Perspective.

I think this season is a write-off now personally, we’ll probably finish about 9th or 10th. Mainly because of too many injuries, we’re also inconsistent.

To be fair last summer was a massive rebuild and almost entirely new team.

So I’m not that bothered, as long as we hold on to crown jewels like Hackney, RVDB and Carrick, hope all the new players get better for the experience, and keep building.
 
Every game that goes by pushes us more into recreating that form we had when MC first arrived.
We just don’t seem to be able to do that despite having on paper a very decent squad. Injuries have killed us.
Personally I would like to use the remaining games to see O’Brien and Thomas play more game time to see if they would be worthy of bids come June (or if better players in their positions make a dramatic difference) and also see if Rav & Clarke is the optimum CB pairing (I believe it is)
 
We all know that last season was a great opportunity for us to go up, but this season has just accentuated that fact.

The relegated teams this season are all very strong and it's difficult to compete with their squads and finances, plus Ipswich and Hull have thrown some money at it, and then you have around 10 teams who are all in the mix.

Whilst I'm disappointed we're not fairing better, I'm not angry that we haven't, because realistically it was always going to be a really tough ask to compete at the same level this season, more so given the injuries list that has hit a young inexperienced squad hard.

There's some hard facts that are regularly being ignored when reading a lot of stuff on here this week.
 
Jonny Ingbar said:
We all know that last season was a great opportunity for us to go up, but this season has just accentuated that fact.

The relegated teams this season are all very strong and it's difficult to compete with their squads and finances, plus Ipswich and Hull have thrown some money at it, and then you have around 10 teams who are all in the mix.

Whilst I'm disappointed we're not fairing better, I'm not angry that we haven't, because realistically it was always going to be a really tough ask to compete at the same level this season, more so given the injuries list that has hit a young inexperienced squad hard.

There's some hard facts that are regularly being ignored when reading a lot of stuff on here this week.
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Mad when you think Southampton went unbeaten from September 23rd until last night, and aren’t in an auto promotion spot.

Brings home how competitive it is.
 
jonny_greenings_sock said:
Mad when you think Southampton went unbeaten from September 23rd until last night, and aren’t in an auto promotion spot.

Brings home how competitive it is.
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Absolutely it does. The relegated clubs are all exceptionally strong this year, and I think will easily finish in the top 3 places.

Trying to compete with that is incredibly difficult and this season there's effectively a dozen or so clubs fighting for the remainder three places. Crazy.
 
Scrug said:
Yes, I’m still ***ed off about Saturday and yes there are problems with the squad. We’re not in a great place at the moment but **** me, remember how bad we’ve been in recent history? When we had the likes of George Savile clogging up our midfield? The Strachan tenure? The Woodgate tenure? Pulis bore-ball? When we had Rudy Gestede up front?

It has been far worse than this. The problem is last season it was far better, but the league is so much harder this year.

If we manage to win at Preston we’re still in a very positive position. And considering the start we had, the injuries we’ve had to contend with and the overhaul we had in the summer, it’s not a bad position to be in.

I also follow Coleraine and they’ve won 2 games in the last 15. It could always be worse 😂
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This post has helped point out one of the reasons I am frustrated at the moment in that it points out that George Saville clogged up the midfield. It’s now pretty much acknowledged that he was not a good player for us but at the time the happy clappers kept telling everyone he would come good (he never). And that is where I am at the moment. Too many players who are clearly not good enough for a team that would expect to challenge for promotion yet the happy clappers will shout down anyone for daring to criticise.

One example of frustration is the BBC Tees phone-in after the game where, I accept there are some people who go well over the top, but some people will articulately point out deficiencies and then they get shouted down and almost mocked by Neil Maddison and the others for daring to say X player is not performing, or we will struggle to make the play-offs. Go on iPlayer and listen if you need to but after the Sunderland game people were getting mocked for saying the season is over after not getting a striker through the door, and failing to beat the mackems, but the responses were “how can you say that, there is loads to play for” etc. But fast forward a week and defeat to Bristol City they were saying the same things they were shouting people down for the week earlier!

Football is a game of opinions. We won’t all ever agree but at the moment the overly positive people are really frustrating as there are many issues with the club at the moment. The season ticket renewal pricing and deadline have only added fuel to the fire. But people need to accept not everything is fantastic and to stop shouting down those who dare to say this.

By the way, like George Saville I will say these players will never play in a team who’ll get promotion from the Championship and I’ll happily say this now as recruitment has been very poor. Glover, Engel, Fry, Clarke, Barlaser, Gilbert, Coburn, Silvera (wouldn’t get a game for Hartlepool).

It does not make me less of a supporter for putting on record these guys are not Championship level players. When they pull on the red shirt I’ll back them all the way but they have not consistantly shown why they should be regulars in a team that would expect promotion from the Championship and why when a team sheet comes out at 2pm, if there are 3 or more of these players in a team at any one time we might as well go home.
 
Until the summer transfer window closes it's difficult to clearly decide where we're going. I've felt positive about our future but the last couple of weeks has been a bit deflating, however this season was always a rebuild.

A bit of patience is required, everyone knows we need strikers, I'm sure we'll get the right players in at the right price, my biggest concern is keeping hold of Carrick as despite the recent form I still think he's the right person to get us back up.

Even if we make the playoffs I can't see past the relegated team that doesn't get the automatic place. Although I'd hoped we'd get in the PO I never had an expectation of winning them in all honesty.
 
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