birchfest 401 Posted September 30, 2019 I can't in memory think of a season where we have been this hit by the sheer volume of injuries. We've had key players out in seasons previously but never quite to this extent where 5-6 starters are out for a significant amount of time. However, I'm trying (like most of here) to keep an optimistic outlook and temper the temptation of jumping straight to panic. I really feel, even with our threadbare squad, that we have enough to keep the pace with the teams in and around us. Thats all we have to do right now, we arnt in the final run in where loosing players is truly catastrophic. Time and fixtures are still well on our side, and I think we can all agree that when we have our 'true' starting 11 on the pitch we have enough to push on and finish somewhere between 12th and 16th. The exemplary result against Man City perhaps allowed us to forget how Burnley and Palace are really tough away days, and ill be surprised to see many of the 'bottom 6 sides' go to either of those places and get more than a point. Watford and Newcastle don't have the injuries and look woeful, Southampton and Villa look unconvincing, Brighton could fall foul of the new manger bounce wearing off and Sheffield have a similar squad to ours in the sense a couple of key injuries could really impact their position. If we keep the pace with those lot and then in the next few weeks get Krul, Vrancic and Trybull back, and then see Zimmerman back into the fold in January plus any new additions we've still got a fantastic chance of comfortably staying up. 3 points on Saturday in front of a rocking Carrow Road and it'll be a big step towards that. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Smith 2,610 Posted September 30, 2019 Yes. We just need to grind out enough home wins until Christmas/January and then hope players come back or buy a new centre back. Palace lost (or at least didn't win in) the first 11 games once in this division didn't they and then stayed up? One god run of 5 or 6 games can be all it takes if we are able to stay in touch over the next couple of months. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tetteys Jig 851 Posted September 30, 2019 A win over Villa and we are good until at least November I think. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
birchfest 401 Posted September 30, 2019 I actually really fancy our chances in the next two; Villa will come to attack us as we will be viewed as a chance to pick up points on the road, the space will be there and we need a big performance we know our front 4 can produce. Man United.. we get at them and its another one where they could have a really uncomfortable afternoon! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lake district canary 4,830 Posted September 30, 2019 No game is going to be any easier than any other. The sheer quality of players that all clubs have indicate that anything can happen on any given day against any given club, as we showed against Man City. Villa will be one of the toughest matches of the season and we will do well to get anything against them. A win would be fantastic and would give us 9 points from 8 games. A draw would be a good result too and even a loss not the end of the world. It all goes to show we just have to take it all as it comes as nothing is going to be easy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt. Pants 5,008 Posted September 30, 2019 Agree with the OP, it's a case of scrapping for points here and there. Villa will be very difficult, a must not lose game at FCR otherwise I can see confidence taking a real hit, not to mention the inevitable meltdown on here. We don't want to be cut adrift like Huddersfield were last season as that would put us in a very difficult position come the January transfer window in terms of keeping our young starlets and recruiting much needed reinforcements. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
birchfest 401 Posted September 30, 2019 16 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said: Agree with the OP, it's a case of scrapping for points here and there. Villa will be very difficult, a must not lose game at FCR otherwise I can see confidence taking a real hit, not to mention the inevitable meltdown on here. We don't want to be cut adrift like Huddersfield were last season as that would put us in a very difficult position come the January transfer window in terms of keeping our young starlets and recruiting much needed reinforcements. Yeah, thats exactly the point; we arnt currently adrift and we just have to make sure that before we get key players back that hasn't happened! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex Moss 2,167 Posted September 30, 2019 2 hours ago, lake district canary said: Villa will be one of the toughest matches of the season and we will do well to get anything against them. I don’t know how you can be so upbeat against Man City, and then say we’ll be lucky to get anything against Villa at home, Lakey? I know which team I’d expect us to get a substantially bigger points haul against in 10 head to heads - and it certainly isn’t Man City! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ROBFLECK 134 Posted September 30, 2019 I'm afraid I just can't share the optimism this time... Lakey got me in a more positive frame of mind before the Man City game ("let's give it a good go, you never know!") , but we hardly have anybody left to play !!! I know I am exagerating but it does feel like it I just don't see it happening at the moment , a team like Norwich missing 6 starters!!! I'll take a draw against Villa at the moment Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ROBFLECK 134 Posted September 30, 2019 2 hours ago, lake district canary said: It all goes to show we just have to take it all as it comes as nothing is going to be easy. Well it's a bit too tough to take atm... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 4,616 Posted September 30, 2019 3 hours ago, ROBFLECK said: I'm afraid I just can't share the optimism this time... Lakey got me in a more positive frame of mind before the Man City game ("let's give it a good go, you never know!") , but we hardly have anybody left to play !!! I know I am exagerating but it does feel like it I just don't see it happening at the moment , a team like Norwich missing 6 starters!!! I'll take a draw against Villa at the moment Six starters? Let's not exaggerate. From the team that played on Saturday I'd say two, maybe three. If everyone was fit then Krul would play in place of Fährmann, Zimmermann would be in the team instead of McLean with Amadou moving into midfield, and maybe Hernandez would challenge for Cantwell's place. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crafty Canary 547 Posted September 30, 2019 If we had been told when the fixture list was published that we would beat Newcastle, draw with West Ham, Burnley and Palace but lose to Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City most of us would have taken the 6 points. We are just where it is reasonable to expect us to be despite all the injuries. Move along please, there’s nothing to see here. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lappinitup 629 Posted September 30, 2019 8 hours ago, birchfest said: Yeah, thats exactly the point; we arnt currently adrift.... 9 hours ago, birchfest said: ...we arnt in the final run in where loosing players is truly catastrophic It's aren't. Just saying....... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canary Wundaboy 1,423 Posted September 30, 2019 4 hours ago, Crafty Canary said: If we had been told when the fixture list was published that we would beat Newcastle, draw with West Ham, Burnley and Palace but lose to Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City most of us would have taken the 6 points. We are just where it is reasonable to expect us to be despite all the injuries. Move along please, there’s nothing to see here. My concern with those 3 draws is that it would have also taken points away from Burnley and Palace. Taking 3 points off Man City is great but it isn’t Man City we’ll be scrapping against for survival at the end of the season. If we can’t beat them, we need to be making sure they don’t take 3 points off us. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Diane 500 Posted September 30, 2019 9 hours ago, ROBFLECK said: I'm afraid I just can't share the optimism this time... Lakey got me in a more positive frame of mind before the Man City game ("let's give it a good go, you never know!") , but we hardly have anybody left to play !!! I know I am exagerating but it does feel like it I just don't see it happening at the moment , a team like Norwich missing 6 starters!!! I'll take a draw against Villa at the moment Who are your 6 starters & who are the 6 they would replace? Krul for McGovern Zimbo for Amadou Who are the other 4? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Bristol Nest 597 Posted October 1, 2019 10 hours ago, lappinitup said: It's aren't. Just saying....... Just dont 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
birchfest 401 Posted October 1, 2019 19 hours ago, lappinitup said: It's aren't. Just saying....... Well we just aren't going to get along if i carry on like that haha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hank shoots Skyler 2,094 Posted October 1, 2019 (edited) On 30/09/2019 at 12:44, lake district canary said: Villa will be one of the toughest matches of the season and we will do well to get anything against them. A win would be fantastic and would give us 9 points from 8 games. A draw would be a good result too and even a loss not the end of the world. One of the most hilarious things I've read without actually laughing. This is in stark contrast to your posts in the lead up to Man City game. You said (quite clearly) that it would 'not be okay' to lose to Man City, and it would be a 'sickener' if we did - a 'sickener'. When posters - including myself - tried to debate this; stating that it would be okay to lose as long as we gave a good account for ourselves - you did not agree with this and continued to insist that a loss would be unacceptable. And now - just 2 weeks later - we have this, Villa at home; 'We will do well to get anything against them'. 'A loss would not be the end of the world'. Seriously??? You said nothing remotely of the sort to this in the build up to the Man City game across pages and pages of repetitive and painful debate. Now you're talking up Villa as if they are Man City. We were all so happy to eat humble pie and give you the credit after that incredible result - but a few short sentences later and it seems to have fallen away. Feed the wolf was right, the only consistent factor that remains in all of this is that your view is always against the grain and general gist of the forum's feelings.. That's all it boils down to. Edited October 1, 2019 by Hank shoots Skyler Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lake district canary 4,830 Posted October 1, 2019 Look......it's not about Man City being a great side and it's not about Villa being a lesser side - it's about treating all games the same. The Villa match will be every bit as tough as the Man City match. As for my attitiude about losing - a loss against any team, be it Man city or a Villa is always a huge disappointment, but a loss is not the end of the world - it never is. So let me explain again.....my attitude on this forum is the same - if people say we will lose, I will say "why, has the match happened"? Likewise if people If say we will win, I will say "why, has the match happened"? If we are ten points behind the promotion race and there are enough games to pull them back, I will say, it is possible, if we are five points ahead at the top of the table I will say it is possible we won't do it. But it's not about being positive or negative....it's simply saying that anything can happen in football......as in us showing up Man City. So I would never assume we are going to win or lose a match before it happens, what is the point in assuming you know what is going to happen in a match? I couldn't believe the build up to the Man City match with people lining up telling us how many we were going to lose by. It was ridiculous. Villa will imo be one of the toughest games this season. As I said win and it is brilliant, draw ok, lose....disappointing but not the end of the world. I hope that makes it clear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bonzo 198 Posted October 5, 2019 All of our players- including those who are starting because others are injured are good enough for this league. The issue is simply one of performances. A good performance is worth points. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TeemuVanBasten 3,328 Posted October 5, 2019 (edited) 45 minutes ago, Bonzo said: All of our players- including those who are starting because others are injured are good enough for this league. Errmmm... Michael McGovern is basically a League One standard goalkeeper. But it is our back 4's job of limiting the amount of work he has to do. I fear that we really miss the distribution of a Krul or Ralf, they can at times be like 11th outfield players and McGovern doesn't have that in his locker... his kicking is atrocious and 50% of the time its going to mean giving the ball away. We are going to have to be smart about how much we try and use him. That doesn't mean he'll be a complete liability every game, but to declare him good enough for this league is a big stretch. Edited October 5, 2019 by TeemuVanBasten Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
