Form since the win at Exeter

[jackal2]

Exeter was our last away win, game 10, the climax of our best 10 game start in living memory before the shock defeat at Field Mill.

We've played 13 games since Exeter, picking up 19 points. That's an average of 1.46 points per game which over the course of a whole season would have seen a club finish about 9th/10th in the last couple of seasons. In other words, we've been a team not quite good enough for the play-offs since the last week of September. If this post-Exeter form continues for the remainder of the campaign, we'll pick up another 34 points giving us a total of 78, which should be enough to finish in the top 7 largely thanks to the magnificent start, but not the top 3.

So, short of a major collapse, we can look forward to being involved in a promotion push in some form or other until the final week of the season. Play-offs are a big part of our history, although we haven't been involved in them for 22 years next May and never at this level. Hopefully we can avoid them with automatic promotion but if we are involved then there's a good chance that we'd face either Mansfield or Lincoln, which would be quite something. Imagine playing Stags at Wembley!
Interesting times.

I think the key to the whole season could be how we reinforce or reorganise our forward options in January. Shola Ameobi has been a big part of the way we have been playing and the relative success we've had, but in football terms he and Jon Stead are old men, and no matter how much Kevin Nolan talks about age being only a number, it isn't. Both have been showing signs of fatigue, and this has probably played a part in our struggles in the last two games. We have at least two more months of heavy pitches and an intense fixture programme, and while Shola still affects the game even when he's carrying an injury, he sometimes needs a break. Jon Stead plays more, but he's not a good target man and he isn't scoring enough goals anymore to justify his place alongside Shola. Ameobi will never be prolific, so we need someone alongside him who can put the ball in the net on a regular basis. If we address this in January, then I agree the play-offs should be the minimum we can achieve, and we could stay in with a chance of automatic promotion.

We ideally also need another centre-half, because yet again yesterday a poor Richard Duffy clearance led to a goal, and I'm not confident in Haydn Hollis as a back-up, but that's probably the lesser priority given the budgetary constraints we have.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

I would like us to go for automatic promotion. 44 points from 23 games is an excellent and solid foundation for us to build on in the second half of the season.

Nothing is won at Christmas so we can’t sit on our larrels and presume we are at least guaranteed a playoff spot. It will be a tough battle as we know.

I don’t want us to have the lottery of the playoffs. Whilst it maybe good for the club financially to be involved it’s gamble and pays off only if you win it.

I’d sooner us strengthen in January and go outright and push Luton all the way. There is no better time than now as there are no stand out teams and with an owner and manager one year into the job, and a feel good factor at the club to build on 2017 the stage is set.

We can do it, I have every faith we can do it and we should go for it and aim for automatic promotion!

[nay123]

Exeter was our last away win, game 10, the climax of our best 10 game start in living memory before the shock defeat at Field Mill.

We've played 13 games since Exeter, picking up 19 points. That's an average of 1.46 points per game which over the course of a whole season would have seen a club finish about 9th/10th in the last couple of seasons. In other words, we've been a team not quite good enough for the play-offs since the last week of September. If this post-Exeter form continues for the remainder of the campaign, we'll pick up another 34 points giving us a total of 78, which should be enough to finish in the top 7 largely thanks to the magnificent start, but not the top 3.

So, short of a major collapse, we can look forward to being involved in a promotion push in some form or other until the final week of the season. Play-offs are a big part of our history, although we haven't been involved in them for 22 years next May and never at this level. Hopefully we can avoid them with automatic promotion but if we are involved then there's a good chance that we'd face either Mansfield or Lincoln, which would be quite something. Imagine playing Stags at Wembley!
Interesting times.

I hope not we would be out numbered 2/1 fan wise they would have a big following from forest fans.

[countygump]

I hope not we would be out numbered 2/1 fan wise they would have a big following from forest fans.

After a quick bit of research, it seems that 85pts, (or less) has seen teams get 3rd spot in Divvy 2 for the last 15 seasons. 38pts needed from 22 matches then, orrrrrrrrrrrr 1.73 pts from hereon in. We are currently at 1.96 a match.

[Bohinen]

A quick look at current form (last 10) shows Colchester and Luton are the only clubs with a better 'trajectory' than Notts. But Colchester start from 8 points behind, so I would say 1) Luton 2) Notts 3) Colchester.

[the_anticlough]

After a quick bit of research, it seems that 85pts, (or less) has seen teams get 3rd spot in Divvy 2 for the last 15 seasons. 38pts needed from 22 matches then, orrrrrrrrrrrr 1.73 pts from hereon in. We are currently at 1.96 a match.

Interesting. That's W 10 D 8 L 4 and so far we've gone W 13 D 8 L 3 from 24 so far. That's doable but you can't afford too much of a drop off.

Anyway, over the next couple of games we should hit the 50 pt staying up target (In December!), so hopefully that will be the cue for AH & KN to crank it up for the run in.

[jackal2]

Teams that win promotion always say consistency is the key, and we've certainly got that so far. We've only lost one league game each month since the start of the season, and none so far in December, with Swindon left to play. The story of the season is that even when we don't win, we usually take a point, and those points add up over the course of a season. We're doing much better than I ever imagined anyway!

[Frigiliana Pie 1]

Accrington failed to go up with 85 points a couple of seasons ago, so perhaps the aim should be for 86 points just to be on the safe side. However, I have a suspicion that about 80 or 81 may be enough for automatic promotion this season.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

After a quick bit of research, it seems that 85pts, (or less) has seen teams get 3rd spot in Divvy 2 for the last 15 seasons. 38pts needed from 22 matches then, orrrrrrrrrrrr 1.73 pts from hereon in. We are currently at 1.96 a match.

Based on 1.96 a match we would be on course to finish on 90 points. So it’s a case of maintaining the status quo from now until the end of the season.

It would be absolutely brilliant if we can break the 50 point barrier against Swindon to put the cherry on the cake for this year. If at worst we can do this by the end of the Christmas and New Year period by the time we have played Port Vale then we know for certain where we are going into the January transfer window.

[countygump]

Accrington failed to go up with 85 points a couple of seasons ago, so perhaps the aim should be for 86 points just to be on the safe side. However, I have a suspicion that about 80 or 81 may be enough for automatic promotion this season.

Must have missed that one. Is that the only one in the last 15 yrs then Frigil?