Although our performances have improved, our inability to finish games off will continue to hurt us. We do have weaknesses that are exposed, and its costing us too many points. McCormack is clearly struggling, and I don't see that changing in time to help us. He does play in patches, his scoring runs mirror his barren ones, and that's not good enough in a team pushing for promotion. Warnock was beautifully found out by Palace. Zaha started on his side, obviously to use his pace against him, but Holloway figured out after their first goal it wasn't running at Warnock that would hurt him, it was his inability to stay with his man. Two diagonals towards the far post and Warnock totally messed up on both occasions. Murray must wish he could play against him every week. This is costing us points, and other teams will learn from this and exploit Warnock's weakness at the back post. Green, for all his running, is just too slow of thought and gives away possession too easily in key areas, allowing teams to break and put us under pressure. This changes the flow of the game, something we don't need. He also doesn't create enough. Just these three areas alone are hurting us and have cost us points, which had we got them, we'd be comfortably in the top six. I fear we will drop more unnecessary points and knowing our luck finish seventh one point away from our target. Now that would be pants!
A few weeks ago Forest were behind us, three games on, they have sneaked into 6th place. Two of our hardest fixtures is now behind us, and remember, we have that game in hand..... Conclusion is..... I'm saying nothing <lipssealed>
We're perfectly placed to make a run at 6th (although those extra 2 points from yesterday would have been brilliant), and while I don't think we'll quite make it I think the squad is in a good state to build on for next season, we just need a bit of flare in the final third.
Brilliant assessment of Paul Green, continually lost possession when we were pushing forward, and against a fast, counterattacking team like Palace it's something you just cannot afford to do. Tries hard but not good enough. Thought Norris on the other hand was outstanding.
It's just so frustrating, why couldn't we have beaten Blackburn and hung on against Leicester and Palace, we would be right in the mix, would be very surprised of we can get close to the playoffs, even if we do, can we realistically win them? Even if we fluke it to the final will it not just end in tears.. Again. Hungover.
This is one weird league. If we beat Peterbro, udders and Brighton and I see no reason to say we cannot, then we will have more than a decent chance of squeaking into the play offs........ after a season of mediocrity we are still in with a cahnce. Having said that if we sneaked up, we would come straight back down again..
I think we need at least 24 points from our next 10 games. Four of the teams in front of us have to drop more points than us and the teams behind us have to take less or the same amont of point as us. Leicester have to drop 8 points more than us, Forest have to drop 7 points more than us, Brighton have to drop 6 points more than us, Bolten and Middlesbrough have to drop 4 points more than us.
McCormack isn't scoring which isn't helping I agree, he is still our creative influence though and to me isn't being played in his best position. Which is hanging off the last defender. But everything good that we did against palace was pretty much created by McCormack, if he starts scoring again which I agree won't happen in time then he is one of the best strikers in the division. I would definitely keep him firmly in the team for next season I don't quite understand why people are blaming Warnock so much. As I have said on another thread, Murray was being marked by Peltier all game. What makes Murray a good striker is the fact he ghosts into positions and inbetween defenders. I thought Kenny should've come and collect for the second goal. Other than those incidents though, he played very well and is by far the best left back we have had in a while at the club. Again I would definitely keep him in the team for next season I was really dissappointed by Green to be honest. I have liked him before now but he had a bad game, as you say his thought was slow, he didn't create enough and he was actually quite slow running with the ball. Had he been scoring goals, he woulda scored that one on one. He needed to go high there but he went low with the shot. I would probably replace him on that performance for probably Austin. Another thing no one mentioned is how badly Byram played. Was getting beaten time after time and very rarely stopped the cross, if I was Holloway I would've focused on that weakness. We actually probably have the easiest run in possible. If we had won either of Leicester or Palace then I would be quite optimistic
I have always felt Green was an average player, dependable but never going to set the game alight or be a stand out player.
norway your calculations are wrong as we have a game in hand over most of our rivals see my article entitled 10 games for the playoffs
No they are not wrong, it dosent matter if we have one game in hand, it only means we have one more game to get the points we need. But they still has to drop that amount of points for us to do it
sorry too many far better sides that deserve to go up than leeds this season....try again next season...
well if we go by last eight games,we wont make the play offs and millwall will start next season in league 1.That is the most likely outcome but you never know.On the up side our last 5 games says we have a chance,yours still say league 1.
Correct Cheshire, its about form NOW. Bolton and Forest have got that momentum thing going, and they are both looking good as those late runners who appear from nowhere. That's two teams muscling in on the action we didn't need to see there. Two wins in eight doesn't cut it at this stage, we need to win nine of last twelve to make playoffs a definite. Leicester and Boro are really struggling for form at the critical point in the season, Boro really look gone, Leics will drop away if they don't ein their next two. Brighton may just fall away now with their striker problems, and if they play well they may only get draws because of no firepower. We have to beat Baby Scum and Hudds and then we will be around three to four points off. However, then its the away games that matter, win seventy five percent and we're good to go. This week will show us a lot, if we don't get six points against the next two then its over.
