What do you think at this stage ?

[blue79]

We are creeping up towards the half way point of the season and to be honest we aere doing better than what I anticipated.

Having said that I felt we would be challenging in the Play-off places rather than in the automatic slots.

In your opinions do you feel we can sustain this form through much of what's left of the course or is there going to be at some point a bad lapse in form?

My guess is that Paul Sturrock is a genius at this level of the game and will make sure not many games are lost and we can get through to League 1 in one of the automatic places.

Over to you.

 

[TrueBlue]

A blip will come I would be very supprised if it did not but its all about building a gap to weather through a bad spell

 

[Hawkwell Blue]

I miss Wiggy and look forward to her return when we lose 1-0 tomorrow.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

I think we have the gods looking down on us and it is 'our year'

Last minute winning goals when we are down to 10 men (Gills)
Players missing penalties (McLeod)
Plenty of sendings off against us
Things generally going our way (ref giving Mohsni's goal on Tuesday)

It just seems to me that we don't always have the best of luck but we seem to be getting the rub of the green this season.

They say you make your own luck tho, so maybe good management skills, a good work ethic and a good team spirit are reaping the rewards.

 

[Smiffy]

That's a good point DWB. We have certainly had the rub of the green this season. I dont want to be a jinx, but when this happens you usually have a good season...

From my point of view, we are exceeding expectations at present. But anything less than a play-off spot will be a complete failure for me.

A bad run is just around the corner. Be that starting tomorrow or in 8 weeks. It will come. It is how we respond to that, which will determine our promotion credentials.

 

[SupaBlues]

Every team has a poor run at some point during the season and as TB said its up to us to build a point advantage over teams below us so we can still be up there challenging when we hit form again. At the moment tho lets enjoy this run while we can. Cant remember the last time I felt this good as a Southend fan.

 

[fbm]

I'm very encouraged that we actually haven't played all that well at times but have still got the results. When we start to actually perform, especially at home, watch out League 2, especially Crawley. We will score 100+ goals this season - that's my prediction.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Other than Crawley I feel we have the best squad in the division, in fact we run them close in terms of depth. Look at our 16 for the Barnet game- no Corr, Sawyer, Prosser, Blair, Coughlan, Morris.
As DWB said we have had a fair bit of luck but then you create luck and penalties by getting men in the box, you draw fouls by being better and cleverer than the opponent.
We have goals all over the park. As I posted the other day, we are being moulded very much like the Plymouth side of 2001-02. Not saying we will get 102 points but I can see us getting 90+.
Tough to beat, physical all over the park,great team spirit, a dash of genuine matchwinning quality with the likes of Hall and Mohsni and a manager who has been there and done it.

The only way is Up!

 

[sufc_tom]

I'm very encouraged that we actually haven't played all that well at times but have still got the results. When we start to actually perform, especially at home, watch out League 2, especially Crawley. We will score 100+ goals this season - that's my prediction.

Just 100 goals? ;)

 

[fbm]

Just 100 goals? ;)

Nope... 100+

 

[Smiffy]

Talking of the Plymouth team from 01/02...

Their first 15 games went like this.

P15, W9, D4, L2, F23, A10, GD+13, PTS 31

Our first 15 games:

P15, W10, D2, L3, F29, A14, GD+15, PTS 32

Quite similar eh?...

:thumbsup:

 

[Tommy2holes]

We certainly dont play the same way we played when we went up under tilly , but we are such a well drilled unit.

The team works hard and can mix it long and short has agression and skill and doesnt rely on the front two to win games and barring up top has decent competition all over so no one is safe , so much so that we have left out the like of harris hall grant and mohsni from certain games and still won at a canter.

Two factors are key for us to get promotion. We must keep hold of hall and sign timlin as both at present are head and shoulders above anything i have seen in this division.

If i have one complaint its that the front two just dont seem to be mobile enough and have been wasteful infront of goal. Against the bigger and better sides chances will be limited and we must score these to gain the promotion that we all crave.

My other gripe is the attendances this season should be better for a league position. A 5500 average is less than the team deserves.

Either way with the way the team is currently playing i cant see us not being top 3 come the end of the season.

 

[Cricko]

What were there final stats for that season Smiffy?

 

[Smiffy]

What were there final stats for that season Smiffy?

P46, W31, D9, L6, F71, A28, GD+43, PTS 102 :stunned:

It's their mean defence that won them the title.

 

[Firestorm]

P45 W31 D 9 L 6 GF 71 GA 28 Pts 102

they only lost twice at home that season, the first two games !!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001–02_Plymouth_Argyle_F.C._season

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Yep they were tough as hell to beat. As we are now. Keeping Phillips fit is key I think.

 

[* ORM *]

Big difference this season is in the fitness of the team and the depth of the squad with goals coming from anywhere. I always look at 3 targets. Avoid relegation, playoffs and promotion (title a bonus). I have to believe we'll make the first of those targets. A tough game tomorrow and November won't be easy. If we are still top 7 coming into December I will start to get excited. As for attendences in comparison to others, especially with 21 pound on the day I think we are doing OK.

 

[Bromley Blue]

At the start of the season, mainly due to the signing of Harris I thought we'd make the playoffs. I could see that we weren't that far away last year as when we had our strongest line up on the pitch we were a match for anyone in the division. I believe League Two is a stronger division than last year though, as a Wycombe supporting mate of mine agreed, and he said he was glad they got up last season. With Crawley and AFC Wimbledon coming up they were always going to do reasonably well and Bristol Rovers and Swindon coming down who you'd expect to challenge.

My main thinking behind why we'd do better this year was Barry Corr having some support with the goalscoring from Harris. As it's turned out Corr's been out all season and Harris has only a couple to his name. We just seem to be scoring goals from everywhere. It's crazy that we've got about 5 players on 5 goals for the season. The thread the other day about who will get to 10 goals first really was an open competition coz to be honest, your guess is as good as mine. Our strikers are working hard for the team but are not our main goal threat as they would be for most teams.

We've exceeded my expectations because we really do look like a well oiled machine at the moment and everyone seems to know their roles so well, be that the starting XI or whoever comes off the bench, or into the side when injuries and suspensions occur.

We will go through a rough spell at some stage but I think we just seem to have quality everywhere and that will shine through and should be enough to get us in the top 3 at the end of the season.

As others have said though, keeping Ryan Hall and getting Timlin in during January is pivotal as those 2 players are a catalyst for everything we do IMO.

 

[DTS]

For me we are solid side without any major superstars (except Hall) and we have a good strength in depth.

I do feel Timlin has made a major difference to the sde and I hope we get him in Jan. I feel Sawyer could do the same job but at the moment you cant look past Timlins class.

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

In 2005/06 on Saturday 29th October we won 3-0 at Bristol City thanks to a birthday hat trick from a certain Mr F Eastwood

That kept us top but after the FA Cup break we lost 3 in a row before drawing a further 4, after this "blip" we'd dropped to 5th but 3 wins on the spin took us back top, a position we only surrendered to the sheepy scum for one week till the end of the season