The Last 11 Matches

[G.T.P]

im very sane and i said it over a hundred times.

[Loftladder]

Sorry I'm slightly puzzled by your definition of form.

Leeds are currently 2nd but they sat in 4th before we played them. But over the previous 6 matches they had accumulated the most points and therefore were the form team in the division.

Also when we played the first 10 matches those clubs were in different league positions than they are now. Before we played Ipswich they were 3rd in the division after beating them they slipped to 5th before climbing up to 2nd when they beat Cardiff but now sit 17th.

You are saying that because they are 17th now that somehow they were an easier game than say Leeds because Leeds are 2nd although when we actually played both clubs Ipswich were actually higher in the division then when we played Leeds.

Form is about the recent successes/failures of those sides. We might sit on top of the division but in terms of form we aren't the number 1 side - Leeds are.

Short term form in football is notoriously erratic.

Luck, refereeing decisions, random moments of magic and madness can all have a decisive effect on results. Runs of results can be good or bad despite teams playing much the same as usual. That's football.

We have had one really poor performance in the last eight, against Watford, hard to explain though the gap between matches, interrupted preparation running up to the game, being on TV, and Watford coming with a good plan may all have had an effect. We played well in the first half at Leeds and there is probably nothing much wrong with our "form" looking behind the results. Jittery fans are one thing but I bet the team and manager are quietly confident.

Frankly in the first ten games the defence led a charmed life and we benefitted from a sequence of favourable penalty decisions, for (given) and against (not given). Results flattered us, and time has shown that we were playing the weaker teams anyway.

In the last eleven games we have played most of the better teams so a positive record 3w 6d 2l is nowhere near as bad as is being painted. You can interprete it as the table now more accurately reflecting of the ability of our squad than it did before. In which case top, three points clear, game in hand on most, is a very handy position. As Warnock has intimated, without being foolhardy enough to say it, things should get much easier after the Burnley and Coventry games.

A confidence bolstering win against Swansea is all the team needs, and Swansea have already lost seven matches so one of the best teams in the division, us, should have a good chance of making it eight.

[Frode]

Hypothetical scenario:

Preston lose their opening 20 matches but will their next 10 matches and sit bottom of the division with 30 points from 30 matches with us next to play. Following this match we have to play the team in 2nd who've had just lost their last couple of matches and have not won in 5 which team is the form team?

If my understanding of Loftladder's definition of form is correct then the team in 2nd is the harder team. However I disagree with this and believe that form is about the results and performances of a teams last few matches versus another team with exactly the same thing. If QPR were to play a team who had just won 10 in a row wouldn't this be a harder match than if we had to play a team who had not won in 5 matches?

I agree, but as I said we met teams like Pompey, Forest, Swansea and Leeds away who were all in good form regardless of league position. We also had though home games against Burnley and Cardiff at home. Point is that we had an "easier" first 10 games then the last 10

[MYU]

good read sirpie

Have to agree and all he's posts are the same, good info and keeps our brain ticking.