JL reckons 10 wins out of 20 games or 30 points which more realistically maybe 8 or 9 wins with all importantly, NOT BEING BEATEN TOO OFTEN... Is it possible..? Yes of course it is. The players out of contract will raise their game to try and win a new one and the everyone else will improve to try and get in the side and we know that when we are on form, we can give anyone in the division a game. To me, the crucial thing is how long the new manager "bounce" lasts and if the players decide that they like the new man. If they do, we will be ok but if they start the same behind the scenes crap again, we ARE doomed. I keep hearing about the right appointment but the only test of the "right appointment" is in hindsight. experience is no guarentee of success. A lot of it is about player power. Paul Jewell is an excellent manager who took Wigan from zero to the Prem in 6 years. He built that side with DW's money BUT, he never splashed out stupid money, but simply assembled a squad of good quality players with the desire to succeed. I remember many battles with them and thinking what a quality player Leighton Bains (amongst others) was for them and look where he is now. But for some reason, it just didn't work for him at Ipswich. They have money and some decent players but if as I suspect, he told the players what he thought of them, they didn't play for him. I doubt Mick McCarthy has improved their squad and as another straight talking bloke, I wonder how long their revival will last... The game is all about ability but ultimately, the will to win governs the level of committment to the job. If we get players hungry to succeed, we are fine but if it is down more to "will for the wife to to shop and pose", it wouldn't matter if you bought in Mourinho himself... Currently, we have way too many "average" footballers who have got a taste of the good life and are now desperate to hang on to it at all costs and will raise their game and just do enough to hang on to NPC status accordingly the same as they have done in previous seasons but longer term, this is not the sort of player we want here...
