People do like to over-react don't they.
OK, we drew one game yesterday that, on paper, we should have won but it isn't the end of the world and we can bounce back. People are talking like we lost 6-0. Teams have bad games. It's a fact of football. We aren't going to steamroller every opposition we play.
I was confused when Sven went for the 4-3-3 and the only reason I can think that he did that was that, being an away game, he wanted to set-up with a more conservative formation. Obviously it didn't work and we played better when we changed the formation. It's now obvious to all and sundry that we play better in the diamond and there is no way we won't play that against Brighton. The defence had a poor game (Pantsil especially) but they're too good as players to play that badly twice and you have to hope a hell of a lot more work will go into the defence in training.
Attacking wise, I think Beckford was isolated in the first half and when he worked himself into space, there was nobody within 20 yards of him but in the 2nd half it did improve and we played better football and it was a more even game. Also Beckford played a lot better when he had people around him. We forced them to go longer up to Gray and the boy had the better of Mills in the air and that was surprising given I think Matt's best attribute is his heading. I think Peltier and St Ledger should come in for the next game for Pantsil and Bamba and those two definitely have a point to prove and they'll know they have to play well and take their chance. This is when a large squad can really help the team respond after lackluster performances.
I think that if we get within touching distance of the top two come the turn of the year, then I think in the 2nd half of the season we can kick on and our strength in depth will help as will the fact the players will have spent 4 solid months playing football together which has to help. Norwich did much the same thing last season when they built up their momentum through December-Jan time and come March-April they were unstoppable. Manchester United have done this for years. Pick up points in 3rd gear at the start and work your way up the gears as the season progress' and build up momentum as well. The two top teams have that good momentum from last season are doing well and the test for them will come when they start to loose games and whether they can get back to the level they were. The league is never won in September and there is no reason why we cannot get promoted this season. Yes we need to improve but the players, the manager, the coaches will all know that and will know they have to work. The players came here to play in the PL and the only way they will do that is by knuckling down and playing well.
As for the O'neill story, it's a very easy story for somebody to write. The time isn't now to sack the manager. We're three points from the play-offs for crying out loud.
There is room for improvement but I would rather get these performances out of the way now (whilst continuing to pick up points) than have them in the crunch period of March-April and now we can kick on from this disappointment, learn the lessons and come out on the other side better for it. I still think the pot's simmering with us. We're playing in fits and starts at the moment and I can just see there being one game where everything clicks and we put 5 past somebody and then the confidence starts to flow, the players get more comfortable, the pressure lifts and the momentum starts to come.
What is it they say; picking up points when you're not playing well is the sign of a good team?
