Lack of optimism

Wowsers

 

(please delete)

 

Stoke now have optimism also.

 

The thing with the Europa League is that Pardew and the media give it the whole great effort, beaten by a good team, the finalists who were a whisker away from winning etc.
What's covered up is the fact that at the start we were more than mediocre, took a bit of a beating by Bordeaux and scraped through.
Most of the teams in that cup at that stage are the mediocre teams of Europe.
Each league comprises the same setup as the old Scottish premier league in my opinion. Two big hitters and two respectable teams and then much of a muchness. The CL sees the big hitters and in most cases the respectable teams taken up, leaving the Europa league to be opened by that bunch of who-ever's.
The respectables (or cannon fodder) then drop out of the CL and into the Europa league making it a bit more of a competition; and yeah, we beat a few of those, but in reality is it any more impressive than beating a Liverpool or Everton? Not in my eyes.
Pardew can call the excuses of injury, lack of investment last summer and fatigue after a decent cup run this week; but next week and his actions over the next three months need to be team building, squad building and an overhaul of the backroom staff. If he doesn't act on lessons he claims to have learned then he can't be here come kick off in our first game August.