An optimistic look at the table and remaining games after today's disappointment!

Shamelessly Thor'd from 2 posts of mine from RTG mixed up and edited Hopefully reading it will increase whatever chance you thought we have as it isn't as bad as you think, even if we are **** at times on the pitch.

********************** Thor'd below ***********************************

Aye, it was a kick in the knackers for us all today with that late goal but it was a Gillingham team that has lost 1 in 17 games now since November last year. It's a **** league and if we could have still got the 3 points today, things would have looked brilliant for us. Yet just by dropping 2 points that's it, it's all over for some and some doom-mongers are even suggesting we won't make the playoffs! Talk about a reaction but it's still a fresh wound so emotions are high.

Ipswich and Wycombe looked to be storming it early in the season but faded away. So did Rotherham recently but look at today, beaten by Rochdale 20th place as they've dropped right off form with just 6 points from last 5 games compared to our 8 points. Coventry look good but still have a few not so easy home games. For example, they play Oxford who themselves are on a run again after we beat them and I said they'd probably be up there a while back but can they maintain it?

We've just played the top 2 in form teams, Fleetwood and Coventry and today a team that's hard to beat and got just 2 points from the games. Getting 7 points would have been class but I would have preferred 4 minimum and we'd have got it if we'd held on today for the win. If we had this place would have been buzzing like **** yet it's as if we've just lost the Play Off Final for some. We've now got an 'easier' run of fixtures until Peterborough at home in 5 weeks time so another winning spell like we did after Portsmouth would be canny while other teams will inevitably drop points having to play each other still.

Look at our remaining fixtures, just 3 at home (GREEN) and 6 away (RED). Aye there's twice as many away but we just have Peterborough and Rotherham to play out of the top half of the table. The pressure is now on to get 6 points from those 2 important games rather than 2 draws minimum if we'd won today. We're just 3 points from Rotherham in 2nd and the top teams still have a few games against each other so owt could still happen as it's that close!

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Here's some more optimism and the fall out after today is expected but not to the levels some are having. This is the form table since the 18th October before Parkinson took his 1st game against Wycombe. Bearing in mind he had a **** start. It's only thanks to the Coventry and Portsmouth defeats were no more than 2 points behind them, 2 points we dropped today. That's how close it's been!

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Also look at the ****e start he had in his 1st group of fixtures with just 6 points from 9 games!

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Now look at this 2nd set as just see how good it was as he seemed to get the team pulling points out of the bag one way or another.

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Aye home to Doncaster ideally should have been a win but look at their form at the time. They'd lost 2 in their last 6 and that was Coventry and us beating them at their place and won the other 4. So given the results around Doncaster draw then it's not all bad.

The Portsmouth and Coventry defeat was again against teams that at a time were flying on form. Portsmouth won 6 of 7 games when the beat us and it was Coventry who beat them, Coventry themselves have won 8 of last 9 games in the run they beat us and the other game was a draw against Rotherham. So defeats against them are acceptable but draws would have been class!

Fleetwood at home after that early goal were ****houses but they'd also won their previous 5 when we played them. Aye Gillingham is a late sucker punch is 2 points lost but they'd only lost 1 in last 16 games before today going back to November last year so very hard to beat.

It's just been **** luck that we played some teams when their form was on a steamrolling run! (not just a decent run)

The good news is that our next game is against Bristol Rovers who've won just 1 out of their last 18 games! Blackpool have hit some form recently so probably the hardest game. Southend had lost 6 in a row before beating Bristol Rovers today. So in 3 games times we could pick up 9 points while others drop them and things look class again

Shrewsbury have won 2 in 12, again another team beating Bristol Rovers but somehow beat Doncaster at home. AFC WImbledon have 1 win in last 8 and that was a last minute winner against Gillingham. So the postive thing is, the only hard game until the final game is Peterbro at home but we could have won 5 games in a row by then. We just need another spell of results like we did above beating the lower placed teams. It could come down to the last day against Rotherham who have started to wobble recently anyway.

Aye we're ****e at times but so are most of the teams in this division. So for me, it's not all doom and gloom just yet as owt could happen in the remaining 9 games KTF & FTM

 

You'll get less bed wetting over here that's for sure.

I still think we'll go up

 

you are live in a dream world just like last season. we were crap in the first half again today and cannot play for 90 mins. Er Gillingham got beat at home off poor AFC Wimbledon by the way, and the defence is knackered once again bailey out must be the answer and Flanagan back in we are right back to where we where in Dec and will stay there but this time no play offs thankfully. A striker in the summer needed as ever. This team would be 2nd in the last game but get beat and lose out !

 

And Rotherham lost to Rochdale, your point being?

 

That's why I thought I'd share it here mate. Some parts of it poke at the doom-mongers but I couldn't be arsed to edit it all out before I posted it on here.

Doing some quick research I've even surprised myself because when you look at the teams who've taken points off us, their form was tremendous at the time. The 'worst' point wise is Gillingham but given they've only lost 1 in 16 since last November then they're tough to beat!

I've just had a quick look and this is some form info regarding the 5 teams around the time they played us that have taken points of us starting from Doncaster from played on 29th December (not what it is now).

Fleetwood P7 W6 D1 L0 Draw was us at home. Beat Peterbro/Portsmouth H & Wycombe/Ipswich A. Also Unbeaten in 14
Doncaster P6 W4 D1 L1 Draw was us at home, loss to Coventry. Beat Peterbro and Oxford
Portsmouth P10 W8 D0 L2 Form started 5 wins in a row and 4th game beat us. Lost away to Fleetwood and Coventry.
Coventry P14 W11 D3 L0 Draws with Fleetwood, Rotherham and MK Dons.
Gillingham P16 W7 D8 L1 Hard to beat but AFC Wimbledon did but drawing plenty, so basically like us last season.
Sunderland P15 W9 D4 L2 so 31 points, averaging just over 2pts per game. Over 35 games in that would be 72pts so top by 5pts and 12 clear of 3rd!

Gillingham aside, the teams to take points from Fleetwood, Doncaster, Portsmouth and Coventry were Rotherham, Coventry, Fleetwood and obviously us. The only non top team was MK Dons getting a point from Coventry and that's it, everyone else was getting beat by those teams in and around the time we played them!

Aye 3 points is a poor return for us out of the 5 games but I bet many would have taken say a DWDDW so 9 points from those 5 games. Now given we won all the other games then it's a bad return but thankfully covered partially by all the wins. Some people are just looking at the last 3 games yet our extended form is this. Some are also forgetting where we were on December 28th and where we are now!

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Now look at the table ordered in what points we've made up since then. The Pos is the current league position.

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That's it lads n lasses, after the disappointing draw today the season is over! I said that Gillingham had lost 1 in 16. Thanks for bringing it up as I've just checked their 'form' leading up to the Gillingham game where AFC Wimbledon won it with a 91st minute goal. All teams can have an off day like Gillingham had but it's the same AFC Wimbledon that lost to an 82nd minute goal against Fleetwood and got a 90th minute equaliser at Rotherham and even got a draw against Ipswich so not as poor as you may think!

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Worth a double like if i could. Some just like to twist and moan.

Guarantee if we manage to finish 2nd and get automatic promotion the usual suspects will bleat about:
A: "we should have pissed the league in"
B: "Now were screwed cos we'll get relegated next season"

And they reckon David Moyes is dour

 

It's always a kick in the balls when you lose points so late in the game and I'm still a bit pissed off about it, added to which we were pretty crap but if this our rough patch it's not that bad and we're still right in it. Credit to Parkinson for giving the team some backbone.

I think he needs to rest some players because mental and physical fatigue is cumulative and the last thing we want is to be going into playoffs/crucial last games with a rundown first eleven. Several players looked tired today and we've got a good bench.

 

Agree with this.

Could also serve to motivate the players who's performances may have dropped slightly over the past few weeks, make them realise that there is competition for places and no one gets a free ride.

 

Yeah I get the logic of picking your best 11, having faith in them and getting them fighting fit, it's worked well, but cracks have been appearing in that plan and to some extent we're grinding to a halt.

Case in point we play Wyke every game and he does ok without scoring, swap him for Lafferty and he immediately scores two good goals. Maybe giving Hume and Gooch a rest in favour of John and Semenyo would work just as well.

 

Are we giving Coventry promotion after today’s results? I fancied them a while back and can’t see them dropping many points now.

Our reality is after today’s results we are back out of the playoff positions once the teams directly below us play their games in hands, not guaranteed but that’s the way it’s looking. I don’t think we’ll get automatic promotion now, we seem to keep slipping up at crucial times and the results and performances from the good teams around us have been poor. We’ll make the playoffs and then it’s anybody’s guess, I’d fancy Parky to guide us through them actually. So still going up and breaking our Wembley duck in the process

 

Plenty to play for. Rotherham have hit a bad patch. I reckon Cov will. Not saying we will go up. Bu FFS its not as bad as some over the road make out

 

We had that mini run now it is over. The top 2 will be Coventry and Oxford end of . we are crap, and the owners are since Maja went this club went, Oxford have taylor, Peterboro, Toney who do we have ? Gillingham sold their best striker but still come here and score 2 goals, stop thinking we will make the top 2, they keep frigging up every time we get the chance. In fact i want about 6 changes in the summer and Flanagan out straight away as he cost us last season and last weeks headrer was a joke. and Dobson not much better. Watmore for some unbelievable reason does not get into this team as with Jack ross i cannot fathom it. They garbage in that first half but oh no let's not criticise i watched that.

 

This post, of yours, was literally 4 weeks ago ....

"I think all the other teams above us will win, and Rotherham are getting clear."

We can go level second with Rotherham on Tuesday ...

... their current form stinks.

Gillingham have lost less games than Rotherham, Oxford, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Oxford, Doncaster, Wycombe, Ipswich, etc.

Conceding two goals to them isn't a catastrophe, Rotherham managed three against Rochdale who've lost as many as the bottom three teams.

 

I've not been on there for a while but I've just taken a look

FFS man, it's absolutely poisononous isn't it ...

... thread after thread declaring one player after another total shyte.

 

Playoffs anyone?

 

I've seen a constant litany of teams declared 'promoted' since the season began, from Ipswich to Wycombe


The latest 'nailed on' team is Oxford according to some. So good they were taking a pasting at Shrewsbury yesterday and two down after half an hour. They only got back into the game when Shrewsbury had to play for an hour with 10 men.

These are a few of their upcoming games which gives them a much harder run in than ours.

Wycombe - Oxford Utd
Oxford Utd - Portsmouth
Coventry - Oxford Utd
Oxford Utd - Fleetwood

 

Obviously yesterday was a blow conceding so late but it is still all to play for. Coventry are looking good but every other team will and are having wobbles at the minute. I remember us beating Oxford away in the howling wind and rain and thinking that was them finished in the promotion race. It put us 9 points clear of them. 5 games later and 5 wins off the belt for Oxford and they are back above us. Who would have thought that. I think what I’m trying to say is it’s nowhere near over yet for us yes a winning streak is required but it’s not impossible. We lost Bailey-Wright at oxford and I don’t think we’ve kept a clean sheet since that was a massive blow. Sorry Bristol at home next game 3-0. My big worry about us is that we aren’t scoring many goals away from home last time we scored 2 was Doncaster away in December and now that the clean sheets have dried up we need to start putting chances away, hopefully Lafferty or someone else will step up to the mark. Keep the faith it’s going to be a bumpy last few weeks but there will be twists and turns a plenty yet.

 

March could be pretty kind to us imo.

It'll give us the chance for more points before we have a break and another game we should win.

Whatever happens we need to go out with all guns blazing against Peterborough, that'll be the defining game in whether we do up automatically or via the playoff's. The supporters deserve to see us go for the throats of a rival at the SOL.

You at Bristol mate?

 

We, now desperately need to go on a winning run...now do we keep same side a la Parky or as they say freshen it up a bit.

Maguire is probably our best creative player but has off days, but imho he is a starter. Is Gooch a starter? The unfairly much maligned Hume could do with help on the left, 09 and Maguire on the right an example. So does the loanee/Watmore/Grigg get a chance, Laffing boy I presume starts...

Midfield, not sure I would change there...stick to 3 CBs or back four to push another attacker onto the pitch?

 

I know theres no point in living in the past but had Parkinson dropped Wyke a month or so ago I think we'd be sitting on 62 points level with 2nd going into a run of 5 fixtures we should be looking to win all of against bottom half opposition.

Personally think weve blown promotion but we just have to go for it now