Still winning whilst not getting out of second gear

Some would say it's the mark of champions that we can still turn in bang average performances and win games... often comfortably....

I don't think we've played 'really well' for a number of weeks now which is worrying.. but it's the grinding out of points which will ultimately decide our end of season fate one way or another.

Are you boys equally concerned that we seem to be 'costing along' or are you confident Rafa has everything under control?

From an outsider looking in we are winning more games than any other team in the English league and scoring lots of goals which is good on paper...... but we just don't seem to be putting teams to the sword....

I have a gut feel that, as the season draws to a close we will step up a gear because for a lot of teams mid table their season will be as good as over.. .whereas we will hopefully have the momentum.

 

The way we play is PL relegation football. Fortunately for us, the championship is making us look good (so far)

 

I blame the fat spanish waiter

 

Me too, him getting ****e players to the top of the league! Hope he has some (many) transfer targets for the summer if we get promoted.

 

I didn't know Pardew was Spanish!!

 

We have been average for the last couple of weeks your right. Last night we where poor until Villa chucked the towel in.

I do not understand the reluctance to start off attacking from the off at home. We seem to want to slow the pace down in a bid to control the game at the expense of attacking etc. The problem is we get caught and often end up conceding a chance.

I think teams are setting up to not concede and this is making it harder.

When we go up we will hopefully strengthen as we would just come back down again.

I am stating the obvious here.

Having said that, I honestly think Mitrovic changed the momentum of the game yesterday and he also behaved himself.

 

Diame's looked a bit poop last few games, and dunno if Gayle is gonna be out for a while now.

We should start Mitro and Perez next game, they looked dangerous against Norwich....while last night was a poor performance, against Norwich we were battering them and played well.

Also Atsu needs to start in place of Gouff, Gouff's well gone off the boil and Atsu looks class whenever he comes on

Summink like:

--------------------------------Darlow--------------------------------------
Dummett-----------Laecelles-----------Clark-------------Yedlin
-----------------------------Colback-----------------------------------
-----------------------------Shelvey----------------------------------
----------Ritchie------------------------------Atsu----------------------
--------------------------Mitro-----Perez--------------------------------

yes, I don't care if I've got the full backs wrong way around or whatever.

 

Have we got a new centre back from France? Laecelles?

And why drop Lascelles? I thought he was pretty decent last night.

 

I'm all for Atsu ahead of the Gouff but you just know Rafa will stick with Gouff because of his defensive contributions.

 

You happy clapping delusional Rafa fans never learn. The guy has been utterly average.

 

We were expected to be top of the table and we are, so performance is up to standard.

Things could be far worse, we could have spent a ****tonne and be failing out of sight (see Villa).

 

That and scoring 7 goals so far, including last night

 

I think people forget that other teams raise their game against us and it's not easy to play free flowing football when they have 10 men behind the ball and close us down quickly. Secondly, when people say we are playing **** do they realise we are in the Championship? Everyone in the championship is ****. That's why we are in this league. And c, Rafa's style is to be patient, keep it tight and pick teams off with moments of quality. We are unlikely to ever see Keegan-esque performances under Rafa.

 

He has found a way to win consistently without being particularly uplifting. That will do for now. The PL will be another test

 

I think of things differently I think villa played well first half and we weren't playing great but wernt using up as much out the petrol tank.

 

We really must step up a gear from now on as the gap between us and Huddersfield is looking too close for comfort, especially with them beating Reading tonight. The game between us is of major importance and I'd take a draw now. Sheff Wed losing also appears to put them out of the running so for me it's just between us, Brighton & Huddersfield. Who's bottle will go?

 

Towards the end of the season it's about getting the job done. Play pretty during the season, but when it comes to the business end, it's about doing the business. You'd take 10 horrible 1-0 wins now to the end of the season if it meant you went up.

Playing good and winning helps breed the confidence to be able to win ugly later on

 

90 points will definitely send us up automatically, that's 7 wins from I remaining 14, which I can comfortably see us getting even with the tough run we've got soon.

Huddersfield are on an awesome run atm, but all runs have to stop at some point, and I think it'll be sooner rather than later, I fancy Barnsley to get a result against them on Saturday.

Assuming we beat Bristol City on Saturday, that'll put us on 72 before the nasty 3 game run, but after that we've got the likes of Wigan, Birmingham, Burton etc which should be points in the bag.

The only real worry is how long Gayle's gonna be out for, and how we can cover for that; Gouff, Perez and Mitro are starting to get back to form now, but Diame and Murphy need to start getting the goals again otherwise we might have more away at Blackburn type games, i.e. dominating but no goals.

 

All the more reason to play a more attacking style. Or you just invite the results against Wolves, Huddersfield etc. At home we need to loosen up, its not effective. PLaying this negative counter attack style at home is moronic - as our home form shows. The teams nearest to us have picked up 4 or 5 points more than us at home

 

I don't think it's fair to say we do play counter attack style.