My first topic to have a moan about is the overreaction of everyone after every game, no matter what happens. If we win a game comfortably then the general idea seems to be that we're going to win every game 8-0, whilst if we lose or draw then McParland has to get sacked and we're going to struggle to make the play-offs. In truth, both viewpoints or a long way wide of the mark. We've made a solid and unspectacular start to the season and winning our first two games 5-0 and 4-0 caused as many problems for us as it did positives. Before that, everyone was excited and the rest of League Two were intrigued as to what was going to happen to us. Afterwards, everyone was expecting to walk the league and Notts became the team to beat.
That said, the idea that we're everyone's cup final is just wrong. Teams' fans may want to beat us a little bit more than usual, but that's to be expected and doesn't equate to it being their cup final. On the pitch, when the whistle is blown our matches are no different to any other League Two match. The opposition will work hard and chase everything because that's what League Two sides do, not because we're anything special. We have to match that effort and desire because that gives us the platform to win games thanks to our creative, more talented players which are above anything else on offer in this league. They aren't going to flourish however if the side as a whole isn't up for the fight and doesn't match the opposition for effort and application. In the first two games it wasn't a problem, but after Chesterfield we've seemed to go a little bit flat in that department.
There's no need to panic though, we've played six league games and that is never enough to make a proper judgement. At this point under Gudjon we were sitting pretty at the top of the table, whilst we had just one more point after six games under Sam Allardyce when we broke a host of records in winning the title. You can't tell what position we're really in for a good few more weeks, especially as by that time everything will have settled down a bit more at the club. We still have to decide our best strike force, midfield and have Sol Campbell to slot into our defence. When these things are sorted, we'll really be able to evaluate where we are in comparison to both the rest of the division and those sky high expecations we all had on the way back from the Moss Rose.
Everyone enjoy the Northampton game!