Bowen v. Paunović

[Snowflake Royal]

I'm no fan of tippy happy bullshit, give me Coppell over any of them. And not necessarily his two great seasons either.

I'll take Pauno style over McDermott's. Bearing in mind we're talking style, not success or quality of implementation.

[Zip]

There has been progress but I don’t think it’s as impressive as has been suggested.

This is just madness. We've been relegation candidates since the Huddersfield play-off final, and now we go into the final weeks of the season with a small chance to go up (and we're a couple of Lucas Joao penalty misses from being right there in the mix).

We were not relegation candidates at all last season. After we beat Fulham in New Years Day there was a hope we could make a play off charge. We ended the season poorly but were still comfortably mid table.

[Sanguine]

There has been progress but I don’t think it’s as impressive as has been suggested.

This is just madness. We've been relegation candidates since the Huddersfield play-off final, and now we go into the final weeks of the season with a small chance to go up (and we're a couple of Lucas Joao penalty misses from being right there in the mix).

We were not relegation candidates at all last season. After we beat Fulham in New Years Day there was a hope we could make a play off charge. We ended the season poorly but were still comfortably mid table.

We didn't go higher than 18th until the middle of December, and after we beat Fulham on New Year's Day we subsequently won just one of our next ten. With 11 games to go we were five points outside of the relegation zone. Let's not rewrite history. Last season was not 'comfortable' by any means.

[TiagoIlori]

Both have ultimately been average however we have looked like being a premier league team in the future more often under Paunovic than Bowen. Bowen had absolutely no plan B when Lucas Joao was injured.

[Snowflake Royal]

There has been progress but I don’t think it’s as impressive as has been suggested.

This is just madness. We've been relegation candidates since the Huddersfield play-off final, and now we go into the final weeks of the season with a small chance to go up (and we're a couple of Lucas Joao penalty misses from being right there in the mix).

We were not relegation candidates at all last season. After we beat Fulham in New Years Day there was a hope we could make a play off charge. We ended the season poorly but were still comfortably mid table.

We didn't go higher than 18th until the middle of December, and after we beat Fulham on New Year's Day we subsequently won just one of our next ten. With 11 games to go we were five points outside of the relegation zone. Let's not rewrite history. Last season was not 'comfortable' by any means.

Prior to lockdown, we'd basically secured our status all but mathematically. We then came back and performed badly, unsurprisingly for a team with very little to play for in those circumstances.

We were only so low for so long thanks to the absolutely appalling start made by Gomes.

We were comfortable under Bowen last season.

Undoubtedly the squad is now better, and Pauno has got more out of mostly the same players. But the gulf is not that big.

Bowen's record with Joao in the side is pretty impressive. Joao has made a huge difference. On form we're top 4, missing or off form we're top 10

[Zip]

There has been progress but I don’t think it’s as impressive as has been suggested.

This is just madness. We've been relegation candidates since the Huddersfield play-off final, and now we go into the final weeks of the season with a small chance to go up (and we're a couple of Lucas Joao penalty misses from being right there in the mix).

We were not relegation candidates at all last season. After we beat Fulham in New Years Day there was a hope we could make a play off charge. We ended the season poorly but were still comfortably mid table.

We didn't go higher than 18th until the middle of December, and after we beat Fulham on New Year's Day we subsequently won just one of our next ten. With 11 games to go we were five points outside of the relegation zone. Let's not rewrite history. Last season was not 'comfortable' by any means.

You’re the one rewriting history. Once we beat Fulham on New Years Day we had won as many as we had lost and were never in any danger at all of going down. At the start of the summer when the outstanding League games were due to be played there was still an outside chance of making the play offs but we finished the season very poorly. If what you are saying is true then how on earth could we perform so badly in the final 5 games and not be remotely close to relegation? You are talking nonsense.

[Zip]

We were not relegation candidates at all last season. After we beat Fulham in New Years Day there was a hope we could make a play off charge. We ended the season poorly but were still comfortably mid table.

We didn't go higher than 18th until the middle of December, and after we beat Fulham on New Year's Day we subsequently won just one of our next ten. With 11 games to go we were five points outside of the relegation zone. Let's not rewrite history. Last season was not 'comfortable' by any means.

Prior to lockdown, we'd basically secured our status all but mathematically. We then came back and performed badly, unsurprisingly for a team with very little to play for in those circumstances.

We were only so low for so long thanks to the absolutely appalling start made by Gomes.

We were comfortable under Bowen last season.

Undoubtedly the squad is now better, and Pauno has got more out of mostly the same players. But the gulf is not that big.

Bowen's record with Joao in the side is pretty impressive. Joao has made a huge difference. On form we're top 4, missing or off form we're top 10

Yep and in this respect Bowen was unlucky that Joao was injured in the Fulham game because has he stayed fit we were looking like we might really push on.

[Sanguine]

If 5 points from the relegation zone is 'no danger' then I'm really getting football wrong.

[Zip]

If 5 points from the relegation zone is 'no danger' then I'm really getting football wrong.

For one week only we were five points above the relegation zone after we lost to Wigan. A few games later the gap was eleven points. That does not constitute a relegation battle.

[Sanguine]

If 5 points from the relegation zone is 'no danger' then I'm really getting football wrong.

For one week only we were five points above the relegation zone after we lost to Wigan. A few games later the gap was eleven points. That does not constitute a relegation battle.

A battle after our form picked up, no. But after one win in ten games and that 3-0 defeat to Wigan that put us in five points ahead of them and the relegation zone, with 11 games left, this is a remarkable certainty on your part that we weren't going down.

[Zip]

If 5 points from the relegation zone is 'no danger' then I'm really getting football wrong.

For one week only we were five points above the relegation zone after we lost to Wigan. A few games later the gap was eleven points. That does not constitute a relegation battle.

A battle after our form picked up, no. But after one win in ten games and that 3-0 defeat to Wigan that put us in five points ahead of them and the relegation zone, with 11 games left, this is a remarkable certainty on your part that we weren't going down.

No. Just pointing out the bleeding obvious. For one week only there was the potential we could be dragged into a relegation battle which didn’t materialise as we then won games immediately after. By all means feel free to consider this to be a relegation campaign if it makes you feel good.though.

[Sanguine]

For one week only we were five points above the relegation zone after we lost to Wigan. A few games later the gap was eleven points. That does not constitute a relegation battle.

A battle after our form picked up, no. But after one win in ten games and that 3-0 defeat to Wigan that put us in five points ahead of them and the relegation zone, with 11 games left, this is a remarkable certainty on your part that we weren't going down.

No. Just pointing out the bleeding obvious. For one week only there was the potential we could be dragged into a relegation battle which didn’t materialise as we then won games immediately after. By all means feel free to consider this to be a relegation campaign if it makes you feel good.though.

I didn't call it a relegation campaign, I said that's what RFC has been about since the Huddersfield game. It's inarguable. You said 'we were not relegation candidates at all' last season, when we didn't go above 18th until the middle of December, and with 11 games to go the gap to relegation had closed to five points. What you said is plainly utter garbage.

[Zip]

A battle after our form picked up, no. But after one win in ten games and that 3-0 defeat to Wigan that put us in five points ahead of them and the relegation zone, with 11 games left, this is a remarkable certainty on your part that we weren't going down.

No. Just pointing out the bleeding obvious. For one week only there was the potential we could be dragged into a relegation battle which didn’t materialise as we then won games immediately after. By all means feel free to consider this to be a relegation campaign if it makes you feel good.though.

I didn't call it a relegation campaign, I said that's what RFC has been about since the Huddersfield game. It's inarguable. You said 'we were not relegation candidates at all' last season, when we didn't go above 18th until the middle of December, and with 11 games to go the gap to relegation had closed to five points. What you said is plainly utter garbage.

Utter nonsense from you yet again. No surprises there. Just to be clear we were not relegation candidates last season.

[Stranded]

Isn't the truth really somewhere in between. Under Gomes we were not only in a relegation battle but pretty much nailed on to go down.

Once Bowen got us going, it never "felt" as if we were ever in danger even if a downturn in form put us on the fringes of the battle again, probably proven out by the fact we only picked up 8 points in the final 9 games and still finished a comfortable 8 points ahead of the bottom 3 and that following the 3-0 win over Derby we didn't drop below 16th (or above 13th) in the entire second half of the season.

So even with just a 5pt gap, sitting 16th will never feel like you are in danger as there are so many clubs between you and the drop.

[Westwood52]

The memory plays tricks on you (me).I thought we were in trouble close to the end last year;but we actually finished 14th.Even though we lost three of our last five games.I think we will end up 7th or 8th this year,which is some sort of improvement.Not enough for the Owners,me thinks.However TBF to Pauno we only acquired one significant new player in Laurent.Semedo has been iffy;while Estevez and Gibson were mistakes.Bowen probably missed out on a long hot streak from Jao,which Pauno enjoyed pre Xmas.

[Zip]

Isn't the truth really somewhere in between. Under Gomes we were not only in a relegation battle but pretty much nailed on to go down.

Once Bowen got us going, it never "felt" as if we were ever in danger even if a downturn in form put us on the fringes of the battle again, probably proven out by the fact we only picked up 8 points in the final 9 games and still finished a comfortable 8 points ahead of the bottom 3 and that following the 3-0 win over Derby we didn't drop below 16th (or above 13th) in the entire second half of the season.

So even with just a 5pt gap, sitting 16th will never feel like you are in danger as there are so many clubs between you and the drop.

What you’ve said is the same as me. We got off to a poor start under Gomes but once Bowen came in we won games early on in his tenure and never looked likely of being involved in a relegation battle. Ergo we were not relegation candidates. The fact we were in relegation form for the final nine games but nowhere near going down says it all.

[Sanguine]

Isn't the truth really somewhere in between. Under Gomes we were not only in a relegation battle but pretty much nailed on to go down.

Once Bowen got us going, it never "felt" as if we were ever in danger even if a downturn in form put us on the fringes of the battle again, probably proven out by the fact we only picked up 8 points in the final 9 games and still finished a comfortable 8 points ahead of the bottom 3 and that following the 3-0 win over Derby we didn't drop below 16th (or above 13th) in the entire second half of the season.

So even with just a 5pt gap, sitting 16th will never feel like you are in danger as there are so many clubs between you and the drop.

All I did was suggest it nonsense to say that relegation was never on the cards that season. As I've said twice, we didn't go above 18th until mid-December, and after that defeat to Wigan, we were only five points above the line with 11 games left.

Zip takes his role as 'defender of the realm' very seriously, so I'll leave it there!

[Stranded]

Isn't the truth really somewhere in between. Under Gomes we were not only in a relegation battle but pretty much nailed on to go down.

Once Bowen got us going, it never "felt" as if we were ever in danger even if a downturn in form put us on the fringes of the battle again, probably proven out by the fact we only picked up 8 points in the final 9 games and still finished a comfortable 8 points ahead of the bottom 3 and that following the 3-0 win over Derby we didn't drop below 16th (or above 13th) in the entire second half of the season.

So even with just a 5pt gap, sitting 16th will never feel like you are in danger as there are so many clubs between you and the drop.

All I did was suggest it nonsense to say that relegation was never on the cards that season. As I've said twice, we didn't go above 18th until mid-December, and after that defeat to Wigan, we were only five points above the line with 11 games left.

Zip takes his role as 'defender of the realm' very seriously, so I'll leave it there!

Yep, like I said you were both kind of right - up until that run of 4 wins, we were certainly in the battle but after that, it was essentially a bit of a coast to the line esp. after the restart.

[Snowflake Royal]

Isn't the truth really somewhere in between. Under Gomes we were not only in a relegation battle but pretty much nailed on to go down.

Once Bowen got us going, it never "felt" as if we were ever in danger even if a downturn in form put us on the fringes of the battle again, probably proven out by the fact we only picked up 8 points in the final 9 games and still finished a comfortable 8 points ahead of the bottom 3 and that following the 3-0 win over Derby we didn't drop below 16th (or above 13th) in the entire second half of the season.

So even with just a 5pt gap, sitting 16th will never feel like you are in danger as there are so many clubs between you and the drop.

This. Which is exactly the point. Gomes went early. Bowen showed we weren't in serious danger.

Not a relegation threatened season once Gomes went.

[Snowflake Royal]

Relegation battles don't really start until Xmas anyway, bar the really truly awful sides down in 23/24th. There's just too many games to play. And 18th is pretty much the fringe of a relegation fight anyway.