Finished 10th on 49 pts. Finished 3rd the season before. Not that close IMHO. The 1973-74 season seems to be a better reference point.
73/74 our league form was pretty consistent throughout. We actually finished the season stronger than we started it. That will not be the case this year. By a distance.
There is no comparison as a manager Graham is miles ahead, but I don't think Ange has any brown paper bags full of cash behind the sofa!
I feel like he's almost done the opposite. Not that he's focusing on the league at the expense of the cups, of course. He's abandoned Angeball in the cups, because he knows it doesn't work. He's still using it in the league though, despite the weakened sides. It's bizarre.
Mentality has nothing to do with it. Most of the players have applied themselves and given 100%. The tactics, team selection and system just don't work. We know it, the players know it and even Postecoglou knows it. Why's he still insisting on using it and basically forfeiting games? No idea.
I can see some logic in it actually. In the Europa everyone we’ve played is much weaker than us so we should play a sumple system with little risk. For most recent league matches we've actually had teams which are theoretically the same standard as the opponents so we need to take more risks in order to win but that also increases the chance of losing.
Honestly, he probably would've been dreck for us in this day and age given his Route One tactics, which at the time looked daft when he was turning Serghiy Rebrov into Niall Quinn - but at present it would arguably be worse as he reduces Bergvall and Bentancur to bystanders watching the ball sail overhead from the back four over and over again
where does ‘where we are at’ ever get us? You and I have not seen us ever cross the line in the league We are not setup to fight for the league cups is our only way to glory and will remain so until things change at our club from upstairs downwards regarding building a team to challenge until then we have to enjoy these victories and nights and know our place. Yes 17th isn’t our place but I for one am sick of existing in no man’s land.
I agree about the league and not winning it but 17th is just so far beyond unacceptable. I’m actually in disbelief when I look at that league table and how many defeats and lack of points they have. I know in theory it’s the same as 11th or 12th but it just feels so much worse imo.
I agree but fundamentally without at the very least having a solid league position, any trophies won are amazing but they dangerously paper over serious cracks. I'm not a fan of how some (no offence to you) state that there is no real difference between 5th and 17th. In terms of fan enjoyment and memories, you're probably right. But as a predictor of the future, the difference couldn't be wider. Right now our league form indicates that as a trophy winning side, we'd be closer to the likes of Portsmouth, Swansea or Wigan than the likes of Liverpool or City. And that for me is a genuine concern. If Ange is kept on and we rely on him to juggle the league and the CL next season, taking into account the strength of teams like Leeds and Burnley and I genuinely fear we could be relegated. Sacking off the league to win a cup and finishing 8-9th at the end of it bears no resemblance to finishing 17th at the end of it.
You think a team that finishes 5th has the same chance of relegation the following year as a team that finishes 17th?
I was disagreeing with the "fan enjoyment and memories" part, but no, probably not. I doubt many teams make that drop from one season to the next, either. We've massively underperformed in the league this year in every sense. We'll finish 17th and the squad is nowhere near as bad as that. Not even close. Having a goal difference 46 points higher than the next club is wild, too.
. I think it's years of spurs induced trauma in me, but I don't trust a single optimistic thought about this club anymore. I agree that in theory the squad is clearly much, much better than 17th and that any decent manager should catapult us up the table, but... Is Levy capable of hiring a decent manager? There is a chance Ange keeps his job if we win the EL. That would be catastrophic imo. There is also a chance he gets sacked either way and Levy gets a special idea in his shiny head to appoint someone like Southgate. It isn't all that unbelievable. He's got the last 4 managerial appointments completely wrong and generally has an abysmal track record in this regard.
I can't even think of anyone worthwhile that's available and attainable, to be honest. The list of names that we've been linked with his been rather underwhelming.
I think we've learned the hard way that it is more important to make the right appointment than the impressive one. Our increased annual net spend is illusory thanks to our wage ceiling lagging behind not just our traditional rivals but as of last year, almost the entire top half of the PL. This means that all we can really do is sign more average players than other teams can. I think our transfer activity over the past five years has reflected this reality. We need a manager with PL experience, who has a track record of building a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts as we just can't afford truly world class players to compensate for weaknesses, and who has shown ability to nurture young talent. Ange ticks none of those boxes. I think of all the names we've been linked with, Glasner, Frank and Iraola tick those boxes. If Palace beat city at the weekend, Glasner is the man for me.
If Frank wins Palace their first major trophy, then he'll probably want to stay for a while. At least until they have time to build his statue...
If the manager of Brentford wins a trophy for Palace, he deserves more than a statue Get inside PNP, you've been in the sun for too long.
