Fan's View 19/20 - Peterborough away

You're right to identify our defensive form as becoming concerning. We've kept one league clean sheet since boxing day, in a game played in apocalyptic conditions (Ipswich), so scoring was always going to be tough for either team. I would tentatively suggest it's because our midfield, which is an important shield to the defense, has been unfit and chopped and changed, but that seems like clutching at straws.

I also wonder if this league is actually stronger than many of us, myself included, gave it credit for. From my experience of L1 there's generally been two or maybe three teams that run away with it, and then a bit of a scramble to get in the playoffs. This year, any one of about 6 or 7 teams could reasonably win the league. That means theres a lot of tough games, and very little room for error.

I do think we're in a blip and will come good. It's just a question of whether it proves too little too late. As you say, a loss on Tuesday would leave us 11th. That's just unthinkable given where we were less than 6 weeks ago.
 
Every match is to some extent informative but some much more so than others.

So true. The important thing is, I suppose, that KR sees this and reacts to the players approach. More importantly, for myself anyway, is that the board accept that we need to strengthen the squad as well as remaining "sustainable" (I am really beginning to hate that word)
 
We might as well hold the end of season awards do this week.

I do think the number of games has taken it's toll on us.
 
We might as well hold the end of season awards do this week.

I do think the number of games has taken it's toll on us.
Portsmouth are still in the FA Cup and the tinpot, and if anything they’re getting stronger as time goes on. I don’t subscribe to this notion of playing too many games - the only teams that seem to bring it up are the ones struggling or stumbling. It’s never the ones going great guns who seem to go, “Cor, we aren’t half tired though!”

In 15/16 we played 59 games - 46 in League Two, 5 in the FA Cup, 2 in the EFL Cup and 6 in the EFL Trophy.

In 16/17 we played 62 games - 46 in League One, 6 in the FA Cup, 2 in the EFL Cup, and 8 in the EFL Trophy.

In 17/18 we played 54 games - 46 in League One, 1 in the FA Cup, 1 in the EFL Cup, and 6 in the EFL Trophy. (This was comfortably our shortest season in recent memory - thanks again Pep)

In 18/19 we played 59 games - 46 in League One, 4 in the FA Cup, 3 in the EFL Cup, and 6 in the EFL Trophy.

We now know that in 19/20, based on the assumption that the playoffs don’t happen one way or the other, we will play 58 games - 44 in the league, 5 in the FA Cup, 5 in the EFL Cup and 4 in the EFL Trophy.

Even if we were to make it into the playoffs and in turn advance to the final, the 61 games we would end up playing isn’t even the most games we would’ve played in a season since returning to League One in 2016. If we don’t make it to the playoffs, we won’t even play as many games as we did last season, let alone any of the others. We are playing no more fixtures this season than we’ve played almost every season for the last half a decade, nor is this the smallest amount of players we’ve had to make do with in the process.

At this level, when even if you lost every single game you played you’d reach 50 matches in a season, everyone is in the same boat. Everybody is tired, everybody gets injuries, everybody thinks they’re a couple of players light - it’s the same for nearly everyone.
 
Isn't the issue here that we've got so many games crammed into February?
 
I think the main problem seemed to be our lack of energy/pace/press whereas our opponents didn't stop running/ pressing right up until the last minute, maybe a result of the cup tie. Tuesday will be a real test.

Thanks for the fans view always look forward to it!
 
I think the main problem seemed to be our lack of energy/pace/press whereas our opponents didn't stop running/ pressing right up until the last minute, maybe a result of the cup tie. Tuesday will be a real test.

Thanks for the fans view always look forward to it!
Our game relies a lot on pressing in order to get the ball and do our wizardry. When we’re not energetic or motivated we never do well, so tiredness may affect us more than some other teams. We’re in a bad run but I back us to finish strongly and end up in the top ten if not the top six.
 
To many players carrying injuries I think. Key players as well. If they announced that Brannagan wouldn’t play again this season it wouldn’t surprise me at all. He looks a shadow of the player that he was earlier in the season. Definitely hasn’t got over that injury regardless of what they say.
 
Brannagan certainly isn’t anywhere near his level of performance earlier in the season. However you can understand why Robinson is desperate to get him fit and back out onto the field though.

He appears to be doing everything at 20%-25% less than he was earlier in the season, whether that be tackling, tracking back, or driving forward. He’s already admitted that long range shooting and long passes with his right foot is a problem for him.

We really miss him when he’s not at his best, and to be fair to him you can see that he’s desperate to do well. Clearly wasn’t a happy bunny when he was subbed on Tuesday evening, but it looked the correct decision at the time.
 
Portsmouth are still in the FA Cup and the tinpot, and if anything they’re getting stronger as time goes on. I don’t subscribe to this notion of playing too many games - the only teams that seem to bring it up are the ones struggling or stumbling. It’s never the ones going great guns who seem to go, “Cor, we aren’t half tired though!”

In 15/16 we played 59 games - 46 in League Two, 5 in the FA Cup, 2 in the EFL Cup and 6 in the EFL Trophy.

In 16/17 we played 62 games - 46 in League One, 6 in the FA Cup, 2 in the EFL Cup, and 8 in the EFL Trophy.

In 17/18 we played 54 games - 46 in League One, 1 in the FA Cup, 1 in the EFL Cup, and 6 in the EFL Trophy. (This was comfortably our shortest season in recent memory - thanks again Pep)

In 18/19 we played 59 games - 46 in League One, 4 in the FA Cup, 3 in the EFL Cup, and 6 in the EFL Trophy.

We now know that in 19/20, based on the assumption that the playoffs don’t happen one way or the other, we will play 58 games - 44 in the league, 5 in the FA Cup, 5 in the EFL Cup and 4 in the EFL Trophy.

Even if we were to make it into the playoffs and in turn advance to the final, the 61 games we would end up playing isn’t even the most games we would’ve played in a season since returning to League One in 2016. If we don’t make it to the playoffs, we won’t even play as many games as we did last season, let alone any of the others. We are playing no more fixtures this season than we’ve played almost every season for the last half a decade, nor is this the smallest amount of players we’ve had to make do with in the process.

At this level, when even if you lost every single game you played you’d reach 50 matches in a season, everyone is in the same boat. Everybody is tired, everybody gets injuries, everybody thinks they’re a couple of players light - it’s the same for nearly everyone.


Fair point, thanks for those stats.

We just seemed so far off the pace against Peterborough, maybe it was just the Newcastle game rather than a long-term thing. Maybe the truth is we're just badly out of form

I think it was criminal to sell two of our best players on the last day of the transfer window, but that's another debate. We could have done with Shandon against Pboro, that's for sure.

I'll still turn up and enjoy the games, but not expecting a play-off place unless our form dramatically improves and soon. A win against Burton would be a good place to start, I didn't see anything against Pboro to suggest we will even pick a point up against Burton to be honest.

Let's hope we have a strong squad going into next season, and if we're doing well... let's not sell our best players in January again, let alone on the last day of the window!

IMO we've lost 2 key starters. Cadden, Fosu and Baptiste. We've made ourselves weaker.
 
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In truth , we are running out of gas . May be peaked to soon , and all the high profile games have taken the toll. We may have just enough to get in the playoffs, if we can pick up the points in games like Burton . But their are a few clubs now , packing the points in so not going to be easy, for sure.
 
I don't think you will be going to the Wonky Donkey again next season.
Not so sure. Pompey are on fire too. Rotherham are not far behind or Coventry. Sunderland cannot be written off. But Posh do seem to be a standout team from what we saw on Saturday. Form comes and goes though. And I think Toney is one yellow card away from a couple of games ban.
Perhaps I'll be back in the Wonky Donkey for the play-offs. :)
 
We might as well hold the end of season awards do this week.

I do think the number of games has taken it's toll on us.

Yes, but we have played 2 less league games than scheduled with Bury going under.

I think two games against Newcastle, incl extra time has taken its toll, emotionally as well as physically. I was certainly shattered after the Newcastle replay and I wasn't playing!
 
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