The Last 6 Fixtures vs Next 6 Fixtures Comparison

[Ghost_Of_1883]

OK, so in Josh's first 6 fixtures we've failed to beat Scarborough, King's Lynn, Blyth and Gloucester, all winnable games and we never really looked close to winning any, which is my biggest worry. Not the fact that we failed to win, but the manner of those failures. We can ignore the Tamworth and Spennymoor results I think, as they are good teams. Regardless, this is an atrocious start whichever way you want to look at it. 0-2-4, 2 points from 18 if you pretend that the Scarborough match was a league match.

But after reflecting on other opinions which I've read today, I'm going to try and suspend my dissatisfaction as well as my belief that we have made the wrong appointment, for this month at least. There's a couple of reasons for that.

The first reason is I want to be wrong. I really honestly want to be wrong. I'm sick of hearing myself saying the same things now. I'm starting to feel like I've got it in for JG and I don't like feeling like that. The consequences of being correct mean much more turmoil, unhappiness and trouble for the club as a whole. And who wants that really? (apart from the usual few)

Let's face facts, despite many fans misgivings about JG, there is no way on earth that the board will remove him after 6 matches, or 7 matches, or 8 matches - and rightly so. No board would do that. It's just not enough time, no matter how much you might personally think right now that the situation will never improve. It would look so, so bad on the club to sack the new manager this early and he would legitimately feel very hard done by, despite the first 6 results and performances.

So that's where we are, like it or not he isn't going anywhere, so really we need to try and develop some faith in him to turn things around going forwards.

The second reason is that if we look at the next 6 fixtures, they are almost like a carbon copy of the first 6 fixtures. So for me this next month gives us an ideal and very fair comparison to the first 6 matches. We have 2 difficult matches in Chester and Chorley, whilst the other 4 is a who's who of potential bottom half finishing clubs. I'm not saying they are easy matches but at the same time we need results in them if we're getting out of the drop zone.

Farsley A
Peterborough A
Chester H
Chorley A
Warrington H
Rushall H

As we have only 2 points from the last 6 match period, 1 win and 5 defeats in the next 6 would give us a better return of 3 points, and would be "an improvement" but that is not good enough looking at the clubs in that fixture list.

For me, we need a minimum of 8 points, which would be 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 defeats. Or 3 wins and 3 defeats giving 9 points. Both scenarios should be realistic if we have any fight about us I think, and would give enough reason to believe we have a chance of getting out of this mess. Beating that points haul would be a huge boost as well.

On the other hand a repeat performance of the first 6 matches and we'd be 12 matches in with 4 points, then we're probably looking at a long enough time frame to conclude it hasn't worked, IMO.

Me personally, I'm backing him for the next very important 6 matches and if we happen to lose the next match I'm going to keep my gob shut and avoid knee jerking because there's still another 5 bites of the cherry. Then review and form another opinion at the end of November but not before.

What's everyone else's expectations for the next 6 matches?

[theoriginalfatcat]

What's everyone else's expectations for the next 6 matches?

Gradual progress from this point on, and let's be honest it shouldn't take much doing, points wise.

There's been some turbulence, too much it seems but now everything needs to settle down, the players need to produce, Josh needs to calm things down and the fans need to stop being grouchy.

[poppyfield]

The voice of reason once again, I'll go along with that , I won't knock him or the team, I will still comment on team selection . I am going to Farsley on Saturday , looking forward to it , I do expect us to win, as regards the next 5 matches I am not sure , however the most important thing for me at the moment is the manner in which we play, we have to have fight right till the final whistle, and a clear pattern of play.

[Darlo_Pete]

The voice of reason once again, I'll go along with that , I won't knock him or the team, I will still comment on team selection . I am going to Farsley on Saturday , looking forward to it , I do expect us to win, as regards the next 5 matches I am not sure , however the most important thing for me at the moment is the manner in which we play, we have to have fight right till the final whistle, and a clear pattern of play.

As before I'm going on Saturday, along with my eldest son. He's flying back from Hong Kong and the first thing he's doing is driving over to Farsley. I'm hoping that with a good following, we are capable of getting a positive result. Really looking forward to the game.

[MB86DFC]

For me the next 2 games are crucial. A minimum of 4 points are needed from these as Chester and Chorley will be very difficult. We currently need to be hitting fractionally over 1.3 points per game from now on the get to 50 points to have a chance of safety. Every game we fail to hit that increases the ppg needed for the rest of the season. If we fail to get anything from the next 2 “easier” games and then fail in the more difficult looking ones we will need a ppg of 1.5 to get to safety. That’s playoff form.

The next 2 games are massive.

[LoidLucan]

"What's everyone else's expectations for the next 6 matches?"

That you'll crack long before the 6 matches are completed

[Spyman]

Step one has to be to stop shipping goals. We did so against Blyth and although we lost to Spennymoor in the following game, we managed to stay "in" the game to an extent.

I think in 6 games time, results aside, Gowling needs to show that he has a clear idea of what the core of the team looks like and to have identified a group of players that he wants to build the season around - they can be loanees or not but there needs to be some semblence of continuity in the squad from now to the end of the season. We can't continue bringing a different set of players in for a month at a time - its acceptable as a stop-gap while he gets his head around the challenge, or to fill a gap here and there, but it can't continue into the second half of the season.

[quaker4life]

I said in a previous post I think the next ten games will shape our destiny this season as a fair few of them are against sides who are in or around the bottom four and the next week will be crucial, if we come away from both both Farsley and Peterborough Sports empty handed then I really hold out no hope of getting anything against Chester or Chorley, unless one or both of them have a seriously off day then Warrington and Rushall will suddenly look like crunch games even at the end of November.

We're winless in nine league games from a run of fixtures which included Bishop's Stortford, Gloucester and King's Lynn, one point from a possible nine out of those three games is an absolutely scandalous return, especially as two of them were at home, it just screams out relegation fodder. Given the circumstances, I think a point and a clean sheet against a Blyth side who have done reasonably well so far under Fenton might have been more acceptable had we got a decent return from the three aforementioned matches. With respect to Blyth, it also irked me when it was described as "morale boosting". If a 0-0 at home to a decimated Blyth side is "morale boosting" then I'd hate see what a kick in the teeth is going to be this season! I also recall John Tempest claiming on social media that the draw against Gloucester was a "decent result" if that's the case then we really are done for.

This is bad as things have been for over a decade, I remember thinking last season this lot won't last five minutes in the National League now we don't even look as though we're good enough for the NLN, I tend to agree with the OP that if we don't see a return of eight or nine points from the next six then we really do look doomed.

[Santino]

I'd love to be proved wrong but I expect more of the same from the next set of fixtures. Nothing I've seen this season suggests that the team have the fight or the quality to suddenly do a 180 and start looking like a competent outfit. This is 2009/10 levels of being woefully out of our depth.

[The_Natural]

Excellent opening post
Not sure how long howling contract is for but assume it’s at least until the end of the season
Given we are still paying Armstrong for royally bending us over it would seem a non starter to have 3 managers on the payroll at the same time

[wizardofos]

The reality is that, I suspect , we are not in a financial position to sack and recruit another Manager.
Therefore the best way to behave is to support what’s in front of us and try to maximise their chance of success.
Regarding the Board, we have a high quality group at the helm who will be learning from this experience. They too need our support.

[loan_star]

Step one has to be to stop shipping goals. We did so against Blyth and although we lost to Spennymoor in the following game, we managed to stay "in" the game to an extent.

We only stayed in the game due to poor finishing and some good keeping.
We could and really should have been 3 down by half time.

[Ghost_Of_1883]

Step one has to be to stop shipping goals. We did so against Blyth and although we lost to Spennymoor in the following game, we managed to stay "in" the game to an extent.

We only stayed in the game due to poor finishing and some good keeping.
We could and really should have been 3 down by half time.

Yes, Spendy could have won 5-1, this after losing 6-0 in the previous match.

Plenty of work for us to do over the next 6 matches then!

[DavidCurriesMullet]

The 6-0 was an aberration - it isn't reflective of the team's performances this season. Scunthorpe got another 6 at the weekend.

[Old Git]

With regard to the 6 league games coming up this month I am hoping for 18 points, and we will be up to mid table at the end of it. Wouldn’t that be nice

[LoidLucan]

Should be fairly straight forward on Saturday as Farsley haven't managed to win at home

[Spratts corner]

That’s jinxed that then
Any team who hasn’t won at home/away
Always do it against us
This has always been the case
Or it certainly seems like it

[theoriginalfatcat]

I remember going to a game at Huddersfield a while back.

The lead up was (by memory) they had won their previous 6, whilst we had lost our previous 6.

We ended up winning and there was a bizarre goal scored by Neil Maddison when the wind caught his high punt upfield. So outlandish that Gary Lineker played a clip of it on that nights MOTD.

[quaker4life]

That’s jinxed that then
Any team who hasn’t won at home/away
Always do it against us
This has always been the case
Or it certainly seems like it

Bath away in 2011 comes to mind, they hadn't won or kept a clean sheet until they played us in October that year and of course they broke their duck and beat us 2-0, I believe our relegation from the National League was confirmed after we threw away 2-0 lead against them in the return fixture at home and we ended up going down together.

I also recall Southport being on a dreadful run of form a couple of seasons ago until, you guessed it, they played us and then surged up the league after they beat us. However Farsley's home record this season is strikingly similar to ours although they've drawn one less and lost one less. Historically, the 6-0 aside, it hasn't been a happy hunting ground for us I believe we've lost five out of our last six visits there dating back to the EvoStik North and overall they do have a decent record against us winning six and drawing two out of the last eleven meetings and losing just three.

Apologies for ripping off DarloFan97 as he is usually the resident statistician, but looking at it collectively it wouldn't necessarily be a case of "typical darlo" if we came up short against Farsley due to them not recording a home win as they have been somewhat of a thorn in our side over the years anyway.

[50 years]

Farsley from memory always keep the grass long which has caught us out a few times when we have tried to play a passing game.

[Old Git]

Farsley from memory always keep the grass long which has caught us out a few times when we have tried to play a passing game.

As well as the grass it has never looked a very flat surface, seems to have little undulations running through it. With Storm Ciaran coming in I wouldn’t be suprised if the playing surface is pretty awful on Saturday.

[Darlopartisan]

I’m going on Saturday, what’s the parking like, is just round the local streets? Been there a few times just can’t remember

[theoriginalfatcat]

I’m going on Saturday, what’s the parking like, is just round the local streets? Been there a few times just can’t remember

I remember lots of available parking in that area.

[quaker4life]

Farsley from memory always keep the grass long which has caught us out a few times when we have tried to play a passing game.

As well as the grass it has never looked a very flat surface, seems to have little undulations running through it. With Storm Ciaran coming in I wouldn’t be suprised if the playing surface is pretty awful on Saturday.

I was just about to say sticking with the theme of grass it looks like it's going to get a good watering over the next couple of days, will have to keep an eye out for a potential pitch inspection as it is forecast to rain for most of Friday and Saturday.

[StevieMardenboro]

Really good opening post. Looking at the fixtures though I can easily see us picking up next to nothing in the next 4 games but hopefully we can find a way to win sooner rather than later. Seems like Burton, Rowe and Lindley all have something about them.

[Darlo_Pete]

I remember going to a game at Huddersfield a while back.

The lead up was (by memory) they had won their previous 6, whilst we had lost our previous 6.

We ended up winning and there was a bizarre goal scored by Neil Maddison when the wind caught his high punt upfield. So outlandish that Gary Lineker played a clip of it on that nights MOTD.

I remember that game at Huddersfield, with Maddison's lob from the half way line!! The Huddersfield Town fan Leeds Town Fan who occasionally posts on here, is always on about that goal. Really looking forward to the game on Saturday and I haven't said that many times this season.

[tdk1]

That was my first away game - still one of my favourites too.

I just say I remember the goal differently though. I think maddison went to shoot on the volley from the edge of the D, and it more or less went directly upwards, then the keeper flapped it into the net.

[tdk1]

Here it is, on the superb old Quaker TV channel on YouTube. Watch from the start, and carry on afterwards to also enjoy Craig liddle's wondergoal away at Bristol rovers

https://youtu.be/9Af1ZcuV2vQ?si=kW8uPSTs0_RCO_Ao

[MikeinBlack2]

In my opinion we need to achieve at lwast a win and a draw from the next two games, followed by hopefully two draws, or at least one, followed by at least a win and a draw. That's at least 9 points. Even then we won't be out of the relegation positions. My truthful expectations are that we will pick up four or five points and be as good as down. Fingers crossed that I am wrong and we can start on Saturday with a win or at least a draw where we play well and score at least two goals.

[MikeinBlack2]

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