They underperformed. This season they aren’t.
Agree, all with better squads than us.
So it happens less than once a season on average. There are probably at least 8-10 teams every season thinking they have a chance. Most don’t make it.
Nice manipulation of the stats by the way, picking which seasons to choose. I can do that too. It’s happened once in the last 4 seasons.
Teams with PPs have way more chance.
Which is why it’s our best chance.
Still is. Our team and squad are in the top 5 or 6. Definitely not the top 3. I don’t know why you think we should finish above that.
God loves a trier, but there are limits.
I think we need to be realistic, we struggle against teams that park the bus, Portsmouth, Blackburn, Preston, Bristol C, Sunderland etc we can beat teams who try to play Oxford, QPR, Hull, WBA etc, but we have an unfortunate knack of giving soft goals away sometimes, it is he one thing we are consistent at, often by trying to break the lines and overcommitting players forward we leave ourselves exposed. Watford, Norwich, Leeds, Burnley immediately spring to mind but the goals conceded to Bristol, Portsmouth were softer than a Mr Whippy as well. Coventry had the ball in the net 6 times for goodness sake, albeit against 10 men.
I accept we have players of good ability that are worth decent money. However, we are often slow and ponderous in possession at the back, we have little to no creative threat from the left side, we are weak at full back, winning consistency has been missing all season and our only consistently good performers have been Edmundson and a young inexperienced Doak (loanees).
To put 6 past Oxford and 4 past QPR and 5 past Luton is great, but not when you are year on year losing home games to the likes of Bristol, Blackburn, Coventry and struggle to get points out of Portsmouth, Preston, Swansea etc. I love Carrick to bits, he got a tune out of good players in his first season, so we know he can coach proven players well enough. I do question how good some of our signings really are when we can’t be sure which Azaz, Lath, Conway, Borges, Engel, Bangura, even Hackney are going to turn up. Hamilton has shown nothing really, Silvera is doing nowt at Pompey. Gilbert has done it when started but oddly never gets a look in.
We desperately need two proper full backs and a left winger to give us a push in January but we have bought 3 left backs in the last 2 summer windows Engel is poor, Borges is poor mostly and Bangura is seemingly made of glass like a few others in the squad. We are a long way from being a top three side. Unless we start to develop some consistency and keep key players fit getting 6th will not be a forgone conclusion. It is no good looking fine on paper. Some of this rests with Scott and some with Carrick too.
