Legod Third Coming

Only Swindon and Huddersfield are at home - and frankly I can't see either parking the bus as it's not how they play, Huddersfield especially. MK Dons, Colchester and Bristol Rovers are all away where I would be surprised if they adopted defensive tactics. To me, it doesn't matter who we play or how they set out, we should have enough fire power to beat them.

The fact that we have still to play: Norwich, Charlton, Leeds, Huddersfield, Colchester, Swindon and MK Dons means that you can adjust the difference between the gap by 3 points in each case. If we lose that game, well that's down to us, but the opportunity is there to reduce the difference by 3 points to each of the above mentioned. Regardless of other results that is a great opportunity to gain ground. Then, each of those teams must play one another too - so they cannot always win when we can. Our only objective is to win every game and see where we end up. My money is on 3rd. (although my real money is on winning the league and being promoted...!)

Not really, we were 16 points off the play offs when I started a post to that effect once we started winning after around 11-12 games. Therefore we have made up nine points in roughly 10 games.

For fear of pushing the anaology too far, our car is far superior to all but three ahead of us, and even then it is technically superior to all but one car. There is no doubt it will get harder to move up, but 7 points from 23 games left?? And you think that's too big a chasm to breach? Genuinely?? Or simply don't want to feel the pain of failure?

I agree below 6th would be a failure and I don't think the manager or Chairman would disagree.

None of us is to blame. We are all accountable. I remember when England won the Ashes under Vaughan, it was the much maligned Ahsley Giles whose runs helped to win the urn... That's the great thing about our team, different players are willing to step up each game.

Nor do I. Where the hell would you get that bonkers idea??!!!!!

Let's say for some reason that Schumacher has to start the first race of next season from the pit lane. If after 32 laps of a 60 lap race he has made up 10 places and lies a few minutes off the guy in third, do you think it would be ok for him to aim to finish 7th or 8th because he had a bit of a handicap to start with? Never settle for mediocrity my friend. Our failing in life is not that we set our targets too high and miss them, but that we set them too low and meet them...

I would hope our Captain will be bang up for it!!!!

We are still only 19 points behind Charlton with 23 games to go... Now, catching them would require us to get a point a game more than them but... as Nike would say, nothing is impossible!!!

Yes, Yes, Yes. Seven points and 20 odd games to go... We should be very disappointed if we don't make the play-offs mimumum. We have spent a huge sum of money and the Chairman will expect a return - so do I!!!

Actually this season we have started pretty well in every game, including Brighton - where Hammond missed a great chance. What we must do is start well AND score. And THEN keen it up. Norwich being a prime example where we were out of the blocks early, scored but then did not pressure and kill the game early with a second goal.

Is this really still going? Who gives a flying feck. Chip wrappings.

Whatevere happened to Javi????

That is brilliant news!! Will be so good to get a real atmosphere going. I just hope the lads put on a show to get some of those people back regularly!

Sadly, I shall be at Kempton Park cheering home Ruby Walsh with the LGTC millions aboard. But enjoy my seat whoever is sat in it, and cheer on the lads to three big ones!!!

You can have both. I would take two trips to Wembley and two wins over four years of abject football any day!!!!

You can judge that he is doing a good job now. Otherwise how do managers get hired and fired? He is winning games, that's all that matters. If he keeps doing that we will end up in the play-offs at worst.

Agreed, but you do seem to be overly harsh on him given our 'relative' success!

And it was apparent in that Bristol Rovers game we were a good side - we played bloody well that day, far better than the following week when we tonked Gillingham! Since when, what is it about the games we've won that disappoints you??!!!

Er, look at the ones post 10 games. So by my maths, it took him 10 games to turn things around... (Is someone buying you a calculator for Christmas... ) What does Pardew have to do convince someone quite as cynical as you that he is actually doing a good job? My guess is there's nothing he could do, you took against him from day one and are simply waiting for him to fail. Good luck to you.

Agreed, too early to call. But I think he's doing somewhat better than 'alright' - which even you, in your heart of hearts, I'm sure would agree. The form of our last 17 games is exceptional by any measure. And Pardew deserves credit for this. Because he'll sure get pilloried the moment it goes tits up!

Interestingly though, it is players Pardew signed (two of whom were them injured - Racine and Bailey) who my Charlton supporting mates credit with being behind their success this season. I think by his own admission Pardew learnt some things at Charlton about himself and his own weaknesses. And if that benefits us, great. Don't forget that Parkinson also worked under Pardew at Reading and Charlton (bought in by Pardew), so I wonder whether he is doing things that much differently from his previous mentor?? Good managers don't go bad - they occassionally just have bad runs and it's what they do about it/learn from it that marks them out as a better manager.

His record speaks for itself. Good managers don't go bad overnight! They just need time to impose themselves on the club - not just the team, but the whole club, the training, the support staff, the mentality. I admire those people who can come in and turn things around quickly. Sometimes, however, that turnaround is superficial. People like Billy Davies can make it stick.

Yep, another good manager. There's some around.