Just watching the build up to the game tonight on sky and they were talking about QPR and West Hams starts to the season being vastly different. It amused me somewhat because a win tonight and QPR will only be 3 points behind them and surely not that different. We have only played 5 games. West Ham scored a 92nd minute equaliser against us a week or so ago or else they would only have 7 points now and QPR would be just 2 points behind. Defeat to night and I'm sure Hughes will be under pressure to be replaced by someone. Old Arry lurks round the corner of every southern based clubs fortunes waiting for his chance to pounce. We are mentioned as having a stuttering start yet we have only played 5 games and have 2 clean sheets and 7 points (1 behind West Ham) and yet they are flying? If we had played the Reading game and won (and I think we would have), held on at West Ham we would have 11 points and be top 6? We may well not have played any better but we would be talked about as having a terrific start to the season as opposed to a poor one. Its crazy. Such fine margins can alter the perceptions of fans and pundits alike and make for early panic stations amongst Chairman and Boardrooms at 'struggling' teams. They determine how the media discuss them i.e. stuttering or flying and yet only 1 point between teams. We have 4 clean sheets in 7 games; have scored 5 and conceded 4 in the EPL (scored 9 and conceded 4 in all competitions) and we are into the last 16 of the League Cup at home to Boro and we have played poorly. Imagine if we actually start to play well? Oh yes and we have a top striker with 5 goals in only 4 games and with only 7 shots? Really fine margins to make decisions by and silly tbh after only 5 games. We need to take a step backwards and reflect after 10 or 12 games when I really think we will be charged up and going better.
Spot on. A similar overreaction was taking place about Arsenal being title contenders and Spurs having a poor start before the weekend's games, yet now Spurs are actually higher than them in the league. We are only two points behind the Mags having played a game less, yet most pundits seem to think they've had a good start and we've been struggling. The league table doesn't really mean anything until 10 games in or so.
10 games? I don't think so mate. We were still on our good run last season at 10 games in. It was only at Christmas that everyone was saying we'd fall down the table. I think at new year is where you can judge who will finish where, IMO. Then again, we won like 9 games in a row and beat Chelsea towards the end of the season. You just don't know who's gonna catch on fire and boost up the table. I'd say the top 4 is already decided. I think from 5-8th is between us, Spurs, Everton and Liverpool. After that it's anyone's game.
I'm not talking about who will win or be relegated but merely what constitutes a good or bad start? I meant was after 10 games you can make opinions about whether you have had a good, bad or indifferent start to the season but not after 4 or 5. This year, commentators and pundits (and some fans) were making that decision after the first 2 games? Ridiculous imo. Obviously, if you win your first 5 games then you can claim a superb start and vice versa lose all 5 and its a very bad one. No one has done either.
I see where you're coming from mate I just think after about 10 games you can start to get a vague idea of how a team is going to do over the course of a season, obviously there are exceptions (like Wigan who are always a bugger to predict).
Mind QPR look absolutely shocking at the back. Lol Julio Ceasar is utter cak and nowhere near as good as Rob Green.
Really good read, and spot on as usual Cest. People will always read too much into the first few games. People were saying we'd challenge for Europe a few seasons ago and we finished 14th I think. Enough said
ManU and Arsenal are the quality built/bought team the other two rely too much on quality bought players. The rest of us rely on what is left to buy or develop. In the end teamwork is everything and the first team to click into a winning pattern gains the confidence to puch onward. Players playing for each other rather than ego is the key to teamwork and once this manifests then teams are not afraid of any opposition. Keyword is confidence in each other.
