Borobuddah
Well-known member
I often wonder why teams don’t regard every single game and every single point as precious as they do for the last say, ten games of the season.
Championship games tonight. Can we stay in top 6?
- Thread starter sambaDTR
- Start date
A little bit of it might have been sensational but most of the time it was about hoping for an early goal and then backs to the wall defending for the rest of the match.
Because most managers are ex players and most players don't have sufficient education to analyse situations and apply critical thinking.
Like some fans, they think winning 10 games in a row and improving the goal difference by 40 is feasible.
This really irritates me. It's a 46 game season. Every game is as important as the others. We had effectively blown our chances of the autos this season within the first 12 games this season.
I can't remember what the exact stats were but Indeed and I posted some on the board and the vast majority of teams (95+%) that go up through the automatic places are in the top 5 after 10 matches and had 17+ points at that point. The teams who had started this season like that were Sunderland, Sheff Utd, Burnley, Leeds and WBA. To which the usual bedwetter comments came out from certain posters when this was pointed out. Here we are, another 10 games later and it looks a lot more likely that it will be 2 from 3 of those teams. Our form has improved but we are no closer. We've left ourselves too much to do for the third consecutive season. The ones coming out ith the bedwetter comments have now changed their comments to "automatic promotion was never realistic, play-offs was always the aim".
Consistency is key and it needs to start from match 1, not Christmas. Wouldn't it be nice to get off to a decent start for a change and actually feel like we are at the races.
Muttley
Well-known member
"Blown our chances" suggests that we were either negligent or didn't bother trying for the first 12 games. Is that what you mean?
I don't think anyone would argue that those games were any less important than the last 12 will be. What is less important is what other teams do. Say the teams below us had lost yesterday and we were still in the play off slots. So what? It would just mean that other teams had picked up those points.
parmoboy
Well-known member
To be fair, Ipswich didn't have a good enough squad for the autos last season. It's not always the case that the clubs with the best squads get promoted.
At the same time, it would be unfair for us to expect the club to finish in the top 2 when there are clubs who do have stronger squads. I think the frustrating thing for fans is that we're not at least closer to the top 2. To be 10 points behind the 2nd place side at this stage of the season is disappointing and we can't just put it down to our squad not being good enough for the top 2.
Injuries are blighting our season once again, but I continue to ask the question is that purely down to bad luck, or is it related to how the coaching team are managing the players, the training methods etc.
In-game management can also be poor at times. I don't like the way Carrick leaves it as late as possible to make substitutions, and the other night at Leeds we should have changed tactics after equalising and just killed the game. We could have come away with a valuable point but instead we continued trying to play through Leeds, probably the best pressing side in the division, and we were architects of our own downfall.
BoroMart
Well-known member
I put it largely down to the disruption on lath and injuries causing our defence to chop and change every other game. We’ve had three league Lbs even though Bangura hasn’t kicked a ball. 2 RBs even though smith hasn’t kicked a ball, 6 cbs even though Lenihan hasn’t kicked a ball. We’ve had about 12 different back four selections.
parmoboy
Well-known member
Yeah, as I said, once again our season has been blighted by injuries. I just still have this niggling feeling that there's more to it though, rather than it being a case of several of our players being injury prone, or bad luck.
VDB and Morris are young lads and yet we're 20 games into the season and they've both missed a good number of games through injury. It just doesn't feel right.
Linny
Well-known member
Because they are far superior to us. Not sure why this needs explaining to some of our fans.
Have you watched us this season? We’ve lost 7 matches. Almost as many as we’ve won.
We didn't perform well enough and dropped too many points is what I mean.
I don't think think we didn't bother trying, that would be ridiculous. I trust that all pros give 100% when they are on the pitch.
I think we made some bad decisions and team selections in the first 12 matches that cost us points. I wouldn't label it as negligent.
I also think some players performed below par during the first 12 matches. The reasons why are up for debate.
The points dropped blew our chances at autos (again).
I totally agree with your second point about points accumulated being more important than league position. We have a pretty good idea of what is required. 90+ for autos. 75+ for play offs. At the moment we are nowhere near being on track for autos and we trending slightly behind the 75 point for play offs. Our league position does reflect that.
BoroMart
Well-known member
Yes rav it’s growing pains i think. Happens with some players, they get muscle injuries and ankle injuries as their bodies adjust to the stresses of playing. Gerrard used to get loads of injuries until he was 22
Morris was training with the USA, so not our fault.
Bangura during a pre-season match.
Smith I think there was a failure from our medical side. He went off injured in a pre-season game with a knee injury on a stretcher. Played again 4 weeks later. Then after about 4 games his knee went. Seems something serious wasn’t successfully dealt with first time.
Lenihan? Think it was a training injury.
Fry, has always been injury prone
HighForss
Well-known member
Didn’t Smith snap his achilles?
BoroMart
Well-known member
Ah yes it was not knee. I just remember in the friendly we played at chesterfields ground he went off on a stretcher and it was the same injury that went completely 6 weeks later
Johnnyweetabix
Well-known member
Totally agree and there are so many posters on here who 2 games in will says it’s only 2 games in yet will be wetting themselves when we need to win the last 2, or then they move on to “judge the team and Carrick after 10 games”, now it appears to be “judge after Xmas” , just goes on and on . 3 points on day one are as statistically important as the last game . Yet we love a good sleep walk .
I used to see it when I played footy and it boiled my p”se. We should be winning at all costs if we want to go up. You can stick your tippy tappy , do we want to go up or not?
We’ve lost wast too many but hey … it’s only the first half of the season right ?
BoroMart
Well-known member
3 games to the half way point and if we win two of those three (easier) games then we will be on 37 points and on target for 74 points our biggest total since Karanka. That’s what “tippy happy” football gets you that Warnock-ball doesn’tTotally agree and there are so many posters on here who 2 games in will says it’s only 2 games in yet will be wetting themselves when we need to win the last 2, or then they move on to “judge the team and Carrick after 10 games”, now it appears to be “judge after Xmas” , just goes on and on . 3 points on day one are as statistically important as the last game . Yet we love a good sleep walk .
I used to see it when I played footy and it boiled my p”se. We should be winning at all costs if we want to go up. You can stick your tippy tappy , do we want to go up or not?
We’ve lost wast too many but hey … it’s only the first half of the season right ?
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