These games win Championships

[Woodleyclaret]

An ugly win and a great 3 points against a stubborn Argyle

[dvalley69]

Quite right. Pompey was the same. People seem to dream about Ferguson's United and Kop's Liverpoool, and think they battered teams every week, but the harsh reality of football is winning teams grind out results; that's why they win leagues because they have the mentality. We are building that and as such our quality is slowly but surely coming to the fore, as it did tonight. Deserved winners, and should've won on Sat against Oxford bar some crap finishing. It's still so early, but I'm confident we're on the right path and getting better. Just wait until this team has had 30 games together.

[Burnley1989]

Quite right. Pompey was the same. People seem to dream about Ferguson's United and Kop's Liverpoool, and think they battered teams every week, but the harsh reality of football is winning teams grind out results; that's why they win leagues because they have the mentality. We are building that and as such our quality is slowly but surely coming to the fore, as it did tonight. Deserved winners, and should've won on Sat against Oxford bar some crap finishing. It's still so early, but I'm confident we're on the right path and getting better. Just wait until this team has had 30 games together.

We aren't losing games, and we aren't conceding goals.
I only see us improving and getting sharper as you can see there's another gear.
I'd have snapped your hand off for this 8 weeks ago

[GodIsADeeJay81]

Of course we’re going to have to grind out wins
We weren’t going to replicate the Kompany season

Promotion is all that matters, either with or without pretty football

[karatekid]

Are you not entertained? Erm…no.

[Vegas Claret]

If the front 3 could pass straight tonight we would have been 3 or 4 up by half time. First half was excellent, we paid for that profligacy in the second half. Take the win and improve again - miles better than at Oxford, we saw pace and movement tonight

[ChrisG]

Of course we’re going to have to grind out wins
We weren’t going to replicate the Kompany season

Promotion is all that matters, either with or without pretty football

It's easy to forget that we had drawn 6 matches by this point in that Kompany season. It took a while for the slick football to kick in.

[Paddy1882]

I’d personally disagree. Leeds Away and Portsmouth at home type performances win you championships, when you either set up to do a job on a team or simply aren’t at it but still take the 3 points. Playing really well for 45/50 minutes and then taking your foot of the gas and not killing teams off will over a season against better teams cost you points.

[Vino blanco]

That second half performance will win you sweet F.A.

[dvalley69]

Are you not entertained? Erm…no.

Being at the top of the table is enough for me. I wanna see us win; it's called football. Wanna be entertained? Go and watch old clips of Robin Williams on Youtube or some porn films! Plenty of ways to get a dopamine hit nowadays!

[dvalley69]

I’d personally disagree. Leeds Away and Portsmouth at home type performances win you championships, when you either set up to do a job on a team or simply aren’t at it but still take the 3 points. Playing really well for 45/50 minutes and then taking your foot of the gas and not killing teams off will over a season against better teams cost you points.

It's a **** poor league. A good half will be enough most of the time.

[Dark Cloud]

Games like these are quickly forgotten when you're top of the league in April, but they're the sort of games which got you there, so I'm happy enough. A win is a win!
Having said that, our lack of goals and goal threat could yet be our Achilles heel and our ultimate undoing. We find dominating games really easy, but turning that into goals is becoming a real issue. We create so few real chances and the ones we do create are too often wasted.

[dvalley69]

The real positive note though is we are so solid: 4 goals in 8 games impressive. Defensive foundations and you've got something to build from.

[Buxtonclaret]

Games like these are quickly forgotten when you're top of the league in April, but they're the sort of games which got you there, so I'm happy enough. A win is a win!

You're right there.
Quite a few of these type performances in our last Title win in this league.

[RVclaret]

The real positive note though is we are so solid: 4 goals in 8 games impressive. Defensive foundations and you've got something to build from.

Very impressive. To say it’s been a mix and match defence so far with injuries etc & a very young one without Worrall.

[helmclaret]

The fans need to get fully behind Parker and this squad.

The negativity from the stands is a joke.

It’s early days and we are racking up points. The performances will come.

[burnmark]

The fans need to get fully behind Parker and this squad.

The negativity from the stands is a joke.

It’s early days and we are racking up points. The performances will come.

Cringeworthy at times.

[Dark Cloud]

You're right there.
Quite a few of these type performances in our last Title win in this league.

Exactly. I was going to reference the Norwich home win with a rather fortunate penalty, not to mention the series of early home draws against "also rans", including Blackpool who eventually got relegated. Stoke away was another absolutely dreadful game which we won with a scrambled goal. There are bound to be plenty of forgettable games in a promotion season.

[MrTopTier]

Random stat, but in the History of English Football. Burnley have won more games 1-0 than any other team. It’s in our DNA.

[dvalley69]

Random stat, but in the History of English Football. Burnley have won more games 1-0 than any other team. It’s in our DNA.

Long may it continue & we keep racking them up!

[beddie]

Sorry but that was garbage. Very little improvement from the weekend. We need to pay serious money for a striker.

[dvalley69]

Sorry but that was garbage. Very little improvement from the weekend. We need to pay serious money for a striker.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[The Shire Claret]

The fans need to get fully behind Parker and this squad.

The negativity from the stands is a joke.

It’s early days and we are racking up points. The performances will come.

I agree

When did some of our fans become Spoilt Brats ?

It’s embarrassing

Some one near me was screaming at Hannibal … for winning the ball

Madness

[Dark Cloud]

Sorry but that was garbage. Very little improvement from the weekend. We need to pay serious money for a striker.

I'm really not sure that's the issue. Whilst I'm not at all convinced about Foster (unlike Kompany who heralded him as some kind of second Messi!) I think we're leaving him far too isolated. My hope is we really don't need to buy a new striker in January, we just need to get Flemming fit and playing in support of Foster. Then we'll see.

[Gp8419]

Some fans will not be happy till it’s perfect! Go and watch Man City every week if that’s what you want.very good start to the season everything that went on considering.

[Anonymous Claret]

I will accept those ugly 1-0 wins all day long at the moment. There is much more to come from this squad.

Some of the players that were missing/injured tonight and who could still have big roles to play throughout the season include Roberts, Ekdal, Beyer, Worrall, Redmond, Benson, Ramsey, Flemming and maybe even Tresor. Hopefully a few of these will soon be in contention.

[dvalley69]

I will accept those ugly 1-0 wins all day long at the moment. There is much more to come from this squad.

Some of the players that were missing/injured tonight and who could still have big roles to play throughout the season include Roberts, Ekdal, Beyer, Worrall, Redmond, Benson, Ramsey, Flemming and maybe even Tresor. Hopefully a few of these will soon be in contention.

This side of Christmas, I doubt many will, Roberts and Flemming hopefully, but the rest....

[gtclaret]

We are 4 points better than 2 years ago,this will increase to 6 if we beat Preston on Saturday,who we payed away on the ninth game during that season in which we drew.

[Elizabeth]

Winning is a lovely habit, to do so with an understrength team is even better.
Parker is building a good platform for the rest of the season and that must continue over the coming games. I’m confident the good football will come but not just yet.

[oswyclaret]

Random stat, but in the History of English Football. Burnley have won more games 1-0 than any other team. It’s in our DNA.

Now thats a very interesting fact,if its true!!!

[jrgbfc]

That second half wasn't good at all, however people try and dress it up. We're winning games at the moment purely because we've got better players than the opposition. Struggling to see any kind of shape/gameplan or what sort of team Parker wants us to be.

[Dark Cloud]

Now thats a very interesting fact,if its true!!!

It is true. Quite recently someone put a "table" of historical wins/scorelines up on here and Burnley really were champions of the 1-0 win.

[RVclaret]

That second half wasn't good at all, however people try and dress it up. We're winning games at the moment purely because we've got better players than the opposition. Struggling to see any kind of shape/gameplan or what sort of team Parker wants us to be.

Dyche and Kompany’s promotion teams had better players than the opposition. Kompany’s team overperformed on xG by the largest amount of a promoted team in the past 8 years apart from Farke’s Norwich. Gray went through an entire season without injury and scored 25 goals, imagine he got injured. Were those teams the same, reliant on individuals?

[aggi]

We look solid and I never had any concerns about Plymouth scoring last night. We really laboured to create anything though as the match wore on.

I found the whoscored analyis of our strengths and weaknesses from the match amusing:

[Colburn_Claret]

Agree with the sentiment, to win ugly is a good sign.

We played some nice football for an hour, which was good to see as well, but how we contrived to give them some impetus the last 20 mins was really poor. We looked like rabbits infront of the headlights, and it was so unnecessary as they offered nothing.

The biggest issue has to be the goals, don't get me wrong even Haaland misses chances, but it's game, after game, after game now. We should have been out of sight by halftime and then we could have cruised the second half.
After firing blanks at Oxford, huffing and puffing against Pompey and failing to work the Blackburn keeper it's a worrying trend that could cost us dearly.
We are desperate for a Flemming style player who works the defence and can live off scraps in the box, but the whole team need to step up.

[quoonbeatz]

Didn’t mind us running the clock down towards the end as we were clearly pretty knackered by about 70mins and the extra day’s rest Plymouth had was telling. Hopefully the extra day we get on PNE will benefit us.

[Poulton-le-Claret]

We look solid and I never had any concerns about Plymouth scoring last night. We really laboured to create anything though as the match wore on.

I found the whoscored analyis of our strengths and weaknesses from the match amusing:

Can't believe keeping the ball in the corner for nearly a full 6 minutes isn't a strength I think that's the most successful use of that tactic I've ever seen, usually teams try to do it and lose the ball within 10 seconds.

[ervi34]

Of course we’re going to have to grind out wins
We weren’t going to replicate the Kompany season

Promotion is all that matters, either with or without pretty football

I think people forget we used to grind out wins with Kompany as well. Last night wasn't any different to Stoke away, both games against Coventry, Swansea away and so on.

[warksclaret]

Stuff entertainment-if we are getting the points we are doing something right, particularly with just 4 goals conceded. I had enough of being entertained in the PL last season.

[agreenwood]

I agree that ugly wins are important.

I don’t agree that Plymouth were “stubborn”. They were wide open at times, but our lack of quality in the final third kept the game close.

[vinrogue]

I got in the car last night with the M62, A1 and A46 ahead of me and i said I love winning games and getting 3 points, then the chap on the Radio said we are 2nd in the league and I said, no Beyer, Worrall, Ekdal, Roberts, Ramsey, Redmond, Flemming and we are still 2nd.....shut the door.

Win, clean sheet, 3 points a good first half and a strange 2nd half but 3 points and currently on track for 93+ points, file under heading Plymouth job done. UTC

[Benson]

Being at the top of the table is enough for me. I wanna see us win; it's called football. Wanna be entertained? Go and watch old clips of Robin Williams on Youtube or some porn films! Plenty of ways to get a dopamine hit nowadays!

What a strange post.

[ElectroClaret]

I got in the car last night with the M62, A1 and A46 ahead of me and i said I love winning games and getting 3 points, then the chap on the Radio said we are 2nd in the league and I said, no Beyer, Worrall, Ekdal, Roberts, Ramsey, Redmond, Flemming and we are still 2nd.....shut the door.

Completely agree.
At full strength, we should be frighteningly good.

[claretlegend]

Keeping the ball in the corner for 5 whole minutes was pretty impressive. Running the clock down using fair methods should by applauded.

[Hapag Lloyd]

Wanna be entertained? Go and watch old clips of Robin Williams on Youtube or some porn films! Plenty of ways to get a dopamine hit nowadays!

Is that what you did when you couldn’t find a stream that worked.

[dvalley69]

Is that what you did when you couldn’t find a stream that worked.

Found one in the end and very well entertained watching us WIN!

[Hapag Lloyd]

Found one in the end and very well entertained watching us WIN!

Your posts on the “streams for tonight” thread suggest otherwise.

[houseboy]

Sorry but that was garbage. Very little improvement from the weekend. We need to pay serious money for a striker.

Things like this are really easy to say…..when it’s not your money.

[Since62]

Got to be happy with the way it’s gone so far but after a prolific start I do wonder where the goals are going to come from. Would we have scored last night without the penalty? Foster often doesn’t seem to be in the right place or stand up to pressure from defenders.

[chipbutty]

It's a **** poor league. A good half will be enough most of the time.

P**s poor league?
I'd take this league all day long over the Premier League.
Far more competitive
No VAR
Anybody can beat Anybody.
Hardly any teams playing just to survive.
More 3pm KOs