8 games in - is it too early to get excited?

[Viking Don]

I think 10 games is the usual point you look at how well you start a season so I'm jumping the gun here. But after last season and all the DS bashing that went on I'm just wondering if folk accept that it was virtually impossible to judge him as a manager last season, and what folk make of him now.

For me he's done a fantastic job so far and I'm starting to feel this may be a very good season for us. I'd have took survival before the start of the season, now I'm looking at the championship with half an eye.

Another great away result today, it's making me think of the last conference season.

[PDX_Rover]

That's half an eye less than Dean Shiels....

[Southboy]

I'm starting to get my hopes up. We've only played three at home, but here's an interesting table on our away form....

http://stats.football365.com/dom/ENG/D2/aform.html

[Wellred]

its very noticeable that certain posters who had a lot to say during the close season now seem to have lost the use of their keyboards

[MachoMadness]

Never too early to get excited about your team IMO. I'm delighted with the start we've made. We look a completely different side to what we have done, and I mean that in a very good way. We look like we want to win games and are playing good, direct football. Note the difference between direct football and hoofball.

[RedJ]

we look to have so much more grit about us too now

[RTID75]

We need some of the away performances at home and we need to keep an eye on injuries and suspensions. It is starting to look interesting though!

[Viking Don]

Problem is teams are coming here thinking a point is good, whereas away the home team has to go for it to please their own fans. We've been here before and tbh I'm glad teams aren't treating us as a game they expect to win as so many did last season and the season before. It may not make for great viewing at home so far but at least we aren't losing!

[rtidbelly]

good result, sounds like we set up to be solid and build on that to pose a threat upfield. also good to hear that we took a decent following for a 3hr+ trip, according to orient website we took 630.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

It's better but we have to start doing something at home that's vital to our chances and has so far stopped us being top.

[dknward2]

We need to score first at home early then that draws the away team out to try and get the draw then we can exploit the gaps at the back

[DonnyNoel]

We need to score first at home early then that draws the away team out to try and get the draw then we can exploit the gaps at the back

Agreed, and given how early we score in our away games I'd say its certainly possible.

[Standanista]

The season we came up from Division 4 under Bremner I remember we had a run where we were picking up wins away and draws at home.  As long as the points are coming in somehow that suits me no worries.

Saunders IN.

[Standanista]

I like this bit from BBC Sport:

VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM

Leyton Orient manager Russell Slade told BBC London 94.9:

"Doncaster did to us what we've done to teams in recent weeks.
"They played ugly and came with a game plan to play ugly.
"They won most of the second balls in the first period and we just couldn't get going.
"It was just a little bit too comfortable for them."
Doncaster Rovers manager Dean Saunders told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"It was a typical away performance in this league.
"I knew they were going to hit the ball on top of us and try and get down the side of us.
"I changed the system as well, which I didn't want to do, because we've had three good results on the trot, but we scored two good goals, we scrapped and defended brilliantly."

[jmt]

I'll be honest enough to say the style of football we are playing( at the mo.) is not clicking, but can't fault the results. Listening to a recent interview dean is really happy with our defence, but not so with how we move forward.
His signings are all very good quality, I would say up front and back in defence we are easily one of the best in this division.
From watching Sean's total football to last years farce to this years rough and ready up and at em style, the rovers roller coaster continues. I think were in for a fun time, and can see promotion ahead.  E I E I E I O up the football league we go! 

[mjdgreg]

It's very noticeable that certain posters who had a lot to say during the close season, now seem to have lost the use of their keyboards.

I can assure you that I still have plenty to say and my keyboard works just fine. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get my views out there due to the current locking threads policy.

So far this season I have to say Saunders has done far better than I expected. Credit where credit is due.

[dickos1]

Our best start to a season in the 9 years since we got back in the league.
That says it all

[mjdgreg]

Our best start to a season in the 9 years since we got back in the league.
That says it all

A little bit too simplistic for my liking. We're only 8 games in and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. If we can improve our possession efficiency to below 5% I'll be a lot happier.

[dickos1]

Look at swansea's possession yesterday. Shows you all you need to know about the relevance.
A lot can happen over a season but our best start for 9 years shouldn't be sniffed at

[DRFCSouth]

I think bearing in mind the team is almost unrecognisable from last year, we have started fantastically well. Teams normally take a length of time to gel. I can only see us improving, touching wood.

[mjdgreg]

Look at Swansea's possession yesterday. Shows you all you need to know about the relevance.

Allow me to explain. Swansea are renowned for having a lot of possession but their possession efficiency is not great. If we take yesterday's game as an example they had 74% possession but only 8 attempts on goal. This reveals a possession efficiency of only 9.25%. Absolutely pathetic.

Contrast this with their opponents Stoke who like to play hoofball like us. They had 26% possession and 10 attempts resulting in an excellent possession efficiency of 2.6%. If they could keep up that kind of efficiency they would be winning the Champion's League in a few years.

[Capmeister]

The football is shocking. Yesterday's game was OK only cos we won. The ball was pinging about like a pinball in midfield. The defence is rock solid though. Arguably the best at Donny in a long while. I think that's down to the height of the back four and Rob Jones is magnificent at organising us there. It wouldn't work a league up as the slicker passing and quicker forwards would run riot. But we're not Championship anymore and this league is not great. Blunts were the best team I've seen but lack a decent striker. If we find a 20+ man we'll cream this league. If Saunders gets us up that's when he can be compared to SOD. I'm enjoying the results but not the style of play. As they say, you can't have your cake and eat it. Cotterill's been impressive, despite all the stick he gets. I love Browny too. He's so committed just lacks the pace to push on and do better at a higher level, which is a crying shame for a guy who just loves to play and he loves Donny. As to Deano, he gets 9 outta 10. He's done everything he said he would and that's on the back of all the s*** he got from me and one or two others on here. I love our trips to the capital an all. It's the camaraderie in the pubs on the train down, we got there and back for a tenner an all. Then a final pint in the Flying Scotsman at King's Cross before hauling my wasted soul back home. Lovely!!!

[RedJ]

Our best start to a season in the 9 years since we got back in the league.
That says it all

A little bit too simplistic for my liking. We're only 8 games in and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. If we can improve our possession efficiency to below 5% I'll be a lot happier.

if we'd lost a load of them you'd have been shouting the f**king stadium down though, no doubt..

[dickos1]

He was after our first defeat.
Swansea's inefficient possession I'm glad your coming round to my way of thinking mick.

[mjdgreg]

if we'd lost a load of them you'd have been shouting the f***ing stadium down though, no doubt..

That's where you're wrong. I'd have given him until Xmas before doing that. Luckily he's taken my advice and things are looking up. Credit where credit is due. I am a bit worried about the current style of play though. Hopefully it is just a short-term project to stabilise the free-fall through the leagues. One things for sure, if we ever got promoted again we would be straight back down again if things didn't change.

[mjdgreg]

He was after our first defeat.
Swansea's inefficient possession I'm glad your coming round to my way of thinking mjdgreg.

Excuse me but I didn't start after our first defeat of this season. I started as soon as he was appointed. I have only stopped putting my 'Saunders Out!!!' at the end of my posts because the moderators warned me off.

To extrapolate from my comments about about Swansea that I am coming around to your way of thinking is way off the mark. Swansea are a classic example of possession for the sake of it. It is how you use your possession that counts as I've previously explained.

[IDM]

Look at Swansea's possession yesterday. Shows you all you need to know about the relevance.

Allow me to explain. Swansea are renowned for having a lot of possession but their possession efficiency is not great. If we take yesterday's game as an example they had 74% possession but only 8 attempts on goal. This reveals a possession efficiency of only 9.25%. Absolutely pathetic.

Contrast this with their opponents Stoke who like to play hoofball like us. They had 26% possession and 10 attempts resulting in an excellent possession efficiency of 2.6%. If they could keep up that kind of efficiency they would be winning the Champion's League in a few years.

No they wouldn't, because that "efficiency" measure of yours shows no correllation to how many goals they score, and certainly not to how many they concede, nor to their results.

Look at the league table - win our game in hand and potentially we're up to 3rd place, irrespective of possession, attempts etc...

[mjdgreg]

No they wouldn't, because that "efficiency" measure of yours shows no correllation to how many goals they score, and certainly not to how many they concede, nor to their results.

Look at the league table - win our game in hand and potentially we're up to 3rd place, irrespective of possession, attempts etc...

Yes they definitely would. The problem is that there is no way on this Earth that they could sustain such a low possession efficiency over a sustained period. They simply aren't good enough.

[Norfolk N Chance]

needs to set us up right at home not with one up front!

[RedJ]

needs to set us up right at home not with one up front!

bit hard not to when none of your other strikers are fully match fit