... Haven't been on here a lot recently but I've got a couple of random musings for you. I've just been taking a brief stroll through the internet and I came across two things: 1) The league table. Has anyone else noticed that we have the third-best defence in the league? We've conceded 46, with Bournemouth on 45 and Middlesbrough on 37 (Sheffield Wednesday 48 if anyone thinks I've missed them out). Surely no-one has forgotten how truly pathetic our defence was when Alex Neil came in? Truly worse than most of the stuff we were seeing in League One and Neil's fixed it in half a season. 2) This picture: please log in to view this image Yes, I know it's annoying that we didn't get automatic promotion but who in their right mind would want to swap a miserable season in the Premier League for the chance to see this in the flesh again? The picture alone gives me goosebumps. I can't wait. On the Ball City!
Somehow I think of all those sloppy goals we've conceded and don't get the impression that we have the third best defence in the league. You're right - AN has done a great job of sorting it out.
What's our defence like for just the period AN's been in charge? Don't get me wrong, I'm desperate for us to go up and, if we get there, Wembley will be an incredible day out, but what a season this has been!
Sorry, HFM, I have just two words to say to you - Geoff Horsfield! A totally awesome day at the Millennium Stadium. I'll never forget walking up the steps and into the midst of a seething cauldron of yellow and green. Unbelievable noise - especially with the roof closed!
"Mcveigh, oh Grangers missed it, Notman has it, Its Alex Notman for Norwich, Its Notmans cross, ITS ROBERTS!!!!"
If only he'd have done that 30 seconds earlier when the game was still in normal time - or if only they hadn't scrapped the 'golden goal' rule just that very season. Ah well, let's just hope it goes better this time around, we are of course undefeated in play-off fixtures (excludnig pens, obviously)
Am i right in saying it was still "Silver Goal" and if Horsefield hadnt equalised in the first period we would have won? Remember turning to my Dad as a child and celebrating, he checked his watched in disbelief and said something like "19 seconds!". For me at 10, time had stood still pretty much all day so i couldn't process it anyway.
Long haul back to Carrot Road on club cabbage after that match I was a coach steward for that and the preceding away game at Barnsley. Free coach travel and match ticket. Scant consolation after losing on pens, though
I went down with three mates - two were neutral but kinda leaning towards us as McVeigh is a personal mate of ours, and my other mate is a massive Blue Nose so you can imagine the earful I was getting all the way back sat in the back of the car after a veritable skinful. Can't believe I didn't chuck him out of the window at some point!
You might like to see this which shows our form over the last 20 games which is roughly how long AN has been in charge - And shows that we have the BEST defence in the league. IMO, I'd like another season in the championship with AN in charge, so that he can find a way of comfortably beating teams in the lower half of the table!!!
Thanks JR, that was my question too, which you've decisively answered! He really has sorted out our defence, and our attack is still joint third best in that list, so it's not come at too big a price. I have to say I disagree about another season in the Championship - this has been fantastic for recovering good mood, etc, and what a season it has turned out to be (so topsy turvy it has made everyone a little sick!) but I think we need to retain our best players and we stand to lose some key ones this summer if we don't get promoted. In other words, what little benefit there is from getting relegated (i.e. a chance to recover good feeling in the squad and fans) has just about been done. If I were Watford and Bournemouth I would be looking very closely at the likes of Hooper, Bassong, Howson and Johnson if we don't get promoted, which could do the sort of damage to our squad that might be irreparable.
Yes Rob, you make a good case for not having another season in the championship and as you say, some of the players you mentioned could easily become targets of the promoted teams and so make promotion next year more difficult to achieve..
