A month to shape our season and the Gaffer's future

[Silencer]

We have a huge month (and a day) of football leading up to and including 21st November, dependent on where we are around that time really shapes our busy Xmas period and could define whether there is promise in the league and cups or whether it is really backs against the wall and time for Brown to fall on his sword (the man never would).

Sat 21st October League Home v Bury (21st)

Sat 28th October League Away v Walsall (16th)

Sat 4th November FA Cup Away v Yeovil

Tues 7th November Checkatrade Home v C*lchester

Sat 11th November League Home v Oldham (19th)

Sat 18th November League Away v Portsmouth (11th)

Tues 21st November League Away v MK Dons (14th)


So over the next month we play five league matches of which none of those opponents sit in the top ten of the league table, we must start to collect significant points if we seriously harbour hopes of a flirt with promotion or at least the play offs. A poor return of points from these fixtures could see us hovering around the relegation zone heading into to the busy Xmas period and subsequent halfway point of the campaign.

The FA Cup tie away to a poor side lying 18th in the division below must surely be seen as an opportunity to progress and not a fear of losing yet another cup match under Brown's leadership. We need a cup run for a feel good factor, to boost the finances and also help with the confidence in and around the squad. Brown would draw up budgets with the Chairman in the summer and would pinpoint a third round berth as a minimum. His cup record is nothing short of being atrocious and Yeovil away has to be progress.

The Checkatrade match is pretty much a winner takes all affair which means progression to the business end of the competition. A competition that like it or not has given us fans some of the greatest memories in our clubs history, a chance of a run and Wembley is always a dream. On top of that, regardless of what the competition is, we are playing against our main rivals - we have to win at all costs against them.

So over to you Mr Brown, hopefully we get cup progress and I would hope at least 9/10 pts, but if not - it must be time to go.

What do people think is a minimum ask from that run of fixtures?

 

[meerkat54]

Sounds a fair review !

 

[Uncle Leo]

I think the FA Cup is particularly important this year. A win and we've got a second round draw to look forward to and a feeling that Brown may at last be taking cup competitions seriously. We may even dare dream of being in the hat for the 3rd round!

Lose and that's yet another defeat to a lower division club and more gloom and doom ahead of the Oldham game - which really should be winnable.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Fair play to you Silencer! When I read the thread title I thought it would be the opening of another Brown Out! (with no alternative) tirade AND what you have posted is far from that.
November is very important indeed, we need a FA Cup success and we need to progress in the Check-a-trade; financially and for morale.
The league is, IMO, at best, an edge of play off season.
Finally PB is going no where come what may.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

We never lose in November

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

We never lose in November

We've been dumped out of the FA Cup in November the last three seasons.

 

[Blueronron]

We've been dumped out of the FA Cup in November the last three seasons.

Oh you have to pick holes YB :winking::winking::smile:

 

[onceknownasrab]

One promotion and continually improved league positions. That's the chorus from the PB supporters. In reality, I am guessing, those improved positions were less than the targets set or expected by RM. That means, whichever way you wrap it up, he has come up short. Still he is in the job. On past form, the sack for PB, will be a long time coming. Strange how so many fans are so sure of his abilities. If he were that good then I am sure oodles of other clubs must have been begging him to manage them...No? He spent a long time in the wilderness, hugging his P45, before getting a job with us and I expect he will cling on to this role for dear life so as not to have to go back to the jobcentre.

 

[Silencer]

We never lose in November

Please let that continue :smile:

Beating Col Ewe and also Progressing in the FA Cup are huge for me.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Please let that continue :smile:

Beating Col Ewe and also Progressing in the FA Cup are huge for me.

Dont care about the first one tbh, league and FA Cup are way above checka**** trophy

 

[OldBlueLady]

#NoloseNovember it's the key to everything this season

 

[Silencer]

Dont care about the first one tbh, league and FA Cup are way above checka**** trophy

Normally I would agree, but it is C*lchester and still a game against our biggest rivals.

If we win it's bragging rights still in our hands, if we lose then we can dismiss the competition as two bob :winking:

 

[David Icke]

I want us out of both cups at the first hurdles. The cup matches no longer appeal to me much. The league is what it's all about and getting into the championship. The cup matches are just more potential for an already battered squad to pick up
more injuries. I shall want Col U and Yeovil to beat us so we can fully concentrate on the league! Ron dosent need any cup money - the mighty bouffant turned down £700,000 for Lenny not to long ago.

 

[IloveShrimp]

Won't be seeing you at Wembley if we get there then David?

 

[Jai]

3rd round of the cup at the very least. Let's face it, we're unlikely to get promoted this season so would be nice to enjoy a cup run.

 

[Silencer]

I want us out of both cups at the first hurdles. The cup matches no longer appeal to me much. The league is what it's all about and getting into the championship. The cup matches are just more potential for an already battered squad to pick up
more injuries. I shall want Col U and Yeovil to beat us so we can fully concentrate on the league! Ron dosent need any cup money - the mighty bouffant turned down £700,000 for Lenny not to long ago.

Whilst I respect your opinion and we are all entitled to our thoughts, for me your views are everything that is wrong with modern football and the thought process of some fans and especially clubs nowadays.

For lesser clubs (in fact anyone outside of Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool) the FA Cup and to a slightly lesser extent League Cup should provide so many opportunities. If a smaller club has a decent run and subsequent bumper fixture they get exposure locally and even nationally, huge financial rewards and confidence of success. I hate the way resting players or not wanting cup matches is banded about. They are professional athletes and besides, if we were out of the cups, the squad will only play a behind doors fixture anyway.

When you smile and reminisce of some of the greatest experiences and memories in this clubs history, many of them are cup experiences be it Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham etc etc That's without days out at the Millenium Stadium, Wembley and visits to Italy in the lesser competitions.

I am not sure what an annual income is for a club like ours but I would expect a big home time would generate something as crazy as 20%-30% of our annual income.

For me I am all for the cups, be it any competition

As for the C*lchester comment :nope:

 

[Amwell Blue]

Whilst I respect your opinion and we are all entitled to our thoughts, for me your views are everything that is wrong with modern football and the thought process of some fans and especially clubs nowadays.

For lesser clubs (in fact anyone outside of Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool) the FA Cup and to a slightly lesser extent League Cup should provide so many opportunities. If a smaller club has a decent run and subsequent bumper fixture they get exposure locally and even nationally, huge financial rewards and confidence of success. I hate the way resting players or not wanting cup matches is banded about. They are professional athletes and besides, if we were out of the cups, the squad will only play a behind doors fixture anyway.

When you smile and reminisce of some of the greatest experiences and memories in this clubs history, many of them are cup experiences be it Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham etc etc That's without days out at the Millenium Stadium, Wembley and visits to Italy in the lesser competitions.

I am not sure what an annual income is for a club like ours but I would expect a big home time would generate something as crazy as 20%-30% of our annual income.

For me I am all for the cups, be it any competition

As for the C*lchester comment :nope:

I agree look at Cambridge the other season they got so much money from a cup run they could afford to fix their toilets and lure BBBC from us. :smile:

 

[David Icke]

Won't be seeing you at Wembley if we get there then David?

Definitely not. I have limited funds so would spend the money on a league game away trip. I'll only be going to Wembley to see us in this years playoff final, not a cup that gets us nowhere except more injuries and miles in the legs.

 

[Ricky Otto]

Definitely not. I have limited funds so would spend the money on a league game away trip. I'll only be going to Wembley to see us in this years playoff final, not a cup that gets us nowhere except more injuries and miles in the legs.

You wouldn't go to the FA cup final!?

 

[onceknownasrab]

You wouldn't go to the FA cup final!?

Blues fans will only ever attend the FA cup final as a neutral. :sad: