Succesful teams and poor play

[Southcoastffc]

I'm happy.  Brighton have played poorly in lots of games this year but have done well.  We've done the opposite for much of the season so today's shambles will do me.   049:gif 049:gif

[The Old Count]

Very happy.  First time In ages we've won ugly.

COYW

[filham]

So pleased to be in the top six but if we are going to be there after the next six games we are going to have to play better than we have in the last three.

[Fulham 442]

Three points is three points.  A scrappy goal but who cares?

[NogoodBoyo]

It's official.  The Beeb have just updated their table!
Nogood "what took them so long, isit" Boyo

[hovewhite]

And a clean sheet.coyw

[Lighthouse]

Look at all the top teams. Newcastle only a 2-1 home win against struggling Wigan. Brighton a narrow home win against Blackburn, Huddesfield lose at home to a last minute Burton goal. There are no easy games. A poor performance but a win against a team who were really already down, had only managed a point in 9 odd games. As has been said. A win is a win.  Now can we stay here? With a great GD, would we like to catch Reading or will we just continue poor form and drop out?

It is nice to be here at last. We would have all taken this at the start of the season. Many more nervy matches ahead.

Now after Barnsley late equaliser and our struggle today. I need a lie down.

[davew]

Look at all the top teams. Newcastle only a 2-1 home win against struggling Wigan. Brighton a narrow home win against Blackburn, Huddesfield lose at home to a last minute Burton goal. There are no easy games. A poor performance but a win against a team who were really already down, had only managed a point in 9 odd games. As has been said. A win is a win.  Now can we stay here? With a great GD, would we like to catch Reading or will we just continue poor form and drop out?

It is nice to be here at last. We would have all taken this at the start of the season. Many more nervy matches ahead.

Now after Barnsley late equaliser and our struggle today. I need a lie down.

Really, what about cheering Leeds (against Reading), I will be!!

[filham]

Well done Burton, Cauley and LVC seem to be doing well there.

[RaySmith]

I think that was very determined defensive display, when we've often looked so vulnerable in that area.
We had few chances but crucially  took one.

That was tough to listen to - really thought Rotherham would score - but very relived at the end, as I bet the team and Slav are.

Well done lads.

[WokinghamWhite]

Yes it was a scrappy game and it felt like they could score right until the final whistle. For long chunks it felt like we were playing with 10 men. Then Martin missing at point blank range and I realised why. Still we won and we're in the playoff places. Criticism can wait until Monday.

[nose]

Love three points away but in the last few games we have been poor except v newcastle
Our home form is recently lamentable, two points from thre games.
I know it is good to get wins with poor performances but playing well usually is the precursor to success.... to many recent games when we have been very poor.
Still a long way to go yet.

[Artful Dodger]

A win is a win and today we were poor and Rotherham had as many if not more decent chances than we did. I would have liked to see us try and get the second goal and kill the game but we seemed to just be content to pass it sideways until we lost it and then they would lump it in to our box. It was nervy but it is sometimes nice to win when playing badly!

[NogoodBoyo]

Few seem to mention the effect nerves have once you get into a position of contention.
I remember a friend of mine who was close to the club back in the eighties telling me how incredibly nervous MacDonald was in that vital run-in when we really should have won the division.  Forget the hideous Derby game, we should have had promotion wrapped up long before, but the word was that MacDonald was so on edge that his nervousness transmitted to the players many of whom were very young.
That's why the recent stunning  win against Newcastle may be viewed as perhaps too much of a good thing this early.  I was quite happy playing well most games but just staying on the shoulder of the leading pack.  Now we're in everybody's sights and the expectations are high.
Even though we are more solid than we have been for years, it just seems hard to maintain the fluidity of our game when tension understandably creeps in.
Nogood "but all the teams at the top are feeling it, see" Boyo

[NogoodBoyo]

On the subject of MacDonald the First, I forgot to mention that he had a history of bottling under pressure games.  He was poor in the FA Cup Finals in which he appeared and more often than not he failed to score in an England shirt against strong opposition yet could happily tuck away 5 (or was it 6) goals in one game -  against Cyprus!
To state the obvious, football players and football teams are inevitably affected by pressure.  Our incredible short term form up to and including the Newcastle game put us very firmly in the public eye.  And we, the supporters suddenly developed much higher expectations.  Form has suffered under this attention. 
We can only hope for more clean sheets, more ugly goals and more ugly wins.
Nogood "playing free-flowing footie in a pressure cooker, isit" Boyo