A quick start - B McD's achilles heal?

[Super Kevin Bremner!]

The last two seasons we've finished like a steam train to get into the play offs and subsequently to win auto promotion, but we've had to perform miracles due to a poor start.

I wonder whether it's because the pre-season prep hasn't been right, or if it's more a case that when everyone else runs out of steam we have an extra edge in our mid season planning and prep.

Either way we can't afford a poor start again this year as we could find ourselves up the creek! I think this is going to be the most important factor in us staying up so what will be the difference this year? We look like we have a better squad and a bit of momentum but will that be enough or has B McD changed anything this time in his prep?

Ideas?

[wolsey]

Being able to strengthen to the squad in July rather than having to wait until mid/end of August to see what's left of the squad or what's available to loan or buy must help.

[NR_Royal]

Well we lost Gylfi the first season. We needed time to adapt.

Second season we lost Long. Again, we needed to change our tactics.

This season we haven't lost anyone, although the new signings may have an impact.

[pea]

Well we lost Gylfi the first season. We needed time to adapt.

Second season we lost Long. Again, we needed to change our tactics.

This season we haven't lost anyone, although the new signings may have an impact.

We lost Manset..

[The Rouge]

heel.

Long started the first few games though. Did gylfi?

[pea]

heel.

Long started the first few games though. Did gylfi?

yep with goals against Leicester and Scunthorpe, we do OK in the first few though (Long only started against Millwall I think because it was Hunt/Manset with HRK coming on late against Leicester), its the end of august/september run that kills us. Thankfully we're not playing any games in that period at all this year

[East Stand Ste]

Quite frankly if we start slow this season we are fooked!

[who are ya?]

yep with goals against Leicester and Scunthorpe

Skillz goals

[TheLawnMowerMan]

At the risk of doing a Snowball, I have looked at the fixtures and removed all games against my expected top 7 which leaves 24 games in which we should be aiming to get 40 points (I know that we'll pick up point against those 7 teams, but it helps take out runs of games against top teams to smooth the needed points per game and breaks the season into 4 quarters of 6 games).
If you then assume we will do much better at home than away then it actually looks like we have a harder start of season than end.
Targets = 8 pts after 10 games, 18 after 19, 30 after 28 and 40 after 38.

I hope we do much better than 40 pts, although I suspoect that most would settle for that now, but the point I'm making (in a rather long winded way) is that we shouldn't panic if we dip below the 1 point per game total in the first half of the season.

If we keep within one win of that mark we should be in the hunt to stay up.
Personally I'm hoping we get a double digit final tally with at least a 5 at the front and a couple of big scalps (a win against The Arsenal at home please!)

For the record I removed fixtures against: Man C, Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool and Newcastle (and I think the last 2 could be argued about until May next year). I also assumed we'd pick up 3 times as many points at home as away from home.

[Ian Royal]

The last two seasons we've finished like a steam train to get into the play offs and subsequently to win auto promotion, but we've had to perform miracles due to a poor start.

I wonder whether it's because the pre-season prep hasn't been right, or if it's more a case that when everyone else runs out of steam we have an extra edge in our mid season planning and prep.

Either way we can't afford a poor start again this year as we could find ourselves up the creek! I think this is going to be the most important factor in us staying up so what will be the difference this year? We look like we have a better squad and a bit of momentum but will that be enough or has B McD changed anything this time in his prep?

Ideas?

I think losing important players late on in pre-season has been a big factor... but there does also seem to be some management issues there as well.

Hopefully getting most of our signings in with a months still to go until the season starts will make a big difference. Although we're likely to be seeing a starting line up against Stoke with at least 4 / 5 changes to it compared to last season. This could be a problem if we don't get pre-season just right.

Those first 3 - 5 games will be a nervous old time for us.

[threebs]

Just as important are the penalties, we cannot afford to miss what was it 5 or 6 in the championship last season.

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

Just as important are the penalties, we cannot afford to miss what was it 5 or 6 in the championship last season.

5-6? we missed a lot more than that. hell we missed 3 in one game if i recall correctly. id say we probably made 1/3 or 4 penalties. hopefully one of our new signings will be able to step up and take a damn penalty.

[Saaaaaaaammmmmm]

We missed 6/8. 2 in the Barnsley game, one at Coventry, two against Brizzle and finally at Birmingham. Scored against Barnsley and Wet Sham

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

We missed 6/8. 2 in the Barnsley game, one at Coventry, two against Brizzle and finally at Birmingham. Scored against Barnsley and Wet Sham

that is so depressing...