Ten - Six - Four

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Ten wins, six draws and four defeats would give us 80 points when 78 might be enough for automatic.

 

We need to up our home form as nine of those games are at home. We need to keep clean sheets (only six so far) and be patient while we seek to unlock deep defences with the bulk of possession.

 

If we stay in the running, April has some huge games and even now each game feels like a cup final. Ironically, the margin to miss the top six from an automatic spot is likely to be very small. This promises to be a real nail biter.

 

Lambert goes for the win both home and away and our away form is definately promotion standard. The analogy is simple, this is cup football and we have to look to win, win, win beginning with today.

 

Eight clean sheets between now and the end of the season would probably be enough because we almost always score. The answer lies with our defence and with four quality fit centre halves, Ruddy finding his feet and with our quality full backs we have to be optimistic.

 

The run in has begun. Sheffield United deserve to be doubled. Come on City!

[Ernie 0]

[quote user="RUDOLPH HUCKER"]

Ten wins, six draws and four defeats would give us 80 points when 78 might be enough for automatic.

 

We need to up our home form as nine of those games are at home. We need to keep clean sheets (only six so far) and be patient while we seek to unlock deep defences with the bulk of possession.

 

If we stay in the running, April has some huge games and even now each game feels like a cup final. Ironically, the margin to miss the top six from an automatic spot is likely to be very small. This promises to be a real nail biter.

 

Lambert goes for the win both home and away and our away form is definately promotion standard. The analogy is simple, this is cup football and we have to look to win, win, win beginning with today.

 

You know when you put it like that it just goes to show how tight it really is and gaining promotion is far from being a pipe dream.  This is really what I have referred to in earlier posts about the atmosphere at certain games, all our games from now on we as fans should turn them into cup finals, this really could be our year again.  Come on city!!

 

Eight clean sheets between now and the end of the season would probably be enough because we almost always score. The answer lies with our defence and with four quality fit centre halves, Ruddy finding his feet and with our quality full backs we have to be optimistic.

 

The run in has begun. Sheffield United deserve to be doubled. Come on City!

[/quote]

[Ernie 0]

sorry I put my post in the middle of yours!

[Ernie 0]

You know when you put it like that it just goes to show how tight it really is and gaining promotion is far from being a pipe dream.  This is really what I have referred to in earlier posts about the atmosphere at certain games, all our games from now on we as fans should turn them into cup finals, this really could be our year again.  Come on city!!

[ZLF 271]

Think 78 woul be enough for play off Rude old, not auto - which I suspect will be 85/86 pts as normal.

Even that is definitely within grasp though ;-) 

 

OTBC

[Norfolk Mustard 94]

Exactly right Rudolph!

Each game should be like a cup final from now on; as Bowkett has mentioned, with £90m awaiting for promotion to the Prem every point (assuming we need 36 more) is worth an average of £2.5m to us!

That should focus the minds of all of us!

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Zipper, I based 80 points on the Statto.com prediction league which showed QPR with the highest accumilation - 80 points.

Nottingham Forest are highly rated, more than us, but we do have them for one massive home game (I always love the Norwich - Forest games).

You can get 12-1 for Norwich to win the league. I am not a betting man, but it is an honest punt for anyone who is.

No doubt someone will go on a run and end up with much more than 80. But, for the rest it is a real scramble as, at present there is little to choose between them. This is why I posted before asking where we can find the extra 5 to 10%. For me it is better defending, especially from set plays, Wilbraham being an effective target for those deep defences at home and the return and regular playing of Surman. For others it might be Lansbury.

One thing is for sure, it is close and very exciting.

OTBC.

[shiplee15 0]

I know they can be a confidence booster and that QPR''s goal difference is massive but i don''t see the big deal with keeping clean sheets.

So long as you go and score more goals than them (which Lambert seems to prefer) it''s fine surely?

I''d rather go and win 3-2/4-3 than focus too much on defence and end up drawing. Points win you the league not clean sheets. Yes they can have an effect but the goals are more important.

80 points will be around the amount we need to get though, i do agree with that.

[ZLF 271]

[quote user="RUDOLPH HUCKER"]

Zipper, I based 80 points on the Statto.com prediction league which showed QPR with the highest accumilation - 80 points.

Nottingham Forest are highly rated, more than us, but we do have them for one massive home game (I always love the Norwich - Forest games).

You can get 12-1 for Norwich to win the league. I am not a betting man, but it is an honest punt for anyone who is.

No doubt someone will go on a run and end up with much more than 80. But, for the rest it is a real scramble as, at present there is little to choose between them. This is why I posted before asking where we can find the extra 5 to 10%. For me it is better defending, especially from set plays, Wilbraham being an effective target for those deep defences at home and the return and regular playing of Surman. For others it might be Lansbury.

One thing is for sure, it is close and very exciting.

OTBC.

[/quote]

 

Fair enough with the target I do think that will be light but the gist of your post is spot on - we can do this,  as much as any other team can.  where can we make the difference

Tighter at the back - agree there, esp on set pieces - our centre backs need  to be tighter.

A bit more flair - we have missed lansbury and surman - and the midfield need a few more goals,  since crofts has been quieter they have dried up

More incisive up front - we seem to be scared to shoot,  take a chance, we do need a goal or two more.  Wilbraham will giveus an option - doing that will mean we have to get bodies around him to support and play off him.

Its not a massive change and oh so doable 

 

[ZLF 271]

[quote user="shiplee15"]I know they can be a confidence booster and that QPR''s goal difference is massive but i don''t see the big deal with keeping clean sheets. [/quote]

 

Our defence is tighter that at the start of the season but we conceed the same type of goal.  Over the last 10 games we have scored   16, conceeded 11 - which looks fine.  In that period we have just one clean sheet.  On only 4 occasions have we scored more than 1, the last time 5 games ago.

Once you conceed one you have to score at least two to win, we do that in much less than half our games.  In the last 10 games defensive errors cost us points against borough , cardiff, leeds and a loss to orient,  and made games like derby and sheff utd harder than they should have.  With such a high proportion of games scoring low numbers keeping tight at the back is crucial and is likely to be the main difference between auto promotion and play offs.

 

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Make that:-   NINE - SIX - FOUR!!!!!!

33 points from 19 games!

Promotion is definately do-able.

[ZLF 271]

Yup :-)

So pleased crofts did well, two goals will hopefully boost his confidence. Ruddy played well so bring it on!

[Harry 0]

We only have 4 home games left that are played on a Saturday. [:O]

[Woman in the Stands (WITS) 0]

[quote user="Harry"]We only have 4 home games left that are played on a Saturday. [:O]

[/quote]Nooooo. What am I gonna do on all those other Saturdays?Be glued to my computer screen and Radio Norfolk for away games [:)]

[Phyxius 0]

Eight - Five - Four =)

[Chelmsford Canary 0]

I had a look at the fixtures the other day, for the other teams, not just ours. Forest are the team i''m worried of, but out of the current top 7 teams (QPR, Swansea, Cardiff, Forest, Watford, Leeds and Us). Forest have to play all teams. Where as we have played QPR x2, Cardiff x2.

But we still go Swans, Leeds and Watford away. however i''m more worried home form than away!!

 

[ZLF 271]

I think its 10-6-2 so far Rudolph... thats impressive predictions with just two to go... fingers crossed...

[BarclayBoy 0]

Hopefully we can make it 12 - 6 - 2 :)

[ZLF 271]

well we dont want him to get it spot on now do we :-)

12-6-2 would be seriously impressive, and mean finishing on 5 consecutive wins; meaning lambert can finally compare himself to Roeder lol!

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Hello Zipper, I think at the start I was looking to give Norwich plenty of margin for losing games whereas, in reality they have been much harder to beat than I imagined.

Clearly, a few more points than 80 are going to be needed and the play-off places down to 5th is not such a narrow squeak as I feared although the dreaded third is still wafer thin from 2nd.

I thought our defence would be key but they have carried on leaking goals - instead our attack has stepped up even more and this is why we are such an attractive side which, along with the crowd do, in my biased opinion, make us something special compared to the rest.