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Rufus Smalls

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Posts posted by Rufus Smalls

  4. Posted

    What are Watford and/or Derby''s conversion rates? It seems to me as the season goes on that we need more and more chances in order to get a goal, which is frustrating as the recent games have proved.

    We''re not struggling for goals when you look at the bigger picture, but in individual games we have been unlucky in some and wasteful in others. If we had been more clinical with our chances our goals-for tally would be incredible.

  5. Posted

    Reflections on tonight:

    The Johnson and Tettey combo has been great this season but lacked a bit of penetration against a backs to the wall defence tonight and I agree that Johnson should have been the one to make way.

    Whilst we were playing really well and you don''t really want to change things when you feel the goal is coming, taking off Grabbs sooner would have been productive - he was wasteful tonight and gave the ball away a lot.

  7. Posted

    Compare the Lambert and Hughton (1st) season - both finished around the same area but under Lambert we were safe and comfortable for a long time and under Hughton we were in grave danger with a few games to go but pulled away at the last minute. There''s no doubt, however, that the Lambert season was ''better'', as we got the points on the board to survive earlier and that gave us a more comfortable and enjoyable finish.

    So, it *ought to be* beneficial to have a tough run in as theoretically the points should be in the bag before the killer run-in, thus allowing us a bit more breathing space and more chance of a comfortable season like Lambert''s.

    Whether this makes any difference is another matter. In practice, it''s all academic because it has spectacularly backfired this season and with a tough finish there''s not a get-out-of-jail card. At the end of the day, everyone has to get points from their 38 games and we''re not going to get enough points to stay up, so questions about a tough run in and the fixture computer are all a little theoretical - we haven''t won enough games.

  8. Posted

    RuddyMartin at RBTurner and Yobo CB (or Ryan Bennett if Yobo isn''t fit)Olsson LBJohnson, Tettey, Howson CMSnodgrass, Elliott Bennett AMElmander up front

    Okay, it might not be the *best* team on paper, but in the circumstances, nothing would be more frustrating to see the team not turn up and the players having given up, like Fer has done recently. We''d get an honest shift out of the above 11.

  16. Posted

    If we go down (and it''s still a big if - admittedly it looks bleak but the fat lady hasn''t sung just yet) we need to move forward with a youngish, hungry squad that will fight and scrap for points. 46 games is a long and hard season and we won''t make progress in it with players not prepared to put their bodies on the line. If that means selling our ''better'' players and using players that might not be as good but want to play for the team in the second tier then so be it.

    I can envisage a clearout - I can''t see the likes of Bassong or RVW having any motivation to play in the Championship. Same with Hoolahan, Pilkington and Whittaker, not that they''ve showed any desire to fight this season. Garrido would do a good job but with previous clubs including Man City and Lazio I think he''d wish he was elsewhere, so we can sell him too.

    If we can keep hold of Olsson, Howson, Tettey and Hooper that would be massive. I would like them to stay but can see Ruddy, Fer, Snodgrass and possibly Turner sadly being sold as they are too good for the Championship.

    I think it''ll be players like the Bennetts that will be key for us next season - if we go down.

  17. Posted

    Agreed, it''s looking like we need another point to have a glimmer of hope of staying up on goal difference. That''s assuming Fulham get three points from their remaining four games.... for what it''s worth, I think they will get more. But if they do only get three, as we are on -27 and they are on -40, a 13 goal swing could be tight...

  18. Posted

    We might still be in 17th but relying on other teams to mess up is a dangerous game. Football never seems to work out like that.

    Fulham will almost certainly pick up a win against Hull and/or Cardiff at home, which would send us down. Their morale is on the up. Ours is at an all-time low. Fingers crossed NA can lift the players and here''s hoping for a miracle against the big teams.

  19. Posted

    Fulham have Hull and Cardiff at home. I fully expect at least four points from those two games. Cardiff have Stoke at home - a good opportunity for three points. When we''re in the position of needing other teams to self-destruct we''re as good as gone. Getting anything out of our last four will be pretty much impossible - our morale must be at rock bottom right now.

  24. Posted

    What a load of garbage that was. On a par with Hull away.

    We''re in a mess now. We''re not totally screwed just yet, but staying up will rely on Sunderland, Cardiff and Fulham doing us some massive favours over the next few weeks because there''s no way we''ll win at the Cottage next week after that ''performance''. Staying up by virtue of there being three atrocious teams below us is not a successful season at all and that is looking unlikely now. 
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