I was going to use the title Expectation and Hope v Realism and Sense but I thought I would catch your attention. When Mr O'Neill arrived I think it fair to say that we would have accepted safety, instead we have top 4 form and its exceeded even his expectation, we need to make sure he has not provided us with a rope to hang him. MON himself says we should expect and after years of broken dreams its good to hear someone saying its OK to expect but we football fans are often our own worst enemies. Our run since MON arrived has maybe given us a false and unrealistic expectation, however if we thrown in a good handful of realism it could be easy to tip the scales, to go from hopeful expectation to oh well, it was good but next season will be same old Sunderland, it will never last. So how do we find that middle ground or is there a middle ground, is this how it is, we so called happy clappers enjoy the good days but are maybe over upset on the bad ones. The so called doom and gloomers cant enjoy the good days because they know it wont last, even if it does. Maybe the truth is that it takes years of success and stability before we can finally get rid of that the bubble will burst mentality. Up the road Newcastle fans face the same dilemma, they have achieved much more than they expected and must have spent a lot of this season thinking it will never last, but it has, how do they go into next season? Is a top 4 finish a realistic expectation and would anything less feel like an anti climax. At times you have to wonder why we follow this thing called football, it cost a fortune, builds you up then knocks you back down, on days like Saturday you cant stop smiling, on days like last Tuesday you cant stop crying. Maybe those long gone wives had it right, we are just silly little boys who never grew up, and girls Scatty.
If we don't get a top 4 finish, win one of the cups and stuff Newcastle home and away next season while playing slick pass and move football with a wealth of goals MON should be shot with **** and we should get someone decent in like Pep Guardiola. Season after that it's CL semi final at least and both cups and at least 2 more goals on aggregate against the mags or he can **** off.
Next season: I expect to have a season free from Relegation fears. I hope for a top 8 finish, a good cup run and potentially a push for European place in the 2nd half of the season and beat the Skunks at home I dream of a semi-final at Wembley (or even a final), a European place and stuff the Mags at home and away.
You'd be content with O'Neill if all he does is guide you to an easy, for example, 13-14th placed finish?
13/14th place would probably mean we would be down at 15/16th at some point, so no as anything 15th place or below means relegation fears. 11th place or above finish and not dropping down below 13/14th once the season has settled down and I would be content Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be chuffed with that but I would't be calling for MON's head either - it will be his first full season in charge after his first full pre-season a transfer window behind him. I refuse to expect more until MON has had a full season in charge, and seen if he can keep the likes of Sess this summer.
If someone had said at the very start of this season, you both can have 41 points with 7 games still to play, I think we both would have snapped their hands off tbh. Newcastle are having a phenomenal season, and for that aspect, I think the pressure is a lot more on Pardew next season than it will be on MON. Can Pardew improve on what he has done this season, next season, I am not sure he can in all honesty, and knowing Newcastle from Managers past, do a little worse than the season before and you are out the door. Dont get me wrong he has done a fantastic Job and all credit to him, but it may be worth having a silly bet that he will be the first manager sacked next season. If MON had been here at the start of the season, and we have the same points/games ratio we have now, I think most if not all Sunderland fans would be chuffed (Newcastle flying would have pissed a lot off but not a lot we could do about that). Next year as long as we are above the drop zone and i would say 7-15 points above it after the first 15-20 games, then we will be happy, then make a late push for those above us, dont think anyone of us expects miracles, but 40 points again with 7-8 games to go would be very nice imho. If we get higher, great, its a nice bonus.
If Newcastle keep their team together they will do well again next season but if Fat Mike thinks he can cash in on his stars and buy cheap continental imports they would be very lucky to get the same results as all their buys have hit the ground running and its rare that happens.
There is a very good chance we can finish this season with 51 or 52 points and a comfortable top 10 place. Considering that 40 of those points will probably have come in about 22 league games, its all the more impressive. Had Mon been here since August, we may well be top 6 and challenging a top 4 place as well. There is of course no guarantees that this would actually be the case but its a solid theory nonetheless. Whatever this season holds, a top 10 place and an FA Cup quarter final has all been very enjoyable. Next season is a brand new challenge though. The slate is wiped clean and everyone starts equal again. Our targets? Better stab at both cups this time; consistency in the league with another top 10 place. I would also hope to be in the top 10 from day one onwards and never involved or discussed in the relegated stakes. I just want Sunderland to be 'players' at this level and anything more is a bonus. You can't turn 50 years of failure round overnight but you can show signs of a turn around for certain. Mon has shown that in his first 20 odd games he is definitely heading that way and after a summer recruitment and a full pre season, I can't wait for his first full season.
MARTIN O’Neill has told his Sunderland players to forget what might have been and remember all they have achieved under him this season. In a glowing vote of confidence for Black Cats players who feel they are playing for their futures under the Ulsterman, O’Neill has formally absolved them behind closed doors of any blame for not going further in the FA Cup. He has taken the pressure off them in the Premier League run-in by telling them they have already performed wonders to haul themselves back from a relegation season to finish the season in fine form. O’Neill will use the final games of the season to assess which of his players are assured of a place in his squad next season and several fringe men know they are playing to remain at the Stadium of Light for the 2012-13 campaign. Ahmed Elmohamady, Craig Gordon, Matt Kilgallon, Connor Wickham and Ji Dong-Won are among the players who have barely featured under O’Neill since he took over, while the manager is also understood to want to see more of David Meyler in the final weeks of the campaign. For the established men there have been reassurances, however. Skipper Lee Cattermole has revealed a positive team meeting in the wake of the FA Cup sixth-round replay defeat by Everton helped inspire the performance at Manchester City which saw them unlucky to draw 3-3, having led 3-1, and convinced them they can finish the season on a high note. Cattrermole said: “The gaffer made us watch the first half against Everton again. “It was even more frustrating watching the game because I felt we were in the game at half-time. “We put that behind us and we went out on Friday in training. “The manager told us he is happy with what we have achieved under him and we have still a lot to play for this season and that we could not afford to dwell on the defeat by Everton. “We are not going to allow our season to fizzle out and we have to show we deserve the three points in every game we play.” Read More http://www.journallive.co.uk/safc/s...players-efforts-61634-30679928/#ixzz1qxlzO8SF
