I am extremely happy with our start to the season as we have now played about 8 of the top half of the league in our opening 13 games and to be sitting 3 points away from play off spots is a good outcome for me. I do feel too many people on here are too quick to call for the managers head after one or 2 losses. we need to remember the team has a lot of new faces and will need time to gel and also find the best starting 11 etc. All we need to look at is how much better we are compared to the shambles we were last season to see what a good job Turner and West are doing in sorting out the mess and trying to get the club back on track. We have a solid defence now along with a top keeper which were our main problems last season so they have addressed that.

All we need now is for our strikers to start hitting the back of the net on a regular basis and we will be looking strong. I think we need to get behind Turner and the team and not come on here slating them after 1 bad performance and asking for the managers head.

If we get behind the team and sing our hearts out then this will also help a great deal.

I am not saying that everything is perfect and we are brilliant but we have started off a lot better than i expacted considering we have played, Charlton, MK Dons, Norwich, Bristol Rovers, Colchester, who are all in the top 6 in our opening games and we are sitting in mid table - 3 points from play off spot. Hopefully now we can get 2 good results in our next 2 games and then push on from there!!

Up the pools!!!!!!!!!!!

Well said mate ... I couldn't agree more. Give them a chance. I bet the moaners will be there in a few weeks saying: "I always knew they'd come good eventually."

So if Saturdays game is anywhere near as bad as the Grimsby or Brentford games we are meant to applaud them off saying "jolly good show chaps" Not many people apart from a daft few kids in the Town End have actually called for the managers head, most realise theirs little point of calling for his head and do get behind the team but it's about time we got something back at home, we are due a performance not the other way around.

If the game is poor people are going to say it is.

Very true.

However, peej, we are both late in responding to the 'ammonia-scented' one's invitation to post on the 'loids board as he requests.

Best to reply, the stench of burning cabbage is getting too much to stomach

If you pay to watch something and it's crap, you have a right to have a whinge. But some people go over the top. It's a bit like the daft sods at Bore-o calling for Steve Gibson to go - if it wasn't for him, they'd be where they deserve to be, in League Two with Darlo.

I think 'extremely happy' is a bit OTT, if we'd have lost at Swindon we'd have been in a very ugly league position. I am content with the start, we have built a foundation to kick on from and hopefully finish in the top half.

For me objective one was to sort the defence/keeper out and Turner has more than achieved this with some sound additions and the assembly of two centre halves who appear to be complimenting each other perfectly. I can't praise him enough for that, I just wish he'd given it a similar amount of attention in January but that's done now and not worth moaning about.

The midfield is still an area that needs attention and this is one area Turner has to address asap, I hope he is already looking for a Tinkler/Boland type midfielder ready to bring in during the January sales. Before Tinkler signed we had a lot of good midfielders like we do now and we were sitting in a similar position suffering from inconsistency, as soon as Tinkler signed we rocketed up the league. Someone like McCormack from Southend would be ideal but not someone I expect us to sign.

The other improvement we need to make is putting Browny upfront with Boydy. I don't think many defences in the league could contend with these two and we're missing out on a massive trick. McSweeney can do a job on the right and we'd have a strikeforce that could easy get 40 goals between them, if not more.

Keep the ball on the deck like we did on Saturday and use the rest of the squad and we'll be just fine. Play long ball like we have been recently and don't address the suggestions above and we'll suffer from massive inconsistency like we have in the first couple of months IMO.

Does anyone else reckon there is probably only one play off spot going to be available? Leeds, Charlton, MK, Norwich and Colchester all look good to be up there in my opinion.

It'll be the same as every year tree there is 2 teams going up automatically, and 4 teams in the play-offs.

I've checked the football league site and they aint saying anything about only 1 place this year.

I'd check your 'sauce' for that claim.

I think if we really need to look at getting some points out of the next games with Tranmere and Brighton. If we can get even a few points there, we will slot ourselves in to a very good position.

You mean, like, two points, Mr Kent?

I expect a fair few teams to fall into the financial vat of crap so we could reap the benefits of that.

We would obviously need to win a fair few games too. (especially at home)

I learned something today about you lot. How you helped Boro out a few years back by allowing them to play at yours. How did it go down with most of you?


Back to the thread. You have made a reasonable start so far and as long as you can keep the points comingwhen playing the lower quality teams you should be ok. Saints will start climbing now but for us to even think about the playoffs at the mo is a bit of wishfull thinking.

the boro thing was a mistake,but don't hold it against us

I was just thinking how we would react if Portsmouth needed a ground. Something tells me it could never happen but at the end of the day do we really want teams to fold simply because they are the local enemy.

Chip have to agree with you there, we should be going out trying and believing that we can turnover these teams, which we all know we can. We all would take surviving in this division but thats the last resort we can easily with a couple of results be comftable in mid-table and who knows with a change in fortunes of others be pushing for a play off spot at the end of the season.

I remember when we used to be brilliant at home and people hated coming here, now it seems as if teams get an easy ride at the Vic. We have been saying for years if pools away for picked up we would do well, this has happened but for some reason the home form has went backward and this needs to change. We get that right and I see this being a very good season for us.

Well?

All I can say to that, ADG, is...............................

What a great word.............awat.

Watching Leeds V Norwich last night made me realise how far we have come to be able to compete and hold our own in this division.

The game showed how high the standard of Div 1 footie is, both teams went for it 100% and played with real quality.

1-1 would have been a fairer result like.

True enough, like...