11 Cup Finals
Posted: 06 Mar 2013, 11:07
Well we have 11 games left to go until the fat lady warms up her dulcet tones and each one from now on takes on the old adage of 'cup finals'. This is my run down of the fixtures we have left and the possible outcomes (imo). If you feel it necessary to somehow find a complaint with this thread saying it's negative then that's up to you. All i'm doing is putting out there our remaining fixtures and how i think they will pan out. Obviously it is purely speculation as we don't know which teams might pick up a bit of form between now and the end and we don't know which teams might slump. Also we don't know if we will have any aditions to the squad between now and the end of the season but i want to have go at seeing where me might pick points up from. You don't have to take part if you think it's somehow pointless and 'perpetuating negativity'. :no:
OXFORD UNITED (H) : I feel that this game, along with the Chesterfield one which i will come to later represents our best opportunity to get 3 points on the board out of our last 6 at home. As Bitchie Renault eluded to in the matchday thread, they were battered at home last night against Rotherham and that more or less ends their play off aspirations so it is 50/50 whether they rock up at Plainmoor there for the taking or whether they come ready to bounce back. I still think we will lose this one however.
DAGENHAM (A) : I also feel that this game represents our best chance of an away win or at the very least a point from our games left on our travels. John Still has left to go to Luton and interim boss Wayne Burnett has taken over team affairs. They lost at home to Chesterfield at the weekend and like us, the new interim boss boost factor hasn't happened for them yet. Again, they are safe but have a caretaker boss maybe eager to prove a point so it will be a tricky game but one in which we should be looking at winning as we haven't a hope in hell of registering another away win this season after this one has gone.
SOUTHEND (A) : Drab defeat, nothing else needs saying.
CHESTERFIELD (H) : The spireites have been really poor this season and prior to the weekend had the joint lowest away scoring record in the division with us. They left us last though thanks to a 1-0 away win at Daggers although the goal was an own goal by a Daggers defender. This game has to be won and we need to go for it. No excuses. Chesterfield can't score away, they are in poor form and have no chance of a play off spot. Get into them and get the job done, 3 points.
YORK (H) : York could have found some winning form under new boss Nigel Worthington although draws have been their problem. I think this could be a draw although we will have to wait and see what impact Worthington has on results leading up to this game.
NORTHAMPTON (A) : Another disappointing powder puff defeat at the hands of a powerful unit in Northampton and nil pois.
BRADFORD (H) : Bradford could be out of the hunt for a play off spot by now or they could still be well and truly in it. Either way, defeat. They have better, quicker, fitter players than us and will be looking forward to their trip to the seaside.
GILLINGHAM (A): Hammering
BARNET (H): A very winnable game and that makes this game for me the most worrying of the lot. We could quite easily lose this one badly as win it so i have everything crossed that we will win it. More hope than expectation though, this can go either way.
MORECAMBE: (A): Could perhaps sneak a draw here but i expect defeat.
BRISTOL ROVERS (H): I pray to God that we are safe by then otherwise i doubt we will be able to function under the pressure. Rovers will be safe, in buoyant mood boosted by a massive away following and i'm frightened of this one basically if we aren't safe.
All in all there are certainly games to get our teeth into and it will be our home games that will get us out of this mess. Looking at those fixtures we can get the 3 or 4 wins needed but only if we begin attacking teams. I know many of you said that the Accrington point was a good one and in terms of it stopping the rot and keeping a clean sheet it was but anyone at that game would know that nothing has changed. They were poor on the day, we had 2 shots. This can't continue to happen, we could draw half our games left and go down, draws aren't enough anymore and we need to get the positivity and confidence that only comes from winning and playing well. I am clinging on to my last bit of hope which i have managed to rekindle after being certain that we will go down.
I'm like Fox Mulder, i want to believe but there is just nothing whatsoever in results or performances that can make this easier for me. Our hope is that we have got 2 teams in Chesterfield and Oxford that have gone, they're shot now and these two teams MUST be beaten. Forget the away games, go mental at Daggers and see if we can force them into errors and maybe nick a win but i know we'll defend at Morecambe, Northampton, Southend and Gillingham and they are just too strong for us given our current levels of form and confidence. We simply must beat Oxford, a draw would perpetuate the concern for at least another week but wouldn't yet be the end of the world whilst defeat (IMO) would definately see us relegated come the end of the season barring some miracle.
The truth is out there and like EMF once said, I BELIEVE ( until possibly 5pm saturday :~D ).
Your thoughts would be most welcome.
OXFORD UNITED (H) : I feel that this game, along with the Chesterfield one which i will come to later represents our best opportunity to get 3 points on the board out of our last 6 at home. As Bitchie Renault eluded to in the matchday thread, they were battered at home last night against Rotherham and that more or less ends their play off aspirations so it is 50/50 whether they rock up at Plainmoor there for the taking or whether they come ready to bounce back. I still think we will lose this one however.
DAGENHAM (A) : I also feel that this game represents our best chance of an away win or at the very least a point from our games left on our travels. John Still has left to go to Luton and interim boss Wayne Burnett has taken over team affairs. They lost at home to Chesterfield at the weekend and like us, the new interim boss boost factor hasn't happened for them yet. Again, they are safe but have a caretaker boss maybe eager to prove a point so it will be a tricky game but one in which we should be looking at winning as we haven't a hope in hell of registering another away win this season after this one has gone.
SOUTHEND (A) : Drab defeat, nothing else needs saying.
CHESTERFIELD (H) : The spireites have been really poor this season and prior to the weekend had the joint lowest away scoring record in the division with us. They left us last though thanks to a 1-0 away win at Daggers although the goal was an own goal by a Daggers defender. This game has to be won and we need to go for it. No excuses. Chesterfield can't score away, they are in poor form and have no chance of a play off spot. Get into them and get the job done, 3 points.
YORK (H) : York could have found some winning form under new boss Nigel Worthington although draws have been their problem. I think this could be a draw although we will have to wait and see what impact Worthington has on results leading up to this game.
NORTHAMPTON (A) : Another disappointing powder puff defeat at the hands of a powerful unit in Northampton and nil pois.
BRADFORD (H) : Bradford could be out of the hunt for a play off spot by now or they could still be well and truly in it. Either way, defeat. They have better, quicker, fitter players than us and will be looking forward to their trip to the seaside.
GILLINGHAM (A): Hammering
BARNET (H): A very winnable game and that makes this game for me the most worrying of the lot. We could quite easily lose this one badly as win it so i have everything crossed that we will win it. More hope than expectation though, this can go either way.
MORECAMBE: (A): Could perhaps sneak a draw here but i expect defeat.
BRISTOL ROVERS (H): I pray to God that we are safe by then otherwise i doubt we will be able to function under the pressure. Rovers will be safe, in buoyant mood boosted by a massive away following and i'm frightened of this one basically if we aren't safe.
All in all there are certainly games to get our teeth into and it will be our home games that will get us out of this mess. Looking at those fixtures we can get the 3 or 4 wins needed but only if we begin attacking teams. I know many of you said that the Accrington point was a good one and in terms of it stopping the rot and keeping a clean sheet it was but anyone at that game would know that nothing has changed. They were poor on the day, we had 2 shots. This can't continue to happen, we could draw half our games left and go down, draws aren't enough anymore and we need to get the positivity and confidence that only comes from winning and playing well. I am clinging on to my last bit of hope which i have managed to rekindle after being certain that we will go down.
I'm like Fox Mulder, i want to believe but there is just nothing whatsoever in results or performances that can make this easier for me. Our hope is that we have got 2 teams in Chesterfield and Oxford that have gone, they're shot now and these two teams MUST be beaten. Forget the away games, go mental at Daggers and see if we can force them into errors and maybe nick a win but i know we'll defend at Morecambe, Northampton, Southend and Gillingham and they are just too strong for us given our current levels of form and confidence. We simply must beat Oxford, a draw would perpetuate the concern for at least another week but wouldn't yet be the end of the world whilst defeat (IMO) would definately see us relegated come the end of the season barring some miracle.
The truth is out there and like EMF once said, I BELIEVE ( until possibly 5pm saturday :~D ).
Your thoughts would be most welcome.
