by Snowball »
26 Nov 2017 12:01
Leon, you say Wednesday were "p!ss poor" but that was their sixth consecutive game undefeated, and their away GD for the season is 8-11. Their previous two away games they scored 2 +2 winning at Villa (4th) and drawing at Ipswich. They've also drawn at second-place Cardiff, so they clearly have the capacity for good away results.
They've spent a lot of money, have 4-5 very decent strikers.
As for my view of the game (wasn't the A4 "fun"?)
If we took this game in isolation OR as part of the last five games W2 D2 L1 9-7 including a brilliant win at Derby 2-4 and a decent game v Wolves it wasn't at all a bad game. It was a typical game where, if you're on a good run, the shots go in. ATM we are beset by injuries, too many changes, and a fair degree of no rub of the green.
Against Wolves, near-certs already for automatic, if not the top-spot (and they will get over 100 points), we really could have won it with half-an ounce of luck. We could have been 2-0 up (Swift hitting the post, Alum's charge-down) before Wolves started playing. Again they have spent shedloads of cash to get where they are.
Our recent matches have hardly been "easy". In the last eight games we have played 6 of the top 9, one mid-table team and Bolton away.
We have BEATEN 3 of the top nine, two away wins.
1 0-2 Wolves
3 1-2 Sheff Utd - Away
6 4-2 Derby - AWAY
7 0-2 Middlesbrough
8 1-0 Leeds - AWAY
9 3-1 Forest
11 0-0 Wednesday
24 2-2 Bolton - AWAY
W3 D2 L3 11-11
If you remember we also beat Villa a while back - that means we’ve beaten 4 of the current top 9 teams. That (in isolation) is a sign of a top six team, not relegation fodder, and to date we've played 18 league games without a fit, mature striker
Stam can't be blamed for players scuffing tap-ins, or McShane getting a clear header which he puts into the South Stand. I thought, overall, we played quite well, limiting Wednesday to one shot on target. I thought Gunter was a revelation, that Bacuna-Aluko showed some great combination play, Joey had a very solid game, Moore was his usual 7.5 and McShane had a very solid game. As a unit the back 5 was a comfortable 8, with only one mistake I remember.
We are just not taking our chances, (last year we had a stupidly good chance conversion rate) but if we DO, and if we string three wins together or 4 in 5, we will rocket up the table.