I came back on Saturday from a few days away and when I read this Forum I couldn't believe my eyes - a mixture of doom and gloom and hell fire and damnation!! Sack the Manager - is that the same Manager who took us on a 10 match unbeaten run a short while ago? Is that the same line of thought that operated when Blackburn sacked Allerdyce because they were only 14th in the Premiership at the time? Where are they now after 5 further sackings? The same line of thought that has produced the huge upturn in fortunes for Reading following their sacking of McDermott? We are doomed to go down some say - perhaps we deserve to if we lose to Reading, Fulham and Villa at Home! Expand your memories my friends. Where were we when Lambert came? Up to our eyes in **** and still sinking fast! Where were we when Lambert left? He left because his squad had over performed and the only way after that was down. Most pundits and many of our own fans had us favourites for the drop. I had a substantial bet pre-season on us going down - a bet I would like to lose - and we are still at better odds to avoid the drop than we were then. I feared that we would be down by Easter but in fact we are 14th in the table, 4 points above the drop zone, already out of the likely reach of the bottom 2 and with 3 winable home games to come.
Even if the worst happens it will only be what many feared at the beginning of the season, we have given them a good run for their money, we will be debt free, one relegation will be in line with the Business plan, we will have a decent squad to rebuild, we will have the parachute money and Hughton can then get to work building his own team. Do I like some of the Football I have seen this year? No! Do I like the way we have fallen back and defended? No but I do feel it has been out of necessity rather than choice. Do I think we will stay up? Don't know. Will I blame Hughton if they go down? No! He has, in my opinion, performed a minor miracle keeping us out of the bottom 3 for as long as he has. It won't be the end of the world if we go down and whatever happens Hughton has to be given at least next season to sort it out. Fortunately I don't believe our Board go in for short termism which is just as well as some of the comments I heard at Carrow Road on Saturday were an absolute disgrace. I'm sorry but some people need to get a grip and realise the size of the Club we support and where we have just come from.
Even if the worst happens it will only be what many feared at the beginning of the season, we have given them a good run for their money, we will be debt free, one relegation will be in line with the Business plan, we will have a decent squad to rebuild, we will have the parachute money and Hughton can then get to work building his own team. Do I like some of the Football I have seen this year? No! Do I like the way we have fallen back and defended? No but I do feel it has been out of necessity rather than choice. Do I think we will stay up? Don't know. Will I blame Hughton if they go down? No! He has, in my opinion, performed a minor miracle keeping us out of the bottom 3 for as long as he has. It won't be the end of the world if we go down and whatever happens Hughton has to be given at least next season to sort it out. Fortunately I don't believe our Board go in for short termism which is just as well as some of the comments I heard at Carrow Road on Saturday were an absolute disgrace. I'm sorry but some people need to get a grip and realise the size of the Club we support and where we have just come from.


