The Championship Thread 2023/2024

[john ridley]

If anyone wants to feel abit more positive,a trip to the saints forum might make things seem not so bad.

[foxes_rule1978]

13 minutes ago, Lionator said:

Because they don’t crumble at the end of games, and actually have a quality squad to choose from? Just because we started off better, doesn’t mean we’re a better team now. Ipswich and Leeds play with no fear. We are held hostage by fear. That will be what stops us.

Just as a game is played to the whistle, the season starts in August and ends in May… let’s see who is the better come May. I will also add that Ipswich struggled to win games for a while and Southampton have lost 3 of the last 4 so even taking that small sample.. to overturn 6 points yet alone 11 for Southampton is going to be very tough for Ipswich and Southampton 

Edited 24 February 2024 by foxes_rule1978

[moore_94]

Such a shame that even if we do win the league we will still have to give the trophy to Leeds... right?

[foxes_rule1978]

Just now, moore_94 said:

Such a shame that even if we do win the league we will still have to give the trophy to Leeds... right?

Yeah because we had an excellent start so those points get taken off. It’s unfair because Leeds hadn’t hit their purple patch at the time 

Edited 24 February 2024 by foxes_rule1978

[Chelmofox]

21 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

This were top of the league stuff is delusional. All that separates us is a better start. We're not top 2 in the last 20. Unfortunately the players seem to be drinking this koolaid too.

Thats some wonderful cherry picking because it starts and ends with the 2 Leeds games which of course give 6 points to Leeds. Let me cherry pick around those 2 games :

 

 

2 points in it and the top 5 lost the same number of games. In fact, if i cherry pick and remove the Borough game (go to match day 33) we are 1 point better off than Leeds.  Its a 46 game season, not a 21 or 18 game season. What you said is meaningless really.

 

We need to do what we did last time after we lost 2 on the bounce. 

[Chelmofox]

6 minutes ago, john ridley said:

If anyone wants to feel abit more positive,a trip to the saints forum might make things seem not so bad.

Read the Martin thread. Great therapy.

[whoareyaaa]

33 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

This were top of the league stuff is delusional. All that separates us is a better start. We're not top 2 in the last 20. Unfortunately the players seem to be drinking this koolaid too.

Thank god titles are won over a whole season rather than 20 games of your choice 

[DerbyshireFox]

There does seem a certain irony to the number of people calling the team out for a weak mentality and lose their minds when we lose a game or two! I get we’ve conceded late goals, I get the mentality was abysmal last season, and there are still elements defensively that aren’t convincing.

 

However this team has shown resilience this season. The last time we lost back to back games (to the same opponents), we won 8 of the next 10. This team has led this league for the majority of the season, and in the most part, has dealt with the pressure of being top for the majority of the season. It doesn’t matter that we wouldn’t be top on the last 20 games, the only relevant fact is that after 34 of 34, we are six points clear at the top whilst being ‘mentally weak’. When game 46 comes round, we will be where we deserve to be over the season, not over a selected part of it. 
 

We are by no means the finished article, but at the level we are at, we are by far one of if not the best side. The players need our support after the last couple of games, let’s get them to the finish line. 

[fazzyfox]

As my Uncle Stan always said having all your bird eggs to hand in the same bush is worth 3 in the basket, points can't be taken away (unless you're Everton), yes there's more to do and different clubs are on different current form trajectories but the solid points count more than the forecasted ones. 

 

Hull away and WBA at home will be far from "routine" wins as they're trying to be around the play off's, and Southampton will require better game management from everyone than we've seen in the Ipswich and Leeds games but I wouldn't swap positions and fixture lists with any of the others around, sorry behind, us.

 

 

[Bert]

46 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

This were top of the league stuff is delusional. All that separates us is a better start. We're not top 2 in the last 20. Unfortunately the players seem to be drinking this koolaid too.

It’s not delusional though is it? It’s an actual fact.  
 

It’s a 46 game season, not a last 21 games played season. With 34/46 games played, we are top of the league. 

[Number 6]

Surely it would be more delusional to claim we're not top of the league?

[EastAnglianFox]

I know it’s all about promotion but if we lose out on the title to Leeds I swear I’ll feel as sick as I did after Rodger’s relegated us 

 

I know for the club in terms of sustainability and money etc we just have to get up at the first time of asking but emotionally it’s nowhere near the same feeling right now as it felt under Pearson and O’Neil, if anything I wish we could just earn the same cash, stay here and try to win this every season  

Edited 24 February 2024 by EastAnglianFox

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

Just now, Number 6 said:

Surely it would be more delusional to claim we're not top of the league?

Badly phrased by me. Its a simplistic argument. The 20 game form table has us off, the 10 game one has us even further off. 

[foxes_rule1978]

1 minute ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

Badly phrased by me. Its a simplistic argument. The 20 game form table has us off, the 10 game one has us even further off. 

Not to Ipswich and Southampton though..  for the title it is a little touch and go but when it comes to two teams overtaking us when 6 ahead with 12 to play we need a collapse like we have never had before. To not win the title though from our position would obviously be disappointing, but let’s just ensure promotion first and then worry about Leeds 

Edited 24 February 2024 by foxes_rule1978

[whoareyaaa]

1 minute ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

Badly phrased by me. Its a simplistic argument. The 20 game form table has us off, the 10 game one has us even further off. 

your deluded pal. 

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

1 minute ago, whoareyaaa said:

your deluded pal. 

We'll be fine 🫡

 

Oh and it's 'you're'.

Edited 24 February 2024 by Chocolate Teapot

[Blarmy]

Just now, Chocolate Teapot said:

We'll be fine 🫡

 

Oh and it's 'you're'.

Question for you - if we perform as well as we did last night for every remaining game, and don’t get any perfectly good goals ruled out, do you think we go up automatically?

[whoareyaaa]

2 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

We'll be fine 🫡

I just checked 34 game form table and we are top.

[whoareyaaa]

3 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

We'll be fine 🫡

 

Oh and it's 'you're'.

You're talking rubbish

[Chelmofox]

1 minute ago, Blarmy said:

Question for you - if we perform as well as we did last night for every remaining game, and don’t get any perfectly good goals ruled out, do you think we go up automatically?

Depends on how many of the games you want to contribute to the overall total.

[moore_94]

Just now, whoareyaaa said:

I just checked 34 game form table and we are top.

2 game form table we are bottom of the league!

 

League One tour next season! 

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

Just now, Blarmy said:

Question for you - if we perform as well as we did last night for every remaining game, and don’t get any perfectly good goals ruled out, do you think we go up automatically?

Depends whether we completely bottle the last ten minutes. It's not rugby.

 

We played brilliantly but couldn't finish for shit and there's every sign we crumble under pressure. Not sure I fancy us when the pressure is on tbh.

 

We'll probably scrape up, and if I think ahead beyond that I'd be really concerned.

 

I think we're an excellent footballing side but we have zero bottle as the games against Ipswich, Cov and Leeds would suggest.

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

1 minute ago, whoareyaaa said:

You're talking rubbish

Better 🫡

[Number 6]

6 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

Badly phrased by me. Its a simplistic argument. The 20 game form table has us off, the 10 game one has us even further off. 

All that will matter is the one at the end though. It's being the best over 46 games. If you'd looked at the start of the year then Leeds had just come off a very poor December. 

[CheeseHead]

We will get promoted and Stoke will drop to League 1. The circle is complete!