On-going progress..

[ozzjim]

How do we think we are doing then?


What would you like to see from the next 5 games? I love chunking the season into 5 games at a time, and the threads last season were great at watching our progress so this is the start of that...


I was surprised to see that after 4 games last season we had 4 points, and had just been battered 4-1 at Southampton. Having played West Ham, Everton, Newcastle, Swansea and Southampton we had 1 win. This season we are 2 points better off, having had a significantly tougher opening 5 games. We then lost 2 and drew 2 of the next 4, going into the 10th game with Sunderland on just 6 points, and having only played Spurs from the top 5 the previous season. Having already played Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, and with City and Spurs in the next few where will we be?

I would be happy with 12 points and accepting of 10 after the next 5 I have to say. 3 are at home, against City, Spurs and Everton, all 3 in very good form, with Hull and West ham away. I think it is almost as tough as our opening 5 to be honest, especially with how much we struggle at home.

[Toronto Villa]

I think it's important we don't get ahead of ourselves in terms of development. We have chosen not to go down the road of bringing in very high priced players that might accelerate that progress, but also heighten expectation, often unfairly. We have players that are growing together, but unlike last season we started from a much better position. It has shown despite the defeats this season that we are better equipped to compete this season. We'll still get a good beating at times, but I don't think the after affects will be sustained as long as they were last season. It's such a shame that Okore got injured because it will slow down our progress, although it has been encouraging to see Clark not seem overawed in the games he's in to as replacement.

Like everyone, still concerned with the home form, but if we can figure out a way to play at home then it will be a massive boost to our intention this season. Away from home, we can beat anyone on our day. I wouldn't change much about what we do there. Quietly confident that we are very much moving in the right direction and encouraged by the development of the club and of certain players that have come on leaps and bounds.

[themossman]

The team has carried on the progress from the end of last season, which is good. Very hard to call a trend though based on these games. One great (and unexpected) result, two valiant losses, one stinker, one uncharacteristic narrow win/clean sheet. And loads of injuries.

The worrying stuff is the similarities with last season - crazy substitutions when behind, benteke reliance, defensive crapness. I think we're in for another rocky year with a fair few peaks and troughs.

[sirlordbaltimore]

I'm not sure there is any on going progress, is there ?

From week to week we look either great or shit or somewhere in between the two. Pretty much as we've always been. There's certainly no consistency or a level of performance we rarely dip below to call it progress in my mind

[eastie]

How do we think we are doing then?


What would you like to see from the next 5 games? I love chunking the season into 5 games at a time, and the threads last season were great at watching our progress so this is the start of that...


I was surprised to see that after 4 games last season we had 4 points, and had just been battered 4-1 at Southampton. Having played West Ham, Everton, Newcastle, Swansea and Southampton we had 1 win. This season we are 2 points better off, having had a significantly tougher opening 5 games. We then lost 2 and drew 2 of the next 4, going into the 10th game with Sunderland on just 6 points, and having only played Spurs from the top 5 the previous season. Having already played Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, and with City and Spurs in the next few where will we be?

I would be happy with 12 points and accepting of 10 after the next 5 I have to say. 3 are at home, against City, Spurs and Everton, all 3 in very good form, with Hull and West ham away. I think it is almost as tough as our opening 5 to be honest, especially with how much we struggle at home.

Happy with 12 and accepting of 10? I would be delighted with 10 points from the next 5 games - it would be very good indeed!

[ozzjim]

How do we think we are doing then?


What would you like to see from the next 5 games? I love chunking the season into 5 games at a time, and the threads last season were great at watching our progress so this is the start of that...


I was surprised to see that after 4 games last season we had 4 points, and had just been battered 4-1 at Southampton. Having played West Ham, Everton, Newcastle, Swansea and Southampton we had 1 win. This season we are 2 points better off, having had a significantly tougher opening 5 games. We then lost 2 and drew 2 of the next 4, going into the 10th game with Sunderland on just 6 points, and having only played Spurs from the top 5 the previous season. Having already played Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, and with City and Spurs in the next few where will we be?

I would be happy with 12 points and accepting of 10 after the next 5 I have to say. 3 are at home, against City, Spurs and Everton, all 3 in very good form, with Hull and West ham away. I think it is almost as tough as our opening 5 to be honest, especially with how much we struggle at home.

Happy with 12 and accepting of 10? I would be delighted with 10 points from the next 5 games - it would be very good indeed!

I clearly meant in total after those games Mr West.

[rob_bridge]

Comparing the 5 games v same opposition last season would have us on 3 points and with a minus 11 goal difference.

Therefore we look as if we have made progress.

We need to up the ante at home mind and playing the better teams may be a help because they will come to play.

[django]

I think we're doing ok. As I said on another thread, the difference last season between where we finished and eight place was only a couple of wins. If we are to finish mid table this season it will resemble last season pretty much. The actual difference between West Broms good season and our bad season was a couple of results, but the perception is that there was a massive difference.

What we could do with is not being down near the bottom for too long, so that we can shed our image as perennial strugglers. The way that we have started and the way points are currently distributed suggests we should be alright on that score. I reckon so far we look like the mid-table we should reasonably expect to be.

[Richie]

The home form is a major concern for me.

I'm struggling to see where a win is going to come from the Man City, Spurs and Everton matches.

It's a good job our away record is so good at the moment.

[PaulWinch again]

It's a tough balancing act, but we have a basis for a squad now and not many who need to be shipped out. We need to start using transfer windows in future to add real quality.

[darren woolley]

I would like to see us improve our home form but I'm fairly happy with how it as gone so far we've had some very tough games so far but I expect us to push on and get better the players have had a season together and the new ones seem to be settling in so I think what we are doing will come good.

[jeowje]

Have to say i would be pretty disappointed with four points from any five premier league matches- especially with three home games. I think the home form will come, can see us getting a win, loss and a draw from the three plus a win and a loss away.

Progress? Three points and a pride-restoring display at Chelsea up on last seasons correspoding fixtures. Overall, slightly disappointed, personally allowed myself to get over-optimistic pre season, have been dealt one or two doses of reality already.

[KevinGage]

Should be about small targets for us.  Our next win (providing we don't draw between now and then) would take us to 9 points. 20 points by the end of December is halfway to 40. 

If Benteke is out for any length of time at all, that will hurt us significantly.  Okore already looks to be a big loss.   So under the circumstances, I'd be absolutely delighted to get to the end of December on 20-25 points. 

[sirlordbaltimore]

Our next win (providing we don't draw between now and then) would take us to 9 points. 20 points by the end of December is halfway to 40. 

Bleedin' nora, the club really have done a grand job in lowering your expectations!

[eastie]

Sorry ozz , thought you were talking about how many from the next 5 games , i would expect 4 from hull and west ham away and maybe 4 at best from the 3 home games giving us 14 in total after 10 games which would have seen us play 5 of the 6 teams expected to be up at the top.