Since Dec 29th when we started actually playing, we’ve earned the 5th most points in the league, but more amazingly, we’ve scored the joint 3rd highest number of goals!

How fantastic is that? After the Chelsea game I’ve seen so many digs at our ‘anti-football’ on other sites and forums, but we’ve scored more goals in the 2nd half of the season than Man Utd, Chelsea, Tottenham, Wolves.

We’re level with Arsenal, so it’s only the outstanding Man City and Liverpool teams who have scored more. It’s honestly mind-boggling how effective we have been since the new year.

I think we’re in for an amazing season 2019/20.

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier ... =20&max=36

the Dwight McNeil factor

Sean Dyche.

It's been well and truly a Happy New Year!

2018 will be remembered for 7th place and European football but as a year it was horrendous.
Top research by you there. Should shut some Suvvern softees up.

2018 you mean surely.

I think McNeill plays a huge part in the improvement. Taylor seems to know Dwight is there waiting and the strikers are getting more balls. Tom has played a huge part in changing the success of the defence.

Falcon wrote:2018 you mean surely.

Oops!! Edited.

Tom Heaton taking over from Hart and taking the captaincy away from Mee, playing Wood and Barnes regularly up front, Lennon getting injured and being replaced by McNeil, are the reasons for the change in fortune.

Lets hope we keep up the good form, i would like us to finish above Bournemouth, Newcastle and Southampton, just before Christmas i was looking at which away games i could attend in the championship next season, look at us now, hard to believe really, but after all we are Clarets and life as a Claret has never been easy, so proud of what SD and the lads have done since the turn of the year, I still think we can get more points this season and finish in a good position, What a turnaround, PL football at Turf Moor next season, bring it on.

Vino blanco wrote:Tom Heaton taking over from Hart and taking the captaincy away from Mee, playing Wood and Barnes regularly up front, Lennon getting injured and being replaced by McNeil, are the reasons for the change in fortune.

add to that equation the ultimate realization to play Mee at LCB, does it point to our success being somewhat strategically accidental mixed in with bloody hard application?

Vino blanco wrote:Tom Heaton taking over from Hart and taking the captaincy away from Mee, playing Wood and Barnes regularly up front, Lennon getting injured and being replaced by McNeil, are the reasons for the change in fortune.

I’d add Bardsley into that mix. Gave us some much needed impetus when he came into the team.

That is incredible. It’s funny looking back because I do remember really believing that West Ham game was the most important in our recent history as it had that make-or-Break feel about it with the easier run of fixtures that followed it.
To think we’ve had to be the 5th best in the league didn’t cross my mind - in reality we’ve had to do a lot better than most of us probably dared think at that point.

Cubanclaret wrote:That is incredible. It’s funny looking back because I do remember really believing that West Ham game was the most important in our recent history as it had that make-or-Break feel about it with the easier run of fixtures that followed it.
To think we’ve had to be the 5th best in the league didn’t cross my mind - in reality we’ve had to do a lot better than most of us probably dared think at that point.

Exactly! Imagine saying before the West Ham game, "Listen, we're gonna need to maintain the 5th best form in the league to comfortably stay up." I would have thought we were doomed.

I still think we're gonna get another 4 points though, so after 38 games the league table will show us having stayed up easily even though it has never felt like that this season.

Everybody's form has got better, and against Chelsea, all the players played to a very high standard - no weak link amongst them. That too is impressive.

LoveCurryPies wrote:I think McNeill plays a huge part in the improvement. Taylor seems to know Dwight is there waiting and the strikers are getting more balls. Tom has played a huge part in changing the success of the defence.

McNeil and Charlie are the perfect pairing. Both as good as each other at crossing.

Now we have to hope that it wont be another summer of discontent in the transfer market. Probably need a GROSS spend of at least 50 million to take the squad to the next level. Sales could easily cover half of that.

Hipper wrote:Everybody's form has got better, and against Chelsea, all the players played to a very high standard - no weak link amongst them. That too is impressive.

Lowton?

MRG wrote:Lowton?

Even with the first goal, I wouldn't put it down to Lowton's fault. What are you supposed to do when you're single marking Hazard? He did pretty well to delay the cross as long as he did!

I remember it the other way round, when we had Glen Little who was far too good for opposing full backs. We didn't put it down to the full back being poor; it was that the winger was too good.

Chelsea will be well in trouble without Hazard next year!

FCBurnley wrote:Now we have to hope that it wont be another summer of discontent in the transfer market. Probably need a GROSS spend of at least 50 million to take the squad to the next level. Sales could easily cover half of that.

Do you know, if we didn’t buy anyone in the summer I’d still be thinking we have a great team

Claret wrote:Do you know, if we didn’t buy anyone in the summer I’d still be thinking we have a great team

Agree with this but we do need to strengthen to make sure we have cover for injuries. That was one of the reasons for our bad form before Christmas.

MRG wrote:Lowton?

Lowton stopped him getting a cross in. He pulled it back to the edge of the box. Whoever was picking up the runner needs the finger pointing but not Matt.

For all our anti football, we've scored 2 goals away at Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea. I haven't looked, but I doubt any team in and around us has scored 2 at three of the big six. (Palace maybe....)

edit...two of them for two seasons running!

Foulthrow wrote:I’d add Bardsley into that mix. Gave us some much needed impetus when he came into the team.

He definitely made a difference.

Now if we could put together the first half of the 17/18 season and the second half of 18/19.....Champions League? (Can’t he bothered working it out myself).