I've decided that this match day thread is going to be totally positive (or, as Robbie would say, 'straw-clutching'), so here are the reasons to be hopeful before the game.
1) If we can win this game, we are off the bottom - FACT, as ColUMike might say. That would be a big, big statement and give all of us, players and fans, a massive boost after such a dispiriting start. Furthermore, if Newcastle, Leeds and/or Southampton fail to win, they are in our sights and one win takes us above them. I know, I know - if, if, if - but I told you I intended this match thread to be positive, and I'm sticking to my guns.
2) We all feel very depressed about 6 games, 6 defeats. But these days, with the top handful of clubs being so superior to the rest, 36 points is generally enough to stay up. 32 games left, so that is 10 wins 6 draws and 16 defeats (or 9-9-14). So we don't need to have the form of a Euro qualifier or even a top half team in order to survive: all we need to do is perform like a lower-mid-table team: i.e. Crystal Palace. Surely we can hope to manage that?
3) Farke's teams of 18/19 and 20/21 started very slowly and got better. Since we have so many new faces to integrate, it's not unlikely that this will happen again and we will get better as the season progresses. The vital thing now is not to get cut off at the bottom. A win against Burnley would prevent that.
4) The Prem always seems to have a team like Burnley: ugly and functional and desperately reliant on set pieces (e.g. Pulis's Stoke), but they always hit a point where they hit the cul-de-sac, and, as Stoke showed, there isn't then the class to change tack and pull free. Maybe Burnley have hit that cul-de-sac and we can benefit from it.
5) If Normann and Williams are fit to play (please God, we deserve a bit of luck!), there are signs that we might at last be able to cope with these streetwise, physical teams. (I know, I have been very sceptical of both players and might have to eat humble pie yet again, but I don't care if they can deliver the goods.) The Everton game gave some hope that we might be on the verge of being a tougher, if less attractive, outfit.
So, let's get behind the team on Saturday, no negativity, and OTBC/COYY!!!
1) If we can win this game, we are off the bottom - FACT, as ColUMike might say. That would be a big, big statement and give all of us, players and fans, a massive boost after such a dispiriting start. Furthermore, if Newcastle, Leeds and/or Southampton fail to win, they are in our sights and one win takes us above them. I know, I know - if, if, if - but I told you I intended this match thread to be positive, and I'm sticking to my guns.
2) We all feel very depressed about 6 games, 6 defeats. But these days, with the top handful of clubs being so superior to the rest, 36 points is generally enough to stay up. 32 games left, so that is 10 wins 6 draws and 16 defeats (or 9-9-14). So we don't need to have the form of a Euro qualifier or even a top half team in order to survive: all we need to do is perform like a lower-mid-table team: i.e. Crystal Palace. Surely we can hope to manage that?
3) Farke's teams of 18/19 and 20/21 started very slowly and got better. Since we have so many new faces to integrate, it's not unlikely that this will happen again and we will get better as the season progresses. The vital thing now is not to get cut off at the bottom. A win against Burnley would prevent that.
4) The Prem always seems to have a team like Burnley: ugly and functional and desperately reliant on set pieces (e.g. Pulis's Stoke), but they always hit a point where they hit the cul-de-sac, and, as Stoke showed, there isn't then the class to change tack and pull free. Maybe Burnley have hit that cul-de-sac and we can benefit from it.
5) If Normann and Williams are fit to play (please God, we deserve a bit of luck!), there are signs that we might at last be able to cope with these streetwise, physical teams. (I know, I have been very sceptical of both players and might have to eat humble pie yet again, but I don't care if they can deliver the goods.) The Everton game gave some hope that we might be on the verge of being a tougher, if less attractive, outfit.
So, let's get behind the team on Saturday, no negativity, and OTBC/COYY!!!
