I see Bruce is warbling on again today about how hard he has had the first 10 games?
Well, looking at the next 12 games, by contrast he should be expecting us to shoot up the table?
Home
Fulham, Wigan, Blackburn, Everton, City, Swansea and Norwich
Away
Wolves, Spurs, QPR, Wigan, Chelsea
36 points to play for and some very attractive (winnable games that is) fixtures.
If Bruce is that confident, surely then we should be expecting a minimum target to be 4 home wins; 2 home draws and a defeat; and at least 1 away win with 2 away draws and 2 defeats? I dont think thats too much of an ask? Not if as his supporters all say we are improving under him?
19 points? Is that a fair return? That means, best scenario, we would have 30 points after 23 games with 15 games to go? However, anything less (say an average of a point a game as we are now) and we would have 23 points in 23 games. Continue that and we really will be touch and go 38/39 points. Not enough imo.
Thats why these next 4 games are so crucial because if we fail in them, the pressure will be massive going into the other ones and those teams around us, that we should be beating if we have improved under Bruce, will all fancy a piece of us. By getting off to a poor start as we have, we are well behind the 8 ball now and need to start and dispel relegation talk asap with results.
If we have 30 points by the end of January, we will be on our way at least to avoid the drop. I've written this season off as failure now and cant see us even making top 10. That will be the benchmark as to whether Bruce has improved us or not and to be hinest, finishing above 18th is our target now. The debate about Bruce wont be going away in my opinion unless he has a barnstorming 7 months and we go we go tonto from here on in and finish at least 10th again.
Our big problem however, is that if it goes tits up and we are on less than 23 points after 23 games, we will be in a very poor position to attract a decent replacement and will have to just hope and pray there are 3 worse teams than us in the EPL. Not progress but at least it wouldnt be relegation.
Lets hope we get the right result and start tomorrow. A win at all costs is all I am interested in. Anything else is a huge failure.
Well, looking at the next 12 games, by contrast he should be expecting us to shoot up the table?
Home
Fulham, Wigan, Blackburn, Everton, City, Swansea and Norwich
Away
Wolves, Spurs, QPR, Wigan, Chelsea
36 points to play for and some very attractive (winnable games that is) fixtures.
If Bruce is that confident, surely then we should be expecting a minimum target to be 4 home wins; 2 home draws and a defeat; and at least 1 away win with 2 away draws and 2 defeats? I dont think thats too much of an ask? Not if as his supporters all say we are improving under him?
19 points? Is that a fair return? That means, best scenario, we would have 30 points after 23 games with 15 games to go? However, anything less (say an average of a point a game as we are now) and we would have 23 points in 23 games. Continue that and we really will be touch and go 38/39 points. Not enough imo.
Thats why these next 4 games are so crucial because if we fail in them, the pressure will be massive going into the other ones and those teams around us, that we should be beating if we have improved under Bruce, will all fancy a piece of us. By getting off to a poor start as we have, we are well behind the 8 ball now and need to start and dispel relegation talk asap with results.
If we have 30 points by the end of January, we will be on our way at least to avoid the drop. I've written this season off as failure now and cant see us even making top 10. That will be the benchmark as to whether Bruce has improved us or not and to be hinest, finishing above 18th is our target now. The debate about Bruce wont be going away in my opinion unless he has a barnstorming 7 months and we go we go tonto from here on in and finish at least 10th again.
Our big problem however, is that if it goes tits up and we are on less than 23 points after 23 games, we will be in a very poor position to attract a decent replacement and will have to just hope and pray there are 3 worse teams than us in the EPL. Not progress but at least it wouldnt be relegation.
Lets hope we get the right result and start tomorrow. A win at all costs is all I am interested in. Anything else is a huge failure.