How are we intending to stay up ?

[ClaretinBudapest]

The results of zero investment for the previous three seasons are becoming all too aware.The previous custodians of the club were filling the dry powder room for themselves and not for investment in the playing staff.
If we do an audit of their recruitment whilst in charge it is safe to say we deserve to be relegated.Lennon,Crouch and Stephens are the perfect examples of their ambitious transfer policy.
Then their is the dips into the Championship to recruit strikers like Vydra and Nahki Wells who simply cannot perform at PL level.
The money squandered on loan signings like DRINKwater,Hart and Chalaboah who hardly ever played.
The Jayrod signing that was for nostalgic reasons rather than current ability.
Off the back of this, credit must be given to Pace for getting Cornet to come to East Lancashire and the astute signings of Collins and Roberts but it is all looking like too little too late.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

On quite reflection, I genuinely think we are f*cked, but like our good friend Supersub6 constantly reminds us - life will go on.

Unless something monumental happens next season offers us local trips to Preston, Blackpool and B@stardland which are all easy on the wallet and great for easy picking up of Promotion Points.

[Supersub6]

Comparison time fellows:
2020/2021 ----P14 W3 D4 L7 F8 A22 pts 13. Goalscorers: Wood 3: Dunne: Brady: Westwood: Barnes: 1 own goal. Failed to score in 8 matches and kept 5 clean sheets.

2021/2022 ----P14 W1 D7 L6 F14 A21 pts 10. Goalscorers: Wood 3: Cornet 5: Mee 2: Tarkowski: Lowton: Vydra: 1 own goal. Failed to score in 6 matches and kept 2 clean sheets.

The next 4 games last season saw us win 1 and lose 3 and all were 1-0 results with Ben Mee scoring our winner against Sheffield United. We now have West Ham, Watford, Villa and Everton coming up and must just wait and see what transpires.

We have scored more goals with more goalscorers, we are better defensively because we have conceded less goals, however, we have kept less clean sheets. We have also failed to score in fewer games than at this stage last season

All the doom and gloom, however, there are still 24 matches to play and only 6 points separate 11th place and 20th. Last season there were 10 points between 11th and 18th place with West Brom 13 points behind 11th and Sheffield United 19 points behind 11th placed Wolves.

[sinkov]

Indeed they do malwayne. However, we've not been much luck this season have we? Games that could have gone our way didn't. Here's hoping lady luck starts smiling on us.

That's what's ominous about it imo, the lucky ones stay up, it's the unlucky ones that go down, it's the best predictor there is, when Lady Luck abandons you, you're fecked.

[sinkov]

10 points from the first 14 games is relegation form and no mistake, but as Sub says there are still 24 games to play so all is not lost. What worries me is that this current run of relegation form stretches back further than the start of this season, it goes right back to last April in fact. We played 9 games in April and May, we won 2 and lost 7, add that to this season and from our last 23 league games we have won just 3, drawn 7 and lost 13. 16 points from our last 23 games, transposed to a full 38 game season that would gives us 26 points and relegation certain long before Easter.

Of course there is a long way to go, of course it is possible we can turn it round, but you cannot escape the fact that we have been churning out the results of relegation certainties for the last 23 games, that is virtually two thirds of a season, this is no flash in the pan, this is what we currently are playing like and have been for an extensive period of time.

Do we need reminding of the old saying, if it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. Methinks it's time to, if not to press the Panic Button, then at least start searching for it.

[outwoodclaret]

As the board’s resident Jeremiah I thought it timely to open the Book of Lamentations at the pages dealing with our run of fixtures up to the New Year. Three of our next four games are at our home to West Ham, Watford and then Everton on Boxing Day with a visit to Stevie G’s Villa sandwiched in between. After that we go to Manchester United and then to Leeds in the New Year. We currently have 10 points from our opening 14 fixtures. I think we need a minimum of 8 from our next 6 games. Get those points on board and then look to add some more quality players in the January window. Dum Spiro Spero.

[sinkov]

Dum Spiro Spero.

They all say that Outwood, all the managers in the relegation battle, and they keep on saying it right until the day they go down, and down three of them go every season, Dum Spiro Spero or not. And as BT is so fond of saying, 'it's the hope that kills you'.

[army88]

10 points from the first 14 games is relegation form and no mistake, but as Sub says there are still 24 games to play so all is not lost. What worries me is that this current run of relegation form stretches back further than the start of this season, it goes right back to last April in fact. We played 9 games in April and May, we won 2 and lost 7, add that to this season and from our last 23 league games we have won just 3, drawn 7 and lost 13. 16 points from our last 23 games, transposed to a full 38 game season that would gives us 26 points and relegation certain long before Easter.

Of course there is a long way to go, of course it is possible we can turn it round, but you cannot escape the fact that we have been churning out the results of relegation certainties for the last 23 games, that is virtually two thirds of a season, this is no flash in the pan, this is what we currently are playing like and have been for an extensive period of time.

Do we need reminding of the old saying, if it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. Methinks it's time to, if not to press the Panic Button, then at least start searching for it.

These are facts Sinkov , the league doesn’t lie

Which is why is said before we kicked a ball this year that I thought we’d be relegated, I did think
The investment ( lack off would do
Us eventually ), I really hope I’m wrong but can’t see it.

Like Sub says 24 games to go but in the real world actually if you take utd ( twice ) city , Chelsea , Liverpool , Arsenal , Leicester out of that where we’re not really expected to get results , it narrows the window.

However usually someone gets on a run to finish stronger let’s hope it’s us.

[DownThePlughole66]

Because I don’t know. I was full of hope after the midweek game at Wolves, but by 5o’clock tonight, all my positivity had disappeared out of the window.
Perhaps someone on here would care to enlighten me !!

Perhaps some more positivity from Dyche would help!
Why take Lowton off?
A better plan would have been to have Roberts playing out wide in front of Lowton from the start.
We have both Gudjonnson and Lennon neither of who are even worth bench time frankly-totally ineffective and yet continue to be picked.
Why not try Tucker from the youth set-up which seems to produce nothing so far in the last few years (apart from McNeill)

[kritichris]

This season seems to have a different feel to it that doesn't engender hope like last season did. The forwards aren't scoring and teams we should be beating we either draw with or get beat. Also it's looking much tighter at the bottom now, no obvious losers, even Norwich are back in the mix after looking like complete write-offs. I think yesterday was a big match we should have won and without Cornet we are now firing blanks. Cue for Corporal Jones.