I completely agree with you. I just think it's a little depressing than the two of us are in this position where we're saying that our minimum finish is somewhere in the bottom half. So much for finishing 8th, 7th and then 6th, and getting closer to the CL (and maybe, just maybe, holding onto our players and managers in the future).
We will pick up I'm sure.........anything less than the top ten will be seen as a failure. Certainly after the reteric from the board about playing in the CL or Europe at the very least.. I have to say I am worried about all these penalties we are giving away. By my count we have dropped at least 6 points because of them.........Something doesn't add up and it is not just referees decisions.. All by one player too......hmmmm suspicious perhaps?
Think the bottom half is going to be a bit more fluid than that; it feels like a bit of a return to the PL seasons of yore, where you have 8-9 teams who are substantially better than the rest*, a couple teams that will emerge as being truly awful, and the finishing positions between being up for grabs. Used to be that the team that best defended home turf in those bottom-half matches tended to take the prized upper-mid-table spots...that might perhaps be the ordering principle again this year. *We had that last year, as well...difference this year is that the 8 teams probably won't feature so many unconventional entrants.
My bad you are correct........is it just bad luck though to give even two on the trot ..............I guess it must be.........,
Better prepare for the worst BT; top ten looks unlikely. The rhetoric has not been backed up this season with the players we bought and sold - possibly the appointment of CP also. CP seems to have taken the sparkle out of our game and we have struggled against sides like Watford and Sunderland at home. Just don't see where the goals are going to come from and the defence is leaking goals. 12-14th seems a reasonable choice but if we keep with this diamond formation it could be lower. CP is, for me, struggling and it is reminiscent of when Adkins first managed us in the EPL - this league is a huge step up from the Championship league or the French leagues. Hopefully CP can make the adjustment and soon.
I'm not sure you can say CP is struggling when if Shane had taken one of his chances and the ref kew what he was doing we would have beaten Arsenal away 2-1 and we have to feel aggrieved we left without a point. We played very well at times and don't play like strugglers. MOTM Cazorla commented on it being a tough game because we are a good team. Agree though that CP will be learning all the time about EPL so it will take time. If it was easy then we would all be doing it eh? Next home game v Swansea should reveal more. Please God give us a competent ref !!!
Mark Hughes is feeling harder done than us, maybe red & white stripes confuse refs, how are Sunderland doing for referee decisions?
Pretty good.....they time waste from about 15 minutes in & get one yellow in the 89th minute......nothing to complain about this season thus far!
You can say that about every match, though...if we took our chances, and they don't take theirs, and the referee cooperates, we win. Sometimes it even happens that way; see Burnley defeating Liverpool with next to no possession and a 26-3 shot differential. Unfortunately, we have poor finishers. Last year that was less of a problem, because we created a tonne of good chances; we aren't doing that right now. And until we find a way to generate chances in volume, we're going to score pretty sporadically.
I don't think Puel is anywhere near as naieve defensively as Adkins was. And from memory we created plenty of chances under him. Adkins did play the diamond but I don't remember it featuring in the PL.
Fonte was always abit reckless and was lucky not have a penalty awarded against him. With the new rules I just think he's being found out
Can't comment on recent incident, but we always joked about Jose getting away with things. Refs are tightening up as instructed, but I suspect they will ease up later in the season after there is a reaction to one or two controversial decisions against the big clubs. Let's hope we get a couple of penalties before then to even things up.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...st-laugh-despite-southampton-defender-virgil/ Virgil was booked for damaging the penalty spot! New one on me.
