Blocks of 5 games

[Bare bum]

So, 7 points from this completed block of 5, and 7 from the first block. So far so good.

But how does it work in practice? Is it a real thing? I mean, if we are on only 1 or 2 points after 3 of the 5; or if we have 9 points after 3 of 5, do we do anything differently? Do we set up differently? Do we change formation? Or is it just a psychological driver?
If we do have 9 points, (from the first 3 matches) does it mean we can relax, take our foot off the pedal, try different personnel, try different plays, rest key players?

Or am I over-thinking this?

[P/T Indie]

We need to get Robbo back on the podcast and ask him.

I guess it's just a yardstick to what direction you are going, I think 7 points per block of 5 would have near the playoffs

[BerlinWaller]

It is a long long season and you do see teams drifting and dropping off at different stages. If Robbo breaks it up in to 5 game chunks it will be easier to maintain focus and drive. Assess and regroup after every 5 and go again. I think it is very clever management.

[Freez]

I agree, it’s breaking the season down into compartments and expectation for each compartment. Keeps focus on now and it’s easy to track outcomes.

[Bare bum]

It is a long long season and you do see teams drifting and dropping off at different stages. If Robbo breaks it up in to 5 game chunks it will be easier to maintain focus and drive. Assess and regroup after every 5 and go again. I think it is very clever management.

I agree, it’s breaking the season down into compartments and expectation for each compartment. Keeps focus on now and it’s easy to track outcomes.

Yes I do get that. I was more asking what we do if we fall behind or jump ahead. Do we or can we then approach matches any differently?

[Little Shrimp]

It is a long long season and you do see teams drifting and dropping off at different stages. If Robbo breaks it up in to 5 game chunks it will be easier to maintain focus and drive. Assess and regroup after every 5 and go again. I think it is very clever management.

I agree, it’s breaking the season down into compartments and expectation for each compartment. Keeps focus on now and it’s easy to track outcomes.

Yes I do get that. I was more asking what we do if we fall behind or jump ahead. Do we or can we then approach matches any differently?

I can't see it altering tactics/style - it's more a motivational tactic. If we lost five games in a row we'd probably look at changing something, regardless of this method of thinking.

As has been said before, it breaks the season down into chunks to keep focused on. On the flip side, it also stops players/fans getting too bogged down over one particularly good/bad result and focused on a bigger picture.

[Sakhalin Shrimp]

So, 7 points from this completed block of 5, and 7 from the first block. So far so good.

But how does it work in practice? Is it a real thing? I mean, if we are on only 1 or 2 points after 3 of the 5; or if we have 9 points after 3 of 5, do we do anything differently? Do we set up differently? Do we change formation? Or is it just a psychological driver?
If we do have 9 points, (from the first 3 matches) does it mean we can relax, take our foot off the pedal, try different personnel, try different plays, rest key players?

Or am I over-thinking this?

I know it’s not exactly the same but when I was younger/fitter and used to run marathons I worked on split times, i.e. 1st 5 miles in x mins then next in x mins and so on.
If I was behind I could try to push a bit harder to make up but if I was ahead, which surprisingly I was at times, I would keep pushing at the same speed to allow for any drop off nearer the finish.

Definitely a psychological driver.

Whist I’m posting about running I’m doing the London Landmarks half marathon in April in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. I’ve chosen this charity after having 3 mates struck down with Prostate cancer, unfortunately one succumbed to it earlier this year, one is currently undergoing treatment and the third has had surgery and is, hopefully, now in the clear.
I’ll be posting a link to my fundraising page within a couple of weeks (thanks Keith) if any ShrimpsVoices member feels they could contribute, no matter how small the amount.

[Freez]

Is there a call for psychological HGV drivers?

[RapidShrimp]

For clarity, Robbo mentioned from the five games, 6 points gets you survival, 7 gets you mid-table and 8 playoffs. Whether it’s tactical (highly unlikely as others have said) or psychological (most likely as it gives a clear marker to the players of where their hard work is taking them), it’s certainly worked thus far!

[Posh]

Arguably could have been better.

Doncaster -3 points - sending off and penalty we would have won
Gillingham -1 point - a draw would have been fair result
Accy -2 points - sending off hurt us and would have won it
Sheffield Wednesday - +2 points - think they deserved a point on balance of play

So could / should have been 4 points better off?