I've read through all the posts of today and to be honest, I find a lot of it hard to understand. The thing that annoys me is that we had a lot of people saying we were still in with an Auto shot even though anyone with half a brain knew that the auto slots have been gone for nearly two months now. There was even a thread started about catching Burnley which I found annoying. How in the hell anyone would think we'd win all our remaining games is a mystery. We're not Barcelona FFS. We got two good results and all of a sudden people were losing the run of themselves again. Now, when the inevitable happens and we draw a game, fellas (and Beth I think?) get all deflated. Like I said, I just don't understand it. We're cementing our position in the Playoffs nicely. In fact, a few weeks ago folk were saying that we'd nosedive and only scrape into sixth if we were lucky. Some even said we'd finish down around 10th! Hasn't happened. Instead we're in the strongest position of all the 6 or 7 Clubs going for qualification. Although I put us down for a sneaky 2-1 in the Pred Comp, I had a feeling we'd get a draw today. Not a bad point in my honest opinion. We're now unbeaten in three and I'm confident we can win at Bournemouth. I don't know what some of you want or were expecting from this season. Only a quarter of relegated teams bounce right back up and its still on for us. We'll go into the Playoffs full of confidence. Okay today wasn't great but again, what on earth did you expect from this squad that was chucked together during the Summer? From a shambles to a team in 3rd vying for promotion. Not bad in my book. Oh and despite there only being roughly a one in four chance of winning the playoffs (sorry Staines ) I actually think we'll win them and promotion with it. I'm quietly confident. COYR's
If you had been there today and had had to sit through that first half against a Blackpool side who were several levels below dire, I'm not sure you would be calling it "not a bad point"!! The criminal fact is, that if Redknapp had just a tiny amount of tactical nous, we would be somewhere near Burnley and in with a great shout of auto promotion. That line-up today was worse than anything Hughes came up with. Totally inept until, yet again, he has to make the changes that many of us could see right from the off.
No doubt if we go up via the play offs some will say Arry's a genius. But the fact is, after some decent work in the summer by the club in offloading the dross that got us relegated, he's struggling to make the divisions most costly squad play league 1 standard football. The tactics are dire, the entertainment non existant. The players look bewildered. In the first half today they clearly didnt know the game plan. If we do go up I fear for us, as the squad surgery needed to enable us to stay up is immense, even more that it was 3 years ago in my opinion. And how much will that cost? And do we trust Harry to spend it? I for one don't.
I agree with Redknapp's starting lineups leading to a lot of head scratching and his tactics seem off the wall at times. However, at the start of the season when we were winning 1-0 every week, people were slating him them too, saying he should have been using 4-4-2's, wing backs, false nines and all sorts of wild and wonderful tactics that apparently would allow us to attack at will and score more goals. But as the season has developed, its proved that Redknapp knew exactly what he was doing because he knew his midfield wasn't good enough to go out attacking teams. So he packed the middle and took the points the hard way. When he was forced to play more open later in the season like vs Reading for example, we were cut to ribbons. You can only work with what you have and despite everyone seemingly thinking otherwise, our players are just not that good. As for not being there, I think you've hit the nail on the head, albeit perhaps by accident! I've said before and I'll say it again, I think that the local lads that go regularly and live in that environment can perhaps get a bit caught up in it all and sometimes find it hard to see things objectively. Its no surprise that Queens, 10,000 miles away, also sees how well we've actually done this season. When you're not caught up in it, you can see things without emotion clouding your judgement if you know what I mean. There are many downsides but that's definitely an upside IMO. The way I see it is Derby got a good win today at home but Wigan only drew as did Forest, Ipswich and Reading. Brighton lost at home. Their fans can equally complain about a lack of consistency but teams in and around the Playoffs are by their nature inconsistent so it shouldn't come as such a surprise. We're doing very well to be in third this year and the entertainment is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. I said that too when I had a season ticket BTW. Its all about results and getting up and I think we're still in there with a half decent shout. We'll go away next week and probably win. So chill out folks!
We should all know how tough this league is to get out of. All teams have the ability to beat each other. Why do some people believe we have a god given right to promotion? Why are people constantly bitching and moaning on this site about the team, players and mostly the manager. Yes it's not great football, yes it could be better. Look at the table people, were 3rd in the fuggin league. After last year I never imagined we would do so well. Don't post anymore but had to agree with what Swords was saying. It's a depressing site mostly here these days, which is a real shame especially considering where we are in the league. It could have been so very different this season imo. Anyway, rant over, back to my rock...
How 'Arry saw it: “It was all one-way traffic. They scored from a corner, then they sat in and it was hard to break them down. Today we needed players that could open the door. There was two players that could do that, Junior when he came on and Ravel. Those two looked like they might do something and in the end it was Junior who scored. I wanted to find a way to get two strikers in the team with Ravel in behind.I wanted us to get forward and have a go today. Their goal was nothing to do with our system. When you have a look at the creative players we’ve had missing today again, even from the other night, it’s difficult. We’ve lost two more today through Aaron Hughes and Nedum Onuoha. They’ve picked up strains but it shouldn’t be serious. It’s been a tough week to be fair. If you’d said seven points at the start of the week you’d have taken them. But when you’ve got six you want nine so we’re disappointed obviously we didn’t win today. It’s not been a bad week’s work all things considered.It’s going to be tough to catch Burnley obviously but you never know. We’ve just got to keep going, keep plugging away, and see where that takes us.”
Yeh wake up, be happy, Arry played with 3 CB's, no wide man, home to a plummeting oranges, after an auto became a possible, and whoopie we got a point.
I am convinced Harry's heart isn't in it and if so as the season has gone on the players have become demotivated. Injuries of course have really hurt us but we are more resembling Hughes bunch of mercenaries than a real team. We are in the top six because this is a sh1t league and we rode our luck early in the season.
Good OP Swordsie boy. Even though I agree with what you say I also have to aknowledge the ones who actually was there like Sussex and Col who are both knowledgeable football men and I have to say they are closer to the truth. Yes #3 in the table is great if you consider what we've been through and what most of us feared before the season. But for me this season represent a lot of missed oppurtunities and we should be higher all things considered. That for me is very fair coming from Harry, can't fault any of that. Doesn't mean we couldn't have approached it different and got a better result, but all in all I think that sums us and this league up.
I can't disagree with a word of that................but why play the slowest centre back ever as one wing back and Benoît (I really couldn't give a ****) Assou-Ekotto as the other?
Get Malky in the summer,Get rid of the older,crocked players(On big wages),sell Remy and build a younger,hungry team. Having watched this team for most of the season,the team we have now(Apart from Remy/Morrison/Austin) are nowhere near good enough to play in the prem. We had this last time and look what happened. We would have to buy at least 6 or seven new players,but the right sort of players would cost about 80-100 mill!. We would end up buying Carlton Cole,Brett Haangerland and Scott Parker!.I spent two seasons of misery in the prem,so no thanks for more!
Don't be daft there is always chance imo Burnley could easily lose a few more games yet The football changes this time of year Swords
There you go using that word again "daft" ?? I agree with superhoops67, we dont have a squad that is ready to grow into the EPL, we have a squad, of ex-EPL players desperate for another go at the top tier, but as developing a squad ready to take on the EPL and grow further together, and stay in the EPL ? Dont be "daft"
