Our greatest start to a season …. Ever.

[Sly]

So I dropped this into the Championship topic, however I thought it might get lost.

 

After the disaster class of last season, I think we need a bit of perspective with how it’s gone since then.

 

I’ve had a look at the 11v11 website and the best I can find:

 

1899/1900 - Undefeated for 13 games. 9 wins / 4 draws.

 

1925/1926 - Undefeated for 8 games. 4 wins / 4 draws.

 

1964 / 1965 - Undefeated for 6 games. 2 wins / 4 draws.

1973 / 1974 - Undefeated for 6 games. 3 wins / 3 draws.

 

1991 / 1992 - Undefeated for 7 games. 6 wins / 1 draw.

 

2000 / 2001 - Undefeated for 8 games. 4 wins / 4 draws.

 

2013 / 2014 - Undefeated for 6 games. 4 wins / 2 draws.

 

2015 / 2016 - Undefeated for 8 games. 5 wins / 3 draws.

 

2019 / 2020 - Undefeated for 5 games. 3 wins / 2 draws. 
 

2023 / 2024 - Undefeated for 6 games and counting! All wins. 
 

This is our best ever start to a season whichever way you look at it. Ndidi aside; the only players looking to leave would be those that haven’t featured.

 

Enzo is building something and like all great coaches, it’s not an instant project. We need to give him time.

[StriderHiryu]

Given the massive purge of players, this is so impressive. People will say we have the best squad in the division, which is possibly true. But most of the players are new players, players that have only joined recently, or players that were frozen out. 

 

Maybe that's why the start has been so good? Unlike the last two seasons, it seems like we have a TEAM again. Players that are hungry and looking to make their mark, players that want to be here, even if it's just to springboard their careers. 

[AKCJ]

Easy for new fans to say "Oh well it's just the Championship" but we've always been a yo-yo team.

 

Excellent start. 6 games 9 scored, 3 conceded.

[Fox92]

I love the way we play. Can't wait to see us later on in the season when it's not all new still.

[foxfanazer]

Astonishing really considering the turnover of players and the little time he had to work with players infected by the previous regime. Let's not kid ourselves and pretend performances are where they need to be but if we can win 6 games in second gear imagine what we'll be like when it all begins to click.

 

Also there will obviously be bumps in the road so let's not get too carried away when we lose a game. In Maresca we trust

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

Amazing what happens when you have a style and clear plan that seems to be unanimously bought into by all. 

[BenTheFox]

Sorry to be negative but I really don't think it's all that impressive. 5 of those 6 games have been against very poor sides. It genuinely wouldn't be surprising if Huddersfield, Cardiff and Rotherham were to be relegated. I know you can only beat what's in front of you but we really should be beating these sides and we are doing so unconvincingly. That's absolutely fine for the time being but come mid-October, I really want to see us hitting our stride. 

[StriderHiryu]

 

Quite a difference from last season!

[Matt]

Regardless of level it’s impressive.

 

Last seasons squad and mentality wouldn’t have done this.

 

We’ve had too many individuals for many years, we now have a team, give me hard work and endeavor, who have talent and potential over talented (wannabe) big time charlie’s who don’t want to be here any day.

[jammie82uk]

4 minutes ago, BenTheFox said:

we really should be beating these sides and we are doing so unconvincingly.

There is no reason why we can’t beat every single team in this division, this has and will always be a results game, as long as we get the result doesn’t matter if it is ugly or unconvincing 

[jammie82uk]

1 minute ago, Matt said:

we now have a team, give me hard work and endeavor,

Exactly, that’s why so many stood by the team in the great escape season, you could see all that happening and the benefits finally paid off towards the end of the season 

[Uncle Monty]

Very impressive stat and you love to see a new manager doing well alongside some academy players. It really helps with the bedding in period and people buying into the philosophy.

 

Genuine question though, apart from the Cov game, have the team faced a proper test? I've watched as many of the games as possible (via stream) and most oppo teams seem pretty poor. 

[MPH]

There's only two teams in the country that still have a 100% record.

 

 

Leicester CIty .and Manchester City.

 

 

The system and formation clearly works and we need to trust Maresca with his decision making. If he decides yesterdays Donkey is todays stallion ( Jannik) then we just need to get behind the lad and encourage him . Simple as.

[Golden Fox]

Not arguing that we've never won 6 out of 6 to start a season, but I'm not fully on board with the hyperbole at this being our greatest start ever given we're currently sat in 21st place in the English league system.

 

This guy doesn't get much love on here, but isn't being top of the Premier League a greater achievement than being top of the Championship???

[MPH]

6 minutes ago, Golden Fox said:

Not arguing that we've never won 6 out of 6 to start a season, but I'm not fully on board with the hyperbole at this being our greatest start ever given we're currently sat in 21st place in the English league system.

 

This guy doesn't get much love on here, but isn't being top of the Premier League a greater achievement than being top of the Championship???

 

 

I think you are mixing a few things up here.. No on is saying its our greatest achievement, they are saying its our greateast ever start to a season. It could be the 2nd division and we get 6 wins and then it would still be our greatest ever start to a season

[foxfan92]

12 minutes ago, Golden Fox said:

Not arguing that we've never won 6 out of 6 to start a season, but I'm not fully on board with the hyperbole at this being our greatest start ever given we're currently sat in 21st place in the English league system.

 

This guy doesn't get much love on here, but isn't being top of the Premier League a greater achievement than being top of the Championship???

Don't remind me. This is a clear sign of how everything can suddenly go wrong.

 

Seem to remember Taylor as caretaker manager for England during this period too.

 

And if memory serves me correctly we lost nearly all of our last 10 or 12 games. We won't talk about what follows at the start of the next season ...

 

Actually I feel like Taylor's time mirrors Rodgers in a way. It all started so promisingly.

 

I really hope this isn't a false dawn under Enzo.

 

I think I've seen enough to believe it won't be, it feels different, but then after thumping Southampton shortly after Rodgers arrived, and spending so long in the top 4, I was optimistic then....

[Captain...]

1 hour ago, BenTheFox said:

Sorry to be negative but I really don't think it's all that impressive. 5 of those 6 games have been against very poor sides. It genuinely wouldn't be surprising if Huddersfield, Cardiff and Rotherham were to be relegated. I know you can only beat what's in front of you but we really should be beating these sides and we are doing so unconvincingly. That's absolutely fine for the time being but come mid-October, I really want to see us hitting our stride. 

I think I read somewhere that we are only the 7th team to win our first 4 games in the championship, this might be since it became the championship or another caveat or I completely misread/misremembered it. It was a surprisingly low number of teams that win their first 4 games. It's an incredibly tough and competitive division. 

[HybridFox]

43 minutes ago, MPH said:

The system and formation clearly works and we need to trust Maresca with his decision making. If he decides yesterdays Donkey is todays stallion ( Jannik) then we just need to get behind the lad and encourage him . Simple as.

Noble steed

 

Edited 30 August 2023 by HybridFox

[Golden Fox]

7 minutes ago, MPH said:

 

 

I think you are mixing a few things up here.. No on is saying its our greatest achievement, they are saying its our greateast ever start to a season. It could be the 2nd division and we get 6 wins and then it would still be our greatest ever start to a season

I think living on the other side of the pond has thrown off your sarcasm detector!

 

I'm fully onboard the Enzo bus, and very encouraged with how this season has gone, but you can't compare the excitement I felt in that away at end Stamford Bridge when Collymore put that 2nd away to winning away at Burton, Huddersfield, Rotherham & Tranmere. I get you can only beat what is put in front of you, but quality of opposition should be factored in when using words such as greatest ever.

[Leicesterpool]

Enjoying so far, football may not be vintage but winning games is the main thing. The only thing I'm concerned about is the goals drying up, need another striker before window closes. As we know at Leicester are injury list will at some start to grow.

[ARTY_FOX]

It's not a coincidence that we keep scoring goals late in the game. The opposition spend an hour and half chasing the ball. I've listened to opposition fans make a point of how tired their team are at the end of every game. 

 

Did people expect us to win every game 8-0? We're bedding new players in, playing a new style with a full change in mentality and have still won 6 games out of 6 played. We're not in full flow yet and have played really well imo. So much to be positive about.

Edited 30 August 2023 by ARTY_FOX

[Jobyfox]

34 minutes ago, foxfan92 said:

Don't remind me. This is a clear sign of how everything can suddenly go wrong.

 

Seem to remember Taylor as caretaker manager for England during this period too.

 

And if memory serves me correctly we lost nearly all of our last 10 or 12 games. We won't talk about what follows at the start of the next season ...

 

Actually I feel like Taylor's time mirrors Rodgers in a way. It all started so promisingly.

 

I really hope this isn't a false dawn under Enzo.

 

I think I've seen enough to believe it won't be, it feels different, but then after thumping Southampton shortly after Rodgers arrived, and spending so long in the top 4, I was optimistic then....

I was thinking this the other day.

 

Rodgers came in and won and FA Cup and had two fifth place finishes.

 

But what followed was a complete and utter capitulation: poor signings, poor form, team disjointed and not playing for each other, financial mismanagement leading to inability to sign players etc.. 

 

The way Peter Taylor deconstructed the club so completely at every level, in such a short timeframe, was dramatic. Established PL club finishing in top ten to one in the Championship with no money in two seasons.
 

Rodgers has gone a long way to emulating PT and the only reason we’re not in a similar state to the one PT left us in is down to our ownership model and parachute payments 

[JimJams]

25 minutes ago, ARTY_FOX said:

...have still won 7 games out of 7 played...

?

[ARTY_FOX]

5 minutes ago, JimJams said:

?

I ment 6 out of 6 but the point is still the same 

[Fox92]

2 hours ago, BenTheFox said:

Sorry to be negative but I really don't think it's all that impressive. 5 of those 6 games have been against very poor sides. It genuinely wouldn't be surprising if Huddersfield, Cardiff and Rotherham were to be relegated. I know you can only beat what's in front of you but we really should be beating these sides and we are doing so unconvincingly. That's absolutely fine for the time being but come mid-October, I really want to see us hitting our stride. 

The Southampton game will be the first "real" test for me.

 

Coventry and Cardiff both had great chances against us, one on ones, if we afford the same to a player such as Armstrong then the outcome will be totally different.

 

Our start was always going to be "easy". We've only played one decent team so far and that's Coventry. If they take their chances then they beat us, but they didn't. Huddersfield/Cardiff/Rotherham were among the worst teams in the league last season. Hull might be a difficult one to predict Saturday, but again we should be looking at beating them. Next home game after that is Bristol City who are terrible as well.

Edited 30 August 2023 by Fox92