Blessing in Disguise

[Hoop Blah]

Memory is fickle and I must be older than I think (or the Mad Cow is cutting in)

I actually thought we finished the season really well, my head turned by us beating Boro and Doncaster and then the great 2-2 versus Burnley

We didn't!

Really depends what you define as good and what you define as finishing the season.

Our last 5 games was pretty decent. We got a bit of a hiding at Wigan yes, but we did alright against the two best teams in the division and almost won our last 3 games with a bit more luck yesterday.

We had TWO hidings in the last six games. Wigan and Bournemouth.

We were poor first 2/3 of the game at now-relegated Doncaster, but pulled it out of the fire

Played decently against Leicester, Boro and Burnley

Like I said, it depends what you define as finishing the season and being decent.

Looking at our run in I don't see 6 games as our finish to the season. I'd probably take it as the last 3 or 4, or perhaps the last 7. 6 games is fine as a rolling measurement of form but runs of games differ in size depending on (amongst other things) form, dates and circumstances.

[Snowball]

It's pretty hard to write-off the last six games as NOT "the run-in"

and 6 is a common standard for "recent form", for example, at STATTO

I like to look at 6,9, 12 and 18, but my POINT was
I thought we'd done much better than we had done

That was a crap last 6 if you end up with 8 points and negative GD

[Hoop Blah]

Just using the standard 6 is so limited though. It's great for comparing sides over the same number of games and remains 'recent' enough to be arguably their current form, but in terms of how we as a side finished it's pretty irrelevant and I'd suggest your guy feeling of us finished reasonably well is more accurate.

[Man Friday]

It's pretty hard to write-off the last six games as NOT "the run-in"

and 6 is a common standard for "recent form", for example, at STATTO

I like to look at 6,9, 12 and 18, but my POINT was
I thought we'd done much better than we had done

That was a crap last 6 if you end up with 8 points and negative GD

I'd agree with that.

Funny, though, it felt better than that.

[P!ssed Off]

Just using the standard 6 is so limited though. It's great for comparing sides over the same number of games and remains 'recent' enough to be arguably their current form, but in terms of how we as a side finished it's pretty irrelevant and I'd suggest your guy feeling of us finished reasonably well is more accurate.

Christ, and I thought I argued about trivial things...

[Snowball]

Changing your sample size to suit your argument?

What sample size would you like, luvvy?

We are talking about the run-in, and I'd say 6 games was the minimum

Last 6 games P6. W2 D2 L2 -1 GD

How about the last MONTH (April)?

Played 7. W3 D2 L2 10-10 ELEVENTH best club on form for April

Or the last TWO Months (March & April)

Played 14. W5 D6 L3 20-19 TWELFTH in the league on form

Or the final THREE Months?

P18. W7 D6 L5 26-23 again, ELEVENTH on form

The only way you can make our "run-in form" look half-decent is to choose only the last three games

Even then W2 D1 made us joint 3rd/4th/5th/6th/7th and .08 ppt better than Charlton

[Snowball]

That was my point, Friday. I really thought we had done OK, but it was luck (others playing badly)
and FINALLY WWD giving a false gloss to our true form.

We got stuffed by Bournemouth but others did badly so we seemed OK

We got stuffed by Wigan, but others did badly so we seemed OK

We failed to win 2/3 of our last 3 at home, but the two drawers seemed OK
because they were against promoted sides

[Snowball]

Just using the standard 6 is so limited though. It's great for comparing sides over the same number of games and remains 'recent' enough to be arguably their current form, but in terms of how we as a side finished it's pretty irrelevant and I'd suggest your guy feeling of us finished reasonably well is more accurate.

I wasn't "just using the six" it's just that Statto gives a last-six table.

We could just as easily say "April" or "the last two months but that's almost a third of a season

[Snowball]

So, just for you, Ian, for one month, or two months, or the full three months,
almost a third of the season, we have been averaging 11/12th on form.

[Hoop Blah]

Or the last 3 games.

My point is more that our form, good or bad, is about how we've played and how our momentum is running. That momentum can be over 3 or 12 games depending on when a side has managed to shift or create it.

If Brighton hadn't sneaked that late winner and we'd finished the season with 2 wins and a very credible draw with Burnley where we actually played quite well, we'd have had a positive momentum and form going into the playoffs. What the result was in our 6th last game would be irrelevant.

[Faithful Son]

There's no money to buy anyone and no one will pay for the silly wages of your drenthes your guthries your Pogrebnyaks or your bridges.
We couldn't even pay sharp and Baird for three months
And they would have got us into the playoffs

Do you really think Sharp and Baird would have made that much difference? Baird has been a bench warmer for Burnley while Sharp didn't cover himself with glory in the few games he played for us and couldn't save Doncaster.

[melonhead]

That much?! Just needed a win out of all those draws when our defence midfield and strikeforce were injured.
Do I think those two players would.have earned us two extra points in three months?
Yes. Easy
Can't prove it though

[kwik-silva]

That much?! Just needed a win out of all those draws when our defence midfield and strikeforce were injured.
Do I think those two players would.have earned us two extra points in three months?
Yes. Easy
Can't prove it though

I mean, hypothetically we didn't even need that insurmountable task, because we only needed one extra point - in getting that point it would have also increased our GD, and we would have got in on goals scored.

[RoyallyFcuked]

That much?! Just needed a win out of all those draws when our defence midfield and strikeforce were injured.
Do I think those two players would.have earned us two extra points in three months?
Yes. Easy
Can't prove it though

You're right, they would have. Having said that though, the fact we came so close even after some very poor performances, dropped points and crap home form shows that we really should have made the play offs anyway, regardless of whether those players were still here or not.