We need 12 points from 7 games

[worldsendvalefan]

I think the biggest problem is Cheltenham have a far easier run in than us. And a game in hand. Cambridge although 6 points ahead of us could drop points then it would be be down to us to beat them by something like 3 goals on the last day. We don't score goals. Burton are poor and I think will go down.
Can't see us doing it. I hope so much to be proved wrong though.

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[Alan Vit]

Beat Wigan on Saturday and we are P 41 Pts 42, with 3 wins from the last 4 games.

That is staying up form.

We all know about the run of poor performances before that, but I still get a strong sense of determination and belief from the players that they can and will stay up.

So let's will them on to prove that this Saturday.

[Bycarsbill]

5 hours ago, Santa said:

I don’t see Burton winning 4 out of 5 so I would be surprised if we needed 12 points to finish above them.

As for Cheltenham, they would need 13 points out of 7 games to likely stay up on GD if we got 12 more points. That would have to be W3 D4 L0 or W4 D1. Cheltenham might be capable of 10 or 11 points in a best case scenario but they would do extremely well to get 13.

I’m sticking my neck out but I’d be comfortable with 10 points, maybe 9 if our goal difference was better. That said there’s only five goals in it which could still be swung in our favour. 

GD could yet be the issue that sinks us--a "five goal swing" is actually massive! I hope I'm wrong.

[ollyandpatch]

If we go down on goal difference I think we can look back to July !!

[Warren]

I think 10 points from 6 games has a good chance of staying up. 9 of those points can come from home wins. That will equal last season's total when we finished 18th. Just at the minute Cambridge and Reading have matched our last three results preventing us gaining ground despite winning two games. Cambridge are at Blackpool and Reading at home to Lincoln. If we can win going to 42 points and they lose, then they come back within plausible reach. Cheltenham are at Orient and I hope that does for them as Orient are due a result after a run of tough games. Burton seem to be in freefall and we need to hope their parachute doesn't open. But it is all about us. We need to go to Wigan and win. We can do it if we keep the backdoor shut.  

Imagine Burton lose, Cheltenham lose and PV win. PV then 5th bottom 2 points above Burton with a game in hand. Cheltenham then 4 points behind and desperate to win their game in hand. It can change quickly, but we must do the business. 

Edited April 4 by Warren

[Family Stand Terrier]

Cheltenham's game in hand is at home to Peterborough midweek before the last game. However, they have Carlisle Tuesday, we are away at Peterborough Wednesday, so that could be where the swing comes in if results go the way most expect. Our 3 home games are huge, I just hope the next 2 games don't have a big psychological blow on us if we lose them both and results elsewhere go against us. Realistically they're not the games we would target for a points return, but if we lose both that could heap loads of pressure on the home games.

Edited April 4 by Family Stand Terrier

[Warren]

16 minutes ago, Family Stand Terrier said:

Cheltenham's game in hand is at home to Peterborough midweek before the last game. However, they have Carlisle Tuesday, we are away at Peterborough Wednesday, so that could be where the swing comes in if results go the way most expect. Our 3 home games are huge, I just hope the next 2 games don't have a big psychological blow on us if we lose them both and results elsewhere go against us. Realistically they're not the games we would target for a points return, but if we lose both that could heap loads of pressure on the home games.

Carlisle's previous away game was a 3-1 win at Peterborough. I know Carlisle are bottom and relegated. But they are not hopeless and in their last few away games they lost 3-2 at Charlton, lost 1-0 at Shrewsbury and won 3-1 at Peterborough. They haven't been pushovers in these games and it makes them plausible at nervous Cheltenham. 

[Warren]

Wigan's recent home form has been to draw 1-1 with Burton, win 1-0 against Blackpool, win 1-0 against Orient. That's not bad, but their recent propensity to only score once offers hope and Orient had Galbraith (not the economist) sent off on 42 mins. They were behind for a few mins v Burton. Against Blackpool they managed only 4 shots but the 1 on target went in. I am looking for daylight at midnight of course!

[valefan79]

I'm not sure I agree with this Cheltenham are out of form that people have been saying, they have had 15 points from the last 11 games, nearly 1.5 points a game.  In the last 4, they had a bad result on Saturday against Exeter but had a couple of awful penalty decisions go against them, won away to a Fleetwood side who battered us for one a half games, got a point away to Barnsley and concded an 88th minute winner away to Oxford, they are battling like anything.  In the next 4 they have Orient, Bristol Rovers and Burton, all for me very winnable, we have just taken 7 points from those games, none of those 3 looked any good,on top of that a game against Carlisle at home, I hope I am wrong but feel Cheltenham will get a good points tally. 

We have to gain 10 points minimum to have any hope I feel.  I thought Cambridge were in the mix until those last 2 results, for me Saturday is huge and we have to get something, I do think Burton will go, they had nothing when we played then, think a shoot-out between us and Cheltenham for that one spot.

[Warren]

Arblaster starts in central midfield for Sheff Utd at Anfield tonight. 

[1]

Lots of twists and turns to come, and those who seem to have pulled away can quickly be pegged back. If we constantly pick up points and don’t lose this new attacking shape we have, not all the teams around us will be able to keep us. We focus on us, keep chipping away and we can stay up on the last day. Obviously if we lose the games we need to win it’s curtains; we’ll get the points though I think. I thought we were dead and buried when we couldn’t score a goal or create a chance, then we kept 3 clean sheets in 4 and won 2 in a row.

[nickkidsgrove]

What gets in my head is the fact that with Flicroft gone we started playing better, we didn’t mess about at the back. Defenders were kicking the ball in to touch and not fannying about trying to give the ball back to Ripley. Players we’re running at the opposition with the ball, scaring them, drawing the foul or producing a pass ( now some of these passes, no 70% of these passes go astray) but they are moving forward asking questions. None of this we have got the ball let’s try and play like a champions league team we just haven’t got that calibre of player. Then we go and win 2 games back to back using this tactic. Then Monday comes and flitcroft is back in the dugout. Why change! The best crossers of the ball in the squad are Sang and Plant ( there best positions I don’t know ) the other two so called wingers Grant and Massey couldn’t cross a road and 1 has to go and the other we have to suffer for another year. 

[NW9Valiant]

21 minutes ago, nickkidsgrove said:

What gets in my head is the fact that with Flicroft gone we started playing better, we didn’t mess about at the back.

I wonder how many years it will be until we find out more about the backroom changes and how that affected the team. I know a lot of people are making links now, but I was a bit sceptical of it at first. Something seems very wrong if a DoF can have that sort of influence. Maybe it's just a case of DM gelling with the team and them starting to react to it. Or maybe it was DF all along.

23 minutes ago, nickkidsgrove said:

None of this we have got the ball let’s try and play like a champions league team we just haven’t got that calibre of player. Then we go and win 2 games back to back using this tactic. Then Monday comes and flitcroft is back in the dugout. Why change! The best crossers of the ball in the squad are Sang and Plant ( there best positions I don’t know ) the other two so called wingers Grant and Massey couldn’t cross a road and 1 has to go and the other we have to suffer for another year. 

Grant's best days are behind him, and I always got the sense he's tried to ride on his past reputation a bit. He must be one of the higher paid in the squad and I don't think his performances reflect that.

Massey isn't a traditional winger for me but can offer something on his best day and yet that seems very rare. Sang and Plant are more hungry, by comparison. We just need to find the players with the right mentality to play for the shirt. Something I think DF failed at, but I won't pretend it's easy for a recruitment team. Our player turnover is so high that we are going to get / keep more duds than get successes. Can add Wilson to that list as well. We need to try and get a stable team together, but then we are talking a few seasons for that to pan out.

[nickkidsgrove]

 

9 minutes ago, NW9Valiant said:

I wonder how many years it will be until we find out more about the backroom changes and how that affected the team. I know a lot of people are making links now, but I was a bit sceptical of it at first. Something seems very wrong if a DoF can have that sort of influence. Maybe it's just a case of DM gelling with the team and them starting to react to it. Or maybe it was DF all along.

Grant's best days are behind him, and I always got the sense he's tried to ride on his past reputation a bit. He must be one of the higher paid in the squad and I don't think his performances reflect that.

Massey isn't a traditional winger for me but can offer something on his best day and yet that seems very rare. Sang and Plant are more hungry, by comparison. We just need to find the players with the right mentality to play for the shirt. Something I think DF failed at, but I won't pretend it's easy for a recruitment team. Our player turnover is so high that we are going to get / keep more duds than get successes. Can add Wilson to that list as well. We need to try and get a stable team together, but then we are talking a few seasons for that to pan out.

You say Massey ( Lionel I like to call him) is not a traditional winger. What is his best position? It’s not as a forward were he played as a lone striker. It’s not a wingback, he can’t tackle. But with nearly 400 league appearances he must be good somewhere. His and Grants underwhelming performances must be an underlying statement throughout the squad. These two are senior players, setting an  example. Why oh why do they still earn a living playing football? 

 

 

[DazFred]

3 hours ago, nickkidsgrove said:

 

You say Massey ( Lionel I like to call him) is not a traditional winger. What is his best position? It’s not as a forward were he played as a lone striker. It’s not a wingback, he can’t tackle. But with nearly 400 league appearances he must be good somewhere. His and Grants underwhelming performances must be an underlying statement throughout the squad. These two are senior players, setting an  example. Why oh why do they still earn a living playing football? 

 

 

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