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Rudolph Hucker

The Next Three Games Could Shape Our Season.

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I was going to say, next four because that is Cardiff away but, as it happens, that game could be less important if the three games coming up go well, I''ll explain:

QPR are top because they score plenty of goals, they are clearly a good side but they may have begun too well and set themselves a standard they can only fall from. Football is full of psychology and like Leeds last season having a big points lead can be deceptive. If you are seven or eight points ahead you see only the gap and seeing it reduced to four or five can be affecting, once you have lost that momentum you can find it hard to pick up again. It takes special quality to lead for a long time and everyone has difficult spells. But, that is them....

For Norwich, this London side we have played more than any other team is a difficult game against a manager who has often taken points off Norwich sides. Both teams will need to pick up form after an international break and whoever does that best will win. Norwich will be roared on by a massive following and this is a chance to not only pick up points for ourselves but also rein in the leader. More than that, as Paul Lambert''s side seeks to find out it''s true potential this is the chance to test themselves against the best.

A draw will suffice but we all know this would only occur in a situation when PL was going for a win anyway. We have so far saved our best performances away from home and the fact this is a huge challenge will set our players in the right mindset. It is time for QPR to lose.

For me, if we get a big result at QPR the quickly following Palace game will be more difficult to win. We are at home where we have yet to excel; the expectation would be huge; Tuesday games to date have produced some bizarre results so anything could happen; back to back wins are a bigger challenge than avoiding back to back losses. If we get beat at QPR the two quickly following home games will assume higher points importance and pressure our players.

On top of that bloody Palace are a pain and we are long overdue putting one properly over them.

Quickly following is the Middlesborough game and here is a big club with Premiership remnants playing to get their season going. Again, incessant wins are tough but that is what we had to do to get promoted, it is what PL always tries to do and that helps massively but he has a squad with the variation necessary to acheive that.

I like to believe we have the attitude, application, squad strength and variation to get 7 points from these games and if we do then we really would have lift off. We have began to build into this season and for me that is the best way. You need to be solid, to improve and time your progress. Assuming we lose at Cardiff,  5 points from the next three games would be the minimum to maintain our momentum at this stage; 6 would be good but 7 would shape our season as a team pushing at the top of the league.

Hopefully, this progression would see Nelson and Surman well on the road to recovery and as the season bites our squad might be crucial as opposed to small squads like Watfords.

So, for me, after the anti-climax of another bloody international break October and the remaining three league games could be the ones that shape our season. Come on you Yellows!!!

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This will be like our big 3 from last season, when we played Leeds, Huddersfield and Millwall. I believe we got 7 points from those 3, more than most predicted, and we can do that again as we are a better team now!

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Bump.Great post Rudolph, and certainly deserving of more acclaim than the subdued response it''s received.A sensible onlooking analysis of what awaits us after the international break, and at that an interesting read. Well put, with the kind of the dedicated, eloquent, and pragmatic approach that this board can often find itself devoid of.Entirely agree, and let''s hope the next 3 games provide the framework we can look to build upon positively as the season progresses. [Y]

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I think you need to include all the games up to and including ipswich, two tough away games to qpr and cardiff, a true bogey team in palace, two former premiership sides in burnley and ''boro and then two high energy games with leeds and ipswich...

If we come out of this spell still in the top six then that is when realistically we can start to aim for the play-offs

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Very good post, it all makes sense.

We really have started very well, and a very tough few games ahead, if we get through the next three unbeaten (with at least one win), that should set us up for the season really. I think we can manage to keep it consistent, as i only see out performances improving from here on out.

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it does slightly overlook that this is a rather different season to others. A few bizarre results have merely highlighted that fact.

So many clubs are carrying much smaller squads and a couple of injuries and/or the odd suspension can dramatically change the line up, So teams that should peform to a certain way most likely won''t.

No three games at this stage will shape anything other than indicating what changes need to be made to the line up.

If you want to speculate on ''ifs'' then ask yourself what would the score have been had Fryatt not had a rush of blood to the head and been send of on Tuesday night. How many ''ifs'' and reading of the runes would have been conjured up had that game ended in a draw or even defeat.

What I would say about that incident was that having a player like Barnett at the club who clearly recognised the need to slow Leicester down and so tried to stop them getting the ball back as quick as possible is of far more importance and significance than supposed bogey teams.

I further think what will shape our season is when Lambert gets Smith and Surnam both playing - with maybe a Premiership quality rightback in Januar, if not earlier.

Otherwise it is how well we play not who we are playing. A defeat has no bearing on the next games. Players who don''t adapt to that do not tend to be playing at this level.

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"speculation and rumination is the perogative of the fan "

doesn''t make it valid though

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"City 1st I''m not sure what you are getting at "

Teams with smaller squads will change VERY quickly

Games turn on small events ie a sending off so to base a season long analysis on that is ridiculous

Analysis is more valid based on the quality of the players and the management (than it is on superstitions)

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I honestly dont think we need to put markers down for certain games. What is clear is that everyone can beat each other in this league albeit QPR do seem to be the obvious team to stand out at the moment.

Consistency and picking up points when not always playing well will be the key. We do seem to be a hard nut to crack when on the road which will always be a good sign

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