How Do We Survive?

Tend to agree. It's skewed by us not having been to Anfield or the Etihad yet but that's a perfectly decent away record. In a 40pt season you'd probably expect 24 from home games and 16 from away games, so we're just about doing our bit away from home. It's our home form that has been a complete unmitigated disaster.

 

As has been pointed out to you many times, we’ve still yet to play the biggest teams away.

 

How dare you, we’ve won 3 away as opposed to 2 at home.

Our home record though. My word. Apparently the worst ever PL home record is 7 points by Sunderland. Derby’s official worst ever season had 8 points at home. 5 home games to go. Wonder if we can go for more records.

 

That's got nothing to do with my statement of being resolute on the road. You instantly denied we were resolute, and I've proved that to be incorrect with stats from this season. We've been to some tough places already this season. Arsenal, Spurs, United and just conceded 2 goals in those three games. I think we are resolute and the fact we've got to play Chelsea, City and Liverpool does not diminish the fact, to date, we've been resolute on the road.

 

Just because our away record is better than our home record that doesn’t make us resolute on the road. It makes us slightly less **** away, but still ****. You’re getting confused by one being better than the other, they’re both still bad.

 

Resolute means being defensively tough to break down. We have been this all season. Only the Leicester match is where we've been poor defensively. All the other games we've done pretty well. Only Brighton, Everton, Brentford and Leicester have scored more than once against us. Only 4 sides have conceded fewer goals, and at this stage of the season I think that speaks for itself.

 

As I say, you’re confusing slightly less **** with resolute. We’re slightly less bad away, we aren’t resolute away:

resolute
/ˈrɛzəluːt/
Learn to pronounce

adjective

1. admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering.
   "she was resolute and unswerving"

 

Well.....you'll need to loan me your time travel machine before I can confirm that.

 

Corrected for you.

 

Depends how you look at it. We’ve got an xGA of 20.3 away from home, which ranks 11th, and that’s without playing Liverpool, City, Chelsea, Southampton, Wolves and Palace (Southampton lost once at home all season) — resolute? Not really. Better than our home record? Ofc

 

Well I disagree. Our away defensive record places us in 5th place in the Premier League. I think that deserves recognition, but I know that goes against the narrative. I don't think using teams we've yet to play strengthens your case either. I'm sure you would have added Spurs, Arsenal, West Ham and Man United to that list also, had we not already played them, yet we only conceded a total of 3 goals in those 4 games, so you never know what may happen.

 

The narrative is that we’re 19th.

 

It’s not a narrative, it’s just looking beyond the goals conceded column and deciding we’re resolute away from home, which isn’t entirely the case. We conceded 3 in those 4 games sure, but does that mean we’re good defensively, or the team we were up against; United’s case especially, miss a hatful of chances?

 

After 13 games, I think conceding only 16 goals is highly commendable, and demonstrates we are strong away defensively. If we were weak in the away games it would have been exposed by now, so I don't think it's fair to put that down as some kind of fluke. You could use that argument the other way around and say we've been unlucky at home and punished for any minor errors, so it can work both ways.

What I cannot understand is why we're resolute and dependable as an away side, yet dreadful at home. There is a marked difference in how we look in the away games as opposed to the home ones. It's the same team, but there has to be some fundamental differences. The contrast is too stark.

 

The goals we concede aren’t unlucky though, it’s frequently the same thing happening? It’s down to bad set ups tactically and bad players in the team overall

 

But only in the home games. 16 conceded on the road suggests we don't have a problem when we play away from VR. Only 4 sides have got a better away defensive record than us and that cannot be overlooked or dismissed.

Were we have a problem is at home. Away, we've been fine all season, whoever the manager/coach was. Our away form is more than good enough to keep us up, had the home form would be as strong as the away form suggests it should be. A team that only concedes 16 goals away, should not be letting 34 at home. That fact does not compute.

I would even say we've been a little unlucky away on occasion. Should have got a point at Leeds after a controversial late goal was disallowed. Should have got a point at Arsenal after they scored from a clear foul on Sarr. Were seconds away from a point at Brentford, and even though WTE's lunge was poor, the Brentford player clearly dived for the pen. Only a Bachmann screw up prevented us from getting a point at Spurs. A cruel deflection prevented us from getting a point at West Ham, so we could lay a claim that we should have had even more from the away games.

It's right to criticise us for the home performances, but away, we've been solid and reliable all season.

 

When Watford are relegated, can we relegate HB with his endless, wrong predictions? Look back over the season and you'll see how inaccurate he is, so ignore. Can only imagine he likes to be centre of attention and deliberately contrary.

 

I disagree with most of this. The deflected goal vs West Ham wasn’t cruel because that’s what happens when you set up a certain way, you give players time and space to have long range efforts, or low quality chances become harder to save due to the persistent sitting off. That’s the risk you take with that way of defending without the ball. You can’t say “we would have got a point” because game state matters, those teams would have played differently if they didn’t get the goal, we would have played differently as well

 

Game state matters!!. A deflected goal is unlucky, and nothing to do with how we set up to play. It can happen in any game at any time, no matter who you are or how you're playing. It's just unlucky. You cannot suggest/imply with any merit that had West Ham not scored that, they would have played differently and scored later in the game, as I'm sure United wanted to score a goal, but they didn't. I'm sure Villa wanted to score a goal but they didn't.

 

Yeah this is painful now. I’m bored

 

An interesting response to a valid opinion back at you. But I'm happy with that.

 

As I said elsewhere, if we are within 4 points of Leeds on 10 April, we have a chance of overtaking them. Might not get us to 17th though......

 

Spurs where our worst loss in Pozzo PL era was by 4, ok.

United where our worst was 2-0.

West Ham who’s worst hit on us was 3-1 back at Upton Park.

Liverpool who put 5 then 6 then 5 past us in consecutive years at Anfield.

City who hit us for 6 on neutral turf and then 8 at their place a few months later.

Some of these things, are not like the others funnily enough.

 

Bump. Just think, folks, one game closer to the end of the season where we don't have to suffer HB's endless, useless predictions.

 

A deeply resolute performance tonight

 

The Gambler has a new account I see. Another alias.

 

Thankfully we’re resolute and good away from home

 

We’ve still got the 11th best away defence! No doubt Roy will be eyeing clean sheets away against City, Chelsea and Liverpool too. The only way is up! #Resolute