Match Thread Coventry City - Stoke City Match Thread - Saturday 11th Nov (3 Viewers)

[pusbccfc]

Nah. You feel we should be shitting ourselves at a bunch of league fixtures.

We've picked up 1 point in 5 games and sit 5th from bottom though.

 

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[Otis]

Glad you're glass half full.

A draw at home against a Stoke side who didn't fancy it today, after 4 losses worries me.

I'll get slated like everyone who is perceived negative on here but after the international break, our next two months looks like this:

Millwall (a)
Plymouth at (h)
Ipswich (a)
Birmingham (h)
Southampton (h)
Leeds (a)
Sunderland (a)
Wednesday (h)
Swansea (h)
Middlesbrough (a)
Leicester (h)

That's probably the most difficult run of games we've had on paper since 2001. Even the winnable games against Birmingham, Swansea, Wednesday and Plymouth are eggshells. Sides we've either struggled against previously or teams who will fight for their lives. Birmingham will be well up for it after last season's mockery too.

There were a couple of positives today, but there were also positives in the previous 4 and we've picked up 1 point.

Trouble is, football doesn't always work like that. Form comes and goes and we can't simply say that because Leeds are on a great run now, they will still be on a great run when we play them.

They have 5 games to play before they meet us. Same with Sunderland.

Teams.can have great runs and then stumble and lose form for a few games. We can't predict the future.

To me, that run doesn't look that bad. We could easily win 5 of those games. Not saying we will. Just making a point.

It's a funny old game as they say.

I mean, look at Spurs in the Premier. They were unbeaten and really flying and now have suddenly just lost two in a row.

We could lose against Sheff Weds and beat Leicester. Who knows.

Those games may look tough right now, but we have no idea how the form of those teams will pan out over the next few matches.

Let's take it one game at a time.

 

[hamertime]

It’s hard to make out what’s going on at the minute, 25k there today supporting throughout so whatever is happening on the pitch at the minute I suppose isn’t the most important thing. The fans are back so let’s just see what this seasons brings. There will be some highs at some point im sure. Pusb

 

[COVKIDSNEVERQUIT]

This place is becoming so boring. Always fucking crying sad bastards

#covcity4life is always right

 

[Blind-Faith]

We've had a better xG than xGA in 13 of the matches we've had, that's 1 more than Leicester. Keep the faith imo.

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And where are we in the table? And where are Leicester? This xG thing is absolute statistical fucking nonsense

 

[Boicey]

It will boil down to who can score goals in this team.
Defenders and midfield will score very few, Allen seems very little threat atm, COH struggles to score and Sakamoto very rarely.
Our set pieces provide little threat.
So that that leaves Wright, Simms and Godden largely on their own. How many will they score each from now onwards???!

 

[fernandopartridge]

And where are we in the table? And where are Leicester? This xG thing is absolute statistical fucking nonsense

Well it clearly isn't is it by the fact that both Leicester and Ipswich have the better xG in 12 of their games. Suggests that it is usually a reasonable indicator of likelihood to win games.

Teams below us in the table games with a better xG than xGA:

Rotherham 2
Huddersfield 4
QPR 3
Sheff Wed 2



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[robbiekeane]

We're actually tragic

No creative spark

On the rare occasion a chance comes we cant finish it

Everyones getting a semi we kept a clean sheet v Stoke. Come on lads face it, we fucked the window completely, Robins hasnt got a clue how to get a tune out of any of them and i really think we are in the shit unless we find the next Gus and Vik in January by sheer luck

Textbook for you - left a massive caveat in there so that when we go out and sign an actual Hamer replacement which we all know we didn’t get done, you can refer back to this as it’s “sheer luck”

pathetic

 

[OldBedrocker]

It really wasn't some good play and a few good chances we have gone whole games in recent seasons without a single chance. You have a really short memory.

We wouldn’t have scored if we were still playing now.
You are really easily pleased

 

[OldBedrocker]

When we were playing 8 defensive players a week we created very little

The corner count in those games would say different

 

[OldBedrocker]

We created plenty of chances and should have won the game and we never looked like conceding a goal

Agree defensively but unfortunately we never looked like scoring one either

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

The corner count in those games would say different

From Bristol up to half time at PNE we scored 1 conceded 7.

 

[calibrase6]

Just got back, thought we looked decent. Impressed by the back 4, everyone looked more comfortable in the 433. Collins kicking is far better than Wilson's, didn't have much to do so can't judge him yet.

Still an obvious Hamer shaped hole in the team. A pivot to spring attacks.

Haji is frustrating. He'd do the hard bit. Holding up or wriggling away from a defender then cock up the easy bit. I reckon he'll come good just a hard watch at the moment.

Simms looks like more positive breaking from the wing. He'd thrive if we had someone capable of springing balls through to him.

I think we will be fine if we get a couple of energetic ball playing midfielders in in Jan.

We will be fine once we have Allen and Ohare fully fit. Today was a big day and hugely encouraging.

 

[shmmeee]

Agree defensively but unfortunately we never looked like scoring one either

Not sure about that. More clear cut chances today than the last few games.

 

[Saddlebrains]

Allen is

 

[OldBedrocker]

Not sure about that. More clear cut chances today than the last few games.

Yet their keeper had one save to make straight at him

 

[Frankly_Mr_Shankly]

We've had a better xG than xGA in 13 of the matches we've had, that's 1 more than Leicester. Keep the faith imo.

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X shite

 

[Adge]

Fair play to Robins today-got the team selection right. We looked much more solid-Bidwell coming back in done all the things Da-Silva hasn’t and put in the best cross of the season-first half when Sims headed against the post.
Eccles also had a good game-shame he got it all wrong at the crucial moment when he neither shot or tried to find Wright.
The main thing today was that it was nil-after us shipping goals for fun recently.
Like somebody else said it could be the beginning of the end for Fadz unfortunately if this is the way forward.

 

[BlueSkiesForever]

I know we’ve been hearing it for a while now but I genuinely think we’ve turned a corner by moving away from 5 at the back and going with 4-3-3. It’s a bold move from Robins but I think it needed to be done. Although we didn’t score it felt like almost every player was involved and had a decent game.

It seemed like we got all of our strikers involved in the game more (obvs they’re still yet to look decent) and I think the more we do that the easier it’ll get for us. The next run of fixtures looks tricky but I think we’ll start putting a few wins together, could be wrong of course but today just felt like a positive turning point, both mentally and physically.

 

[Esoterica]

I thought it was much much better today and looked like a good platform to build on. I don't want to sound disrespectful to Fadz or the passing of his mother but I wonder if this will be another one of Robin's 'lucky' moments. The injury to Jodi Jones in 2017, the switch to 5 at the back against Fleetwood at half time in 2019. After his dabble last week, I guess we'll never know if he would have gone to 4 at the back today if Fadz was available.

 

[shmmeee]

Yet their keeper had one save to make straight at him

Well yeah, but about four of them if it had been on target it would have been in so…

 

[shmmeee]

I know we’ve been hearing it for a while now but I genuinely think we’ve turned a corner by moving away from 5 at the back and going with 4-3-3. It’s a bold move from Robins but I think it needed to be done. Although we didn’t score it felt like almost every player was involved and had a decent game.

It seemed like we got all of our strikers involved in the game more (obvs they’re still yet to look decent) and I think the more we do that the easier it’ll get for us. The next run of fixtures looks tricky but I think we’ll start putting a few wins together, could be wrong of course but today just felt like a positive turning point, both mentally and physically.

I, too, think we were right all along.

 

[Covkid1968#]

Generally happy about today… think we are poised to go on a decent run now. Bidwell is the man… keepers distribution look quick and positive. Lati was confident…Covkid did well. Yep… we have turned a corner people.

 

[mmttww]

We're actually tragic

 

[skyblue025]

It was a poor game quality wise from 2 poor teams. 2 shots apiece on target in the game sums it up. Subs made us worse. Thomas and Kitching both look better players in a back 4.

 

[Nuskyblue]

Today was an improvement. We looked as solid as we did at any point last season and carried a goal threat of sorts... I really think we did enough to warrant a goal at least. It was basically a version of what we did last year minus the star dust of Gyokeres and Hamer.

Overall I am a fan of the change in formation but for it to work I think we need at least one off O'Hare or Sakamoto playing in the front three. Someone needs to provide the bullets to the forwards.

Another positive is Collins, he looked assured tho that could be due to the performance of the back four. I thought Thomas and Kitching were particularly good. Defended on the front foot, didn't give their forwards a chance by and large to impose themselves.

All in all OK, room for improvement but nothing to wank over.

 

[usskyblue]

In summary; better defensively but the same old shit going forward. Robins saying that we’ll hammer someone smacks of a manager running out of excuses. The hard reality is; we’re not sharp or incisive enough in the final third.

 

[skyblue_55]

It might have been just our group , but did anyone else have more confidence in the goalkeeper, than in previous games .
collins needed to come in & we thought a
big plus towards a more solid display … if not fantastic

 

[fernandopartridge]

In summary; better defensively but the same old shit going forward. Robins saying that we’ll hammer someone smacks of a manager running out of excuses. The hard reality is; we’re not sharp or incisive enough in the final third.

The stats like it or not back up what he's saying. We create better chances than we did last season. We just don't have two players that were capable of scoring some very difficult chances.

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[Boicey]

The stats like it or not back up what he's saying. We create better chances than we did last season. We just don't have two players that were capable of scoring some very difficult chances.

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How are we going to 'hammer someone' when even you acknowledge we havent got any decent finishers?
So he is likely wrong.

The real plus is hopefully he will now stop chopping and changing the defence and we can have a stable platform there.

 

[fernandopartridge]

How are we going to 'hammer someone' when even you acknowledge we havent got any decent finishers?
So he is likely wrong.

The real plus is hopefully he will now stop chopping and changing the defence and we can have a stable platform there.

All 3 strikers have shown at points that they can finish though haven't they

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[skyblu3sk]

We wouldn’t have scored if we were still playing now.
You are really easily pleased

My biggest worry this season was tightening up at the back we looked much more settled last game. Even if we end up with a fairly low scoring season we have a better chance of good results. We have a lot of players who on their day have a great shot. We are just waiting on that day.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

My biggest worry this season was tightening up at the back we looked much more settled last game. Even if we end up with a fairly low scoring season we have a better chance of good results. We have a lot of players who on their day have a great shot. We are just waiting on that day.

In years gone by people might say it’s the centre back who you don’t want it to fall to on the edge of the box. On recent evidence you’d have to say it’s Sheaf

 

[Great_Expectations]

Yesterday was a significant improvement with a number of positive takeaways.

The glaring negative was that we missed too many good chances and really should have won.

But if you aren’t coming away from that with some level of positivity and feeling our form might be about to change your probably best not to go again.

 

[Grendel]

But if you aren’t coming away from that with some level of positivity and feeling our form might be about to change your probably best not to go again.

What a bizarre thing to say