S-Clarke

I thought Plymouth made that difficult, they defended really compact and it was hard to find space. The criticism I had was we didn't move it fast enough at times in the first half, but our approach in the second half was more direct - the goal for Che was just a run over the top, which totally beats their low block and bypasses that number 10 area. They should have been 1-0 up though, no doubts about that. Not sure what the lino saw to suggest he was offside, but we'll take it. It was the double blow for Plymouth though as we played it quickly, caught them totally out of shape and for the first and only time we had some space in that number 10 - and Charly took that chance. The goal at the end was frustrating because there was simply no need, we got ourselves into a muddle and Bazunu was given the ball back when he wasn't best placed to deal with it - although you can't excuse what he did. All Gk's have moments like that though, just part of the life of being a goalie. I'm absolutely stunned at what we're putting together right now - we're better at this stage (points wise) than we were the last time we got promoted from this league. To come from where we were, at points 12-13 behind the top 2, to now being just 3 points off 2nd spot with an equal goal difference is amazing. This squad was always capable of doing this though, so it's nice to actually see a structure in place which is allowing our PL quality all over the pitch to dominate this level. Leeds were best placed to nab 2nd, but now they're 6 points behind us so you have to say the focus is now on us. I didn't think we'd be in the automatic promotion talk at all, but we've turned it around and have put ourselves as one of the favourites to get that 2nd spot now I think.

Shame about Larios - but I remember seeing him play for us and thinking he'd snap in half if someone tackled him. He did not look like he had the stature for English pro football, not sure he ever will. He'll make a career for himself in the lower leagues in Spain I reckon.

I thought the first half was a bit laboured from us, we were giving the ball away too much and when we had it we were too slow to move it. The goal wasn't really coming, but we'll take it! Good finish by THB, could have easily skied that. Second half it was far more open, I think QPR are better than the table suggests, but we did cope with their attack - in the second half it was always us most likely to score in my opinion. Adams - Jesus Christ, through on goal and he just passed it back to the keeper like he was his own player. That is standard Che though, it's what you always get from him no matter what level. We really need to evolve from him and get an actual striker soon. Defensively, once again, sound. THB and Bednarek are one hell of a partnership, really impressed with them. Fraser brought so much when he came on (again) and stretched the play whilst they were pressing. It wasn't an amazing performance, better 2nd half, but we are on record-breaking runs of results here. These sorts of runs get you auto promotion, this season is a bit of a freak at the top though. The table is really starting to take shape though - 3 relegated teams far and away from everyone else, Ipswich the only odd anomaly really. I think you can nail us 4 on for the playoffs, but that 2nd spot is still there and this Christmas period will be pivotal. Leeds have got as much of a sight on that as we have. I do look at the final game of the season and wonder how huge that could potentially be.

Our focus needs to be replacing Ross long-term, not filling in for him. The club needs to admit they made a mistake with his signing and start again with a striker who is a long-term option or us. Stewart won't be, and neither will Adams.

A pointless risky signing when we didn't need to make one. We had the money to spend on a proper striker who was fit, but we didn't. By the time he plays for us it will be almost 2 years since he's been playing regular football. He isn't coming back to the level he was, it's pointless hoping for otherwise. A disaster of a signing. We need to use January to replace him, not fill in for him. He's done here.

I'm going to assume that this will be a European league, with all the Saudi clubs in it. Leave them to it, let the rest of us get on with proper football I say.

Birmingham have gone and pulled another Zola here. Hollywood appointment if there ever was one, he has taken that club further backwards than I could have imagined. They were competitive under Eustace, but now they're one of the worst in the league. I wish these chairman would stop trying to stroke their ego at the expense of actual progress on the field.

It's a great position to be in, but I love the partnership Bednarek and THB have formed. They understand each others games, they're both good on the ball and they're playing on their natrual sides. Jack is obviously captain and a good player at this level, but it's going to take a suspension or an injury for him to displace either of those regularly. (he may get a game or two over xmas for obvious reasons though)

He's pretty much the Championship version of JWP, very similar players. He just doesn't have the set pieces. We've done very well to replace JWP with him, I can't think of many more like for likes we could have got relative to our league status.

Certainly not limited in ability, probably one of our best technical players at the club. You only have to watch him to see his touch and manipulation of the ball to see that. He lacks pace, but his technical ability has always been one of his positives.

Need to get 50+ points in this league to be safe, we're not there yet. Still looking over our shoulder.

It is ridiculous that a player of his ability is at this level to be honest. We're pretty lucky. 'if' we get a crazy bid, which with 18 months left would have to be in the £25m region, then he'll go. I don't think clubs will put that sort of money on the table though. I genuinely see him getting his head down and sticking at it here, obviously if we don't go up he'll go - we'll lose a bit of value on him, but we could still push for £15m.

But in the form they're in, a point away at Watford is pretty decent to be honest. The fact we could have got a win there is a positive, maybe frustrating, but Watford is not an easy place to go - they're flying at the moment, some genuine PL quality in their team. Same with Cov really, they're starting to pick up a bit now. Not mugs by any means, one of the toughest aways last season. I'd have taken those two points. Now QPR away is another story....

I don't think he ever gave the ball away today, really sensible use of it, and he has the stature to keep hold of it in situations where others may loose it. Technically a very good player, seemed to put on a press as well at times today which I don't think I've seen from him before.

I'd expect that to be true, he doesn't seem to give it away when he has it. His on the ball work is as good as I've seen from a goalkeeper for us, very Ederson-esque. Still genuine aspects he has to improve in, but I'm really pleased to see him on the run he's on at the moment. It's going to do him the world of good after what was a pretty chastening experience last year. He's got all the attributes scouts would look for in a young keeper though.

I thought our performance against Cardiff was just as dominant, a 4-0 wouldn't have been an unfair result that day. We're getting better, goals are coming from all angles and from the subs which is great to see. Genuine strength and depth that only Leeds and Leicester can compete with if we're honest.

Good post, thanks for putting it together. It really is a bit of a freakish season. We're kind of performing exactly as you'd expect an auto promotion aiming team to perform, like you say we're pretty much on target of our actual promotion season - yet somehow still 10 points off. Let's keep going though, see where it takes us. I reckon we'll end up with quite a sizable gap between 4th and the rest though, the order of that 4 still slightly up for debate. We'll know for sure after the Christmas games if it's 'game on' or not for the 2nd half of the season.

Well that was enjoyable, reminded me of the games at home in our promotion seasons - so dominant and never in doubt. I thought we were a bit slow in the first half, it was turning into a bit of a frustrating game until Edozie popped in front of their goalie to stab that in. That changed the entire complextion of the game, it's a great time to score. We came out in the second half as good as I've seen us all season. People will speak about how 'poor' Blackburn were, but we didn't give them a chance to do anything. We were all over them when we came out after the break, penned them in and pressed them like animals. Their goalkeeper was their best player in that second half, and they still lost 4-0. The best player on the pitch was Stu, he was full of energy and his touch and movement on the ball were way too good for this Blackburn team. They couldn't get near him. He did tire, which he sadly seems to do, so the sub was a fair one. Now onto the subs....they all added some extra to us and impacted the game, that is a mega positive for me. Fraser is turning into a bit of a Super-Sub, I'm sure he won't like that description of him, but having a player like him on the bench to come on against tiring teams is brilliant. It's not just his pace/movement, but it's his speed of thought which catches teams out who are tiring. Alcaraz was a bit of an idiot with the penalty, he'll never do that again, but in terms of what he brought to the game he was excellent. Pressing, energy, winning the ball back, playing on the half turn - and eventually a goal to top it off. Pleased for Mara as well, he probably should have had one before that - but it's nice to see him on the scoresheet. We do seem to have some genuine depth when we can bring onto subs who also go on to score. I still stand by what I said the other day - the September defeats have skewed our season, in terms of GD and how far we are off the top. But in any normal season that September wouldn't have been as damaging as it has been, so putting all that to side I think the run we're on now and how we've recovered from September is nothing short of amazing. None of these players deserve any criticism right now as they are playing as well as this football club has played for many, many, many years. 14 games undefeated, 5 wins on the bounce at home, 42 points, joint third. In any normal season this is comfortably auto promotion form, but sadly the two top this year have set some freakish targets. Let's keep going though and see where it takes us. You can see the league almost starting to take shape though - a gap is starting to form between 4th and the rest, Ipswich being the anomaly in all of this though.

Maybe, but it's not like we were going to pay him peanuts. 100k p/w on the table for him.

Ing's is another player who thought the grass was greener at Villa. Didn't work out for him there, hasn't worked out for him at WHU. Sometimes players have a level where they fit and I think we were that level. I'd welcome him back but he should have just signed the contract when he was offered it and we'd probably still be in the prem with him a massive fan fave. It would be typical though, we've spent the last 3 or so seasons trying to replace him (Armstrong, Broja, Stewart), yet there is a genuine possibility we're going to just circle back on him, in a lower league. Not the best show up for our scouts really.

It puts some perspective on it for sure, but look at the GD - even ignoring those big losses, we're still way down in terms of scoring enough in my opinion. Points wise we're in the usual ball park, but we simply don't score enough. Defensibly we've improved ten-fold in the last 13 or so games, but too many 1-1's and such in that run.

Exactly, September killed us and was a horror month. It couldn't have gone much worse. Our recovery from that has been amazing though, some disappointing results in amongst that lot for sure (Rotherham at home, which was a freak result) but overall the recovery cannot be sniffed up. Due to the level the top 2 have kept though we have been unable to recover from our bad September, not for the want of trying, but it's not to be.

Bit of a comedown for Newcastle. Massive fanfare before their first Champions league game against PSG, fireworks, drone displays, Champions League theme being played around the City. Fair enough they beat PSG, but they've ended it by not even being in Europe in any competition in the 2nd half of the season. No surprise when you look at how stretched they are though - no Pope, Botman, Tonali, Willock, Barnes etc. They were always going to start slipping when they had to call upon Lascelles and Dubraka again.

I think a lot of the over reactions right now are because of our run in September, had it not been as bad as it was we'd have been right in there - and that's in a season where the top 2 are setting records, so in the general context we're doing as you'd expect a promotion chasing team to do - it's such an extreme top 2 though that we just couldn't afford the September we had, in any other season that month is probably recoverable from but this year it won't be.

Reminds me of us when we got promoted from L1, they're just riding on a crest of a wave with some good young players who they have moulded into a really, really good team. Not sure any of their players will quite got onto the hights our team did (International honours etc), but they're using all that momentum right now to sweep aside anyone. I reckon Leeds will pip them to 2nd though, just a feeling I have. Might face them in the playoffs.