Great piece Judo. Know how you feel mate. Of course there are positives, tactically and in terms of energy and fight - and 4 out of 6 against high quality teams cannot be bad. But there's a big BUT, actually a few of them, getting in the way ain't there? And that's what this feeling's about. Think it's called apprehension. And there's this little devil inside ain't there? It's saying, 'should have had 3 points today!' And you come back at it with all the positive spin - and the little ****er's still saying, 'if you can contain a team like Tottenham, you should be able to nick it like at Chelsea'! Imagine if we had done... My mistake, I know, you've been through all that several times already! Whilst those green shoots ARE well on the go, fact is it'll be a while before we can harvest anything (just look at the number of quality recruits queuing up to join us and the fact that despite our awakenings, our competitors are still bagging points). By the time fortune finally favours us, the season's all but over... I know some of us don't like looking at the arse end of things - but this is a particularly big arse and it's hard to avoid right now. All I can say is we're with you all the way 'Arry. Doing us proud in getting the lads earning their dough for the full 90. Not your fault we're so short on strikers or that potentials wouldn't fancy the project with things being as they R.
Ahh, i'm very guilty of "imagining if" as well. A point is a mighty fine result against a side such as spurs, but initially the greedy side of me felt a little ungrateful for it. Still, i think there are often equally as many imaginably worse scenarios as there are better ones. As fans it's in our nature to picture the jubilation had events gone slightly more in our favour. But imagine if Cesar hadn't made that double save early on? Imagine if Chelsea had signed Ba prior to playing us? Thinking about it it in that way, we certainly shouldn't resent the fact things went the way they did. Besides, we've got 10 points from 9 games now under harry, without him having brought in any of "his players". The first few of those games were with a side desperately low on confidence as well. It's probably fair to expect that the return from the next 9 games will be more bountiful than the return from the 9 we've just seen.
We have worked out how to defend as a unit against the best teams which is a bonus, but when we play against the teams just above us in a 6 pointer can we take it to the next level and create plenty of chances while still defending as a solid unit. We will have to wait and see
Short memories. Where would be if we had not won 5 or 6 on the trot at home at the end of last season by going for wins at home not draws? Among those, we beat Spurs 1-0, Liverpool 3-2 and Arsenal 2-1. We won't do that this season playing for draws. We have yet to do it against the likes of Villa, Southampton, Reading, Sunderland, Newcastle. This really is a no brainer. Some of you talk as though we've turned the corner. When we start scoring regularly and getting more than one player in the box, we will have a chance to win some games away from home. Then we wil have turned the corner. At the moment we are wasting our chances by settling for one point at a time. We have according to some a team of underperforming players who are capable of being world beaters. Surely they can defend and attack as a unit?
You're living in cloud-cuckoo land if you are advocating taking on the best counter-attacking team in the country at their own game, get real FFS...
Good report Judo. Cheers. I enjoyed the game actually. Some good battles around the pitch; I agree Fabio and Onuoha were excellent today as was Cesar who was probably my MoM. It was a great team performance, and even with my dislike (nay massive disappointment) in SWP - even he put in a workmanlike shift (but his finishing - woeful, so woeful). It was so good to see us work like a team; scurry around, close people down quickly. We just need that finisher who will not waste those opportunities. Those not in the starting 11 have seen the bar raised as far as work ethic, performance and team working is concerned - they know what they have to do to get in this side now. The hope is still there. The despair is still niggling away. The roller coaster is still rumbling along through a bloody difficult January - but 4pts is 4 more than I was expecting at this stage. So lets keep pulling in some performances and points lads.
Great report Judo, but I think we would have all been happy with a point if it had not been for WBAs collapse. Having said that we can only control what we do...so Harry got as 4 points against 2 of the top clubs, if he can get us wins against the lower teams ......maybe! But we now know that Harry doesn't think we have a striker on our books that is worthy of the name. So we need a scoring centreforward or we are down...end of story!
Hi Judo, Just wanted to get your thoughts as to '7' rating for 'Hail Cesar' ................. from the headlines I've seen, the papers were in raptures over him. Cheers, JP
Great report as ever by Judo. IMO, we HAVE turned the corner under Harry. OK, we're not scoring many, but we ain't shipping goals either. I believe that a team is built from the defence and that is what Harry is doing. With Hughes in charge we would definitley have gone down with a whimper, with Harry we might go down, but we will go down fighting. U Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Would definately give Cesar a 9 . The saves were absolutely top drawer and won us a point . He also looks a commanding keeper and inspires confidence in the defence and supporters . Everything is starting to go the right way under Harry's tuition , i just hope we have long enough time to rescue this season . If not at least we have got something half decent to watch and hopefully Harry stays and brings us straight back up .
Well said Andy. Major concern this. Apart from the fact that Rangers almost never win against bottom drawer sides, the lot this year are as desperate as us and ALL scoring whilst we're not. We've got 2 months of the lesser lights in February and March. Our Waterloo if you like. If Cisse would only get his mojo back there'd be some hope. As things stand...
This is why for me it is top priority to bring in a fast quality CB, to give our central defense solidity without all the midfield support it needs now with so lttle speed back there.
Couldn't agree more Oz. Problem for us though is that even with a bit money to spend, willing and able recruits to the cause are in short supply. The mess the Hughes regime created for us is deep and wide. Timely recovery in all departments remains a massive ask.
very true, if any other premiership club shows an interest in a player we are after then the odds are stacked against us
With an added 0.1 for the number of fans who laughed out loud. Specially liked the roll one way....stop and then roll the other way. Notable mention also goes to the "quivery" leg effect. M'bia's performance had everything...Oscar nomination at least
