It's not just the 3 wins that has boosted the fans euphoria. It's the form since last Xmas and all our transfer dealings since then. In the last 3/4 years we haven't won 3 games on the trot many times, twice I think. I can't remember the last time we won 4, but I'd be happy with a point at Swansea. Well, we've won 5 on the trot in the PL but I mean in a single season.
and the league cup draw was cruel to us but if we can get a result there it could build confidence too. I was hoping for decent cup runs this season but we'll see. Our team looks together at the moment so we have no idea what will occur to fit the 3 new faces in and honestly its all momentum going our way which requires the work to be able to ride along. I mean momentum is a great thing in football... newcastle with the woeful pardew rode a wave of momentum so you can see the effect.
I would like to think there is more to us than say, WBA last year, So I hope we can keep top 4 all season.
Momentum is a huge factor in all team sports, we've all seen how it can change during a game with no apparent reason but it really affects the outcome of games, so what can it do over a season? Part of the momentum is other teams attitude towards us, how many teams have gone to OT hoping to avoid a thrashing so they play defensively and come away happy with a one nil defeat. Well that takes a long time but it starts with a winning run and having strikers that defences are frightened of and that is exactly where we are. All that said we could still lose our next four games but having done what we have so far makes it less likely, so I for one am very happy to be where we are.
I don't think that you can look at it one dimensionally i.e. have we or have we not turned a corner. For us to be truly able to answer that question, all of the other factors around us would have to remain stable. - which is patently untrue. Therefore all we can look at is how the changes we have made have/will effect our performances. To date we appear to be doing well but that is in itself misleading. We have not yet been able to deploy or major striking weapon from last season. Will his re-introduction unbalance the side or will he pick up where he left off as a goal machine (thereby ending our New Arsenal tag!). How soon will the new recruits appear in the back 4 and how much more secure will that actually make us? Will Rodgers opt for the ball domination tactic of the first half at Villa or will we see more of the defensive displays (particularly in the 2nd half)? Some of these questions will be answered over the next 7 matches - or at least provide evidence for further debate. As for the others, we have a very unusual mixture. United, Chelsea and City have all changed their managers and we don't truly know yet what the effects will be on either playing personnel (Mata?) and/or style. Then we have the Spurs factor. Not only do they have to get over losing Bale but they have to re-build the whole team with new personnel. I have not seen that done successfully before. Similarly City could be said to have the same problem. However, City do have experience of trying to cope with a surfeit of 'stars'. Then we have Arsenal. My own feelings on Ozil appear common on this board - good player but wrong player to meet their needs. United to my mind appear in even more than a mess. Perhaps they will finally admit what we've been telling them about the hole in their midfield and the flaws in their back 4. Put all of that together and I can't yet strike a balance as to whether we have improved or that our competitors have not yet solved their own problems. I hope, by the time we are 10 matches in, we are in a better position to make a valid judgement. One thing I am sure of and it's a psychological point. We have to believe NOW that we are good enough to win and go for it as our primary goal. That is not a thoughtless "This year is our year". If we aim to climb as high as Everest, we may only get as high as K2. But, if we just go climbing we are only likely to re-conquer Snowdon.
I think the the next few away games will be a good indicator of where we are at. Away to Swansea, Sunderland and Newcastle. All games I would have been worried about in previous years. The home games all seem ok. In fact given the fixtures we have I'd hope we are still top going into the Arsenal game.
don't think anyone is saying or seriously thinks we are going t challenge for the title. I think of it in that we have 3 more points than the 2 main contenders for the 4th spot. That gives us a bit of breathing space and puts a little bit more pressure on them, knowing that it won't just be a 2 horse race between Spurs & Arsenal. Also it's not just these 3 games, look at us since January when Sturridge & Coutinho came in and we'd had 3/4 months playing and getting used to the new style and the form is top 4 form no doubting that. Add to the fact we scored more goals, more away goals, more clean sheets then things are looking more promising. Got one of the best players in the World to come back into the team which should, depending on his attitude, lift the spirits of the rest of the team and maybe allow Sturridge to not think he's the only one that needs to score.
Still maintain that 5th is a realistic objective and that we should be looking at getting 70 points this season. 3 wins out 3 is a good start, but as others have mentioned, it's not just the points that we've won. We're developing a winning mentality with each game - 3 league games, 1 League Cup game, several friendlies during pre season and a great run at the end of last season have given us more belief. This is clear when you see the manner in which we won the league games through grit and determination. As long we significantly close the gap between ourselves and the top 5/6 clubs, then I'll be happier. 12 points off Arsenal, and 11 off Spurs last season is terrible.
5th most certainly is not a realistic OBJECTIVE. Limit yourselves to that target and your more likely to finish 8th or lower! For too long we've lived with this stupid complex that we shouldn't be aiming for the top. Look what that philosophy has done to Arsenal who's whole club philosophy and player selection is limited by this 4th place phobia. Right at this moment there's nobody who is any better than us in the league. There are many clubs that we already feel that we should be beat. There's no clubs that we believe that we cannot beat. Therefore the No1 spot has to be the target until the maths tell us that it's not possible to achieve.
Aye, aim for the Stars you may get the Moon.. However aim for the Moon and you could end up being stuck in Luton Airport Departures!
My post above seems to have been truncated?! Anyhow my thoughts were that I am really pleased with the progress made, Rodgers had done well and I'm a lot happier than I have been for years. 3 wins out of 3 is awesome - especially as we were Suarezless - the next 4/5 games will show if we can consistently get results - bring em on Oh yes and this year is definitely our year!!!
When we don't get a result we feel we should have, it is important that we as fans don't start the doom and gloom **** as it rubs off on our players/play. Just need to get our chins up and look to the next game to rectify it - we are good enough to beat any team in the PL on our day and that is the attitude that is needed week in week out. Not quiet days at Anfield because we drew the week before. Get the feel good factor through-out the season and I think we will shock a few people.
You could I suppose. But all of the studies in corporate planning show that when objectives are psychologically constrained they become burdens rather than promoters of progress. You stick with your 5th place is it suits, but don't disparage those who aim higher.
Disparaging? Not sure it came across correctly in my previous post but I was agreeing with you, aim for the top spot and if we end up 4th, so be it... but 4th shouldn't be the goal of any team at the start of the year, if you have a defeatist attitude to begin with then the battle is lost before it began! No sane fan thinks will win the league this year but damn it, we'll give it a damn good go!
All of them? I think not. When a small percentage of your team are missing their targets, then the problem is almost certainly the team members When the majority of your team are missing their targets, the problem is almost certainly the targets...... Setting unrealistic targets can be just as counter productive as setting the bar too low.
