Some of the abuse Bowyer getting last night and the new board who've been here 5 minutes...just imagine where we'd be now if Bowyer had walked and ESI never arrived.
ESI have done zero to warrant anyone's praise at this point.
Just out of interest, what could any new owner have done to warrant praise (Not that I think they're getting overly praised anyway) at this point in their ownership and this point of the season?
I can’t see that much done that merits praise.
Question was, what could they have done
They've not helped themselves by fibbing being disingenuous about the exact nature of their ownership (or lack thereof) of the Club on arrival.
They may have read page 1 of the history book sufficiently well to call themselves East Street Investments but 1985 to 1992 seems to have eluded them as they would otherwise understand and appreciate the wariness and scepticism of some of us.
Tweeting doesn't 'cut it' to use an awful modern phrase. Substance above form please.
Some of the abuse Bowyer getting last night and the new board who've been here 5 minutes...just imagine where we'd be now if Bowyer had walked and ESI never arrived.
ESI have done zero to warrant anyone's praise at this point.
Just out of interest, what could any new owner have done to warrant praise (Not that I think they're getting overly praised anyway) at this point in their ownership and this point of the season?
I can’t see that much done that merits praise.
Question was, what could they have done
Read my post it gives hints. Selective quoting is beneath you surely.
It weren't meant to be selective, I was referencing that one point you made. I'm fully aware that they haven't done a lot to merit praise, but I also can't see what they could have done at this point either.
I have faith in him and his management team, and if we go down then we go down, it gives us a chance to gut the team, rebuild, and then win L1!
The chances of us having a side in league one that is equal quality to the side that went up last season is exceptionally low and we only just scraped out of the division.
I would admire your optimism, but this is a negative thread!
I have faith in him and his management team, and if we go down then we go down, it gives us a chance to gut the team, rebuild, and then win L1!
The chances of us having a side in league one that is equal quality to the side that went up last season is exceptionally low and we only just scraped out of the division.
I would admire your optimism, but this is a negative thread!
Yeah bollocks to it then, Bowyer out. You're right.
Some of the abuse Bowyer getting last night and the new board who've been here 5 minutes...just imagine where we'd be now if Bowyer had walked and ESI never arrived.
ESI have done zero to warrant anyone's praise at this point.
Just out of interest, what could any new owner have done to warrant praise (Not that I think they're getting overly praised anyway) at this point in their ownership and this point of the season?
I can’t see that much done that merits praise.
Question was, what could they have done
They've not helped themselves by fibbing being disingenuous about the exact nature of their ownership (or lack thereof) of the Club on arrival.
They may have read page 1 of the history book sufficiently well to call themselves East Street Investments but 1985 to 1992 seems to have eluded them as they would otherwise understand and appreciate the wariness and scepticism of some of us.
Tweeting doesn't 'cut it' to use an awful modern phrase. Substance above form please.
I don't think it was them who was being disingenuous, but MS not being fully aware of what was going on and being put on the spot. Instead of just saying that he didn't know, I think he assumed and got it completely wrong.
I have faith in him and his management team, and if we go down then we go down, it gives us a chance to gut the team, rebuild, and then win L1!
The chances of us having a side in league one that is equal quality to the side that went up last season is exceptionally low and we only just scraped out of the division.
I would admire your optimism, but this is a negative thread!
Yeah bollocks to it then, Bowyer out. You're right.
Some of the abuse Bowyer getting last night and the new board who've been here 5 minutes...just imagine where we'd be now if Bowyer had walked and ESI never arrived.
ESI have done zero to warrant anyone's praise at this point.
Just out of interest, what could any new owner have done to warrant praise (Not that I think they're getting overly praised anyway) at this point in their ownership and this point of the season?
I can’t see that much done that merits praise.
Question was, what could they have done
They've not helped themselves by fibbing being disingenuous about the exact nature of their ownership (or lack thereof) of the Club on arrival.
They may have read page 1 of the history book sufficiently well to call themselves East Street Investments but 1985 to 1992 seems to have eluded them as they would otherwise understand and appreciate the wariness and scepticism of some of us.
Tweeting doesn't 'cut it' to use an awful modern phrase. Substance above form please.
I don't think it was them who was being disingenuous, but MS not being fully aware of what was going on and being put on the spot. Instead of just saying that he didn't know, I think he assumed and got it completely wrong.
I think the chairman should probably know this stuff.
I'd rather the case was he was telling a half-truth instead of being completely oblivious to who owns the assets of the club he is now chairman of.
People here are still talking as if a transfer window is as easy as assembling the cash, then logging on to Amazon and buying three footballers. Again, if it is so bloody easy, why did no other Championship club, at either end of the table, with settled ownership and management, splash the cash? Come on you geniuses, explain it. I'm not going to go as far as asking whom you'd have signed, and for how much, as that's always a silly game.
But I can give you an example of why none did. Look back a year at what Sunderland did. They lost Maja, and surely knew in advance that was going to happen (unlike us and Gallagher). So how did they deal with that?
They lashed out £4m on Will Grigg.
And now they've discovered that he's a busted flush who only League 2 clubs are interested in, and that nobody now feels like cleaning up their financial shit by buying the club.
That's the January window for you, when you panic.
Some of the abuse Bowyer getting last night and the new board who've been here 5 minutes...just imagine where we'd be now if Bowyer had walked and ESI never arrived.
ESI have done zero to warrant anyone's praise at this point.
Just out of interest, what could any new owner have done to warrant praise (Not that I think they're getting overly praised anyway) at this point in their ownership and this point of the season?
I can’t see that much done that merits praise.
Question was, what could they have done
They've not helped themselves by fibbing being disingenuous about the exact nature of their ownership (or lack thereof) of the Club on arrival.
They may have read page 1 of the history book sufficiently well to call themselves East Street Investments but 1985 to 1992 seems to have eluded them as they would otherwise understand and appreciate the wariness and scepticism of some of us.
Tweeting doesn't 'cut it' to use an awful modern phrase. Substance above form please.
I don't think it was them who was being disingenuous, but MS not being fully aware of what was going on and being put on the spot. Instead of just saying that he didn't know, I think he assumed and got it completely wrong.
I think the chairman should probably know this stuff.
I'd rather the case was he was telling a half-truth instead of being completely oblivious to who owns the assets of the club he is now chairman of.
Just don't think that MS is part of HE's close circle just yet. Reckon someone can be given the title of CEO or Chairman, but have different remits to work to and different levels of responsibility.
People here are still talking as if a transfer window is as easy as assembling the cash, then logging on to Amazon and buying three footballers. Again, if it is so bloody easy, why did no other Championship club, at either end of the table, with settled ownership and management, splash the cash? Come on you geniuses, explain it. I'm not going to go as far as asking whom you'd have signed, and for how much, as that's always a silly game.
But I can give you an example of why none did. Look back a year at what Sunderland did. They lost Maja, and surely knew in advance that was going to happen (unlike us and Gallagher). So how did they deal with that?
They lashed out £4m on Will Grigg.
And now they've discovered that he's a busted flush who only League 2 clubs are interested in, and that nobody now feels like cleaning up their financial shit by buying the club.
That's the January window for you, when you panic.
of course it isn't easy. But how many other Clubs had new owners who specifically said they got the deal done for the Club so that they could sort out the squad in the window, mentioned marquee signings, tweeted constantly about doing deals & bought a new Super Deal phone especially for the occasion only to bring in a few loans of a quality not sufficient for what we required. They set themselves up for a fall and we are now on the precipice.
People here are still talking as if a transfer window is as easy as assembling the cash, then logging on to Amazon and buying three footballers. Again, if it is so bloody easy, why did no other Championship club, at either end of the table, with settled ownership and management, splash the cash? Come on you geniuses, explain it. I'm not going to go as far as asking whom you'd have signed, and for how much, as that's always a silly game.
But I can give you an example of why none did. Look back a year at what Sunderland did. They lost Maja, and surely knew in advance that was going to happen (unlike us and Gallagher). So how did they deal with that?
They lashed out £4m on Will Grigg.
And now they've discovered that he's a busted flush who only League 2 clubs are interested in, and that nobody now feels like cleaning up their financial shit by buying the club.
That's the January window for you, when you panic.
I look at Huddersfield though
Signed Toffolo and Stearman on permanents, Smith-Rowe, Lossl, Chris Willock and Andy King on loan. 5 of those started on Tuesday and will probably face us on Saturday
I was thinking of offering our Therapy dogs after a Charlton defeat, but to be honest I dont think they could cope with the levels of stress involved so we’ll have to step away from this one.
People here are still talking as if a transfer window is as easy as assembling the cash, then logging on to Amazon and buying three footballers. Again, if it is so bloody easy, why did no other Championship club, at either end of the table, with settled ownership and management, splash the cash? Come on you geniuses, explain it. I'm not going to go as far as asking whom you'd have signed, and for how much, as that's always a silly game.
But I can give you an example of why none did. Look back a year at what Sunderland did. They lost Maja, and surely knew in advance that was going to happen (unlike us and Gallagher). So how did they deal with that?
They lashed out £4m on Will Grigg.
And now they've discovered that he's a busted flush who only League 2 clubs are interested in, and that nobody now feels like cleaning up their financial shit by buying the club.
That's the January window for you, when you panic.
I look at Huddersfield though
Signed Toffolo and Stearman on permanents, Smith-Rowe, Lossl, Chris Willock and Andy King on loan. 5 of those started on Tuesday and will probably face us on Saturday
They are probably satisfied. They will have been assisted by:
- £40m in parachute payments bolstering their budget - a FAPL level backroom staff to ensure transfers can get pushed through (whereas we basically had Southall and Gallen) - no change in ownership happening same time as the window opened.
Summer dealings weren’t brilliant but have at least given us a squad of experience rather than untested youngsters. As frustrating as it was not to make one or two big money signings I understand why that was the case. We were clearly wanting Maddison and that would have appeased those who wanted to see big bucks brandished about. However, please look at his impact on Hull. If we had thrown money around left, right and centre then what would have happened in this summer’s window - we would have a reputation for paying over the odds and get stung for it. In my opinion this squad is more than capable of keeping us up.
On to Bowyer. I agree last night was frustrating and I was wanting changes to formation and set up. I’m not sure why McGeady isn’t involved, hopefully it isn’t an attitude problem. When I get it in a state of annoyance and frustration at Bowyer then I try to remember the following:
He has spent his life involved in football at the highest level. He sees the players every day pretty much in training and around the club He has shown he can mould a decent side and improve players He has a support network of scores of people working for him He will have a clear plan of where we are and where he thinks we need to be
None of these things apply to me, hence why I am a fan and a supporter, not a manager. He is in a far better place to make the decisions he does, bewildering as some may seem. That applies to every manager of every club.
He is also inexperienced and is trying to find the right way to go. Wigan are on a great run under Paul Cook, a very experienced manager. Us, Luton, Barnsley, Hull, Boro, have inexperienced managers who will feel the pressure and make mistakes. Huddersfield have a manager with slightly more experience but worked with a team towards the top of the league. Stoke have a manager with a wealth of experience and he hasn’t been able to have the impact they hoped he would. Would I swap Bowyer for any of them? Nope.
So, I have to trust him and believe in him. He isn’t a great manager after a win and an awful manager after a defeat. It’s not a case of being beyond criticism because a I think he got it wrong last night but that doesn’t mean what I thought should happen was correct. I think he set out for a draw and we will see a different approach on Saturday and will play more like we did against Forest. It is my belief that we can win every home game we have left (yes, even that one). This is a crazy league and as I think Luton are definitely going down, it is two from nine.
A bumpy ride is ahead, not just for us but for teams who, three months ago, were well clear of danger. We can beat any team in this league and also lose to any team in this league. Bowyer will ultimately succeed or not based on the rest of the season. Hopefully, come summer we are building a squad that will have a real chance of competing at the top end of the table next season. I think we will be.
People here are still talking as if a transfer window is as easy as assembling the cash, then logging on to Amazon and buying three footballers. Again, if it is so bloody easy, why did no other Championship club, at either end of the table, with settled ownership and management, splash the cash? Come on you geniuses, explain it. I'm not going to go as far as asking whom you'd have signed, and for how much, as that's always a silly game.
But I can give you an example of why none did. Look back a year at what Sunderland did. They lost Maja, and surely knew in advance that was going to happen (unlike us and Gallagher). So how did they deal with that?
They lashed out £4m on Will Grigg.
And now they've discovered that he's a busted flush who only League 2 clubs are interested in, and that nobody now feels like cleaning up their financial shit by buying the club.
That's the January window for you, when you panic.
I look at Huddersfield though
Signed Toffolo and Stearman on permanents, Smith-Rowe, Lossl, Chris Willock and Andy King on loan. 5 of those started on Tuesday and will probably face us on Saturday
They are probably satisfied. They will have been assisted by:
- £40m in parachute payments bolstering their budget - a FAPL level backroom staff to ensure transfers can get pushed through (whereas we basically had Southall and Gallen) - no change in ownership happening same time as the window opened.
Don't deal in fact, just feelings.
We also suffer from not starting deals in previous windows which you can go back to either go for again or have a relationship with the player and his agent, again a legacy of the previous short-termism
Some of the abuse Bowyer getting last night and the new board who've been here 5 minutes...just imagine where we'd be now if Bowyer had walked and ESI never arrived.
ESI have done zero to warrant anyone's praise at this point.
Just out of interest, what could any new owner have done to warrant praise (Not that I think they're getting overly praised anyway) at this point in their ownership and this point of the season?
I was going against the idea that we would somehow be worse if ESI hadn't arrived.
There is a happy medium between spending next to nothing and signincg Neymar. They could have been somewhere in there. I know Matt Southall liked to tell us how hard it is, but Matt Southall says a lot of things. It might be harder than summer, but it is far from impossible. Especially if you have money.
The thing is, if ESI hadn't arrived, would we still have Taylor? I struggle to believe that given the choice between pocketing a January transfer fee or keeping Lyle on in order to give us the best chance of staying up, that Roland would have resisted the lure of instant cash. So yeah, I think it's highly likely we would be worse if ESI hadn't arrived. That said, for me the jury is still out on ESI - until the ownership of the ground is sorted out and we see what happens with the squad over the summer I don't think we can really say whether it's onwards and upwards or out of the frying pan into the fire.
Not Bowyer out brigade by any means but the tactics/timewasting was way way too negative last night. Got what we deserved in my opinion.
This and worryingly it seems to happen more and more. Every time he seems to learn from his mistakes only to go back to making them again. I'm sure this is all part of a learning process in his career but he does need to stop making them.
Some of the abuse Bowyer getting last night and the new board who've been here 5 minutes...just imagine where we'd be now if Bowyer had walked and ESI never arrived.
ESI have done zero to warrant anyone's praise at this point.
Just out of interest, what could any new owner have done to warrant praise (Not that I think they're getting overly praised anyway) at this point in their ownership and this point of the season?
I was going against the idea that we would somehow be worse if ESI hadn't arrived.
There is a happy medium between spending next to nothing and signincg Neymar. They could have been somewhere in there. I know Matt Southall liked to tell us how hard it is, but Matt Southall says a lot of things. It might be harder than summer, but it is far from impossible. Especially if you have money.
The thing is, if ESI hadn't arrived, would we still have Taylor? I struggle to believe that given the choice between pocketing a January transfer fee or keeping Lyle on in order to give us the best chance of staying up, that Roland would have resisted the lure of instant cash. So yeah, I think it's highly likely we would be worse if ESI hadn't arrived. That said, for me the jury is still out on ESI - until the ownership of the ground is sorted out and we see what happens with the squad over the summer I don't think we can really say whether it's onwards and upwards or out of the frying pan into the fire.
But then he didn't sell Bauer last season and didn't sell Taylor in August when there were significant bids for him, so it's not as if he automatically takes any cash offer. Especially as the club is basically break even this season
Personally I think he would have been aware that selling Taylor in January would drastically increase the chance of relegation, which would then reduce the chance of getting the price he wanted.
Talk about an over-reaction! I get worried when normally sensible talk such rubbish, it can become an epidemic. 6 points from 6 games is better than ok. The whole club (including fans) getting behind Bowyer has undoubtably helped the team in the last year. Let's keep positive (and by the way you can defend positively, being positive doesn't mean attacking) COYR
6 points from 6 games would extrapolate to 46 points over this season , it won’t be enough to keep you up
Talk about an over-reaction! I get worried when normally sensible talk such rubbish, it can become an epidemic. 6 points from 6 games is better than ok. The whole club (including fans) getting behind Bowyer has undoubtably helped the team in the last year. Let's keep positive (and by the way you can defend positively, being positive doesn't mean attacking) COYR
Talk about an over-reaction! I get worried when normally sensible talk such rubbish, it can become an epidemic. 6 points from 6 games is better than ok. The whole club (including fans) getting behind Bowyer has undoubtably helped the team in the last year. Let's keep positive (and by the way you can defend positively, being positive doesn't mean attacking) COYR
6 points from 6 games would extrapolate to 46 points over this season , it won’t be enough to keep you up
Talk about an over-reaction! I get worried when normally sensible talk such rubbish, it can become an epidemic. 6 points from 6 games is better than ok. The whole club (including fans) getting behind Bowyer has undoubtably helped the team in the last year. Let's keep positive (and by the way you can defend positively, being positive doesn't mean attacking) COYR
Sorry typo we have 9 points from last 6 games (before last night) or 9 from 7 if you include last night, which would equate to 59 points if you wanted to look at it like that, which I wasn't.
My theory with Bowyer was that when he got the job, he wasn't really looking to be a manager and as we were at such a low point, he was under zero pressure. He was competing at a lower level of course, but he tried to win every game. I was praising him for this at the time and this gave him a real edge over other managers.
I think since then things have changed. For one thing Bowyer wants to be a manager now and cares about his image. I have seen him make substitutions, not what I think for us, but to show the world his lack of options. I have seen him play a reduced bench, not because he can't put a youngster on it for some experience, but he wants to tell the world how difficult his job is. That is my take on it. The injuries were not his fault and there is nothing he could do but I think he still wanted everybody to know it. He now cares too much.
Now we have got players back. But I think Bowyer is too scared of losing and we just don't have a team that can sit back defensively. He is scared because he now feels he has something to lose! But if you are a defensive team and you want it to work, you have to break quickly with numbers and be reliable with your passes at the back and clearances. Now on the whole we can do this sometimes, but we can also fall over at the worst possible time, scuff clearances and fail to pick people up. When we do attack, we don't get players forwards quickly so the player gets outnumbered and gets suffocated of the ball. These things means this approach doesn't suit us.
When that is blindingly obvious, it is hard not to get angry with Bowyer. I don't want him out, but I dont want to see us play away like we did against Sheffield and Stoke. It isn't the defeat, but it is tactics that are just not going to get us the points we need to get. Nobody will convince me Sheffield were there for the taking the other night and the fact we didn't try to take them is bloody criminal. And we only lost a point - big deal - we should be going for three points like Barnsley, Wigan and Luton are. When we had a free kick in their half deep into the game - we had a great opportunity to put the wind up them, but we were only interested in playing out a goaless draw because our mindset was so negative.
Can’t see where any negativity gets us. We are where we are - let’s just get on with it. Get behind the team. In this league anyone can beat anyone - we are a great example of this. Beat or draw with the top 5 or 6 and have poor results against lower ranked sides.
My theory with Bowyer was that when he got the job, he wasn't really looking to be a manager and as we were at such a low point, he was under zero pressure. He was competing at a lower level of course, but he tried to win every game. I was praising him for this at the time and this gave him a real edge over other managers.
I think since then things have changed. For one thing Bowyer wants to be a manager now and cares about his image. I have seen him make substitutions, not what I think for us, but to show the world his lack of options. I have seen him play a reduced bench, not because he can't put a youngster on it for some experience, but he wants to tell the world how difficult his job is. That is my take on it. The injuries were not his fault and there is nothing he could do but I think he still wanted everybody to know it. He now cares too much.
Now we have got players back. But I think Bowyer is too scared of losing and we just don't have a team that can sit back defensively. He is scared because he now feels he has something to lose! But if you are a defensive team and you want it to work, you have to break quickly with numbers and be reliable with your passes at the back and clearances. Now on the whole we can do this sometimes, but we can also fall over at the worst possible time, scuff clearances and fail to pick people up. When we do attack, we don't get players forwards quickly so the player gets outnumbered and gets suffocated of the ball. These things means this approach doesn't suit us.
When that is blindingly obvious, it is hard not to get angry with Bowyer. I don't want him out, but I dont want to see us play away like we did against Sheffield and Stoke. It isn't the defeat, but it is tactics that are just not going to get us the points we need to get. Nobody will convince me Sheffield were there for the taking the other night and the fact we didn't try to take them is bloody criminal. And we only lost a point - big deal - we should be going for three points like Barnsley, Wigan and Luton are. When we had a free kick in their half deep into the game - we had a great opportunity to put the wind up them, but we were only interested in playing out a goaless draw because our mindset was so negative.
Comments
They may have read page 1 of the history book sufficiently well to call themselves East Street Investments but 1985 to 1992 seems to have eluded them as they would otherwise understand and appreciate the wariness and scepticism of some of us.
Tweeting doesn't 'cut it' to use an awful modern phrase. Substance above form please.
I would admire your optimism, but this is a negative thread!
I'd rather the case was he was telling a half-truth instead of being completely oblivious to who owns the assets of the club he is now chairman of.
But I can give you an example of why none did. Look back a year at what Sunderland did. They lost Maja, and surely knew in advance that was going to happen (unlike us and Gallagher). So how did they deal with that?
They lashed out £4m on Will Grigg.
And now they've discovered that he's a busted flush who only League 2 clubs are interested in, and that nobody now feels like cleaning up their financial shit by buying the club.
That's the January window for you, when you panic.
Signed Toffolo and Stearman on permanents, Smith-Rowe, Lossl, Chris Willock and Andy King on loan. 5 of those started on Tuesday and will probably face us on Saturday
- £40m in parachute payments bolstering their budget
- a FAPL level backroom staff to ensure transfers can get pushed through (whereas we basically had Southall and Gallen)
- no change in ownership happening same time as the window opened.
He has spent his life involved in football at the highest level.
He sees the players every day pretty much in training and around the club
He has shown he can mould a decent side and improve players
He has a support network of scores of people working for him
He will have a clear plan of where we are and where he thinks we need to be
None of these things apply to me, hence why I am a fan and a supporter, not a manager. He is in a far better place to make the decisions he does, bewildering as some may seem. That applies to every manager of every club.
He is also inexperienced and is trying to find the right way to go. Wigan are on a great run under Paul Cook, a very experienced manager. Us, Luton, Barnsley, Hull, Boro, have inexperienced managers who will feel the pressure and make mistakes. Huddersfield have a manager with slightly more experience but worked with a team towards the top of the league. Stoke have a manager with a wealth of experience and he hasn’t been able to have the impact they hoped he would. Would I swap Bowyer for any of them? Nope.
So, I have to trust him and believe in him. He isn’t a great manager after a win and an awful manager after a defeat. It’s not a case of being beyond criticism because a I think he got it wrong last night but that doesn’t mean what I thought should happen was correct. I think he set out for a draw and we will see a different approach on Saturday and will play more like we did against Forest. It is my belief that we can win every home game we have left (yes, even that one). This is a crazy league and as I think Luton are definitely going down, it is two from nine.
We also suffer from not starting deals in previous windows which you can go back to either go for again or have a relationship with the player and his agent, again a legacy of the previous short-termism
I'm gonna start/continue the positivity bandwagon. We are lucky to have these guys.
Mendonca In Asdas said:
Personally I think he would have been aware that selling Taylor in January would drastically increase the chance of relegation, which would then reduce the chance of getting the price he wanted.
If you talk about the 6 before, then it's 10 from 6.
I think since then things have changed. For one thing Bowyer wants to be a manager now and cares about his image. I have seen him make substitutions, not what I think for us, but to show the world his lack of options. I have seen him play a reduced bench, not because he can't put a youngster on it for some experience, but he wants to tell the world how difficult his job is. That is my take on it. The injuries were not his fault and there is nothing he could do but I think he still wanted everybody to know it. He now cares too much.
Now we have got players back. But I think Bowyer is too scared of losing and we just don't have a team that can sit back defensively. He is scared because he now feels he has something to lose! But if you are a defensive team and you want it to work, you have to break quickly with numbers and be reliable with your passes at the back and clearances. Now on the whole we can do this sometimes, but we can also fall over at the worst possible time, scuff clearances and fail to pick people up. When we do attack, we don't get players forwards quickly so the player gets outnumbered and gets suffocated of the ball. These things means this approach doesn't suit us.
When that is blindingly obvious, it is hard not to get angry with Bowyer. I don't want him out, but I dont want to see us play away like we did against Sheffield and Stoke. It isn't the defeat, but it is tactics that are just not going to get us the points we need to get. Nobody will convince me Sheffield were there for the taking the other night and the fact we didn't try to take them is bloody criminal. And we only lost a point - big deal - we should be going for three points like Barnsley, Wigan and Luton are. When we had a free kick in their half deep into the game - we had a great opportunity to put the wind up them, but we were only interested in playing out a goaless draw because our mindset was so negative.
Beat or draw with the top 5 or 6 and have poor results against lower ranked sides.