Recent Form

[5waller5]

So it only makes sense to talk about our form when we're doing shit and people can use it as a way to criticise the manager? Form is no indicator at all of where we'll be at the end of the season. If we're top of the form table, it doesn't mean we're gonna win the league, if we're bottom of the form table it doesn't mean we're gonna get relegated. Form is a snapshot of a few games at a certain point during the season. If we're in bad form it doesn't mean things will stay that way, if we're in good form there's no guarantee we'll keep winning either.

Form is exactly that .... how it's going in the most recent run of games .... therefore an indicator of anything needing to be done differently - which is what I'm asking - what would you do differently in the next two games. Personnel and manager will be the same so how does NP go about winning those two games.

And as another poster says - the form is actually worse if you look at it over 11 games and that's a quarter of the season.

So apart from slating anyone that presents the reality of our current situation and putting your head in the sand and your tongue up Np's rear ... how would you go about winning the next two games???? I'm interested in your footballing opinion not your opinion of me or NP.

[5waller5]

Poor run. Last time we had a poor run we had a great run.

We need a result to kick start it

And how do we get that result??

We surely can't play the same team and the same tactics as the last two games and hope it works??

[Babylon]

Form is exactly that .... how it's going in the most recent run of games .... therefore an indicator of anything needing to be done differently - which is what I'm asking - what would you do differently in the next two games. Personnel and manager will be the same so how does NP go about winning those two games.

And as another poster says - the form is actually worse if you look at it over 11 games and that's a quarter of the season.

So apart from slating anyone that presents the reality of our current situation and putting your head in the sand and your tongue up Np's rear ... how would you go about winning the next two games???? I'm interested in your footballing opinion not your opinion of me or NP.

I'd try to get Knockaert more into his free role again than stuck to the wing. He and we seemed far more dangerous when he was closer to the strikers. He doesn't have the pace to get away from people, so when he's isolated like he has been he tends to lose the ball more as people can track back against him easily. Nearer the strikers he can thread balls through and give and go.

[5waller5]

You are right, nothing much will change in players or formation for the next couple of games.

How do we turn it round, well against Cardiff we more than held our own, so we have nothing to fear. Form can turn sometimes without doing anything, an early goal, a striker hitting form etc. Early in the season people lambasted Pearson for a poor start, but our form turned without anything major being done and we hit the top of the table.

Until we get players in to fix the obvious holes then that's what we are going to rely on I think. I can't see Pearson suddenly ripping up his plans/formations etc as it's not really served us that badly. With a bit more up front and a bit more of a physical edge I think we know we could be in a much better position that we are.

I can't see him changing much either to be fair .... do the players then lack belief if nothing changes - maybe any change can spark a bit of belief that this will be the thing that turns it around??

I know in the days of there being a better atmosphere at the ground it could be the crowd sparked into life by a bad referring decision ..... the place became a couldron and the energy got into the players and suddenly pressure turned into a goal ... i can't see this happening too often anymore .... and the next two are away anyway.

I think it's a genuine head scratcher for the next two games - hands are tied with personnel, so do we carry on with plan A or tinker with it?

[Babylon]

We surely can't play the same team and the same tactics as the last two games and hope it works??

To be fair I thought we were ok against Cardiff, they were a quality team and I thought we did ok up until the subs. We aren't a million miles away and again looked a decent striker / a bit more strength away from getting something.

[indierich06]

Form is exactly that .... how it's going in the most recent run of games .... therefore an indicator of anything needing to be done differently - which is what I'm asking - what would you do differently in the next two games. Personnel and manager will be the same so how does NP go about winning those two games.

And as another poster says - the form is actually worse if you look at it over 11 games and that's a quarter of the season.

So apart from slating anyone that presents the reality of our current situation and putting your head in the sand and your tongue up Np's rear ... how would you go about winning the next two games???? I'm interested in your footballing opinion not your opinion of me or NP.

I don't personally think there's anything wrong with the football that's seen us in the playoffs for the vast majority of the season. We need to be more clinical, but that's about it. There's nothing we can do about that till the window opens up in January. This bad form is nothing to do with tactics, it's totally to do with the team not performing to the required standard in recent games. There's no magic formation that would suddenly turn our season around - the players need to pull their fingers out and start performing again.

[5waller5]

I'd try to get Knockaert more into his free role again than stuck to the wing. He and we seemed far more dangerous when he was closer to the strikers. He doesn't have the pace to get away from people, so when he's isolated like he has been he tends to lose the ball more as people can track back against him easily. Nearer the strikers he can thread balls through and give and go.

Yeah I'd agree with that ... play one up front and either knocky or marshall behind that one (Nuge) but who on the right of midfield in that formation?? For me it would be Danns!!

The alternative that i think NP would choose is James and maybe kKngy pushed to the right?

[Happy Fox]

I agree Knockaert and Marshall for me need to given free roles to work their magic but we cannot play 4-4-2 for that to happen because them being stuck on the wings hampers our creativity for our strikers.

[5waller5]

To be fair I thought we were ok against Cardiff, they were a quality team and I thought we did ok up until the subs. We aren't a million miles away and again looked a decent striker / a bit more strength away from getting something.

Yeah we were in the first 60 mins or so. Thats the frustrating bit - we're not a million miles away ... But if we don't get a good points haul out of the next 2-4 games then we will start to fall out of the play offs, belief of the players will be dented, fans get frustrated, and then the pressure really starts on NP.

I just think he has to try something different, even if it's to look like he's willing to try something new, rather than be labelled as rigid or lacking a plan B.