Its only my opinion, based on the closest you can get to a third of the way through the season, but I reckon we are no better than a top of the middle 8 eight clubs in the division... OK some will say b******s, we are sixth .. so what more do you want .. or better than expected .. or may even agree ! I have always based my assumptions on "as things go based on results but with a little added gut or from the heart feeling. Based on results so far, and I don't mean the simplistic approach of we won x drew y and lost z but on who where and position of opposition at the time ... and I don't go along with the phrase "we have just got to keep to winning as it does'nt matter what others do" we are currently looking at finishing 11th ...should you take points gained so far divide by 15 multiply by 46 it equals, rounded up 74 points, had we won yesterday it equates to 6 points, roughly, more which would likely be in or around top 4! by my reckoning, we will be 11th on 65 points, simplistically, being in current sixth at 1.6 points a game we wont cut it for top 6. to get on track and "become a worthy contender for top 6/5/4/3/...... " we need 17 points from the next 24..... projections on Newcastle and Brighton = NEWCASTLE ....116 POINTS! BRIGHTON .... 101 pts of course this is all based on results to date and future results are available on other games !!!!
I don't get your maths JGF but I understand where you are coming from. However as I said on another post, our potential is HUGE with the players we have. We need to tap their combined talent.
By now we should have a firm idea as to which set up and players give us our best shot. I am not convinced that we have found our best starting eleven yet and we need to sort it out soon, and if you look at the number of times we have given away the first goal perhaps that is indicative of some of the issues. If we find the elusive factor then we should get even better, but who knows?
over the years I worked used a formula ( "algorithm") which has been quite successful 1 year got position and was appoint out.. it has been quite successful over the past 9 years within a few places and points. It has nothing to do with players, Inver says we should have a starting team.. whether we do or do not makes no difference, it is based on results... anyone on here can do a projection based on pts/ games x 46 it is when you factor in pts gained from away games: home games : last 8 results of teams you have just beaten drew or lost to, their postion etc a difference is shown up. 17 points from the next 8 games is the foundation where we can say we are on schedule ! we have nothing easy in the next 8 .....
Strange comment to make. If the XI plays like strangers and is not comfortable with the starting team x tactics results will not follow. Recent results have highlighted that the starting XI and its first forty five minutes are not cohesive. I would like to see partnerships in the team. Magnusson and Flint are one. Then? This lack of a spine to the team has to be affecting results. Rotation is leading to soft goals being conceded and on. Regarding mediocre only a few weeks ago fans were purring about the quality of the football. I feel there is a team there that is waiting to be consistently pleasing to the eye and attack minded. A team with a clear dna, identity, how we play etc in coachspeak. The final league position does not have to be the only barometer of mediocre. City squad wise are set up to play a dynamic progressive style of football rather than a retrogressive one. That is not a mediocre aim in the long term.
????? whatever the future aim is only time will tell of its standing GOOD POOR or MEDIOCRE. US fans on here have always been flowing with the tide ..be it left right or centre .. there is the players for the team, the results of the team and the results of the others to consider ... what counts is the points on the board!
When Russell Osman was Manager crowds dropped 40-50% - gates of 6 - 7000 became the norm. People including myself would not watch his brand of long ball mediocrity and team selection even if it got points on the board. Style counts .. Or style, flair, excitement counts for many.
20,000 turn up at the gate .. it is 2-2 real fancy flowing football, after 23 games the free flowing fancy football has gained 5 wins 12 draws and 6 losses with 27 points on the board .... 16th in the table what would be the crowd????? 20,000 turn up at the gate, dour 1-0 win after 23 games packed defence boot it up field . score 25 goals 8 against win 11 draw 6 lose 6 = 39 points .....5th in the table, what would be the crowd??? I will concede if it was closer to 30/32 points gates could likely be down ?????? with either format .. but we do not know it hasn't happened ...
Under Russell Osman Bristol City beat Liverpool. In the league City played ultra cautious long ball football. Gates dropped to 7000 and with City mid table fans demonstrated against Osman. The reason? That ultra cautious long ball football. Osman was eventually forced out after being booed by thousands all the way back to the half way line after scoring a header (the winner), a walk out at Pompey during half time (still 0-0), a fans boycott and boring thousands off the average gate 13000 - 7000 ... A first, and only in my lifetime of watching Bristol City. A case of fans wanting style, some style, some excitement v win at all costs. That was not a it hasn't happened ... It did. Mr Johnson I feel by the nature of his signings and not being afraid of skill is aspiring for better.
SORRY missed off the end of the phrase, I am talking now and future ... yet ...but we do not know it hasn't happened yet... we are mostly all / some aware of the past and things that have transpired over the past 50 years ... but we are now in a completely different age, with completely different mindsets also peeps were looking for an alternative to the Black Monday ?Friday ? event when money became tight .. "I aint paying that to watch that" and yet we finished mid table for a number of years around that time? I can remember saying one day .. the afore mentioned phrase, I had a few £'s and was particular who I went to see over the festive period I think we had about 5 games! and saved my money for them the gate was packed for one of them ............ so yes there was dissent but there was just more than 1 reason ...
"Mediocre top half team.....a third gone" Having taken 4 points from 4 teams and not playing as a side in the play-off zone, from the middle to lower echelons, we now have 3 games v teams in the upper echelons. Our record v top six shows defeats to Newcastle and Norwich and still have to play Brighton, Huddersfield and Reading. Brighton Reading and 7th place Birmingham are our next opponents. So next 3 games would be a yardstick as to how good we are and after the match v Birmingham, if we are still in play-off position, we could be considered probable play-off candidates. if we only took 3 points from the next 3 games our likely league position would be securely mid-table.
At the close of last season, yes, but we now owe it to Tammy and Tomlin to be top 6. Not to end up there would be a waste of their talent.
So if we don't make the play offs you class this season as a write off? Plus to say it to those two is disrespectful of the others, I think Gary O'Neill has been our best summer purchase myself.
There is no doubt whatsoever that Abraham (up until now) and Tomlin have been our best signings and best players. However, as you say, O'Neil has been an inspired purchase also. I would add Magnusson and Moore to that list, with hopes for Engval and Mathews as the season begins to stretch into next year. But the front 2 are definitely the top two, and I suppose you could say Tomlin by nature of being OURS would be the front runner for geezer of the season. However, time will tell. I personally think we have a shout at sneaking into the play-offs, provided our young develop and our old stay focussed, but it would certainly help our cause if we bring home the bacon in an inspired January window. But generally the deals done thus far have left us with the strongest squad we have seen in many a year Power to our elbow…and thank you thank you SL
Not a write off no, but an under achievement. I am not disrespecting the others but Tomlin and particularly Tammy are above them in ability - we are extremely fortunate to have them. Only my own opinion of course. I'm not dressing this up as fact.
