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Tom Carroll

billyiddo said:
@DubaiSpur Oh I can agree with using 73 as a target for next season for those reasons - it's just using that particularl season as a benchmark that I have an issue with - for me the benchmark is this season
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I'm assuming you're referring to the 2012-2013 season? If so, fair enough, conditions are somewhat different now; although again, I have to point out that, although the league was weaker, we were also weaker relative to our competitors, and actually had a weaker side than we do now, with only one player literally carrying the team as it grinded relentlessly through games at the end. I'm not sure it's totally wrong to use it as a benchmark given those circumstances.
 
Spur of the moment said:
All I can say is we've come one hell of a long way if losing just two games at the back end an otherwise brilliant season amounts to a collapse. :rolleyes:
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Whilst the fixtures were perhaps more difficult this time around, our form over the final 11 games of this season was identical to that at the tail end of 'mind the gap'

W:4 D:4 L:3

Those points we dropped at home to the 10 man Goons and WBA were just as damaging in the end and that was when Poch had his best starting XI available.

Obviously we could've only dreamt of such 'poor' form at the turn of the century but I can't help but wonder how much better we'd all be feeling right now if we'd not let those leads slip and this season had finished with as good a run of form as 2009/10.
 
DubaiSpur said:
I personally think that, after this season's unforgivable collapse, we really, *really* have to break our points record next season at the least. That's 73 points, for those wondering.

I am an AVB fan, but I want to see that record broken, since it signifies genuine forward progress in my eyes - at the moment, all I can say about this season is that we were good. Were we *that* good, better than everyone else bar Arsenal (f*ck's sake) and Leicester? That is a question open to history, which is a sad reflection of our inability to breach the 70 point barrier. Were we good, or did everyone else just do worse than usual?

73 points is the minimum I expect us to get next season. Get it, and it will be a season of forward progress and success, in my eyes. It won't get us the title, but it will move us forward.
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I think it was a combination of both. We were very good as shown by some of the lovely football we played, the amount of possession we had against every team in the league, chances created etc etc etc. However there were some obvious big names missing from the usual top 4-6 and had those big names been about we probably would have blown 4th rather than 2nd on the last day (which lets face it would have been even harder to swallow).

I genuinely think almost winning the league was the root cause for the collapse though. I think going into the final ten games the players genuinely thought they were going to win the league. The 'Leicester collapse' was coming. As it panned out the opportunity was slowly and frustratingly torn away from them and due to the squad being so young they didn't have the mental capacity/experience to deal with it and move on to consolidate 2nd place.

If it had been us chasing Arsenal for 2nd things might have ended differently. We might have finished above them. Strangely if that had happened we'd probably be giving the players more credit than we are now even though they spent the majority of this season chasing the title. In fact, even if we had sat all season in 3rd behind Arsenal and ballsed up the chance to go ahead of them by getting tanked 5-1 by Saudi Sportswashing Machine on the last day, most would still be happy with how the season went. It's funny how situations and perspectives totally flip everything on their head.
 
galeforce said:
Agreed, personally I think we haven't got a cat in hells chance of the title next season, its going to take quite a few games to get over this seasons collapse.
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Tend to agree with this we need to upgrade a couple of players IF we are to stand a chance of the title. I have said on here (and got stick for it at the time) that we never had a chance to win it this year because (imo) we were not good enough and the table tends to show just that. Depending on what upgrades we make I think we will struggle to do it next season as well.

I would be happy to show progress and I pray we make more of a effort to win something so at least we will not end the season with yet another empty trophy cabinet.
 
I find it interesting, sorry I mean concerning, that we have sold Chadli but Carroll is still here. I personally thought Chadli was teh better payer that gave us more
 
NaijaSpurs said:
I find it interesting, sorry I mean concerning, that we have sold Chadli but Carroll is still here
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I don't, Carroll is out, Winks/Edwards are above him in the next to play list.

I suspect either we have him purely for numbers depth (or perhaps waiting on one or two in before letting go), we can more afford to carry him unused vs. Chadli simply based on wages.
 
Carol and Winks together....

The two bounce balls off each other like a pinball machine. Would love to see both of them start in the cups. Seriously fast agile passing.
 
NaijaSpurs said:
I find it interesting, sorry I mean concerning, that we have sold Chadli but Carroll is still here. I personally thought Chadli was teh better payer that gave us more
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not sure what your thinking is here considering they both play different positions on the pitch
 
If he really wants a game he should go abroad to a league that better suits his passing ability. I said the same thing back in the day about Huddlestone. He completely wasted his talent at Hull.
 
NaijaSpurs said:
Winks yay, Carroll nay
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Ultimately probably right. But I think Carol could surprise a few people this season. Never been a massive fan, but have a sneaky suspicion this could be his year. It was a preseason friendly when him and Winks were on fire. The other team could only watch as the ball pinged around them.
 
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If at 24 a player has started as fewer league matches as Tom has I wonder if he will ever be good enough for us. He is 24 and not some young up and coming kid
 
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