I've listened to this again, as I felt I'd surely been too positive the other night, as it is, I'm still pleased with the majority of it, but I picked up on a quote that concerned me a tad: "People think we have a divine right to be in the top half of the Championship", whilst I appreciate we were in the bottom division ten years ago, we were in the top division two years ago, so wouldn't it be reasonable to accept that the team finishes in the top half at the very least? I know it shouldn't, but it does concern me that this is the attitude towards promotion being taken by one of the men supposed to get us there. Thoughts? I'm aware I'm a ****.
From that quote, it sounds like he is trying to calm us down and lower expectation. There are teams spending money and frankly we can't do the same. Personally I think we can reasonably expect to be well within the top half and challange realistically for the play-offs (not like last season where we sort of pretended to challenge a bit). But it does sound as though he doesn't expect a play-off charge.
We've only been above Championship level in the last five seasons, I guess older fans like me don't have too high expectations given memories of where we have been before. I think we should expect a top half finish given last season and the brilliant away run, plus Pearson has the full pre-season to do what he wants with the squad, of which most of them are his players.
Does any club have a right to be anywhere within a league? You only have a right to be participating in a league.
Well yeah, if you take the statement literally. I took it as "We might not even finish in the top half, I wouldn't see it as failure", which is concerning because it'd be another step backwards.
He is saying with the mess we got into a finish anywhere above the relegation places was a good result last season. Probably aimed at people moaning about not making the playoffs.
Still, a middle aged guy in a suit, whatever position he may have, it comes down the players on the pitch grabbing the points eh?
I take it to mean "We have no divine right, we have to earn our place in the top half", but then my glass isn't permanently half empty.
So basically the glass is half full, the glass is half empty, and the glass is leaking... I'm going for half full.
It's the kind of cliched phrase a lot of people in football use these days. I expect AP would be gutted if we didn't finish in the top half. It's probably wiser to say that than to say "we have a divine right to be in the top 6 and we will DEFINITELY get there." Could lead to much egg on face.
I think we have a lot to deal with, as fans. The club have just had 8 years of a roller-coaster ride which, in general, has seen us rise like a pheonix from the ashes of football. That has all happened in an INCREADIBLY short period of time and, understandibly, people assume that is the way it will always be, simply because we have no experience. However, added to that is the fact that our Premiership experience has cost us (and this is the measure of what Assem Allam has done) our forseeable future. The money that could have been used to build the squad and club so that it could become an established Premiership club, has gone. Not only has it gone but the interest has cost our owner an unbelieveable amount in order to keep us afloat. We, as a club now need to bite the bullett and adjust our expectations. Assem Allam has no more to put in and I fully understand Adam saying he can't ask for any more money. We must now be satisfied with less, hard as that is when the likes of Leicester and West Ham are doing what they are doing, because there is no more. Assem cannot seel the Club either because nobody (NOBODY) will pay him anywhere near what he has paid for it. So those who dream of some big, rich owner coming in and ploughing another "20m into player purchases and forget it. FANS SHOULD JUST BE GRATEFUL THERE IS A CLUB AT ALL TO SUPPORT. BY RIGHTS WE SHOULD NO LONGER EXIST.
I agree entirely. There is nothing wrong with having hopes of success with Hull, but i don't believe we have a right to expect anything.
Yes but we'd still like to hope for a top half finish Strvolos, it'd be like having no club to support if you just accepted they were never going to succeed.
That's what I mean about expectations. Football is not game it was 20, 10 or even 5 years ago. As time goes on, there will be the clubs that have money and those that don't. Eventually, the Premiership and the top half dozen of Clubs in the Championship will be the play things of the mega rich and the same clubs will be relegated and promoted every year. This will get worse and worse until the bubble bursts (and it will burst) and thenthere will be a complete reformation of the game in this country. I think for us, success will be staying in the Championship.
Yeah cos, like Swansea and Norwich last year, Blackpool the year before, Burnley before that and us even before them, it's always the team you expect that get prmoted isn't it?
Like I said the situation gets more extreme with each year that passes, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Last year the likes of Norwich, QPR and Swansea did so well because thee poor, or financially crippled teams came down from the Premiership. I'm not saying a surprise won't happen here and there, but as time goes on the chances of a Swansea or a Blackpool or a Burnley happenning will get less and less.
There is nothing wrong with his approach low key is better in my view than telling the world we are going for promotion. There will be 24 teams all thinking this year will be theirs keeping a low profile will keep us out the spot light and give us less pressure. The managers of West Ham and Leicester will be under great scrutiny because of the money they have spent and if they don´t get results they will be not last long. The message he sells to the press is less important than the message he sends to the players. I am sure the message they receive will be different to this message. We have in my view a much better squad than we did 12 months ago which will get stronger with one or two additions.
Hmm, See what you mean, and I'm tempted to agree with you. BUT, don't you think there is a danger we are doing a school Shakespeare trick here and over analysing everything that is said? Sometimes I think we ascribe too much thought to people like AP when in fact like most of us (especially wives) he is just saying something, anything, to fill a silence. You are also in danger of losing your **** status. Sorry, typo, meant "Cult" status.
The simple fact that you had listened to AP's interview "again" says to me you have mental issues !!! why would you ? what do you feel is that important you had missed ? maybe if you play it backwards the devil might talk to you ! What are you twenty something ? come onnnn, get a life
