6 games in...

[Worthy4England]

We often draw 0-0 with Fulham - check
We often beat West Ham - check
We often beat Brum - no check - minus 2 points
We always get beat at the emirates - check
We have a recent history of getting beat at Villa, heavily - plus one point
We nearly always get shafted off the red-shite - plus one point.

So with 11 mean all game against Brum, we might have done better, but I think in points terms, we're probably where you would expect us to be.

[Lord Kangana]

It looks better. Check

I feel better about it. Check

The crowd around me seem happier. Check

The players seem more up for it. Check

Results are certainly no worse than the last couple of seasons. Check.

Job done for me.

[KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab]

So with 11 mean all game against Brum, we might have done better, but I think in points terms, we're probably where you would expect us to be.

I'm of the view that, with 11 men against Birmingham, we might have actually done worse. We were a completely different, improved, galvanised team when we went down to ten, even though Birmingham scored again. Our shorter game wasn't working, so we changed tact to get it up to our strikers early, and that paid off. Would we have done the same with 11?

Of course, we'd be straying into Auntie's Bollocks territory if we started to attempt answers to that question. But let it be said that we've come out of what everyone perceived to be our sticky period of the season's start with momentum. OK, so have West Brom and Stoke, but it's a relatively alien concept to us recently, and I feel like we're the team out of the three to suffer from complacency less.

[Bruce Rioja]

We often draw 0-0 with Fulham - check
We often beat West Ham - check
We often beat Brum - no check - minus 2 points
We always get beat at the emirates - check
We have a recent history of getting beat at Villa, heavily - plus one point
We nearly always get shafted off the red-shite - plus one point.

So with 11 mean all game against Brum, we might have done better, but I think in points terms, we're probably where you would expect us to be.

Elmander miss v Villa - two points missed out on

Elmander miss v ManU - Ditto

[thebish]

We often draw 0-0 with Fulham - check
We often beat West Ham - check
We often beat Brum - no check - minus 2 points
We always get beat at the emirates - check
We have a recent history of getting beat at Villa, heavily - plus one point
We nearly always get shafted off the red-shite - plus one point.

So with 11 mean all game against Brum, we might have done better, but I think in points terms, we're probably where you would expect us to be.

Elmander miss v Villa - two points missed out on

Elmander miss v ManU - Ditto

hmmm... but if you can count our misses - you should also take into account theirs.... in which case - a point gained...

[Worthy4England]

We often draw 0-0 with Fulham - check
We often beat West Ham - check
We often beat Brum - no check - minus 2 points
We always get beat at the emirates - check
We have a recent history of getting beat at Villa, heavily - plus one point
We nearly always get shafted off the red-shite - plus one point.

So with 11 mean all game against Brum, we might have done better, but I think in points terms, we're probably where you would expect us to be.

Elmander miss v Villa - two points missed out on

Elmander miss v ManU - Ditto

Indeed - we could have been doing a fair bit better with some luck (or better finishing if you prefer), but overall we'd probably expect in recent years, to get 7 points from those games, and that's what we've got.

[boltonboris]

We often draw 0-0 with Fulham - check
We often beat West Ham - check
We often beat Brum - no check - minus 2 points
We always get beat at the emirates - check
We have a recent history of getting beat at Villa, heavily - plus one point
We nearly always get shafted off the red-shite - plus one point.

So with 11 mean all game against Brum, we might have done better, but I think in points terms, we're probably where you would expect us to be.

Elmander miss v Villa - two points missed out on

Elmander miss v ManU - Ditto

Indeed - we could have been doing a fair bit better with some luck (or better finishing if you prefer), but overall we'd probably expect in recent years, to get 7 points from those games, and that's what we've got.

I know it may seem like a pointless observation, but would we have 'expected' those points with Megson in charge? Regardless if we'd gotten them or not? Would we have been happy?

[enrdentw]

Does anyone know how many tackles Holden won against Man U? I know he was second top tackler in the league at the start of the weekend (with 18?) but he must be top now... IIRC he made at least 4/5 solid, ball winning tackles.

[BWFC_Insane]

7 points with potential for more is better than 7 points and thats it.

By that I mean we could make a case for deserving more than we have and over the season if we carry on as we are then the extra ones should come.

I do get the whole "if Elmander had scored there" stuff, but all sides can do that. If we hadn't conceeded a second against Man Utd equally we'd have won but we didn't. Scoring goals on the whole doesn't seem to be our main issue. Keeping clean sheets does.

I'm not sure there is an awful lot we can do as it is to improve the number of goals we're scoring but I do think we could work on conceeding a few less.

[Montreal Wanderer]

7 points with potential for more is better than 7 points and thats it.

By that I mean we could make a case for deserving more than we have and over the season if we carry on as we are then the extra ones should come.

I do get the whole "if Elmander had scored there" stuff, but all sides can do that. If we hadn't conceeded a second against Man Utd equally we'd have won but we didn't. Scoring goals on the whole doesn't seem to be our main issue. Keeping clean sheets does.

I'm not sure there is an awful lot we can do as it is to improve the number of goals we're scoring but I do think we could work on conceeding a few less.

Coyle out! Bring back BSA.

[Lord Kangana]

Scoring goals on the whole doesn't seem to be our main issue.

Indeed, I think we're something like joint-4th highest scorers. So we can nail the idea that a certain flamehair was trying to propogate that we're not scoring.

As it is, we've also kept two clean sheets so far, a season-on-season improvement. I think its clear to see that we're a team in the ascendancy, and whilst there'll be bumps along the way, and the we're nowhere near the finished article yet, the fact we're dissapointed not to have beaten United at home and Villa away suggests theres something there. I call it positivity.

[BWFC_Insane]

Scoring goals on the whole doesn't seem to be our main issue.

Indeed, I think we're something like joint-4th highest scorers. So we can nail the idea that a certain flamehair was trying to propogate that we're not scoring.

As it is, we've also kept two clean sheets so far, a season-on-season improvement. I think its clear to see that we're a team in the ascendancy, and whilst there'll be bumps along the way, and the we're nowhere near the finished article yet, the fact we're dissapointed not to have beaten United at home and Villa away suggests theres something there. I call it positivity.

Agree with a lot of that though I will say that the "clean sheets" we've kept need to be placed into context. Fulham on the opening day who were shocking and Southampton away a league one side, who were only kept to nought because they couldn't finish and Bogdan made some cracking saves.

[Lord Kangana]

That'd be Fulham who haven't lost a game yet. They're a decent side. And as I say, we have to compare ourselves to where we've come from. Theres a definite direction to us now. I'm confident enough to say there will be other clean sheets before christmas, at the very least.

[thebish]

Scoring goals on the whole doesn't seem to be our main issue.

Indeed, I think we're something like joint-4th highest scorers. So we can nail the idea that a certain flamehair was trying to propogate that we're not scoring.

As it is, we've also kept two clean sheets so far, a season-on-season improvement. I think its clear to see that we're a team in the ascendancy, and whilst there'll be bumps along the way, and the we're nowhere near the finished article yet, the fact we're dissapointed not to have beaten United at home and Villa away suggests theres something there. I call it positivity.

Agree with a lot of that though I will say that the "clean sheets" we've kept need to be placed into context. Fulham on the opening day who were shocking and Southampton away a league one side, who were only kept to nought because they couldn't finish and Bogdan made some cracking saves.

fair enough... but - only up to a point - to claim a clean sheet is not really valid because the goalie did his job is a little but absurd!

[malcd1]

Does anyone know how many tackles Holden won against Man U? I know he was second top tackler in the league at the start of the weekend (with 18?) but he must be top now... IIRC he made at least 4/5 solid, ball winning tackles.

According to Chalkboards he made 5 tackles and only won 3.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/chalkboards/create

[BWFC_Insane]

Scoring goals on the whole doesn't seem to be our main issue.

Indeed, I think we're something like joint-4th highest scorers. So we can nail the idea that a certain flamehair was trying to propogate that we're not scoring.

As it is, we've also kept two clean sheets so far, a season-on-season improvement. I think its clear to see that we're a team in the ascendancy, and whilst there'll be bumps along the way, and the we're nowhere near the finished article yet, the fact we're dissapointed not to have beaten United at home and Villa away suggests theres something there. I call it positivity.

Agree with a lot of that though I will say that the "clean sheets" we've kept need to be placed into context. Fulham on the opening day who were shocking and Southampton away a league one side, who were only kept to nought because they couldn't finish and Bogdan made some cracking saves.

fair enough... but - only up to a point - to claim a clean sheet is not really valid because the goalie did his job is a little but absurd!

No I agree but my point was we weren't looking "solid" and inpenetrable at Southampton.

Nor have we since.

[Tombwfc]

We often draw 0-0 with Fulham - check
We often beat West Ham - check
We often beat Brum - no check - minus 2 points
We always get beat at the emirates - check
We have a recent history of getting beat at Villa, heavily - plus one point
We nearly always get shafted off the red-shite - plus one point.

So with 11 mean all game against Brum, we might have done better, but I think in points terms, we're probably where you would expect us to be.

Elmander miss v Villa - two points missed out on

Elmander miss v ManU - Ditto

Elmander goals v West Ham - two points gained.

Elmander assist v ManU - one point gained.

So using this over-simplified bollocks method, Johan is singularly responsible for half our points this season, and near enough half of our goals.

[Bruce Rioja]

We often draw 0-0 with Fulham - check
We often beat West Ham - check
We often beat Brum - no check - minus 2 points
We always get beat at the emirates - check
We have a recent history of getting beat at Villa, heavily - plus one point
We nearly always get shafted off the red-shite - plus one point.

So with 11 mean all game against Brum, we might have done better, but I think in points terms, we're probably where you would expect us to be.

Elmander miss v Villa - two points missed out on

Elmander miss v ManU - Ditto

Elmander goals v West Ham - two points gained.

Elmander assist v ManU - one point gained.

So using this over-simplified bollocks method, Johan is singularly responsible for half our points this season, and near enough half of our goals.

As well as, not instead of. Blimey, there's people that can't even get over-simplified bollocks right.

[thebish]

No I agree but my point was we weren't looking "solid" and inpenetrable at Southampton.

Nor have we since.

I disagree - I was there - Southampton wouldn't have scored had we played all week...

[Bruce Rioja]

No I agree but my point was we weren't looking "solid" and inpenetrable at Southampton.

Nor have we since.

I disagree - I was there - Southampton wouldn't have scored had we played all week...

I remember saying that before one of them passed it to Barry Horne.