There's always a team who puts an unbelievable run of form together in the second half of the season and finds a way into the playoffs. Boro, Luton, WBA all capable of it. It's a long slog of a season, from an NCFC perspective we just need to keep accumulating points in any way we can, and hopefully the team can continue to develop as we do so. Over the first 6 games it's been really good to see an increasing number of players turn in performances that demonstrate they're earning their position in the first XI, and aren't there due to a lack of alternatives. It's also good seeing players come off the bench able to change games and challenge for a start, presenting Smith with genuine selection headaches rather than just shuffling bodies around hoping to find a solution like last season. Hopefully we can bring a LB in on loan, and I'd be curious if anything happens with the left wing spot, but feels like we aren't in a bad place relative to the rest of the league.
When Pukki and Ramsey came on the game changed. Pukki is a class act and it might be worth playing him and Sergeant together.
I will be quite surprised if Reading, Hull or Rotherham maintain their starts. I doubt that more than one of them will figure in the top six after 46 games. It's also surprising that three games back we looked the weakest of the three relegated sides and now we are top. The comparison with the two Farke promotion seasons is quite striking. Of the current top sides only Reading are averaging two points a game. A special mention for Preston North End. After six games they have not conceded a single goal - and languish in tenth place. Probably not a great prospect for entertaining football!
Reading are away to Sheffield United tomorrow night so something has to give there. Watford host Boro in another test and Burnley host Millwall. Our match at Birmingham and then Coventry at home should be a chance for 4-6 points as the table settles out.
Also the season is a season of two halves with the world cup in the middle. It will be like two seasons.... and we always start poorly!
With the players training throughout the five weeks we should be able to start up again, especially as not many of our current starting lineup will be involved in the World Cup.
How many of our players will be involved? Sargent possibly for the USA and Sara for Brazil, but I doubt it. Krul could be on the bench for Netherlands, but that's about it. Presumably we'll play friendlies to keep the minutes up after a mid-season break for the players to get a rest.
The last "split" season was the Covid-plagued 2019--20. Villa under Dean Smith managed Project Restart well enough to escape relegation (with a memorable bit of assistance from VAR), despite those last 10 fixtures involving 5 against teams who finished in the top 8 (3 in the top 3). They averaged a point a game, which was 10 points more than us. Also, by the restart in December, we should have pretty much a full strength squad. I don't think there's cause to worry on this score Hairy.
Qatar should have never been allowed to hold a World Cup and England should boycott it . You can't just move it to winter . It's pretty much the final nail in the coffin of International football.
Yes the great footballing nation of Qatar, I wonder how much the bribes were? To top it they treat their migrant workforce as dirt with many getting seriously sick or dying from heat exposure.
