Imagine how good we would be the way we are playing now... Oh well, no point in living in a fantasy world of what ifs.
I think we are capable of great things, (ie top 7/8 - I see no reason why would couldn't emulate West Brom or Southampton from recent seasons) but my current concern is that our attack is at its full potential, but Mahrez and Vardy WILL inevitably go off the boil, as they did last season. WHEN that happens, I fear for us with the way we are defending. Of course, there's always the possibility that Ranieri will sort it out, just I'm a bit perplexed as to why he's not done something about it already. If Ranieri doesn't sort the defence , well we could finish anywhere in the bottom half - including one the relegation spots.
I've already said tons of times - the only time the league table really matters is after 38 games. Look at us now for instance. In days we've gone from 2nd to 7th to potentially 13th after the next game.
So not down to that fact that they've really not been very good (by their standards) so far this season?
Another question - why you believe a team that has been bottom for half of the season and finished 14th would move 7 places higher than last season after losing their manager and star player?
Did you watch the game? I did, while texting laughing emoji's at my Arsenal supporting brother in law (like FosseFilberto did after that statement you highlighted) They were dire - wish they fielded this team against us as we would have mullered them. Also Cambiasso was man of the match - centre of everything good about Olympiakos. Like I said before, wish we could have kept him but he went in search of Champions League and got it. Again, oh well - no point in living in a fantasy world of what could have beens.
We have strengthened our squad both in January and in the summer, both in terms of numbers and quality, this includes players that might have thought we were a high relegation risk last in our first season Our players have acclimatised to the Premier League and we now know who in our original squad can cut and who can't, many of latter have been shipped out. Some players, including Mahrez and Vardy, have far exceeded expectations, Vardy earning a call up to the England side, which is no easy achievement when playing for a club like ours We found a winning combination and formation that sides couldn't live with in the last ten games last season Again, there's no relevance in the fact we were bottom for much of the season. We never looked like a bottom three side, and most people who know the game, including Mourinho and Wenger, thought we'd survive even with 11/10 games to go. Just a shame some of our fans didn't keep the faith - certainly some of the comments by them didn't match up to the performances I saw. I always said when we losing games by the smallest margins that we were very close to being a very good side - if only we'd have started to click a bit earlier, we could have finished even higher. The only way we'll move backwards is through bad management. Even a repeat of 14th would have to be regarded as a disappointment considering all the above.
Of course there's a relevance, we were there because of results and we spent an uncomfortable number of weeks in the bottom three reflecting both our performances and results. Mourinho and Wenger rarely praise sides when they have been beaten. If some of us didn't keep the faith last season during an abysmal run, why aren't you after 8 unbeaten games out of 9 this season? If we'd clicked a lot earlier we would have won the league!
Aren't these 2 contradictory sentences? My goal for us this season is to finish in roughly the same area we did last year but comfortably avoiding relegation, i don't think we will finish top 10 if im honest, but we've had a good start and glad we are well on the way to 40 points
I notice that your have't put anything about the manager anywhere in your reasoning - your posts show that you put a great deal of success at the end of last season on the manager so surely the new manager is a factor into your reasoning that we will finish in 7/8th position? If not why is it not? Most people who know the game, including Mourinho and Wenger say we will easily survive this season - if you put so much faith their words then, why not now? Finally you also talk about people losing the faith when we were down, why don't you have any faith now?
No of course not. I'm saying the fact we're riding high now and we're bottom for most of last season are both irrelevant, as it only matters where you are after 38 games. Performance is the thing that matters. Part of me will be very glad if we just survive, but another will think we've missed a golden opportunity if we don't break the top ten.
I said we COULD finish 7th/8th. The jury is out on whether Ranieri will achieve this. The early signs are mixed, for the reasons I keep explaining. I think we will survive this season, don't think I've ever said otherwise. We COULD go down if our defence isn't sorted, but it would be a manager of utter incompetence to not make any moves to address this. I don't believe Ranieri falls into that category. I do have faith - in the team. They have proven time and time again that they won't lie down and take defeat. At no time will you hear me calling for the managers head or accepting relegation if they continue to give their best.
What is all this talk about me not keeping the faith?! I'm questioning some of Ranieri's tactics, not calling for his head! I really think some of you are being a bit over sensitive over all of this! As someone who watched every game last season I totally disagree that we were in the bottom three so long based on performances. Results, obviously, but not performances. It was commented by most observers that we weren't getting the results we deserved. In the end, we did and guess what? After 38 games, we finished in a place that reflected our quality. This season will be the same. We're seventh now, but we'll finish where we deserved to. We may drop like a stone late on, we may start well, drop off, then pick up again, or we may drop off soon and never recover. We may, if Ranieri sorts out the defence, even hang on to seventh spot or thereabouts all season. For better or worse, the manager will have a massive bearing on where we finish - as did the manager who led us to 14th last season.
... why the took then have you never questioned Nigel Pearson's tactics? ... he has been in charge of 2 of the longest winless runs in my 45 years of watching the team ..
I have. Many times. I questioned that we never signed a left back because Konch was never going to be good enough for this level. I questioned the continued inclusion of Morgan. I questioned the signing of Ulloa. Come to think of it, he proven me wrong on two of those three things! Konch he did eventually drop.
