Dips in form

Leicester Bee

Leicester Bee

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Dips in form

I have had a quick look at some historical data.

Under Steve Coppell, we went through a spell of losing 5 league games in a row around Christmas and January!

Under Martin Allen, we went through worse runs that we are currently seeing, that actually cost us promotion. I think in the first full season under him, our last 15 games of the season consisted of 3 wins, 7 drawns and 5 losses!!!

Yet I don't ever seem to remember such a level of pessimism that I am currently picking up. Under Coppell, we had as good a team as I can ever remember and in fact, we went through a run of only winning 3 games in 12 from November to the start of February.

There's no doubt that we are going through a dip in form and results, but there's nothing to suggest that we can't get ourselves back on track and finish the season well. I think that we, as fans, are panicking way too much. Possibly more so than ever before. If Uwe and the team were on a run where we had only won 3 games since November, I am 100% certain that there would be a number of fans demanding that he goes. But I don't remember fans calling for Coppell's head at any stage?

We have won 1 from the last 7 league games and lost 2. I doubt that Uwe and the team will find that acceptable themselves. We have every chance of getting back on track though, and I hope that we, as fans, will get behind the team. Not one fan can honestly say that automatic promotion was nailed on at the start of the season and that play-offs would be our level of expectation. We are where we are, with an opportunity to put that poor run behind us and start winning again.
Incidentally, in recent weeks, I don't see Tranmere, Doncaster, Swindon or Sheff Utd exactly tear this division apart. McDons seem to have totally fallen away, so only Bournemouth appear to be genuinely in form.
Let's not start panicking and letting that vibe filter through to the team. The booing today was completely and utterly uncalled for. We are supporters aren't we? I thought that meant getting behind the lads when they need it, and I don't just mean solely for the Chelsea games. We need numbers at league games, supporting the lads. They need to know that us fans, the very fabric of the club, are firmly behind them in the club's effort to get promoted this season. We should all (players and fans alike) demonstrate our belief. The one thing that I will never forget from an ex-Brentford manager, is PMA and we need that right now. Sod the criticisms of the Dubai trip, sod the fact that the FA Cup is a bit of a distraction, sod the poor run we've been on. Let's all show some belief, support, encouragement, and PMA because I think that we've done pretty damn well so far and we cannot allow our season to go to pot.
 

Dips in form

Yes, it's been a poor few weeks. Perhaps we've had a little less luck than before, combined with several sloppy defensive mistakes. But, it's a marathon, not a sprint. At the start of the season most reasonable Bees were hoping/expecting a progression from last time i.e. Play Offs or better. After 30 odd games & only 5 defeats, we have been consistently better than most and matching those pre-season expectations. Yes, we haven't won in the league since Boxing Day, but last season would've seen some of the recent draws be defeats. I'm sure the wins will come as & when the pitches get better & our football starts to flow again.

To quote another ex-Manager "Keep the Faith".
 

Dips in form

Yep...the nature of our good run prior to Christmas has meant that this dip seems worse than it really is. What we could really do with is keeping a few clean sheets in our league games and grinding out a few wins, gain confidence from there and build on it. But I think a loaning signing or 2 to bolster our squad and add competition for places might do wonders...that's if the right type of players are available.

But PMA, beelieve and let's start to Bee lucky again...starting on Tuesday.

The team need all the support they can get from the first whistle to the last. And please, please let's stop focusing so much on what the other teams in our league are doing. All we can do is try and pick up as many points as poss from now until May and hope it's enough to at least make the play-offs.

Up The Bees! :hat:
 

Dips in form

I have never gone away from a game so annoyed,not with the team but with the fans.
How can anyone Boo the team at the end of a hard fought 2-2 game against a team that the week before had beaten Doncaster 2-0 and gave us a game,we were not beaten and i believe the team gave 100% and think some fans need to get real.
We didn't get beaten and played fairly well so please would those fans that booed think next time before opening their mouths.
We are not really "Barcelona of the lower leagues" but a team that gives 100% and sometimes will not be able to reach the heights in games we would all like,but as long as they play to their best we must get behind them and booing after a 2-2 draw at home will not help the team.
 

Dips in form

I understand what you're saying LB, but where did this dip in form take us?

Both times it cost us automatic promotion didn't it? Both times, we finished in the play offs.

We've all been here before, so i think thats why the fans get upset. You think its your year, then the same thing happens all over again.

The most Charlton went all of last year without a win was 3 games, the year before that Brighton went at most 5 games without a win, but then near the end of the season picked up 11/12 wins.

Like I said, this all seems very familar :cry:

hope im wrong, but we really need 3 points Tuesday. I dont want any players rested, the league is more important. I'd rather put out the dev squad against Chelsea if it meant 3 points Tuesday.
 

Dips in form

Leicester Bee said:
I have had a quick look at some historical data.

Under Steve Coppell, we went through a spell of losing 5 league games in a row around Christmas and January!

Under Martin Allen, we went through worse runs that we are currently seeing, that actually cost us promotion. I think in the first full season under him, our last 15 games of the season consisted of 3 wins, 7 drawns and 5 losses!!!

Yet I don't ever seem to remember such a level of pessimism that I am currently picking up. Under Coppell, we had as good a team as I can ever remember and in fact, we went through a run of only winning 3 games in 12 from November to the start of February.

There's no doubt that we are going through a dip in form and results, but there's nothing to suggest that we can't get ourselves back on track and finish the season well. I think that we, as fans, are panicking way too much. Possibly more so than ever before. If Uwe and the team were on a run where we had only won 3 games since November, I am 100% certain that there would be a number of fans demanding that he goes. But I don't remember fans calling for Coppell's head at any stage?

We have won 1 from the last 7 league games and lost 2. I doubt that Uwe and the team will find that acceptable themselves. We have every chance of getting back on track though, and I hope that we, as fans, will get behind the team. Not one fan can honestly say that automatic promotion was nailed on at the start of the season and that play-offs would be our level of expectation. We are where we are, with an opportunity to put that poor run behind us and start winning again.
Incidentally, in recent weeks, I don't see Tranmere, Doncaster, Swindon or Sheff Utd exactly tear this division apart. McDons seem to have totally fallen away, so only Bournemouth appear to be genuinely in form.
Let's not start panicking and letting that vibe filter through to the team. The booing today was completely and utterly uncalled for. We are supporters aren't we? I thought that meant getting behind the lads when they need it, and I don't just mean solely for the Chelsea games. We need numbers at league games, supporting the lads. They need to know that us fans, the very fabric of the club, are firmly behind them in the club's effort to get promoted this season. We should all (players and fans alike) demonstrate our belief. The one thing that I will never forget from an ex-Brentford manager, is PMA and we need that right now. Sod the criticisms of the Dubai trip, sod the fact that the FA Cup is a bit of a distraction, sod the poor run we've been on. Let's all show some belief, support, encouragement, and PMA because I think that we've done pretty damn well so far and we cannot allow our season to go to pot.
Click to expand...

Excellent post. I think the pessimism is based on a 'de ja vu' feeling based on what happened under Coppell, Allen etc, which I don't think is fair.

There is also the feeling that:

1. This is a poor division and we are throwing away our best chance in years

2. If we don't go up we'll lose all our promising youn players

Again, not sure if either of the above reflect reality. Forrester probably would go but whatever way you look at it, he is only one player.

Didn't go to Yeovil or home to Orient so can't comment on those games but what I liked about yesterday was that despite the fact we didn't play we'll, we stuck to our passing principles and I didn't come away from the game thinking I'm going to stop going, like I and many others did in the latter days under Scott
 

Dips in form

Every team has a poor run at some stage in the season....all thats happened is the momentum/luck/gods have turned against us slightly which leads to a loss of confidence , the things that seemed easy and natural a few weeks ago become difficult and the whole team looks fragile. Just look at what happened after Harry scored yesterday...we backed off 10 yards and suddenly Bury looked dangerous and we never looked like winning the game....it becomes a cycle and you just need something to break it . If you believe that the players who did so well for us before are still quality players they will come good again...its Uwes job to get inside their heads as much as anything else , shuffle the pack slightly and they will click back into gear. Suddenly those 25 yarders (Yeovil , Orient twice) will start to sail over the bar again and teams like Bury won't finish the only 2 chances they had (albeit from our mistakes) with premiership quality....results elswhere are still going in our favour but once we start winning again you can bet all the others will as well and then its a race to the line where hopefully our quality will come through again....we are still in the thick of it and will remain so.
 

Dips in form

Great post from that man from Leicester. If people think yesterday warranted a Boo then they need to have a good think back to the Leroy, Butcher, Fitzgerald, Quinn days.

Booing aint gonna get us promotion but supporters creating a wall of noise in support of our team (like against Chelsea will certainly help).
 

Dips in form

seanrs said:
Excellent post. I think the pessimism is based on a 'de ja vu' feeling based on what happened under Coppell, Allen etc, which I don't think is fair.

There is also the feeling that:

1. This is a poor division and we are throwing away our best chance in years

2. If we don't go up we'll lose all our promising youn players

Again, not sure if either of the above reflect reality. Forrester probably would go but whatever way you look at it, he is only one player.

Didn't go to Yeovil or home to Orient so can't comment on those games but what I liked about yesterday was that despite the fact we didn't play we'll, we stuck to our passing principles and I didn't come away from the game thinking I'm going to stop going, like I and many others did in the latter days under Scott
Click to expand...

That's a great post. I didnt boo - never have done - never will. Whistle went - I got up n left feeling delflated as yet again teams above us slip up n yet we don't take advantage plus - albeit individual mistakes from the likes of Logan n sloppy passes from Harry etc in the main we deserved a win. They didnt go out there to draw - but its just our sort of luck things never go right! Upto Christmas we were on fire-biggest game at home in terms of crowd to look forward to gets postponed on the day and since then our league form has dipped! However - like everyone else is beating everyone else - doesnt matter where they are in the league or what league they are in! We needed 2 attempts to beat League 2 oppo to get through in the cup and then hold the Champions of Europe! Football is frustrating and complex at times - this year with how we can play - we deserve promotion - whether we get it - is a different thing.
 

Dips in form

I just think the key is getting that second goal and a bit of breathing space
 

Dips in form

North London Bee said:
I just think the key is getting that second goal and a bit of breathing space
Click to expand...

Spot on. I posted mid way through the Orient game that we need some 'boring' 2-0 wins. A bit like Exeter at home last season all be it with the goals coming earlier in the game
 

Dips in form

Putting the result to one side, it was not a bad game to watch, also worth turning up just to see Forshaw, best Bees player since Herman ? (excluding loans Rhodes, Szczesny).
 

Dips in form

The Stevenage game getting called off was probably the worst thing to happen to us. We were on a fantastic run and playing some entertaining football to go with it. I just think that game being called off messed with our momentum a little bit. We havent really hit those heights since in the league. I'm sure we can get that form back, Uwe needs to shake the team a little bit.

For one, Forshaw needs to be in the middle and then I would play Logan on the right (Hodson in at right back) and push Donaldson up front
 

Dips in form

To Bee Someone said:
The Stevenage game getting called off was probably the worst thing to happen to us. We were on a fantastic run and playing some entertaining football to go with it. I just think that game being called off messed with our momentum a little bit. We havent really hit those heights since in the league. I'm sure we can get that form back, Uwe needs to shake the team a little bit.

For one, Forshaw needs to be in the middle and then I would play Logan on the right (Hodson in at right back) and push Donaldson up front
Click to expand...

But our first 10 minutes at Colchester looked like an arrogant and classy team had arrived on the scene, we murdered them and it looked like a 6-0 was on the cards, then we started fluffing easy chances, 10 men attacked us and we went all wobbly. I don't get it and i doubt the manager does either, it's a dip that is becoming a near quarter of the season dip and that doesn't bode well!
 

Dips in form

I think it is the distraction of the cups that is causing the blip - as said earlier, a cup run whilst providing some much needed revenue (and I personally think the Chelsea replay was the best financial outcome for us - but that's a debatable point), it proves a stumbling block for the league games that happen thick and fast such as the Christmas period. Especially when we have a relatively small squad with only a core of above average players - it is not achievable for that core to play 100% every few days when there is a match on.
 

Dips in form

dont know why people fear the play offs so much, just because we havent done well previously under completely different managers and with different players (apart from king kev of course). new brentford will win the playoffs at the first attempt :sorted:

we are 2 or 3 full signings away from being an automatic promotion team (if you take loanees as 'bonus' players), i'll settle for a shot at the play offs this season and if we do fail in them i expect us to push on and have a go at the top 2 spots next season with some new blood. i have no doubts that we will hang on to our best players in the summer, forrester may leave but forshaw, moore etc i expect to stay. who is to say the division will be any stronger next season then it is now? i dont actually think its that weak to be honest, i'd say its very even in that any team can beat any other at any time, even a lot of the teams in the lower half try to play football on the ground rather then the kick and rush of old.

all of us, players, managers, coaches and fans, need to show some bottle for the rest of the run in. there will be the odd disappointment here and there, we need to keep getting behind the lads on the pitch, they need to give us reasons to cheer and not drop their heads/hide when things dont go to plan. we are 5 points off top with 16 games to go, we can still do this :sorted:
 

Dips in form

I feel one or two new faces in should give us the spark that's needed.
 

Dips in form

Every club has a bad run.We are having one at the mo and so are others.Sheffield United,Tranmere and Donny are all dropping points against teams they are expected to beat.

Swindon,Bournemouth and Yeovil are on good runs at the mo and have crept into the top 6.We have a lot of football to play yet so need to panic.Uwe needs to focus the squad to the task in hand.

Do we blame the FA Cup ???? It has distracted the supporters more I reckon as that's been our priority lately because we all want to go there next week.Sure some of our younger players are getting excited and why not.Not every week they get to go to Stamford Bridge to play the top team in London.

It's up to Uwe to focus our squad for the League games and to keep their feet on the ground.Its what he is paid to do.
 
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