can be done.