The Next 8 games - Make or Break Time

[Lower West]

The draw at Man Utd hardly suggests we are crap,

That means we must be better than Arsenal who conceded 3.

[Snowflake Royal]

Anyway, I've ordered a few tons of crow for you to eat in four weeks time

Enjoy eating it.

[Royal Bee]

I think the next two games are crucial!

The manager is still bedding in and we have new players. It’s almost like the start of a new season. We have an away game against a team with all kinds of issues. It is winnable.

Win that and it gives the team a little boost, before a home game against a Villa side who are winless in 5 and have won just 1 of their last 9. If they get a boost from the Bolton game, the Villa game is winnable as well.

IF (And it is a big IF) we win them both, with new players in the side and the new boss, confidence will start to flow and confidence can make a huge difference to the football any team plays!

One or two more wins in that run of 8 and I think we would be heading for safety

Well, that's my theory out of the window!

Maybe those who were at the game can clarify, but the stats suggest we played OK. I accept it was Bolton, but we are also a struggling team, so in theory, you would expect the stats to favour the home team, but the stats make us look like the home team. 64% possession, 16 shots, 7 on target (13 shots, 6 on target for Bolton)

[Stranded]

I think the next two games are crucial!

The manager is still bedding in and we have new players. It’s almost like the start of a new season. We have an away game against a team with all kinds of issues. It is winnable.

Win that and it gives the team a little boost, before a home game against a Villa side who are winless in 5 and have won just 1 of their last 9. If they get a boost from the Bolton game, the Villa game is winnable as well.

IF (And it is a big IF) we win them both, with new players in the side and the new boss, confidence will start to flow and confidence can make a huge difference to the football any team plays!

One or two more wins in that run of 8 and I think we would be heading for safety

Well, that's my theory out of the window!

Maybe those who were at the game can clarify, but the stats suggest we played OK. I accept it was Bolton, but we are also a struggling team, so in theory, you would expect the stats to favour the home team, but the stats make us look like the home team. 64% possession, 16 shots, 7 on target (13 shots, 6 on target for Bolton)

In short, we were a class above them but missed a sitter and made some wrong decisions at other times then defensively seemed surprised to see a lumbering Centre Half jogging into the box in the last minute - so chose to ignore him.

[leon]

I think we pissed on our chips last night.

Going down.

[Snowball]

under-whelming as it was, we got an away draw and stay above Bolton

(Bear with me)

If we beat Rotherham (IF) then all we have to do is matcher better the results
of Ipswich, Bolton and Rotherham to the season's end.

If Bolton was a six-pointer, Rotherham is a sixty!

Are we seriously believing we can't stay above Bolton and Ipswich?

If yes we can, then, just beat Rotherham etc

Personally, I feel confident. Very.

[Hendo]

There are still so many games to play, I am not worried yet.

The next few games are very important, but with so many points to play for, everything is still up for grabs.

[stealthpapes]

George C. Scott on RFC at this moment in time.

[Royal Bee]

In short, we were a class above them but missed a sitter and made some wrong decisions at other times

This is a worry and hopefully, the new signings will eventually help with it!

Against United, we could have been 3 or 4 up by half time, if we could finish the decent chances we created. If we could just get a forward on a roll, where he feels like he will score whenever he gets near goal, it could make all the difference. If not, the confidence factor could work the other way and we stop creating chances, desperate not to concede

[Maneki Neko]

Bolton (a) D
Villa (H) D
Weds (a) L
Blackburn (H) W
Sheff Utd (a) L
Rotherham (H) W
Ipswich (a) W
Wigan (H) W

still on track

[Snowflake Royal]

I call 8 points with back to back defeats in two of the last three effectively opening the trap door under our feet

1 point from 1. On course.

[Reading4eva]

I call 8 points with back to back defeats in two of the last three effectively opening the trap door under our feet

1 point from 1. On course.

Win those last 3 and we will stay up. Simple as that

[Snowflake Royal]

I call 8 points with back to back defeats in two of the last three effectively opening the trap door under our feet

1 point from 1. On course.

Win those last 3 and we will stay up. Simple as that

If there's one thing I'm entirely confident about, it's that we won't win all three of those games.

[Reading4eva]

I really hope we can avoid the drop, couldn't bear facing Oxford again... hopefully the Swine will collapse, especially after one of them put this up a few years back. https://youtu.be/4kmkvsFQ2W0

(YouTube suggested I watch it again, I forgot all about it until then)

[Brain Traysers]

I'm surprisingly optimistic.

The signings fill some gaps - a real spearhead (I'll do a long write up on what Oliveria brings at some point), more creativity in midfield, a physically solid CB partner to bring the best out of Moore and a GK who suits Gomes system. There certainly feels to be a plan, with the business off the pitch aligned with the manager's vision.

I feel we will be fighting against Rotherham for the final relegation space - Ipswich are a long way off, and if you take out Bolton's blistering (/somewhat lucky) start to the season (10 points from opening 4 games, including 3 points off us) they are on 13 points from the subsequent 25 games. Wigan/Millwall may get drawn in but have a solid looking buffer at this stage.

We should be favorites to beat Rotherham at home and have been very unlucky in a number of games this season, particularly the late goals - in a 'fairer' world we would already be ahead of them (but in that same world we were relegated last season) and favorites to stay up. Conceding from set pieces feels* like a current weakness that we could and should be able to solve.

*- I have no data to support this assertion - we are only tied 8th worst for goals conceeded from set piece (10, along with Leeds and WBA) but I seem to recall we started really solid under Clement, before it all went wrong with 2 corners at... Brentford(?) and we have appeared weak since including under Gomes.

[paultheroyal]

I know you always get unexpected results but check out Rotherham's last eleven games, right after we play them.

Middlesbrough
West Brom
Birmingham
Swansea
Stoke
Aston Villa
Notts Forest
Derby County
Norwich
QPR
Sheffield United

[leon]

I know you always get unexpected results but check out Rotherham's last eleven games, right after we play them.

Middlesbrough
West Brom
Birmingham
Swansea
Stoke
Aston Villa
Notts Forest
Derby County
Norwich
QPR
Sheffield United

That looks tricky

[CountryRoyal]

I know you always get unexpected results but check out Rotherham's last eleven games, right after we play them.

Middlesbrough
West Brom
Birmingham
Swansea
Stoke
Aston Villa
Notts Forest
Derby County
Norwich
QPR
Sheffield United

You’d make a strong case for them losing all of those games. Of course they won’t, but on an individual basis!!

[Snowball]

I know you always get unexpected results but check out Rotherham's last eleven games, right after we play them.

Middlesbrough
West Brom
Birmingham
Swansea
Stoke
Aston Villa
Notts Forest
Derby County
Norwich
QPR
Sheffield United

Jeez, they could lose all 11

[Snowball]

I know you always get unexpected results but check out Rotherham's last eleven games, right after we play them.

Middlesbrough
West Brom
Birmingham
Swansea
Stoke
Aston Villa
Notts Forest
Derby County
Norwich
QPR
Sheffield United

You’d make a strong case for them losing all of those games. Of course they won’t, but on an individual basis!!

oops, I should read ahead