Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

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1964white
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Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

Post by 1964white »

This time last season we were 2nd bottom in the championship & seemed we were in for another torrid season

This morning we are 2nd chasing Cardiff for pole position with our team looking in formidable form

Are you surprised with our lofty position so early on in the 2017/18 season?

Pontus thoughts on the difference this time season under TC “This year we’ve got a lot of options in offence,” Jansson told the Yorkshire Evening Post. “We can change players. Alioski has been one of the best players this season but was on the bench and yet we scored five goals. Wood was a good target (man) but now we have other players with other qualities.

“We work hard in training during the week with Thomas about how we should attack and how we should defend. Much more time is spent on that than last year

“A lot had to go through Pablo last season because he was one of the best players in the league but like me, when I have the ball, I have many more options to find a team-mate. That makes it easier.”

Pontus confirms my suspicions talking about our training methods, hinting the cautious, defensive approach Monk deployed

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Re: Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

Post by NorfolkWhite »

Hands up I was one of the doubters when TC came in, together with some unknown players, not getting Bartley back and to some lesser extent losing Charlie Taylor it looked like there was potential for us going backwards from last season. However all the green shoots we saw last season have been nurtured and blossomed, we have a coach who has meticulously reviewed last seasons short falls and in conjunction with a knowledgeable scouting network recruited players to take us several steps further down our route to the extent that we look like top 2 material rather than just playoffs, have we been the most impressive side this season? If it wasn't for that Wood effort that was wrongly chalked off for offside I think we'd be top without checking the table, 5 clean sheets in 6 and scoring for fun.

Also, not just surprised by our performances on the pitch, which from what I've seen have been the best since our high flying PL days, but also amazed by how the running of the club has been transformed - we've had so many, very deep, lows that you wonder whether it will ever end.....
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Re: Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

Post by gessa »

I am surprised how well we've done so early, a good few new players to bed in, players who are not used to the English game but have adapted magnificently, the biggest bonus is the improved form of Cooper, Roofe, Phillips and Dallas, they obviously are suited the new system of attacking football we are playing,we signed a lot of players over the summer but only 3 of the 10 outfield players are new signings which I think is probably helping too. For the first time in an age I'm not overly worried if a player is injured or needs resting, as I have confidence in the player to come in for them, obviously as long as there's not too many at once.
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Re: Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

Post by 1964white »

I just love perusing the championship table :-D

I was right about Preston, it would seem they null the opposition into submission

Sitting in 11th position Played 6, Scored 2 & conceded 1 goal
Screenshot 2017-09-11 at 10.41.39.png
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Re: Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

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gessa wrote:I am surprised how well we've done so early, a good few new players to bed in, players who are not used to the English game but have adapted magnificently, the biggest bonus is the improved form of Cooper, Roofe, Phillips and Dallas, they obviously are suited the new system of attacking football we are playing,we signed a lot of players over the summer but only 3 of the 10 outfield players are new signings which I think is probably helping too. For the first time in an age I'm not overly worried if a player is injured or needs resting, as I have confidence in the player to come in for them, obviously as long as there's not too many at once.
Great point there, our depth of squad now looks so impressive we should be able to rest players and cope with injuries to keep the squad fresh and intensity up, not to mention competition for places driving players on.
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Re: Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

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gessa wrote:I am surprised how well we've done so early, a good few new players to bed in, players who are not used to the English game but have adapted magnificently, the biggest bonus is the improved form of Cooper, Roofe, Phillips and Dallas, they obviously are suited the new system of attacking football we are playing,we signed a lot of players over the summer but only 3 of the 10 outfield players are new signings which I think is probably helping too. For the first time in an age I'm not overly worried if a player is injured or needs resting, as I have confidence in the player to come in for them, obviously as long as there's not too many at once.
Add O'Kane to those four. They are like new signings mate

Really surprised how quickly Saiz, Alioski & Lasogga have settled in. ER is suppose to be an intimidating place even for new players, they have adapted to their new home like a duck to water
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Re: Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

Post by Cjay »

If they wernt doing much work on how to attack and how to defend last season then what were they doing in training?

This season has been brilliant so far, TC deserves so much credit for everything he has done, in matches and on the training pitch.

Maybe we will be the Championship unbeatables, probably not but who knows, there is not one team in this division i dont think we can beat. That may be arrogance but as a club we been through so much we deserve to be a bit arrogant now.

If we are this good with 16 new players when other managers are still using "well the team needs time to gel" then how good will we be when we are gelled.
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Re: Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

Post by weasel »

I would imagine that last season a lot of the work in training was done on trying to get the ball into certain areas of the pitch quickly and consistently so we would be able to win throw ins deep into the opposition half, corners, free kicks or profit from a defensive mistake. It sounds like the 2 real options last season were to play the long balls into those areas or to play it to Hernandez. As such when Hernandez was off the boil (as happened in quite a lot of away games) we were completely one dimensional. I am sure a lot of opposition managers sussed it out in that stop Hernandez and stop Leeds.

This season, if we can continue how we are playing, teams will have to stop a lot of our players rather than just one. When that happens hopefully TC will have the back up plans that Monk didn't seem to have.
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Re: Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

Post by Norm »

1964white wrote:

Add O'Kane to those four. They are like new signings mate

Really surprised how quickly Saiz, Alioski & Lasogga have settled in. ER is suppose to be an intimidating place even for new players, they have adapted to their new home like a duck to water
The Fortress returns Leon!

Just like when Shankly had that sign put up from the away team dressing room above the exit door "THIS IS ANFIELD".
Maybe we should have "THIS IS ELLAND ROAD" - the KISS principle; if you only affect 1 player of the opposing team, that can snowball. I'm sure weasel could give us more tricks of the trade, having been involved in coaching too. Also liggy's probably got some tricks up his sleeve, assuming he's wearing a shirt when he jumps them back walls in that local race he talked about. :wink:
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Re: Monday Breakfast Debate - This Season Compared to Last So Far !

Post by Norm »

Also, we have sufficient depth not to be afraid of competing fully in the Cups for fear of injuries, etc..
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