Late to this post and only read the OP so far but bang on with everything you say. Although all promoted teams are favourites for relegation due to whats happened the last few season and we were the big favourites because if the point gap blah, blah, blah. No promoted club has invested like this one has this season and even better than that ever! It looks like we have recruited well and gave the team a real fighting chance! Then its the next bit the magnitude of achieving promotion last year it was huge! And it seems like the biggest factor was RLB! I for one was worried going into them play offs it looked like the wheels were off, how can you turn around this **** form I thought and said on here! But I now think it was part of the plan, give the lads a few weeks barely getting out of first gear and be ready to go at the play-off full tilt 'till the end'. Class and I'm not too proud to admit I started to doubt RLB in that poor run at the end but I was so wrong! He did all that with virtually the same team that ended the season before on relegation form! RLB and the coaching team is the massive bonus to these new players imo! Look how quick they have fit right in! They have gelled so quickly! That has to be down to how well it is all being coached into and explained to them! Signs are good so far!
Funny you say that. I looked at them playing together and few times and thought ****ing hell what will they be like when they have time to really click! Cause despite it not being possible for them to have fully clicked due to time, they are playing well together and you wouldn’t think they had hardly had time together.
I get your viewpoint, but I personally think it’s the opposite. The scenes after that win were because of the opposite, the lack of expectation and the understanding that every win is massive. We need to keep that energy for every home game. There were some small signs of it gelling v Brentford, bits that won’t have made the highlights but some really fast, slick one touch stuff in midfield that didn’t go anywhere but you seen it and thought ‘oh hello’, a few small snapshots of what this team might look like once fully bedded in.
September 13th: Crystal Palace (a) - 3pm 0 20th: Aston Villa (h) - 3pm 1 27th: Nottingham Forest (a) - 3pm 0 October 4th: Man Utd (a) - 3pm 1 18th: Wolves (h) - 3pm 3 25th: Chelsea (a) - 3pm 0 November 1st: Everton (a) - 3pm 1 The next 7 games which would take us to the 10 game mark (I remember Keano saying 'don't bother with the table until 10 games had been played'). I have us down for another 6 points, taking us to 12 after the 10 games. Last season that would sit us around 13th after 10 games. For comparison, Ipswich had 5 points and Southampton had 4, Leicester had 10 after 10. Obviously anything could happen, but just a bit of fun.
Let's not **** about, being the first promoted side in 3 years to not go straight back down would be a huge achievement and you'd have to class it as a success. Having said that, I really do believe this squad is capable of more. No reason we can't aim for around 13th/14th imo, and if things really click (and some other teams struggle with injuries/ form) I'd like to think we could maybe finish top half, at a push. Mainly coz I've stuck about a hundred quid on it
Great post mate...agree with every word! Like you,I was really worried how we finished last season regular fixtures,thinking that we needed a winning momentum going into the play-offs....as you say,so wrong! I'm trusting RLB and the coaching staff to get the best from these players,who have been recruited by Stuart Harvey and his people,who,clearly have done their homework. Ok,it won't work out for everyone,we know that,but we are part of a club that,for the very first time in a long time,seems to know what it's doing and I'm 100% on board with it. I'm quite sure that the passion we've seen already from the players,already here and newly arrived,bodes well for us.
I’ve a real feeling Talbi and Diarra will blow up, and that’s gotta be worth 6-7 points minimum. The defence looks really decent, not just personnel wise but shape and understanding. Keeper is solid. We a good side.
Maybe there are some crossed wires here. My point is that if we have high expectations, naturally wins against the likes of Brentford will be seen as easy meat, and less worthy of wild celebration. If our expectations remain that 17th is a great achievement and things are kept in check, the wild celebrations we've seen at the SOL recently will remain.
I’d still snap hands off for 17th on goal difference. But agree with the sentiment that relegation would be a “failure” now. Clubs fail all the time tho, it’s not the end of the world. We’re in a great position if we stay up and still a good position if we don’t. Personally I still don’t think we’ll create enough chances and it’s going to be a struggle. But I’m wrong all the time.
Be absolutely shocked if a single SAFC supporter thinks this way at any point this season... Well, except for Monty immediately after we score any goal. He'll want the entire board sacked as soon as we concede one, of course.
I have seen some people say that they think we're going to finish top half and even more saying we'll be top 12. In order to actually achieve that it likely means we'd need to rack up 50-60 points and that means teams like Brentford at home must be seen as easy meat. Let's keep the underdog mentality and keep the SOL rocking.
Nobody's easy meat. Our 50-60 points will need to be achieved by 50-60 goals. Imo,that's what it'll come down to. There will be a number of matches where we're on the back foot, unable to get out and create much. But,for the others,when we're under not so much pressure,we need to break and score. That'll be the key.
I think Ballard touched upon it in the first game that the mentality is to go into every game and win it. Loads, myself included, would have taken a point in the first game against West Ham, but the team didn’t. They wanted to win. To go into every game thinking that is the right way to go
Palace and Forest will be very hard games, they have frightening pace and power. Our back 5 will be tested, but i think we have enough to match them. Villa will depend on which Villa turns up, but should be a good game. I spent a lot of the Brentford game smiling like an idiot at the skill level of our players, we have clearly gone up several levels and have some serious skill combined with pace and a cool calculating Head Coach. I see no reason why mid table is unachievable, if we cant get 4 to 6 points from the next 3 games mid table has to be the target
For me it’s about targets and phases. Survival is of course the priority target - the first target and the first phase. The magical 40 points - that is the first target. If we achieve that with games to spare then we move onto the second target and phase 2 - mid table consolidation. If we get to that phase then onto the next target and phase 3 (dreamland and not for this season I believe) top 6 and Europe!
for me if everything goes to plan this should be are target for the next 5 years. year 1 -stay up anyway possible year 2 -stay up but comfortable with no worries year 3 -aim for top half year 4 -cement are selfs as a top half team year 5 -aim for europe and a cup
He is mad like! He thinks SAFC is up there with thr biggest clubs in the world and losing or even conceding to anyone is a failure. I always say it but he was once curious if other thought we could get Mbappe on loan in the championship ffs!
Im fine with this. If it happens faster great but slow and steady on strong foundations is fine. I’ve waited 44 years for us to be half decent; few more is ok. We already have a club to be proud of again, that’s a wonderful thing.
