Papering over the cracks?

[Glascaster]

Don’t go to many games as I live in Glasgow but yesterday I heard a guy in the West stand said the win papered over the cracks? What do you guys think?

Are our fans ever genuinely satisfied?

[roversdude]

Doubt they are - the guy behind me in west Stand yesterday was relentless in his berating. I’m sure he had evolved to the point where he had another orifice for breathing through whilst moaning. Best thing was he had mrs with him and they were tucked up under a blanket

[keith79]

Great result yesterday. But it's still along way to go before the corner has turned.

[DonnyOsmond]

It help builds the teams low confidence which could result in a good run. The cracks may have been plastered over, we'll find out over the next few games.

Some people want Fergie out no matter what.

[steve@dcfd]

One positive result is good but the team need to be more consistent in taking chances and defending as a unit. But we won if there were any cracks, only in the eyes of DF doubters then yesterday papered over them.

[WheatleyRover]

Did anyone see the guy in the south throw what looked like a programme when they scored

[not on facebook]

We will all soon find out after the performance is judged from the charlton away game next weekend.

Southend was on a 3 game unbeaten run ,and I bet my last dollar that their fans are saying that southend fc are now papering over the cracks what with football fans been so fickle.

[DRNaith]

This is what a mid-table season looks like.

It seems many are happy to accept finishing mid-table, but not comfortable with the journey involved in attaining it.

[IDM]

After a promotion a mid table finish wont be bad.  What is important is that we compete in every game.

I don't get the papering over the cracks comments - were we not performing well against Bradford and Shrewsbury, but fine margins cost us both games?  The early season draws at home vs Gillingham and Peterborough could easily have been wins, plus away at Rochdale.

Of course, we won't get those points back, but I wouldn't think yesterday's win is papering over anything..

[Jonathan]

This is what a mid-table season looks like.

It seems many are happy to accept finishing mid-table, but not comfortable with the journey involved in attaining it.

That's a really good observation and bang on.

[bobbymax]

After a promotion a mid table finish wont be bad.  What is important is that we compete in every game.

I don't get the papering over the cracks comments - were we not performing well against Bradford and Shrewsbury, but fine margins cost us both games?  The early season draws at home vs Gillingham and Peterborough could easily have been wins, plus away at Rochdale.

Of course, we won't get those points back, but I wouldn't think yesterday's win is papering over anything..

Yep, spot-on!

[Superspy]

This is what a mid-table season looks like.

It seems many are happy to accept finishing mid-table, but not comfortable with the journey involved in attaining it.

Exactly what I've been thinking.

[dickos1]

This is what a mid-table season looks like.

It seems many are happy to accept finishing mid-table, but not comfortable with the journey involved in attaining it.

That sums up a lot of people on here

[Jonathan]

All we really want is a manager that makes sure we win every game and a striker that scores every Saturday and twice on a Tuesday. It's not like we're expecting the Champions League or anything.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Every team has cracks. Our cracks weren't exploited as much as we've suffered this season. Their goal being one of those cracks with a keeper who's not dominant with crosses.

Another crack for me is leaving the posts unguarded at corners. However, there was enough in the game to see some other cracks have been addressed!

[anne honemous]

Yesterday's win is not papering over the cracks at all. It is the third time we have thumped a team by three goals this season which proves we have the capability to perform very well.

Our problem is we have just lacked any sort of consistency which is why we're in the lower half of the table.

Despite our perceived weaknesses, we also haven't performed badly in a game yet this season. We have hammered three teams to record big wins but nobody has hammered us - not even Arsenal.

It's all to do with whether your glass is half full or half empty.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

We just need to win the tight games which we haven't. Start to edge those and we'll be fine. Potential is there and we don't have a relegation feel about us. I was worrying we might edge that way but there's enough about us to avoid that. 

Stable this season and kick on next. That's the way to go, build it steadily.  Jury is out on Ferguson still but if he can improve us we might just be in a position to move forward more sensibly a little like sod managed.  Evolution not revolution so to speak.

[NigelJ]

https://experimental361.com/2017/10/08/scatter-graphics-league-1-8-oct-2017/

Shows that we have not got the number of points we have deserved this season. In fact, it shows we should be significantly higher than mid-table, and certainly not just above the relegation places.

[the vicar]

Let's say a win is a win and we have to start somewhere and enjoy it while we can

[Dutch Uncle]

Very very interesting Nigel - confirms what many of us think - that we have performed well without getting the resuts we maybe have 'deserved'

Of course the history of the Football League is littered with teams that were 'too good to go down', but the feeling that 'carry on as we are and we will do fine' does seem to have some merit.   

[bobjimwilly]

https://experimental361.com/2017/10/08/scatter-graphics-league-1-8-oct-2017/

Shows that we have not got the number of points we have deserved this season. In fact, it shows we should be significantly higher than mid-table, and certainly not just above the relegation places.

great link, thanks for that Nigel.

If we carry on playing the same way over the course of the season we will finish mid table, no problem

[anne honemous]

Thank you for the link.

It reinforces my belief that the table is not balanced and is still a very long way from evening itself out, which makes talk of sacking the manager at this stage of the season a little bit ridiculous.

My biggest hope over the next couple of months is that we can finally start to find a bit of consistency in results. Otherwise, it's groundhog day and the grumblers will only have excuses to grumble more.

Hopefully we'll get a good result at Charlton next week.

[DonnyOsmond]

We're only the 2nd best team in the league according to that? Not good enough, we should be the best.

[les@donr]

To beat Southend is no small achievement, they have just won 3 on the bounce, and us, yet to win at home, this all suggests an away win. The manner in which we won will give the whole club a big lift, and a belief that we can kick on and do well this season, keep believing.

[Filo]

To beat Southend is no small achievement, they have just won 3 on the bounce, and us, yet to win at home, this all suggests an away win. The manner in which we won will give the whole club a big lift, and a belief that we can kick on and do well this season, keep believing.

I don't think our performance was much different to the other performances, it's just for once our chances went in. Take the screamer from Whiteman for instance, had that fallen to Tommy Rowe I'm sure he would have taken a touch and drove to the byline to pull it back. When the shot is there we need to take it on more often, you don't score goals if you don't have shots

[steve@dcfd]

To beat Southend is no small achievement, they have just won 3 on the bounce, and us, yet to win at home, this all suggests an away win. The manner in which we won will give the whole club a big lift, and a belief that we can kick on and do well this season, keep believing.

I don't think our performance was much different to the other performances, it's just for once our chances went in. Take the screamer from Whiteman for instance, had that fallen to Tommy Rowe I'm sure he would have taken a touch and drove to the byline to pull it back. When the shot is there we need to take it on more often, you don't score goals if you don't have shots

You are right about the performance and how the goals were taken. Therefore how others can go on about getting rid of DF is ludicrous he doesn’t stop layers from shooting.

[drfchound]

To beat Southend is no small achievement, they have just won 3 on the bounce, and us, yet to win at home, this all suggests an away win. The manner in which we won will give the whole club a big lift, and a belief that we can kick on and do well this season, keep believing.

I don't think our performance was much different to the other performances, it's just for once our chances went in. Take the screamer from Whiteman for instance, had that fallen to Tommy Rowe I'm sure he would have taken a touch and drove to the byline to pull it back. When the shot is there we need to take it on more often, you don't score goals if you don't have shots

Not strictly true Filo, Shrewsbury beat us 1-0 a couple of years ago without having a shot.

[Superspy]

I find it quite surprising that we're so low down in the shots-faced stats given the way we tend to sit off the opposition around the edge of our box. Still...a pleasing stat to read. Onwards and upwards.

[drfchound]

It is a strange thing that when we score a cracker from outside the box it is a great goal but when we concede one it is deemed to be an error by defenders or midfielders.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

If you look at the goals we've conceded, a good proportion come from crosses in to the box. (Blackpool aside)

As said on here before, prevention is better than cure, so we need to be better at preventing the crosses coming in too easily, then marking up better. That was better on Saturday, but their goal was a result of the same thing.

It's true we have more chance of defending crosses if we defend with a back 4. However, DF likes to have the option to switch to a back 3 when the game permits.