2024/25 Relegation Battle (Without Everton!)

[OneTrueLegend]

How soon people forget. Last season we had no right to survive: 2 sets of points deductions heaped on an already relegation threatened football team.

It was one of the greatest escapes in PL history.

Now "he'll take us down" because we've lost 1 match in the last 7 games.

Heard it all now.

You can talk of 1 defeat in 7, but we have only won 2 games out of 11 so far this season and since January we have won 7 games in the league. This is not a short term thing or a recent pattern. I Think we have become more defensive and we are now not scoring from set pieces, which we were so good at last season.

We need to be in a position where we are winning 10 games a season as a minimum (and picking up some draws along the way), so for me we need to be at 5 wins or more by the time we get to 19 games at the midway point of the season. We have got home games coming up against; Brentford, Wolves and Forrest, I think these are must win games for Dyche.

My concern watching us this season is that we wont attack these teams, we will sit back and draw or lose.

 

[davek]

You can talk of 1 defeat in 7, but we have only won 2 games out of 11 so far this season and since January we have won 7 games in the league. This is not a short term thing or a recent pattern. I Think we have become more defensive and we are now not scoring from set pieces, which we were so good at last season.

We need to be in a position where we are winning 10 games a season as a minimum (and picking up some draws along the way), so for me we need to be at 5 wins or more by the time we get to 19 games at the midway point of the season. We have got home games coming up against; Brentford, Wolves and Forrest, I think these are must win games for Dyche.

My concern watching us this season is that we wont attack these teams, we will sit back and draw or lose.

They first thing you need to do when projecting points tallies with Everton is to recognise that we are now an ingrained bottom 'third' of the PL outfit.

As for winning 10 games per season: in his first full season here Dyche won 13 games.

 

[Dario Terracotta]

You can talk of 1 defeat in 7, but we have only won 2 games out of 11 so far this season and since January we have won 7 games in the league. This is not a short term thing or a recent pattern. I Think we have become more defensive and we are now not scoring from set pieces, which we were so good at last season.

We need to be in a position where we are winning 10 games a season as a minimum (and picking up some draws along the way), so for me we need to be at 5 wins or more by the time we get to 19 games at the midway point of the season. We have got home games coming up against; Brentford, Wolves and Forrest, I think these are must win games for Dyche.

My concern watching us this season is that we wont attack these teams, we will sit back and draw or lose.

Three of them in one week too!!

 

[Bob Elstone]

The manager is petrified of losing a game.

The dross opposition we have played were there for the taking and he’s too conservative.

Trying to draw us to safety. Terrible

 

[Kaiser Soysauce]

@FOXINPEACE - I have a colleague in work who claims Leicester are a bigger club that Everton. He claims that winning the premier league trumps any historic achievements. Can I have your honest opinion on that so that? Hi name is Adan by the way. Do you know him? He's a big lad with little knowledge of the beautiful game

 

[FOXINPEACE]

@FOXINPEACE - I have a colleague in work who claims Leicester are a bigger club that Everton. He claims that winning the premier league trumps any historic achievements. Can I have your honest opinion on that so that? Hi name is Adan by the way. Do you know him? He's a big lad with little knowledge of the beautiful game

I can almost guarantee he started supporting us in 2015. We're nowhere near a bigger club than Everton and never will be. If the question was who would've been the better club to support over the last 15 years then that's a different answer. The whole who's a bigger club debates are tiresome though

And no I don't know him but I'd suggest he's in the minority of our fans who would think like that

 

[Raino85]

I can almost guarantee he started supporting us in 2015. We're nowhere near a bigger club than Everton and never will be. If the question was who would've been the better club to support over the last 15 years then that's a different answer. The whole who's a bigger club debates are tiresome though

And no I don't know him but I'd suggest he's in the minority of our fans who would think like that

Good argument (its not even an argument really) that Leicester have been the more successful club since probably the late 90s

1 x League title
1 x FA Cup
2 x League cups
1 x League cup final
5 x European campaigns (1 run to a semi final & a CL quarter final)

 

[Timbucktoo]

The manager is petrified of losing a game.

The dross opposition we have played were there for the taking and he’s too conservative.

Trying to draw us to safety. Terrible

Looking back over the last 4 games, we`ve clocked up plenty of shots at goal in each game and only come away with 3 goals.

West Ham 18 shots with only 4 on target.
Southampton 16 shots with only 5 on target.
Fulham 10 shots with 5 on target.
Ipswich 11 shots with 8 on target.

If you look at those stats you might think that we are creating chances and that we just lack a bit of talent in the finishing department. So it might be as simple as getting a CF who can convert more of these shots.

 

[HTCHERO]

Let’s hope you are pleasantly surprised then

Yeah

 

[T LEAFE]

Looking back over the last 4 games, we`ve clocked up plenty of shots at goal in each game and only come away with 3 goals.

West Ham 18 shots with only 4 on target.
Southampton 16 shots with only 5 on target.
Fulham 10 shots with 5 on target.
Ipswich 11 shots with 8 on target.

If you look at those stats you might think that we are creating chances and that we just lack a bit of talent in the finishing department. So it might be as simple as getting a CF who can convert more of these shots.

Bring back Jigsaw

 

[Raino85]

Looking back over the last 4 games, we`ve clocked up plenty of shots at goal in each game and only come away with 3 goals.

West Ham 18 shots with only 4 on target.
Southampton 16 shots with only 5 on target.
Fulham 10 shots with 5 on target.
Ipswich 11 shots with 8 on target.

If you look at those stats you might think that we are creating chances and that we just lack a bit of talent in the finishing department. So it might be as simple as getting a CF who can convert more of these shots.

A lot of those shots are pointless punts from Gana Gueye or Mangala, or a scrappy toe or lame header after a knockdown.

There are shots other teams are happy to concede as it gives up possession, I'd argue a fair portion of those shots are from that list.

Neville Southall once used to say he never used to let his defenders try and block a shot as it just messes up his chances of saving it.

You can look back to beginning of last season of us having plenty of shots, and it just seems to be the style of play, it produces a certain amount of opportunity's, this doesent mean quality opportunitys

 

[Harryflashman]

Looking back over the last 4 games, we`ve clocked up plenty of shots at goal in each game and only come away with 3 goals.

West Ham 18 shots with only 4 on target.
Southampton 16 shots with only 5 on target.
Fulham 10 shots with 5 on target.
Ipswich 11 shots with 8 on target.

If you look at those stats you might think that we are creating chances and that we just lack a bit of talent in the finishing department. So it might be as simple as getting a CF who can convert more of these shots.

Did you watch those games though ? I can appreciate the value of statistical data but with the exception of Ipswich that was not the impression I got from watching the matches .

 

[Lanolin]

A lot of those shots are pointless punts from Gana Gueye or Mangala, or a scrappy toe or lame header after a knockdown.

There are shots other teams are happy to concede as it gives up possession, I'd argue a fair portion of those shots are from that list.

Neville Southall once used to say he never used to let his defenders try and block a shot as it just messes up his chances of saving it.

You can look back to beginning of last season of us having plenty of shots, and it just seems to be the style of play, it produces a certain amount of opportunity's, this doesent mean quality opportunitys

I think early last season we really were having good opportunities. They might not have been beautifully crafted, but there was a decent stretch of games where you were coming away saying how the hell have we not scored there. This season it's been a bit of a weird one, in some games we've had plenty of opportunies and in others we've barely had one. In the list above I'd say Southampton and Ipswich there was a decent number of genuinely good chances to score, West Ham not so much and Fulham I can hardly believe we had 10 shots because it felt like we created nothing at all.

 

[Tipp blue]

Looking back over the last 4 games, we`ve clocked up plenty of shots at goal in each game and only come away with 3 goals.

West Ham 18 shots with only 4 on target.
Southampton 16 shots with only 5 on target.
Fulham 10 shots with 5 on target.
Ipswich 11 shots with 8 on target.

If you look at those stats you might think that we are creating chances and that we just lack a bit of talent in the finishing department. So it might be as simple as getting a CF who can convert more of these shots.

But Gana lashing one 20 yards over the bar from 35 yards out is classed as a shot.

 

[Ged G]

All in all, we need some positive vibes.
These days, I get to Goodison twice a year, as I live abroad. Was a season ticket holder and away day lad in my youth.
I am no Mr Happy myself they say, but fcuk me when I am at the match I am appalled at the negativity.
Sure, we know there is always a big, loud-mouth, sat near you abusing the players, we have lots of them (some come on here I think), but these days it is just the general negativity of many.
THANK YOU, JOLLY RANT OVER