Cheers steve.
I know I wrote that and I meant it too but I do feel that we aren't that far off. Obviously there's the Trav and Dack issue but even sowe haven't been well beaten by any of the top teams apart from perhaps Reading (Reading's manager said it was their best display of the season). In fact one could easily suggest we could have had a few more points on the board. Rem we were slightly the better team against Bournemouth, Watford the fates seemed stacked against us, that's two matches we didn't really deserve to lose, at Brentford we were winning and the better team when Lenihan was sent off and last Saturdays game v Norwich could have gone either way but for the class (and luck) of Pukki.
I believe our current slump is because our tactics have been sussed by the lower teams (think Man City) whereas the better teams tend to play their own game rather than attempt to stop us playing ours. 'Cut off the supply to Armstrong like Barnsley did ' is the battle cry from lower down and unfortunately until Elliot decided to share the glory that was our Achilles heel. Gallagher is still a weak link, only in the team imo because of his muscle and if BB is the answer as some would hope for then I'm afraid I don't know what the bloody question is. Chapman / Dolan should be utilised more than they are out on the left when Gallagher is having an off day.
I agree - we aren't far off and maybe Dack and Travis will swing the pendulum enough to take us to the play off area for keeps.
Again as you say, we are never battered, and with
more luck we might be in a very healthy position. But there is a decent case that we have been lucky? And without that luck we could be in quite a precarious position
(Nine of our recent points could just as easily be only 2 or 3)
For once! this season we have had a decent rub of the green
Our problems stem from the old foe - TMs loyalty to some! (but I feel this is enforced from on high!), and an overall defence that is out of sync (ability wise) with our attacking options.
This league is just so even that its difficult to have a distinct edge. I don't think I could pick a team from all the clubs and feel 100% confident they would even make the playoffs