2023/24 Sean Dyche

It’s also probably fair to ask if Doucoure is really going to keep scoring this much. 4 of his 6 goals are rebounds of saves/blocks/shots off the post and while goal poaching is genuinely good it’s probably not good for your goal scoring to be dependent on someone who isn’t a striker and who spends a decent amount of time away from the box to be the one you’re relying on to do it.

I seriously worry that it’s the cure all people want it to be, and even if it is, a strategy that relies on having Doucoure play as a free roamer who ends up closer to a second striker than anything in possession feels like a plan with limited upside.
IWhatever Dyche says, it’s a plan to let the opposition have the ball, keep shape, not concede and hopefully score one ourselves. TBF when Doucoure plays it’s been reasonably effective but it is limited, particularly when we go a goal down and teams don’t leave space for us to counter.

We’re playing the same way, same strategy without Doucoure in the team and don’t really have anyone of a similar profile. When we win it’s often fine margins and Doucoure has been that fine margin. Dyche doesn’t have a plan B without him in the team.
 
They took a while to adjust to the league and now that they have , their home form is quite good while ours has 3 wins all season.

I worry that unless we change our thinking at home we will be getting relagated … undeservedly , but still going down.

They've also won 3 home games this season.

Our home form is better than theirs.
 
They've also won 3 home games this season.

Our home form is better than theirs.

Mate they were coming into the prem and have started to find their feet. I would imagine that their second half of the season will yield more points than their first half.

I could be wrong but I am very worried… it’s Forrest that we need to catching … or maybe Palace , they have a few injuries and their fans are turning on them. We know what that can do to players when playing in front of fans that aren’t happy .
 
Mate they were coming into the prem and have started to find their feet. I would imagine that their second half of the season will yield more points than their first half.

I could be wrong but I am very worried… it’s Forrest that we need to catching … or maybe Palace , they have a few injuries and their fans are turning on them. We know what that can do to players when playing in front of fans that aren’t happy .

Ultimately, based purely on league form, Luton are the 3rd worse team in the league. We're joint 12th with the same points and GD as Fulham.

Without wanting to state the bleedin' obvious, the result of our hearing will be huge. Get all of our points back, and all of a sudden we’re 10 points better off and Luton would have to win 3 more games than us for the rest of the season and probably get an extra draw or 2. I can’t see that happening.

I agree with you though, our focus should be on Forest. While there are point deductions hanging over us, it’s between us and Forest going down imo. We need to get as far ahead from them as we can, so even if our 10 points are upheld and we get a further one, Forest should also get one which would keep them below us.

It’s a nonsense way to be looking at it, but that’s where the Premier League have left us.
 

Ultimately, based purely on league form, Luton are the 3rd worse team in the league. We're joint 12th with the same points and GD as Fulham.

Without wanting to state the bleedin' obvious, the result of our hearing will be huge. Get all of our points back, and all of a sudden we’re 10 points better off and Luton would have to win 3 more games than us for the rest of the season and probably get an extra draw or 2. I can’t see that happening.

I agree with you though, our focus should be on Forest. While there are point deductions hanging over us, it’s between us and Forest going down imo. We need to get as far ahead from them as we can, so even if our 10 points are upheld and we get a further one, Forest should also get one which would keep them below us.

It’s a nonsense way to be looking at it, but that’s where the Premier League have left us.

I don’t think it is nonsense, I 100% agree. It’s the situation we are in.

Luton are the 3 worth in the league in performances so far.

I just think that they will pick up more points in the second half of the season that the first half…. And I’m not sure that we will.
 

They took a while to adjust to the league and now that they have , their home form is quite good while ours has 3 wins all season.

I worry that unless we change our thinking at home we will be getting relagated … undeservedly , but still going down.
I think this exactly right. Luton are an existential threat to our Premier League status. The match down there might be THE seasons tipping point.

They're basically our new main rivals.
 

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