Here Wycombe a Wandering . Away to Wycombe Friday 20th Dec 19-45.

[TANGODANCER]

With what, 27 league games left till season end, should we really be so certain of anything? It isn't clear cut except in one thing; we need a change of tactics . Pure football is hardly the criteria here, more win any which way. The amount of opposition yellow cards in our last couple of games alone tend to show the kamikaze attitude teams adopt when playing us. Play acting, time wasting and sheer cheating all are factors and we just have to deal with them.

[Worthy4England]

Any team chasing promotion needs to win consistently. Only twice this season have we strung together consecutive league wins. That’s not good enough.

And maybe not be on target for losing 15...

Well quite. There are plenty of stats far more relevant than a historical 50% win rate.

Yessir, coz a 50% win rate with a 50% loss rate gets you 69 points

[The_Gun]

I’m struggling to see how we don’t take an absolute humping tomorrow, but I’ll tune in in the hope that I’m wrong.

Assuming that Evatt won’t be suddenly switching to a back four, I’m guessing it’ll be JDC, Forrester and Jones at the back, only one of whom is a ‘natural’ centre back, and none of whom are over 5’11…

If we get anything from this game I genuinely think it would be one of the better results of the Evatt era.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I’m struggling to see how we don’t take an absolute humping tomorrow, but I’ll tune in in the hope that I’m wrong.

Assuming that Evatt won’t be suddenly switching to a back four, I’m guessing it’ll be JDC, Forrester and Jones at the back, only one of whom is a ‘natural’ centre back, and none of whom are over 5’11…

If we get anything from this game I genuinely think it would be one of the better results of the Evatt era.

We have been known to win the one after a humiliation. This season, Huddersfield was followed by Reading 5-2, Stockport was followed (after beating Fleetwood in the cup) by beating Blackpool. After we lost at Wigan in spring we beat Cambridge.

There are exceptions, though. After Wigan beat us 4-0 last year we could only draw at Burton, and then that spring loss at Wigan was three days after a hammering at Blackpool. And the 0-4 to Wigan in autumn 2021 was followed by a sodden 0-3 at Plymouth.

All sense suggests we'll get beaten. They are quite simply playing much better than us. Our defence always gives the oppo chances so a makeshift one certainly will, and Wycombe have the division's best shot conversion ratio. They're still dangerous from set-pieces - only Lincoln have scored more that way - but it's now only a quarter of their output (weirdly, our percentage is higher than theirs). They're not the longball team of yesteryear - they're 11th for total passes (we're 4th) and possession (we're 4th) but they're also 11th for forward passes (we're 20th).

[Worthy4England]

I’m struggling to see how we don’t take an absolute humping tomorrow, but I’ll tune in in the hope that I’m wrong.

Assuming that Evatt won’t be suddenly switching to a back four, I’m guessing it’ll be JDC, Forrester and Jones at the back, only one of whom is a ‘natural’ centre back, and none of whom are over 5’11…

If we get anything from this game I genuinely think it would be one of the better results of the Evatt era.

We have been known to win the one after a humiliation. This season, Huddersfield was followed by Reading 5-2, Stockport was followed (after beating Fleetwood in the cup) by beating Blackpool. After we lost at Wigan in spring we beat Cambridge.

There are exceptions, though. After Wigan beat us 4-0 last year we could only draw at Burton, and then that spring loss at Wigan was three days after a hammering at Blackpool. And the 0-4 to Wigan in autumn 2021 was followed by a sodden 0-3 at Plymouth.

All sense suggests we'll get beaten. They are quite simply playing much better than us. Our defence always gives the oppo chances so a makeshift one certainly will, and Wycombe have the division's best shot conversion ratio. They're still dangerous from set-pieces - only Lincoln have scored more that way - but it's now only a quarter of their output (weirdly, our percentage is higher than theirs). They're not the longball team of yesteryear - they're 11th for total passes (we're 4th) and possession (we're 4th) but they're also 11th for forward passes (we're 20th).

Only lost one at home so far, to Brum - 3-2. 2 GPP at home roughly and less than 1 conceded.

I can't see us coming away with the time of day.

[Prufrock]

Osei-Tutu now out too apparently! So that's presumably Randy and Schon outside Forrester Jones and JDC. Feck me. The academy lad didn't play for the Bs the other day so assume he'll be getting splinters.

Ordinarily I'd hope that pushed us to a back 4 but I can't make one of those work with those names either.

We'll get beaten comfortably. Largely because they're better than us. Why they're better is a much bigger question.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Osei-Tutu now out too apparently! So that's presumably Randy and Schon outside Forrester Jones and JDC. Feck me. The academy lad didn't play for the Bs the other day so assume he'll be getting splinters.

Ordinarily I'd hope that pushed us to a back 4 but I can't make one of those work with those names either.

We'll get beaten comfortably. Largely because they're better than us. Why they're better is a much bigger question.

Bones of our arse now for this game, behind the front two lines. Literally no choice for the back five (because as you say a back four with those personnel is eeesh). Midfield has to have Tomo and Matete at 6/8. We have options in front of that - Dion, Vic, Collins, McAtee, Lolos and maybe Arfield fighting for three spots - but nowt else.

Could be a long ugly night. I dunno about The Couch, I might be hiding behind it...

[irie Cee Bee]

No choice but to play to our strengths. Defend with 2 #6's in Thomo and Matete sitting deep in front of the makeshift defense. Win the ball, no titppy tippy stuff (Sheehan and Santos missing), get the ball forward quickly to our strength, our attacking 3.. Charles, Collins and McAtee.. we would have a chance to outscore them.

[TonyDomingos]

Evatt appears to be laying the ground for a defeat:

"In every game, everyone expects us to win and for the majority of my four-and-a-half years here, we have earned that right,” he said.

“But for this game, it probably feels a bit different because of Saturday’s result and our league position, but also because of the personnel missing who are crucial to us.

“We will do the best we can, as we always do, and hopefully that is good enough on the night.”

[Worthy4England]

Whilst I wasn't unduly perturbed about him saying great, I have the support of the Board. This one, I'm not happy with.

If you have better funding than 20 or so teams in a Division and have targeted top 2, yes we're going to have high expectations. This is on the win list coz we got beat at home to a bottom half team. Got dicked by Stockport and Huddersfield. Given he likes percentages. Some of us haven't had "expectations" we're going to win for a year out of your 4.5. That's around 20% of your tenure. You're judged on the whole (hole), not just the selective bits you want to remember (and for which you got credit)

When you start a season as poorly as we did, complaining about our injury prone glass canons when it inevitably happened - to use Arsenal's analogy on a wet Tuesday night in the North West - doesn't hold much water when you've spouted about the benefits of our recruitment over 4.5 years. We've given you a squad, including supporter financing. So spare us the "woe is me."

I don't "expect" us to win at the League leaders away. I do expect us to perform like we've been coached. I don't "expect" us to lose to all of Charlton, Shrewsbury, Exeter and Wigan. 14th, 24th, 15th and 16th in the League or get dicked by Huddersfield and Stockport 9-0 with one shot on target given the people you've signed and the money you've spent.

I did expect there would come a time, when people saw the King was indeed in his altogether.

2-1 Whites.

[Harry Genshaw]

I'm trying to think of the last time we won an away game when expectations were so low. Wycombe away last year perhaps? Barnsley in the play offs looks like an odd result now but not so much at the time.

Hope I'm wrong but I just can't see us laying a glove on them tonight. 0-2 and a miserable feeling on Xmas day.

Hats off to anyone going by the way.

[TANGODANCER]

If we should lose this it will be by a solitary goal. We always play well against good sides and lose or draw to lesser ones. That said, I think we may win it and surprise em all.

COME ON YOU WHITES..

[HMX]

I fear if they bombard the box it may be more than a solitary goal we concede.

2-2. No rhyme or reason.

[Worthy4England]

I fear if they bombard the box it may be more than a solitary goal we concede.

2-2. No rhyme or reason.

Not directed at you HMX. General rant! I'm not sure this whole "direct" stuff works for me as an excuse.


I think you're right mate that this will absolutely be in their armoury, but we sometimes put defeats down to this, when we've just been beaten by a team that's played a better 90 minutes than us.

We need to accept there's more than one way to play and accept that's valid, rather than being Arsenal fans and pretending that "higher purpose" trumps success. For me it's just this sort of notional footballing snobbery driven by some fans and a chunk of press/media, that's helping drive the antiseptic product we're seeing today.

[Harry Genshaw]

We always play well against good sides and lose or draw to lesser ones.

Not under this manager we don't!

[HMX]

I fear if they bombard the box it may be more than a solitary goal we concede.

2-2. No rhyme or reason.

Not directed at you HMX. General rant! I'm not sure this whole "direct" stuff works for me as an excuse.


I think you're right mate that this will absolutely be in their armoury, but we sometimes put defeats down to this, when we've just been beaten by a team that's played a better 90 minutes than us.

We need to accept there's more than one way to play and accept that's valid, rather than being Arsenal fans and pretending that "higher purpose" trumps success. For me it's just this sort of notional footballing snobbery driven by some fans and a chunk of press/media, that's helping drive the antiseptic product we're seeing today.

I agree with you. I’m not one to trot out “we play prettier football (well, we did at one point) so we should have won”. Like you say, it’s too reminiscent of Wenger era Arsenal fans. What I mean to say is that we’ve - in this match - got a real short-arse defence and one that doesn’t often play together, so I think we could be outjumped and outfought when those dangerous balls come into the box. But to me, when we lose, it’s because the other team were better.

[The_Gun]

I fear if they bombard the box it may be more than a solitary goal we concede.

2-2. No rhyme or reason.

Not directed at you HMX. General rant! I'm not sure this whole "direct" stuff works for me as an excuse.


I think you're right mate that this will absolutely be in their armoury, but we sometimes put defeats down to this, when we've just been beaten by a team that's played a better 90 minutes than us.

We need to accept there's more than one way to play and accept that's valid, rather than being Arsenal fans and pretending that "higher purpose" trumps success. For me it's just this sort of notional footballing snobbery driven by some fans and a chunk of press/media, that's helping drive the antiseptic product we're seeing today.

Isn’t the suggestion that Wycombe might try that because we’ll have a load of short lads at the back?

[Worthy4England]

Have you watched us from set pieces (or open play) with our towering defenders continually leaving free attackers? Not sure we'll notice much different!

[Mar]

Evatt appears to be laying the ground for a defeat:

"In every game, everyone expects us to win and for the majority of my four-and-a-half years here, we have earned that right,” he said.

“But for this game, it probably feels a bit different because of Saturday’s result and our league position, but also because of the personnel missing who are crucial to us.

“We will do the best we can, as we always do, and hopefully that is good enough on the night.”

Don't particularly mind him setting appropriate expectations. Even our best managers would've struggled in a game like tonight, with the injuries we have and the suspensions.

Granted the best managers would've found a way of avoiding the suspension shitshow we've got by rightly or wrongly playing Forrester in the Wigan game.

Other managers wouldn't have had me thinking that this game is a foregone conclusion. I have no faith they'll be able to get a result tonight, they say its the hope that kills you, well that's not here at the moment. I'll be pleasantly surprised if we win, as i'm certain we all would, but I can't see it happening.

[HMX]

Helps not buying injury-prone defenders, leaving you a centre-back and a wing-back short.