Really is a big game this.

Heading to the abyss of the season this is where we really do need to make a statement and start kicking on.

 

We really really should and really really need, to win this game 

I wouldn’t like to play at team that hasn’t scored in three home games on the spin.  I’d be thinking they have to break it at some point.  I think if we get one Saturday could well be more 

Confident about this but less so about Burton

4 hours ago, Tombwfc said:

If we're only on 61 points with six games left, given who those six games are, we're heading for midtable. 71 is the lowest number of points to finish 6th in the last 10 years

You're right, it probably won't be enough, though I'm sincerely hoping our trajectory changes upwards over those 13 games, rather than us plodding on as we have been

Orient have striker Dom Bollard who IMO would be ideal for us. The kid has all the attributes we are missing and will go a long way in the game I reckon. Hat trick against Reading last week underlined his potential and with 15 goals in 20 games for Orient needs to be managed very carefully. Remember him scoring against us for Reading as a 17/18 year old when he was on loan there from Southampton but Orient have snapped him up and now he’s a proper threat and improving all the time.

This game is no shoo in so we need to be on it for 90 minutes and if we play well and take our chances we’ll be ok.

But we have to take our chances. And deal with their high press.

Edited January 22Jan 22 by Wanderlust

Fail to win either this one or Burton and that would feel like a real blow in the chase for autos.

Hopefully 6 points and a couple of new faces in next week will give us a real boost of momentum heading into the Wimbledon game next weekend.

4 hours ago, Wanderlust said:

Orient have striker Dom Bollard who IMO would be ideal for us. The kid has all the attributes we are missing and will go a long way in the game I reckon. Hat trick against Reading last week underlined his potential and with 15 goals in 20 games for Orient needs to be managed very carefully. Remember him scoring against us for Reading as a 17/18 year old when he was on loan there from Southampton but Orient have snapped him up and now he’s a proper threat and improving all the time.

This game is no shoo in so we need to be on it for 90 minutes and if we play well and take our chances we’ll be ok.

But we have to take our chances. And deal with their high press.

 thing is, what chances, we aren't creating any.

3 hours ago, BeeversLeftPeg said:

Fail to win either this one or Burton and that would feel like a real blow in the chase for autos.

Bless.

Christmas determined that we are no longer in 'the chase for the autos'.

4 hours ago, BeeversLeftPeg said:

Fail to win either this one or Burton and that would feel like a real blow in the chase for autos.

Hopefully 6 points and a couple of new faces in next week will give us a real boost of momentum heading into the Wimbledon game next weekend.

Autos? It’s a bit premature to even think about that possibility doncha reckon?

Without a substantial improvement we’re struggling to stay in the playoffs with about ten other teams who think they’re in with a chance.

I think I’d rather wait to see what happens for a while longer before entertaining that thought.

3 hours ago, L/H White said:

 thing is, what chances, we aren't creating any.

We did at Wigan though as for Stevenage well it was one of those games where the conditions and the way they play doesn’t lend itself to many chances however we aren’t giving up many one against Wigan one against Stevenage none against Northampton maybe two against Mansfield.  Only Peterborough and Donny where we had some against us.  We aren’t taking ours that’s the issue

Same starting 11 again

1 hour ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

Bless.

Christmas determined that we are no longer in 'the chase for the autos'.

Maybe, but maybe not.

Lot of return games between the top teams to go yet, so it isn't out of the equation. 

Going to take something special, and I can't see it at the moment, but the possibility is still there, and I expect the players to be pursuing that target.

Little point in them being here otherwise, and they might be looking for a new club if they don't pull their collective fingers out.

37 minutes ago, RUREADY2ROLL said:

Same starting 11 again

That starting 11 have failed to score, if anything I'd be looking to tweak the attack.

1 hour ago, Chrisj said:

We did at Wigan though as for Stevenage well it was one of those games where the conditions and the way they play doesn’t lend itself to many chances however we aren’t giving up many one against Wigan one against Stevenage none against Northampton maybe two against Mansfield.  Only Peterborough and Donny where we had some against us.  We aren’t taking ours that’s the issue

 

Did we really create more chances against Wigan than we have in an average away game this season?

Burstow should've scored, but it came from Tickle parrying a fairly tame shot from distance. Dalby did well to get his header on target but it was a half chance at best.

Was pretty slow going other than that until Sheehan scored.

3 hours ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

Bless.

Christmas determined that we are no longer in 'the chase for the autos'.

Considering we still have to play everyone at the top I'd say we are still in with a shout?

6 hours ago, L/H White said:

 thing is, what chances, we aren't creating any.

Exactly and unless that changes we’ll struggle to even stay in the top six. I’m afraid I just have no confidence in us at the moment, we don’t even look like scoring and now we’re classing half chances as good chances which they’re just not. Until we ditch this failing inverted winger crap and get ACD and Thierry going past defenders on the outside on their natural foot so balls can be delivered quicker and more accurately to the strikers I just don’t see anything improving.

2 hours ago, Whitesince63 said:

Exactly and unless that changes we’ll struggle to even stay in the top six. I’m afraid I just have no confidence in us at the moment, we don’t even look like scoring and now we’re classing half chances as good chances which they’re just not. Until we ditch this failing inverted winger crap and get ACD and Thierry going past defenders on the outside on their natural foot so balls can be delivered quicker and more accurately to the strikers I just don’t see anything improving.

Totally agree. When our wingers recycle the ball backwards or cut inside themselves it slows the attack down and if they pass or cross to someone in the middle it’s a more difficult job as the defenders are facing the ball coming towards them (easy to deal with) and the through ball is running away from our attackers. Conversely, get behind the defenders and put in a cross or pull back, it’s much quicker and the defence is back pedalling whilst the ball is coming towards our attackers making it easier to control or strike it first time. The through ball from behind the attackers to run on to is always an option but far more difficult to execute so why build an attacking system that mainly uses the more complicated option? Not rocket science.

As much as I would love to see it myself sometimes, I don't think it's as simple as attack faster, hit it forward earlier and get early crosses in. 

Most teams in this league are not as good as us in terms of player skill, but they still have good athletes. The more we up the tempo the more it plays into their hands as it then becomes less about skill and more about athleticism during transitions, this gives them much more of a chance.

I don't think there's actually anything wrong at all with the way we are doing things based on XG and XG against, we just need a player or 2 that knows how to score from open play and at least some kind of set piece threat.

10 hours ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

Bless.

Christmas determined that we are no longer in 'the chase for the autos'.

Along with Lincoln going from plucky play off challengers to favourites to finish 2nd.

24 points from last 10 games, we were level with them before Christmas and now we're 9 behind, and their run has been tougher than ours (Barnsley twice, Huddersfield, Peterboro, Luton, Cardiff, Stockport).  Its been a costly few weeks.

5 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Along with Lincoln going from plucky play off challengers to favourites to finish 2nd.

24 points from last 10 games, we were level with them before Christmas and now we're 9 behind, and their run has been tougher than ours (Barnsley twice, Huddersfield, Peterboro, Luton, Cardiff, Stockport).  Its been a costly few weeks.

They win games we would otherwise draw.

On 21/01/2026 at 18:19, paulhanley said:

Has to be the win. Do not care how.

Many is the time over the years we have beaten these 1-0 at home with a second half goal. . I can also remember David Reeves getting a very late winner against them in the early 90s 

I was at that game where Reevsey scored in the 89th minute , It was celebrated like wed just won the cup , utter bedlam . Orient with the most anti-football , park the bus , boot and run performance you will ever see . 

2 hours ago, jmjhb said:

They win games we would otherwise draw.

They're by far the best team I've seen at the Reebok this season (for 45 mins till they stopped playing). They should have been 4 nil up at half time and I said they would staying up at the top al season in the weeks after that.

We need to go on a ridiculous run this next 13 games to have a hope of catching them for second. 

3 hours ago, Stig said:

 

We need to go on a ridiculous run this next 13 games to have a hope of catching them for second. 

And that’s it. Our performances haven’t warranted all the hype about promotion- that was just a statement of intent at the beginning of the season which hasn’t been backed up even though we’re somehow still in with a chance of the playoffs.

We were “close but no cigar” under Evatt and it’s looking very much like more of the same under Schumacher unless there’s a radical shift in ruthlessness in our forward line and overall performance.

And we said exactly that when Evatt was in charge. Just goes to show how much bullshit about players and managers has passed under the bridge. 

Somehow Schumacher has to start getting a tune out of this squad and it needs to start now - and maybe we’ll find a way.

Relax ! 

19 games to go , weve done this loads of times , put an unreal late run in Under Neal , Rioch, Allardyce and Evatt (cant remember the run in under Parky for some reason ) 

The weather gets warmer , the pitches get better , our silky skills come to the fore and we romp home in style . Easy . 

The team is almost going to pick itself finally and we are going up , unless we somehow get Barnsley in the play-offs . 

11 hours ago, Eagle85 said:

As much as I would love to see it myself sometimes, I don't think it's as simple as attack faster, hit it forward earlier and get early crosses in. 

Most teams in this league are not as good as us in terms of player skill, but they still have good athletes. The more we up the tempo the more it plays into their hands as it then becomes less about skill and more about athleticism during transitions, this gives them much more of a chance.

I don't think there's actually anything wrong at all with the way we are doing things based on XG and XG against, we just need a player or 2 that knows how to score from open play and at least some kind of set piece threat.

Surely more skillful players have the ability to move themselves and the ball more accurately. Doing so that bit quicker, allows them a touch more time, and prevents opposing athletes from getting into their defensive positions, reducing space and doubling up when necessary.

If we lack one or two who can score from open play, and also a set piece threat, then maybe they're not as skillful as we think.

Evatt ball was constructed around "best players in the league" but became slow, dreary and without a backbone.

I get the point you're making, but we're third division, and even Pep ball in the first has been found out to a degree.