2 good, 2 bad

In all honesty I wasn't sure what to expect from this season. It was clearly going to be very very difficult to break the top 6 given their investments over the summer. Add Europe into the mix for us and it's even harder. I guess I was hoping for a top 10 finish, don't think that's unrealistic?

I guess my point is, regardless of my or anyone else's expectations, we don't expect the kind of results and performances we've seen on several times this season (Sunderland draw, hull, palace, Sparta defeats). We can accept a one off or a bad day, but they are becoming regular. Even our worse off day shouldn't be a 3-0 defeat to that palace side on current form?

For me, the cups should be our priority I agree! The season will fizzle out quite quickly without them!

 

We're forums as popular in the 90s as they are today

 

Out of interest, which ones? Granted it was created on the journey home after the game tonight but still don't think it's too far wide of the mark...

Like to point out, games like Liverpool at home made it because although we defend well, I thought we could and should have given them a lot more of a go. Their defence isn't exactly world beaters and again we didn't test it (much like palace today)

 

I have been on here longer than we have been "high flying top ten" and I used to be on 606 before that. I have supported Saints since I got into football in the early eighties. You are missing my point.

I remember those days of watching teletext and hoping for a goal to come, followed by 2 goals to come and then 3 goals to come, oh well we've lost again, on to next week.

I might not sound it but I am overjoyed at the last 6 seasons' climb. It has been amazing. It is great we are in Europe. Doesn't mean we are playing well though. More often than not even when we win it is a dire match unless you like watching "ole" football. It is like a competition to try not to put the ball in the nasty 18 yard box at times. I want to watch some action every now in the game from us rather than the hot potato round the edge of the area to be applauded by forum posters as being delightful stuff.

 

Granted, probably poor choice of words written in anger. However doesn't mean we can't express our disappointment and frustrations.

For me, there are question marks around Puel. I have seen far more performance like or similar to today than I have good performances. I honestly don't think I've walked away from a game this season and thought we were really good all over the pitch today. Maybe I'm being harsh?

 

My post was aimed at original poster. At the end of the day we all support this amazing team that tugs on our emotions at least one a week.

Some of the football we played against Everton was sensational and some we played today was dire.

I am sure the better performances/results will outweigh the poor.

 

NP

Just shows how differently we see things though. I would suggest poor performances are by far the majority despite the results we get. Winning doesn't mean you played well.

 

. Change my mind.

 

If winning doesn't mean you played well, then it must follow that losing doesn't mean you played badly. We played well in patches today, but I suppose that doesn't count? Can't have it both ways.

 

Going through the list quickly, looks like a win (or good result) hits the good list and vice versa. I think we have played well and lost or drawn and for different reasons.

We see things differently and perhaps have different expectations or understandings of a game. Take the Liverpool game and your commments. That was a game where we weren't allowed to go at them. They Wee verocious in their closing down of us and stopping us from getting any real Rhythm and be able to go at them. In this case, when the opponents are doing that really well and dominating you, you then have to do the next bit really well; defend. We did that. Hits the good list for me but not in the normal way we'd see a game as good because we all like to see us have lots of chances and lots of creativity.

You said we should have given them a lot more of a go. That would have been nice, but they didn't allow us to do that. That happens.

 

Agreed. It does follow that losing doesn't mean you played badly. Some games we lose when we played really well and I walk away thinking dammit, we played really well there. Not many though and today was not one of them nor many of the others this season. I have been disappointed more this season and the last with performances than results.

 

Don't really see how anyone can have been disappointed with last season.

As for this, well, we're obviously still a work in progress. Inter at home and Arsenal away are highlights though.

 

Last season's league position or the games? I was very critical of Ron last season as well. Superb league position but not playing well very often!

 

I agree we are playing better football this season than last. But isn't it results that count?

 

Yes Results count. I'm not really complaining about results and don't think many people are. They and I are complaining about performances and then being mystified by other posters talking about us playing well and just lacking goal threat.

I don't think we are playing much better than last season. Same as really. A good game here and there. a few lacklustre wins to fill it out with some equally lacklustre losses. We're still getting similar results as last season. We will probably be top 10 minimum. Not overly entertaining though.

Maybe I should go back to the good old days of just seeing teletext and highlights. Didn't seem to be so disappointed back then.

 

So just complaining then? Fair enough...

 

Context Archers. I am not complaining about the cumulative results. We did great last year but we should be able to accept that we were hoofing it up to Pelle for vast amounts of the season and defending then playing on the counter the rest of it.

Same this season. Results aren't as bad as the performances.

I'm sorry you disagree with me or am trying not to see what I mean but football is supposed to be entertainment as well.

 

Fair enough, it just seems to me that there's a large section of our fans who now think we've made it as a top 8 club and we should be there every single season. Whereas in reality football doesn't work like that, we've had 3 good seasons and that's all. I think a drop in league position was inevitable this season as did many others so I'm not really bothered too much about the league (wrong phrase really but hopefully you know what I mean).

It just seems to me that most of the people getting really down are the ones who are expecting us to be in the top 8 at least etc. I also think people got carried away after our little run which ended with City away. Fair enough if you're not in this group.

I've said it before, I'll say it again. The initial bad run didn't make Claude ****, the good one didn't make him Wenger... think we need to give him the whole season before we judge him properly. There's things I really like about him and things I'm not so sure about at the moment but think espescially where his rotation is supposed to keep us fresher it will be interesting to see if we can end the season strongly. But I will judge him properly in May.

Though if we beat Hapoel then for me the season has been a success personally already.

 

A lot of his is a great post.

 

Bournemouth v Liverpool sums exactly my feelings of why we should have gone for it more against Liverpool. IMO they only looked so good because we let them. The first 20 minutes of today's game they looked unstoppable but Bournemouth broke that trend and got at their evidently poor defence.

We have played a few teams this season with poor defences and made them look good. Liverpool and palace being the mains ones. Yes we did defend well against Liverpool but if it wasn't for the chances they scuffed we still would have lost.