I appreciate you're not really one of e fans with a clear understanding of football tactics, but even you must be able to the difference between 442 and 351 for starters. Berra is a good CB, but he's not good enough for the Prem, unlike a few others in the Championship, so he clearly isn't the best. I don't get the spreadsheet joke. Is this about you spending hours searching through people's posts again?
Rob, I played CB for about 20 years, so yes I have forgotton more about playing CB than probably you know. Yes you are right about 4-4-2 and 3-5-2, but fundamentally you do the same thing, the biggest change you make is more about the oppo's than yourself, depending on how many players they have up top. I preferred playing in a 3, because it gave me the scope break forward and score a fair few goals, but equally I could play in a 4. but fundamentally the job is the same, watch, mark and read the game.
No offence, but that is precisely why you don't understand football thoroughly. I don't mean that in a nasty way, it's just some people prefer the blood and thunder aspects to the game, others like stats, others like tactics. It's all a personal thing. Professional football is a world apart from the football you played. Either way, Berra simply is not the best CB in the league. I'm not saying he's a bad one - far from it. I definitely agree you've got the most coherent CB partnership. But "best" is a nebulous term so wherever you try pin it down Berra is always going to fall just short. Still a good player, excellent at this level, and he's clearly doing magnificently for your team
fair call rob, Its all about opinions at the end of the day. Have a good Christmas and new year fella!
Rob I do kind of agree with what you say and to be honest you have pinpointed our greatest strength! The team as a whole is far greater than the sum of its parts and every single player knows their individual jobs as well as the job they do for the team. We have no fancy dans which suits Mick's system down to the ground. It has worked so well for us this season as many teams we have faced have completely underestimated us! This team has been built in the same way as all the other great Ipswich teams going back to the 1961 side which were regarded as complete no hopers! Berra is integral to our continued success as indeed is every single player in the team and this is where his value lays!
Never went away as far as I'm concerned, at no point this season have I had any real doubts that promotion is well within our grasp, and if the new gaffer lives up to expectations (not to mention his fantastic start) the I'll be flabbersgasted if we don't have enough points come the end of the season.
I think the following four teams are more or less nailed on to get at least the play-offs: Bournemouth, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Derby. These guys either seem to have the basic consistency (Ipswich) or that extra bit of class (the other three). Two of the other four in the top six to come from us, Brentford, Watford and Wolves. I tend to think that Brentford will fall away, and perhaps Wolves, too, but who knows? It's hard to see any of the first four getting many more than 85 points, though. I tend to think all four will get somewhere between 80 and 85, and that the whole thing will be incredibly close. It could even all be decided on the final day, which is unusual. (Last year was basically a procession, with Leicester and then Burnley pulling well clear of the rest.) As for us, I could see us getting to 85 or even more, but equally I could see us just squeaking into the play-offs. All to play for. Very exciting league this year.
But aside from the worm on a hook a very good post and the more this league goes on the tighter it seems to get. I wouldn't be surprised (from looking at stats I found for Championship averages re play-offs, autos and winners), if this is a record low year for points required. Nobody taking the bull by the horns and all the top half taking points off each other seemingly equally. We seem to actually be the only team to be consistent against the top half (Middlesborough aside). As has been said many times on here, what we need is consistency against the bottom half as well.
[QUOTE="singaporecanary, post: 7523559, member: 1016944"] I think the following four teams are more or less nailed on to get at least the play-offs: Bournemouth, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Derby. These guys either seem to have the basic consistency (Ipswich) or that extra bit of class (the other three). Two of the other four in the top six to come from us, Brentford, Watford and Wolves. I tend to think that Brentford will fall away, and perhaps Wolves, too, but who knows? It's hard to see any of the first four getting many more than 85 points, though. I tend to think all four will get somewhere between 80 and 85, and that the whole thing will be incredibly close. It could even all be decided on the final day, which is unusual. (Last year was basically a procession, with Leicester and then Burnley pulling well clear of the rest.) As for us, I could see us getting to 85 or even more, but equally I could see us just squeaking into the play-offs. All to play for. Very exciting league this year.[/QUOTE] Long, long way to go yet before anyone is "nailed on" for anything if you ask me. I personally would wager that at least one of those sides will drop away and miss out on the top six.
I'd put Bournemouth in the 'basic consistency' category with Ipswich. Derby and Boro have consistency as well, but more quality in the squad on top of that. We paid the price for inconsistency of results a while back, but are now in a good run of 16 points from the last 7 games. If we are going to get to 82-85 points or thereabouts, we need to maintain that form for the rest of the season. Bournemouth, Derby and Ipswich losing recent games has closed the gap, but we need to close it further against Brentford. It's possible now, but those top 4 have a big advantage.
It is possible that after this weekend the top eight will all be between 46 and 51 points.Anything could happen but I think the two automatic promotions plus the four play offs will come from those eight.
I came to a similar conclusion at the weekend, as I really don't see a team charging up the league from nowhere as has happened in past seasons.
They've certainly turned their season round since Bournemouth took them to pieces, so it's up to us to burst that bubble in our next away game. But I agree with your earlier post that it's very hard to see anyone coming out of the pack.
If they make the top 6 it will have been an astonishing turn around, even by Championship standards. It may seem a little unfair to write them off at this stage, given their recent form, but I think it will be a step too far, although they may get very close.
One thing that has definitely changed in my view is the transition from the second to the top division. In the old days of Div 1 and Div 2, you could be pretty sure that a team who ran away with Div 2 would survive Div 1. Now that translation of second-tier form into first-tier seems to have gone. Leicester won the Champ in a canter last year, but at the moment they're still propping up the Prem.
Same happened when we went up. QPR were Champions elect for most of the season, then it was us and Swansea who had the good first year in the prem with QPR holding on by the skin of their teeth. Going from being the big fish in a little pond to the smallest guppy in the big pond probably has some kind of psychological effect, it just depends on how you handle the transition.
While that is certainly true, I still expect Leicester to come good and retain their place as they are capable of pulling out some good performances which have been largely unrewarded this term. QPR look very vulnerable and Hull just cannot seem to get going.
I think this has to do with style of play and to an extent the manager. Just because you're good in the championship doesn't mean you are in the PL. It's not just harder its also different, faster but less physical for example.
