DapperDan
Steve Chettle
Depends which moon you are aiming for
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Fixtures release 23/24
- Thread starter Robert Learnshaw
- Start date
Chappers85
Can't Play Left-Back
Away first game, last game and Boxing Day again!
Haych
John Robertson
We shouldn’t be anywhere near relegated IMO.
Rzar
Bob McKinlay
It's always better to play teams going for trophies at either the start or the end of the season - the start can catch them off guard (see Man United last season) & the end can have nothing to play for or on the beach (as we have seen last season)
Plus, we go into November only having Spurs & Newcastle away for the reamining 7 months of the season.
If we have decent points on the board going into October we have had a great start.
Plus, we go into November only having Spurs & Newcastle away for the reamining 7 months of the season.
If we have decent points on the board going into October we have had a great start.
MaxiRobriguez
Bob McKinlay
I reckon that's OK, especially if we're only adding a few transfers in this pre-season rather than a massive overhaul.
The early away fixtures are pretty much throwaway so you can essentially consider those games as gelling/additional pre-season work. Any new Forest players should be playing those games to get them used to tactics and playing with new team mates. Potential for experimenting here.
Home games potentially are ones where we play a side which is settled from the season just gone. No experimenting. Some players may be fresh from not having had to play the previous week. Especially early on this potential rotation may help us avoid injuries. If Sheff Utd and Burnley do a Forest-lite and bring in loads of players then they'll still be gelling - gives us a slight advantage in my opinion playing them earlier than it does later.
Even if we lose all four away games, taking a couple of wins and a draw in the homes games puts us on 7 points from 7 games, which would be a decent start and gets the three hardest fixtures of the season out the way immediately.
The early away fixtures are pretty much throwaway so you can essentially consider those games as gelling/additional pre-season work. Any new Forest players should be playing those games to get them used to tactics and playing with new team mates. Potential for experimenting here.
Home games potentially are ones where we play a side which is settled from the season just gone. No experimenting. Some players may be fresh from not having had to play the previous week. Especially early on this potential rotation may help us avoid injuries. If Sheff Utd and Burnley do a Forest-lite and bring in loads of players then they'll still be gelling - gives us a slight advantage in my opinion playing them earlier than it does later.
Even if we lose all four away games, taking a couple of wins and a draw in the homes games puts us on 7 points from 7 games, which would be a decent start and gets the three hardest fixtures of the season out the way immediately.
Omar Devone Little
Mr Realistic
What I noticed is that there is no month like January last season where it looks like we could really pick up a good chunk of points. At least not where there are more than 3 fixtures in.
Which might work in our favour more, at least from a morale point of view as hopefully there's always a game around the corner we should be targeting for points.
Which might work in our favour more, at least from a morale point of view as hopefully there's always a game around the corner we should be targeting for points.
MaxiRobriguez
Bob McKinlay
Sat 30th March to Sat 13th April... Palace, Fulham, Wolves all at home. Luton town before those two weeks (albeit international break) and Everton after it.
If we're struggling at the bottom then that run is going to be the run we need to pull away from the bottom before a tough run in vs the likely Champions and then Sheff Utd and Burnley both away who will be battling for their lives.
Listen 'ere young man
Jack Burkitt
Rzar
Bob McKinlay
Also in the end it's all pointless and kind of irrelevant.
Everybody said last season we needed points from Everton, Wolves & Leeds matches before the brutal run in. We won none of those & ended up beating Brighton & Arsenal.
We lost to Bournemouth & Fulham at home in must win games then ended up beating Liverpool.
Everybody said last season we needed points from Everton, Wolves & Leeds matches before the brutal run in. We won none of those & ended up beating Brighton & Arsenal.
We lost to Bournemouth & Fulham at home in must win games then ended up beating Liverpool.
Morpeth
John Robertson
Or they could do us all a favour and permanently disband the hundred cack.
Professor Wolfgang Schnell BSc. PhD.
Fulchester United
Yeah, I think that one's sold out too - so it's definitely not going to be on the Saturday.
Morpeth
John Robertson
Good, because you will actually be saying,
WE ARE NOT GETTING IN TO A RELEGATION SCRAP!!!!!
MaxiRobriguez
Bob McKinlay
None of the teams below us got more points out of us in our head-to-head games.
Wolves and Bournemouth did, and finished above us because of it. Had we shared points equally in our head-to-heads then Forest would have finished above both.
So it is critically important to at least be as good as, if not better, than your nearest relegation rivals. It can be the difference between relegation and staying up.
Rzar
Bob McKinlay
Yeah, I don't disagree with that at all.
My point was people are looking at "good months" and "bad months", it's completely irrelevant
Agreed.
Arsenal will be under immense pressure in that first game too. Arteta will likely have 250m of new toys to play with. Playing them away mid season would be a tougher game in my opinion. Time will tell.
It’s a wash for me.
Redemption
One less gobshite...
valspoodle
Steve Chettle
As most of us know, every game in this League is tough. No easy games, so I'm not the slightest bit worried that we might look a bit down after the first few games.
The table which means most is that at the very end.
And, as I know to my cost, trying to guess where we'll be whilst the season is in progress, is a mug's game. Stuck on 27 points seemed to me to be curtains, but the boys, urged on by our super fans, got us over the line. This time I'm waiting first before jumping.
The table which means most is that at the very end.
And, as I know to my cost, trying to guess where we'll be whilst the season is in progress, is a mug's game. Stuck on 27 points seemed to me to be curtains, but the boys, urged on by our super fans, got us over the line. This time I'm waiting first before jumping.
Ashley
Steve Chettle
As an opening fixture, its not the more winnable fixture I wanted. But I have to agree that looking at Arsenal away as a fixture in isolation, it is probably the best time to play them as well. Opening day does tend to throw up a shock or two.
Robertson
Geoff Thomas
Beating, and indeed finishing above Bournemouth will remain a key objective for me (third season lucky maybe!)
I’m probably more wary of the Sheff Utd game. I had a feeling we’d get them at home first up. Said that yesterday. Just an ugly fixture. Awful all around. That’ll be one to just ‘escape’ with a win from I reckon.
Redemption
One less gobshite...
Its the Ham Salad Eyes metric.
Big Sam's view was if you got 15pts from your first 10 games, it was enough of a boost that even if a bad period followed, you should be OK.
At that marker, your season's strategy might have to change; not just on the pitch, but in the scouting and recruitment department.
Steve Cooper may have got lucky last season in that his 2nd start - post World Cup - saw him get a similar points haul and it was the cushion that effectively game him the space to find a new normal in the maelstrom of some bad recruitment and injuries.